The debate continues to rage over abortion in this nation. My views are clear: I am unapologetically opposed to abortion as a means of birth control. As an emergency procedure where medical necessity dictates, it is a matter of conscience where a choice between two lives must be made.  This is not a decision that I could undertake lightly, and I hope that others share that view. 

My purpose in writing is to expose the culture of genocide that lies at the very founding of Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the nation. Its roots go back to the Progressive Era early in the 20th century where the intelligentsia determined to set themselves up as the keepers of mankind, even including the decision of which lives were worth living or even worthy of entering the world. A large number of Americans, and especially those in the black community are ignorant of the roots of the movement and the sinister motives that continue to this day. 

 [The] incidence of abortion has resulted in a tremendous loss of life. It has been estimated that since 1973 Black women have had about 16 million abortions. Michael Novak had calculated “Since the number of current living Blacks (in the U.S.) is 36 million, the missing 16 million represents an enormous loss, for without abortion, America’s Black community would now number 52 million persons. It would be 36 percent larger than it is. Abortion has swept through the Black community like a scythe, cutting down every fourth member.” 1

Currently, in our government, there is a well-entrenched cadre of true believers in abortion on demand, a group that lionizes the founder of Planned Parenthood, Margaret Sanger.  Among these is Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton.  At 4 minutes 25 seconds into this video, Ms. Clinton compares the eugenics advocate and racist Margaret Sanger to Thomas Jefferson. Secretary Clinton even seems to say that Sanger is superior to Jefferson. 

So the bar has been set; Margaret Sanger’s actions in life were superior to that of the author of the Declaration of Independence. 

Let’s examine the evidence. Let’s start with a video overview of Sanger’s beliefs.

Margaret Sanger was born in Corning, New York, on September 14, 1879. Although Sanger had aspirations of becoming a doctor, she only worked briefly as a “nurse probationer” and never entered nursing school. 2  

By 1916, Sanger had fully subscribed to the eugenics movement which formed a central tenet of the progressive movement. Sanger saw birth control as a principal way to limit the numbers of people she considered to be defective. Sanger sought to protect the freedom and power of those she believed to be of a superior breed as they would be needed to rule over the impure masses. At this time she was operating an illegal birth control center in Brooklyn, NY, in a heavily Italian and Jewish minority neighborhood, establishing the model for locating future Planned Parenthood clinics in heavily minority neighborhoods of the inner cities of America. 

By 1919, Margaret Sanger had founded Birth Control Review and wrote: “More children from the fit, less from the unfit—that is the chief issue in Birth Control.”2  She expanded on this belief in her autobiography:

I accepted one branch of this philosophy, but eugenics without birth control seemed to me a house built upon sands. It could not stand against the furious winds of economic pressure which had buffeted into partial or total helplessness a tremendous proportion of the human race. The eugenists wanted to shift the birth control emphasis from less children for the poor to more children for the rich. We went back of that and sought first to stop the multiplication of the unfit. This appeared the most important and greatest step towards race betterment.4 

Sanger directed her anger at organized charity for causing the problem with overpopulation of “undesirables”:

It [charity] reveals a fundamental and irremediable defect. Its very success, its very efficiency, its very necessity to the social order, are themselves the most unanswerable indictment. Organized charity itself is the symptom of a malignant social disease.

Those vast, complex, interrelated organizations aiming to control and to diminish the spread of misery and destitution and all the menacing evils that spring out of this sinisterly fertile soil, are the surest sign that our civilization has bred, is breeding and is perpetuating constantly increasing numbers of defectives, delinquents and dependents. My criticism, therefore, is not directed at the “failure” of philanthropy, but rather at its success.

These dangers inherent in the very idea of humanitarianism and altruism, dangers which have to-day [sic] produced their full harvest of human waste, of inequality and inefficiency, were fully recognized in the last century at the moment when such ideas were first put into practice…5

So, let’s summarize to this point:

 Margaret Sanger subscribed whole-heartedly to the belief in eugenics as the way to better the human race by increasing desirable peoples and decreasing numbers of undesirable peoples. She further went on to blame the success of charity in taking care of the less fortunate for causing undesirable, unfit people for continuing to exist, even prospering. She called these people “human waste.”

At this point in her life, Margaret Sanger then moves against blacks as a group worthy of particular attention on her part. In so doing, she created what is known as the “Negro Project.” Now, I won’t be silly enough to impart racism simply because of the use of the word “negro.” It was in common usage, as were the words, “colored people,” in that day. But the actions and deviousness of the Negro Project are quite chilling. By extension, her views that certain people constitute “human waste” then encompass blacks. Her plan was summarized best in her own words:

It seems to me from my experience…that while the colored Negroes have great respect for white doctors they can get closer to their own members and more or less lay their cards on the table which means their ignorance, superstitions and doubts. They do not do this with the white people and if we can train the Negro doctor at the Clinic he can go among them with enthusiasm and with knowledge, which, I believe will have far-reaching results among the colored people. His work in my opinion should be entirely with the Negro profession and the nurses, hospital, social workers, as well as the County’s white doctors. His success will depend upon his personality and his training by us.

The minister’s work is also important and also he should be trained, perhaps by the Federation as to our ideals and the goal that we hope to reach. We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members. [Emphasis added]6

Today’s Planned Parenthood carries on the tradition of birth control, with the added component of abortion as a means of “family planning.” The end result has taken a terrible toll on the black community.

