My husband and I were very big coffee drinkers last year.  Since we go to church on Saturday nights, it became our Sunday morning habit to hit Starbucks on our way out to get a Sunday paper.  We even purchased their coffee beans at the local grocery store for home usage.  Then one Sunday morning all of that changed.  If you've ever been to Starbucks, you know they have "quotes" on their cups.  Well, I never really cared for the quotes being of an overall liberal nature but I wasn't offended.  That is, until the Sunday morning I mentioned.  The quote on the cup was highly offensive and in my opinion, inappropriate for all audiences.  So, I wrote to Starbucks about the offensive cup and got the usual "we don't necessarily support every quote we print" response.  I set out to find out what exactly Starbucks does "necessarily support" and discovered that they did back the agenda I was so offended by in the quote that day.  I cannot begin to tell you how much money I have spent at Starbucks over the years.  So, we decided right then and there that they wouldn't be getting another dime from us if we could help it.

We set out in search of another coffee house and must confess we met with one disappointment after another.  That is, until we happened upon a place called "America's Best Coffee".  The coffee is good but that isn't the only draw.  They also offer free wireless internet.  No, that isn't it either.  It is the atmosphere.  Would you believe they play Christian music??  Would you also believe that they hold church services on Sunday mornings??  Yep, they do.  It's not terribly close to our house (there are at least three Starbucks closer to us in fact lol), but I'd much rather support a place like America's Best Coffee!  I consider them to be America's Best alternative :o)

"The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years, with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

Proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln, 3 October 1863.

Thank you Erik for the reminder (Happy Thanksgiving).

Erik and I took all the kids with us to the polls this morning.  It's the first time they've gone with us and they were very interested in the whole process.  Last week I printed up a copy of the ballot and began to research each proposition.  It took several hours but it's nice to feel confident in how you plan to vote.

We only had to stand in line for a short time and were out of there fairly quickly once we had ballot in hand.  Now we wait for the results.

Since I hadn't fully made up my mind about Miers, I've neither a sigh of relief nor a sigh of irritation over this news.  Maybe my feelings are mixed because on the one hand I want this nomination process over and resulting in an appointment of the right person.  On the other hand, if it takes months to get the right person appointed, so be it.

Who is the “right person” for the job?  I don't know.  I do know that I'm sick of judges making law from the bench.

Conservatives, Moderates, Liberals....none really seemed to collectively back Miers.  Kind of makes you wonder if all “agendas” were stripped away, maybe a really good candidate just withdrew?  We'll never know of course.

Please stop by Tidbits & Treasures for more on this latest turn in the Supreme Court tug o' war.

Apparently a group has formed to work at deceiving Texans into voting against Prop 2 on November 8th.  This group is called “Save Texas Marriage” and is informing voters that they've been mislead and that they should actually vote against the Proposition.

If you are confused at all on this please do not take the word of someone who may call out of the blue or tack a flier to your property.

A “concerned” individual expressed that they were unable to find evidence supporting AFA’s statements of ACLU “support” on issues mentioned in my post, The War on Innocence.  I felt I should address this person’s “concerns”.

Support Defined

I’ll use Webster to make perfectly clear what I mean by “support”:

²   Main Entry: 1sup·port
Pronunciation: s&-'pOrt, -'port
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French supporter, from Late Latin supportare, from Latin, to carry, from sub- + portare to carry -- more at FARE
1 : to endure bravely or quietly : BEAR
2 a (1) : to promote the interests or cause of (2) : to uphold or defend as valid or right : ADVOCATE (3) : to argue or vote for b (1) : ASSIST, HELP (2) : to act with (a star actor) (3) : to bid in bridge so as to show support for c : to provide with substantiation : CORROBORATE
3 a : to pay the costs of : MAINTAIN b : to provide a basis for the existence or subsistence of
4 a : to hold up or serve as a foundation or prop for b : to maintain (a price) at a desired level by purchases or loans; also : to maintain the price of by purchases or loans
5 : to keep from fainting, yielding, or losing courage : COMFORT
6 : to keep (something) going

Child Pornography

I googled child pornography in relation to the ACLU.  I found plenty of references, and such by conservative and Christian sources backing my statement that they do support the legalization of Child Pornography.  One such site noted the ACLU’s amicus role in a 1982 Supreme Court Case (New York vs Ferber, 458 U.S. 747) where the legalization of sale and distribution of child pornography was being sought.  It was turned down in a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court.

