Where Was The Concern For Bipartisanship In 2005?

An interesting post from http://www.hughhewitt.com/ about the double standard in bipartisanship coverage. This follows this previous post about the GOP's future and for more interesting stories like this click here to follow this blog.

Where Was The Concern For Bipartisanship In 2005?
Posted by: Hugh Hewitt
George W. Bush began his second term in an earnest and prolonged search for a bipartisan solution to the problems plaguing Social Security. He ran into what the Washington Post called "a solid wall of Democratic opposition." Some Democrats sincerely opposed not only W's idea of private accounts as part of an overhaul but any sort of tinkering period on ideological grounds. Others refused to suggest any sort of negotiation for fear of handing Bush a political victory. Partisanship destroyed the initiative. Social Security remains unreformed and is now five years closer to insolvency.Where was Evan Bayh during those months in 2005?Where was he when Patrick Leahy bottled up nominees in Judiciary through 2001 and 2002, and then when Democrats used filibuster after filibuster from 2003 through 2006 to stop judicial nominees? The filibuster had never before been used to attack judicial nominees that way. Where was Bayh and his concern for "too much narrow ideology and not enough practical problem-solving"?Indeed, where was Senator Bayh in late 2009 when he could have used his position in the Senate to demand that President Obama refuse the jam down on health care? Bayh had the ability to block Obamacare unless and until it could attract at least a handful of Republican votes. He didn't. Instead he cut a deal for Indiana and voted for the deeply unpopular and wildly expensive assault on seniors specifically and American medicine generally.Evan Bayh has the ability to not only condemn the refusal of Republicans to join the deficit commission as he did yesterday, but also the ability to refuse to support a $1.6 trillion deficit which is so stunning as to undo the idea of a commission. He has not yet shown any sign of doing so. If he does act independently over the next nine months, he establishes a base from which to challenge President Obama in the Democratic primaries of 2012, but that will require a great deal more candor about what ails D.C. than he displayed yesterday.The Manhattan-Beltway media elite's coverage of the farewell press conference predictably mentioned nothing of these inconvenient truths about partisanship in Washington and Senator Bayh's own role in it. That's fine. Beltway lefties --especially those in the media-- are frustrated by the refusal of voters to applaud the Obama-Pelosi-Reid hard lurch left, and are now telling themselves that Republican obstructionism will be the message that saves them in the fall. This is the worst sort of self-delusion, and has put the Democrats on the very edge of a cliff. "It’s a tough year to be a Democrat," Michael Barone concludes at the end of his typically insightful column today. Tough and getting tougher because the president and the Speaker and the Senate Majority Leader aren't giving up their hard left agenda even as Congressional Democrats see a tsunami of public opposition forming and heading their way.Voters don't want Obamacare. They don't want to own GM. They don't trust Chris Dodd and Barney Frank to overhaul banking. They don't want to spend another $1.6 trillion we don't have. They don't believe Joe Biden about the stimulus working and they don't want the EPA acting unilaterally to impose the cap-and-tax radical agenda that not even a hard left Congress will pass.Evan Bayh says the problem is that Washington doesn't work anymore? Then he's deaf. Deaf to voters generally and especially Indiana voters.Democrats spent 2009 alienating voters because of the policies they pursued. It seems as thought they will spend 2010 insulting voters by telling them that they don't understand Obamacare, that they have been fooled by Rush, Hannity et al, and that GOP obstructionism is the root cause of all that ails the country.It is not unusual for Democrats to treat the voters as though they were stupid. It is unusual for them to tell the voters that again and again.Congressional Republicans now have to summon up the courage to hold their lines and their principles. They need to speak clearly and repeatedly about their opposition and what it is rooted in. They have to make one simple argument: The vast array of changes proposed by the president and his allies are not what the American people want and we must have a referendum on them via the November elections before we do anything but oppose them. If the people want Obamacare, they can vote for Democrats in the fall. If they want to bankrupt the country and devalue the currency, they can vote for Democrats in the fall.But if they turn out the Democrats in large numbers --larger if the Democrats do a jam down with reconciliation-- then the "obstructionism" denounced by the president's media toadies will be rewarded as the principled and necessary opposition to a radical agenda that has nowhere near majority support and which was never proposed to the country in the campaign of 2008..

They're At It Again! The DC Dog & Pony Show‏

A timely post from www.teapartyexpress.org about the dangers the Republican party has by joining the president in a health care summit. This follows this previous article about the concerns of Americans on various forms of welfare. For more interesting stories like this click here to follow this blog.

