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

 

 

 

Bringing LIBERTY to Capitol Hill -- 2008
OZARKS VIRTUAL TOWN HALL
Saturday Morning, December 22, 2007, 10:30am

A Discussion of The President's Saturday Morning Radio Address

Click here to listen to a replay of the December 22, 2007 Ozarks Virtual Town Hall

Notes and Summary of the President's Address -- Christmas

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Christmas is just a few days away. As Americans gather around the tree with family and friends, we remember the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guard men and women who will be spending this holiday far away from their homes and loved ones.

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

  1. As Americans gather around the tree with family and friends, it is hoped that their first thoughts are on Jesus Christ -- whose birth we celebrate -- not the war in Iraq.
  2. Jesus is called "the Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). The message of His birth is: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:13-15).
  3. The President's war on Iraq -- with the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent non-combatant civilians and a cost that will exceed $1 trillion -- is worse than anything the Signers of the Declaration of Independence could have imagined
    1. "He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their substance."
    2. "He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures."
    3. "He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power."
    4. "He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation."
  4. Every Child Left Behind: Virtually no student graduating from government schools this year will recognize those phrases from the Declaration of Independence, and be able to draw analogies between 1776 and 2007.
  5. America's Founding Fathers took up arms over British taxes that did not exceed 3-5%
    1. Americans today are victims of taxes ten times greater than those that fomented the American Revolution.
  6. The Government 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."
  7. 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."
  8. The message of Christmas is a vertical message of reconciliation between God and man, and a horizontal message of Christ's victory over all the Empires of the world. He is the King of kings. All Presidents should bow before the Prince of Peace.

Watch for an expanded treatment of today's topic at:
Christmas.KevinCraig.us

President's Radio Address Liberty Under God
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Christmas is just a few days away. As Americans gather around the tree with family and friends, we remember the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guard men and women who will be spending this holiday far away from their homes and loved ones. As Americans gather around the tree with family and friends, it is hoped that their first thoughts are on Jesus Christ -- whose birth we celebrate -- not the war in Iraq.
America is blessed to have men and women willing to step forward to defend our freedoms and keep us safe from our enemies. The presence of U.S. troops around the world makes us less safe, and generates more enemies among people who would otherwise be America's friends, but are offended at our arrogance, imposing our will on over 130 nations around the world.
We are thankful for their courage and their dedication to duty. The "insurgents" and "terrorists" are just as courageous and dedicated to duty. Courage and dedication are virtues only if they are employed in the service of the Prince of Peace, not the oil companies and politicians.
We pray for their safety. And we wish them a Merry Christmas, wherever they serve. Certainly we pray for their safety, but as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, we should recall that He told us to pray for the safety of our enemies as well. We pray that Bush's troops and their enemies both fail in their cause of killing each other, and return to their families with the miraculous gift of faith in Christ.
America is also blessed to have military families willing to sacrifice for our country. The husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters of those in the military serve our country as well. This is not a blessing; according to the Bible, having the king take away our children for his war is a curse:

And the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. 9 Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.”
10 So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked him for a king. 11 And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. 16 And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. 18 And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.”
19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
1 Samuel 8
For many of them, service means packing up their belongings and moving on short notice, or living in a different country for a time, or missing a family member as he or she serves overseas. And this Christmas, many will sit down for dinner thinking of their loved ones half a world away. These families deserve the thanks and the prayers of our whole Nation. Prayers, yes; thanks, no. Killing people in Iraq is contrary to the spirit of Christmas. The works of mercy which are done by many American soldiers (rescuing innocent people from bombed-out infrastructure, helping to re-build schools, hospitals, homes, etc.) would be better done by Christian missionaries, who have have a longer and more noble track record of bringing Christian civilization to non-Christians lands than soldiers.
Some military families are helping loved ones recover from injuries sustained in combat. These families are a special source of hope and strength for our wounded warriors. Through their encouragement and devotion, they help heal the body and the spirit, and they remind our wounded warriors that our Nation stands behind them. Non-military families should also be helping those injured in combat.
Other military families have felt the pain of losing a loved one in battle. This Christmas, we hold them in our hearts. We lift them up in our prayers. Matthew 26:52
But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
And we are inspired by the example that many of these families have set by turning their grief into extraordinary acts of compassion and love. Turning grief outward into compassion is indeed an inspiring example.
One such inspiring example is the family of Army Specialist Michael Rodriguez of Knoxville, Tennessee. During his deployment in Iraq, Michael often wrote home to his family about the children he met on patrol. In April, Michael was killed by a suicide bomber. Now his family is honoring his memory by helping to collect school supplies for students at an Iraqi school for girls. One can only imagine the results if, instead of giving aid to Saddam Hussein when he was at war with Iran, we were already "helping to collect school supplies for students at an Iraqi school for girls." If we replaced all our soldiers with teachers and nurses, America would again be loved and admired, not the object of hatred so intense that it becomes suicidal as well as homicidal.
We are also grateful for Kirsten Yuhl-Torres of San Diego, California. In 2006, Kirsten lost her son, Sergeant Joseph Perry, in Iraq. To honor Joseph's memory, she started sending care packages and writing letters of support to other soldiers serving there. Kirsten says, "Joe was our only son, but now we have hundreds." Over a trillion dollars will be spent on this war, with trillions in lost benefits. If that money had been spent over the last 30 years for "care packages," we would today be living in a very different world.
Our Nation is also inspired by Bob Lehmiller, whose son Sergeant Mike Lehmiller, was killed in 2005 while serving in Afghanistan. To honor his son, Bob created Mike's Guardian Eagle Foundation. The Foundation gives financial assistance to military families who need extra help when their loved ones deploy or if they're wounded or killed on the field of battle. A noble response to tragedy is admirable.
Continued infliction of tragedy is foolish and evil.
All these families have already given so much to America, and yet they have found a way to give even more. We thank each of them. And we thank every one of our citizens who supports our troops with letters, and donations, or prayers.  
At this time of year, we acknowledge that love and sacrifice can transform our world. The miracle of Christmas reminds us that God's grace is revealed in the humblest places. Two thousand years ago, the fullness of that grace was found in a tiny manger, and the life born that day changed our world forever. As Christmas approaches, Laura and I extend to all Americans our best wishes, and we hope every family is brought closer together during this season of reflection and rejoicing.  
Thank you for listening, and Merry Christmas.  

Webcast Listener Questions

Jonathan in Springfield, MO asked:
What is the best way that we, as Christians, encourage liberty, both in the Church and outside it.

Great question, thanks for asking, and sorry that our internet connection went out and your question did not appear on our control panel.

Next week's edition of the Ozarks Virtual Town Hall will feature a review of 2007 and a look ahead at 2008. Next year is an election year and will provide many opportunities to encourage liberty. Let's put our heads together and think of ways we can have an impact in 2008.

One perspective may be valuable. 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."

White House lies about "Kwanzaa"

Presidential Message: Kwanzaa 2007

I send greetings to those observing Kwanzaa.

Established in 1966, Kwanzaa is celebrated each year as an opportunity for African Americans to honor African traditions of family, community, and culture. During the seven days leading up to the New Year, millions of individuals reflect on the past and renew their commitment to the principles of Kwanzaa -- unity, self determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

What evidence is there that "millions" of people (rather than thousands or hundreds) celebrate "Kwanzaa?" What evidence is there that anyone (except perhaps the few who founded the "holiday" in 1966) would be celebrating this "holiday" without promotion by the White House and the mainstream media?

The Dark Origins of "Kwanzaa"

Read this article by Ann Coulter

Additional Resources:

Kevin Craig's Platform:

The Democrat Party Radio Address:

Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader delivered the The Democratic Party Radio Address, covering odds and ends. (No link available at press time.)

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