'Intolerant' Expression of Faith

I have a bone to pick with the self-appointed social and political leaders who have set themselves up as guard dogs tasked with “protecting” the rest of us from what they consider intolerant speech.

Last week, they went too far when they dragged the tolerance banner into the religious realm. They essentially said it is up to them to determine what is an acceptable, appropriate expression of faith.

Background: The Military Religious Freedom Foundation threatened to seek an injunction stopping a Pentagon prayer service next month in conjunction with the National Day of Prayer unless Franklin Graham was removed from the list of people who would offer a prayer. His offense? He’s not a Christian in name only. He actually believes the Bible – all of it, including that salvation is in Jesus Christ alone.

His offending remark? “I am not on a crusade against Muslims. I love the Muslim people. ... I want them to know that they don’t have to die in a car bomb, don’t have to die in some kind of holy war to be accepted by God. But it’s through faith in Jesus Christ and Christ alone.” Because of this declaration of faith, the Army “diss”-invited the evangelist from the event.

Col. Thomas Collins, Army spokesman, said Graham’s remarks were “not appropriate. We’re an all-inclusive military. We honor all faiths. ... Our message to our service and civilian work force is about the need for diversity and appreciation of all faiths” (Washington Post).

The irony: These same Army officials saw nothing inappropriate when Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan gave what was supposed to be a medical lecture to other military doctors at Walter Reed in which he said non-Muslims should be beheaded and have boiling oil poured down their throats. He added that they were infidels condemned to hell who should be set on fire (Telegraph.co.uk). Where were the protests from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation then?

I don’t know about you, but I feel much more comfortable with Graham’s “intolerance” than I do with the Army’s tolerance of Hasan’s hate speech.

The result: Last November, Hasan gunned down 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in Texas.

Graham responded to his disinvite with: “I want to express my strong support for the United States military and all our troops. I will continue to pray that God will give them guidance, wisdom and protection as they serve this great country.”

I’m Joey. I’m running for Congress. And I approved this message – even if some think it is intolerant.

Joey's Take: A History Lesson

With every breath they take, every move they make and every vow they break, Congress and the president are proving how much they need a herding dog like me to police them – and keep them out of our pockets and the business of local government.

Last week, President Obama strayed out of the federal fence again when he weighed in on the fact that the Virginia governor’s traditional proclamation of April as Confederate History Month did not mention slavery, calling it “an unacceptable omission.” The incident serves as “a reminder that when we talk about issues like slavery that are so fraught with pain and emotion, that, you know, we'd better do so thinking through how this is going to affect a lot of people,” the president added (The Washington Times).

But Gov. McDonnell was not talking about slavery. He was talking about a war that started 150 years ago this month, that turned brother against brother and that almost destroyed this nation. Like it or not, that war – in and of itself – is a defining chapter in our country’s history. It is still the subject of college courses, movies, documentaries and books, many of which focus on personal narratives, military strategies and the politics at play, not on slavery. And here in Virginia, which is home to more than its share of Civil War battlefields and monuments, the war means business – and jobs. Real jobs, that is, for both black and white.

Contrary to what the president and media would have you believe, the proclamation is not a celebration of the war or slavery. Although it now includes an obligatory reference to slavery, the intent of the proclamation is that this part of “Virginia’s history should not be forgotten, but instead should be studied, understood and remembered by all Virginians, both in the context of the time in which it took place, but also in the context of the time in which we live.”

It’s a lesson the president and Congress should take to heart. By studying the years leading up to the war – years marked by an increasingly divided nation, a political battle for states’ rights and an onslaught of nullification efforts – they could take the steps necessary to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself.

I’m Joey. I’m running for Congress. And I approved this message.

An Easter Confession

I confess:
On this most holy of holy days, my thoughts were trained on family rather than on that miracle that shook the foundations of the earth, stretched the boundaries of human credibility and demonstrated for eternity God’s irrevocable love for His creation.

I confess:
In the rush and busyness of every day, I take that love for granted, pushing God to the fringes of the life He created.

I confess:
In the darkest moments, I have clung desperately, and victoriously, to God’s promises. But in the bright sunlight of His blessings, I too often stumble in the glare of self-pride.

I confess:
In this moment of quiet at the end of the most holy of holy days, I reflect again on that first Easter and am shamed by my nonchalance in the face of this great miracle – in the embrace of this all-forgiving love.

I pray:
Lord, teach me to live the joy of Easter every moment that I breathe.

Joey's Take: Fur's a Flying

I want the president and all of Congress to know I’m barking angry at the direction our country is going. And it's time for fur to fly. That’s why I’m running for office. Somebody has to nip the heels of this runaway government before it plunges the nation – and the American dream – over a steep cliff to absolute financial ruin.

I also want them to know that my anger has nothing to do with Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh and any “vitriol” that duo may or may not be fomenting. I think for myself, thank you. And I can see that cliff getting ever closer.

Speaking of vitriol, I’d like to remind our president of his own vitriolic hate speech. Remember the talk he made on the eve of the Pennsylvania primary – the one at a private fund-raiser in Pelosi’s San Francisco? The one in which he accused people in small towns in Pennsylvania and across the Midwest of being “bitter.” Because of that bitterness, he said, “they cling to guns or religion or antipathy.” (I guess if you're not bitter, you don't need God!)

He didn’t get it then – he and his campaign staff made “bitter” an internal code word for the middle-class (Game Change).

And he doesn’t get it now. In his comments to Harry Smith on CBS’ Early Show Friday, the president tried to minimalize and marginalize those who disagree with him. He also tried to frame "demonizing" as a conservative phenomenon, conveniently ignoring the hate speech – and the damnations of America – that spewed from behind the pulpit of his Chicago church, the vitriolic hatred that continues to flow from the left whenever Bush or Cheney is mentioned and the spiteful trash that is daily heaped on non-liberals in blogs, chat rooms and other social media sites. He also ignored that he fans the rhetoric with his own arrogance and dismissive attitude toward any view but his own.

On another note: The White House ripped into Israel for “embarrassing” Vice President Joe Biden by announcing a new settlement on the West Bank during his visit to Jerusalem last month. What Biden forgot is that in a land where history is measured in millennia rather than a few centuries, memories run long – very long. It was payback time for when then-Sen. Biden tried to belittle Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin who was testifying before the Senate Finance Committee in 1982 about Israeli settlements. Raising his voice and banging on the table with his fist, Biden demanded that Israel immediately end its settlement program or the U.S. would cut its aid to the country.

Begin’s response: “This desk is designed for writing, not for fists. Don’t threaten us with slashing aid. Do you think that because the U.S. lends us money, it is entitled to impose on us what we must do? We are grateful for the assistance we have received, but we are not to be threatened. I am a proud Jew. Three thousand years of culture are behind me, and you will not frighten me with threats.”