They're At It Again! The DC Dog & Pony Show‏

Greetings Fellow Patriots,
There is a lot going on inside of DC that you should be aware of so you know how important it is to take action. If you do not want to read all of the details, but only want the ACTION STEPS, then scroll down or click here. You can also read this alert online if you prefer.Last week on Super Bowl Sunday, President Obama, made an announcement on national TV that he would be inviting both the Republican and Democrat leadership to the Blair House in the next several weeks in an effort to work on a bipartisan solution for health care reform. The President promised that these negotiations would be televised. While citizens across the country have been calling for transparent negotiations for months, there is much concern that this is a "dog and pony show" being sponsored by the White House, and there will be no real bipartisan negotiations. The fear is that the President, Madame Pelosi, and Senator Reid are only going to work with the bills that have already been passed by the House and the Senate. There is also the fear that this is just political theater to distract from some sort of behind closed doors negotiation. The bottom line is that we cannot let up now!The American people do not want the legislation that has been proposed by either of these bodies. The American people want to start from the beginning with a blank sheet of paper. Representative Tom Price (GA) asked to start with a blank sheet of paper earlier this week. Leader John Boehner (OH) issued a statement asking for the same thing. Will the President and his team of negotiators agree to start with a blank sheet of paper? According to Madame Pelosi's senior health care advisor, this is not the plan at all. In fact, the Republicans and the American people are being set up and this "dog and pony" show is a trap!This past week, Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) appeared on Fox News and talked about his personal "CPR" plan that he is proposing. The basis of the plan is a mandate for anyone over 18 years of age to have insurance. Where has Senator Gregg been the past several months? Does he have a sweetheart lobbying job awaiting him when he completes his term? Why on earth would this Senator not stand up and represent what the American people want? Does he not know that 61% of the American people want Congress to completely start over on health care negotiations?It appears that Washington, DC is just not getting the message! This health care summit is nothing more than a PR stunt! What is so scary is that there are some that are falling for this stunt. It is up to us, "We the People," to once again, raise our voices, turn up the heat, and just say no to this stunt that is being attempted by the President and his team. It is time for the President, Madame Pelosi, and Senator Reid know that you cannot fool "We the People" anymore.Are you willing to step back up to the plate and turn on the heat again? This past Tuesday, Organizing for America announced (via email) that they have relaunched their Action Center in an effort to assist with the government takeover of health care. Just this morning, Organizing for America announced that their supporters have already pledged 4,000,000 hours of their time to assist in getting "real" health care reform passed. Team, are you up for a challenge? We must work just as hard, if not harder, to stop this government takeover of health care! If you are willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of us, you can do the following to stop this government takeover of health care:
1. Sign the Petition demanding that the Republicans stand firm and not make any concessions. Please forward to family, colleagues, neighbors, and friends to sign. There is power in numbers and we all need to stand strong together.
2. Contact the Senators listed at the bottom of this email to let them know that you expect them to stand firm and not make any concessions on a government takeover of health care. If you are not their constituent, you should tell them that their vote represents the American people, as well as their constituents, and you expect them to listen to and represent the American people.
3. Contact the Republican Leadership and let them know that we are watching and waiting. We expect every single member of the Republican party to stand on principles and values, while representing the American people.The Republican Leadership in the House is committed to stand firm and wants to start from scratch. We need to support their efforts and let them know we are standing behind them. We should thank them for listening to the American people.
Congressman John Boehner
Congressman Eric Cantor
Congressman Mike PenceWe are not hearing the same things come from the Republican Leadership in the Senate. We need to contact the Republican Leadership in the Senate and let them know what we expect from them. They need to know that we expect all Republicans to insist that all negotiations start over with a blank sheet of paper.
Senator Mitch McConnell
Senator Jon Kyl
We all thought this this health care legislation was dead after the election of Scott Brown in Massachusetts because he was the 41st vote. Well, not so fast. He is the 41st vote only if all of the other Republicans in Washington stand firm and do not cave or make any concessions.We must make it clear to ALL of our elected officials that we want NO part of the Senate or House bills to be proposed or accepted. The American people want these bills rejected and to start over with a clean slate. We will accept nothing less. This is a critical time! We have been so successful in stopping this legislation. We must continue to stand strong and have our voices heard. Your fellow Patriots are counting on you to stand with us now. We must not be weak, but stringer than ever before.Thank you for standing with us shoulder to shoulder!
Amy Kremeramykremer@gmail.com
678.495.8271
Jennifer Hulseyhulsey1873@gmail.com770.546.0286
ACTION STEPS
1. Sign the Petition
2. Contact the SENATORS listed below.
3. Contact the REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP listed below.
SENATORS to Contact:
We have made this easy for you. We have broken the country into five regions and the 10 Senators into five groups. Each day, you call and email the group of Senators that is assigned to your region of the country for that day. This way, all 10 Senators will have a constant barrage of calls and emails all week. We need to make sure they feel the pressure daily. They need to know we are watching and waiting.All of the contact information is listed below the chart. It has been highly recommended that we target their local district offices when calling, as they are not used to getting pressure like the DC offices.Of course, you can always do more and call more than just the one group assigned to your region that day! If you want to call more, I would suggest calling and emailing the Senators with an asterisk next to their name, as they are the ones that are up for reelection in 2010.When contacting these Senators, let them know that you expect them to stand firm and not make any concessions on a government takeover of health care. You can refer to the petition for a list of things that we will not compromise on in these health care negotiations.Also, please email the Chief of Staff for each Senator!

