New Year Blessings

Wishing everyone a better, brighter and blessed New Year, filled with true happiness and good health!

God Bless!

Two "Year in Review" Posts...

The first is by the humorous Dave Barry.

The second is by the contemplative Jennifer's.

Enjoy!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Have a Wonderful, Blessed and Joyful Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Adventurous New Year!!!

God Bless all of my readers!

~Trubador

A Brief Christmas Eve Contemplation...

Here in the U.S.A. we have the Declaration of Independence "in order to form a more perfect union."  But God is asking each one of us to sign a "Declaration of Dependence" - dependence on Him, in order to form a more perfect union with Him.

Sometimes we don't feel like having to depend on someone else.  We think that it's not necessary.  We feel ashamed.  Or we feel obligated.  But, in the case of our LORD, the only obligation is to be more like Him (as it was intended before the fall).  He's asking us to be transformed.  And He knows that we can't do that on our own.  Which is why He sent His only Son to show us the Way.

So, when you next look upon the Nativity scene this holiday season take time to contemplate His humble birth, His years of loving ministry, wise teachings, and numerous miracles, His persecution and sacrificial death on the cross, and His glorious resurrection to new life.

And when things are difficult or overwhelming do not be ashamed to depend on Him to get you through the tough times, and to be your companion during the good times as well.  Thank Him for all that He has done for you.

May you and your loved ones experience a truly Merry Christmas, filled with countless blessings.  May your hearts be open to God.  May your lives be transformed.

And, on your heart and soul, sign your "John Hancock" on that Declaration of Dependence on God.

You'll be the better for it.

GOD BLESS!!!

Bill Bennett has a blog...

I had no idea!  Since October, Bill Bennett has maintained a blog.  His radio program airs too early here on the west coast (3-6 AM) for me to hear any of it.  I wish I could.  I'd list Rush Limbaugh, Bill Bennett, Laura Ingraham, and the up-coming Fred Thompson radio programs as the must-listen conservative radio broadcasts.

Other programs such as Hugh Hewitt, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Michael Medved, Mike Gallagher, Bill O'Reilly, Dennis Prager, Mark Levin, Lars Larson, Larry Elder, etc... you have to take with a grain of salt.  Beck is okay, but he overuses his schtick at times.  Hewitt is a political wonk and has a tendency to be party over principles kind of guy, but he can be very insightful.  Mike Savage is an embarrassing joke.

With Rush, Laura, Fred and Bill Bennett you really can't go wrong.

Fred Thompson goes to radio...

On March 2, 2009, when O'Reilly's radio program ends (he's concentrating on his TV program), Fred Thompson will start his own radio program on Westwood One.

iBreviary (Daily Prayers Go 21st Century)

From Vatican City (via Yahoo News)

The Vatican is endorsing new technology that brings the book of daily prayers used by priests straight onto iPhones.

The Vatican's Pontifical Council for Social Communications is embracing the iBreviary, an iTunes application created by a technologically savvy Italian priest, the Rev. Paolo Padrini, and an Italian Web designer.

The application includes the Breviary prayer book — in Italian, English, Spanish, French and Latin and, in the near future, Portuguese and German. Another section includes the prayers of the daily Mass, and a third contains various other prayers.

After a free trial period in which the iBreviary was downloaded approximately 10,000 times in Italy, an official version was released earlier this month, Padrini said.

The application costs euro0.79 ($1.10), while upgrades will be free. Padrini's proceeds are going to charity.

Digital Downloads and the Music Industry...

This'll turn the digital download and DIY portion of the music industry on it's head... again.  From the UK Telegraph (via HotAir... I think... can't seem to find the original link):

More than 10 million of the 13 million music tracks available on the internet failed to sell a single copy last year, a study has found.

It showed that for the online singles market 80 per cent of all revenue came from around 52,000 tracks.

Of the 1.23 million albums available, only 173,000 were bought, meaning 85 per cent did not sell at all.

The study, by Will Page, chief economist of the MCPS-PRS Alliance, a not-for-profit royalty collection society, challenges the idea that niche markets were the key to the future for internet sellers...

[Mr. Page] continued: "There is an eerie similarity between a digital and high-street retailer in terms of what constitutes an efficient inventory and the shape of their respective demand shape of their respective demand curves. I think there's something more going on there: a case of new schools meets old rules."

More Russian Protests...

(via Gateway Pundit)

Protesters took to the streets in several Russian cities in response to an increase in car tariffs.  Police clubbed, kicked and detained dozens at the unauthorized rally.

Click the link (above) for more details, including video.

Meet "Mriga"...

She's currently on layaway, but I hope to have her in my hands by the end of March.  She's Canadian: an Art & Lutherie Acoustic Cutaway Dreadnaught (from one of the Godin companies of guitars), with an Antique Burst Cedar solid top, Wild Cherry sides and back, Silver Leaf Maple neck, Rosewood fingerboard and bridge, semi-gloss custom varnish, Tusq nut and saddle.  No electronics to start (I'll add that later).

I'm hoping to get back to taking lessons again, soon.

Day By Day - Sunday Funnies

Blago and the Obama/Palin MSM Double-Standard...

Ace points to a video of Joe Scarborough (via Hot Air, via Newsbusters) who poses the question as to why the MSM doesn't know if The One was involved in any way with Blago's 2002 campaign, and why the MSM were vociferously digging up any scrap of dirt on Palin in Alaska but weren't doing a fraction of the same journalistic due-diligence in Chicago.

Change-ish!

Introverts vs. Extroverts

Julie the Happy Catholic has a post linking to a "Monday Morning Memo" on the difference between introverts and extroverts.  Very enlightening.

Al Qaeda in Iraq BEFORE the War...

CIA agents have confirmed that Al Qaeda was in Iraq before the U.S. invasion in Spring of 2003.

Did Fitz Delay The Blago Arrest?

Flopping Aces links a story by one source who seems to think this might have been the case, in order to help The One win the election.

Putin (and his puppet) & Kasparov Clash Again...

