Steve Elliott's Letters To Exiles

President Obama’s second Inaugural Address amounted to a collectivist creed — a clearly delineated expression of his worldview based on a self-perceived divine mandate that is disconnected from the Founder’s vision of fundamental truths

He managed to convert a fundamental principle of our American way of life into a divine mandate for massive expansion of government into our lives. And he did this through careful manipulation of the language. For example..

+ + Morphing “Self Evident Truths”

The Declaration’s “self-evident” truths were morphed by Obama into a collective “creed”  that only finds “real meaning” through government-enforced equality of outcomes. The President is wrong. Our Declration is not a “creed,” which is a “set of fundamental beliefs.” Our English use of the word “creed” comes from the first word in Latin (“credo”) of what came to be known as the Apostles’ Creed. The Declaration is founded on ideas more fundamental than even a creed. We do not “believe” in self-evident truths; we acknowledge, respect and build our lives and society upon such truths.

You may think I’m splitting hairs, but moving from truths to a “creed” allows Obama to then define what we actually are giving ideological ascent to, what we are believing. The creed then only has “meaning,” according to Obama, as we implement the agenda believed upon by the Left. That’s how Obama can say that saving the planet from global warming “will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared” when there is no logical connection between Jefferson’s words and the climate change agenda of today.

+ + Merging Church And State

It gets worse because in Obama’s world we see a seamless merging of church and state as government’s role expands far beyond the jurisdiction of the state. Again, it takes place with subtle language. First, Obama speaks in language we are familiar with. Then, he expands beyond the rightful realm. For example, Obama justifies his unequivocable support for homosexual rights by saying:

“…for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.”

Did you catch the twist from law to love? Extending “love” to another human being is entirely within the jurisdiction of the individual and should not involve government in any way. The church can instruct individuals on how to love, not the state. But once we allow Obama to make “love” the business of the government, there is no end to what the government can do because love is the realm of the divine now implemented by the state.

+ + Our “Forbears” Are Homosexual Activists

Perhaps this is why Obama noted that he swore his oath “to God and country” and not the Constitution. In Obama’s conception of God, fulfilling the global warming mandate and expanding debt-driven transfer payments are divine mandates. And he will fulfill his oath to his collectivist creed, not to a written document that could possibly constrain him.

It is also interesting to note that in Obama’s world, our “forbears” can be found in places like “Stonewall.” Most Americans have no idea what “Stonewall” he was referencing. It wasn’t Stonewall Jackson but an event in 1969 which advanced the homosexual rights agenda. To Obama, our “forebears” are homosexual activists from the 1960s.

+ + Labeling His Opponents “Absolutists”

Finally, here is one more reason why Second-Term Obama is far more dangerous than First-Term Obama. It’s right there in the address. He is committed to moving the collectivist ball down the field, no matter how imperfect the plan may be.

“…we cannot afford delay. We cannot mistake absolutism for principle…. We must act, knowing that today’s victories will be only partial, and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years, and forty years, and four hundred years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare Philadelphia hall.”

Again, it all sounds so good. But there is a serious methodology behind Obama’s attack on “absolutism” and promotion of partial victories. Those who stand for the Constitution and oppose the change Obama wants will be labeled dangerous “absolutists” — starting with Second Amendment advocates.

+ + Our Response…

So how do we respond to the President’s clear delineation of his collectivist agenda? First, we must understand what he is doing. The biggest Obama wave of collectivist activism is coming. He just told us so.

Second, get ready to be labeled an “absolutist.” In the language of the Jewish exiles from 2,500 years ago, get ready for the fiery furnace.

Already, local and state law enforcement officials are sending Obama letters telling him that they will not take arms from lawful citizens. Tens of thousands of Grassfire team members have made a similar statement in support of the Second Amendment. If you have not yet signed that petition, please go here now to be included in our upcoming delivery.

+ + “Thanks for writing that letter”

Finally, if you have not requested your two copies of “Thriving In Exile,” please do so today. Last night while at a local high school basketball game, a woman came up to me and said, “Thanks for writing that letter.” She was referencing the “letter”‘ I wrote just after the election (over two months ago!). She went on to tell me how that email greatly impacted her life.

