BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

In 1776, patriotism meant a lot more than waving a flag. It still does. A look at local patriots, and readers' suggestions of ways to support America's ideals. By Fiona Morgan These are the times that try men's souls," wrote Thomas Paine in The Crisis, a pamphlet that stirred the withering revolutionary army to victory in the winter of 1776. In Paine's day, support for American freedom was an act of dissent. Fearing the same excesses of centralized government that they had experienced under British rule, the newly independent Americans created a Bill of Rights. Those 10 amendments to the Constitution guaranteed that the federal government would not do things as the English had done--there would be no secret detentions, no imprisonment without a fair public trial, no unfair searches and seizures of property, and no squelching of peaceful expression. Today, patriotism often feels to some of us like an odd and uncomfortable thing to embrace. Actions that draw the outr...

Evil is the ONE THING we can NOT have moral relativism about, Senator Obama. And that's why there's not a snowball's chance in **** I will vote for you. from NO QUARTER : Obama’s Two Faces and Forked Tongue, Pt 3: The U.S. is Evil? By Bud White Obama’s willingness to flip-flop has earned him the moniker Backtrack Obama . He betrayed progressives by voting for the FISA legislation; he promised to expand Bush’s faith-based initiatives; he equivocated on choice by saying that “mental distress” should not be a factor in abortion. Obama’s newest flip flop was not over a matter of public policy important to progressives, but rather the United State’s historic role in confronting evil. During the debate at Saddleback, Rick Warren asked, “Does evil exist and, if it does, do we ignore it, do we negotiate with it, do we contain it, or do we defeat it?” OBAMA: Evil does exist. I mean, I think we see evil all the time. We see evil in Darfur. We see evil sadly on the streets of our ci...

The Patriotic Case for Israel WORTH A REPOST! By Don Feder T here are any number of reasons for supporting Israel. Jews recall Zion at the happiest and the saddest moments of our lives. At the end of a Jewish wedding, the groom breaks a glass to symbolize our mourning for the destruction of the Holy Temple. On Monday evening, the Passover Seder will conclude with “Next year in Jerusalem!” For serious Christians, support for Israel is based on God’s enduring word. Instead of weighing geopolitical considerations, or heeding the spurious advice of James Earl Carter -- Hamas’ ambassador to the United States-- they follow Scriptures, period. End of story. I’m pleased to say that, today, some of Israel’s most eloquent and dedicated champions are Christians, among them Pastor John Hagee (president of Christians United for Israel), William Bennett, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and former House Speaker Tom DeLay. To paraphrase the old ads for Levy’s Rye Bread, you don’t have to be Jewish to be ...