What Happened to Bipartisanship?

As John McCain aptly put it, "It's hard to reach across the aisle when you're sitting that far to the left."

On Tuesday, President Obama signed the health care legislation, his pride and joy, into law.

The American people hate it. Not a single Republican in Congress voted for it.

I thought this was the man who was supposed to bring the country together. So much for the false promises of a false Messiah.

Quote of the Day

"There are fiscally responsible ways by which we can reform healthcare and
expand quality coverage that do not involve the forcing of unfunded and
unprecedented mandates onto individuals and states, and the unsustainable
growing of our national debt."
--Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell

Thought for the Day

The truth must always be told. It should be told boldly, accurately, and as
simply as possible. This is the everyday practice of those who truly love.
--George Gil, Problems in the Church #1, p. 5

March 21, 2010 -- A Day That Will Live in Infamy

This is a travesty.

"This is your hour, and the power of darkness." (St. Luke 22:53)

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing." (St. Luke 23:34)

Our elected representatives have betrayed us, but even worse, they have betrayed the innocent unborn child in the womb. They have told lies instead of the truth; they have condoned murder over respect for human life. They have chosen injustice over justice, and put personal gain ahead of the common good.

Worst of all is the betrayal of Jesus in this hour. Two thousand years ago, the Son of God was betrayed by Judas, one of His own disciples -- in exchange for a bag of money. Today He is betrayed by Nancy Pelosi, who also claims to be one of His own -- in exchange for very much the same thing.

We have done what we can to prevent this from happening. Now we must be at peace, because we have done the right thing and tried to get our national civil authorities to do the same.

"If I say to the wicked man, You shall surely die; and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his wicked conduct so that he may live: that wicked man shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death. If, on the other hand, you have warned the wicked man, yet he has not turned away from his evil nor from his wicked conduct, then he shall die for his sin, but you shall save your life." (Ezek. 3:18-19)

We must also accept God's Will in permitting this to happen, and trust in Him for the future, because He has a plan. Our elected representatives may not know what they are doing, but God knows what He is doing. He is allowing evil a temporary triumph, because in the end it must suffer a complete, humiliating and crushing defeat.

The timing of this event in the latter part of Lent is more than coincidental. Something much deeper than a political reality is at work here: a moral and spiritual reality. "For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places." (Eph. 6:12)

We are in a war, a spiritual war that is escalating, a war in which we will ultimately be victorious--if we remain faithful. The final victory over evil will come at the end of the world, when Jesus returns in glory to inaugurate the Last Judgment of all mankind. As the Just Judge, He will assign eternal rewards to righteous individuals and sentence eternal punishments to evildoers.

"These will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (Matt. 25:46)

Those who do evil will be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD will possess the land. (Ps. 37:9)

Truly the evil man shall not go unpunished, but those who are just shall escape. (Prov. 11:21)

The Bible is very clear about what will happen to unrepentant workers of iniquity. "He shall remember their iniquity and punish their sins." (Hosea 9:9)

"My foes will be terrified and disgraced; all will fall back in sudden shame." (Ps. 6:11)

For the evil man has no future, the lamp of the wicked will be put out. (Prov. 24:20)

"As the tongue of fire licks up stubble, as dry grass shrivels in the flame, Even so their root shall become rotten and their blossom scatter like dust." (Isa. 5:24)

"Just as weeds are collected and burned (up) with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth." (Matt. 13:40-42)

Just as Jesus triumphed over sin, death and the Devil by rising from the dead on Easter Sunday, the victorious apocalyptic Lamb (Rev. 5-7, 17:14) will definitively triumph over all the evil in the world on Judgment Day.

We await that Day in joyful hope.

"We Don't Have Real Representatives to Vote For"

Jerry Fowler and Mark Lotwis of the Save Darfur Coalition recently traveled to Sudan to observe the humanitarian situation in this war-torn country. Here are some snippets from their firsthand report, issued yesterday.

IDPs [Internally Displaced Persons] named security as their number one concern. Many complained of being subject to violence when leaving camps — not just women risking rape but both men and women being attacked when they go to the market or work in the cities. We often heard descriptions of the most recent attacks and that this violence was on the rise, not decline.

Despite Sudanese government claims that IDPs were returning to their villages in large numbers, we found little evidence of this. While there may be some returns and some seasonal migration to farm, IDPs said the main reason they cannot return home is because of a lack of security, and in some cases because other people were occupying the land they once lived on. One leader said, "When we can travel for two days without being attacked, we will go with no one telling us."

While distribution of food aid has been picked up by the World Food Programme and some new partners, provision of adequate water supplies appeared to be more
problematic, exacerbated by poor rains last year. At one camp, water was shut down at noon, and hand pumps were broken. In multiple camps we visited, people lined up for water, with rows and rows of empty jugs waiting to be filled. We saw unsanitary conditions around some pumps where spilled water runs off and mixes with animal waste — and children run around in bare feet.

We asked IDPs what they thought about the upcoming elections. The overwhelming majority of IDPs said they did not register and therefore will be disenfranchised in the election. Some said they didn't bother because "we don't have real representatives to vote for," while others feel that free political conditions do not exist. The ongoing state of emergency and level of violence leave doubts about a safe environment for candidates and voters in Darfur. When asked whether he feared for his life, one tribal leader told us, "I lost my family, I lost my country, I may lose my life." But he was resolved to carry on advocating for a just and lasting peace.

I hope all Americans of goodwill are just as resolved to continue working for peace in Darfur.