Letters to the Editor Policy

Congressman Carney - Thanks for Nothing!

An early morning radio broadcast reported that you have taken credit as being one of the formulators of the executive order signed by President Obama, which order caused Congressman Stupak and other anti-abortion congressmen to fold their cards and vote along with yourself and 218 other members of the Democratic Party in favor of the Health Care Bill. Interesting that the National Right to Life Committee issued the following statement after the release of the executive order: "The executive order promised by President Obama was issued for political effect. It changes nothing," the group said. "It does not correct any of the serious pro-abortion provisions in the bill." Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the bishops' conference's Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, said the following: "Without seeing the details of the executive order, our conclusion has been that an executive order cannot override or change the central problems in the statute. Those need a legislative fix." And what might a pro-choice supporter say concerning the order? Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., an abortion-rights supporter, said she thinks current law and the language in the health care bill go too far in restricting access to abortion. But DeGette said she doesn't have a problem with the executive order because "it doesn't change anything."

"It doesn't change anything" Congressman Carney because an executive order does not have the weight of statutory law - it can be amended or annulled at any time by the same president who signed it, or by any future president. I'm sorry - it did change one thing - that which it was intended to change - Congressman Stupak and his followers votes! Subterfuge and smokescreens once again got the upper hand. An article from the Jan. 23, 2009 issue of the NY Times reported one of the first executive orders as issued by President Obama as follows: “President Obama repealed rules on Friday that restricted federal money for international organizations that promote or provide abortions overseas, sweeping aside a pillar of the social policy architecture of George W. Bush’s presidency." What does this tell us? Our tax dollars - every US citizens' - are right now, because of an executive order, going to overseas organizations that promote or provide abortions." By supporting this "executive order" smokescreen you have weakened additional security for the most vulnerable amongst us - unborn children. What have you in reality given us through your support of this bill: a debt-laden "entitlement" which will burden our and future generations. All protestations aside - this IS the reality. Fool us once (your vote on Cap and Trade) shame on you. Fool us twice, shame on us. I look forward to November with great anticipation!

Sincerely,

John Drann

New Milford, PA

We Are Being Attacked

Well, the levee has been breached and we are watching life as we know it quickly washing away. While we, the people, sandbagged our hearts out, the Socialist flood which is enveloping our country washed away our defenses and set in motion the greatest takeover of our individual freedoms since the implementation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The enemies of our Republic scored a great victory over the people, brought about by means of superb planning, deft implementation and the failure of our conservative representatives to adhere to their principles. We were complacent and now we are going to pay the price. Our enemies have won a great victory but, unless we surrender, they have not won the war over our freedom. We will have one last peaceable chance to turn this around in November.

In the ensuing months, you will see actions designed to solidify their gains. Among them, adding hundreds of thousands of Americans to the dole in the wake of absolutely no action on restoring the fiscal health and growth within our country. Pandering to the unions will continue and there may well be ten to twenty million “formerly” illegal occupants of the USA given amnesty and citizenship, maybe even in time for the November election. The Progressives are working furiously to consolidate their gains. And all of this has been in the planning for decades - we just turned a blind eye to the growing storm clouds. Sort of like 9-11-2001.

Yesterday (Thursday), our president virtually spit in the face of the Prime Minister of Israel. Can you imagine walking out of such a high level meeting to go have dinner with your family and leaving parting words of “Call me when you have something new”? It is beyond belief that the highest elected official of our country would behave in such a manner. But, don’t fool yourself - everything that is being done or said is done so with great forethought. Israel is one of our staunchest allies - truly the only one in the middle east. Ironically, 78% of the Jewish vote in the last election went to Obama - a vote over which they will rue the day. By such an enormous insult, we can now expect a large increase in violence in the region. Israel will feel isolated and greatly fear nuclear attack from Iran. The whole area may explode. God save us.