Where are the voices of the black community in response?

Certainly one can always point to Dr. Alan Keys and his staunch support of life on his site www.LoyalToLiberty.com. Here you will find his discussion of his views and perhaps as importantly, an examination of the views of prominent people believed to be pro-life. Labels can be misleading.

Also, Rev. Dr. Clenard H. Chilress, Jr., a black Baptist preacher from Montclair, NJ, has put together a site in which a plethora of educational items about the scourge of abortion in the black community can be accessed. In fact, his work is so vast on the subject, that the reader would be well-advised to set aside a fair amount of time to visit www.BlackGenocide.org. But a fair warning, there are areas where those faint of heart may fear to tread. The issue of abortion is not sugar-coated in any way on this site.

Now, I can hear the critics already screaming: “But these ideas are old ideas. No one subscribes to eugenics anymore.”

Really?

 ”Frankly I had thought that at that time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of.”   7/2/09 Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg       

 The reality:

“The most dangerous place for an African American to be is in the womb of their African American mother.” Rev, Clenard H Childress Jr

________________

SOURCES:

1. Rev. Dr.Clenard H. Childress, Jr., www.BlackGenocide.org

 2. Madeline Gray, Margaret Sanger: A Biography of the Champion of Birth Control (New York: Richard Marek Publishers, 1979), p. 326.

 3. “Intelligent or Unintelligent Birth Control?” editorial from American Medicine, Birth Control Review, May 1919, p. 12.

 4. Sanger, Margaret Sanger: An Autobiography, pp. 374-375.

 5. Sanger, The Pivot of Civilization, pp. 116-117.

 6. Linda Gordon, Woman’s Body, Woman’s Right: A Social History of Birth Control in America (New York: Grossman, 1976), p. 332.

My pick for best email of the year!!!

The year is 1947
 
Some of you will recall that on July 8, 1947, a little over 60 years ago, witnesses claim that an unidentified flying object (UFO) with five aliens aboard crashed onto a sheep and mule ranch just outside Roswell, New Mexico. This is a well known incident that many say has long been covered up by the U.S. Air Force and other federal agencies and organizations.
 
However, what you may NOT know is that in the month of April 1948, nine months after that historic day, the following people were born:
 
  Albert A. Gore, Jr..
  Hillary Rodham
  John F. Kerry
  William J. Clinton
  Howard Dean
  Nancy Pelosi
  Dianne Feinstein
  Charles E. Schumer
  Barbara Boxer
 
  See what happens when aliens breed with sheep and jackasses?
 

 I certainly hope this bit of information clears up a lot of things for you. It did for me.
 
  No wonder they support the bill to help illegal aliens!

Our nation is at a major crossroads, the economy stinks, and everywhere we turn the news goes from bad to worse with virtually no let up. But it is Christmas, a time of hope, for the hope of mankind was born and entered into this world as helpless as many of us feel now. Yet from that helpless beginning, a world was saved from the eternal death of sin, and the promise of life eternal was given to all who accept the Son of God as their personal Savior.

I hope that we will all take a day to put aside our worries, look to the star in the east and remember the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes in the poor surroundings of a stable.

For my part, I want to share a gift with all who care to venture further into this post. As you all know, I am a musician of sorts. It would be impossible to reach each of you individually to give you a gift. But so many of you have meant so much to me over the past few months that I’ve been on Twitter and Facebook, that I wanted to give you something in return.

So, in the links below, are some songs you are free to download and enjoy (or not). Some of the engineering is a bit rough still, and the beauty of a digital recording studio and a very nice Korg Triton keyboard is that you can go back and fix it as easily as you would change a typo on a page. I wanted to have these songs more polished, but time caught up with me. Here they are in their rough form. The ones I wrote are clearly identified. The others you’ll recognize immediately, even if my interpretation may be very different from what you might expect.

If you like this, please feel free to share. If not, well at least you didn’t pay for this music.

Merry Christmas!

Angels We Have Heard On High (Traditional)

Angels (Something Different)

Can\’t Go Back – ORIGINAL

Christmas Club Mix

Christmas Medley

The Christmas Song

For Lizette – ORIGINAL (my baby sister who is with Jesus now)

Praise – ORIGINAL

Silent Night – Traditional

There is a great deal of talk about the next election, always is. A great deal of hope is always pinned on these biennial exercises in freedom. However, we often overlook that we have more than just the vote at the ballot box. In fact, the framers of this nation anticipated that we would be fully functioning, full-time voters in the path our nation took and gave us frequent opportunities for our voices to be heard.

We all know about the vote at the ballot box. We also now know that our apathy and failure to vote our principles can have dire consequences for the nation that could go well beyond the next election cycle.

We also have the vote of the grand jury. This allows citizens to keep law enforcement and prosecutors in check. By serving in this important role, we have the opportunity to see evidence and ask questions directly of witnesses prior to indicting one of our fellow citizens to stand trial for serious offenses.

There is also the vote of the petit jury. This is commonly seen in the jury trial. This is the final defense of a citizen who is faced with having their life, liberty or property taken away from by process of law. We have seen many cases of “jury nullification” over the years. Like it or not, agree with it or not, it is a valid and constitutional role of each member of the jury to decide the case before it. Additionally, the petit jury is seen in civil cases where a person or company is faced with damages for an act damaging another person or company. Again, agree with the outcome or not, this is a constitutional role of the citizenry.

