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I Might Vote for Tom Allen

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:24:46 PST

I can't imagine doing it, but I am thinking about it. I might vote for Tom Allen. The most expensive political contest in Maine history is shaping up. Senator Susan Collins is being challenged by Representative Tom Allen. Collins is a Republican. Allens is a Democrat. The race will be close.

Colliins is to the left of Allen on gay rights. Click here to read our story.

I first said I'm thinking about voting for Tom Allen on WVOM 103.9 Wednesday morning with Ric Tyler and George Hale. I said it after I left George sort of speechless. I informed him on air of the Collins office policy to protect cross dressers. It is this very radical policy that earned Collins the endorsement of America's radical homosexuality-pushing group, the Human Rights Campaign. They didn't endorse Allen.

Why Senator Collins thinks she needs to out-gay her Democratic rival is a puzzle. It was obvious at the convention that there are many people with common sense in the Republican Party. They don't want anyone mistreated or harmed for choosing to be sexually immoral. They also don't want any Maine citizens getting special government rights simply because they identify as a crossdresser. Maine currently provides special rights to bisexuals and crossdressers.

I suspect there are many common sense Democrats. Their party, however, is institutionally supportive of the gay agenda. Maine's Republican Party offers tepid resistance. Anything is better than nothing in this case.

The Subtle Threads of Deceit

Sun, 11 May 2008 06:31:08 PST

The iron chains and sturdy hawsers our Yankee forebears used to steady their sailing vessels were massive and strong, strong enough to launch a six-masted schooner at Bath or to hold the Battleship Maine at anchor in Havana harbor. Yet even these chains seem small compared to the Great Chain once laid across the Hudson River to blockade an invading British navy. A marvel of Yankee industry and ingenuity, the Great Chain spanned six hundred yards, weighed forty-five tons, and was made from hundreds of links, each more than two feet in length.

There is a chain that is mightier yet, one spun from something as light and as hard to see as a spider's thread. This subtlest of threads is made from suggestion, deceit, and insinuation. One thread is spun out, laid onto another, and woven together until it becomes strong enough to pull down entire nations.

The first link in the chain was forged by Wilhelm Reich, a psychoanalyst and radical activist. In 1929 Reich published a book entitled "The Sexual Revolution, or Sex in the Culture War." The ultimate goal of Reich's proposed sexual revolution, oddly enough, had nothing to do with sexual morality. Its goal was to bring about a real revolution by undermining the institution of the family.

League Delivers Relief to Flood Victims in Fort Kent

Fri, 02 May 2008 18:16:38 PST

Click HERE to view a one minute video suitable for public presentation before taking an offering for the flood victims

Pastor Lawrence Beals holds Bangor Daily News Headlining the disaster

I ended Thursday night, the National Day of Prayer, in Mars Hill at a prayer meeting, and started Friday morning with preachers! I joined some pastors for breakfast. We lamented the situation in Fort Kent, and all pledged to do what we could. One pastor asked if any non-monetary help was needed. I told him that I didn't know, at that point.

My son, Jared, is with me on the trip. He is driving, helping out dear ole dad. I feel safe having a U.S. Marine Corp Corporal in the drivers seat, even if he is only 19 years old. Ooooh Ahhh!

Aerial photograph of the worst flooding ever on the Fish River in Fort Kent

After breakfast we made a couple media stops and arrived in Fort Kent before noon. We were slowed in our journey by a full-size pick up truck towing a giant orange high-capacity pump. He was, no doubt, headed for a basement in the flooded town.

The flood had receeded dramatically by the time we arrived on the scene, but the water was still visible in many places where it didn't belong. Clouds floated lazily in a deep blue northern Maine sky. The angry flood waters of the St. John showed no interest in putting a reflected sky blue smile on its surface. On the contrary the river's water was in a foul muddy mood as it rushed to the atlantic, to the relief of some weary victims, I'm sure.

