The Berlin Wall came down because Ronald Reagan told Gorbachev to tear it down. That was 20 years ago. Hard to believe. They are commemorating it today at the Reagan Library.

There’s news today that a Texas Planned Parenthood director quit after seeing an ultrasound. One of the efforts Oklahoma Baptists have made is to make sure all our crisis pregnancy centers are equipped with ultrasound capabilities so that young women (and young fathers) can see that there is indeed life within. Satan is a deceiver at his core, and so long as he can convince the world that an embryo or fetus is not a living human, he has the battle won. When we shine the light of truth by showing young women that they have life within their wombs, nearly 90% choose life. When the fathers will look at the ultrasound, it’s 99%. Thankfully, when they can see clearly, people make the right choice, and I am thrilled that we also help provide a means for the young moms to have healthy, happy babies, while gaining an education and having the security of a home. We Baptists do some things wrong; this is not one of them. Carry on, my brothers and sisters.

It’s been a busy few days, so I don’t have a lot of analysis to provide with these documents, but I did want to share them with you.

As you may know, the lawsuit by former Bit by Bit director Jana Walstrom against Rogers State University for wrongful termination was kicked from the federal courts back to state court, specifically Rogers County District Court, where the case is presided over by Judge Post.

Here is RSU’s response to the allegations made in Walstrom’s First Amended Petition.

Here is the schedule both sides have agreed to for trying the case.

And, here is what I consider the most significant document in the file. This was attached to the back of Judge Eagan’s federal court opinion, which I previously shared here. I find this document noteworthy because, in all the litigation I have seen RSU involved in—and there has been a bunch—I have never seen RSU or any of its people represented by attorneys other than those of OU’s office of Legal Counsel. As this document clearly shows, former State Senator Pro Tempore—and RSU library namesake—Stratton Taylor is listed as lead counsel, as is Clint Russell, of Taylor’s law firm. To further muddy things, it should be noted that the Burrage of Taylor, Burrage, Foster, Mattett, Downs & Ramsey is current state senator Sean Burrage. Further, Sean Burrage’s wife, Carole, is a former RSU faculty member, and Stratton Taylor’s wife, Carolyn, is currently on the faculty of RSU’s History & Political Science Department. Clint Russell, of Taylor’s law firm, is also listed as lead attorney, and it appears as if he has been signing most of RSU’s documents; additionally, two attorneys from OU’s Office of Legal Counsel are listed.

Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern has created a Proclamation for Morality, asking for signatories, and planning a signing ceremony at noon, Thursday, July 2, 2009, at the Capitol Rotunda. Many are keen to get behind the proclamation, with some viewing its support as indicative of one’s conservatism. Kern has been the center of much controversy in the past, due to her statements about homosexuality. While I agree with much of the sentiment of her proclamation, I cannot sign it. Read the proclamation (take a deep breath, it’s long), then I’ll explain why.

WE THE PEOPLE OF OKLAHOMA, Invoking the guidance of almighty god, in
order to secure and perpetuate the blessings of liberty; to secure
just and rightful Government; to promote our mutual Welfare and
Happiness, do establish this proclamation and call upon the people of
the great State of Oklahoma, and our fellow Patriots in these United
States of America who look to the Lord for guidance, to acknowledge
the need for a national awakening of righteousness in our land.

WHEREAS, “It is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the
Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand” (John Adams); and

WHEREAS, “We have no government armed with power capable of
contending with human passions unbridled by Religion and
Morality” (John Adams); and

WHEREAS, “Our Constitution was made only for a Moral and Religious
people” (John Adams), and

WHEREAS, “We have staked the whole future of American civilization,
not upon the power of government…. But upon the capacity of mankind
for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern
ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the
Ten Commandments of God” (James Madison); and

WHEREAS, “Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a
right that belongs to us by the laws of God” (Benjamin Franklin); and

WHEREAS, “God who gave us life gave us liberty and can the liberties
of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm
basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties
are of the Gift of God” (Thomas Jefferson); and

WHEREAS, “Whether any free government can be permanent, where the
public worship of God, and the support of Religion, constitute no part
of the policy or duty of the state” (Joseph Story); and