I didn’t have a copy of “Thriving In Exile” with me, but I really wanted her to get the rest of the story. I believe Thriving In Exile is the single most important document I have written for our Grassfire team — especially at this critical time. Go here to order your two copies for any contribution to help Grassfire build.

Thanks again for all you are doing. May God bless you, and let’s build!

I want to thank everyone who shared their thoughts and comments on my reflections on the Newtown, Connecticut, tragedy. Many agreed with my thesis that the breakdown of the family is the prime cause of the cultural chaos we see so prevalent around us. Some thought I was partly right. And a few thought I was actually far off base.

+ + “I Disagree Mightily With You”

“Gonna have to disagree mightily with you here,” wrote Carl. “The disintegration of the nuclear family unit is a symptom, not the cause.”

Linda echoed Carl’s concerns: “I think ‘strong families’ are good things, but to have that as a primary goal misses the root cause of our national dysfunction and brokenness.”

So, what do Carl and Linda (and a few others who responded) think is the primary cause of our dysfunction and brokenness?

In Carl’s words…
“In our current society, we have abolished God from everywhere except the church itself. Without His hand over every part of our lives, how can it possibly be a surprise that these things not only happen, but spread like wildfire?”

From Linda…
“I think the big problem is that as a nation, we have gotten away from God, Christianity, and the personal accountability that goes with it.”

One of the leaders in my church, Frank, almost restated the views of Carl and Linda:
“…We miss the glaring Pink Elephant in the living room, that the majority of our main stream media and political leaders refuse to see or address. WE HAVE REMOVED AND UNINVITED THE FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT, GOD’S WORD AND BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES from our schools and our culture!” (emphasis in original)

So, who is right?

Am I correct that the destruction of the husband-wife family unit is the prime cause of our moral chaos? Or are Carl, Linda and Frank correct in saying that we’ve stripped God from our public lives and therefore moral chaos ensues?

+ + The correct answer is…

Carl and Linda and Frank make a very vital point, but their conclusion begs an important question. Allow me to explain.

The secularization of our society — what Richard John Neuhaus called the “Naked Public Square” — has had profound ramifications on our lives.

President Obama’s response to the Newtown tragedy clearly exposes that the emperor (meaning, our society in general and just just the president) has no clothes. We saw our president openly quoting scripture and appropriately attempting to put this tragedy in some eternal context. Yet this same president led a party that stripped every reference to “God” from its 2012 platform (before putting back one reference after some public outcry).

This stripping of a basic God-awareness can be felt in our schools, in our businesses, at almost any public event and certainly on television. In fact, the purge is so complete that we are startled when we hear God mentioned. We celebrate a public school holiday program that features sacred songs. We make special note of a TV show that appropriately mentions God.

So yes, I agree with Carl and Linda and Frank — the stripping of a fundamental awareness and acknowledgement of God in society has had a profound impact on our lives.

+ + How Do We Restore God-Awareness?

But here’s the question that begs to be answered…

How do we restore a basic God-awareness to our lives, our communities, and our nation?

And is restoring a God-awareness in society fundamentally the responsibility of the government? Or our schools? Or our businesses? Or our churches?

Here’s where I circle back to my original thesis of the destruction of the family.

I would argue that the family unit is by divine design and practical reality the primary means by which a God-awareness is established in any society. The family is the prime means for communicating and passing on the fundamental values and beliefs held by a society.

Faith flows through families, and families form the foundation of personal and community prosperity. As the prophet Jeremiah instructed the Jewish exiles:
“Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease” (Jeremiah 29:6, NASB).

Building families is of fundamental importance, especially during tough times. If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to order your two copies of “Thriving In Exile,” my new resource that shares the principles of building, planting, blessing and praying in these tough times.

+ + It’s Almost Politically Incorrect To Say It…

My children attend a Christian school. But don’t be mistaken — it is the responsibility of my wife and me to transmit our values and beliefs to our children, not the school.

I would add that our churches are powerless to restore a basic God-awareness in our communities without countering the tsunami wave of family destruction.

