Time: Sun Aug 31 21:39:43 1997
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Date: Sun, 31 Aug 1997 21:34:31 -0700
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From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar]
Subject: SLS: Dobson Calls Impeachment of Supreme Court Justice
Dear Clients,
This is long, but priceless.
/s/ Paul Mitchell
http://www.supremelaw.com
<snip>
>
>>Subject: Dobson Calls Impeachment of Supreme Court Justice
>>Date: Saturday, August 30, 1997 5:56 PM
>>
>>Dear Friends,
>>
>>In 1981, when our son and daughter were 11 and 16 years of age,
>>I made perhaps my greatest mistake as a father. Our family had
>>gone to Mammoth, Calif., for a wonderful three-day ski trip in
>>the spring of the year. Our kids were finally learning to buzz
>>down the mountain without risking life and limb, and I was
>>proud of them both. In the exhilaration ofthat day, I made a
>>decision that almost proved disastrous.
>>
>>Thinking that Danae and Ryan were more skilled and confident
>>than they actually were, I figured it was time to offer them
>>a greater challenge. We rode the gondola to the very top
>>of Mammoth Mountain, more than 11,000 feet above sea level,
>>where the air is thin and the view is magnificent. There at
>>the edge of the sky, I invited my son and daughter to fly
>> with me down a scary slope known as "The Cornice". It
>>begins with a nine-foot drop and then descends at a
>>dramatically steep angle. Even experienced skiers are
>>sometimes reluctant to tackle this part of the mountain.
>>Danae and Ryan were also apprehensive, but they both
>>have venturesome spirits and I encouraged them to go for
>>it. I soon regretted it.
>>
>>The snow was icy and slick as we headed downhill that
>>morning. I thought my kids were behind me as I dropped
>>about 50 yards in a matter of seconds. Then I looked
>>back and saw a terrified boy and a girl hunched on the
>>side of the mountain about 15 feet from the top.
>>Both were panic-stricken. Danae was saying, "I'm going
>>to die. I know I'm going to die. Oh God, please save me
>>'cause I'm gonna die." Ryan was in a similar state of mind.
>>
>>I instantly realized that I had made a very big mistake.
>>These two kids, whom I loved more than life itself, had
>>no business being on that "expert" slope at least a mile
>>above the saner skiers. They were literally paralyzed
>>with fear. I told them to stay where they were (they
>>could do little else), and I would sidestep back up
>>the mountain to help them. I reached
>>Ryan first, and tried to calm him.
>>
>>"See, Ryan," I said. "There's nothing to be afraid of.
>>We'll just work our way gradually to the base."
>>
>>At that precise moment, my lower ski slipped out from
>>under me, and I tumbled head over heels and slid more
>>than 300 feet down the mountain. As I fell, I created
>>what is known as "a yard sale" -- scattering skis,
>>poles, hat, gloves, glasses and goggles over the landscape.
>>When Ryan saw me plunging toward eternity, he was even
>>more convinced that his end had come.
>>
>>Fortunately, two expert skiers witnessed our predicament
>>and gently ushered Danae and Ryan down the mountain a few
>>feet at a time. I greeted them at the bottom of the slope
>>with hugs and thankfulness that no one was hurt. Ryan went
>>on to develop outstanding skill in subsequent years and
>>loved to burn the Cornice like a pro. Danae became a good
>>skier, too, but she's never been back to the top of Mammoth
>>Mountain. Both kids have forgiven me for my foolish decision,
>>but I still haven't forgiven myself.
>>
>>You can understand, having heard this story, why the term
>>"slippery slope" has special significance for me. It refers
>>to those situations in our lives when we make unwise
>>decisions that place us symbolically on the side of
>>precipitous mountains. The footing is so unstable that a
>>step in any direction can send us plunging headlong toward
>>the crevices below. In our private lives, the predicaments
>>in which we find ourselves often result from unwise and
>>impulsive decisions that should have been given a little
>>more thought.
>>
>>It is a fact that nations, as well as individuals, also
>>suffer from bad choices made by leaders who place millions
>>of people on the cusp of the slippery slope. That is what
>>is occurring today in these United States. In my general
>>letter last month, to which many of you responded, I tried
>>to illustrate how radically we have departed from the values
>>and beliefs of our founding fathers. What a wonderful
>>heritage those great men handed down to our era. It was as
>>though they were guided by internal gyroscopes -- moral
>>compasses -- that pointed them to the spiritual principles
>>by which the universe is governed. Most of their public
>>policy decisions were in harmony with the scriptures,
>>which established our nation on the bedrock of eternal
>>truth. There's nothing slippery about that.