WHEREAS, “We hold sacred the rights of conscience, and promise to the
people…. The free and undisturbed exercise of their religion” (Roger
Sherman); and

WHEREAS, “This great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by
Christians” (Patrick Henry); and

WHEREAS, “When you…. Exercise the right of voting for public
officers, let it be impressed upon your mind that God commands you to
chose just men who will rule in the fear of God” (Noah Webster); and

WHEREAS, “The principles of genuine Liberty and of wise laws and
administrations are to be drawn from the Bible” (Noah Webster); and

WHEREAS, the people of Oklahoma have a strong tradition of reliance
upon the Creator of the Universe; and

WHEREAS, we believe our economic woes are consequences of our greater
national moral crisis; and

WHEREAS, this nation has become a world leader in promoting abortion,
pornography, same sex marriage, sex trafficking, divorce, illegitimate
births, child abuse, and many other forms of debauchery; and

WHEREAS, alarmed that the Government of the United States of America
is forsaking the rich Christian heritage upon which this nation was
built; and

WHEREAS, grieved that the Office of the President of these United
States has refused to uphold the long held tradition of past
presidents in giving recognition to our National Day of Prayer; and

WHEREAS, deeply disturbed that the Office of the President of these
United States disregards the biblical admonitions to live clean and
pure lives by proclaiming an entire month to an immoral behavior;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we, the undersigned elected
officials of the people of Oklahoma, religious leaders and citizens of
the State of Oklahoma, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world,
solemnly declare that the HOPE of the great State of Oklahoma and of
these United States, rests upon the Principles of Religion and
Morality as put forth in the HOLY BIBLE; and

BE IT RESOLVED that we, the undersigned, believers in the One True
God and His only Son, call upon all to join with us in recognizing
that “Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord” and humbly implore
all who love Truth and Virtue to live above reproach in the sight of
God and man with a firm reliance on the leadership and protection of
Almighty God; and

BE IT RESOLVED that we, the undersigned, humbly call upon Holy God,
our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer, to have mercy on this nation, to
stay His hand of judgment, and grant a national awakening of
righteousness and Christian renewal as we repent of our great sin.

Signed on the Second Day of July in the Year of our Lord Christ Two
Thousand and Nine.

So there you have it. It’s long, as proclamations tend to be, and it employs many good words—some from our Founders, and most of the sentiments I find biblical and worthy of support. But, there’s one thing in particular that bothers me.

WHEREAS, we believe our economic woes are consequences of our greater
national moral crisis; and

Really? Sorry, but I don’t buy it. What if our current economic woes are due to persons at all levels making bad economic choices  and/or many being the victims of fraud and/or the federal government being altogether too entangled in the affairs of her subjects citizens?

Can and does God bring economic calamity as a punishment for moral lapses. Certainly. Is every economic travail an indication of rampant sinfulness in the lives of those affected. Certainly not! This is some of the wrong-headed thinking about the Gospel that I can’t stomach, and I hate to see that my fellow Baptist Sally Kern has made this leap into what I can only term as error.

Think about Christians down through the ages. We Christians, historically, have certainly not been characterized by wealth. What about those Christians today who suffer both abject poverty and acute persecution? Are they paying economically for their views on abortion, homosexuality, and pornography? I know it’s counter to a whole segment of prosperity preachers of this modern age, but Christ said that foxes had holes and birds had nests but the Son of Man had no place to lay His head. This, from the same Guy who said that a servant is no better than his Master. If we believe Him, and I think it’s a pretty good idea that we do, we understand that there is no guarantee of financial blessing because we claim Him as our Lord.

We have, no doubt, been a supremely blessed people. Being born in this country is a blessing above all blessings. And even in a nation that is currently slouching toward the false promises of socialized this and government-guaranteed that, we are freer, richer, and better off than most people on the planet in any era of history. Why? This thing called Liberty.

The same liberty that allows persons to choose other than Christ allows persons to shift gears mid-stream and embrace the offer of grace. I know it’s a silly notion, but what if abortions plummeted not because they were illegal but because our collective hearts were changed to the point that the physical expression of love occurred between committed, married couples who would welcome a child into the world? What if smut no longer sold because the market dried up due to God’s replacing hearts of stone with hearts of flesh? What if child and elder abuse died because we simply loved life? I know, I know. I am an idealist trapped in a realist’s body. It is right and proper that we have laws against these things on the books, but I long for the day when His government rules and the law of love is perfected. For now, though, dark as the world is, it sure looks white unto a harvest. Does this Proclamation for Morality do anything to bring in the sheaves? I’m unconvinced it does.