Like a well-played epic chess match, Putin and Kasparov continue in their real-life strategic maneuvering for the soul of Russia.  A knight moved here, a pawn captured there.  Looks like a few more pawns were captured yesterday:

Police thwarted a banned anti-Kremlin protest in central Moscow on Sunday, seizing dozens of demonstrators and shoving them into trucks.

Organizers said 130 people were detained around the capital but police put the number at 90. The opposition movement headed by fierce Kremlin critic and former chess champion Garry Kasparov said the co-leader of the group was one of those seized.

The Other Russia movement organized the protest, in defiance of a ban, to draw attention to Russia's economic troubles and to protest Kremlin plans to extend the presidential term from four years to six. Critics say the constitutional change as part of a retreat from democracy and is aimed at strengthening the grip of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his allies.

News broadcasts on the main television networks made no mention of the Moscow crackdown or of protests in St. Petersburg and Vladivostok.

More Democratic Corruption (surprise, surprise)...

(From Gateway Pundit, via the Wall Street Journal)

As Gateway Pundit states, "this could be the largest fraud scandal in U.S. history."  This guy's apparently a top Democrat donor.  Read the whole thing here:

Bernard L. Madoff, a former chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Market and a force in Wall Street trading for nearly 50 years, was arrested by federal agents Thursday, a day after his sons turned him in for running what they said their father called "a giant Ponzi scheme."

More Blagobamamania...

Hmmm... seems that The One's administration did indeed meet with Gov. Blagobribery.

And even the Chicago tribune admits that The One is part of the infamous "Chicago Machine".

Change-ish!

The Obligatory Blago Post...

Hmmmmmm... It seems as though The Obomination has some connections to the corrupt and recently arrested Democrat governor of Illinois. Seems also that The One did in fact meet with Blago on November 5 to discuss The One's soon-to-be vacant Senate seat.

Change-ish!


UPDATE: This is getting juicy! A 2-hour conference call with lots of details. And Michelle is now in the mix. (heh-heh-heh)

UPDATE #2: Looks like Rezko is not finished singing, yet. (heh-heh-heh... break out the popcorn, this is gonna be funnnnnnnnnnnnn)

Getting Disappointed With Steele...

Rumors started floating over the last couple weeks that Michael Steele was squishy on abortion and traditional marriage. His membership in the pro-choice heavy Republican Leadership Council (along with the likes of former governors Christie Todd Whitman, Tom Ridge and Sen. John Danforth) doesn't help. Looks like that may just be the case. If this is so, then he's off my list for taking up the RNC chairman's post, and instead I'm supporting Ken Blackwell from Ohio... unless he gets squishy, too.

*SIGH*

UPDATE: Apparently, William Bennett has endorsed Steele for the RNC post... hmmmmmm. Meanwhile, Steve Forbes endorses Blackwell. This is getting verrrrrrry interesting.

A few good links...

CMR posted his "Conservative Manifesto".

And RWN has a post about people who are every bit conservative, but just don't know it.

The Zo chimes in with his own thoughts about conservatism:


Fred Thompson speaks on the state of the economy:


Fox News journalist Chris Wallace lays into those who compare GW Bush with Nixon (re: the new "Frost/Nixon" film).

And, finally, Michelle Malkin has a post (with video) of The Obomination admitting that he was just a "random quote generator" during the campaign. (Change-ish!)

Oil Prices Back to Normal...

The markets closed today with a barrel of crude oil going for $40.81 and the national average for gas @ $1.77/gallon. This is back to December 2004 levels (which is right before things starting going a little fishy with the market manipulations in January of '05).

But we all know that that market can fluctuate again, and OPEC nations like Iran, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, plus the market speculators, as well as the Russia/Georgia/Ukraine situation could very easily bring oil and gas prices back up to obscene highs. Which makes this bit of information about the Democrat-controlled congress and the Obomination Administration very troubling.

On the Liturgical Cycle...

Jen has a wonderful post on the Liturgical Year:

"Probably the closest thing I ever experienced to the liturgical year was simply the change in seasons, but even that was a surprisingly weak structure. After all... celebrating feasts of bountiful harvests or the arrival of fair weather is nothing more than a symbolic gesture now that we have supermarkets that overflow with a surplus of every variety of food every day of the year. Thanks to air conditioners and heaters, winters and summers no longer impact life on anything other than a surface level. And the rhythm of the seasons can fluctuate drastically depending on where you live.

"It wasn't until I began exploring Christianity that I realized how much I craved some sort of kind of anchor for my years, and for life in general."

Read the whole post here.

Re: The First American Thanksgiving...

File this under "Something I did not know" (via Fr. Trigilio)

As Father Jay Toborowsky and others have pointed out, the FIRST Thanksgiving was NOT in 1621 Plymouth with Protestant Pilgrims, rather, it was in 1565 Florida (St. Augustine) with Catholic Spaniards and Native Americans.

Squanto was the Native American man who mediated between the Puritan Pilgrims and the Native Americans. Squanto had been enslaved by Protestant English but he was freed by Catholic Spanish Franciscans. Squanto was baptzed and became a Catholic Christian. So it was a baptized Catholic Native American who orchestrated what became known as Thanksgiving even in 1621.

Fr. John's second half of his post reminds me of my family's holiday feast when I was a kid.

All the lonely people, where do they all come from...

This one's for you, Ang! (or should I say, "Billy Shears"?)

"A 97-year-old document that contains clues to the identity of Eleanor Rigby, the subject of one of the Beatles' best-loved songs, sold for 115,000 pounds ($177,000) at auction on Thursday...

"The manuscript is a salary register from Liverpool City Hospital and features the name and signature of E. Rigby, a scullery maid who has signed for her monthly wage. Her annual earnings were 14 pounds.

"According to Mawson, the document was sent to her in 1990 by former Beatle Paul McCartney when she wrote to him on behalf of her charity...

"... the envelope containing the document dated 1911 featured an official Paul McCartney tour stamp. The singer was on a world tour around that time.

"The document offers one of the clearest clues yet as to the identity of Eleanor Rigby, the woman in the song of the same name who dies alone with no one to mourn her...