>>
>>Unfortunately, those spiritual concepts on which the new
>>nation was built are being superseded now by philosophies
>>and judgements that are rooted in atheism. The God of the
>>Bible has been removed from every vestige of public life,
>>as though He were a cancerous growth that threatened the
>>life of the organism. Our public policy decisions
>>increasingly reflect the humanistic and pagan notions of
>>the day. This transformation is occurring, not by
>>the will of the people who remain overwhelmingly religious,
>>but by our elected representatives and by liberal judges
>>who seem determined to recast society in their own
>>image.
>>
>>I am among those who are becoming alarmed by the inclination
>>of the U.S. Supreme Court, including six justices of the
>>current court, to reinterpret the Constitution according
>>to its own vision for the future. There is no better
>>example of this arrogation of power than occurred
>>in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 1992. To understand
>>it, we have to return to the Roe v.Wade decision in
>>1973, which held that a woman has an implied right
>>to abortion as expressed, more or less, in the 14th
>>Amendment. 1 Everyone knows that no such wording
>>is actually there, but somehow seven justices thought
>>they found it tucked between the lines. Thus, from
>>1973 to 1992, abortion for any reason, or for no reason,
>>was legal throughout nine months of pregnancy because
>>of this implied language in the Constitution.
>>
>>Pro-lifers always hoped that a subsequent court would
>>overturn that 1973 decision when asked to validate
>>the ruling. The Rehnquist Court got that opportunity
>>in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 1992. Instead of
>>overturning the decision, however, the majority
>>said that the right to kill babies was guaranteed
>>within the 14th Amendment, rather than simply being
>>implied generally by the principle of "privacy" in the
>>14th Amendment. 2 In so doing, they sealed the fate of
>>countless millions of unborn babies. According to some
>>constitutional scholars, this was one of the most important
>>rulings in the history of the U.S. Supreme Court.
>>
>>They also say the decision did two things that every
>>citizen should understand. First, it put the right to
>>abortion in concrete. Only once has the Court taken away
>>a right that was declared, for all practical purposes, to be
>>"explicit" within the Constitution (which occurred in
>>1946 with a court that had been "packed" by Franklin
>>Roosevelt). Scholars tell us that is most unlikely to
>>ever occur again. Therefore, nothing short of a
>>constitutional amendment will protect the unborn child.
>>That is why we must work tirelessly to secure that
>>objective and not be deterred by politicians who claim,
>>disingenuously, that there are "other ways" to
>>address the problem. There IS no other way. According
>>to the Supreme Court, the Constitution now explicitly
>>defends a woman's right to kill an unborn baby, and
>>neither the Congress, state legislatures nor lower
>>courts have the power to override that ruling.
>>
>>But there is another implication of the Casey decision
>>that places our culture squarely on the edge of the
>>slippery slope. Please stay with me as I attempt to
>>explain it. The Court ruled in this case that American
>> citizens are entitled by the 14th Amendment to create
>>their own reality -- to make their own rules --
>>to determine individually what is right and wrong
>>under the law. 3 In so doing, the justices abandoned
>>the historic concept of "natural law" -- which assumes
>>there is a God who has established the moral framework
>>on which all our statutes are based. This assumption of
>>divine presence and absolute truth has been the
>>cornerstone of our democracy from the earliest days
>>of the Republic. Thomas Jefferson referred to it in
>>the Declaration of Independence when he wrote, "that
>>they are endowed by their Creator with certain
>>unalienable Rights..." 4 Human dignity and equal
>>protection under the law are not gifts from government
>>or from any other human institution. They are
>>bestowed by the One from whom all moral judgments,
>>including the Ten Commandments, are derived. This
>>is the essence of the inspired system of government
>>handed down to us generation after generation.
>>
>>Tragically, the words written by Supreme Court
>>Justices O'Connor, Kennedy and Souter in
>>the Casey decision stand in stark contrast to that
>>historic acknowledgment of God. They said, "At the
>>heart of liberty is the right to define one's own
>>concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe,
>>and of the mystery of human life." 5
>>
>>Never before has a U.S. court rendered such a decision.