And so for now, though I can agree with much in Kern’s proclamation and the sentiment behind it, I cannot endorse it or encourage others to do so. If I need to get behind a proclamation, I’ll continue to support the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am convinced that committed Christ followers elect better representatives, so if we want morality to reign in the halls of government, we best share Christ.

OK, I guess the talking point is that Letterman’s comments about the Palin family were “in bad taste.” I could describe it very differently. But what just blows my head off is how Matt Lauer on Today could not resist coming at Palin and asking her if it wasn’t in bad taste that her spokesperson said they intend to keep 14-year-old Willow Palin away from David Letterman. You have to be kidding me! What kind of moral eqivilization is this? I know some places here in Oklahoma where Letterman’s comments would have gotten him, at least, an arse-whoopin’ that even the Sheriff and D.A. would consider justified. I used to be a Letterman fan, but I—like most viewers—have abandoned him in recent years. Anyone who has not the sense to just admit his horrible mistake and truly apologize deserves a public uprising and channel-changing. And, as for Matt Lauer, I am appalled that his own political views and obvious disdain for Palin can allow him to make such an utter fool of himself. Neither of these two hacks would have ever behaved this way if Michelle Obama were substitued for Sarah Palin, and you know it.

This from the Oklahoma Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission:

ERLC Alert! Pro-Life Bills HB 1595 and HB 1114 are on the Governor’s Desk

Call the Governor or email him and ask him to sign both bills into law!

House Bill 1595 prohibits a person from performing an abortion solely because of the sex of the child and creates the Statistical Reporting of Abortions Act, which requires physicians who perform abortions to report certain information to the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH). This legislation passed the Senate with a 35-9 vote; passed the House with 88-6. This was also our priority during Rose Day.

House Bill 1114 prohibits human cloning in Oklahoma and makes it a misdemeanor to perform or attempt to perform human cloning. This piece of pro-life legislation passed the Senate unanimously; passed House with 83-0 and 18 excused absences.

Each bill received overwhelming bipartisan support from both chambers and now needs Gov. Henry’s support!

Contact the Governor or email him and ask him to sign both bills into law!

Call him at: (405) 521-2342

Leave a message on his website at: http://www.gov.ok.gov/message.php

I recently received this flyer in the mail from Mainstream Oklahoma Baptists.

Just wondering how J.C. Watts’ affiliation with the New Baptist Covenant group (supported by Presidents Carter and Clinton) will play with Oklahoma Baptist voters—if he decides to jump in the governor’s race. What, if any, effect will it have in the race? What say you?

With characteristic brilliance, Thomas Sowell has perfectly analyzed President Obama’s statement that he intends to appoint a Supreme Court justice who will be empathetic to certain groups. I’m really having a tough time excerpting his article here because it’s so good, and I recommend you read the whole thing.

Here are a few highlights:

That we are discussing the next Supreme Court justice in terms of group “representation” is a sign of how far we have already strayed from the purpose of law and the weighty responsibility of appointing someone to sit for life on the highest court in the land.

That President Obama has made “empathy” with certain groups one of his criteria for choosing a Supreme Court nominee is a dangerous sign of how much further the Supreme Court may be pushed away from the rule of law and toward even more arbitrary judicial edicts to advance the agenda of the left and set it in legal concrete, immune from the democratic process.

And what about that notion that justice should be blind?

Would you want to go into court to appear before a judge with “empathy” for groups A, B and C, if you were a member of groups X, Y or Z? Nothing could be further from the rule of law. That would be bad news, even in a traffic court, much less in a court that has the last word on your rights under the Constitution of the United States.

Appoint enough Supreme Court justices with “empathy” for particular groups and you would have, for all practical purposes, repealed the 14th Amendment, which guarantees “equal protection of the laws” for all Americans.

We would have entered a strange new world, where everybody is equal but some are more equal than others. The very idea of the rule of law would become meaningless when it is replaced by the empathies of judges.