"The grave of an Eleanor Rigby was also discovered in the churchyard of St. Peter's in Woolton, Liverpool, close to where McCartney met John Lennon in 1957."

Reuters link here.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

What else is there to say, 'cept...

GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES!

(now go eat some good food)

Peter Schiff... from two years ago!!!

And then today:

Hindsight and Foresight (GOP Edition)

Alicia Colon at American Thinker looks back at the aftermath and gives some analysis.

Randall Hoven also gives a "time of death" for the GOP as he looks at the aftermath as well.

Paragraph Farmer points to commentaries by Michael Barone and Camille Paglia.

Ted Nugent (yes, "The Nuge"!) thinks it's time for RINO Hunting Season.

UPDATED

Personally, I think that we need continued leadership from the likes of...

Michael Steele of MD (head of GOPAC, and possible RNC Chairman)
Ken Blackwell of OH (Vice Chair, RNC National Platform)
new Rep. Tom McClintock of CA
Sen. Jim DeMint of SC
Sen. Tom Coburn of OK
Rep. Mike Pence of IN
Rep. John Shadegg of AZ
former Rep. Pat Toomey of PA (now head of Club For Growth)

maybe Gov. Mark Sanford of SC
and Gov. Tim Pawlenty of MN (although they’re both question marks).

Include former Sen. Rick Santorum (PA),
and former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (AZ),

Have Newt, Rush, Laura Ingraham and Bill Bennett on the sidelines.

Now there's a very nice base of (mostly youthful or fresh-faced, yet committed) conservatism for yah.

Work towards 2010 with a "1994 version 2.0" mid-term sweep, followed by something like Palin/Jindal in 2012 (or any ticket that brings us an updated "1980 version 2.0").

I'm excited!!!


And, then... of course "The Zo" has to speak his mind, too.
(CONTENT WARNING!)

FOCA, The Bishops and The Obomination...

Capt. Ed posted on the U.S. Catholic bishops intending to fight the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) which The Obomination intends to sign into law once he's sworn in as President. RedState also posts on the subject.

Eric just wants the bishops to "just say it"... just be bold and speak their minds in this issue. Well, it looks like Cardinal Stafford has decided to speak his mind about The Obomination and his future administration. The full text is here.

The Four Canonical Choices are spelled out here. (This is a MUST READ.)

Why I Like Mark Steyn...

Excerpt from the transcript of the Hugh Hewitt radio interview with Mark Steyn:

"You know, Reagan established the principle. There are three legs to a successful Republican election. There are social conservatives, there are fiscal conservatives, and there are national security conservatives. And if you chop off one of those legs, the whole things falls down. And the problem at that last election was that all three of those legs became loosened and weakened, and the idea that we can get by without any of them at the moment, I think doesn’t bear scrutiny. But certainly, if Evangelicals don’t show up to the polls, Republicans lose..."

It ain't that hard to understand.

Hugh gives us The Obamessiah Baseline...

Hugh Hewitt posts a rundown of the economic baseline for The One. These are the numbers on election day, and are to be the gauge on which to judge the effectiveness of the Obomination Administration form this point forward:

The inflation rate was 3.7%
Unemployment was 6.5%
The prime was at 4%
The Dow closed at 9,625
The NASDAQ closed at 1,780
The S&P closed at 1,005
Oil was $60 a barrel.
U.S. monthly domestic oil production: appx 155 million barrels
U.S. proven oil reserves: 21.3 billion barrels
U.S. offshore proven reserves: 3.9 billion barrels

So... they wanna bail out the Big 3 automakers as well, huh?

From the Heritage Foundation via RedState:



Read the whole article here.

Hmm... $73/hour full-time is equivalent to $150,000/year. Maybe "The Obamessiah" will consider them rich and tax their over-priced a**es. I bet that's how he and the congressional democrats intend to "pay for" the $300 billion bailout, if it goes through.

CHANGE!

CHANGE (GWOT Division)

AP Headline - "Al-Qaida No. 2 insults Obama with racial epithet". In a just released and recently made Al Qaida recording which referred to a Nov. 5 U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan:

Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader used a racial epithet to insult Barack Obama in a message posted Wednesday, describing the president-elect in demeaning terms that imply he does the bidding of whites.

The message appeared chiefly aimed at persuading Muslims and Arabs that Obama does not represent a change in U.S. policies. Ayman al-Zawahri said in the message, which appeared on militant Web sites, that Obama is "the direct opposite of honorable black Americans" like Malcolm X, the 1960s African-American rights leader.

In al-Qaida's first response to Obama's victory, al-Zawahri also called the president-elect — along with secretaries of state Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice — "house negroes."

Speaking in Arabic, al-Zawahri uses the term "abeed al-beit," which literally translates as "house slaves." But al-Qaida supplied English subtitles of his speech that included the translation as "house negroes."

The message also includes old footage of speeches by Malcolm X in which he explains the term, saying black slaves who worked in their white masters' house were more servile than those who worked in the fields. Malcolm X used the term to criticize black leaders he accused of not standing up to whites.

It continues...

Al-Zawahri did not threaten specific attacks, but warned Obama that he was "facing a Jihadi (holy war) awakening and renaissance which is shaking the pillars of the entire Islamic world; and this is the fact which you and your government and country refuse to recognize and pretend not to see."... He said Obama's victory... was an "admission of defeat in Iraq."

Change!

Time to take a shower again...

... a meteor shower, of course!

Yes! That's right. This Tuesday night is the annual Leonid Meteor Shower. Best viewing of this annual wonder will be late Monday night into early Tuesday morning when the peak period will offer an average of one every five minutes. Just look up into the Eastern sky at the constellation Leo, and catch a glimpse of a few "falling stars."



Those of you in or near cities might have a more difficult time due to the light pollution. The nearly full moon will also be bright, so it's best to look for those falling stars after midnight.

So, find a nice isolated area (with a clear sky, of course), be patient, and catch a few falling stars.

Go on... take a look!

Make a wish!

And say a prayer!

(just remember to dress warmly)

In the Remaining Days of the Bush Administration...