Yes, it is time to end the antagonism toward faith that is now so prevalent in the public square. It is outrageous that a teacher in a public school should have any concern for his or her job for praying in class or reading the Bible. This is nonsensical and a violation of fundamental rights. We do not surrender our religious liberties once we step into a public space, and there is no constitutional mandate for a secular state.

But we need to move this discussion beyond the general call to “put God back in our schools” and ask ourselves how this God-awareness can be restored in our society.

It will not happen primarily by legislation (nor should it). It will not happen primarily by an awareness campaign (although those do help).

It will happen primarily in families. A basic God-awareness in our society will happen in and through families.

I know it’s almost politically incorrect to say it, but we must restore the family. We must make it our number-one national and community goal to build and support strong, two-parent families. With no apologies.

Steve Elliott

P.S. Once again, I would greatly appreciate your feedback and comments.

I will make no attempt to “make sense” of the horrific tragedy that devastated the community of Newtown, Connecticut, and has shaken our nation.

How can we make sense of the senseless murder of twenty children and seven adults? How can we make sense of one deranged individual who was in such a dark place that he shot his own mother, murdered children and then killed himself?

Yesterday my church, like I’m sure countless communities of faith, paused to pray for the families, the community and our nation. Our president spoke on our behalf words of comfort and support.

Now, as we move forward, efforts will be made to prevent this from happening again, or at least minimize the risk. It will be a difficult task.

+ + A Societal Cancer

What we face is more like a cancer than a virus. Our society has turned on itself and these mass murders are the shocking fruit. The perpetrators of these crimes now typically turn the weapons on themselves and have essentially become societal suicide bombers. As the military knows, there is no real defense against a suicide bomber who has reached such a point of desperation and delusion that his own life does not matter.

Responding to this specific crisis with legislation would be a mistake that politicians will likely make.

Responding to the root cause of the crisis would be a better way to go.

And what is that root cause?

The destruction of the family.

I’m not discounting any other factors, but to address problems with our mental health institutions or virtual reality gaming or the drugging of our children or our gun laws or the media culture’s glorification of such violence without dealing with the root cause of our societal decay are vain attempts to mask symptoms.

The statistics back me up on the destruction of the family being the root cause of most of our societal decay, including the violence.

Before I cite the statistics, please do not take these numbers as a condemnation of single-parent moms or dads. There is no condemnation. Many single parent moms and dads are doing double-duty and raising wonderful children.

But the numbers are hard to overlook.

+ + Our Family Crisis

Consider what our family brrokenness has done to society:

* 3 in 10 children grow up in broken homes.

* In the African American community, it’s far worse: two-thirds of black children grow up with one parent.

* More than half of all babies are conceived out of wedlock

* Of those conceived out of wedlock, 4 in 10 are aborted. And so the cycle of violence begins.

* Of the survivors of abortion, half the children born out of wedlock end up in poverty.

Children from broken homes account for:

–63% of teen suicides
–71% of teen pregnancies
–90% of homeless and runaways
–71% of high school dropouts
–75% of all drug users
–85% of behavioral disorders
–70% of those in juvenile detention
–57% of all prison inmates

+ + Building Families In Tough Times

As you know, for the past few weeks I have been on a journey of discovering and sharing lessons from a 2,500-year-old letter written by the prophet Jeremiah to Jewish exiles.

In light of the national discussion that will take place in the coming weeks as we seek to heal and strengthen our land, I find it interesting that at the very center of Jeremiah’s instructions to exiles is an explicit endorsement of family:

“Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease.” (Jeremiah 29:6, NASB)

In the midst of tough times, getting married and thinking about the future do not instinctively come to mind. Marriage is expensive. Children are expensive. Yet in Jeremiah’s letter to exiles, marriage and child bearing are central to the instruction. Perhaps this is because in tough times — at any time, for that matter — the marriage bond is the stabilizing force for individuals, for families, for communities and even for a nation. Marriage and strong families are vital to thriving in exile.

What if our government policies unashamedly focused on the goal of reducing the fatherlessness and divorce rates? What if our laws profoundly preferred those who get married and stay married?

More importantly, what about you and me? After all, our laws only reflect our culture.

