A Time For Choosing

(Be sure to check below to read my post on the shootings that happened in KC Sunday.)

It is astonishing how these words seem to be even more relevant today, over 40 years after Reagan made this speech for Barry Goldwater. You will have goosebumps as you watch this and read the words to it. Is there any wonder so many of us loved and adored this man?

Here are the words to the part of the speech that is on the video:

Those who would trade our freedom for the soup kitchen of the welfare state have told us that they have a utopian solution of peace without victory. They call their policy "accommodation." And they say if we only avoid any direct confrontation with the enemy, he will forget his evil ways and learn to love us. All who oppose them are indicted as warmongers. They say we offer simple answers to complex problems. Well, perhaps there is a simple answer--not an easy answer--but simple.

If you and I have the courage to tell our elected officials that we want our national policy based upon what we know in our hearts is morally right. We cannot buy our security, our freedom from the threat of the bomb by committing an immorality so great as saying to a billion now in slavery behind the Iron Curtain, "Give up your dreams of freedom because to save our own skin, we are willing to make a deal with your slave masters." Alexander Hamilton said, "A nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master, and deserves one." Let's set the record straight. There is no argument over the choice between peace and war, but there is only one guaranteed way you can have peace--and you can have it in the next second--surrender.

Admittedly there is a risk in any course we follow other than this, but every lesson in history tells us that the greater risk lies in appeasement, and this is the specter our well-meaning liberal friends refuse to face--that their policy of accommodation is appeasement, and it gives no choice between peace and war, only between fight and surrender. If we continue to accommodate, continue to back and retreat, eventually we have to face the final demand--the ultimatum. And what then? When Nikita Khrushchev has told his people he knows what our answer will be? He has told them that we are retreating under the pressure of the Cold War, and someday when the time comes to deliver the ultimatum, our surrender will be voluntary because by that time we will have weakened from within spiritually, morally, and economically. He believes this because from our side he has heard voices pleading for "peace at any price" or "better Red than dead," or as one commentator put it, he would rather "live on his knees than die on his feet." And therein lies the road to war, because those voices don't speak for the rest of us.

You and I know and do not believe that life is so dear and peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery. If nothing in life is worth dying for, when did this begin--just in the face of this enemy? Or should Moses have told the children of Israel to live in slavery under the pharaohs? Should Christ have refused the cross? Should the patriots at Concord Bridge have thrown down their guns and refused to fire the shot heard 'round the world? The martyrs of history were not fools, and our honored dead who gave their lives to stop the advance of the Nazis didn't die in vain. Where, then, is the road to peace? Well, it's a simple answer after all.

You and I have the courage to say to our enemies, "There is a price we will not pay." There is a point beyond which they must not advance. This is the meaning in the phrase of Barry Goldwater's "peace through strength." Winston Churchill said that "the destiny of man is not measured by material computation. When great forces are on the move in the world, we learn we are spirits--not animals." And he said, "There is something going on in time and space, and beyond time and space, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty."

You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on Earth, or we will sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.

We will keep in mind and remember that Barry Goldwater has faith in us. He has faith that you and I have the ability and the dignity and the right to make our own decisions and determine our own destiny.

To read the entire speech go here, to listen go here.

Hat Tip: Marie's Two Cents

Shooting in KC

Its always sad when Kansas City makes the National News because of Crime. The details are still coming in but it looks like the gunman stole a woman's car (who happens to be dead), was pulled over by a police officer who he shot and then he went to Ward Parkway Mall and shot and killed 2 people in the parking lot and injured 2 more. He was then gunned down by police in the parking lot of Target. This mall is on the other side of the city from me but its always disturbing when this happens in your own backyard.

I'm still preparing my post on why gun-control isn't the answer but I need to do it soon. A local, liberal blogger is already screaming that we need to confiscate everyone's guns, except each person will be allowed a hunting rifle. While stripping everyone's rights to defend themselves what would this actually accomplish? People kill each other with all kinds of weapons, are we going to ban knives too? Unbelievable!! He can move to a socialist country in Europe where they have his mentality and see how safe that country is, yikes!!

To read more, go to these sites:
Crime Scene KC
KC Star
Fox 4

Deal or No Deal in KC

I did a fun, spontaneous, crazy thing this past Tuesday. My husband found out that the Deal or No Deal game show was coming to KC to do auditions for their 2007 casting call tour. I actually have never watched an entire episode of the show. Yet, in thinking about taking risks lately I had thought it would be a fun to try out for a game show. What really pushed me over the edge to do it was the auditions were Tuesday afternoon when my kids are at their homeschool co-op.