>>Chuck Colson said about it:
>>
>>In other words now it's nobody's business but yours
>>if you want to put a gun to your
>>head. With Planned Parenthood v. Casey,
>>the Supreme Court opened a Pandora's
>>Box, something Justice Antonin Scalia recognized
>>in his dissent. Scalia warned,
>>"Liberty defined under Casey could include
>>'homosexual sodomy, polygamy, adult
>>incest and suicide.'" Scalia was being optimistic.
>>Theoretically, under Casey, a citizen could marry
>>his toaster if he wanted to. There's no limit
>>to what someone could deem essential to his
>>personal sense of "dignity" and "autonomy". That's why
>>Casey is a recipe for chaos. It effectively
>>tells people that they have a right to shake
>>their fist at the law and say, don't tell me what
>>to do. As Catholic University's Russel
>>Hittenger put it, Casey granted citizens a
>>"private franchise over matters of life and
>>death." We need to help our neighbors understand
>>why the Casey decision has taken
>>us far beyond the issue of abortion. With this
>>ruling the Supreme Court has created a
>>judicial Tyrannosaurus Rex -- one that threatens
>>to consume our very ability to govern ourselves. 6
>>
>>Nearly 3,000 years ago, King Solomon warned
>>those who substituted their own puny
>>interpretations and judgment for ancient
>>eternal truths. He wrote, "There is a way that
>>seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof
>>are the ways of death" (Proverbs 14:12,
>>KJV), and "The way of a fool is right in his
>>own eyes" (Proverbs 12:15, KJV). To
>>understand the fallout from Planned Parenthood
>>v. Casey, one need only look at
>>subsequent judicial rulings. It should have
>>been anticipated that lower courts would jump on
>>the new-age interpretation of individual liberty,
>>and indeed, that's just what they did. Earlier
>>this spring, two federal appellate courts also
>>found written in the 14th Amendment a right
>>for doctors to kill their patients. On March 6,
>> the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San
>>Francisco struck down by an 8-3 vote a Washington
>> state law forbidding doctors to "assist"
>>terminally ill patients in their suicide.
>> 7 The Casey decision was cited in the ruling.
>>On April 2, the 2nd District Court of Appeals
>>reached the same conclusion. 8 Judge Stephen
>>Reinhardt, author of the majority opinion in
>>the Ninth Circuit, created a constitutional right
>>never before recognized. And he knew what he
>>was doing. In an interview with The Wall
>>Street Journal -- which described the judge as
>>"a crafty advocate for his left-leaning
>>views" -- Reinhardt called the decision
>>"my best ever". 9
>>
>>How rapidly we are tumbling down the slippery
>>slope now. In a single day, the Ninth
>>Circuit took us where people in the Netherlands
>>required 20 years to travel. Euthanasia is
>>widely practiced there, with an estimated
>>2,300 cases each year and no end in sight. 10 The
>>Dutch Supreme Court has gone so far as to rule
>>that a doctor may assist in the suicide of a
>>patient not even suffering physical pain, let
>>alone terminal illness. In another case, the
>>court acquitted a doctor who assisted in the
>>death of a woman who wasn't even ill. 11
>>
>>Furthermore, as many as 1,000 Dutch citizens
>>die each year of "involuntary euthanasia"
>>(also known as murder) at the hands of their
>>physicians. 12 In these cases, the patient has
>>not requested assistance in dying; the doctor
>>has acted on his own initiative or at the
>>prompting of a family member. Last year, a
>>physician in the Netherlands was acquitted
>>after killing a spina bifida infant at the
>>parent's request. 13
>>
>>Could this "involuntary euthanasia" become
>>commonplace in North America? That seems
>>to be where we are headed. In a footnote to
>>their decision, the justices on the Ninth Circuit
>>make clear that a "decision of a duly appointed
>>surrogate decision maker is for all legal
>>purposes the decision of the patient himself."
>>14 They also refused to condemn the practice
>>of killing those who are unable or unwilling
>>to request assistance in dying -- even to the
>>point of inviting legal challenges to the current
>>law. 15 This, dear reader, is what awaits us
>>at the bottom of the mountain. As in Holland,
>>sick, disabled or demented Americans and
>>many other classes of human beings will one day
>> have no choice about dying. The
>>temptation for others to choose death on their
>> behalf will be too great to resist, especially in
>>an economy that is hard-pressed for health-care
>> funds! Thus, the slippery slop slides into
>>our own backyard.