What are we actually doing in our families and communities to strengthen marriages? Is it clear in our social circles that sex out of wedlock is wrong? Are we holding young men accountable for their actions, demanding that they take their responsibility as fathers seriously? Do men face any negative societal pressure for putting children and mothers at risk for the sake of fulfilling their own sexual exploits outside the marriage bond?

Many traditional wedding ceremonies include an open acknowledgment by all in attendance of the responsibility to do whatever it takes to help this new couple in their marriage. We should take that commitment a bit more seriously.

Every marriage faces profound times of crisis. Perhaps your prayer or phone call or offer to babysit could ultimately help save a marriage, keep a child from facing long odds and, dare I say, spare a community from an unspeakable horror.

Steve

Resources:
When Tragedy Doesn’t Make Sense (Liberty News)
Fatherlessness statistics
 Father Absence And Youth Incarceration (pdf)
What We Need From Dad (Father’s Day Prezi by Steve Elliott)

Five weeks ago, I shared with you some lessons I had gleaned from a 2,500-year-old letter to exiles that helped me wake up the morning after the election, shake off the discouragement of defeat, and immediately start building and planting.

That letter has inspired many people to break free of the sinking feeling of being thrown into political exile. I’ve heard story after story…. but to be honest, I think the message I shared has impacted me as much if not more than anyone else.

In the past 36 days I have been presented with more opportunities to build, plant, bless and pray than perhaps at any time in my life. And I’m moving forward as fast as I can with each opportunity.

And yet I can feel something else….

I believe it’s the greatest temptation that we face today and that anyone in the midst of a personal “exile” will struggle with.

It’s as if you can feel it in the air.

I’m talking about the temptation to…. compromise.

+ + Our Single Greatest Temptation

Compromise is the single greatest temptation that people in exile feel, and if you think about it, the reason is pretty obvious.

Especially in the early stages, exile is all about one thing: survival. After we get over the initial shock of exile, it doesn’t take long to realize that it’s going to take everything we have just to survive this season. Standing on principle didn’t work out so well, we rationalize. And now we find ourselves in exile to people who seem to be doing just fine standing for the opposite of what we believe.

So we need to survive to fight another day, we tell ourselves. And that means compromise. Get along with our “captors.”

It happened 2,500 years ago when the Jews were sent into exile. In fact, you probably know the stories well.

Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego — the best and the brightest of Israel’s young men — were placed with the a select group of elite men. Even in exile, they were being groomed for leadership.

But they had to just do one thing…. compromise.

**Eat these foods provided by the king that are not in your diet…

**Bow down and worship to the “god” erected by the state rulers…

+ + Eat the government’s “food”…

It’s easy to justify compromise. We can advance the greater cause. We can live to fight another day. Perhaps we can get into some position of authority that will, long term, help our movement. If we compromise.

Eat the government’s “food”….

Bow to the government’s “god”…

Sound familiar?

Okay, maybe this is a stretch, but fast-forward with me to December 2012. What are we being told? That we must eat the government’s food — more tax revenues. And that we must bow to the government’s god — spending and more government-centric solutions.

And if we just do these two simple things, we will not be blamed for hurling our nation off the fiscal cliff…. and maybe we can live to fight another day.

Can you feel the struggle facing John Boehner and the GOP members of Congress? Before I throw too many stones, let me say that this is the struggle each of us faces in exile.

Compromise.

It sounds so appealing, especially when we find ourselves in exile wondering about our own survival.

But compromise is the worst thing we can do in exile. Because when we compromise, something inside of us dies. And we forget why we must build and plant and bless and pray. All of our building and planting loses its purpose. And we die in exile.

+ + Facing the flames…

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego faced a choice… bow to the god of the government or face the flames and sure death. But they didn’t even see it as a choice. They told the corrupt king that they did “not need to give you an answer.” They believed God would deliver them from the flames. But deliverance wasn’t even what was of utmost importance. Principle was paramount…

“But even if [God] does not [deliver us], let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Day 36 of exile. Can you feel the temptation to compromise in the air? Let’s stand. And let’s get busy building and planting and blessing and praying without straying from our principles.

Thanks, and Let’s Build!

