Reformation
Rick Perry—GameChanger–and a Fascinating Flashback
Texas Governor Rick Perry’s Saturday announcement to seek the Republican nomination for president of the United States had been expected for some time–but is still a game changer in the 2012 race.
It came on a politically loaded day that saw Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann win the Iowa Straw Poll 29% to 28% over Rep. Ron Paul. Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty came in fourth and had the “class” and wisdom to withdraw from the race a day later.
With Perry’s announcement, Bachmann’s win, and Mitt Romney’s top tier status, I’m having an unusual flashback to a previous era.
Perry is the key to it–but the other comparisons are very interesting…
First of all, Rick Perry.
His entrance into the race is truly a game changer because he is the clearest alternative to Barack Obama for a number of reasons:
Executive experience
He’s the longest serving governor in America at eleven years and counting. Barack Obama entered the White House with zero years of executive experience under his belt–and it has showed in a very inept presidency including his lack of leadership in the recent debt-ceiling debate. If it weren’t for what Sean Hannity calls the “Obamamania Media,” Barack Obama would be compared to Jimmy Carter–one of the most ineffective presidents in history.
Not Perry. He’s a skilled leader and manager whose administrative team has been together a long time and brings rave reviews everywhere they go.
Job-creating expertise
Though jobs can be counted in a variety of ways, a clear consensus says that the state of Texas, under Rick Perry’s leadership, has created 30-50 percent of all the jobs created in the United States in the past ten years. That amounts to nearly one million jobs in just one of the fifty states. Very impressive. This stands in stark contrast to the abysmal loss of jobs and rising unemployment under the Obama administration.
The simple truth is that Governor Rick Perry and the state of Texas understand that balanced budgets, lower debt and taxes, less government regulations, greater freedoms for entrepreneurs–i.e. smaller government–is the engine of job growth.
On the other hand the Obama Administration is stuck in the failed philosophy of Keynesian economic ideas–that government stimulus and controls are the key to economic prosperity.
It didn’t work in FDR’s New Deal and it’s not working now.
The experts keep saying that Obama has “run out of options.” Really? No, he’s just run out of the wrong options of government interventionism that are cursing our economic recovery. He could easily pivot to many of the right actions of shrinking deficits, modifying entitlements, getting rid of onerous federal regulations, and reforming the tax code.
But Barack Obama is deeply committed to the European socialist model of wealth re-distribution. He doesn’t appear willing to change.
Commitment to constitutional, limited government.
Perry is known for his commitment to smaller, leaner, Constitution-based government. Texas is famous for this equation and it shows in their robust economy. This is really the choice being offered to Americans in 2012: Do you want the Big Government policies of Barack Obama to guide into the 21st century, or are you willing to return to the time-tested formula of the US Constitution and its principles which brought America into greatness?
All of the Republican candidates believe in cutting the size or growth of government–but Rick Perry has actually done it in America’s second largest state. He is a clear alternative to Barack Obama’s faith in the ever-growing nannny state and its immense restraints on freedom.
Evangelical faith
A number of the Republican candidates are strong evangelicals (such as Rick Santorum, Michelle Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty), but Rick Perry’s faith also produces action. He was the recent visionary for The Response which drew scores of thousands of people to Texans Stadium for a day of fasting and prayer for America. Many others joined them from around the nation.
Rick Perry understands the fundamental equation for liberty: Faith in God in individual lives and familes–producing morality and stability in society–creating freedom, opportunity, inventiveness and prosperity.
Governor Perry had the guts to call the nation–and its 49 other governors–to a 2 Chronicles 7:14 day of repentance before God on August 6. He personally led the gathering in prayer. He understand that economic tweaks or reforms won’t get us anywhere if we are not right with God as a people. Talk about inspiring hope and change!
That leads me to my first flashback: Rick Perry reminds me an awful lot of Ronald Reagan–who, in my book, was the greatest president of the 20th century. Perry has Reagan’s faith, worldview, executive experience in a large state, charisma, humility, and potential.
Rick Perry is a game-changer for the 2012 elections.
Then there is the rising star of Michelle Bachmann. She is one of the most principled voices of the current GOP candidates. She is also a strong evangelical, a mother who has raised 26 foster children, an attorney, an effective legislator–and in her words–a woman with a “titanium spine” who will stop the disease of runaway spending and over dependence on government.
She’s not only articulate on the stump–but she’s fearless in her positions and the causes that she believes in. This is the reason that America appears to be falling in love with her: They know that she is an uncompromising leader who could also bring us some true hope for the future.