My kids are big fans of the show and their advice to me was HILARIOUS!! My oldest 2 both told me that everyone on the show is either crazy or desperate so I needed to be both. Calvin especially, had several tips that he kept giving me:

1) Act crazy and scream
2) Don't talk about politics Mom, that is too serious
3) Tell them you're in debt

I was totally cracking up. Now to the insane part of what I actually had to go through. I wasn't insane enough to camp out like some did, there were over 2,000 people that were there by early morning. I didn't come until the afternoon but I did wait 5 1/2 hours. My number was 3383 and we heard that there were over 4,000 people that showed up. I had to fill out a one page questionnaire and when it was finally my turn I got 20 SECONDS to make my case for why I should be on the show.

I had a lot of time to think about what I would say. Besides my kids I had friends giving me advice. One of my friends' husband told me to wear a cowboy hat and to show cleavage. I assured him I wasn't going to do either :-).

It was a good exercise to try and think of how you sum up your uniqueness in 20 seconds. I basically said that I was a Christian homeschooling mom of 4 but I had a wild side too and liked Harleys and tattoos. I talked about how I have a passion for life and my theme right now is Tim McGraw's song, Live Like You Were Dying. The guy that was listening to our auditions said he loved the song.

I'm sure that I didn't make it for this round but they said that they sometimes call you as long as 8 months later so who knows? Bottom line though for me was I took a risk, embraced life and didn't choke when it was my turn :-). I'm glad I did it!!

To see the KC Star's video of some of the crazier people in line go here! Also, catch Tony's take on the show :-).

The French Elections

Jacques Chirac is now on his way out and France is set to elect a new leader. This past weekend France narrowed it down to 2 candidates:

"Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Segolene Royal appeared headed Sunday to a presidential runoff, according to preliminary results and pollsters' projections, setting up a stark choice between one of France's most intensely ambitious politicians and a liberal who would be the country's first female leader."

The election to decide between the two candidates is set for May 6th. Pajamas Media Paris Editor, Nidra Poller had very favorable things to say about the Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy:

"Contrary to what many foreign journalists have written, Sarkozy is perhaps the only candidate who is running on a platform instead of a personality cult. His commitment to results is sincere and if he fails to produce, which is quite possible, he will still deserve credit for his courage and straight talk. He is the candidate who has most clearly defined France’s problems and most convincingly pointed to the right path out of the sand trap where this country has been stuck for three-decades. Of all the twelve candidates, many of whom are irresponsible charlatans, Sarkozy is the only one who has been smeared, spattered, and verbally slashed.

That’s why I think Sarkozy will win. Targeted by an underhanded mass media demolition campaign and a forthright banlieue blackmail blitz, he still comes out the winner in every single poll. This must be a mark of citizen determination."

You know a Conservative has won over the masses when he can stay ahead in the polls despite being trashed by the media. Granted a Conservative in France is probably not the same as a Conservative in the U.S., but I also found some favorable things about Sarkozy in my own research:

"He is generally recognized by the right and left as a highly skilled politician and striking orator. Supporters of Sarkozy within France emphasise his charisma, political innovation and willingness to "make a dramatic break" amidst mounting disaffection against "politics as usual"; Some see him as wanting to depart from traditional French social and economic principles in favour of American-style economic reform. Overall, he is generally considered to be somewhat more pro-US than most French politicians."

"Towards the end of his first term as Minister of the Interior, in 2004, Sarkozy was the most popular conservative politician in France, according to polls conducted at the beginning of 2004. His “tough on crime” policies, which included increasing the police presence on the streets and introducing monthly crime performance ratings, were popular with many."

The woman that Sarkozy is running against sounds like your average French socialist. My prayers and best wishes for the best future for France and for French/American relations would be for a Sarkozy win on May 6th.

Hat tip: Michelle Malkin

Progress in Iraq

Many have expressed outrage over Harry Reid's "pessimistic rant".



What isn't widely known is the progress that is being made in Iraq and the success that was being celebrated on the very day that Reid whined that we had lost the war. The above diagram shows the progress that has been made in Iraq in the past year.


On April 18th, Maysan was the 4th of Iraq's 18 provinces to be handed over to the Iraqis. Yet, Harry Reid thinks it is more productive to surrender before even giving the surge a chance to work. It is extremely inspiring, isn't it???