Steve Elliott, Grassfire

+ + + +
A quick update on Thriving In Exile — our new resource that shares the lessons of exile in more detail. We expect to receive the first shipment from the printer by the end of this week. Grassfire team members have pre-ordered more than half of our initial print run and there is a good possibility that we will sell out before the end of the year. The good news is, we can still get your two copies to you before Christmas — but we need you to hear from you as soon as possible. Go here to order your two copies of Thriving In Exile and ensure pre-Christmas delivery:

http://www.grassfire.com/1304/offer.asp

Also…

Watch Glenn Beck read the Letter to Exiles:

www.grassfire.com/exile

Four More Years…of exile. But there is hope. Please read my thoughts on where we go from here. –Steve

I’m writing to you to explain why, even after a late and discouraging evening that stretched past 1am on the east coast, I was back at the office before 8am this morning.

And why the sinking feeling i felt last night has already been replaced with a deep determination.

And why I’m going out to buy equipment for our new office this afternoon.

And why we are going to build, build, build — despite a stunning and, for me, unexpected defeat.

+ + Let’s Be Clear: We Just Got Pummeled

Before I go on, let’s be clear: last night was a defeat and I didn’t see it coming. I expected a “Tea Party Wave” — perhaps a 300+ victory for Romney. All the signs seemed to be there. The 2010 elections, the failed recall of Scott Walker and even the Chick-Fil-A Day pointed to a re-shaped political landscape. The polls and crowds made it clear that there was more enthusiasm with Romney.

But that wave never came. The people did not rise up and reject Obama’s statism. Quite the opposite — 15 million fewer people voted and Romney earned less votes than John McCain did four years prior.

+ + Far Worse Than 2008

Upon reflection, what happened last night was far worse than what happened in 2008. Our first “dance” with Obama was mostly about smoke and mirrors — “hope and change” that was never really defined. For many Americans, Obama 2008 was more an idea, an idealized dream and a collective catharsis from our dark past.

But Obama 2012 was something altogether different because now we know the real Barack Obama. We watched him advance the most radical leftist agenda at least since FDR. We saw him rape and pillage the free market and impose a government takeover of industries. We witnessed him go to foreign nations nd apologize for America and then leave our people alone to die in Benghazi.

This time we knew Barack Obama. Yet a majority of American voters said, “More!” and the opposition to Obama’s agenda never really showed up at the polls.

We can try to console ourselves by saying it was a close election… that the leftist media gave Obama the election…. that we couldn’t really expect a Northeastern liberal Republican to be our standard bearer…. that a bizarre hurricane swung the election.

All that may be true.

But it matters little now. And the less time we spend blaming each other or the trickery of the other guys the better.

So here’s why I’m more determined…. why I’m building.

+ + A 2,500-Year-Old Letter Written For Today

I want to share with you a letter that, although it is 2,500 years old, it could have been written this morning. For us. For faithful patriots who feel like they just discovered they will have to live at least the next four years in exile.

This letter was written to Jewish exiles who had been pushed out of Jerusalem and forced to live under a tyrannical ruler named Nebuchadnezzar.

The exiles wanted one thing: they wanted to be re-established back in Israel. They even had a prophet named Hananiah come to them and tell them that their time of exile would only last two years.

You can read about it in Jeremiah 28.

Hananiah was a false prophet. He died.

And so Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles. You’ve probably heard a part of that letter recited many times. It’s one of the most commonly quoted passages in the entire Bible. Unfortunately, this passage is mostly taken out of its proper context and delivered as a “feel good” word that everything is going to be good.

One of my friends was quoting this verse yesterday morning:

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Those words sound so good. The future is bright. God has a plan for prosperity, for a real hope and a real future. On the eve of the election, it must have meant a Romney win, the GOP takes the Senate and we start the rollback of the Obama regime, right?

Not exactly.

+ + The Plan Was Exile

Here’s the shocking context of Jeremiah 29 (and I offer to you, the context for 11/6/12): Then plan was exile.

That was the “plan” Jeremiah’s letter was talking about. I encourage you to go read all of Jeremiah 29. Here is the immediate context:

This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans…..

