The Ordered Life

Today, we weep with those whose family members and friends have been brutally murdered in the cowardly attacks on the innocent in London. May God watch over these who mourn and may they be comforted by his Spirit. May those who have harmed his children be brought swiftly to swift and sure justice. Those who have slain the innocent shall give their own blood in return.

May there be no harbor for terrorism, terrorists, or those who support them. May they be rooted out and annihilated in accord with the punishment fit for murderers.

Lord, have mercy upon the people of London and all those whose loved ones have perished. Strengthen them by thy Spirit and minister thy grace unto them. In the name of Christ our Savior. Amen.

The Rev. Dr. Rick Scarborough, president of Vision America and chairman of the Judeo-Christian Council for Constitutional Restoration, writes today of Sandra Day O’Connor’s retirement.

SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR’S REAL RECORD
The liberal media is praising her to the sky as a moderate and centrist who brought balance to the Supreme Court. Democrats like New York’s ultra-liberal Charles Schumer are saying they expect the president to pick someone just like her to fill the vacancy on the high court.

Why is Sandra Day O’Connor receiving such fulsome praise from the left? A look at her real record makes it easy to discern. From a constitutionalist perspective, O’Connor–one of Ronald Reagan’s two worst mistakes (the other being Justice Anthony Kennedy)–was an unmitigated disaster.

This so-called swing vote swung to the left more often than not. In the Court’s two recent Ten Commandments cases, O’Connor voted with the majority to ban displays in Kentucky courthouses, and voted with the minority, which wanted to prohibit a Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of the Texas Capitol.

In Planned Parenthood v. Casey, she provided the crucial fifth vote to uphold Roe v. Wade, thus assuring the ongoing slaughter of unborn children. In Stenberg v. Carhart, she found that the Constitution protects the hideous practice of partial-birth abortions.

O’Connor also discovered a constitutional right to homosexual sodomy in Lawrence v. Texas (2003), a right she herself said did not exist in Bowers v. Hardwick (1986).

Sandra Day O’Connor seemed to think interpreting the Constitution meant balancing competing interests and splitting the difference (Washington wags said she’d resolve the Ten Commandments dispute by declaring the first 5 constitutional, and the rest not)–which amounts to managing the sweeping social revolution which the court’s majority unleashed, beginning with the Warren Court.

By all accounts, she is a gracious and charming person. As a Republican-appointee to the highest court in the land, she left much to be desired.

I read an Associated Press article that referred to Justice O’Connor as “generally conservative.” Only in the eyes of liberal anti-constitutionalists could she be seen thus.

Our Constitution isn’t broken. Why are we trying to fix it?What’s broken is the sacred trust of judges to apply the law. What’s broken is the accountability of the judiciary. What’s broken is the will of the legislature to check the actions of the judicial branch.

If the problem we have is judicial tyranny, why do we think changing the Constitution is the remedy? After all, members of our judiciary have begun looking to the laws of other nations when deciding cases tried under U.S. law. If judges aren’t even interpreting the laws of this nation, why does it matter what our laws say? If the power of the judiciary isn’t exercised subject to the authority of the federal Constitution, how will changing that Constitution alter the abuse of judicial power?

If we tack a federal marriage amendment on to the Constitution, will our problems be over? Hardly. The problem isn’t that our Constitution is ambiguous or that the laws already in place are unconstitutional. The problem is that judges aren’t faithful to the Constitution, aren’t faithful to their oaths to uphold the Constitution. If judges can disregard the plain text of the Constitution, why do we think that adding more words to it will make a difference?

From what I’ve seen, most of those who support the FMA do so out of respect for the God-ordained institution of marriage. I am certain that, by voicing support for the FMA, they are acting out of the highest regard for the sanctity of marriage and their concern for its protection. However, the FMA is a short-sighted plan. It doesn’t stop the long-term erosion of constitutional law, the administration of justice, and the protection of liberties we have experienced and continue to experience in this country.

What is the solution? It obviously hinges on accountability. Congress must hold federal judges accountable. The President must speak out against judicial tyranny, instead of lauding it’s cohorts and appointing them to the bench. The electorate must choose men for office who will protect the rights of the people and who will work to keep judicial tyrants in check. Congress already has powers granted under the Constitution that would stop much of the judicial abuse we see today: the power to regulate jurisdiction of the courts, the power of the purse, and the power of impeachment and removal from office.

Let’s not create solutions for problems we don’t have. Adding the FMA to the Constitution seems to be the easy way out–until we realize that it’s not really a way out at all.

Dr. Alan Keyes appeared on the Inspiration Network’s (INSP) “The Answer” last Thursday. I’ve never seen the show and know nothing about the hosts. However, Dr. Keyes’ words on that particular day were inspiring, encouraging, and uplifting.

Dr. Keyes shared from his own experiences of failure (from the world’s perspective). He didn’t go into a lot of detail about these issues but he has certainly been through his share. Two failed Senate campaigns followed by two failed presidential campaigns followed by another failed Senate campaign. And, sadly, his last campaign was followed by the announcement of his older daughter that she has embraced the homosexual lifestyle.

