CRAIGforCONGRESS

Missouri's 7th District, U.S. House of Representatives

 

 

 

Bringing LIBERTY to Capitol Hill -- 2008
OZARKS VIRTUAL TOWN HALL
Saturday Morning, January 12, 2008, 10:30am



A Discussion of The President's Saturday Morning Radio Address

Click here to listen to a replay of the January 12, 2008 Ozarks Virtual Town Hall

Notes and Summary of the President's Address -- Separate but Equal States in Israel

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. I'm speaking to you from the Middle East, where I have been meeting with friends and allies. We're discussing how we can work together to confront the extremists who threaten our future. And I have encouraged them to take advantage of the historic opportunity we have before us to advance peace, freedom, and security in this vital part of the world ... a vision of two democratic states -- Israel and Palestine -- living side by side in peace and security.

How the President Differs from the American vision of "Liberty Under God":

The Middle East conflict is a religious conflict. It ultimately requires a religious solution.

  1. The purpose of American Government is to promote Christianity. We are to be a "City upon a Hill." (text)
  2. If America breaks her covenant with God, and fails to observe "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God,"
    "we shall surely perish out of the good land whither we pass over this vast sea to possess it."
    "we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world."
  3. Every government on earth, including the the state of Israel and any state of Palestine that might be created by George Bush, has this same duty: to acknowledge God and True Religion.
  4. The United States should "make disciples of every nation," helping them beat "swords into plowshares" so that everyone may dwell safely under his own Vine & Fig Tree.
  5. Violence is not the instrument by which this objective is attained:
    As Noah Webster said, "The ecclesiastical establishments of Europe which serve to support tyrannical governments are not the Christian religion but abuses and corruptions of it."
    Daniel Webster similarly explained: "Christianity to which the sword and the fagot [burning stake or hot branding iron] are unknown -- general tolerant Christianity is the law of the land!"
  6. Government promotes Christianity by protecting the rights of individual Christians to do so.
  7. Foreign Policy: This means missionaries and businessmen are America's frontline of "diplomats"
    The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations is in extending our commercial relations to have with them as little political connection as possible."
             — Washington, Farewell Address (1796) [Washington’s emphasis]
    I deem [one of] the essential principles of our government, and consequently [one] which ought to shape its administration,…peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.
             — Jefferson, First Inaugural Address (1801) 
  8. Bush is violating this most fundamental precept of American foreign policy by creating entangling political alliances.
  9. During the 20th century, the United Nations, Britain, and the federal government of the United States, have been creating the forces of war and conflict in the Middle East.
    1. The majority of Israelis and Arabs are willing to live with each other in "peace, commerce, and honest friendship,"  "extending their commercial relations" with each other, buying, selling, living life.
    2. Wealthy Jews have been able to purchase land from Arab Palestinians in voluntary commercial transactions which were mutually beneficial to both parties.
    3. There is a minority among both Jews and Arabs who seek to impose their will by force on others.
    4. These violent people tend to form "governments."
    5. A "Jewish Homeland" was emerging in the early part of the 20th century through voluntary transactions in the absence of "Hamas," the "PLO," the "State" of Israel and similar institutions of violence
    6. America, as a Christian nation, should recognize that the willingness to resort to violence is primarily a religious and spiritual problem, and conventional weapons are futile and counterproductive.
  10. The U.S. federal government is not a force for peace in the Middle East as long as it seeks to impose governmental/political solutions.
  11. Israel as a "nation" has no right to exist. Neither do the Palestinian Arabs. Neither does America. The "right" to "exist as a nation" is the "right" to impose one's will on a minority by force and threats of violence.
  12. The United States federal government has no Constitutional, moral, Biblical, political, ethical, or pragmatic justification to use government coercion to protect the Jews.
  13. The United States federal government has no Constitutional, moral, Biblical, political, ethical, or pragmatic justification to use government coercion to protect the Arab Palestinians.
  14. President Bush claims that his foreign policy is going to keep us safe and keep gas prices down. It's part of his overall plan to give Americans everything they could possibly want, if they continue to vote Republican.
  15. President Bush thus promises to be our Savior, and Taxes are our offerings to a false god.
    1. America is, on the one hand, a nation "under God."
    2. America is, on the other hand, a nation that ignores God and commits idolatry.
    3. Idolatry is when we fail to trust God (our national motto is "In God We Trust") and trust the Government to bring us "salvation."
  16. Americans must think about these issues, not just in terms of the Constitution, but in terms of the values enshrined in the Declaration of Independence -- the philosophy of "Liberty Under God."