But why is it that people like me are so concerned?

In the American system of government, presidential term limits restrict how long any given resident of the White House can damage this country directly. But that does not limit how long, or how much, the people he appoints to the Supreme Court can continue to damage this country, for decades after the president who appointed them is long gone.

Justice John Paul Stevens virtually destroyed the Constitution’s restrictions on government officials’ ability to confiscate private property in his 2005 decision in the case of “Kelo v. New London”– 30 years after President Ford appointed him.

The solution to institutional discrimination is not discrimination in the other direction. Fairness and justice are not served when a pendulum of empathy swings from side to side. While President Obama tries to rip the blindfold off Lady Justice, the people should demand it be tightened ever more.

I had predicted a Supreme Court vacancy early in Obama’s term, but I was a bit surprised to see Souter go. It is highly likely that President Obama will get to appoint at least three Supreme Court Justices, who—depending on age—could affect the Court for the next 30-40 years. These are the spoils afforded the victor, and Republicans had better get the message that it is happening because they squandered their opportunities to govern as conservatives. The consequences always come.

Finally, though I prefer our system of government to all others on Earth, I am all the more thankful that in the coming Court of Judgment we will all be treated the same and that the Judge is Justice Himself.

Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.

I read that rather than vilifying Senator Specter, I should reflect on why he made the big leap. I have.

Says Specter:

I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans.

We could have told him that years ago.

Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter has ratified his several years’ of behavior and officially become a Democrat. It’s a silly notion, really, because Specter doesn’t fit really well in either party. My problem, though, has been that as a Republican who was out of step with the vast majority of his party on many things related to the judiciary, he has been allowed the very powerful Chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee. He should have been assigned chairman of a committee related to areas on which he was in agreement with his party overall.

And then there is the silly business about protecting incumbents. Though Specter was an all-around thorn in President Bush’s side, Bush refused to back a truly conservative primary opponent to Specter, so Specter clung to power. And power is what this is all really about.

When someone switches from the majority to the minority (without it shifting the balance of power to once again put the defector in the majority), I’ll be open to claims about their bravery and character. That is not the case here. Specter has admitted this is in a move to keep the power and prestige of his Senate seat:

I believe I have a significant contribution to make on many of the key issues of the day, especially medical research. … And my seniority is very important to continue to bring important projects vital to Pennsylvania’s economy.

Translation: I want to keep right on being a Senator, and I’ll bribe the people of Pennsylvania with federal money to make it happen.

His move is not surprising. He, like many—maybe most—politicians, has grown addicted to the power it brings. He stayed with the Republicans for the last few years because they were daft enough to allow him what he wanted, especially his chairmanship. He will now hitch his wagon to the Dems as long as they give him the concessions he wants. He’s a political opportunist (probably a redundancy in terms), and he capitalized on his opportunity to survive against a strong conservative opponent in the upcoming primary. No one said he’s not shrewd. It would just be nice to see such dedication to principle rather than survival.

Apparently President Obama has called to welcome Specter to the party. This is probably a blessing for conservatism. If you give President Obama a cloture-voting, 60-seat majority in the Senate (combined with a large majority in the House), their policies will be unstoppable. And nothing converts the citizenry to conservatism like life under a liberal regime.

RNC Chairman Michael Steele actually made an inteligible comment this time:

“Let’s be honest—Senator Specter didn’t leave the GOP based on principles of any kind. He left to further his personal political interests because he knew that he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record. Republicans look forward to beating Sen. Specter in 2010, assuming the Democrats don’t do it first.”

And so, it is what it is. No huge loss; just a small man serving his personal interests. You know, just another day in Washington, D.C.

Previously in this space, I have shared that I have been in a dialogue with Bailey Dabney, publisher of the Claremore Progress, regarding Claremore’s tea party last week and the Progress‘ coverage of it. What I did not share was that Mr. Dabney was gracious enough to invite me to respond on the pages of his paper as a guest columnist, rather than in a letter to the editor. He certainly did not have to do so. And when he received my column, he didn’t have to print it, but he did. You’ll find it on the Op-Ed page of today’s (April 21, 2009) Progress and also online here.