Michelle Bachmann reminds me of another flashback–Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minister of Great Britain. Mrs. Thatcher was known for her strong faith and conservative principles. During her tenure as English PM from 1979-1990, she earned the nickname of “The Iron Lady.”
Michelle Bachmann fits the same bill. And God knows we need some leaders with spine to take us through the difficult days ahead.
Then there is Mitt Mitt Romney, a leading contender for the Republican nomination. Mitt is a Mormon with good principles and strong executive experience as governor of Massachusetts. Probably his greatest asset is his business acumen and experience which is definitely needed in the government sphere.
Mitt Romney brings me a flashback of businessman Ross Perot. He also ran for president to bring good business sense back into the public domain.
Watch for the “Impalinization” for all three of these candidates in the coming months. That’s a made-up word. It’s a combination of “impale” which means to: a. To pierce with a sharp stake or point.b. To torture or kill by impaling.” And it refers to the unfair but successful media destruction of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin during the 2008 presidential campaign and years following.
The secular press, which wants the United States to continue heading in a secular/socialist direction, will use every tactic of “Impalinization” to destroy these three leaders between now and November 2012.
Let’s pray against the bias, and ask God for his truth to prevail.
I’m having a flashback of Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Ross Perot in Rick Perry, Michelle Bachmann, and Mitt Romney–all in one party and election. Call it a Dream Team.
I don’t know if the comparisons fit, but time will tell. The other conservative candidates are also very attractive and deserve a chance to compete.
May God guide us in our choice of leaders, forgive us as a people for turning from Him and His ways, and bring blessing and renewal to these United States of America.
The Compromise: The Tea Party Erects a Speed Bump
The battle over increasing the debt ceiling for the United States government ended today when Congress approved and the president signed a bill that would raise the current debt limit by 400 billion dollars. The House vote was 269-161 and Senate approved the measure 74-26. It was a hard fought battle that kept the nation and world on edge for days.
I’m greatly disappointed in the compromise–though pleased with some details–and have been thinking about a phrase that describes the ordeal we have just experienced:
You can’t see the forest for the trees.
Here are a few of the trees: The mainstream media is calling the debt ceiling compromise a huge victory for the Tea Party movement. They say that Barack Obama’s showed strong leadership, politics as usual was demonstrated by both parties, and that the “compromise” was a good thing in the end.
They are wrong.
These are just trees–not the bigger picture.
What’s really happened is that the Tea Party managed to erect a temporary speed bump in front of runaway government spending and begin to re-frame the debate. The “forest” of financial disaster still looms in front of us–dark and foreboding.
We must continue to fight to save our Republic.
Before we discuss the bigger war and battles that lie ahead, let’s look at the “speed bump” that was erected this week.
Here’s how the Family Research Council saw it:
“The framework…would raise the debt limit by at least $2.4 trillion and get Obama and congressional Democrats past their target date: Election Day 2012. In return for this generous political cover, Democrats would agree to a modest $1 trillion in supposed cuts spread out over 10 years; $350 billion of those “upfront” savings come from gutting national security resources.”
“A trillion dollars over 10 years is not sufficient to impress credit rating agencies, which have threatened to downgrade America’s credit status. In fact, Moody’s announced that: “Reductions of the magnitude now being proposed, if adopted, would likely lead Moody’s to adopt a negative outlook on the AAA rating.” The current plan does not improve upon either of those earlier plans.”
“In addition to the $1 trillion, the framework sets up a ‘special’ congressional committee that would seek $1.4 trillion in ‘deficit reduction’ by the end of 2011. Of course, for liberals, ‘deficit reduction’ is synonymous with ‘higher taxes.'”
“If the commission’s recommendations are not enacted, across-the-board spending cuts would be triggered, half of which (nearly $500 billion) would come from national security spending. Every honest observer knows the problem is entitlement spending, not the defense budget or a lack of revenue. Defense spending has been on the decline for decades, as a percentage of GDP. It is currently below its historical average of 5.2 percent of GDP. Meanwhile, entitlements (Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid) grew from 2.5 percent of GDP in 1965 to over 10 percent today and represent 60 percent of the total federal budget.”