In both cases of jury votes, it always astounds the lengths to which citizens will go to avoid serving in these important roles, and yet the complaints of the outcomes are always so loud. Persons making an effort to get out of jury duty on a regular basis have no right to condemn the actions of those that do serve on juries.

However, the most overlooked vote of each citizen was also envisioned by the Founders, although not specifically mentioned anywhere in the Constitution.  This is the vote in the marketplace where each person freely decides winners and losers in the economy by virtue of their purchases of products and services. Yet, this is a vote that most exercise blindly and with little thought of the consequences.

This brings me to the War on Christmas. We hear much complaining about the assault on Christmas every day at this time of year. Many companies shamelessly avoid or detract from Christmas, yet everyday unwitting consumers pump cash into their coffers, voting for and ratifying the bad behavior of these companies.

The most notable example of late is Best Buy. This retail giant has apparently decided, rightfully so, that Christians will continue to shop there, despite their paying homage to nearly every holiday but Christmas. I received an e-mail from them recently that contained no reference to Christmas whatsoever, yet the banner at the bottom of the page had a Happy Kwanzaa greeting. In fact, I searched their site for the word “Christmas.” Do you know where I finally found it? On pre-printed gift cards. That’s right, if you buy a gift card from Best Buy, you can have the words “Merry Christmas” printed on a plastic card redeemable for their merchandise. But you can’t get the clerk to say “Merry Christmas” while selling it to you.

Now, the rest of what I have to say is aimed toward Christians, because it is toward Christians that this War on Christmas is directed.

If we are true believers, we already accept the premise that our Heavenly Father owns everything and that we are stewards of His blessings, tasked with using what He gives us for His purposes. Most of us say, “Yes, I believe that.” And we give our tithes and offerings, even our time, to the work of the Kingdom. But that is where it usually ends.

Was it just a coincidence that God placed over 2300 verses in the Bible about money and possessions? Or that Jesus spent more time talking about these things than he did heaven and hell combined?

No. Our Father in Heaven, who sees and knows all, knew that money would be the greatest challenge for believers and the biggest tool used by enemies of the truth.

Right now, our faith is under assault from every angle. Hollywood routinely mocks us in movies. The far left is passing laws that should nauseate the conscience of every Christian, for example, abortions and using our money to fund the atrocities, not only here in our country, but around the world. Many businesses have bought into the secular progressive movement and are using their money to fund the assault on Christianity.

There is no question that our nation, even the world, is at a dangerous time. This is because the time is growing short and the adversary is growing more bold and maybe even desparate. And many of us are unwitting accomplices of the attack on our own values!

So, what can you do about it?

First, take the attitude that the amount of money you have left after your tithes and offerings also still belongs to God. Your Father knows you need food, clothing, shelter, even entertainment and relaxation. But before you spend money on these things, take a moment to think about to whom you are giving the money.

For example, did you know that there is one auto insurance company that advertises very heavily and uses the money it brings in to help fund abortions, gay marriage efforts, and a host of other secular progressive assaults on our beliefs? And yes, the company’s name is Progressive. Therefore, every time a Christian makes a premium payment to this company, they are actually counteracting the benefit of the tithes and offerings they give to their church.

What about your entertainment, reading, and other media choices?

I can’t tell you how often I hear the phrase, “I can’t stand his politics, but I love his acting. So I go see his movies.” That money spent on the movie puts money into the Hollywood machine and actors’ pockets so that they can further their agenda against us.

I miss a lot of movies and shows because I refuse to help destroy God’s work, even as an unwitting accomplice. I’ve been ridiculed for this stand by even my friends and family.

But can you imagine the effect if for just a few months every professing Christian in this nation actually voted their conscience each time they pulled out the checkbook or debit card? How many things could we change about news coverage, Hollywood movies, companies’ donations to causes, etc.? Would we continue to support businesses that gladly take our Christmas shopping dollars, yet deny the very reason for our celebration?

So, please, the next time you spend God’s bounty on your personal needs, wants, and desires, ask yourself, “Am I being a faithful steward with God’s blessings?”

Will this work? Answer this: What happened to The Dixie Chicks? Heard from them lately?

Are you hot, cold, or lukewarm for the Lord?

For years, the left has spread the myth that they speak for Americans. They have done this with loud protests that catch the eye of the media. The perception is that they are a larger group in society than they really are. In fact, they make up only 18 to 20 percent of American society and are outnumbered in every single state in the union. What they have done well is use their willing accomplices in the media to get their word out.

It’s time to counteract their strategy by becoming loud, vocal and protesting in more creative ways ourselves. I’m no expert on these tactics, but I have studied hours of YouTube video to come up with this strategy.

Polls show 81% oppose the new standards for mammograms and Pap smears. Evidence suggests that these new standards will increase female mortality due to breast and cervical cancers. With early detection, both of these cancers have high survival rates.

So, taking a page from the Alinsky playbook, organizing a Die-In is a low-cost, effective strategy to put this issue to the forefront.

You Don’t Have to Have Hundreds Show Up

Most of the die-in’s organized by the left against big tobacco and other companies were just a loud handful of people, usually less than 20 persons, showing up and putting on a great show for the media.

Find a group of very vocal women to join you in this endeavor. This is a women’s health issue, and it is best protested by women. But don’t discount the supporting roles that men can play. The guys can use the bullhorns, run video, cover the “dead” with sheets, etc.