Region
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
North East
Group 1 (Bayh, Bennet)
Group 2 (Lincoln, Landrieu)
Group 3 (Gregg, Hatch)
Group 4 (Corker, Grassley)
Group 5 (McConnell, Enzi)
South East
Group 2 (Lincoln, Landrieu)
Group 3 (Gregg, Hatch)
Group 4 (Corker, Grassley)
Group 5 (McConnell, Enzi)
Group 1 (Bayh, Bennet)
Mid West
Group 3 (Gregg, Hatch)
Group 4 (Corker, Grassley)
Group 5 (McConnell, Enzi)
Group 1 (Bayh, Bennet)
Group 2 (Lincoln, Landrieu)
North West
Group 4 (Corker, Grassley)
Group 5 (McConnell, Enzi)
Group 1 (Bayh, Bennet)
Group 2 (Lincoln, Landrieu)
Group 3 (Gregg, Hatch)
South West
Group 5 (McConnell, Enzi)
Group 1 (Bayh, Bennet)
Group 2 (Lincoln, Landrieu)
Group 3 (Gregg, Hatch)
Group 4 (Corker, Grassley)

Illegals Are Leaving And We Are Helping Them Go‏

A timely article from http://www.alipac.us/ about illegal immigrants leaving the U.S. This follows this post about encouraging local police enforcement of immigration laws. For more interesting stories like this click here to follow this blog.

Illegals Are Leaving And We Are Helping Them Go‏

For the second year in a row, both sides of the illegal immigration debate agree that the illegal alien population is falling rapidly in America. The pro-Amnesty U.S. Department of Homeland Security says it is true and so does the pro-immigration enforcement group we support, Center for Immigration Studies (CIS). This new report for 2009, combined with the data from 2008, suggests a drop of 2 million in the illegal alien population of America. This proves a very important point! Enforcement instead of amnesty works, illegal immigration can be reversed, and there is no need for Comprehensive Immigration Reform Amnesty. While the Amnesty supporters cry that the bad economy alone is responsible for the rapid declines, we know that is only part of the equation. Evidence we have archived from government, media, and activist reports across America, indicate that local or state level immigration enforcement leads to gradual exoduses of illegal aliens. ALIPAC has worked very hard for five years to get more local police agencies enforcing immigration laws and some form of immigration enforcement legislation through in over 35 states! Yet, there is another factor where we have unintentionally helped the exodus of illegal aliens. At ALIPAC we are committed to peaceful political solutions to illegal immigration and we work together in unity with Americans of every race, denomination, political party, and walk of life.
Yet, for the last three years the Spanish media combined with the corporate and George Soros sponsored attack groups like La Raza, Southern Poverty Lie Center, The Defamation League, Media Matters, and others have shot themselves in the political foot! In an effort to silence free speech and other American rights, they have demonized groups and talk radio show hosts like ALIPAC, the Tea Parties, NumbersUSA, Minuteman groups, Michael Savage, Rush Limbaugh, etc.... They have tried to use these scare tactics to energize and galvanize their "Civil Rights" base and illegal-alien supporting minions.
While none of us at ALIPAC ever wanted unnecessary fear beyond the enforcement of our existing laws to be used as a weapon against illegal immigration, these illegal alien supporting groups have helped send illegal aliens running for the border. It is truly a shame that many illegal aliens, legal immigrants, and American Hispanics go to bed at night worrying that their families might be in danger from roving bands of crazed vigilantes out to hurt people with brown skin. This condition rarely exists in our nation, but after the Hispanic media has finished their nightly broadcasts filled with deception, who can blame them for thinking it was true? Seriously, if you watch Telemundo, Univision, or read one of the many Spanish language newspapers around the nation you can see them lie to their audience, claiming that millions of Americans and about every main stream organization against illegal immigration is actually violent and racist and on the verge of harming Latinos indiscriminately. While attacks on illegal aliens or Hispanics by American citizens are extremely rare, compared to the daily barrage of articles coming in from across America of innocent Americans raped, robbed, molested, scammed, or killed by illegal aliens, the Spanish media has tried to create a false impression of clear and present danger against all Hispanics. Their lies and aggression have created a very tense and dangerous situation in America that could manifest in wide scale mayhem under certain conditions. However, one of their unexpected results has been to send many illegal aliens running for the borders on the way out! I truly believe that Telemundo, Univision, the Spanish papers, the SPLC, ADL, Media Matters, La Raza, and many others have greatly helped the mass exodus of illegal aliens that we are seeing because they have unfortunately and unnecessarily terrorized the illegal alien population with lies and exaggerations that have created an extreme state of fear in the homes of the illegal aliens. Illegal aliens are men and women like us all. They have committed crimes and they need to experience justice under our system and return to their own nations. Yet, I am appalled that many of these men and women look at their children at night fearing racial violence due to the propaganda they are bombarded with in the Spanish media. The fault for this unnecessary terror that is abusive to Americans and illegal aliens alike, rests on the shoulders of the Spanish media and the Media Matters Soros groups that have engaged in such outlandish lies and distortions in their ruthless pursuit of their radical Open Borders political agendas. While many Americans will cheer with enthusiasm that the illegal aliens are on the run, let us all remember that we need to advance on our opposition in the proper way now that our opponents are in retreat. Let us all pull together as Americans to assure that the media and attack groups responsible for these abuses of the truth against Americans and illegal immigrants alike are the next to be on the run politically! Here is today's CBS article for you to review. Please follow the link at the end, if you wish to comment on this article or this e-mail alert. More good things to come.
CBS Report Number of Illegal Immigrants Plunges by 1M http://www.alipac.us/article-4922-thread-1-0.html
William Gheen and the ALIPAC Team www.alipac.us