The Story of Man

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:32:23 PST

After a particularly hard winter, Mainers, along with the rest of Creation, are rejoicing at the long-awaited return of the sun. Spring gives us an opportunity to ponder why the sun, blazing out with its life-giving power, is an emblem of God, and why the story of man begins in a garden. The gardener digging in the cool, dark earth can see that each green, tender shoot springs up in pursuit of warmth and light. The warmth and light they seek comes from another world, a world that is high above them. What warmth and light are to a young plant, human reason is to the life of man. It too comes from high above us, as does the gift of divine revelation. Just as the plant grows according to inborn laws, man’s life is governed by laws which are discovered by human reason. This is called natural law. When a gardener raises a young plant according to the laws pertaining to its growth, he can expect a fine result, whether it is a field of golden grain ripening under a Midwestern sun, or a solitary rose growing quietly by a cottage in Maine. In the same way, those who govern us -- if they govern rightly -- produce a well-ordered society.

My prayer to God on the National Day of Prayer

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:07:26 PST

Most merciful Heavenly Father,

On this National Day of Prayer we acknowledge you as the Father and Creator of all things, and the giver or life.

We praise you for the many gifts you have given us, especially the natural beauty and bountifulness of our land, our state, and our nation.

Help us to see that without you, no matter how wealthy and powerful we are, we are the poorest and most abject of all people.

We are mindful that past, present, and future are always before you, and that you see us here today standing where many generations have stood before, praising you, and humbly seeking your will. We ask that we may be worthy of the efforts of those who have gone before.

The Monumental Tackiness of Hollywood Slots

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:49:31 PST

There is an old-fashioned look to Old Town. Main Street is flanked by a canoe factory, an Indian crafts store, and a small shop which sells mostly maps and compasses. Men wear red mackinaw jackets, and women drive to Hannaford's in pickups. To many, the town seems like a frontier outpost, a gateway to the Great North Woods.

The urban blight which has marred parts of Portland, Augusta, and other cities, has passed Old Town by. Indian Island is even better. Once you cross the long, green bridge over the Penobscot, you find a quiet and neat community. There is no litter, no graffiti, no urban sprawl. Everything is done on a small scale. There are one or two churches, a Penobscot museum well-worth the visit, and lots of warm and friendly people. The largest building in town is a high-stakes beano hall. Even so, it is a very modest structure compared with the enormous casino and seven-story hotel being built by Hollywood Slots.

Our Flag is Nailed to the Mast

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:27:56 PST

One of the most startling images to come out of the sexual revolution was the sight of a rainbow flag flying high over Boston City Hall. Any one who saw the flag that day knew what it meant. It meant that the gay rights movement had triumphed. The same opinion was expressed in the Portland Press Herald recently by an author who stated that the gay rights movement had at long last won, and the Christian Civic League should finally surrender.

Those who read my thoughts regularly will know that I am a casual observer of naval history. When I heard the Portland Press Herald say that Christians had lost this phase of the Culture Wars, I was reminded of a sea battle that took place in 1812. On a bright autumn day, a large crowd gathered outside the Portland Observatory and listened to reports about a battle between the U.S.S. Enterprise and a British ship, the Boxer. Not long into the battle, a cannon blast blew away the main mast of the Boxer, and mortally wounded her captain. The Yanks called out for the Boxer to strike her colors; to which the English crew replied, "We cannot, since our flag is nailed to the mast."

Ruth Summers is Impressive, Dean Scontras More Impressive Still

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 04:11:27 PST

I was able to hear Ruth Summers speak for the second time at a meeting this week. She was impressive. She represents her soldier husband well. Charlie is running for the first district congressional seat. He is not able to campaign because he is deployed to Iraq. He won't get back until after the primary election in June.

While Mrs. Summers is impressive, Charlie's opponent Dean Scontras is more impressive still. Mr. Scontras is taking a risk and running a campaign that violates the conventional poll driven wisdom of the Maine Republican Party. Mr. Scontras must defeat Charlie, clearly the insider's favorite, to earn his go at the Democrats in the general election this fall.