Find a High Profile Target

Pick out a well-known women’s health center in your area. For example, here in southeast Alabama, the best target is Southeast Alabama Medical Center which just opened a new, multi-million dollar state-of-the-art women’s health center. If you don’t have such a clinic nearby, consider using the local oncology, mammogram facility, etc.

Timing

The best time of day will be mid-morning when a lot of people are heading in and out of the clinic for appointments. Also, morning is typically a slow time of day for local news media. Camera crews have nothing to do and could be available for live shots. If you wait until afternoon, you may find news coverage sparse as they head out to cover local high school sporting events and other human interest stories.

Props

This is a visual event, so don’t underestimate the power of props. If you can get cardboard coffins, body bags, even just sheets to cover the dead, don’t discount the visual impact. The idea is to show that women will die from these policies. You have to be willing to offend some sensibilities of others. This has been the key to the left’s success. People are offended at the idea of big tobacco profiting while people die. Make the same point for this cause. People will be offended by government changing standards to save money while women die needlessly.

Fliers

Don’t miss out on the chance to let people take the message home. Please consider preparing fliers of statistics of women diagnosed early having higher survival rates. Include on the flier information for your local grassroots group, such as 912 project, etc.

Media

Don’t think the media magically will sense that you are putting on a protest. But walk a fine line between too much lead publicity. The idea is for the event to be a surprise to the clinic and its patrons. So, too much advance notice to media could lead to calls to the clinic asking for comment before you even get there. It may be best to simply show up and meet a block away, call the media, and then wait about 10 to 20 minutes and then proceed to the protest site.

Media will not always be available, but if you contact newspaper, TV, and radio, you should get someone there. Also be sure to have your own media crew there. This is where the guys can help out. They can video the event from a number of different angles. These videos can be sent to news outlets, including such ideas as UReport@foxnews.com. Be sure to have good quality video taken from tripods. Shaky video will be usually rejected as unwatchable. If all else fails, put the event on YouTube.

Civil Disobedience

This is where most conservatives get a bit squeamish, especially Christians. The Manhattan Declaration has made it clear we are free to engage in civil disobedience if it is in obedience to God’s will. I don’t believe God gave us the brains to come up with life-saving technology and then shelve it to save a few dollars. What you believe is up to you.

Here are some key points:

Don’t block the entrance to the clinic. People need to be able to come and go. But be in close proximity to the main entrance so that you can be seen and heard.

Don’t destroy private property under any circumstances. No spray painting, breaking windows or similar hooligan behavior can take place. This probably goes without saying, but I have no idea who is reading this.

If the police show up and order you from the premises, this is where it gets dicey. The left is often willing to get a minor arrest for trespass. So, they remain in their dead pose and force officers to physically carry them from the premises. This makes for great video, but an arrest record is not something most conservatives care for. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you agree in advance with the group. My recommendation is to comply with police orders. If you use video properly, get media attention lined up, you should have made your point before the police get there. You may keep the police from being summoned completely by explaining what you are doing to the director or other official of the facility and how it will benefit women and how you are drawing attention to this issue which is obviously of great importance to the facility, as well.

The Players

Each person has a role which should be carefully planned. There needs to be a leader/spokesperson. This person will use the bullhorn or their own voice to project the message that the new mammogram and Pap smear criteria will lead to later diagnoses of these serious diseases, and as a result, more women will die completely preventable deaths.

The “dead” can play a verbal role, too. Consider using statements like, “My name is Debbie. I’m 41 years old. Under these new rules, I won’t be able to get a mammogram until I’m 50. As a result, I may die.” Then lie down on the ground.

The “undertakers” also play a key role. By symbolically covering each person as they “die,” they drive home the point of the finality of death.

Dress casually, but nice. Jeans, etc., are preferable so that clothing does not get ruined by lying on the ground. If it’s cold, consider an extra layer under outer clothes. Concrete can be very cold. The idea is to appear dead, not shivering and miserable.

Good Luck

Like all live events, things can be very fluid. There may be interactions with by-standers, facility officials, and others that can change the flow of events. The key is to be good improvisers and roll with the flow.

I wish any of you who decide to undertake such a protest the best of luck. This is an important issue, and it does serve to highlight the flaws of government control of health care choices. And don’t limit this to women’s issues, too. You can use the die-in for senior health issues, disabled child health issues. The imagination is your only limitation.

Last night on Twitter, many of us were privileged to participate in a nearly unprecedented event: Conservatives showing remarkable cohesion and single-mindedness of purpose. I personally had never seen anything like it in my many years of being a user of social media going back to the chat rooms of America Online in 1991.

Someone started a hashtag thread of #2wordsliberalshate. It was trickling along with a few tweets here and there. The entries being tweeted were both funny and very telling of the liberal mindset. Entries such as “real jobs,” “free enterprise,” “logical debate,” “The Bible,” etc., came through.

Suddenly, several tweeters with large follower counts joined in almost simultaneously. Within just a few minutes, a massive, cathartic release of frustration and anger was taking place. The tweets to the thread #2wordsliberalshate were coming in so fast that it was nearly impossible to read them all. The entries became more profound and included such things as “personal responsibility,” “personal freedom.” The thread soon became so active that it reached the position of third highest trending topic on Twitter.

As a keen student and observer of human nature, I have some thoughts on why this remarkable solidarity occurred.