... I wonder if he will finally pardon Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean.

Obamessiah Warned of ‘Huge Threat’ from al-Qaeda

From the UK Times Online:

Barack Obama is being given ominous advice from leaders on both sides of the Atlantic to brace himself for an early assault from terrorists.

General Michael Hayden, director of the CIA, this week acknowledged that there were dangers during a presidential transition when new officials were coming in and getting accustomed to the challenges. But he added that no “real or artificial spike” in intercepted transmissions from terror suspects had been detected.

President Bush has repeatedly described the acute vulnerability of the US during a transition. The Bush Administration has been defined largely by the 9/11 attacks, which came within a year of his taking office.

His aides have pointed to al-Qaeda’s first assault on the World Trade Centre, which occurred little more than a month after Bill Clinton became President in 1993. There was an alleged attempt to bomb Glasgow airport in Gordon Brown’s first days in Downing Street and a London nightclub attack was narrowly thwarted.

Read the full article here.


I wish no harm to this country or its leaders... I repeat, I wish absolutely no harm to this country or its leaders. I pray that something like this never happens. But, if I was a bettin' man (which I'm not), there's reason for serious concern for the evening of The Obamessiah's first State of the Union address before the joint session of Congress.

Markets Tank & Oil Continues Drop...

First, the good news... oil ended the week @ $57.04/barrel with the national average price of gas @ $2.15/gallon. The more OPEC hurts, then better I feel. When oil's under $40/barrel and gas is under $2.00/gallon in the area where I live (it's currently $2.40-ish/gallon), things will be back to normal.


BUT........


The stock market continues to crash under the reality of a soon-coming Obomination Administration. Since election day's closing of 9625.48 the Dow has dropped 1127 points, the NASDAQ dropped from 1726.33 to 1516.85, and the S&P dropped from 966.30 to 873.29 (that's a drop of 11.5% for Dow, 12% for Nasdaq, 9% for S&P).

And how's that Paulson/Bernanke/Bush/McCain/Obama/Voted-on-by-mostly-Democrats-in-Congress bailout coming along???

Election Aftermath: Part 2

Captain Ed on GOP leadership questions.

John Hawkins on GOP branding.

Newt and Michael Steele both voice interest in heading the RNC. Newt may just bow to Steele which makes sense to me. Steele is a fresh face, positive, conservative, was effective as GOPAC head, and is one of the up-and-comers like Palin and Jindal. Newt would be best behind the scenes, formulating ideas and orchestrating a cohesive battle plan for 2010. More posts on Steele here and here.

CRM has three posts on the aftermath here, here and here.

And, finally, both PowerLine and RedState give some sage advice on how to deal with The Obamessiah administration.

PowerLine's summary (read the post for full explanations):

Pray...

Don't assume that Obama is always wrong...

Be loyal in your opposition...

Be patient in your opposition...

Be persistent in your opposition...

Be fair in your opposition...

Be skeptical in your opposition...

"Secede" from the mainstream media...

Support fledgling conservative institutions...
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Don't hate...

Don't obsess...

RedStates bullet points (read the post for a full explanation):

(1) Oppose Obama, Not America...

(2) No Chicken-Hawking...

(3) Don't Question The Verdict...

(4) Don't Blame The Voters...

(5) Don't Get Mad, Get Even...

(6) We Play For 2010, Not 2012...

(7) Prioritize...

(8) Watch Your Budget...

(9) Grow A Thick Hide and Get Your Taxes in Order...

(10) Buy More Life Insurance...

(11) Pray...

(12) Get On Living...

Because... The One may just be a one-term president.

Election Aftermath: Part 1

The editors of NRO write about hope among the ruins. CNN looks at the raw numbers (though still too early to get the full layout - that'll come in the next few weeks, and will be analyzed by both parties in microscopic detail). Captain Ed comments on the results with earlier numbers.

American Thinker ponders on what caused McCain to lose:

- 3 debates, 4.5 hours on national TV face-to-face with Obama, McCain never mentioned Obama's "bitter clingers" comment

- 3 debates, 4.5 hours on national TV face-to-face with Obama, never mentioned Jeremiah Wright's incendiary sermons.

- 3 debates, 4.5 hours on national TV face-to-face with Obama, never mentioned Obama's breaking his word to use public campaign financing (a McCain signature issue on which he had relentlessly beat up fellow Republicans!)

- 3 debates, 4.5 hours on national TV face-to-face with Obama, never mentioned Obama's plan to "bankrupt" the US coal industry. (and where was McCain's research staff on that San Francisco interview, which had been posted on the internet for 9 months before they noticed it?! Simply inexcusable.)

- 3 debates, 4.5 hours on national TV face-to-face with Obama, never mentioned Obama's "price of arugula" comment, a nice populist dig waiting to be made.

- 3 debates, 4.5 hours on national TV face-to-face with Obama, never cited the Clinton campaign's many tough arguments against Obama -- he could have just quoted Hillary!

That was McCain's (and our) downfall: You can't bring moderation to an ideology fight.

Rick Moran also analyzes Rove's thoughtful analysis. Mark Steyn takes Noonan and Friends to task. PoliPundit points to the great Senator DeMint who doesn't mince words.

Paragraph Farmer has a compendium of quotes from several commentators on the state of all things GOP & Conservatism. John Hawkins of RWN has a list of 9 post-election thoughts, plus another post on 7 reasons why being middle of the road turns you into roadkill (this one is a must-read). WSJ's Online Journal has former congressman Dick Armey looking back at the problems with "compassionate" conservatism (that word is in quotes for a reason). And Rasmussen analyzes the numbers to prove that Reaganism is not dead - not in the least.

Then, three brief posts on Palin.

Finally, I placed a comment on a RWN post asking when people will start realizing they might have made a mistake in electing The Obamessiah:

Buyers Remorse will begin to kick in after about 6 months, with it hitting full effect one year into his administration. Just like the Clintons, he's going to try to ram a bunch of socialist policies down our throats early, and people will balk (just like they did in 1994).