In regard to this case a quote from the book Twilight Of Liberty: The Legacy of the ACLU

²    The ACLU's position is this: criminalize the production but legalize the sale and distribution of child pornography. This is the kind of lawyerly distinction that no one on the Supreme Court found convincing. And with good reason: as long as a free market in child pornography exists, there will always be some producers willing to risk prosecution. Beyond this, there is also the matter of how the sale of child pornography relates either to free speech or the ends of good government. But most important, the central issue is whether a free society should legalize transactions that involve the wholesale sexploitation of children for profit."

The ACLU objects to the idea that porn movie producers be required to maintain records of ages of its performers; this would be "a gross violation of privacy."

I realize that this is a book written by someone who does not completely agree with the ACLU and therefore many liberals say it is “biased”.  So, I looked up what an ACLU website had to say about child pornography and this is what I found:

²    3. Why does the ACLU support pornography? Why are you in favor of child porn?
The ACLU does not support pornography or child porn. However, we do oppose virtually all forms of censorship. Possessing certain books or films, even pornographic ones, should not make one a criminal. Once society starts censoring “bad or offensive” ideas, it becomes very difficult to draw the line. As the saying goes, “one man’s art is another man’s pornography.” As for child pornography, the ACLU supports the right of the government to prosecute the makers of child pornography for exploiting minors. (emphasis added)

So which is it?  They say they do “not support it” yet in New York vs Ferber they gave professional advice to those defending ones right to sell and distribute it.  Then, in their own statement on the subject they insinuate that it’s considered art by some and should be protected from censorship.  Decide for yourself, but to me you can’t ride the line on this one – you either support it or you don’t.  And what of the rights of those children being exploited, they say the government has the right to prosecute exploiters but that the exploiters have the right to be uncensored?  It’s ridiculous.

NAMBLA

There’s more than ample support on conservative and Christian sites in my opinion.  However, I found this on the ACLU website concerning their defense of NAMBLA:

²    Why did the ACLU defend NAMBLA?
In representing NAMBLA, the ACLU does not advocate sexual relationships between adults and children. What we do advocate is robust freedom of speech. This lawsuit strikes at the heart of freedom of speech. The defense of freedom of speech is most critical when the message is one most people find repulsive. For more information, please read the ACLU’s press release. (emphasis added)

Ok, so they say they’re defending NAMBLA’s “freedom of speech”.  I believe the statement in my post said they “defended” this organization, which is fact.  You may agree with the circumstances under which they chose to defend NAMBLA, that’s your prerogative of course.  The AFA statement was directed to the support and defense given to the NAMBLA organization by the ACLU.  Using support as defined above, they gave their service, which, in an active sense is giving support to said organization.    The statement is not false, it is quite true.  “Saying” they don’t advocate what this group represents and then defending their “right” to promote these atrocities against children…..well, it’s also ridiculous and contradictory in my opinion.  Actions speak louder than words.

Polygamy

Again, I found plenty of conservative and Christian sites citing the ACLU stance on this but referred also to the group’s own statements.  On the ACLU site, a quote from a press release regarding bigamy laws in Utah:

²    The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah told the paper that it plans to back the group's challenge to Utah's bigamy law.

"Living arrangements are really the most intimate kinds of decisions people make," said ACLU of Utah Legal Director Stephen Clark. "Talking to Utah's polygamists is like talking to gays and lesbians who really want the right to live their lives, and not live in fear because of whom they love. So certainly that kind of privacy expectation is something the ACLU is committed to protecting."

There you have it, the support (“backing”) of legalized polygamy.  Not sure much else could be said on that.  You decide. 

Thank you to “Concerned” for the challenge to do more research.  It is very important that none of us take any piece of information as fact before researching.  You may not agree with everything the AFA puts out there but on this, they were spot on.  It seems the ACLU has forgotten that children are being harmed by those rights they are defending.  Or maybe the children don’t have a loud enough voice and deep enough pocket books.

America is fighting the war on terror and rightfully so.  I completely agree that we cannot allow our country to be terrorized by those who would love nothing better than to cripple and annihilate our country.  At the same time, we have an equally sinister war being fought right here on our soil daily that seems to get little attention.  It’s a sort of civil war I suppose.  It’s the war on innocence being waged by our very own citizens.