First, the sting of the recent passage of HR 3962, Health Care Bill, was still fresh and smarting. Despite a majority of Americans clearly opposing the bill’s passage, the bill was approved by a razor thin margin in the heavily Democrat-controlled House of Representatives. Disenfranchised conservatives were hungry for a way to show their anger that a minority of the electorate had prevailed on an issue with such far reaching impact.

Second, the #2wordsliberalshate concept boiled an issue down to  the simplest of terms: how the right sees the left’s actions and philosophies. It was simple, and it was direct. There were no complications of other issues that often divide the right into factions. Each person was free to voice their pet peeve, quickly and directly. While there was a great diversity of topics covered in the tweets, the central theme of what’s wrong with the left remained the uniting theme.

Third, the tweets were short, and easily retweetable without the need to read a link, shorten to fit the 140-character Twitter limit. Many tweeters, myself included, often use up most of the 140-character limit in initial thought. Many times, this just cannot be avoided, even though it is a good practice to leave room for retweet headers.

Right now, the conservative movement in this country is a groundswell of revulsion against recent government actions from the bottom up. In large part, even though some potential leaders are beginning to reach prominence, the right is essentially leaderless with no clear person around whom to rally. As a result, although we represent the largest group in the nation, we are having a difficult time mounting the opposition that is demanded to put down the well-organized minority on the left. Last night’s #2wordsliberalshate phenomenon did not require a leader. It allowed everyone to participate.

Uniting and organizing conservatives will be the holy grail of the 2010 election. Conservatives by nature are, in fact, rugged individualists who generally have an automatic avoidance of “group think.” On the contrary, the emotionally immature left is easily enticed by the lure of an “easy” life, devoid of personal responsibility and individual thought.

But just imagine how quickly we can turn this nation around if we conservatives can take the lesson of this simple exercise and convert it into a lasting cohesion. We must put aside all the side issues that divide us internally, whether they be issues of faith or of the secular world, and distill our message to a single, uniting concept.

After all, if the left could achieve victory with simplistic, vacuous promises of “Hope” and “Change We Can Believe In,” what success could we achieve on something more substantial with the same single-mindedness of purpose?

While many conservatives cheered the passage of the Stupak Amendment to the Health Care Bill (HR 3962), the amendment was merely a clever ploy to provide cover for Blue Dog Democrats from red states to be able to vote for the final passage of the bill itself.

There is little controversy that polling shows that the majority of Americans do not support current abortion law and even fewer want their tax dollars to pay for these procedures. There is some controversy over whether or not HR 3962 would have permitted taxpayer dollars to be used for abortions. I am of the opinion that it did.

This is one issue in HR 3962 that many Americans could understand, and it was one issue that could be very problematic for House Blue Dogs in the 2010 election. So, a clever use of parliamentary procedures, House rules, and conference rules was brought into play.

By voting for the Stupak Amendment, the Blue Dogs could go home and claim they voted against taxpayer funded abortion. Many conservatives cheered the victory, as well. But the devil, as always, is in the details of how a bill winds its way between the two chambers of the legislative branch to become final law.

The Stupak Amendment does, in fact, remove the issue of abortion from HR 3269 as it stands now. But now that the bill has been passed, the next step to enactment will be with the Senate. The Senate has at least two versions of the bill in committee that may or may not be reported to the floor by year’s end. Should the bill be passed in the Senate, it will be a very different bill. This is where the process of the conference committee comes into play.

Once both houses have passed different versions of a bill, then a conference committee of a handful of representatives from the House and Senate meet to reconcile differences. They are not bound by the original bills from either house, and they can, and often do, completely redraft the legislation into a completely different form. They will not be bound by the Stupak Amendment at this point. They are free to insert any language they wish into the final bill to be voted upon by each house.

You may have noted Minority Leader John Boehner asked three times during debate on the bill and the amendment for a guarantee from the Democrats that abortion language would not find its way into the final bill when it was reported out of conference. In each case, long-winded non-answers were received.

So, as it stands now, HR 3269 has been passed by the house, and the Blue Dogs can claim they voted for life, even though many of them voted for final passage of the bill. Conservatives cheered what will probably prove to be a short-lived victory unless the bill is defeated in the Senate completely.

The poison was cleverly removed from the pill, and the pill was swallowed. Yet a new pill is being formulated. Do not expect this issue to go away so easily next time.

Courtesy of Valleycrest Productions

FINAL UPDATE 12/14/09:

Each group of contestants gave themselves a name upon being placed into isolation with the producers and lawyers on each day of taping. Our group attacked the catered breakfast very hard, so it was obvious that we had all arrived hungry. We were also all there obviously in search of some money. So, with the help of Kevin, one of the producers, we gave ourselves the name “Money Hungry.” I greatly enjoyed getting to know this group of unique individuals. They were all incredibly smart. Some of us were luckier in the help from expert and lifelines, as well as the questions that came up, than others.

Here are the final standings for Money Hungry.

LtCol Todd Phipps, USAF, $25,000

Greg Howard, Headland, AL $15,000

Suzette Arce, Bayside, NY $12,500

Janice Walton, Houston, TX $12,500

Javier Cepeda, New Haven, CT $12,500

Renee Giorgi, Yaphank, NY $7,500

Exenia Rocco, Cincinnati, OH $5,000

Andrea Madho, Brooklyn, NY $5,000

Lisa Lawton, San Diego, CA $5,000

Brandon Adoni, Glen Head, NY $0

Rick Mazza, Reading, PA $0

Kevin Brown, Troy, NY $0

___________________________

UPDATE: The show with my appearance in the Hot Seat will air on December 11 and 14, 2009. Be sure to tune in and see how I did.