The plan was 70 years of exile. Keep that in mind the next time someone quotes Jeremiah 29:11 to encourage you that your time of trouble will soon end. Not only was the exile going to last 70 years, the exile WAS the plan!

If you don’t believe me, go back and read the beginning of the letter, from Jeremiah 29:4. Here you’ll see the Lord (through Jeremiah) giving the Jewish exiles specific instructions on how to conduct themselves in exile:

–Build houses and settle down

–Plan gardens and eat what they produce

–Marry and have sons and daughters

–Marry off your sons and daughters so they can have children

–Increase in number; do not decrease

Again, remember the context. A false prophet had just come and said the time of exile would only last two years. That prophet died. The truth is, the people will be in exile for 70 years. And the directive is to build families, grow businesses, think trans-generationally and increase.

+ + Seek The Welfare Of The Land

It gets better. Because Jeremiah’s letter makes it clear that building and marrying is not enough. People in exile must do something else — they must be a blessing to the land.

Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

So let’s review. First, the Plan is exile. Second, build. Third, bless. Simple, clear instructions.

But why was this important? Why a “plan” for exile with specific instructions on how to act in exile?

Historians tell us that it was during the Babylonian captivity that the Israelites moved from a Temple/ Jerusalem focused society to a synagogue and community focused society. Simply put…

It was the lessons learned during their time in exile which enabled the Jews to survive 2,500 years in exile. But not just surive, but to thrive and become the most prosperous, most successful and most innovative people group in the history of civilization.

Exile was the plan.

So that’s why, today, I’m going to build. And I’m going to plant. I’m going to bless. And I’m going to pray.

For that is the final piece to the puzzle…

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

So let’s get building. Let’s get planting. And let’s get praying. And let’s bless this land. There are lessons to be learned in exile.

Steve Elliott, Grassfire

P.S. If this message is an encouragement to you, please share this with your friends by using the tools below. Thanks.

The news that conservative media activist Andrew Breitbart passed away last night was sobering and challenging.

It is sobering that life is so fragile. We are each one breath away from eternity. Breitbart was 43 years old and by all accounts just hitting his life stride. About three years ago, he assumed a more visible role in the movement and was able to shine light on many issues with his unapologetic style of journalism and media confrontation. His passing leaves a great void.

It’s also challenging in that Breitbart was “all in” for the values he believed in and very willing to take on the liberal establishment. May many in our movement embrace the challenge of Andrew Breitbart’s passion. And may he Rest In Peace.

+ + Perspective
Sadly, some on the Left couldn’t hold back from tweeting and posting their vitriol against Breitbart after news of his death began to spread. Liberty News’ Alex Knepper responded to these despicable attacks in a story entitled, “Liberals Dance On Breitbart’s Grave.” Knepper reminds us all of the importance of perspective:

“Never forget what Ayn Rand once wrote: we are interested in politics so that one day we will not have to be interested in politics. Good politics helps to enable good living. Behind politics is the fight for a better life — and our personal lives count more than any political battle.”

Also today, the Senate voted down Sen. Blunt’s “Respect For Rights Of Conscience” Amendment by a 51-48 vote. Many Grassfire team members made phone calls and sent faxes. The liberal media continues to “spin” this entire debate as being about birth control. For example, the Washington Post story on the vote had the title: “Birth control exemption bill… killed in Senate.”

As I noted yesterday, the real question at stake here is whether government can require citizens and companies to provide and pay for government mandates that violate our conscience and deeply-held beliefs. This is a fundamental assault on our liberties as guaranteed by our Constitution.

+ + For Liberty…
So we continue, undeterred by the circumstances that surround us, knowing that we contend in the political realm for ideals and ideas that at their foundation connect us with the Creator. As our Declaration states, “All men are created equal” and are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” And among these rights are “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” This perspective even reveals the purpose of government — “to secure these rights.”

It is no accident that our founders fought for “liberty.” They understood that liberty connected them to a higher source of rights. “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” Those are the words of Leviticus 25:10, also inscribed on the Liberty Bell. May we continue to proclaim true liberty in our day.

