A Bright Point of Light!

PURCELLVILLE, Va. – Matthew du Mee was one of more than 2 million college-bound students in 2001 to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT.

But he was one of only a tiny handful who received a perfect score.

Within weeks, the nation's most prestigious schools – Harvard, Yale, and Stanford among them – began courting him. Du Mee turned them all down, choosing instead a tiny new school with, at the time, fewer than 100 students, no accreditation and no name outside of homeschooling circles.

The school was Patrick Henry College, created as haven of sorts for the nation's brightest homeschooled students, and which has, in seven ensuing years, grown into a well-known and influential evangelical school purposed to train Christian leaders for high level service in the public square. Its rigorous academic programs, abundant Capitol Hill apprenticeships, and deep homeschooling ties led to its being dubbed "God's Harvard" in a new book by Washington Post religion reporter Hanna Rosin.

... With its distinctly Christian statement of faith leaving no room for confusion, Patrick Henry College has designed one of the most comprehensive core curriculums in the country and an academic foundation built upon the truth found only in Scripture. To protect itself from government regulations and thereby safeguard its liberty to teach from a distinctly Christian worldview, the College operates with a no-debt policy and accepts no government funding. Its operations and facilities are funded entirely through donations.

The college continues to be the subject of intense media scrutiny, books, and international features, documentaries – even movies – not to mention the ongoing and often vicious attacks from its critics on the left. Yet PHC's leadership remains committed to holding fast to its biblical roots, founding principles and evangelical aspirations, come what may.

"A small number of Christian colleges are truly faithful to the word of God," Farris said. "At Patrick Henry we are committed to remaining faithful. We are not alone in that, but among an increasingly small number. Many schools have compromised. We remain unwavering."

Democrats Can't Handle Good News

By David Limbaugh
Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Very good news is coming out of Iraq. Not surprisingly, this hasnt caused a change of heart among the Democratic leadership. It hasnt even given them pause. One wonders if they are capable of hearing such news anymore.

The Times Online reports that Al Qaeda is facing rebellion from within its ranks. Fed up with being part of a group that cuts off a persons face with piano wire to teach others a lesson, dozens of low-level members of Al Qaeda are daring to become informants for the U.S. military in a hostile Baghdad neighborhood.

Some of these junior Al Qaeda members are said to be repulsed by the gratuitous, barbaric violence. One said, I am sick of it and I hate them, and I am done.

The good news doesnt stop here. Al Qaeda is not only facing internal dissension, but evidence is also emerging that other ethnic forces formerly friendly to Al Qaeda are changing their tune. Iraqi locals are denying Al Qaeda the sanctuary they need to operate. Lt. Col Stephen Michael, commander of a 700-troop battalion in Doura, says, Al Qaedas days are numbered, and right now he is scrambling.

... continues

News That People Ignore - Will Israel Make The First Strike?

Israel 'Approved' to Strike Iran
from NEWSMAX

Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs said he has received approval from the U.S. and Europe for an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

"If we start military operations against Iran alone, then Europe and the U.S. will support us,” Avigdor Lieberman said following a meeting with NATO and European Union officials.

Lieberman said the Western powers recognized the Iranian nuclear threat to Israel, Israel Today magazine reported. But military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are "going to prevent the leaders of countries in Europe and America from deciding on the use of force to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities,” and they are sending the message that Israel should "prevent the threat herself.”

Happy Independence Day From A Real American

Photo: AP-Rapid City Journal

Independence Day Messages From John Adams
By Michael Medved

On July 2, 1776, after long and wrenching debate, the Continental Congress voted to declare independence from the Mother Country and the next night John Adams went back to his rooming house in sweltering, sticky Philadelphia to write, by candlelight, two of the most famous letters in American history. Addressing his beloved wife Abigail in far-away Boston, he exulted in the birth of a new nation:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore.

You will think me transported with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration and support and defend these states. Yet, through all the gloom, I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is more than worth all the means. And that posterity will triumph in that day’s transaction, even although we should rue it, which I trust in God we shall not…

It may be the will of Heaven that America will suffer calamities still more wasting, and distress yet more dreadful. If this is to be the case, it will have this good effect at least. It will inspire us with many virtues which we have not, and correct many errors, follies and vices which threaten to disturb, dishonor and destroy us. The furnace of affliction produces refinement, in States as well as individuals...But I must submit all my hopes and fears to an overruling Providence, in which, unfashionable as the faith may be, I firmly believe.

The prophetic nature of his vision still makes the heart race and takes the breath away, some 231 years later. Predicting “illuminations” (the 18th Century term for fireworks!) to celebrate Independence Day from “one end of the continent to the other” remains almost freakishly prescient. When Adams wrote those words, the colonies occupied only a narrow, intermittent strip of settlements along the eastern seaboard; the very notion of a true continental nation looked wildly implausible, all but unimaginable.

... keep reading ...

Doing The Right Thing In Florida

Fla. Sheriff's Illegal Alien Task Force Questioned

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. -- The sheriff's department has developed a remarkably effective - and controversial - way of catching illegal immigrants: Deputies in patrol cars pull up to a construction site in force, and watch and see who runs.