———————————–

As you probably know, I was recently a contestant on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” at ABC Studios in New York City. The whole event was so surreal that I wanted to take some time to collect my thoughts before sharing the experience with others. It will forever rank just behind the births of my kids and my wedding as one of the most memorable and pleasant events of my nearly 50 years.

The Test and Audition

The road to becoming a contestant on “Millionaire” was a long one. It started many years ago with the phone calls, the post cards, and all the other methods used to place one’s name into consideration. Finally, in April, 2008, an opportunity to register online became available, and I did so. To my surprise, I got a testing an audition date of May 5, 2008, in New York. Of course, I had to make arrangements to get there at my own expense, but I was glad to do so.

I arrived in New York for my test and audition in the early afternoon and made my way to the studio. My spirits fell when I saw how many people were already there. The doubts came rushing in, “Am I good enough to make it past all of these people to get a spot on the show?” But the die was cast, and there was no turning back.

We were taken into a cafeteria at ABC studios and given a short period of instructions on what to expect. We were told we would be taking a 30-question multiple choice test with a time limit of ten minutes. At the completion, the tests would be graded, and those passing the test would asked to stay for further evaluation. I don’t recall the test being that difficult, but I do remember having to guess at several answers, especially women’s clothing and pop culture type questions.

Needless to say, when the tests were collected, my nerves were completely on edge. I had no idea if I had given enough right answers to be asked to stay. They came back very quickly with the results. We had all been given a number when we received our tests, and they started calling out the numbers of the passing scores. They announced about five numbers, and my spirits kept sinking each time. Finally, I heard my number, then one or two more, and the producers then asked everyone whose number had not been called to leave the building. To my shock, the group of about 100 people was now only about seven or eight hopeful souls.

We were then individually interviewed, face to face, and on camera. The interviews were brief and were centered around life experiences or skills that were unique to each contestant. After that, we were told that, if we were selected, we would receive a postcard in about 30 days.

Well, 30 days came and went, and I had heard nothing. Again, it seemed that all my hopes and dreams were going to be dashed. I had wanted so badly to appear on the show, and it felt like I had hit the final brick wall. As luck would have it, just as I was giving up hope, my wife, Sandra, came running into the house one day, screaming at the top of her lungs and waving a small postcard in her hand. I had made it into the contestant pool!

Hope Wanes…Again

Of course, Sandra and I immediately told everyone we knew that I had made it into the contestant pool for “Millionaire.” And predictably, everyone we knew asked us each time they saw us, “Have you heard yet? When are you going?” This dragged on for several months. Each time the answer was, “No, nothing yet.” Always in the back of my mind was the fine print on the postcard which provided the final reality check: “Being in the contestant pool does not guarantee that you will appear on the show.”

After about four or five months, the inquiries from our friends and acquaintances became more sporadic, and by about Christmas, no one was asking me anymore about “Millionaire.” It seemed as if the fine print had taken another victim.

I continued to watch the show, study, watch documentaries, try to stay up on pop culture, but the nagging feeling that they were never going to call persisted and started to grow within me. I took comfort in the fact that I had done everything I could do, and that it was a producer’s decision somewhere that I was not likeable or interesting enough to be on the show. By summer of 2009, I continued to be a fan of the show, but had pretty much given up hope again.

The Call

I was at the hospital in late August, 2009, with my mother. Her health had not been good for months. Surgeries led to complications, with the cures for the complications causing even more complications. We had been in and out of the hospital so much all summer long that even the janitors knew my name and were friendly to me. It was a good distraction from my disappointment at not having heard from “Millionaire” in over a year. But somehow it kept nagging at me what had happened.

And then Sandra called me out of the blue at the hospital and said she had come home and there was voice mail from Amanda at “Millionaire” and that I had until 5:00 pm the next day to return the call. Unfortunately, due to time differences, it was already after 5:00 in New York, and I would have to wait another day to call back.

I called immediately the following morning after 9:00 a.m. New York time and got through to Amanda immediately. Without telling me the purpose of the call, she immediately launched into a series of questions, was I running for office, was I related to people from a number of different companies, etc. After answering each one in the negative, she finally told me, “Congratulations! You have qualified to be a contestant on Who Wants to be a Millionaire!” I had often thought how I would react to such wonderful news, but the only thing that came out of my mouth was a weak “Thank you.” She went on to tell me I would have to be in New York on September 30 and October 1 for taping, that I needed to bring a couple of changes of clothing, that she would be sending me questionaires, rules, contracts, and information forms for my Phone-A-Friend lifelines. I was numb. I really couldn’t form a thought if I had tried.

The following month was a blur. I cracked every almanac, biography, and Cliff’s Notes that I could get my hands on, searched Priceline.com for the best deals, lined up my lifeline buddies, etc. Also, I spent a lot of time watching old episodes of the show on TiVo to familiarize myself with strategy, use of lifelines, and just try to make sure that the game itself would throw me no surprises. In the meantime, I continued to live at the hospital most of the time with mom and kill hours at a time on Twitter to burn nervous energy. During this time, I had a lengthy phone interview with Jordan who told me she was going to be my producer and be with me throughout the whole process in New York when I got there. She really put me through my paces, going over my questionnaire with a fine-toothed comb, looking for all the human angles possible to my life story. There was something very calming about how she handled everything. I had no idea how much I was going to rely on this later.