>>
>>There have been numerous other examples of
>>judicial imperialism in recent rulings,
>>including the Supreme Court's reversal of
>>Colorado's Amendment 2 (discussed later) and
>>the federal appeal court's overturning of
>>the new law designed to protect children from
>>indecency on the Internet. It would sicken
>>you to see what 10-year-olds will continue to
>>encounter on their computer screens as a result
>>of this ruling. Nevertheless, the decision by
>>our elected representatives in Congress and
>>the president was set aside by a panel of three
>>powerful judges. 16
>>
>>There is another decision about to be handed
>> down which represents, I believe, an
>>enormous threat to our democracy. All eyes
>>are on a trial court in Hawaii which will soon
>>decide whether homosexuals have the right
>>to marry under that state's constitution. The
>>Hawaii State Supreme Court has already set
>>the ground rules: in order to deny same-sex
>>couples the right to marry, the state must
>>demonstrate a "compelling interest" to do so. This
>>is the most difficult of all legal standards
>> and raising the high jump bar to this level has
>>made the outcome nearly a foregone conclusion.
>>If Hawaii approves same-sex marriage, it
>>will do so for the rest of the nation because
>>a same-sex marriage license is valid in every
>>state that has not passed laws to prohibit
>>them. Gays from Kentucky could marry in
>>Hawaii, return home and demand full legal
>>privileges. And once again, if the court approves
>>same-sex marriage, it will do so against the
>>clear wishes of the majority of American
>>citizens. 17 (A bill currently in Congress,
>>called the "Defense of Marriage Act", is designed
>>to counteract the homosexual marriage issue in Hawaii.)
>>
>>In these cases and many others, the courts
>>are radically changing the nature of our
>>democratic process. In his dissent against
>>the Ninth Circuit's deadly constitutional
>>creativity, Judge Andrew Kleinfeld wrote,
>>"The founding fathers did not establish the
>>United States as a democratic republic so that
>>elected officials would decide trivia, while
>>all great questions would be decided by the
>>judiciary." 18 In fact, our Founders feared
>>the day when the judiciary would become,
>>according to Thomas Jefferson, "a despotic branch"
>>of government. 19. He explained how this tyranny
>>might happen:
>>
>>To consider judges as the ultimate arbiters of
>>all constitutional questions [is] a very
>>dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which
>>would place us under the despotism of an
>>oligarchy. Our judges are as honest as other \
>>men and not more so. They have, with others,
>>the same passions for party, for power, and
>>the privilege of their corps...[A]nd their power
>> is all the more dangerous as they are in office
>>for life and not responsible...to the elective control. 20
>>
>>How clearly Jefferson perceived our present judicial
>> crisis. The Supreme Court is becoming "a despotic
>>branch of government", consumed with power and
>> accountable to no one. There are only three solid
>> conservative justices remaining -- Rehnquist, Thomas
>> and Scalia. Three other Republic appointees,
>> Souter, O'Connor and Kennedy, have consistently
>>joined with the liberal wing to create "rights"
>>never imagined by the framers of the
>>Constitution. Together, these six people possess the
>> authority to destroy our freedom unless
>>they are confronted within the democratic process.
>>
>>Does the U.S. Constitution provide a remedy for
>>today's imperialistic court? Well, in fact, it
>>does. My friend Paul Weyrich, president of the Free
>>Congress Foundation and CEO of National Empowerment
>>Television, discussed that provision recently in a
>>statement to his television audience. His words are
>>worth considering:
>>
>>In the history of nations, there comes a time
>>when a crossroads is reached. Down one road
>>is the slippery slope to perdition. It is
>>the easier road, but at the end civilization
>>lies in ruins. Historians are left to chronicle
>>the demise of the nation. Up the other road
>>is the narrow, difficult path to the recovery
>>of the sovereignty of the people. This way
>>is fraught with peril and many turn back along
>>the way. But for those who make it, the possibility
>>of passing on the heritage of the nation is made
>>possible.
>>
>>I believe we have reached such a crossroads
>>with the Supreme Court's decision...which
>>struck down Amendment 2 of the Colorado Constitution.
>>This sweeping declaration by the court, now being
>>celebrated, if you will pardon the term,
>>with gay abandon by those in the society who
>>seek to undo all civilized restraints, will
>>take us down the road to the ultimate destruction
>>of our society.