Curt named his post, Defeatists Always Whine. I think that about sums it up. I always fall on the side of the optimist so I will continue to root and pray for Iraq and America to succeed. How about you?

Hat tip: Gateway Pundit

Others blogging:
Gateway Pundit 2
Wordsmith
Mike's America
Chickenhawk Express
Marie's Two Cents

Fred Phelps=Pure Evil

Cult--A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.

Evil is a word that should be reserved for the worst among us so I use the word very cautiously. Yet, when it comes to Fred Phelps I can't think of a more appropriate word to describe him. The harm and pain that this man has caused is indescribable and horrific. He is most widely known for being the leader of Westboro Baptist Church but is not connected to any Baptist association and even 2 of his own sons describe his group not as a church but as a cult. His cult protests the funerals of homosexuals and soldiers.

Who is Fred Phelps?

Here is a brief description of Phelps' early life:

"He rejected his mild Methodist upbringing, cut-off his family, and dropped out of both West Point and Bob Jones University. Time magazine profiled him only a few years later because of his street ministry against sexual vice in California. Phelps married young and moved to Topeka to pastor a Baptist congregation, where his violent behavior ended his pastorate. So he founded Westboro Baptist. But that congregation quickly melted away and Phelps resorted to door-to-door sales work.

After fathering his 13 children, Phelps became a lawyer and specialized in nuisance law suits. He also compelled his children to sell candy door to door every day to fund the church and the family, which are basically interchangeable. The Kansas Supreme Court eventually disbarred Phelps because of "little regard for the ethics of his profession."

He has also been a life-long Democrat who supported Al Gore's run for the presidency in '88. He has since spewed his hatred at Gore for not being anti-gay and even picketed at Gore's father's funeral. He has run for Governor, mayor and even U.S. Senator in Kansas as a Democrat.

He has attacked Republicans and Democrats alike for numerous things but has written letters of support to Saddam Hussein and Fidel Castro.

He started picketing at Homosexual funerals in the 90's and then moved onto soldiers' funerals.

Throughout his life he has been a very abusive and violent man. He has been arrested numerous times for assault and was known to routinely beat his own children as they were growing up. Here is what one of his estranged children had to say:

"When I watch what he's doing now, I see shadows and visions of who he was when we were growing up," he said. "When we were kids, he could vent his rage and anger on us. Now, I'm seeing the same kind of vicious rhetoric and cruelty, it's just that he can't beat these people up."--Nate Phelps

Fred Phelps and his cult are an example of what happens when someone TWISTS Scripture to fulfill your own hate-filled agenda.

I cannot tell you how much this angers and grieves me to see someone malign God and pretend to represent Him in this way. When I was a student at Moody Bible Institute I was walking with friends down the street in downtown Chicago. A group similar to Phelps' was speaking on a street corner and screaming that God hated gays. It outraged me so much that I went over and confronted one of the members of the group.

I tried to explain to him that God loved everyone and came to save sinners, not condemn them and express hatred toward them. He gave me the example of Christ being outraged at some people for their behavior. I explained to him that his example was taking Scripture completely out of context. The people Christ was upset with were the Pharisees for being prideful, Christ always ate with the sinners and loved them. Unfortunately, members in any cult or group like this have been brainwashed and there isn't much you can say or do to help them see the light.

Now, to try and sink to an even new low Phelps has announced that his cult will protest the funerals of the Virginia Tech victims. I don't even know what to do with this except to expose it as the evil it is. Christians are supposed to be the face and hands of Christ to comfort the suffering, not to cause additional pain. Fred Phelps' cult has nothing to do with Christianity but everything to do with hate.

I leave you with this verse:

If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar..."--I John 4:20

UPDATE--Radio Talk Show Host Mike Gallagher offered Phelps' cult airtime if they would call off their protests at the Virginia Tech funerals. They have accepted the offer and called off their protests. Gallagher also did this after they were going to protest at the Amish school shooting victims' funerals. I'm not sure what to think of this. He is protecting the victims' families from further pain but this sounds like giving in to the demands of terrorists and it gives them a venue to spew their hate.

Others blogging:
Always on Watch
Marie's Two Cents
Bloviating Zeppelin

SOURCES:
The Man Who Loves to Hate
The "God Hates Fags" Left
Wikipedia
Conservapedia
Phelps' son speaks out

We Are All Hokies Today!!

Today, April 20th, is being designated as a day of mourning and a way to honor the victims at Virginia Tech.

The school's alumni association is encouraging everyone to wear VT's school colors (orange and maroon) to support the families of those who were lost.