Those who take off are chased down and arrested on charges such as trespassing, for cutting through someone else's property, or loitering, for hiding out in someone's yard, or reckless driving, for speeding off in a car.

U.S. immigration authorities are then given the names of those believed to be in this country illegally.

"It's not wrong for them to run, but it's not wrong for us to chase them either," said Sheriff Frank McKeithen, who created his Illegal Alien Task Force in April to target construction sites in this Florida Panhandle county.

... As the debate over illegal immigration plays out in Washington, McKeithen is among a growing number of state and local officials taking it upon themselves to enforce immigration laws that up to now were regarded as a federal responsibility.

... : )

What Took "Em So Long? The House Does Something Right About Bush's Buddys!

House Votes to Ban Aid to Saudi Arabia
The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Friday to prohibit any aid to Saudi Arabia as lawmakers accused the close ally of religious intolerance and bankrolling terrorist organizations.

The prohibition, reflecting persistent tensions with the kingdom after the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001, was attached to a foreign aid funding bill for next year that has not yet been debated by the Senate.

It also faces a veto threat from the White House because of an unrelated provision.

A spokesman for the Saudi embassy in Washington declined to comment on the legislation.

... El Bush, though, cried for 6 hours straight ...

America's Best In Education - Homeschoolers!

Top gun homeschool debate kicks off National tournament in Texas - features 'extremely intense' competition!

Well versed in de Tocqueville, Hegel and NATO reform, dressed to impress in their best business suits, they're over-prepared, under-rested and, in many cases, looking forward to getting their driver's permit.

The cream of an incredibly driven crop, these 12-to-18-year-old homeschooled students represent the elite of the National Christian Forensics and Communications Association debate league. Monday, over 530 of their ranks will overrun Belton, Texas, for their own personal Super Bowl: the 8th annual National NCFCA Debate Tournament.

"The competition at nationals is extremely intense," says Dr. Roger Smith, NCFCA board member and regional coordinator. "Only the top 5 percent of competitors from each region is invited to attend, and the field is quickly narrowed to the best of the best." Some 34 states will be represented at nationals this year.

By Steve Schippert FrontPageMagazine.com May 18, 2007

The progress in the past three short months in Iraq is unmistakable. Since General Petraeus has taken command of MNF-I forces in mid February, the convergence of developments has fundamentally changed the outlook in Iraq. While “The Surge” has dominated discussion – be it on operational tempo within Baghdad or withdrawal timetables within the DC Beltway – progress on several vital fronts is beginning to reshape realities on the ground.

As the contentious internal American political debate continues, our leaders and the American public would do well to acknowledge the significantly changing situation.

In Baghdad, for example, the over-hyped Muqtada al-Sadr has long made tracks for the more hospitable climes of Iran. The Baker Commission’s Iraq Study Group Report estimated the Mahdi Army (Jaish al-Mahdi or JAM) to consist of 40-60 thousand armed fighters. In the absence of its leadership, Sadr’s ‘army’ has splintered into the various bands of Shia street thugs they always were. Sure, there are exceptions, such as the particular hard core ‘extremist’ extra-judicial killing (EJK) cells hunting Sunnis to stoke Iran’s much-desired Iraqi civil war. But an estimated 3,000 Iranian-backed extremists in EJK cells still roaming the streets must be seen as an undeniable improvement over the tens of thousands recently under the Mahdi Army banner.

... more

Poland Rises Above The Fray

'Repulsive' Poland Confronts Europe, 'They Are Inspiring People Around The World With Their Stance'

WARSAW – Nearly 70 years after the invasion of Poland marked the beginning of a global cataclysm, the Central European nation once again finds itself confronting a foe it sees as a threat to Western civilization.

While the rest of Europe largely accommodates a rising tide of secularism, many Polish leaders are prepared to fight back with a bold, traditional social agenda they envision not only for their own country but for the continent and the world.

Poland's vice premier and minister of education, Roman Giertych told the World Congress of Families here his multi-pronged plan – including a proposal issued last month to ban "homosexual propaganda" in schools – is "something I have to do."

"The family is the hope for Poland, the hope for Europe, the hope for the entire world," the 36-year-old leader told the global gathering of more than 3,200 from 75 nations. "... Without the family, there is no nation, there is no continent, there is no civilization, there is nothing."

... meanwhile, back home, a congressman is sponsoring a bill to make it a requirement to hire homosexuals, cross-dressers, and trans-genders ...

... UPDATE: New Article!

Can Petraeus Pull It Off?

A report on the progress of our arms in Baghdad, Baqubah, Ramadi, and Falluja.

by Max Boot 04/30/2007 for The Weekly Standard

The news from Iraq is, as usual, grim. Bombings, more bombings, and yet more bombings--that's all the world notices. It's easy to conclude that all is chaos. That's not true. Some parts of Iraq are in bad shape, but others are improving. I spent the first two weeks of April in Baghdad, with side trips to Baqubah, Ramadi, and Falluja. Along the way I talked to everyone from privates to generals, both American and Iraqi. I found that, while we may not yet be winning the war, our prospects are at least not deteriorating precipitously, as they were last year. When General David Petraeus took command in February, he called the situation "hard" but not "hopeless." Today there are some glimmers of hope in the unlikeliest of places.