Sincerely yours, and for liberty,

Steve Elliott

Liberty News’ Eric Odom has posted an excellent “Delegate Tracker” report that explains the GOP presidential lay of the land post-Michigan. According to Odom, the news for Romney is good. As Odom points out, the GOP race is “shifting away from perception and into reality.” In other words, symbolic victories in early states are being trumped by real, delegate victories over the next six weeks. Go here to read Odom’s analysis of the GOP race, including the state that “will likely trump” the nomination process.

+ + How Romney could win where he can’t win
In reviewing Odom’s analysis, something quite odd struck me about Romney’s path to victory. If Mitt Romney becomes the GOP nominee, it could be propelled by Romney victories in “blue” states that he has virtually no chance of winning in November.

Here’s a list of Romney “blue” states: Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Illinois, and California. These states total 586 possible delegates or just over 50% of all the delegates needed for the nomination. Many of these states are not “winner takes all,” although California and its 172 delegates is — a state the GOP nominee will likely not even contest in the general election.

Also, Romney’s record is mixed in the November “swing” states. He won in all-important Florida yet turnout was low, some say because Romney ran such a negative campaign. But he lost in Colorado, Missouri and Iowa, and is behind in the polls in Ohio.

Thus, it is possible that the GOP will nominate its weakest candidate in the GOP’s strongest states and the crucial November swing states. Where Romney is strong, we are weak. And where we need him to be strong in November, Romney is weak.

Just saying.

In assessing what he calls Obama’s “contraception misdirection,” Mark Steyn of National Review exposes the Obama team’s failed moral, political and economic philosophy in one essay.

Steyn notes that we have a President who is intentionally picking a fight over birth control in an effort to portray Republicans as cultural Neanderthals — but in doing so, Obama is exposing his failed philosophy for the world to see.

Our President is trying to score political points by issuing edicts that guarantee that every American has a “right” to taxpayer-funded, free birth control (including chemical abortions) — while our nation’s financial house is collapsing under the weight of an upside-down demographic.

Simply put, the Entitlement States of America are facing economic collapse in part because our birth rate cannot support the escalating entitlement spending. There are no longer enough grandchildren to fund the entitlement obligations due to their grandparents. And it gets worse for the next generation.

+ + Condoms on the deck of the Titanic
The Obama Administration knows this, but their alleged “budget” plays games with the numbers and pushes the problem out beyond the 10-year budget window. After 10 years, even Obama’s budget recognizes what Geithner calls the “demographic challenges” which cause entitlement spending to dramatically rise, crushing the budget. The fact is, we will not make it 10 years before the escalating entitlement costs and the declining demographic collide.

So, instead of addressing the coming entitlement and demographic catastrophe head-on, Obama tries to score political points by promoting a policy that amounts to government-mandated, taxpayer-funded economic destruction. As Steyn concludes:

“In America an oblivious political class, led by a president who characterizes young motherhood as a ‘punishment,’ prefers to offer solutions to problems that don’t exist rather than the ones that are all too real. I think this is what they call handing out condoms on the Titanic.”

(Also watch Ryun’s confrontation with Geithner.)

One could argue that President Obama’s just-announced budget is a great, big, 256-page lie. But let’s be specific. Here are three lies (quotes come from Obama’s speech on Monday):

Lie #1 — $4 trillion in deficit reduction

“If Congress adopts this budget, then along with the cuts that we’ve already made, we’ll be able to reduce our deficit by $4 trillion by the year 2022 — $4 trillion.” — BHO, 2/13/12

This is pure political deception. According to Obama’s own budget, the projected increase in the total U.S. debt over 11 years (2012-2022) is  $11.189 TRILLIION. (p. 245) There is no deficit reduction in Obama’s budget. ZERO. But in Obama’s world, an $11 trillion increase in the debt is called a deficit reduction. How? By taking credit for not spending money that either the government has already agreed to not spend or will not spend anyways, Obama is saying his budget saves $4 trillion. As the National Review explained:

Fully half of the savings come from the administration’s claiming as its own the $2 trillion in cuts won by congressional Republicans in the debt-limit deal. Some $850 billion comes from not spending war dollars that were never going to be spent anyway. Another $430 billion comes from jury-rigging the baseline to hide the cost of the infamous Medicare “doc fix.”