I accept their invitation to be a part of the Virginia Tech family today. I join them with my support and prayers during this difficult time.

In remembrance of all the victims:

* Ross Abdallah Alameddine
* Christopher James Bishop
* Brian Roy Bluhm
* Ryan Christopher Clark
* Austin Michelle Cloyd
* Jocelyne Couture-Nowak
* Kevin P. Granata
* Matthew Gregory Gwaltney
* Caitlin Millar Hammaren
* Jeremy Michael Herbstritt
* Emily Jane Hilscher
* Jarrett Lee Lane
* Matthew Joseph La Porte
* Henry J. Lee
* Liviu Librescu
* Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan
* Lauren Ashley McCain
* Daniel Patrick O'Neil
* J. Ortiz-Ortiz
* Minal Hiralal Panchal
* Daniel Alejandro Perez
* Erin Nicole Peterson
* Michael Steven Pohle, Jr.
* Julia Kathleen Pryde
* Mary Karen Read
* Reema Joseph Samaha
* Waleed Mohamed Shaalan
* Leslie Geraldine Sherman
* Maxine Shelly Turner
* Nicole White

Wonderful memorial posts on the victims:
Gateway Pundit
Flopping Aces

Others blogging on Hokie Hope:
Cajun Tiger
Gateway Pundit
Anna's Clue Tank
Dave's--The Mission

UPDATE:
Sister Toldjah has a great post about the tragedy with a very moving song and excerpts from Psalm 46. Take the time to Check it out!!

Sanjaya Finally Gets His Walking Papers

I was one happy camper last night, we finally got to say bye, bye to Sanjaya. I read an article this week where Simon was saying that he obviously wasn't serious about quitting if Sanjayah won, but he wouldn't be happy if he made it to the final 3. Thats an understatement. I'm still irked that he made it farther than Gina, who still deserves to be on the show IMHO. Yet, my kids and I were cheering that he's finally gone.


Our 2 favorites are Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis. I would like to see them both make it to the final 3 and I would REALLY LOVE to see Jordin win. She has an awesome voice, a great personality and what it takes to be a star and she's only 17. Simon also finally said for the first time that he thinks she has a chance to win. Take the time to watch her latest song in the video, she did awesome and looked great.

She has sung with Michael W. Smith and is a friend of the Smith family. They are supporting her by praying and voting for her. Jordin's father is Phillippi Sparks, "who played cornerback for eight seasons with the NY Giants and one season with the Dallas Cowboys."

More From Jason Whitlock

Jason Whitlock wrote another excellent article entitled, Imus ‘fight’ is over money, fame. Here are some excerpts:

"I simply question the motives of the people who pushed the hardest and shouted the loudest for Imus’ demise. Those people are now covering themselves with the fig leaf that they have a genuine interest in stopping the anti-black, women-objectifying language in rap music.

According to Sharpton, he’s been working on this issue for a number of years.

He’s clever. Fortunately, we’re not stupid. We just watched Jesse and Al sink their teeth in Imus’ rear end and not remove them until MSNBC and CBS put knives in Imus.

That tenacity and enthusiasm have been completely missing from their fight to clean up hip hop. Whether we like him or not, Minister Louis Farrakhan is the only leader with a consistent position on that issue. What we get from Jesse and Al are half-hearted public relations ploys, fights that end well before any blood is drawn. It’s a game, a game Jesse and Al have mastered."

Here is his conclusion:

"If there’s a fight to push Jesse and Al out of the ring, you can sign me up. They’re an embarrassment. They disgrace the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., a great man whose efforts caused division so that we could one day come together.

Jesse and Al cause division for profit, and demand from others the very things they’re unwilling to do — judge people on the content of their character and follow the truth wherever it leads, regardless of color.

Truth is on the side of the righteous. Jesse and Al operate as though they don’t believe in our righteousness. They are far more dangerous than Don Imus."

He was also on Oprah Monday. For numerous reasons I don't watch Oprah anymore (I'll have to do a post on that another time) but I forced myself to tune in to see Whitlock. I have to say that he wasn't allowed to say much and besides him there was only one other lady that I thought had anything decent to say. I'm not sure how much it was worth Whitlock's time but what he did say was good. Here was my favorite quote:

“In the history of mankind, no one has ever received more respect than they were willing to give themselves. And so unless we respect ourselves and stop it first, no one else is going to respect us. We have to do that collectively.”