* Islamic terrorists are going to get bold because he's considered an apostate to Islam who is the head of the "Great Satan"

* There will be another terrorist attack either in the U.S. (and it'll be revealed that the terrorists came across the unsecured Mexican border) or at a U.S. Embassy or military base in the Middle East or Europe

* Iran will attack Israel

* Hamas & Hezbollah will attack Israel

* Syria will attack Lebanon

* Russia will invade Ukraine

* Chavez will attack Columbia

* OPEC will desperately try to stave off the drop in oil prices (which, for the rest of the world, needs to get under $40/barrel to get back to normal pre-2004 levels + true inflation) by drastically cutting supply

* Oil/gas prices will go back up, triggering inflation

* Taxes for small businesses as well as big businesses, and middle class families will increase

* Government spending will increase dramatically with more programs and pork barrel spending, causing massive deficits and national debt

* More banks will foreclose, and those with money will shelter it as best they can, thus limiting cash flow and liquidity throughout the market place

* Government regulations will strangle business growth even more, causing businesses to shut down or downsize even more

* Unemployment will go to double-digits

* The Fed will have no choice but to raise interest rates because they can't go much lower and they'll want to avoid the Japan economic mess of the 80s

* Inflation turns into Stagflation

* People will finally begin to see the arrogance, incompetence, and radicalism of the sitting President

* 2010 mid-term election will become 1994-redux to stave off as much damage as possible

* 2012 will be 1980-redux.

Getting the picture?

It ain't that hard to figure out, people.

Just look back to 1977-80.

This is gonna be Jimmy Carter 2.0, trust me.

Not even mentioning the enactment of the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) and the rest of the radical leftist social agenda in areas of abortion, Embryonic Stem Cell Research (ESCR), gay marriage, the Fairness Doctrine, etc.

I hope, for the sake of all, that I'm completely wrong. I doubt that will be the case, though.

Weekend Aftermath Cartoons...

A little humor via Flopping Aces:

The Zo sums up the aftermath...

Disappointed, but doing fine. Anticipating Jimmy Carter v.2.0 to commence in two months and Buyers Remorse to begin kicking in by summertime. I'll have more post-election aftermath info at a later date. In the meantime, here's the incomparable Zo:

This Didn't Take Long...

Hamas celebrates Obama victory by lobbing 35 missiles into Israel.

Hamas militants pounded southern Israel with a barrage of rockets Wednesday, hours after Israeli forces killed six gunmen in a new violence that threatened a five-month-old truce that has brought relief to both Gaza and southern Israel.

Meanwhile, Putin's puppet in Russia stated that he will deploy missiles near Poland.

CHANGE!

We Get What We Deserve...

That's not a compliment.

Eric gives us a list of what to expect in 2009.

GOD HELP US!

VOTE!!!

With a well-formed conscience... VOTE!!!




AND PRAY THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND NIGHT!!!

Election Day Prayer

Almighty God, all things are in your hands: our nation, our communities, our families, our lives.

In this time of great decision, bless our country and its people. Prosper the efforts of the just and true, and thwart the purposes of the unjust and dishonest. Preserve our land from violence and turmoil, and keep our relationships decent and respectful.

Inspire voters, legislators, executives, and judges so our country may be a land where morality is furthered by law and authority; where life is protected, marriage is respected, and family is supported; where the innocent are spared, and the guilty are punished; where justice is tempered by mercy, and mercy fortified by justice.

Help us to keep the United States of America a land where the rule of law and respect for individual dignity are the legal foundation of a just order.

Amen.

Archbishop Burke Interview on Election & Prayer...

Archbishop Raymond Burke interview here regarding today's election, abortion and other vital life & family issues, and a suggestion of fervent prayers to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Key excerpts:

"My fellow citizens of the United States of America should be deeply concerned about any candidate for the presidency who supports legislation which permits the destruction of human life at its very beginning, the killing of babies in the womb, or legislation which violates the integrity of marriage and family life. The safeguarding and promoting of human life, from the moment of its inception, and of the integrity of marriage must be the fundamental planks of any political agenda. A good citizen must support and vote for the candidate who most supports the inalienable dignity of innocent and defenseless life, and the integrity of marriage. To do otherwise, is to participate, in some way, in the culture of death which pervades the life of the nation and has led to so much violence, even in the home and in educational institutions."

"It is not my intention to engage in partisan politics. I wish that both of the major political parties in the United States of America were more coherent regarding the right to life. The Democratic Party, however has, over the years, put forth and defended a political agenda which is grievously anti-life, favoring the right to procured abortion and "marriage" between persons of the same sex. One can legitimately question the wisdom of the decisions taken in the war in Iraq, but war in itself is not always and everywhere evil, as are, for example, procured abortion, human cloning, embryonic stem-cell research, and the so-called "marriage" of persons of the same sex. Engagement of the nation in a war cannot be placed on the same moral level as the nation making laws which permit the wholesale killing of the unborn or the artificial generation of human life or experimentation on embryonic human life or "marriage" between persons of the same sex."

"Procured abortion is the fundamental moral issue in the safeguarding and fostering of human life. To make economics or the environment the fundamental political issue, when life itself, in its most innocent and defenseless form, remains unprotected is morally irresponsible. Yes, the government of the United States must address a number of critical issues, including the current and most serious economic crisis. But it must address first its duty to promote the common good by defending the life of every human being, from the moment of its inception, and by safeguarding the integrity of marriage and the family."

Burke, in the interview, strongly urges that we prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of America. The prayers fare below:

Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe, mystical rose, intercede for the Church, protect the Holy Father, help all who invoke You in their necessities. Since You are the ever Virgin Mary and Mother of the True God, obtain for us from Your Most Holy Son the grace of a firm and sure hope amid bitterness of life, as well as an ardent love and the precious gift of final perseverance.

Dearest Lady, fruitful Mother of Holiness, teach me Your ways of gentleness and strength. Hear my prayer, offered with deep felt confidence to beg this favor.

O Mary, conceived without sin, I come to your throne of grace to share the fervent devotion of your faithful Mexican children who call to Thee under the glorious title "Guadalupe" - the Virgin who crushed the serpent.