The Heritage Foundation saw the debt ceiling compromise in these terms:
“Unfortunately for taxpayers, most of these cuts are to what the country would have spent, not what we are spending. In other words, the government will keep growing, just at a slower rate. The Left will have the satisfaction of raising our credit limit for six months but spreading the pain of cuts over 10 years. Obviously, we have no way to estimate what inflation will be in 2021, but we can look back on the cost of living over the last 10 years and see that the value of the dollar diminished by about 24% since 2001. If the next decade is similar to the last, then $1 trillion in cuts today will be more like $800 million in cuts tomorrow. “
“To help hold Congress’s feet to the fire on deficit reduction, the deal does asks for a second wave of spending cuts this year. The only hitch is, those cuts would be determined by a select number of congressmen. It’s been dubbed the Super Committee, and judging by the description, there’s a lot to dislike. Twelve members (six from each chamber and six from each party) will have to find ways to slash the deficit by another $1.6 trillion before the end of the year. If they don’t, a surge of cuts to the defense and Medicare budgets would automatically go into effect.”
“On the bright side, the agreement does make a vote on the Balanced Budget Amendment a condition of the final deal. Any victories the GOP can claim in this debate are owed to hard-core conservatives like Reps. Jim Jordan (Ohio), Michele Bachmann (Minn.), Steve King (Iowa), and Louie Gohmert (Texas), who held firm in the face of enormous political pressure. Without their resolve, there would have been little to negotiate.”
So here’s what it all means–to get back to the “forest” analogy. I want to lay this out in stark terms so that you don’t miss the big picture:
Today, the United States government is 14.5 trillion dollars in debt. In less than two years we will be over 17 trillion dollars in debt–and gobbling up 25% of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Our historic average is 18%. We are currently running deficits of over 1.5 trillion dollars a year–for as far as the eye can see. We borrow forty- three cents of every dollar that we spend. Next year, the so-called “cuts” will be a measly 22 billion dollars.
That’s six days of federal spending.
A dirty little secret–the true “Satan Sandwich”of our current deficit binge–is that none of the “cuts” that are mentioned above are actual reductions in spending. Federal entitlement programs–currently 60% of the US Budget–increase 7-8% each year. All so-called “cuts” are really cuts in the growth rate of Big Government–nothing more.
Imagine your family bringing in $60,000 a year in income, but spending $100,000. You are $1,000,000 in debt and it’s begun to grow exponentially. To stop the bleeding, you decide to spend $107,000 next year instead of $108,000. And on and on.
If you did that in the real world, you would crash and burn.
Sound crazy?
Well, that’s the Federal Government “dealing with the problem.” There’s no real reckoning with reality–just a slight retarding of a nasty habit that will have devastating consequences in this nation and the world economy if we allow it to continue.
Yes, we do need to give the Tea Party legislators credit. Without 120 courageous members in the House of Representatives, the debt ceiling would have been raised with a yawn–and there would be no discussion of “cuts” of any type. During the first two years of the Obama administration, when the liberals controlled all branches of government, we spent four trillion dollars inflating our National-Debt-and-Government Monster.
Thanks to the Tea Party, a speed bump has been erected. It doesn’t stop the runaway car–it just slows it slightly. It’s a small victory in a big war, but unless we win the war, the United States is finished as a nation.
A black, ugly, destructive forest of financial disaster still looms in front of us. The liberal elements still control the White House and half of Congress. If we do not stop them, the United States as we know it will be added to the ash heap of history.
We will be Greece–times one thousand–and fade into obscurity.
As people of faith and courage, our marching orders remain clear.
1. We must decisively win back control of the United States Senate in the 2012 elections to stop the progressive spending insanity. We must increase our majority in the House of Representatives.
2. We must defeat Barack Obama in 2012 with a conservative candidate with spine and vision to make the hard choices to pare down entitlements.
3. We must pass a responsible balanced budget amendment and have it ratified by the states. Our leaders in Washington will never have the guts to do it.
4. We must change our current tax code from a job-squelching progressive income tax to a fair tax or a flat tax. This would make the United States the investment haven on the world.
5. Over time we need to pay-off our 14.5 trillion dollar debt.
To accomplish the above legislative goals, we need to change ourselves first. As individuals and families, we need to reject irresponsible debt and live within our means. We need give up our entitlement mentality and take more responsibility for our own lives.
The government does not owe us a certain standard of living. It owes us an “honest money–just society” that gives equal opportunity to all people and protects us from our enemies.
And to accomplish that, we need more of God in our hearts and practices.
This coming Saturday, August 6, “The Response” is taking place in Houston, Texas, and many cities around our nation. I encourage you to participate. It’s a national call, led by Texas Governor Rick Perry, for America to return to its God-fearing roots.
The Tea Party erected a speed bump–a warning.