What’s sad?  America allows it.  We go after terrorists with a vengeance but allow the innocence of our children to be robbed by others who call themselves Americans.  I’m not just talking about mainstream media, although most are at fault as well, I’m talking about groups who find their personal desires more important than a child’s right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  I’m talking about many of the groups represented by the ACLU and I’m talking about anyone who supports them.

Americans cannot sit by any longer and allow this to continue.  Do you have any idea what the ACLU supports?  Do you have any idea how they are getting their agendas turned into law despite what the majority wants?  They are devious and have found a loop hole that mocks the will of the people.  We are allowing a handful to pull down our society in the name of distorting the law.  We are allowing them to rob us of our fundamental rights and to rob our children of their innocence.

In a recent message from the American Family Association, I was horrified to discover how perverse and corrupt the ACLU is (be warned, this is highly offensive):

²    Here are some issues the ACLU supports:

·         Legalization of homosexual marriage

·         Legalization of child pornography

·         Legalization of prostitution

·         Legalization of live sex acts in public

·         Legalization of sex between adults and children

·         The ACLU defends the North American Man Boy Love Association whose motto is "sex before 8 or it is too late."

·         Removing "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance

·         Removing our motto "In God We Trust" from our money

·         Forcing the Boy Scouts to accept homosexual scout leaders

·         Removing prayer from school and public events

·         Abortion on demand, without parental consent

·         Legalizing illicit drugs

·         Physician assisted suicide

·         Partial-birth abortion

·         Mandatory sex education

·         Legalized polygamy

·         Tax supported profane art

Never mind that the majority isn’t for these changes.  Never mind that ones rights shouldn’t inhibit the rights of others.  They are taking these cases to sympathetic judges and getting them through the system one by one.  They know that if the American people voted on these issues, they would be shot down.  America was never intended to be a country without boundaries.  These things are wrong and what’s terrible is many are crimes against our children!  Even if you don’t believe in God, I would wager that most Americans would find most items on that list offensive and blatantly wrong.  So why not let Americans vote on it?  Because they know it would fail.

These groups don’t care what America thinks.  They are only concerned with spreading their filth and infiltrating our kids with their version of “freedom”.  Boundaries are being crossed and chaos is sure to ensue.  Where do you draw the line?  Will we then make it legal for a person to murder their neighbor as a way to “express themselves”?  We already allow women to kill their babies in the name of convenience.  In Oregon you can have sex in public on public property under “freedom of expression” now.  The ACLU is gaining ground folks and it isn’t for the betterment of our nation.

²    Here is what the ACLU is against:

·         Parental notification for minors having abortion

·         School vouchers

·         Filters on public library computers

·         Student led prayer in schools

·         Nativity scenes on public property

·         Sex offender registries

·         Broadcast decency laws

·         "Choose Life" license plates

·         Tax exemptions for churches

·         Posting of the Ten Commandments of public property

·         Prayers before high school football games

·         Parental consent laws

·         "Abstinence before marriage" sex education

So do our kids have the right to grow up without having individuals prey on them and use them for their own selfish desires?  Not in America, because we’re losing the War on Innocence.

To confirm these facts, or to learn more, simply search on "ACLU supports" or "ACLU opposes" .

UPDATE 10/20/05 - More on the ACLU - in response to feedback.

The American Family Association asked me to spread the word about the upcoming Constitutional Amendments Elections in Texas!  Gladly!

²    Next Tuesday, October 11, is the final day you can register to vote. The Constitutional Amendment Election on November 8 will determine if Texas will define marriage as being only between one man and one woman, or will leave open the possibility of homosexual marriage.

If you aren't registered to vote, please do so following the instructions below. And be sure to vote on Nov. 8. You can bet those who favor homosexual marriage are registering!

How can I register to vote?

1.      Request a Voter Registration Card - Click Here.

2.      Fill it out, and mail to your Registrar of Voters County Courthouse. Click Here to find your County Registration Official.

3.      Remember to Vote in the Constitutional Amendments Election, November 8, 2005! 

Now, time to steel ourselves for the fight for the next spot.  There's a great deal on the line here.  Praying for wisdom for our President.

We need a Justice who will accurately interpret the law and not be bullied by a minority who's set to twist the true intent toward their agenda.

Senate confirms Roberts