Women Who Make the World Worse

A very interesting book you can get from Amazon here or your library here. For some more reading for Valentine's day. click HERE! For more interesting posts like this click here.

Its about modern feminism, not early womens rights.

By James "Collins" (Midland, Texas) - See all my reviews

So many people have not read the book, or refuse to acknowledge the facts, continuing their hypocritical argument that modern feminism is about equality. Modern day feminism, of course, has nothing to do with equality. It seeks more to elevate women's privileges, rights and interests above and beyond that of what men receive. None of Kates topics are from a time period anywhere near the 50s and I felt the book, and some of its reviews, show how some women are becoming worse than men ever were. These women blatantly discriminate, think they have a right to do so, and are proud of it. There is a big gap between the women's rights movement of the 40s 50s and 60s and of modern day feminism. The negative reviews this book receives has shown how many feminists continue to link today's movement with yesteryears and, somehow, that makes them automatically righteous. These women deserve their own chapter in Kates book `Women who make the world worse'. It is not difficult to see the effect that these women have had on society. Kate structures her book well and tackles each example with solid, researched information. Government legislation, biased family courts, ignorance towards lagging performance in schools of boys and the feminization of the military, sports, workplace and justice system. The idiocy over the Harvard `incident' was my favorite chapter, illustrating how some women will not accept that men may be better at some things than women, but applaud women who excel beyond boys in a women focused education, work and political system. There's lots of money and jobs out there for women who cry foul when they don't get their own way. Kate is able to highlight just what modern feminists have to lose should men ever get equality. Harvard has been forced to put forward $50 million to fund a new equality department which, headed by a staunch feminist no doubt, will justify it own existence and secure its own funding based on perpetuating female oppression, whether it occurs or not. Kate does not tackle all of modern feminisms double standards, there certainly are plenty more of them out there, but she does an excellent job of identifying and analyzing the ones that have the most effect on our society. I am glad that some women have a good grasp on the facts of modern day feminism and are able to separate the differences between feminism and equality so effectively. Kate is highlighting not how far women have come, but how far some women have gone. It gives hope for equality....some day. There is a saying amongst mens rights groups. `Reverse a gender issue and see if it would still be tolerated'. Would women tolerate the treatment men receive in society today? Of course not. That would be discrimination, wouldn't it?

Are You This Whipped?: Husbands, Housework & Sex *BUMPED*

A very interesting post from Debbie Schlussel on husbands doing household chores to read for Valentine's day. For more interesting posts like this click here.