President's Radio Address Liberty Under God
 THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. I'm speaking to you from the Middle East, where I have been meeting with friends and allies. We're discussing how we can work together to confront the extremists who threaten our future. And I have encouraged them to take advantage of the historic opportunity we have before us to advance peace, freedom, and security in this vital part of the world. peace, freedom, security
These are really the same thing.
Peace = freedom from the initiation of force
Security = peace that can be depended upon

The Bible describes these things as "salvation."

 My first stop was Israel and the Palestinian Territories. I had good meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Palestinian President Abbas. Both these men are committed to peace in the Holy Land. Both these men have been elected by their people. And both share a vision of two democratic states -- Israel and Palestine -- living side by side in peace and security. Two states are worse than none.

Why a "two-state solution" in Palestine is absurd

 I came away encouraged by my meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Each side understands that the key to achieving its own goals is helping the other side achieve its goals. For the Israelis, their main goal is ensuring the safety of their people and the security of their nation. For the Palestinians, the goal is a state of their own, where they can enjoy the dignity that comes with sovereignty and self-government. Why does a "separate nation" of Palestinians ensure the safety of Israelis?

Why does Bush have respect for the "sovereignty and self-government" of the Palestinians while working to merge 50 American states into one federal government, and then merge the U.S., Canada and Mexico into a "North American Union?"

 In plain language, the result must be the establishment of a free and democratic homeland for the Palestinian people, just as Israel is a free and democratic homeland for the Jewish people. For this to happen, the Israelis must have secure, recognized, and defensible borders. And the Palestinians must have a state that is viable, contiguous, sovereign, and independent. Achieving this vision will require tough decisions and painful concessions from both sides.  
 I believe that a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians that defines a Palestinian state is possible this year. Prime Minister Olmert made clear to me that he understands a democratic Palestinian state is in the long-term security interests of Israel. President Abbas is committed to achieving this Palestinian state through negotiation. The United States cannot impose an agreement on the Israelis and Palestinians -- that is something they must work out themselves. But with hard work and good will on both sides, they can make it happen. And both men are getting down to the serious work of negotiation to make sure it does happen.  
 The United States will do all we can to encourage these negotiations and promote reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. But the international community has a responsibility to help as well. In particular, the Arab nations of the Gulf have a responsibility both to support President Abbas, Prime Minister Fayyad, and other Palestinian leaders as they work for peace, and to work for a larger reconciliation between Israel and the Arab world. And in my meetings with Arab leaders over the next few days, I will urge them to do their part.  
 A democratic Palestinian state is in the interests of the Palestinians. It is in the long-term security interests of Israel. And it is in the interests of a world at war with terrorists and extremists trying to impose their brutal vision on the Middle East. By helping the Israeli and Palestinian people lay the foundation for lasting peace, we will help build a more hopeful future for the Holy Land -- and a safer world for the American people.  
Thank you for listening.  

John Adams once wrote that the American Revolution began in 1761, when Massachusetts attorney James Otis began legal challenges to the Writs of Assistance. He lost the case, but "American independence," Adams wrote, "was then and there born." Now do the math. That means it took 15 years to convince the rest of America to declare Independence (1776). Then another seven years of war was required before a Peace Treaty was signed (1783), and then six years before the Constitution was finally ratified (1789). That's almost 30 years. (And Jefferson said we shouldn't go 20 years without another rebellion!) How can we hope to convince Americans to fight for principles they were never taught in government schools? We need to be in this battle for the long term. "Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty."


Additional Resources:

Kevin Craig's platform:

Libertarian Resources

Communicating with Government and Media

  • Contact Congress -- this is from the JBS website, powered by "CapWiz," from Capitol Advantage. Lots of organizations use capwiz. If you don't want to go through the JBS, search for capwiz on Google and find another organization that uses it.
    Notice that you can also contact media through this webpage.
  • Action E-List
    Sign up for the JBS Action E-List and be notified when you can make a critical difference on important issues.

The Democrat Party Radio Address:

New York Senator Chuck Schumer delivered the Democratic Radio Address.

"Get the economy moving."

  • "stimulus package" that is targeted to middle class, immediate, and temporary
  • "stimulus spending" -- extending unemployment insurance, clean energy and infrastructure
  • prevent unnecessary foreclosures
  • government must help the economy, but not just tax breaks for the wealthy

Nothing new here.


Click here for a replay of this edition of the Ozarks Virtual Town Hall