Queen of Martyrs, whose Immaculate Heart was pierced by seven swords of grief, help me to walk valiantly amid the sharp thorns strewn across my path. Invoke the Holy Spirit of Wisdom to fortify my will to frequent the Sacraments so that, thus enlightened and strengthened, I may prefer God to all creatures and shun every occasion of sin.

Help me, as a living branch of the Vine that is Jesus Christ, to exemplify His divine charity always seeking the good of others. Queen of Apostles, aid me to win souls for the Sacred Heart of my Savior. Keep my apostolate fearless, dynamic, and articulate, to proclaim the loving solitude of Our Father in Heaven so that the wayward may heed His pleading and obtain pardon, through the merits of Your Merciful Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Prayer to Our Lady of America (the Immaculate Conception)

O Immaculate Mother, Queen of our Country,
open our hearts, our homes, and our Land
to the coming of Jesus, your Divine Son.
With Him, reign over us, O heavenly Lady, so pure
and so bright with the radiance of God's light
shining in and about you. Be our Leader against
the powers of evil set upon wresting the world of souls,
redeemed at such a great cost by the
sufferings of your Son and of yourself,
in union with Him, from that same Savior,
Who loves us with infinite charity.

We gather about you, O chaste and holy Mother,
Virgin Immaculate, Patroness of our beloved Land,
determined to fight under your banner of holy purity against the wickedness that
would make all the world an abyss of evil,
without God and without your loving maternal care.
We consecrate our hearts, our homes, our Land to your Most Pure Heart,
O great Queen, that the kingdom of your Son, our Redeemer and our God,
may be firmly established in us.

We ask no special sign of you, sweet Mother,
for we believe in your great love for us, and
we place in you our entire confidence.
We promise to honor you by faith, love, and the purity of
our lives according to your desire.
Reign over us, then, O Virgin Immaculate,
with your Son Jesus Christ. May His Divine
Heart and your most chaste Heart be ever enthroned and glorified among us.
Use us, your children of America,
as your instruments in bringing peace among men and nations.

Work your miracles of grace in us, so that we may be a glory to the Blessed Trinity,
Who created, redeemed, and sanctifies us.
May your valiant Spouse, St. Joseph, with the holy Angels and Saints,
assist you and us in "renewing the face of the earth."
Then when our work is over, come, Holy Immaculate Mother,
and as our Victorious Queen, lead us to the eternal kingdom,
where your Son reigns forever as King.

Amen

VOTE!!!

With a well-formed conscience... VOTE!!!




AND PRAY THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND NIGHT!!!

Election Day Prayer

Almighty God, all things are in your hands: our nation, our communities, our families, our lives.

In this time of great decision, bless our country and its people. Prosper the efforts of the just and true, and thwart the purposes of the unjust and dishonest. Preserve our land from violence and turmoil, and keep our relationships decent and respectful.

Inspire voters, legislators, executives, and judges so our country may be a land where morality is furthered by law and authority; where life is protected, marriage is respected, and family is supported; where the innocent are spared, and the guilty are punished; where justice is tempered by mercy, and mercy fortified by justice.

Help us to keep the United States of America a land where the rule of law and respect for individual dignity are the legal foundation of a just order.

Amen.

Voters Guide for Serious Catholics...

Here is the Voters Guide for Serious Catholics (in both video and pdf formats).

READ AND WATCH BEFORE YOU VOTE!!!

Election Primer for Catholics....

The Charcoal Fire has an election primer post here.

He goes through what national issues are of highest priority and which are not; which issues are intrinsically evil and which are not.

A Necessary Reminder re: Abortion and the Election...

(Hat-tip to Roman Catholic Blog)

Actor and producer Eduardo Verastegui (from the film "Bella") has made the following 9-minute video on abortion and this Tuesday's election.

WARNING!!! THIS VIDEO IS VERY GRAPHIC AND DISTURBING!!! But it gets right to the heart & soul of the matter. Life... or death... your choice!



Below is his 1-minute PSA on California's Prop 4 (in Spanish, with English subtitles - nothing graphic in this one):



Another reminder is Tom Peters' lengthy interview with Archbishop Chaput of Denver. The entire interview can be seen here broken down into several video clips.

Three Ads For Viewing Before You Vote

Via Flopping Aces:





Via Ace of Spades, here's more on his flip-flops:


As a nice follow-up to that last video, Jim Geraghty at The Campaign Spot looks at The Obamessiah's flip-flopping on issues.

Novena to Our Lady of Victory (Day 9) - Nov 4

Thanks to Dim Bulb over at The Divine Lamp, he points out that Father Corapi has suggested another Novena for this election season, the Novena to Our Lady of Victory. The full set of prayers to this novena is here, and is to be followed by the praying of the rosary. This novena began on Oct 27 and is to continue through to Election Day (Nov. 4). The more prayers this election season the better.


In addition, below is the text of the 2008 Election Day Prayer from the following link (hat-tip to Jeff at The Curt Jester):

Election Day Prayer

Almighty God, all things are in your hands: our nation, our communities, our families, our lives.

In this time of great decision, bless our country and its people. Prosper the efforts of the just and true, and thwart the purposes of the unjust and dishonest. Preserve our land from violence and turmoil, and keep our relationships decent and respectful.

Inspire voters, legislators, executives, and judges so our country may be a land where morality is furthered by law and authority; where life is protected, marriage is respected, and family is supported; where the innocent are spared, and the guilty are punished; where justice is tempered by mercy, and mercy fortified by justice.

Help us to keep the United States of America a land where the rule of law and respect for individual dignity are the legal foundation of a just order.

Amen.

Solemn Novena to Our Lady of Victory

Lord, have mercy on us,
Christ, have mercy on us,
Christ, hear us,
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Spirit, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us.