Are You This Whipped?: Husbands, Housework & Sex
By Debbie SchlusselThey do these studies and publish the results all the time: men who do housework and share chores with their wives have a better sex life and happier marriage. I smell baloney. The results are always the same, including the pronouncements of a recent study that came to the same conclusion and was eagerly touted by Wall Street Journal “Work & Family” columnist Sue Shellenbarger.NOT SexyA new study shows that for husbands and wives alike, the more housework you do, the more often you are likely to have sex with your spouse.Earlier studies have hinted at this connection for men; the sight of a husband mopping the floor or doing dishes sparks affection in the hearts of many wives. But the more-housework-equals-more-sex link for wives, documented in a study of 6,877 married couples published online recently in the Journal of Family Issues, is a surprise. . . .But for some high achievers who take a “work hard, play hard” approach to life, researchers say, working hard in one domain produces more energy for others. The study also found a correlation between hours spent on paid work and the frequency of sex in marriage.Uh, yeah, I’d say that’s the more impressive part than cleaning the house. If you can’t appreciate a man going to work and bringing home a paycheck, you’re vacant. Withholding sex from a guy who works to support your family, just because he won’t clean the bathroom is sickening. And you need to be married to Gloria Steinem, not a man.Many husbands and wives I interviewed offered an additional explanation—that housework may be a proxy for a general willingness to invest in shared interests, a symbol of commitment to home and hearth. Perhaps “working on the same task … makes the couple remember why they married—to be on the same team, to build a life,” Ms. Danis says.PUH-LEEZE. If you need to see your husband cleaning your counters in order to remember why you’re married to him, perhaps a divorce is in order. And you need to ask yourself why you “can’t remember” why you married, when you spend his paycheck? Isn’t working to feed the family “working on the same task”? Anyone who doesn’t get that is the real source of the marital woes.Personally, I wouldn’t find a guy who would do housework and chores for me very sexy. It’s not very masculine, and it’s a sign I don’t appreciate the work he does all day at his real job. It’s degrading for a man. (Repairing things is a different story. That’s a manly thing.) And remember, we’re not talking Mr. Moms, here–an entirely different topic and even more unsexy. This is about working people, who have to come home and then work again . . . at chores (because the missus demands it in exchange for sex).Is it really a good thing that men engage in womanly duties in order to get sex? No way. Are women really giving men a “happier marriage” by withholding sex unless their husbands clean toilets, do laundry, or take out the garbage? Only if they want to be married to women with penises.Because that’s basically what’s happening. When you blur the gender roles, feminize the men and masculinize the women, it’s not a good thing. And with many wives working and their men doing housework, America’s married women who force their husbands to do what was a woman’s traditional role in order to get what was supposed to be a given, essential part of a marriage (sex), it makes a mess of things. Sexual blackmail may have great short-term results, but I’ll bet long-term these marriages aren’t the ones that last.Matriarchies always fail, and not just in nations . . . but also in family households.And while your kids may not know what goes on in the bedroom, they’re definitely influenced when they see daddy doing the dishes and vacuuming and mommy ordering him around. If you think that kind of thing breeds strong men and feminine women, think again. It’s the exact opposite.But, hey, if you wanna raise wimpy sons and bossy, shrewish daughters, it’s an awesome teaching tool.So, how is it in your marriage (if you’re married)? Who does the housework? Are you “whipped”?
Remember: Chickification Nation is the Formula for Disintegration.

St. Valentine, Cupid and Jesus Christ

An interesting research article from http://www.ucg.org/ about Valentine's Day and a Patriotic take on this view! If you want to order a free book about this topic click here and for more interesting stories like this click here to follow this blog.