Mr. Scontras put out a press release this week announcing his Faith and Values Coalition. I was listed along with over twenty other respected pastors and leaders.

Enemies

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 05:16:44 PST

A Christian group is trying to resurrect a colonial era practice called "Fast Days." The Jeremiah Project (JP) is urging Mainers to set aside April 10 as a day to refrain from some type of secular pursuit and use their free time for a spiritual purpose.

The Portland Press Herald (PPH) provides a bit of history here.

The PPH points out two possible reasons for the disappearance of the Fast Day. One is discrimination against Roman Catholics. The other is the increasing use of the day for entertainment. The paper also highlights the Jeremiah Project's reference to "enemies" in their reasoning for resurrecting the practice.

The JP writes, "We find ourselves in Maine out of time and completely surrounded by an enemy that is more numerous and more sophisticated than we are, and we are quickly running out of options. Will you join us in this specific effort to humble ourselves, repent of our own sin, and pray for a revival of the Church of Jesus that will heal our land?" The paper describes this as "strong language."

Jeremiah Wright's Religion

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 06:35:44 PST

Barack Obama's pastor Jeremiah Wright is not going away. His views are in the news everyday. Who knows how long it will stay that way. In America the media teases out the views of public figures whether they are religious or not. That is the blessing of a free press. I celebrate it.

One politician offered a quip to me last week on the phone. He cast me in a favorable light in contrast to Wright. It seems my outspokenness on homosexual issues over the years may have earned me a Wright-like profile in the view of some members of the public. This politician quipped when someone equated me with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, "I'd rather defend Mike Heath than Jeremiah Wright any day of the week." It's a little disconcerting to be lumped in with Jeremiah Wright in any manner. I'm encouraged, however, that I won the comparison with this particular politician.

I'll allow that I'm controversial. I'd like to think it is because I refuse to surrender to the idea that sexual orientation is benign. This idea is anything but harmless. It is moral poison that destroys character. It must be resisted.

Time for another referendum on gay rights

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 06:45:25 PST

It is time for another referendum on gay rights. We have been licking our wounds long enough. I'm not going to sit by doing nothing really meaningful and watch either the courts or the legislature further advance special rights for homosexuality. Are you?

Here is what we must do.

We must launch a referendum to stop Maine from endorsing the special legal right to sexual promiscuity. So called "gay" activists want to rob our civilization of the legal and social concept of marriage. They want to replace it with the very special (in the bad sense) construct called civil unions.

Everyone has the right to marry already. Nobody should have legal rights that are premised on being sexually promiscuous! NO SPECIAL RIGHTS FOR HOMOSEXUALITY! PERIOD!!

Stirring the pot

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 05:46:54 PST

Can common sense prevail in a political culture that won't "stir the pot?" I wonder.

That seems to be the driving force behind one side's strategy to remain influential in Maine politics. I'm, of course. referring to the Maine Republican Party. And many times over the years I have been confronted with this challenge.

On one side you have a political media and party (Democrats) who stir the pot continuously. They do so, however, only in order to advance collectivist ideas. They require that power concentrate in their institutions -- either the Democrat party or in their profession (journalism).

On the other side you have the Republicans who have developed an allergy to confrontation and winning. We (I'm now a registered Republican) have decided to make nice until Maine is reabsorbed into Massachusetts. Republicans caucus in the phone booth on Beacon Hill.

Professor John Frary is saying what's on his mind

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 05:09:36 PST

Professor John Frary is campaigning in Maine's second district.

His website is here.

I like John. Were I in the second district I would vote for him. I like the picture on his website of him pulling an assault rifle out of his coat. This image is under the caption "Frary's Greatest Hits." Perfect.

John understands something even many Christians choose to ignore. Guns don't kill people. People kill people. Guns simply equalize the forces that are at play in any given confrontation.

John and I agree on many other things. We fear a nanny state more than we fear our nanas. We respect our nanas while we loathe the idea that politicians can form a government capable of making every single individual safe, happy and secure.