I remember how, during the 2000 presidential campaign, Senator John McCain belittled Dr. Keyes. During one of the Republican primary debates, Dr. Keyes was passionately stating his position (on abortion, if I remember correctly). Sen. McCain responded by saying, “Next time, try decaf.” That wasn’t the only disrespect shown by the Senator.

I also remember Gary Bauer claiming that Dr. Keyes didn’t have the dignity required to be president. Apparently, Mr. Bauer didn’t appreciate Dr. Keyes’ crowd surfing for college-age attendees at one of his campaign rallies. At that event, I was helping with security for Dr. Keyes; I had been working with the Iowa campaign office in Des Moines. MTV’s Michael Moore arrived near the end of the rally with a flatbed truck on which dozens of college students were jumping, yelling, and playing music. Apparently, Mr. Moore had announced on his TV show that he would endorse whatever candidate jumped into his makeshift mosh pit. So, when Dr. Keyes came out the back door at the conclusion of the rally, Mr. Moore and the college students were waiting. I didn’t see the exact details that resulted in Dr. Keyes climbing on the back of the truck but I did see him fall off the truck onto the crowd of college kids just below. They supported him and he “surfed” across the small crowd. Needless to say, video footage of this was shown on the TV news channels over the next few days. Dr. Keyes clearly explained that his supposed lack of dignity (according to Mr. Bauer) was actually a show of his faith in the American people; that, falling on top of a crowd of people required a bit of trust that they would catch him. But I digress.

Well, after losing so many political campaigns, the press generally considers Dr. Keyes a loser. In my assessment, the press has largely created this idea to begin with. No matter that Dr. Keyes has won virtually every campaign debate he’s been in (according to the actual audience members), the media always portray him more as a rodeo clown than a bullfighter. On the TV show last week, Dr. Keyes acknowledged that it is often difficult to deal with failure; it is a struggle to overcome life’s problems.

However, Dr. Keyes isn’t without hope. He spoke of how, when he seems to doubt his faith and his calling, he is always reminded that he is not alone, that Christ is there. Christ has taken all the shame and loss and doubt and guilt; he has borne it so that we can be freed. This is the testimony of Dr. Keyes.

He concluded his remarks by encouraging the audience to turn to Christ when they are faced with despair, to ask Christ to come into their lives and take control. This Roman Catholic can give a better presentation of the gospel than many Evangelicals that I know.

Dr. Keyes is one of the small handful of public figures for whom I have the most profound respect. In fact, I can only think of a couple of other men who even come close to his stature of Christian witness in the American political and social arena. It is encouraging to hear Dr. Keyes remind us that Christ is there when we are struggling; this is certainly his message in his song “You Are There.”

I travelled up Saturday to visit with my family over the weekend and returned this evening. The much-anticipated family cookout was cancelled for today because of threatening rain. However, my parents, I, and my brother and his wife enjoyed a lunch of barbecued chicken and brisket, cooked on my brother’s pit.

Today being Memorial Day, I attended the remembrance ceremony in Moulton, the county seat of my native Lawrence County. The event was held in the county courthouse and led by members of the local American Legion. I try to attend this event every year if I am within travelling distance of home.

I was happy to see family and friends: a high school classmate who is involved in local law enforcement and emergency services; an older friend of my father’s who had, in years past, been involved in horse trading and riding–I was able to greet him but I’m not sure if he recognized me; an Army chaplain I met briefly at last year’s remembrance ceremony; and my 92-year old great uncle and his wife.

My high school friend and I chatted for a few moments. His wife recently learned that she is with child and they were both very happy. I gave him my card and we promised to catch up soon.

My great uncle is always a delight to be around. He is a bit hard of hearing and requires my great aunt to translate for him sometimes. His brother is on the list of Lawrence Countians killed in action (KIA) in World War II. I don’t recall seeing a picture of Uncle Delmer other than the one on his headstone; but, those who speak of him always recount that he was a wonderful person, well-liked by all, until his life was ended at 25. Sometimes, reflecting on what little I know about him, I am saddened. But I know that his life on earth was exchanged for a place before a greater Lawgiver and Judge than the Reichstag ever entertained–a Judge far more capable of administering justice than Hitler and all his minions, or even the jurists of Nuremberg.

I don’t immediately recognize any other names on the list of those KIA. There are names that sound familiar because of their similarities to other people I know: I wonder if A of World War I is related to B of my first cousin’s paternal family; or, if C of World War II is related to D, one of my high school teachers by the same name; etc. I hope that the families of these honored dead don’t forget them. I hope that I never do, either.

So many wars fought and so much blood shed for freedom. Let us not forget those who recently sacrificed their lives, also, for our sake; let us offer prayers of remembrance and thanksgiving. And, let us not forget those in harm’s way, such as my friends who are now in Afghanistan, and the soldiers I trained with last summer who are in Iraq.