St. Valentine, Cupid and Jesus Christ

Its customs appear harmless, but is Valentine's Day really a Christian holiday? What are its origins? Could this seemingly innocent celebration promote unbiblical teachings?
by Gary Petty
Every year in mid-February millions of people express romantic desire for each other by exchanging heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, flowers and "valentines." Children express hidden infatuations by sending cards as "secret admirers." Retailers stock shelves with merchandise covered in stylized hearts and Cupids preparing for the popular observance of St. Valentine's Day, Feb. 14.
Where and how did these curious customs originate?
Valentine's Day acquired its name from a Catholic saint, although exactly who he was is a matter of debate. The two most famous Valentines were a Roman priest and a bishop, both of whom suffered martyrdom in the last half of the third century.
Celebrations: The Complete Book of American Holidays records the story this way: "Everyone knows that St. Valentine's Day is that day of the year when friends and lovers express affection for one another, through cards, candy and flowers, whatever means the imagination can find. But no one is quite certain who this St. Valentine was—or, more appropriately, who these Valentines were. The early lists of church martyrs reveal at least three Valentines, and one source boosted this number to an unwieldy eight, each of whom had his feast day on February 14.
"The various Valentines eventually evolved into one. Lover's quarrels come under his jurisdiction and, naturally, he is the patron saint of engaged couples and of anyone wishing to marry" (Robert J. Myers and the editors of Hallmark Cards, 1972, pp. 48-49).
During the Middle Ages, Valentine's Day grew increasingly popular in Europe. Feb. 14 was significant not only for its religious meaning but because it was widely believed that birds begin to mate on this date. Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340-1400) mentions the mating of birds on Valentine's Day in his poem "Parliament of Foules."
"English literature, following Chaucer, contains frequent references to February 14 as sacred to lovers. Shakespeare, Drayton, and Gay are among those who mention it in this connection, and the diarist Samuel Pepys several times discusses the day and its related customs. The Paston Letters, covering the period from 1422 to 1509, contain a letter by Dame Elizabeth Brews to John Paston, with whom she hoped to arrange a match for her daughter, which runs this way:
" 'And cousin mine, upon Monday is St. Valentine's day and every bird chooseth himself a mate ...' " (Jane M. Hatch, The American Book of Days, 1978, p. 178).
For centuries St. Valentine's Day flourished as 24 hours of romantic superstition. A common belief was that a girl would marry the first bachelor she saw or conjure her future mate's image by visiting a graveyard on St. Valentine's Eve.
The custom of sending valentine cards grew popular in the 1700s. In the early 1800s commercial valentines appeared, and soon there was no end to how entrepreneurs could make money from the holiday. Valentine's Day became so popular in the United States that a 1863 periodical claimed it was second in celebration only to Christmas.
Valentine's Day is as popular as ever with children and couples. It is one of the biggest moneymaking days for florists, candy makers and gift shops.
Pre-Christian origins
But do the roots of Valentine's Day run deeper and further back into history?
The origins of Valentine's Day predate Christianity. "The most plausible theory for St. Valentine's Day traces its customs back to the Roman Lupercalia, a feast celebrated in February in honor of the pastoral god Lupercus, a Roman version of the Greek god Pan. The festival was an important one for the Romans, occurring when it did, naturally had some aspects of a rebirth rite to it" (Myers, pp. 50-51).
The original festival, celebrated on Feb. 15, was founded in the ancient legend of the infants Romulus and Remus. The two brothers were said to have been abandoned but discovered and nursed by a wolf, or lupus in Latin. The two boys are credited as the founders of Rome.
Lupercalia was celebrated in honor of pastoral deities, and ceremonies included the sacrifice of goats and a dog. Young men dressed in the sacrificial animal skins would run from a cave, said to be where Romulus and Remus were cared for by the wolf, brandishing strips of goat skins. Any women struck by these thongs were assured fertility. "These thongs were called Februa, the festival Februatio, and the day Dies Februetus, hence arose the name of the month February, the last of the old Roman year" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol. XV, ninth edition, 1907, "Lupercalia").
Over the years many customs were added to the celebration. One was for the names of girls to be placed in a box to be drawn by boys. Each resulting match was then considered a pair for the coming year.
Lupercalia and Christianity
As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, it was common for pagan converts to retain their earlier religious customs and practices. Edward Gibbons, in his classic work The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, states: "After the conversion of the Imperial city, the Christians still continued, in the month of February, the annual celebration of the Lupercalia; to which they ascribed a secret and mysterious influence of the genial powers of the animal and vegetable world" (Vol. II, The Modern Library, p. 327).
Pope Gelasius is said to have eradicated Lupercalia from Christian observance in the last decade of the fifth century. But, in reality, the mingling of paganism and Christianity had become inseparable in much of the Western world. Saturnalia and Mithraism were incorporated into the church through claiming a December birth date for Jesus Christ. Various spring fertility rites merged to form the basis of Easter celebrations. Lupercalia evolved into the observance of St. Valentine's Day.
Celebrations: The Complete Book of American Holidays comments: "Everywhere that Christians came into power they immediately adapted the holidays and customs of the people to their own creed. Now it was a simple matter to call the day that this drawing took place St. Valentine's Day ... To Christianize the heathen practice of picking lots for sweethearts, all that was needed was to replace the names of the girls with names of saints and to have the young people emulate the particular virtues of whatever saint they drew. Incidentally, this custom is not dead today and is still observed in some religious orders.
"It was always more fun, of course, to pick a girl's rather than a saint's name. Consequently, by at least the fourteenth century the custom had reverted to its original form" (pp. 50-51).
Roman gods and Christian saints
Why would people observe a day that honors pagan gods by associating it with Christian saints?
The ancient Romans worshiped gods and goddesses involved with every aspect of life. Jupiter, the chief of the gods, was the deity of rain and storms, while his wife, Juno, was the goddess of womanhood. Minerva was the goddess of handicrafts and wisdom; Venus, of sexual love and birth; Vesta, of the hearth and sacred fires; Ceres, of farming and harvests.
The Greeks considered Mercury to be the messenger of the gods, but the Romans worshiped him as the god of trade, and businessmen celebrated his feast day to increase profits. Others included Mars, god of war; Castor and Pollux, gods of sea travelers; Cronos, the guardian of time; and Cupid, god of love, whose magic arrows encouraged humans and immortals to fall in love. The list goes on and on.
Romans would generically call on "the gods," but each deity had its own cult, and worshipers would pray and conduct religious ceremonies to a specific god or goddess to ask for help. Christianity, with its emphasis on one God, was viewed by many Romans as a strange superstition or even a kind of atheism that denied the existence of the gods.
Members of the early Christian Church considered themselves "saints," meaning holy or separated to God. Paul greets the church at Philippi as "all the saints in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:1). However, it wasn't long before "saints," in the Roman tradition, began to take on the meaning of a special class of martyrs or performers of heroic virtue.
In the second and third centuries it became common for congregations to honor the death of a martyr by celebrating the anniversary of his or her demise. The local cult would offer prayers to the dead for intercession with God. A "saint" could eventually receive universal recognition by declaration of the bishop of Rome.
The Catholic Encyclopedia explains: "As was taught by St. Augustine ... Catholics, while giving to God alone adoration strictly so-called, honor the saints because of the Divine supernatural gifts which have earned them eternal life, and through which they reign with God in the heavenly fatherland as His chosen friends and faithful servants.
"In other words, Catholics honor God in His saints as the loving distributor of supernatural gifts. The worship of latria ... or strict adoration is given to God alone; the worship, or dulia ... or honor and humble reverence, is paid the saints; the worship of hyperdulia ... on account of her greater excellence, [is directed] to the Blessed Virgin Mary" (Vol. II, "Saints," 1907, Online Edition, 1999, Kevin Knight).
The evolution from the early Church's recognition of all members being saints to the veneration and worship of the dead is rooted in the early mixture of paganism with Christianity. The populace throughout the Roman Empire was accustomed not only to the worship of the Greek and Roman pantheon, but to cultic worship of local deities. It was an easy step for Christian congregations rooted in paganism to replace the customs of local cults with the worship of dead martyrs.
Over the centuries the Catholic Church canonized saints for many events, problems, illnesses and occupations, each celebrated with his or her own feast day. St. Stephen is the patron saint of stonemasons; doctors can pray to St. Luke, fishermen to St. Andrew, and carpenters to St. Joseph. Patron saints are there for farmers, hunters, shoemakers and even comedians. The primary saint in Catholic theology is Mary, the mother of Jesus.
The danger in a harmless holiday
What harm can there be in the celebration of lovers in the name of St. Valentine? Besides, what does it matter that some of the day's customs hark back to pagan rites?
For one thing, nowhere does the Bible approve of praying to dead (or living) saints. In fact, Jesus declared that no one except Himself has ascended into heaven (John 3:13). The saints wait in their graves for the resurrection to occur at Jesus' return. Venerating dead saints propagates an ancient heathen custom that has no basis in reality.
The apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about the resurrection: "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first" (1 Thessalonians 4:13-16).
One of the roles Jesus Christ fulfills as our resurrected High Priest is Intercessor: one who pleads on behalf of another. The Bible declares: "Therefore He [Jesus] is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).
The Bible encourages Christians to pray for each other, but heavenly intercession is reserved for Jesus Christ. At Jesus' death the veil in the temple, a heavy curtain that separated the "holy of holies," representing God's throne, from the rest of the temple, was supernaturally torn from top to bottom. This action demonstrated that a new access to God was made available by the sacrifice of Jesus the Messiah. A Christian's relationship to God is with a personal and intimate Father. The supposed need for another heavenly intercessor denigrates this role of Christ.
Does it matter to God?
God warned ancient Israel, the people He chose to represent true religion, not to mix pagan customs with worshiping Him as the true God. "When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.' You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods ... Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it" (Deuteronomy 12:29-32).
Paul compares mixing paganism with Christianity to worshiping demons: "What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons" (1 Corinthians 10:19-21).
Holidays such as St. Valentine's Day metamorphose into icons of Western culture, parodying religion. Most people don't care that its origins lie in the Roman Lupercalia and are rooted in tenets that have nothing to do with the Bible. It's this apathy about how to worship God, and the corresponding moral decay, that is the result of mixing Christianity with paganism.
Jesus said His followers would "worship the Father in spirit and truth" (John 4:23). Observance of this holiday is just one of many traditions that must be questioned if Christianity is to return to its foundation laid by Jesus Christ. GN