Of course, the $11.2 trillion increase is buried on page 245 of Obama’s budget (see link below, download the .pdf, and see Table S-15, last line). So the fact is, Obama is lying.

Lie #2 — Tax rate reductions amount to government spending.
This one will take a little explaining. In Obama’s world, any tax rate below what he deems is the “fair share” is the equivalent of government spending. As our Marxist In Chief explained:

“Right now, we’re scheduled to spend nearly $1 trillion more on what was intended to be a temporary tax cut for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.  We’ve already spent about that much.  Now we’re scheduled to spend another trillion.” BHO, 2/13/12

The “spending” Obama is talking about is government revenue (i.e. taxes) that the government isn’t collecting because of the tax rates Obama doesn’t like. So a tax rate below what Obama deems to be appropriate is government spending. Take this to its logical conclusion and the government owns all income. Anything we keep is government spending.

Lie #3 — This isn’t about class warfare
A classic debating tactic is to attack your opponent’s best argument head-on with a direct denial followed by a restatement of your core beliefs which actually confirms your opponent’s argument. Look at how Obama addresses the “class warfare” charge in reference to his budget:

“Some people go around, they say, well, the President is engaging in class warfare.  That’s not class warfare.  That’s common sense.  That’s common sense.   Asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary when it comes to his tax rate — that’s just common sense.  Because Warren Buffet is doing fine, I’m doing fine.  We don’t need the tax breaks.  You need them.   You’re the ones who see your wages stall.  You’re the one whose costs of everything from college to groceries has gone up.  You’re the ones who deserve a break.” — BHO, 2/13/12

Here, Obama issues a direct denial to the “class warfare” charge and then proceeds to lay out the classic class warfare argument. The rich are getting tax breaks…. You deserve those breaks…. This is classic Obama.

There are many more lies. I’ve outlined just three. Read the budget yourself. For the numbers, take a look at the summary tables.

Vigilance. Every day.

Heritage Foundation has published its “2012 Index of Dependence on Government” and is reporting “a level of dependence on our government that has never been seen before.” Heritage reports that 67.3 million people depend on the government for assistance and 70% of the federal budget now is dedicated to “individual assistance programs.” Plus, Heritage reports that 49.5 percent of Americans pay no federal income taxes.

+ + The Victim Society
Even worse than the actual money that is being transferred through the welfare and entitlement programs is the mentality that such systems foster. It’s a mentality of blame and victimhood, not one of responsibility and accountability. The victim is always owed. Someone else is to blame. The government is here to help.

Consider the President’s remarks as today he unveiled the latest $25 billion shakedown of the banking industry — a shakedown that did not involve a vote in Congress but was a deal struck with the five largest lenders.

“By now, it’s well known that millions of Americans who did the right thing and the responsible thing … were, nevertheless, hurt badly by the irresponsible actions of others:  by lenders who sold loans to people who couldn’t afford them; by buyers who knew they couldn’t afford them; by speculators who were looking to make a quick buck; by banks that took risky mortgages, packaged them up, and traded them off for large profits….

” I want to be clear.  No compensation, no amount of money, no measure of justice is enough to make it right for a family who’s had their piece of the American Dream wrongly taken from them.  And no action, no matter how meaningful, is going to, by itself, entirely heal the housing market.  But this settlement is a start.”

Clearly, we are all victims now, including those who cannot afford a cell phone. Don’t worry, he government has that covered as well.

+ + Cell Phone Welfare
More than 12 million people are currently receiving free phone service at the expense of U.S. Taxpayers through the federal government’s “Lifeline” program. This Cell Phone Welfare program has grown by 76% under the Obama Administration as millions have jumped on board to get free cell phone service.

if you want to find out more about the government’s Cell Phone Welfare program and to sign a petition demanding the end of Cell Phone Welfare, go here.

P.S. As soon as I published this post mentioning “free cell phones,” an advertisement was automatically placed from one of the leading providers of government cell phones. Here’s the screen grab. Down the rabbit hole we go. The battle for liberty is constant. The price: daily vigilance.