I have spent the last six months trying to make clear how our Freedom is being attacked. Those of you who have ears to hear, you have heard. For the rest of you, please don’t complain when one of the 17,000 new IRS agents haul you in when you don’t pay your healthcare tax, or when you are denied life saving medical treatment because of your age. I plan on taking a break until summer, if I can stand it. At that time, I will again address the lies and misinformation that I expect from this administration in the lead up to the election in November.

Sincerely,

Joe McCann

Elk Lake, PA

The Empty Tomb: Part II

Part I detailed the shadowed-type of Abram's aborted sacrifice of his son, Isaac, and centuries later its substance, the grand antitype, Christ and His crucifixion. Part II continues with another picture prophecy of the crucifixion of the Christ, the Passover.

About 1,500 BC God commanded the Israelites to kill a lamb, a “male without defect,” and brush its blood on their doorposts. The blood of the lamb would save the Israelites from the tenth plague that would devastate the Egyptians. From that time forth, once every year, the Israelites would commemorate the time when the death angel “passed over” their houses by sacrificing a lamb.

Look forward to 29 AD. This year on Mount Moriah's twin peaks two sheep will be sacrificed at the Passover: one in Herod's temple, the other on Golgotha. It is 3 p.m., the time of the evening sacrifice. The high priest kills the Passover lamb. At that very moment on Golgotha, the “male without defect” cries, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit,” and dies.

Daniel prophesied that the messiah “in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice . . . to cease” (9:27). Exactly as prophesied, the Messiah died on a Wednesday, “in the midst of the week.”

“The Jews, therefore, because it was the preparation [for the Passover], that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day (for that Sabbath day was an high day) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken” (John 19:31).

Passover ordinances forbade the Israelites to “break any bone of it [the Passover lamb]” (Num. 9:12). Thus the Romans “when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they break not his legs” (John 19:33).

Time now is of the essence. The Christ must be buried before sundown the beginning of the Passover.

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus hurry to Pilate's palace and demand an audience. Both Pharisees are members of the highly influential Sanhedrin. The audience is immediately granted. They ask permission to bury the slain Lamb of God. Pilate, once assured that Jesus is indeed dead, grants their request.

Approximately 600-feet downhill from the site of the crucifixion is Joseph's tomb. It is unique. The tomb, chiseled out of solid rock, is 14.5 feet wide, 10 foot deep, with a ceiling 7.5 feet high. There are locations for only two graves, one loculus is unfinished indicating that the tomb was still under construction and not yet used.

Matthew writes, “And [Joseph] laid it in his own new [unused] tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock” (27:60).

The body is wrapped in an exquisitely woven 14-foot linen shroud and placed in the finished loculus. As Isaiah prophesied, He is “with the rich in his death” (53:9). A massive circular stone 13-feet across weighing 14 tons seals the entrance as the sun goes down and the Passover sabbath begins.

The Pharisees remember the prophesy of the Christ: “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12: 39-40).

They ask Pilate to post a guard by the tomb: “Command therefore that the sepulcher be made sure until the third day” (Matt. 27:64).

Pilate agrees: “You [Pharisees] have a guard, go, make it as secure as you can” (Mat. 23:65). The Pharisees do just that. An iron chain is placed across the massive gravestone. The chain is secured by an iron bolt anchored into the stone at each end of the gravestone. (The stone sockets, 13-feet apart, were recently discovered.) Additionally, a Roman guard of 16 soldiers is posted at the tomb.

The prophesied 72 hours arrived Saturday evening; the tomb is empty, the two iron bolts torn asunder, the chain falls, the massive stone “rolled back”- not to let Someone out - but to allow others to enter. The Roman guard - all 16 - claim they were asleep while the 28,000-pound gravestone was rolled away.

Surely, reasonable men can have reasonable differences about historical details. But, in the end, they are vain quibblings. What matters - indeed, to many all that matters - is that one solitary Life and His empty tomb.

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins

New Milford, PA

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