The response for the following greetings is Pray for us.
Our Lady of Victory,
Victorious daughter of the Father,
Victorious Mother of the Son,
Victorious Spouse of the Holy Spirit,
Victorious servant of the Holy Trinity
Victorious in your Immaculate Conception,
Victorious in crushing the serpent’s head,
Victorious over all the children of Adam,
Victorious over all enemies,
Victorious in your response to the Angel Gabriel,
Victorious in your wedding to St. Joseph,
Victorious in the birth of Christ,
Victorious in the flight to Egypt,
Victorious in your exile,
Victorious in your home at Nazareth,
Victorious in finding Christ in the temple,
Victorious in the mission of your Son,
Victorious in His passion and death,
Victorious in His Resurrection and Ascension,
Victorious in the Coming of the Holy Spirit,
Victorious in your sorrows and joys,
Victorious in your glorious Assumption,
Victorious in the angels who remained faithful,
Victorious in the happiness of the saints,
Victorious in the message of the prophets,
Victorious in the testimony of the patriarchs,
Victorious in the zeal of the apostles,
Victorious in the witness of the evangelists,
Victorious in the wisdom of the doctors,
Victorious in the deeds of the confessors,
Victorious in the triumph of all holy women,
Victorious in the faithfulness of the martyrs,
Victorious in your powerful intercession,
Victorious under your many titles,
Victorious at the moment of death,

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Spare us, Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Hear us, Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Have mercy, Lord.
Pray for us, blessed Lady of Victory.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

The Novena Prayer
Let us pray:
Our Lady of Victory, we have unshaken confidence in your influence with your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Humbly we ask your intercession for all of us associated under your title, Our Lady of Victory. We beg your powerful assistance also for our own personal needs. (Please mention here your special intention in you own words.) In your maternal kindness please ask Jesus to forgive all our sins and failings, and to secure His blessings for us and for all the works of charity dedicated to your name. We implore you to obtain for us the grace of sharing Christ’s victory and yours forever in the life that knows no ending. May we join you there to praise forever the Father, His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, one God, for all the ages to come. Amen.

Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen)
Let us pray:
Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
To Thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To Thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, thine evyes of mercy toward us. And after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary, Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:
The Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to Thy protection, implored Thy help, and sought Thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto Thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To Thee I come; before Thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate! despise not my petitions, but in Thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

All this we ask of The Father in the name of Mary’s Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with Him and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer To Our Lady of Victory
Let us pray:
O Victorious Lady! Thou who has ever such powerful influence with Thy Divine Son, in conquering the hardest of hearts, intercede for those for whom we pray, that their hearts being softened by the rays of Divine Grace, they may return to the unity of the true Faith, through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Rosary Follows… (I suggest that the Luminous Mysteries would be apropos).

More on Obama's first book & Ayers...

(Hat-tip Ace)

I had posted on Oct 17 about Jack Cashill's attempt to determine if Obama's first book was ghostwritten and, if so, by whom.

Here's a follow-up that's reeeeeally interesting.

An Open Letter from Captain Ed...

"Captain" Ed Morrissey (formerly of Captain's Quarters, now at Hot Air) and Elizabeth Scalia (of The Anchoress) has posted an open letter on the topic of this election and the life issues.

A must-read.

Yet Another Marxist Poster for "The One"...

Hat-tip to Little Green Footballs. Just click on the link. You've gotta see it to believe it.

The One flips the bird again... classy!

Via Gateway Pundit:



Hmmmm.... didn't he do this to Hillary several months ago during a debate???



Classy!

The One just pi**ed off Floridians...

Via Gateway Pundit:

More Bishops Speak Out (FOCA & Obama)

Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn, Minneapolis-St. Paul Archbishop John Nienstedt, and NYC Cardinal Edward Egan all speak out on the threat to the Pro-Life cause and the expansion of abortion via Obama's promise to sign the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) as his first action as president. Over the last few months, over 114 bishops have spoken out on the primacy of the life issue in this election. It's about time we started listening.

Archbishop Chaput Interviewed...

Tom Peters of American Papist was able to score a lengthy interview with the Archbishop of Denver on issues related to tomorrow's election, abortion, the U.S. bishops, and Church & State. Videos of the entire interview can be viewed here.

I urge every Catholic reading this post to watch and listen before voting tomorrow.

Things You Did Not Know...

Gateway Pundit has a great and lengthy post on Obama, McCain and Tuesday's election.

Key segment:

Barack Obama is Still the Great Unknown

1. Occidental College records -- Not released
2. Columbia College records -- Not released
3. Columbia Thesis paper -- not available, locked down by faculty
4. Harvard College records -- Not released, locked down by faculty
5. Selective Service Registration -- Not released
6. Medical records -- Not released
7. Illinois State Senate schedule -- "not available"
8. Law practice client list -- Not released
9. Certified Copy of original Birth certificate - - Not released
10. Embossed, signed paper Certification of Live Birth -- Not released
11. Harvard Law Review articles published -- None
12. University of Chicago scholarly articles -- None
13. Record of baptism-- Not released or "not available"
14. Illinois State Senate records--"not available".
15. US Senate record -- mediocre yet the most liberal.

Add to that the list of his associations:

Jeremiah Wright
Father Pfleger
Tony Rezko
Frank Marshall Davis
Bill Ayers
Bernardine Dohrn
Rashid Khalidi
Franklin Raines
Jim Johnson
Fannie Mae
Freddie Mac
ACORN
New Party

Not to mention his extremely radically pro-abortion position and his socialistic economic positions.

Well... you get the point.

FC Novena (Day 9) and OLV Novena (Day 8) - Nov 3

Novena for Faithful Citizenship (pdf)

Day 9 - Monday, November 3

Ninth Day

Opening Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in us the fire of your love.

Reading
Mt 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with
what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are
the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be
hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a
bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light
to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before
others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your
heavenly Father.”

Reflection
How am I salt for my community?
How do I shine your light for all the community to see?
What deeds am I performing in order to glorify God?

Prayer
Lord Jesus,
you give us your love and your grace
to do great things.
Give us the faith
to shine our light
by walking humbly
and acting justly
before our God.
Amen.

