Curtis Dahlgren
The leftist Empire strikes back? Another week, another shooting
By Curtis Dahlgren
"When Ann Coulter wrote a book entitled 'Demonic,' she wasn't just using a 'figure of speech'!" — C.Dahlgren (8-10)
HUMAN LIFE IS NO LONGER SACRED, OBVIOUSLY. A punk shot up a mall in Omaha about five years ago. He left a suicide note behind that said he had been "a piece of s — all his life," but now he'll be famous. The ultimate Reality Show? Famous for how long — 15 days or 15 minutes? No one even remembers your name, punk.
Another punk shot up another mall that year, Trolley Square in Salt Lake City. You probably don't remember that punk's name either, do you? These two shootings had something in common — though not the country of birth of the shooter. The Salt Lake
shooting was on the eve of Mitt Romney's announcement speech in Dearborn, Michigan on February 13, 2007. Among other things he said while throwing his hat into the ring was:
"Throughout my life, I have pursued innovation and transformation . . . I do not believe Washington can be transformed from within by a lifelong politician."
The Omaha shooting went down on the very eve of Mitt's second major speech, his "Faith in America" speech at the George H.W. Bush library in College Station, Texas (December 5, 2007). The following is an excerpt from that address:
Romney: "Thank you, Mr. President, for your kind introduction. It is an honor to be here today. This is an inspiring place because of you and the first lady, and because of the film exhibited across the way in the Presidential library.
"Mr. President, your generation rose to the occasion, first to defeat Fascism and then to vanquish the Soviet Union. You left us, your children, a free and strong America. It is why we call yours the greatest generation. It is now my generation's turn. How we respond to today's challenges will define our generation. And it will determine what kind of America we will leave our children, and theirs.
"America faces a new generation of challenges. Radical violent Islam seeks to destroy us. An emerging China endeavors to surpass our economic leadership. And we are troubled at home by government overspending, overuse of foreign oil, and the breakdown of the family.
"Over the last year, we have embarked on a national debate on how best to preserve American leadership. Today, I wish to address a topic which I believe is fundamental to America's greatness: our religious liberty. I will also offer perspectives on how my own faith would inform my presidency, if I were elected.
"There are some who may feel that religion is not a matter to be seriously considered in the context of the weighty threats that face us. If so, they are at odds with the nation's founders, for they, when our nation faced its greatest peril, sought the blessings of the Creator. And further, they discovered the essential connection between the survival of a free land and the protection of religious freedom. In John Adams' words:**
"'We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion... Our constitution was made for a moral and religious people.'
"Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone.
"Given our grand tradition of religious tolerance and liberty, some wonder whether there are any questions regarding an aspiring candidate's religion that are appropriate. I believe there are. And I will answer them today.
"Almost 50 years ago another candidate from Massachusetts explained that he was an American running for president, not a Catholic running for president. Like him, I am an American running for president. I do not define my candidacy by my religion. A person should not be elected because of his faith nor should he be rejected because of his faith.
"Let me assure you that no authorities of my church, or of any other church for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions. Their authority is theirs, within the province of church affairs, and it ends where the affairs of the nation begin . . . "
P.S. A correction. In my column last week I said:
"When a 2008 candidate for President mentioned [Adams] in a major speech, the pretty young things reading the news almost went 'like eeeww!' They acted as this were the first time they had ever heard of a John Adams. Maybe it was!
[BTW, the candidate was Mitt Romney, and there was a shooting in a mall in Salt Lake City that same day.] . . . "
** Obviously, the Adams quotations came in the Texas speech after the Omaha shooting. But the point was that somebody or Something was angry that Gov. Romney was getting a lot of attention.
PPS: "You shall be hated of all nations for My name's sake." Does this mean that even America will hate Christians of all varieties for Christ's name sake? I pray for people who are persecuted every day, no matter what brand of religion they follow. I plan to write about Billy Sunday, the ball player who brought almost all denominations together in the early 20th century. And among other things, he said:
"Don't throw away your ticket when the trains enters the tunnel. It will come out the other side."
The last four or five years have been a nightmare, but maybe America is about to come out the other side of the Mountain.