Previously:
Some Final Thoughts
Jason Whitlock is Awesome!!
Don Imus and The Justice Brothers

A Time to Mourn, not A Time to Rush to Judgment

"This is a day of mourning for the Virginia Tech community -- and it is a day of sadness for our entire nation. We've come to express our sympathy. In this time of anguish, I hope you know that people all over this country are thinking about you, and asking God to provide comfort for all who have been affected.

Yesterday began like any other day. Students woke up, and they grabbed their backpacks and they headed for class. And soon the day took a dark turn, with students and faculty barricading themselves in classrooms and dormitories -- confused, terrified, and deeply worried. By the end of the morning, it was the worst day of violence on a college campus in American history -- and for many of you here today, it was the worst day of your lives.

It's impossible to make sense of such violence and suffering. Those whose lives were taken did nothing to deserve their fate. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now they're gone -- and they leave behind grieving families, and grieving classmates, and a grieving nation."--President George W. Bush, April 17, 2007

As I was running around today and listening to the news I was bothered by all the second guessing and speculation on what could've caused this tragedy. When I got home I read these words by Mike in the comments section of my earlier post:

"Evil won't be stopped by gun control laws. And I find the immediate politicizing of this issue by gun control advocates to be nothing short of an obscenity.

Let the families grieve and bury their dead. Let the injured heal.

There's plenty of time to ask questions about what went wrong. But now is not that time."

This is exactly where I'm coming from. The gun-control nuts are quick to rush in placing blame on guns and Charlton Heston of all people. Everyone wants to speculate on whether it was prescription drugs, video games, a lack of morals, etc... There will plenty of time for those discussions but now is the time to grieve at the loss of life, not who is to blame. I don't care what your view is on gun-control, the heartlessness in this article is unconscionable, Michael Daly should be ashamed of himself.

Those in pain don't need to hear all the Monday morning quarterbacking, its not helpful. So many have been so quick to blame Virginia Tech officials for not warning people earlier. Today, they have already pointed out that the first shooting was thought to be a domestic disturbance which rarely turns into a mass shooting. Unless the officials were supposed to have ESP, there was probably no way for them to know what was going to transpire next.

To be honest I'm not sure anything could've prevented this. This may just be a case of a sick person snapping. Even if he was addicted to a violent video game, how many people played the same exact game and didn't go out and kill 33 people? If someone snaps and wants to kill people I'm not sure there is much that can be done. It may make some feel better to have someone or something to blame but the government didn't cause this and it can't necessarily fix it either.

UPDATE:
Flopping Aces has an excellent post highlighting some of the victims.

Tragedy in Virginia

"Today, our nation grieves with those who have lost loved ones at Virginia Tech. We hold the victims in our hearts, we lift them up in our prayers, and we ask a loving God to comfort those who are suffering today."--President George W. Bush, April 16, 2007

I will never forget how I felt 8 years ago when the Columbine shootings happened. I think it hit a nerve with me because of my own brush with death in high school, having a close friend that had committed suicide. I knew how those teens felt having lost their friends in such a traumatic incident.

So to see yesterday's trauma exceed Columbine was sad indeed. When I first tuned in they only knew about 17 being injured. Before I knew it they had announced that at least 20 were dead and the death toll was expected to rise. By the end of the day the total was 33 dead with the killer being among them. It is the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. History.

It is hard to believe that so many could be killed without anyone being able to stop the killer. Yet, I am a little disturbed by everyone being so quick to assign blame. Until we know the full story, I am a little reticent to assign blame to anyone except the killer himself.

The gun-control advocates are already out in full force. Yet, truth be told had any of these students been armed themselves we might have been dealing with a much smaller death toll. Gun control is not the answer. Many have pointed out that a gun bill was contemplated that would've enabled those on the campus to carry handguns but it was shot down.

Others blogging:
Flopping Aces
Gateway Pundit
Hot Air

Jason Whitlock is Awesome!!

Hat tip: Crazy Politico

Jason Whitlock may not be a conservative but he tells it like it is and that scores big points in my book. Jason Whitlock's column on Don Imus has swept the internet this week like wildfire. I, and many others have linked to it. The above video is of him on Tucker Carlson's show speaking out about it and he shares in no uncertain terms what he thinks of Sharpton and Jackson. I for one could be heard cheering as I watched it. It is about time someone says it like it is and Whitlock does just that.

He was also on CNN with Al Sharpton, Go here to see it. He makes the exact point that I have been making that injustice is wrong wherever you find it, whether its against rich, white boys (Duke LaCrosse players) or the Rutgers' Basketball team.

