PRAISE AND ENDURANCE

“Let each one of us please his neighbor with a view to what is good, to edification. For the Christ also did not please himself; but according as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproach thee have fallen upon me. For as many things as have been written before have been written for our instruction, that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. Now the God of endurance and of encouragement give to you to be like-minded one toward another, according to Christ Jesus; that ye may with one accord, with one mouth, glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(Romans 15:1-6)

QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

“Political correctness is really a subjective list put together by the few to rule the many -- a list of things one must think, say, or do. It affronts the right of the individual to establish his or her own beliefs.”

(Marc Berley)

“We are so concerned to flatter the majority that we lose sight of how very often it is necessary, in order to preserve freedom for the minority, let alone for the individual, to face that majority down.”

(William F. Buckley, Jr.)

“You have enemies?  Good.  That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.” 

(Winston Churchill)

LEAGUE PACKS THEM IN AGAIN AT A UNIVERSITY

Civic League director Mike Heath packed a theatre-size auditorium at the University of Maine in Farmington last night for a one hour consideration of art history, philosophy and politics.  Thirty five minutes of questions followed the Q&A.  This was Heath's third campus appearance in the last three weeks.  He started at Bowdoin, went to USM and appeared last night at UMF where he was greeted by the College President on his way into the speech.  She quipped to him that "he had caused quite a stir" on the campus.

The rural village of Farmington has played host to the College/University for decades.  The University now dominates the economics and culture of the area.  It has a profound affect on the morals of Farmington.  Heath invited the attendees to raise their eyes from the low ideal of homosexuality to catch a glimpse of the "vision place of souls."

Paul Madore joined Heath for the Q&A that followed his speech.  Their answers were repeatedly interrupted with applause from sincere supporters while "Maine Won't Discriminate" demonstrators sat frustrated in their seats having wisely decided not to make a spectacle of themselves by booing and offering catcalls.  One older woman refused to remain silent in her seat.  She hissed like a snake during the speech and approached Heath afterward and called him "scum," and a "monster pig."

The College Republicans at Farmington have been forced to fight tooth and nail to get their voice heard.  They opened the evening with a statement by one of their members, Jake Newcomb.  He stood before a room full of his peers and professors and courageously declared, "There are more than two thousand students attending this college, and because of loud voices, the media, the faculty on this campus, and the projector in the student center, all of these students are led to believe that there is only one voice on this campus, and that is one of a liberal tone.  Tonight, by inviting Michael Heath as a guest to our campus, we are trying to prove that there is a possibility that there might actually be another opinion on this campus.  We are trying to prove that maybe not all students in the class room hates George Bush, or is disgusted with the war in Iraq or other political issues.  I will now quote respected conservative author David Horowitz.  He says 'the only hatred left on college campuses these days is not directed towards differences in race, religion, gender, nationality, or sexual orientation, but instead the hatred is aimed toward the difference in political viewpoints.'  Now I am not saying that everyone who is liberal hates conservatives, but we would like to see more tolerance in everyday college life for the conservative viewpoints that are or are not expressed in class and other situations where these opinions might arise."

Emily Davis greeted Heath as he arrived on campus.  She is president of the College Republicans at UMF.  The posters that she put up advertising the event were torn down within an hour.  She has been discussing this extreme intolerance publicly on Ray Richardson's excellent morning talk show on WLOB.

Another member of the College Republicans approached Heath after the event and asked to be quoted.  Krystal Loucka wanted it known far and wide that liberals do discriminate at UMF.  She said that while lesbians and homosexuals are allowed to live together in dorm rooms, heterosexuals and married people cannot.