>>
>>Not only does the court again invent a new
>>right under the Constitution never contemplated
>>by the founding fathers, nor ever given the
>>Court by any vote of the legislature or referendum
>>of the people, but the Supreme Court has now struck
>>down, it would seem for all time, the one weapon
>>citizens thought they had to preserve their society.
>>
>>The issue was simple enough. The people of Colorado
>>voted to instruct their own legislative bodies that
>>none of them was to give any special rights to
>>homosexuals. No rights were taken away. Only rights
>>not enjoyed by other groups in society were enjoined.
>>The State of Colorado presented several arguments to
>>meet the reasonableness test which the Court imposes
>>in consideration of such issues.
>>
>>But six Supreme Court justices rejected all those
>>arguments and told the people of
>>Colorado: You have lied to us. We here know that
>>the reason you voted as you did is
>>because you are bigoted against homosexuals. So
>>we will thwart your will. We will void your sovereignty.
>>We, the elite, will overturn your decision and we
>>will open the door to anyone who feels he has been
>>defeated by the democratic process to seek our
>>protection from the people. This is only the beginning,
>>as various homosexual rights groups gleefully proclaim.
>>This decision paves the way for the complete
>>acceptance and sanction by this society for a lifestyle
>>which is openly condemned in the Bible more times than
>>any other specific sin. "An abomination unto the
>>Lord" can now receive privileged treatment from
>>legislative bodies.
>>
>>If this decision is allowed to stand, historians
>>will look back upon this time as the critical
>>turning point in our society. So what is to
>>be done? In the past I would exhort
>>you to elect a president who would appoint
>>justices who would adhere to the Constitution.
>>That was the cry of Richard Nixon in the 1968
>>presidential election. He did not appoint
>>such Justices. Nor, as it turned out did
>>Gerald Ford or Ronald Reagan
>>or George Bush [in every instance], or,
>>of course, Bill Clinton. Each of them
>>contributed justices who constituted
>>the 6-3 majority of the court on the Colorado
>>decision. It is also clear that no matter
>>what protective statutes they pass, this Court
>>will declare them unconstitutional.
>>The Defense of Marriage Act is making its way
>>through the Congress right now. By the standard
>>of this court, declaring that homosexuals can't
>>marry constitutes bigotry. It is also clear
>>that a vote of the people in the so-called
>>sovereign states means nothing to this court
>>as it demonstrated not only in this case but
>>in the recent case on term limits as well.
>>
>>So there remains but one option for citizens
>>who wish to protect themselves from the
>>tyranny of the majority on this Supreme
>>Court. This is not a course I recommend
>>lightly. In the early 1960s when the John
>>Birch Society was pushing to impeach Earl
>>Warren, I didn't buy into the idea, even
>>though I detested the decisions of the
>>Warren court. In the mid 1960s when then
>>Congressman Gerald Ford first raised the
>>possibility of impeaching Justice William
>>O. Douglas, I opposed the idea in a radio
>>editorial, even though I found Douglas and
>>his views reprehensible. But this time it is
>>different. We are out of remedies. Impeachment
>>is our only hope of bringing a court
>>which is out of control, back under control.
>>
>>I would remind you that Alexander Hamilton,
>>in the Federalist paper number 61,
>>wrote of the "important constitutional
>>check which the power of instituting
>>impeachments...would give to (Congress)
>>upon members of the judicial department.
>>This is alone a complete security. There
>>can never be danger that the judges, by a
>>series of deliberate usurpations on the
>>authority of the legislature, would hazard the
>>united resentment of the body entrusted with it."
>>
>>Indeed the National Legal Foundation has
>>compiled a history of impeachments
>>which shows that in the early part of
>>our nation's history, the legislature was far
>>more ready to act upon impeachment of
>>judges, yes even a Justice of the Supreme
>>Court, than we are today. That time was
>>closer to the intent of our founding fathers.
>>
>>As to the argument that impeachment
>>can only be initiated for matters such as
>>embezzlement or bribery, let me cite what
>>then Minority Leader Gerald Ford said in
>>1970 during his drive to impeach Justice
>>Douglas. "When, then, is an impeachable
>>offense? The only honest answer is that
>>an impeachable offense is whatever a
>>majority of the House of Representatives
>>considers it to be at a given moment in
>>history; conviction results from whatever
>>offense or offenses two-thirds of the other
>>body considers to be sufficiently serious
>>to require removal of the accused from
>>office."