He also appeared on The Today Show. On Monday he is supposed to be on Oprah.

For once, let me go on the record saying I'm proud that Jason Whitlock writes for my local paper, The KC Star. Mark it down, because its a rare day for this conservative to be happy about anything that is written by a liberal in The KC Star.

Grey's Anatomy

Recently a friend talked me into watching Grey's Anatomy. I started watching and was hooked. To be honest I am surprised at how much I love the show. It is so much better than ER and doesn't do any of the politically correct preaching that ER does. It is deeper and you absolutely adore most of the characters in the show, flaws and all.


GG and I were talking awhile back that we were finding it hard to believe that the nerd from Can't Buy Me Love is now supposed to be considered sexy.


Yet any woman who has watched Grey's now understands why Patrick Dempsey is called McDreamy. The transformation was a shock since I had seen him in other things like Sweet Home Alabama and wasn't that impressed. It reminds me of how George Clooney was in things like Roseanne and Facts of Life and you didn't even notice him. Yet he turns 40 and is on ER and all of a sudden everyone is watching ER because of Clooney.

Anyway, its a great show and I just finished Season 2 on DVD. No spoilers about Season 3 since I haven't watched any of it yet ;-)!! I give this show 5 out of 5 stars.

I'm a Thinker

Who Knew???? I was honored that Patrick , Exile, Timothy, A Voice of Reason and Tony all tagged me with the Thinking Blogger Award. Of course, right after tagging me Exile lamented that I had posted on American Idol and Extreme Makeover but what are you going to do? Even us thinkers have to post on some fluff every once in a while.

Here are the Rules of participation:

Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging. The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme and know you thinks so highly of ya!…heh

3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote.

Normally when I participate in these I don't torture others by tagging but this time I couldn't resist. I won't be offended if you don't jump on the bandwagon but here are just some of the people who make me think:

1) Mike's America

2) Sparks From the Anvil

3) Skye

4) Cajun Tiger

5) Lone Pony

Amazing Grace

"So enormous, so dreadful, so irremediable did the [slave] trade's wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for abolition. Let the consequences be what they would: I from this time determined that I would never rest until I had effected its abolition."--William Wilberforce

If you don't go see any other movie this year you must see this one. Last night I saw the best movie I've seen in over 12 years (and you know how much I love movies).

My favorite movie is Braveheart because it inspires me and describes my philosophy and passion for life and politics. Amazing Grace is the only movie I've ever seen that comes close. It has passion and inspires one to pursue a just cause at all costs. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't like this movie. I doubt it will but it should sweep all the awards at The Oscars.

When Wordsmith started talking about this movie I knew I had to see it. It is the true story of William Wilberforce and his fight to end slavery in Britain. His love for God and his hatred for slavery caused him to persevere in his fight to end it.

I knew that John Newton wrote the hymn Amazing Grace but I had no idea that there was all this history behind it and that Newton was such a passionate abolitionist:

"John Newton (played by Albert Finney in Amazing Grace) wrote the words to one of the most beloved hymns of all time between 1760 and 1770, while working as an evangelical pastor. Son of the commander of a merchant ship, Newton was captain of a slave ship for many years, until he underwent a dramatic religious conversion while steering his vessel through a storm.

Repenting and regretting the misery he had inflicted on the thousands of human cargo he had transported across the Middle Passage for many years, he devoted his life to the Church, and wrote the lyrics to many hymns which are still popular today.

In 1780 Newton left Olney to become rector of St. Mary Woolnoth, St. Mary Woolchurch, in London. There he drew large congregations and influenced many, among them William Wilberforce. Newton continued to preach until the last year of life, although he was blind by that time. He died in London December 21, 1807."

When you look back at history and the fight for so many just causes you see the tenets of Christianity throughout many of them. Our founding fathers fight for America's freedom was grounded in Christianity despite the efforts by many to rewrite history. Recently when I wrote my glowing review of the suffragist movie, Iron Jawed Angels I had a liberal howl about how hypocritical I was to do this because liberals were the ones behind the women's suffrage movement. What cracked me up was that one of his own buddies pointed out that many of the people behind both the suffragist & abolitionist movements were Christians. Those who enjoy re-writing history may claim otherwise, but it is true.

After seeing both Amazing Grace and Iron Jawed Angels I am so inspired to fight for what is right with passion. It makes me think of the pro-life movement and how maybe the time has come for us to be like William Wilberforce and "not rest until the killing of innocent babies has ended".