It Becomes Real

On September 29, 2009, I bid my family farewell at 4:30 in the morning and made my way to the Dothan airport for a trip that turned out to be a truly amazing experience. All the flights and transfers were without incident, and I arrived at my hotel on 45thand Madison in the heart of New York City a little after noon. I checked into my room and immediately checked in withHeather withthe show and got my reminder to be at the studios at 7:30 in the morning the following day. And then I tried desperately to unwind. I got on Twitter to chat with friends, watched a union protest from my 10thfloor window, and spent a lot of time pacing around, wondering, “What if they ask me this? Yes, Meredith, that’s my final answer.” I role-played, I envisioned, positive mental attitude, everything I could think of.

Taping: Day One

I arrived outside ABC Studios about 15 minutes early after a ride from hell in a typical New York cab. I found a small group of about a dozen contestants all standing outside. Immediately, I was struck with how confident, outgoing, and personable they all were. These were truly sharp and likeable people. I felt honored to be in such a group.

At promptly 7:30 a.m., the door opened, and security came out to greet us. Security screening procedures were explained to us, we were instructed to immediately go to the contestants’ locker room and empty everything from our pockets, and to keep with us only our proof of Social Security number and photo ID. From that point on, we were in contestant isolation. No phone calls, no books, no sources of trivia, nothing but the clothes on our backs and proof of identification.

We were met in the green room by Kevin who was assigned to be with us all day in the green room. Kevin is a young, black man, fresh out of college. He’s very athletic looking, sharply dressed, and highly intelligent and entertaining. We immediately were shown where to get some breakfast and to get comfortable for a very long day of waiting in the green room. Kevin helped us pick out a group name, which we settled on as “Money Hungry.” We had all attacked the breakfast tray pretty well and were now on our hunt for the big prize. So, “Money Hungry” seemed a natural fit for all of us.

The rest of the morning was a series of signing contracts, non-disclosure agreements, rules acknowledgements, etc. We were given a briefing by the show’s attorney on the rules and how the questions were safeguarded and not even in the building until just before the show, how each stack of questions was randomly shuffled to the stack of contestants and all the procedures in place to protect the integrity of the show. I won’t say I found it surprising the level of work they do to protect the show’s integrity, but I did find it comforting. I knew my chances were the same as everyone else’s, and that’s all I could ask. We were also given a complete briefing on the rules and some tips on how to effectively use our lifelines. We also received a short briefing on our “ask the expert” lifeline and their strengths and weaknesses.

At one point, each of us was taken to a separate dressing room where we met with our producers to once again go over our personal stories, picking out points of emphasis that had been found to be interesting. I finally got to meet Jordan, one-on-one at this time. I was surprised at how young she and everyone else directly involved with the contestants were. These were obviously sharp and intelligent people, but the youth threw me a bit. I got over it quickly though, as every single one of these young producers was as professional as one could hope to find.

About mid-morning, we were all taken downstairs for our first look at the studio. The trip from the green room to the studio involved navigating a long series of hallways and stairs, and the movie, “The Green Mile” kept jumping through my head.

Upon arriving in the studio with the other contestants and our producers, it finally hit me between the eyes. It IS happening, and it IS happening now! We were shown the “hot seat” and how to get in and out of it without embarrassing or killing ourselves. We were shown where the monitors and cameras would be, and then sample questions were displayed so we could get a feel for what our screen looked like and the information that would be displayed there. After we were given this familiarization, we were taken back up the “Green Mile” to the green room, where a light lunch of sandwiches was prepared and waiting.

I’m not familiar with makeup, other than watching the women in my life put it on. It was a very strange experience, especially when Cheryl, a very interesting and sweet lady, from Pensacola, Florida, originally, started to apply it to the top of my head! And I had spent so much time shining it up just for the show! In any event, she did something magical and took about 10 years off my face.

Then it was back downstairs to the studio to be introduced to the audience. When we got there, a comedian or something like that was warming up the crowd. They were clearly in a great mood, cheering and laughing a great deal. The music was pumping, hands were clapping. And needless to say, adrenaline was flowing quite freely!  We were placed in alphabetical order by first name, and one by one, we were announced to the crowd and walked from the tunnel across the set. I drew a great deal of energy from the audience’s cheers. I needed it at that point.

And then we were taken one more time back to the green room to wait, and wait. One by one, producers came and got someone and took them downstairs for their turn. Each time a contestant returned, the door to the green room was closed, and we were kept from any contact with them. This was all to preserve the integrity of the show and keep game play results from being known. I understand this. The whole purpose of the show is to get people to tune in, right?

The good news is that waiting in the green room with the other contestants was anything but boring. As I said before, these were all very sharp and intelligent people, and the conversation lived up to that in every way. I liken it to the best cocktail party ever, except for the lack of adult beverages. We talked about politics, current events, our families, our jobs, funny things that had happened to us. At some point, as the number in the room dwindled, someone made a sideways reference to Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None,” and everyone got it! It was truly a fantastic group of people.