The Christian Civic League of Maine was assisted in her founding in 1897 by a former President of UMF, George Purington. -- by Fritz Spencer

DARTMOUTH CONVOCATION SPEAKER CHALLENGES COLLEGE YOUTH WITH THE GOSPEL

Almost any point of view is allowed on campuses these days, no matter how outrageous, provided that it falls under the strict guidelines of political correctness. That is why no one was prepared for the recent convocation address at Dartmouth by Noah Riner. Riner, who is President of the Dartmouth Student Assembly, started out his speech by noting that a good education is not all that is needed in life. Riner brought home this point by mentioning a few brilliant Dartmouth grads that have run afoul of the law, or otherwise botched their lives beyond repair. Students were surprised to hear Riner’s speech veer off into unexpected territory when he called Jesus “a good example of character.” Riner then committed what must be considered the unpardonable sin in America’s secular schools. He actually went on to recommend Christ as the solution to the world’s problems, and even presented God’s plan of salvation.  For all the talk of opened-mindedness and tolerance, no one ever suspected that anyone would be so bold as to present the Gospel message at a Dartmouth convocation, since the Gospel is probably the least politically-correct subject one can bring up these days. Yet Riner, who is majoring in politics and history at Dartmouth, and who attended Marine Corps Officers Candidate School last summer, is not one to hold back.

The reaction following the speech was not what one might expect. Although many students criticized Riner for being “intolerant” and politically incorrect, an equal number of students, of all religious persuasions, praised his courage. One student said the following:

“Since when did a student, with the tenacity and soundness of mind to stand in front of a group of his own peers promoting goodness and personal character, become wrong? In a world where everyone stands for something and no one stands for anything it is refreshing to see a leader willing to take a position championing uprightness and moral accountability. Mr. Riner was challenging the Dartmouth student to do more than learn during his or her four years, but to be—to be all that he or she was meant to become. Often we are not aware of who we are or are not until we look into the face of another. To present the face of Christ as a cornerstone of reference and truth is not wrong…it is revealing.”

Another student wrote:

“Congratulations to Dartmouth University for a job well done. It is amazing to hear of a young man with such courage, integrity and character, one who is not afraid to stand and be counted. These are the signs of a true leader.”

Perhaps the attempt to censor the Gospel on campus has breathed new life into the Gospel message, making it seem new and unexpectedly persuasive. Riner’s experience with the convocation speech should be a lesson to all of us on how to stand up for our Christian principles in a secular setting…boldly and without apology.

 – by Fritz Spencer

EXPOSING THE PARTISAN PRESS

One former U.S. president commented that the press is “an unelected fourth branch of government.” Certainly the press has a great deal of power in our state, particularly when it comes to the debate over homosexual rights and same-sex marriage. We noted in an earlier edition of The RECORD that the Portland Press Herald was a sponsor of the awards banquet held by Equality Maine this year.

The editorials of the Portland Press Herald consistently praise the gay rights movement in the most glowing terms, while not a single word is said about the excesses and the dangers of that movement. It is almost as if nude “gay pride” marchers and the dangers of the homosexual subculture simply didn’t exist. That a newspaper would make such a disciplined effort to present only one side of a major issue is strange indeed.

Next week, as a public service, The RECORD is going to bring a series which scrutinizes the activities of this “unelected fourth branch of government.”  Specifically, we are going to seek to answer the questions “Is there an obvious liberal bias at the Portland Press Herald?” and “Is the Portland Press Herald the powerhouse behind the liberal agenda in the State of Maine?” and most importantly, “What is the real reason the Portland Press Herald is pushing the gay rights agenda?”

CHARLES SCHUMER TO SUBPOENA DR. JAMES DOBSON

Senator Charles Schumer of New York is demanding that Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family be called before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify about conversations he had with Karl Rove on the subject of Harriet Miers’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Dr. Dobson had suggested that Rove told him of Miers’s views on abortion and that he (Dr. Dobson) “knows more than he should know.”

Arch-liberal Charles Schumer is well known for his abusive, inquisitorial approach. His treatment of Judge Roberts during the recent confirmation hearings shocked many, and left the rest wondering about the state of his mental health.

Nothing good can come from having Dr. Dobson appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will merely afford the ultra-left-wing, fanatically pro-abortion Charles Schumer a platform to harangue a decent man and to smear the Religious Right. -- by Fritz Spencer