>>
>>As Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote in
>>his opinion in Rochin vs. California, justices
>>who do not restrain themselves are
>>subject to only two remedies. A constitutional
>>amendment or impeachment.
>>
>>I understand the implications of what I am
>>recommending. I have no illusions thatthe Senate
>>would remove these Justices from office. But the
>>mere act of initiating impeachment would finally
>>focus the attention of this nation on the enormity
>>of the crimes which this Court has committed
>>against our constitutional form of government.
>>
>> Rather than stand aside and watch this nation
>>slide further down the [slippery slope]
>>to ultimate destruction, I hope and pray
>>that citizens will petition their representatives
>>to impeach the majority of this court and in doing
>>so will employ the one remaining remedy they have
>>to save the nation. 21
>>
>>Whether or not we should seek to impeach offending
>>justices of the Supreme Court, we certainly concur
>>with Paul Weyrich that the present liberal
>>majority poses a serious threat
>>to the future of this nation. That danger is
>>not new, of course. Our founding fathers were
>>also greatly concerned about future generations
>>forgetting the principles on which the
>>country was based. They understood the
>>implications of a secularized society in which God
>>had no part. The following warnings from these
>>early leaders reverberate from across the
>>centuries and speak to the excesses of our present day:
>>
>>"...the Christian religion, in its purity,
>>is the basis or rather the source of all genuine
>>freedom in government...(A)nd I am persuaded
>>that no civil government of a republican form
>>can exist and be durable, in which the principles
>>of that religion have not a controlling influence."
>> --Noah Webster, no year given 22
>>
>>"Religion and liberty are the meat and drink
>>of the body politic. Withdraw one of them and it
>>languishes, consumes and dies...Without religion
>> we may possibly retain the freedom of savages,
>>bears, and wolves, but not the freedom of New
>>England. If our religion were gone, our state
>>of society would perish with it, and nothing
>>would be left."
>> --Timothy Dwight, President of Yale, 1798 23
>>
>>"Whenever the pillars of Christianity shall
>>be overthrown, our present Republican forms
>>of government, and all the blessings which
>>flow from them, must fall with them."
>> --Jebediah Morse, Father of Samuel F.B.Morse, inventor of the
>>telegraph, 1799 24
>>
>>"Without morals a republic cannot subsist any
>>length of time: they therefore who are decrying
>>the Christian religion, whose morality is so
>>sublime and pure...are undermining the solid
>>foundation of morals, the best security for
>>the duration of free governments."
>> --James McHenry, Secretary of War under Presidents George Washington
>>and John
>> Adams, 1800 25
>>
>>"Moral habits...cannot be safely be trusted on
>>any other foundation than religious principle,
>>nor any government be secure which is not supported
>>by moral habits."
>> --Daniel Webster, 1820 26
>>
>> "It is impossible to mentally or socially enslave a Bible-reading
>>people."
>> --Horace Greeley, 1852 27
>>
>>"I've lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer
>>I live, the more convincing proofs I see of
>>this truth -- That God governs in the affairs
>>of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the
>>ground without His notice, is it probable
>>that an empire can rise without His aid? We
>>have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings,
>>that 'except the Lord build the House
>>they labor in vain who build it.' I firmly
>>believe this, and I also believe that without
>>His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this
>>political building no better than the
>> builders of Babel" 28
>> --Benjamin Franklin, 1787
>>
>>These stern warnings by our founding
>>fathers have validity for us because
>>they reflect the admonitions of Jehovah, Himself,
>> as recorded in the book of Deuteronomy and quoted
>>below. Though He was addressing the nation of
>>Israel, His words reveal an immutable
>>standard of righteousness which applies
>>of all generations.
>>
>>You may say to yourself, "My power and the
>>strength of my hands have produced
>>this wealth for me." But remember the Lord
>>your God, for it is he who gives you the
>>ability to produce wealth, and so confirms
>>his covenant, which he swore to your
>>forefathers, as it is today. If you ever
>>forget the Lord your God and follow other
>>gods and worship and bow down to them,
>>I testify against you today that you will
>>surely be destroyed. Like the nations the
>>Lord destroyed before you, so you will be
>>destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God."