A Reflection Of Hell On Earth - Why Bad Things Happen To Good People

By C.R. Hardy of NRO

Of course I believed in hell. Obviously. After visiting Auschwitz, who doesn’t? If hell can be on earth, hell can be in death. And after visiting Auschwitz, hell seemed more of certainty than heaven. Because I was 21 years old and there had to be justice. If there is no hell, then everything is permitted. Then Hitler is the same as you and the same as me, and he is laughing because now he’s only watching the game. There had to be a hell, and my friend had to make it personal.

Dostoevsky had the right conclusion: everything is permitted — but not because God is dead. Everything is permitted because we are free. We are free to ravage other men, to reap misery and destruction. But we are also free to be heroes, to make choices that correspond to the greatest capacities within us, to give our lives for others, to find meaning even when — precisely when — evil has its moment, to turn tragedy into triumph.

The Quran, Bible, and the Crucifixion

Thanks, Tigress! With All My Love, this Easter, 2007 - Tiger

Muslims generally believe that the Bible was corrupted and is therefore no longer a reliable version of the word of God. Most Muslims even believe that this is what the Qur’an teaches. However, when the passages of the Qur’an are examined in detail, the conclusion turns out to be quite different. Throughout the years we have sought to amass enough evidence from Muslim sources to show that the Quran does in fact confirm that the Holy Bible is the inspired, preserved Word of God.

Muslims realize the problem this poses for their beliefs. To accept the Holy Bible is to reject the Quran as a fraudulent book, and yet to reject the Holy Bible is to reject the Quran’s positive testimony to the authority and preservation of the Holy Bible.

HT: Tigress - this site is a wonderful compilation of Muslim/Christian interaction, conversion, and study. The site is well done. It is so informative and massive it can be enjoyed for weeks! The linked article is one small example. You may link to the HOME Page on Observanda's face page (Answering Islam) or from this entry link.

Another Success For ADULT Stem Cells

A week before the U.S. Senate again grapples with the explosive issue of embryonic stem cell research, one of the most stunning reported advances in bio-technology in years comes from stem cells not harvested from human embryos but derived from a non-controversial source.

British researchers have for the first time grown part of a human heart, using "adult" stem cells derived from bone marrow, British media reported this week.

If trials in animals such as pigs and sheep prove successful later this year, the London-based team led by professor Sir Magdi Yacoub said such replacement tissue could be used in transplants for heart disease patients within three years.

We The People - Buy More Guns!

Interpreting the Second Amendment

How to interpret the Second Amendment - a question raised anew by the March 9 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which many believe may prompt a High Court review - is a subset of how to interpret any provision of the Constitution. Happily, one of the Federalist Founders, Alexander Hamilton, provided a very handy guide:

The Second Amendment exists to prevent the federal government, not from disarming the state governments, but from disarming the American people. The "Militia" is, at root, an armed citizenry, not an army of the state governments. True, it could fight with those governments under certain conditions: Madison, mirroring Hamilton, posits such a role should the federal government ever turn tyrannical. But we must never confuse its various roles (including defense against invasion) with its established identity, which is today still reflected in part by the "unorganized militia" clause of the U.S. Code.

Those who argue that the Second Amendment recognizes only a right of the state governments to form their own armies have had to struggle with what "the instrument itself" says: "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms." Their solution, remarkably, is to contend that the "people" who have a right under the Second Amendment are not the same "people" - namely, individual citizens ("natural persons," in legalese) - who have rights under the First, Fourth, and Ninth Amendments. Rather, the Second Amendment refers to a "collective" - and thus to a "collective right."

... Please read the entire article; it's magnificent! I can't wait until my Missle System comes in! : )

Protesters Face Vietnam Vets And Lose!

Walking home, I reflected on what the anti-war movement has degenerated into -- a squabbling collection of aging socialists, pro-Palestinian militants, and cowardly anarchists. The Vietnam vets -- who were there just to protect our monuments and show support for the troops -- had a surprising effect on the protestors. “Fight back! Fight back!” was one of the protestors’ slogans. But it was all talk. When confronted by people who actually fought and bled for their country, the protestors grew sheepish and embarrassed -- I would even say humiliated.

I couldn’t help but notice that the anarchists – the supposed hardcore fringe of the movement – waited until they were safely out of range of the veterans to burn a flag. Afraid of the vets, afraid of the cops, they don’t seem to be good for much other than occasionally smashing storefront windows when there’s no one else around.

“Whose streets? Our streets!”, they chanted. Not on Saturday they weren’t.

Last Of The Noble Romans

A Single Commander Can Make A Difference

Victor Davis Hanson tells it like it is again, in his great historical way. Enjoy:

The verdict on four years of fighting in Iraq hinges on the events of the next few months.

With the U.S. public and many politicians intensely skeptical that a changed military strategy can salvage the war, the U.S.’s new commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, must win them all over — and fast.