Novena Prayer
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
help us to conquer the menace of evil,
which so easily
takes root in the hearts of the people of today,
and whose immeasurable effects
already weigh down upon our modern world
and seem to block the paths toward the future.
From famine and war, deliver us.
From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, from
every kind of war, deliver us.
From sins against human life from its very beginning,
deliver us.
From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of the
children of God, deliver us.
From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both
national and international, deliver us.
From readiness to trample on the commandments of God,
deliver us.
From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of
God, deliver us.
From the loss of awareness of good and evil, deliver us.
From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us.
Accept, O Mother of Christ,
this cry laden with the sufferings of all individual
human beings,
laden with the sufferings of whole societies.
Help us with the power of the Holy Spirit conquer all sin:
individual sin and the “sin of the world,”
sin in all its manifestations.
Let there be revealed once more in the history of the world
the infinite saving power of the redemption:
the power of merciful love.
May it put a stop to evil.
May it transform consciences.
May your Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of hope.
Amen.

UPDATE: Thanks to Dim Bulb over at The Divine Lamp, he points out that Father Corapi has suggested another Novena for this election season, the Novena to Our Lady of Victory. The full set of prayers to this novena is here, and is to be followed by the praying of the rosary. This novena began on Oct 27 and is to continue through to Election Day (Nov. 4). The more prayers this election season the better.


In addition, below is the text of the 2008 Election Day Prayer from the following link (hat-tip to Jeff at The Curt Jester):

Election Day Prayer

Almighty God, all things are in your hands: our nation, our communities, our families, our lives.

In this time of great decision, bless our country and its people. Prosper the efforts of the just and true, and thwart the purposes of the unjust and dishonest. Preserve our land from violence and turmoil, and keep our relationships decent and respectful.

Inspire voters, legislators, executives, and judges so our country may be a land where morality is furthered by law and authority; where life is protected, marriage is respected, and family is supported; where the innocent are spared, and the guilty are punished; where justice is tempered by mercy, and mercy fortified by justice.

Help us to keep the United States of America a land where the rule of law and respect for individual dignity are the legal foundation of a just order.

Amen.

Public Service Announcement on Abortion...

(Hat-tip to Roman Catholic Blog)

Actor and producer Eduardo Verastegui (from the film "Bella") has made the following 9-minute video on abortion and this Tuesday's election.

WARNING!!! THIS VIDEO IS VERY GRAPHIC AND DISTURBING!!! But it gets right to the heart & soul of the matter. Life... or death... your choice!



Below is his 1-minute PSA on California's Prop 4 (in Spanish, with English subtitles - nothing graphic in this one):

Reality-check Humor...

(Hat-tip to the Caveman)

As a guy who works for a small business that will be negatively affected by an Obama Administration tax policy (and, thus, so will I), I found the following joke hilarious... that is, unless Obama actually wins.

Some guy upstate runs a small family-owned business who employs thirty people, and has already figured out that if Obama is elected, his taxes and cost-share of employee benefits will rise to such a point, that he'll have to let eight employees go.

Needless to say, this guy's sick to death over who gets canned. What to do... what to do?

So as he's walking through the employee parking lot, he sees eight different cars with Obama/Biden '08 bumper stickers.

Problem solved.

FYI: Suffice it to say, no one who works at the company where I'm employed is voting for The Obamessiah on Tuesday. NO ONE!

Wake up and smell the coffee, people!

FC Novena (Day 8) and OLV Novena (Day 7) - Nov 2

Novena for Faithful Citizenship (pdf)

Day 8 - Sunday, November 2

Eighth Day

Opening Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in us the fire of your love.

Reading
Is 32:15-18
Until the spirit from on high
is poured out on us.
Then will the desert become an orchard
and the orchard be regarded as a forest.
Right will dwell in the desert
and justice abide in the orchard.
Justice will bring about peace;
right will produce calm and security.
My people will live in peaceful country,
in secure dwellings and quiet resting places.

Reflection
How do I recognize the Spirit’s involvement in my life in
the community?

Prayer
Spirit of God,
fill our hearts with peace
so that we may bring peace to our community.
Amen.

Novena Prayer
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
help us to conquer the menace of evil,
which so easily
takes root in the hearts of the people of today,
and whose immeasurable effects
already weigh down upon our modern world
and seem to block the paths toward the future.
From famine and war, deliver us.
From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, from
every kind of war, deliver us.
From sins against human life from its very beginning,
deliver us.
From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of the
children of God, deliver us.
From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both
national and international, deliver us.
From readiness to trample on the commandments of God,
deliver us.
From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of
God, deliver us.
From the loss of awareness of good and evil, deliver us.
From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us.
Accept, O Mother of Christ,
this cry laden with the sufferings of all individual
human beings,
laden with the sufferings of whole societies.
Help us with the power of the Holy Spirit conquer all sin:
individual sin and the “sin of the world,”
sin in all its manifestations.
Let there be revealed once more in the history of the world
the infinite saving power of the redemption:
the power of merciful love.
May it put a stop to evil.
May it transform consciences.
May your Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of hope.
Amen.

UPDATE: Thanks to Dim Bulb over at The Divine Lamp, he points out that Father Corapi has suggested another Novena for this election season, the Novena to Our Lady of Victory. The full set of prayers to this novena is here, and is to be followed by the praying of the rosary. This novena began on Oct 27 and is to continue through to Election Day (Nov. 4). The more prayers this election season the better.


In addition, below is the text of the 2008 Election Day Prayer from the following link (hat-tip to Jeff at The Curt Jester):

Election Day Prayer

Almighty God, all things are in your hands: our nation, our communities, our families, our lives.

In this time of great decision, bless our country and its people. Prosper the efforts of the just and true, and thwart the purposes of the unjust and dishonest. Preserve our land from violence and turmoil, and keep our relationships decent and respectful.

Inspire voters, legislators, executives, and judges so our country may be a land where morality is furthered by law and authority; where life is protected, marriage is respected, and family is supported; where the innocent are spared, and the guilty are punished; where justice is tempered by mercy, and mercy fortified by justice.

Help us to keep the United States of America a land where the rule of law and respect for individual dignity are the legal foundation of a just order.

Amen.