>> --Deuteronomy 8:17-20, NIV
>>
>>It is folly to assume that those sobering words
>>have no relevance to the day in which we
>>live. Although they were spoken more than
>>4,000 years ago, the parallel to our affluent,
>>arrogant nation is striking. Furthermore,
>>we find similar New Testament passages that
>>warn of evil and apostasy. For example, the
>>apostle Paul said, "The wrath of God is being
>>revealed from heaven against all the godlessness
>> and wickedness of men who suppress the
>>truth by their wickedness" (Romans 1:18, NIV).
>>Later in the book of Romans he wrote,
>>"For the wages of sin is death, but the
>>gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord"
>>(Romans 6:23, NIV).
>>
>>If God's judgement befalls wicked nations
>>as well as disobedient individuals, as Scripture
>>clearly indicates, how can our own country
>> escape His wrath -- a land wherein 30 percent
>>of our children are born out of wedlock, where
>>1.5 million defenseless babies are killed in
>>the womb, where crime and violence have
>>become a way of life, where heterosexual and
>>homosexual promiscuity are flaunted and
>>celebrated as in the days of Sodom and
>>Gomorrah, where child abuse is rampant
>>and where God is mocked and His name defiled
>>in that which we call "entertainment"? We have
>>forgotten the moral and spiritual principles
>>with which we began and now we stand, as Paul
>>Weyrich wrote, at the most important
>>crossroads in our history. One road leads to
>>continued rebellion and defiance of the Holy
>>One of Israel. Traveling further down that
>>slippery slope will lead, I believe, to the
>>destruction of the social order as we have
>>known it. The other road brings us to
>>repentance, forgiveness, obedience, wholeness
>>and health as a nation. King David tells us,
>>"Blessed are the people whose God is the
>>Lord" (Psalms 144:15, NIV). Everything
>>depends, therefore, on the choices we will
>>make at this critical juncture. Nothing short
>>of a sweeping spiritual revival will save
>>us from our own foolishness.
>>
>>That is the conclusion drawn by our board
>>of directors during a recent two-day meeting
>>devoted to our nation, its heritage and its
>>future. Specifically, we addressed the question,
>>"What is the role of this Christian ministry
>>in a post-Christian world?" For six hours we
>>pondered the implications of this subject
>>and ended late that evening in a time of fervent
>>prayer for the Lord's guidance. It was a
>>defining moment in the 19-year history of Focus on
>>the Family.
>>
>>The mission of this ministry was confirmed and
>>sharpened during that wonderful time
>>together as a board. We agreed to devote more
>>of our energies and resources to spreading
>>the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the
>>only source of light in an increasingly dark and
>>sinful world. Those who follow our broadcasts
>>and publications in coming months will hear
>>more about this emphasis and how it will be
>>implemented. We also plan to redouble our
>>efforts to secure what has been called
>>"the defense of righteousness" in the culture.
>>Spiritual renewal must be translated into
>>social action, as those who are transformed by the
>>Gospel of Jesus Christ then begin to influence
>>the moral fiber of the nation. In effect, the
>>scriptural principles which our founding fathers
>>incorporated must again be brought to bear
>>on every aspect of life, including education,
>> government and law. We have asked the Lord
>>to make this ministry a beacon of light in a
>>culture, and in a world, that is quickly forgetting
>>the fundamentals of the Christian heritage.
>>We will do our best to be faithful to that calling.
>>
>>Thank you for standing with us as we seek to
>>carry out this mission. Our resources are
>>stretched to the limit during these summer
>>months when people are away from home and
>>thinking about other things. If we could hear
>>from you at this time, it would be most
>>encouraging to me and the staff of Focus on
>>the Family. Blessings to you all. We are
>>partners in this effort to preserve the
>>things that matter most.
>>
>>Sincerely,
>>
>>James C. Dobson, Ph.D.
>>President
>
>
>
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Paul Andrew Mitchell : Counselor at Law, federal witness
B.A., Political Science, UCLA; M.S., Public Administration, U.C. Irvine
tel: (520) 320-1514: machine; fax: (520) 320-1256: 24-hour/day-night
email: [address in tool bar] : using Eudora Pro 3.0.3 on 586 CPU
website: http://www.supremelaw.com : visit the Supreme Law Library now
ship to: c/o 2509 N. Campbell, #1776 : this is free speech, at its best
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Postal Zone 85719/tdc : USPS delays first class w/o this
As agents of the Most High, we came here to establish justice. We shall
not leave, until our mission is accomplished and justice reigns eternal.
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