But only a prayerful, repentant response to God can get us completely turned around and moving in the right direction as a nation.
Getting Away With Murder–And What We Can Do About It
I followed closely “the trial of the 20th century”– the O.J. Simpson murder case–and more recently the “trial of the 21st century” involving Casey Anthony and the death of her daughter, Caylee.
When the jurors reached the Simpson verdict in 1995, I was traveling with a friend out of state. When the media announced the arrival at a verdict, we high-tailed it to a television set where we eagerly awaited the outcome.
Last week was similar. When I heard on the radio that the Casey Anthony verdict would be announced at 11 am, I arranged my schedule to tune in. Both Shirley and I watched in silence as the decision was read to the nation.
My reaction to both verdicts was the same—stunned disbelief with knots in my stomach. In both cases, I agree with a majority of people that a murderer was set free and an innocent victim denied justice.
It’s time to make some changes in the criminal justice system.
I have some recommendations.
First, let’s re-visit each gut-wrenching case. In the OJ Simpson trial, as in most murder trials, there were no eyewitnesses but loads of circumstantial evidence. Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were cruelly killed with a knife in cold blood—her throat slit and his body slashed. The evidence clearly pointed to Brown’s estranged husband, O.J. Simpson who had the motive, the erratic behavior, and various clues that pointed his direction.,
The case ultimately hinged on a bloody glove–that was linked to the crimes–being found on Simpson’s Belmont estate.
The jurors had this decision to make: Either O.J. Simpson killed his wife and Ron Goldman, or a sinister detective planted evidence to make it look that way.
These were the only two reasonable choices.
Bad cop or guilty O.J.
The jurors in the O.J. trial chose the bad cop theory and claimed racism was behind the “planted evidence.”
We all screamed that they were wrong and that it was a travesty of justice.
Now there is the Casey Anthony acquittal. Anthony’s three year-old daughter, Caylee, was found dead in December 2008 in a swamp near the Anthony home. Casey was the last person to be seen with Caylee on July 15, 2008. Her death was clearly a murder because duct tape was found on her mouth and nose (skeletal remains) and her lifeless body had been placed in two plastic bags and a laundry sack and tossed into a swampy woods.
There were other forensic clues. A chloroform search on a computer, the duct tape linked to Casey’s house, the smell of death in the trunk of her car, and a strand of hair consistent with Caylee’s also found there. But the forensic case wasn’t a slam dunk–and dueling experts came to different conclusions.
To me, there were two damning pieces of evidence that put this case beyond a “reasonable doubt.” First was Casey’s behavior after the little girl’s death. She had failed to report her daughter missing for thirty-one days and partied virtually the whole time. Grieving mothers don’t celebrate and have tattoos put on their shoulder that say “Bella Vita” (Beautiful Life). She then lied about a fictitious nanny who was supposed to be watching the child, about a rich boyfriend, and about where she worked.
Over time, Casey Anthony proved to be a pathological liar.
Probably the most “honest” moment of the trial was hearing Casey’s mother, Cindy, react in a 911 call to her first suspicions of what had happened to Caylee. When Cindy realized her granddaughter had been missing for over a month, Cindy called 911 in clear distress with these chilling words:
“I can’t find my granddaughter. She (Casey) just admitted to me that she’s been trying to find her herself. There’s something wrong. I found my daughter’s car today and it smells like there’s been a dead body in the damn car.”
Casey had abandoned her car in a parking lot. The stench of death reeked from the trunk.
I know the smell of rotting flesh, having experienced it a few times when I’ve been around deceased corpses. Human decomposition is a unique and horrific smell–and you never forget it.
In this moment of tearful honesty, Cindy Anthony had discovered the truth: She suspected her own daughter was responsible for killing their granddaughter. During the trial, though the forensics were debatable, the circumstantial evidence was glaring. Casey was the the last person with Caylee; Chloroform computer search; Duct tape from the home; Abandoned car with the smell of death; Partying for thirty days while the little girl’s body rotted; Lying to everyone about everything.
However, during the trial, Casey’s defense lawyers were successful in fabricating theories and blaming others for Caylee’s death. They said that the Anthony home was dysfunctional. They blamed the murder on Casey’s father, George Anthony, who they claimed had abused Casey as a child, was an adulterer, and may have helped cover up or participate in the death.
But their biggest smokescreen, shared in opening arguments, was that Caylee’s death was an accident that went “terribly wrong.” They offered zero proof of this theory. It also made no sense. Why would a child’s accidental death place her in a bag with duct tape and send the mother out partying for a month? When a child accidently dies, you call the police, you grieve, and you have a memorial to honor the loss of the precious life.