What were the other contestants? Without giving too much away because you want to watch the show for the week of November 30 through December 7 to see me, but we had an Air Force officer, a Radio City Music Hall Rockette, an attorney, a couple of grad students, marketing consultants, stay at home mom, you name it. It was really a diverse group. I hope you will watch the show and get to know these great folks on at least some level. We were allowed to exchange e-mail addresses, and we will be staying in touch.

The Hot Seat

Finally, when there were only two of us left, we were taken downstairs together. We were mic’ed up, and then we were held in the wings to watch a couple of contestants in front of us as they played the game. Surprisingly, by now either due to a total depletion of adrenaline or the calming influence and guidance of Jordan, I was not really that nervous any more. Yes, there was a slight quickness of pulse and a general super-alertness that I had not felt in a long time, but the jumping up and down inside my skin was finally gone.

As I was waiting, Jordan sat next to me on the ready bench. She calmly told me my lifelines were standing by, that they had been called and were ready to help if needed. She gave a couple of last minute pointers on being relaxed, confident and myself, and reminded me that I was here for a reason: I had proved my smarts and that people would relate to me. Just go out and have fun and do my best.

On cue, I was given a gentle tap on the back and pointed to the hot seat. It was show time! I don’t remember how I got there. All I remember is I was by the bench, and next thing I know, I’m sitting within arm’s reach of the wonderfully attractive Meredith Vieira, and she’s asking me if I’m ready to play the game.

Taping: Day Two

Time for the show ran out while I was playing, and I had to come back the next day. I was allowed the luxury of sleeping late and reporting to the studio by 10:15 a.m. I did not have to go through all the briefings again. I did a little shopping on Madison Ave and scored a gorgeous alpaca sweater. It was pricey as could be, but I could not resist it. I arrived with the other hold over contestant from the previous day.

And I was promptly placed into double secret probation contestant isolation. Unfortunately, since I was in the middle of active game play, I was placed in a separate dressing room away from the others, including the new ones that had come in that morning. It was a bit of a downer to be isolated, but producers kept sticking their heads through the door, supplying my diet soda habit, and from time to time keeping me company.

We repeated the parade of contestants before the live audience again. This group was even livelier than the day before. And this time, I was at the back of my line and announced as a returning contestant with my prize level.

And then a magical five minutes took place. I was taken to the tunnel where Meredith and I taped a lead in to the show. There a couple of mis-takes, and there was some time for a little idle chat between Meredith and me. She loved the name of my kid, asked how we picked it, told me how she had heard the story of my escapades shopping on Madison Ave that morning for the sweater, and even grabbed the sleeve to feel the quality. Is she as real and genuine as she comes across on TV? Without a single solitary doubt in my mind.

Then it was to the hot seat directly. Jordan came up quietly behind me and told me all three Phone-A-Friends were standing by, that I was doing a great job, and to relax and have fun. I will never be able to thank her enough. I know this is her job, but she’s very good at it, and she succeeded in getting me through the whole thing.

How Did I Do?

Without trying to be punny, that’s the million dollar question. I can’t tell you. I really don’t want to. I really want to have you tune in to the show and see for yourself. I had the best time, and I hope it shows through when you see me on the show.

Do You Have What It Takes?

If you think you have what it takes and want to go through this incredible experience like I did, I would encourage you to go for it. Don’t hesitate. It’s a long road, but I would not trade the experience for anything in the world other than life and safety. Please go to http://www.millionairetv.com/ and click on the Auditions tab.

If you go for it, I wish you the best of luck! It’s worth it!

Today, like many other days, we were once again attacked for our staunchly conservatives views which we express freely on Twitter.com. Once again, the far left has taken to its old tactic of destroying the messenger when they cannot destroy the message.

Today, like many times in the past, my exercise of my right to free speech and dissent against the current administration in power in Washington, DC, drew its usual derision from the far left, but today they went too far. I was called a traitor and accused of treason.

Treason? For voicing my views? For decrying the state of our republic at the hands of an elected class that holds no regard for our founding documents, and more specifically, The Constitution of the United States of America? They pay no attention to the people of the United States in their peaceful redress of grievances, and yet I’m the traitor?

Well, that is more than this old Marine can take. And it is more than I will stand for again. I served this nation honorably for five years in the United States Marine Corps. I was honorably discharged on August 3, 1984, exactly 25 years ago today.

Since my honorable discharge, I have worked tirelessly for my community. I have served as a Cubmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, coached youth sports, and devoted a great deal of my time to the American Legion. I will not stand by and be called a traitor to this once great nation by the far left any longer.

Treason is the only crime specifically and narrowly defined by the Constitution in Article III, Section 3:

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

The law is very clear. To accuse anyone of a crime for which there is no supporting evidence is libelous, slanderous, or defamatory, per se.  Per se, simply means that upon proof that the charge is baseless, no further proof of intent or other malice is necessary to find against the defendant in such an action.

But as we have found out time and time again, the left has no respect for the law, the Constitution or free speech of any kind, unless you agree with them.

I see a left in this country that is bankrupt. Bankrupt of honor, decency, and the tolerance they demand so fervently for their own issues.

What kind of nation have we become where honest dissent is now equivalent to a crime possibly punishable by death in the minds of the far left?

This is not the America I swore to defend with everything I had, up to and including my life.

The day may come where it is a crime to speak out against a renegade government, and I’m sure many on the left eagerly look forward to that day. But that day is not here, and it won’t come, God willing, as long as I’m alive.