Related Resources
Does God Allow Us to Choose Our Own Religious Holidays?Many think that under the New Covenant they have freedom to worship God however they want, including deciding on their own days of worship. But what does the Bible say?
St. Valentine, Cupid and Jesus ChristIts customs appear harmless, but is Valentine's Day really a Christian holiday? What are its origins? Could this seemingly innocent celebration promote unbiblical teachings?
Before You Ask Someone to Be Your Valentine...Millions send Valentine’s Day cards to express their affection for someone special. But how did this holiday originate? And does Valentine’s Day represent what true love is all about?
Bible FAQ: Where did Valentine's Day come from? Is it wrong for a Christian to celebrate it? Like many of the world's major holidays, St. Valentine's Day is an annual observance with its roots entrenched firmly in pagan beliefs and customs. What would God think about Valentine's Day?
Is Valentine's Christian? Should true Christians observe Valentine's Day?
What Kind of Love Does Valentine's Day Promote? If a Valentine's Day kind of love could be defined, what would it be?
Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Observe?Many people are shocked to discover the origins of our most popular religious holidays. They are also surprised to find that the days God commands us to observe in the Bible—the same days Jesus Christ and the apostles kept—are almost universally ignored. Why? Also, why are today's supposedly Christian holidays observed with so many rituals and customs that are not sanctioned anywhere in the Bible? In this booklet you'll discover detailed answers to these questions.

Let The Police Enforce The (Immigration) Law!

A timely article from http://www.vdare.com/ about allowing local police forces to enforce immigration law. This follows this post about how you can contact your local officials on this topic, and this about in-state tuition for illegals in Nebraska and Texas. For more interesting stories like this click here to follow this blog.