© Curtis Dahlgren
August 18, 2012
"When Ann Coulter wrote a book entitled 'Demonic,' she wasn't just using a 'figure of speech'!" — C.Dahlgren (8-10)
HUMAN LIFE IS NO LONGER SACRED, OBVIOUSLY. A punk shot up a mall in Omaha about five years ago. He left a suicide note behind that said he had been "a piece of s — all his life," but now he'll be famous. The ultimate Reality Show? Famous for how long — 15 days or 15 minutes? No one even remembers your name, punk.
Another punk shot up another mall that year, Trolley Square in Salt Lake City. You probably don't remember that punk's name either, do you? These two shootings had something in common — though not the country of birth of the shooter. The Salt Lake
shooting was on the eve of Mitt Romney's announcement speech in Dearborn, Michigan on February 13, 2007. Among other things he said while throwing his hat into the ring was:
"Throughout my life, I have pursued innovation and transformation . . . I do not believe Washington can be transformed from within by a lifelong politician."
The Omaha shooting went down on the very eve of Mitt's second major speech, his "Faith in America" speech at the George H.W. Bush library in College Station, Texas (December 5, 2007). The following is an excerpt from that address:
Romney: "Thank you, Mr. President, for your kind introduction. It is an honor to be here today. This is an inspiring place because of you and the first lady, and because of the film exhibited across the way in the Presidential library.
"Mr. President, your generation rose to the occasion, first to defeat Fascism and then to vanquish the Soviet Union. You left us, your children, a free and strong America. It is why we call yours the greatest generation. It is now my generation's turn. How we respond to today's challenges will define our generation. And it will determine what kind of America we will leave our children, and theirs.
"America faces a new generation of challenges. Radical violent Islam seeks to destroy us. An emerging China endeavors to surpass our economic leadership. And we are troubled at home by government overspending, overuse of foreign oil, and the breakdown of the family.
"Over the last year, we have embarked on a national debate on how best to preserve American leadership. Today, I wish to address a topic which I believe is fundamental to America's greatness: our religious liberty. I will also offer perspectives on how my own faith would inform my presidency, if I were elected.
"There are some who may feel that religion is not a matter to be seriously considered in the context of the weighty threats that face us. If so, they are at odds with the nation's founders, for they, when our nation faced its greatest peril, sought the blessings of the Creator. And further, they discovered the essential connection between the survival of a free land and the protection of religious freedom. In John Adams' words:**
"'We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion... Our constitution was made for a moral and religious people.'
"Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone.
"Given our grand tradition of religious tolerance and liberty, some wonder whether there are any questions regarding an aspiring candidate's religion that are appropriate. I believe there are. And I will answer them today.
"Almost 50 years ago another candidate from Massachusetts explained that he was an American running for president, not a Catholic running for president. Like him, I am an American running for president. I do not define my candidacy by my religion. A person should not be elected because of his faith nor should he be rejected because of his faith.
"Let me assure you that no authorities of my church, or of any other church for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions. Their authority is theirs, within the province of church affairs, and it ends where the affairs of the nation begin . . . "
P.S. A correction. In my column last week I said:
"When a 2008 candidate for President mentioned [Adams] in a major speech, the pretty young things reading the news almost went 'like eeeww!' They acted as this were the first time they had ever heard of a John Adams. Maybe it was!
[BTW, the candidate was Mitt Romney, and there was a shooting in a mall in Salt Lake City that same day.] . . . "
** Obviously, the Adams quotations came in the Texas speech after the Omaha shooting. But the point was that somebody or Something was angry that Gov. Romney was getting a lot of attention.
PPS: "You shall be hated of all nations for My name's sake." Does this mean that even America will hate Christians of all varieties for Christ's name sake? I pray for people who are persecuted every day, no matter what brand of religion they follow. I plan to write about Billy Sunday, the ball player who brought almost all denominations together in the early 20th century. And among other things, he said:
"Don't throw away your ticket when the trains enters the tunnel. It will come out the other side."
The last four or five years have been a nightmare, but maybe America is about to come out the other side of the Mountain.
© Curtis Dahlgren
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