You don’t party, lie, and cover up.
Yet, incredibly, when two of the jurors spoke about the verdict afterwards, they both had apparently bought the “accident” theory. As to Casey partying for a month, one of them said, “Yeah, that was bizarre.”
No, it was evil–and they weren’t able to see it.
Like most of America–and the world–I’m deeply troubled by both of these verdicts that made a mockery of justice. As a biblical Christian, I’m committed to seeing God’s will “down on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). That will includes God’s passion for justice.
Yes, it’s inevitable that in a fallen world mistakes will be made. I believe the Casey Anthony jurors were sincere when they came up with their verdict. I really don’t blame them.
But eternity will reveal they were wrong. A murderer was set free. A little girl was treated unjustly. And all of America was taught that if you’re a good enough liar you can beat the system. That alone will produce terrible consequences in the coming years.
I hope we use the OJ Simpson and Casey Anthony travesties of justice to make some changes to our criminal justice system. Here are some recommendations:
1. Don’t permit the rejection of potential jurors due to their moral principles or faith. I was once rejected from a jury because I was a “Christian who was pro-life.” The defense lawyers didn’t want principled, moral-thinking people deciding their case! They wanted to bamboozle fuzzy thinking, immoral people. Free societies–which ought to be tried by citizen juries–a Constiutional right–can only stay free when people of faith and morality serve. For those quick to say that our Constitutional system worked in the Casey Anthony trial, I would remind you of the words of John Adams: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Same with juries.
2. Don’t force jurors to deal with the finer nuances of law or sentencing. Part of the problem in the Anthony case was obvious confusion over whether they should convict, beyond a reasonable doubt, of Murder One, Manslaughter, Child abuse, etc. That shouldn’t be the jury’s job. Let them keep to the basics. Was a murder committed by a certain party? Then leave the sentencing or type of murder to legal professionals (a judge or judges) who can give the proper sentence for the crime.
3. Don’t allow defense lawyers, or prosecution teams, to present “theories” to the jury that they are not required to back up. If they state a theory, they must present evidence to confirm it. If they don’t attempt to do so, they lose the case or are disqualified from finishing the proceedings. This will stop a lot of “lawyer lies.”
4. Beyond a “reasonable doubt” does not mean beyond a “shadow of a doubt.” There will always be some doubt where evidence of terrible crimes is limited. It was totally reasonable to believe, based on the circumstantial evidence, that O.J. Simpson and Casey Anthony committed murder. Much greater clarity of understanding is needed here.
5. We should also re-examine whether our laws against self-incrimination promote justice. In the Bible, people suspected of various crimes were required to testify themselves as to their innocence or guilt. This testimony is extremely valuable. It certainly would have convicted O.J. Simpson and Casey Anthony. Does pursuing true justice require honesty, from all parties involved?
6. We need to be much swifter in dispensing justice. The Bible is very clear on this point. Long trials and years of appeals dull the heart and mind and lead to poor decisions. They also lead to more crimes being committed because of the lack of swift justice which is a restraint on evil.
7. Television crime shows have falsely given the impression that all cases can be solved by forensics–or that they are the key to convicting people. No–circumstantial evidence is extremely important. In the death of Caylee Anthony, DNA could not be found due to exposure to the elements for six months. But the circumstantial evidence overwhelmingly pointed to Casey Anthony as the killer.
Erick Erickson of redstate.com shared some of the wiser words on the Casey Antony verdict:
“Casey Anthony got off because she worked the system. In a fair and impartial court system this happens. It’s too bad. But the worst part of this is the idea that we can take the denial of justice for a toddler who was brutally murdered and use it to pat ourselves on the back about what a great society we are.”
“Are we a great society because a young, damaged single mother who claimed her own father molested her left her daughter with him to go drinking? Are we a great society because we produce people who would rather go to wet t-shirt contests than look for their missing children? Are we a great society because our citizens try to frame innocent people for crimes they didn’t commit? Or are we a great society because people like that can find a way to get off?”
“The Casey Anthony verdict doesn’t endorse our criminal justice system; it exposes our crumbling society. The courts can’t always dispense justice, it is up to society to protect our children. We need to bring back public shaming, we need to bring back the idea of moral responsibility separate from legal responsibility.”
We need a renewal of our society–including the vital areas of law and justice.
Let’s pursue it, for Caylee’s sake.
Also for the needed re-birth of the fear of the Lord in our land.