Let The Police Enforce The (Immigration) Law!
By James R. Edwards Jr.
Also by James R. Edwards Jr.: Whatever Happened To Deporting Immigrants As A Public Charge?Imagine a would-be serial killer ready to terrorize innocent Americans, gunning down strangers simply for the thrill of watching them die. Picture the police capturing him on some unrelated offense, holding him, coming tantalizingly close to saving countless innocents from death—then letting him go. Cutting him loose because of technical incompetence and political squeamishness, to go off and kill. Does that sound like a plot point in a cheap made-for-TV movie?Actually, it’s close to what happened in the case of the D.C.-area sniper—an illegal immigrant whom cops arrested before his killing spree and turned over to the INS, which promptly let him go. A Jamaican illegal, Malvo and his mother — also an illegal alien — were encountered by local police in December 2001. Uma Sceon James and John Mohammed were disputing who had custody of Malvo. Police called the Border Patrol, whose agents in Bellingham, Wash., arrested the illegal aliens. The Border Patrol handed James and Malvo over to INS with the understanding INS would hold them in detention until removal, which is what the law requires. However, the INS violated the law and regulations and released the illegal alien pair, who indeed fled.I wish this were an isolated, grotesque incident; in fact, it is an illustration of how the system usually works. Lee Malvo would have walked free to kill in almost every state or municipality in the country. Thus Northampton County, Pa., District Attorney John M. Morganelli has cited the INS as being grossly uncooperative in going after immigration violators. “Unfortunately, while the influx of illegal aliens continues at full throttle, as a local prosecutor I can honestly say that there is little to no help from the federal government concerning this issue,” Morganelli said. He told of a case involving 12 illegal aliens committing identity fraud using Social Security numbers. Yet immigration agents “discourage this type of investigation,” he said. A new backgrounder I've written for the Center for Immigration Studies ["Officers Need Backup: The Role of State and Local Police in Immigration Law Enforcement”] points out the problems and offers some solutions. The bottom line: greater use of state and local police officers in enforcing immigration laws.While the borders themselves get lots of lip service, they remain porous to criminals, smugglers, terrorists and other lawbreakers. But the nation's interior is the soft underbelly.The interior has very little federal enforcement presence. The federal immigration service has just 2,000 agents engaged in enforcement for the whole country. And the Clinton administration’s implicit policy of nonenforcement remains in force.But about 700,000 law enforcement officers patrol every American community, every mile of road, 24 hours a day. They know their area and can spot people, things and behavior that are out of the ordinary. But these lawmen largely remain an untapped human resource in immigration law enforcement.Three main factors cause this situation:

1) Lack of Clarity Many people who should know better are confused about the legal authority of local cops over immigration violations. The Bush Justice Department, in a draft legal opinion leaked to the press last year, argues that states as sovereign entities inherently possess authority to enforce federal immigration laws, both civil and criminal.This reading of the Constitution and the law makes the most sense. Madison in Federalist 45 makes plain that states “retain under the proposed Constitution a very extensive portion of active sovereignty.” And a plain reading of the Ninth and Tenth Amendments bears out this principle.Attorney General John Ashcroft has based his enforcement decisions on this sovereignty principle where states and localities are concerned. Local cops have been brought into immigration enforcement under Ashcroft’s leadership in renewed ways.At least in the Tenth Circuit, the courts have borne out the authority of local and state police to enforce immigration laws. But this is based more on state peace officer statutes than the U.S. Constitution.Liberal lawyers and special interests throw up roadblocks. Some localities such as New York City and Seattle have adopted policies that prohibit local bureaucrats and cops from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

2) Lack of InformationCops on the beat don’t have timely, user-friendly access to information about immigration violators. The current system requires cops, who may be standing on the roadside with a carload of illegal aliens, to make an additional inquiry which may take hours, even a day or more, to get an answer. But the information is out there—and available in a centralized repository, the NCIC database. Cops need to know that they’re supposed to use it—even when enforcing our nation’s neglected immigration laws. Efficient information flow is essential if these “first responders” are truly to help secure the homeland.

3) Lack of Cash It takes resources to enforce the law. Police departments need a way to transport captured illegal aliens and other immigration violators into federal custody. The lack of resources for jail space, alien transportation and the like deprives states and localities from playing a larger role in immigration enforcement.The solution: hold immigration violators accountable for their actions - and turn that accountability into resources for law enforcement. This principle would have the added benefit of a deterrent effect—if chances improve that an immigration violator will be caught, will be processed, will be sent home, will suffer consequences, then the price of breaking the law just went up. Fewer people would then be willing to take a chance.Most local police forces want to do the right thing. But they get frustrated when they face barriers at every turn—mixed signals about their legal authority, scant access to information, resources stretched too thin. The key is to empower local and state police with clear authority, information and more resources. Local, state and federal enforcers must all start treating an immigration violation as a “precursor crime”—because that’s usually what it is.This criminal infrastructure, combined with the media’s mythologized image of the virtuous illegal – mere “Mexican gardeners” doing “jobs Americans won’t do” etc. - puts all of us at risk.
James Edward, [email him] coauthor of The Congressional Politics of Immigration Reform and an adjunct fellow with the Hudson Institute, wrote the Center for Immigration Studies backgrounder, Officers Need Backup: The Role of State and Local Police in Immigration Law Enforcement.