If America is about anything it is about individual rights. It is about creating a national culture that celebrates the freedom of responsible individuals while punishing the lazy. America will rise or fall based on the character of each and every American. It won't be the politicians that decide our fate. It will be us.

Paul Madore, a truly great man

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 05:56:32 PST

Paul Madore working the phone

Paul Madore is running for the State Senate again this spring. He nearly defeated a powerful Democrat a couple years ago gaining 47 percent of the vote. Paul is a registered Democrat with a socially conservative pro family heart.

I have learned more from Paul Madore in the nearly two decades that I have known him than I learned getting a college degree. God works that way in my life. He teaches me through relationships. The one that I have with Paul has been a most rewarding one.

Paul is tough. He works hard. He demands a lot of others, but never more than he is willing to give himself. Paul is what we used to call a man's man. What you see is what you get, especially on religious and social issues.

Paul loves the Jesus Christ of his Roman Catholic faith more than life itself. He loves the life in others more than his own. He loves life so much that no amount of political shilly shallying over when life begins or ends is going to divert him from his path. His convictions on mankind's duty to protect and preserve innocent human life is unshakeable and unstoppable. Paul Madore is a walking, talking, fighting inspiration. No man stays the same after working with Paul.

I would dearly love to see him in the Maine Senate. What an experience that would be for all of us. Maine will be the better for it.

The press won't like it because they gave up covering the news about sexual morality decades ago and became just another shrill mouthpiece for the devil. Sadly, there is nothing easier for the press in our vapid culture than making a thin caricature out of a thick, red-blooded, burly, straight-talking, pro life and pro family French pepe to over 12 beautiful grandchildren.

Maine people know better than to trust the press anymore. They know that Paul Madore is the real deal. Paul Madore's ideals are American ideals. He comes from solid French immigrant stock. His family settled in Lewiston a long time ago. Over the past century they helped create a tightly-knit, religiously-loyal community chisled from the granite outcroppings of the Androscoggin river.

I couldn't be more eager to offer my unqualified personal endorsement for Paul's candidacy for the Maine Senate this year.

"Something is amiss in education"

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:12:19 PST

A couple of weeks ago I was with the homeschoolers at their annual statewide convention. California was in the news that week. Their courts ruled against homeschooling. In my email that day I urged readers to sign a petition we created to show support for the popular educational practice of homeschooling.

We heard from so many people that I had to put off tending to the petition until today. Pray that God sends more people to help us! It is a great problem to have -- so much involvement and support that we can't keep up!

I want to urge you to sign the petition if you haven't already done so. It only takes a minute. Click here to go directly to the petition.

Being found

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 05:41:08 PST

Every morning I aim to get up early and pray. Then I read the Bible. I use the exceptional Bible download software e-sword for my prayer time and Bible reading. E-sword contains helpful prayer and Bible reading tools.

This morning I read Luke 15. This chapter contains a couple parables by Jesus. One of them is the familiar story about the lost son. This son is given his inheritance by his father. He travels to a far country and wastes it all on "riotous living."

While the parable isn't about being prudent with one's substance it does illustrate that there is a right way, and a wrong way, to live. The son chooses the wrong way to live in the distant country. He, therefore, loses his inheritance and ends up feeding pigs.

Thinking about budget cuts & spiritual responsibility

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 03:35:52 PST

Today's Lewiston Sun Journal carries a column by a statewide religious leader decrying the Governor's proposed budget cuts. He writes, "Our principles of faith call on all of us to share our resources, not only from our excess but from our substance." This leader feels that taxes are a form of "sharing." He explains, "Taxes are, in some ways, a contemporary method of ... sharing -- extending support to our neighbors and expressing our commitment to community life."

With all due respect to this distinguished and highly-intelligent leader, while most people see a donation to a church or non-profit in this light, they don't see taxes this way. They rightly view taxes as forced from them. There is nothing voluntary about taxes. Individuals are not making an "expression of commitment" by paying their taxes. They are involuntarily surrendering a portion of their hard-earned income to the government to perform a defined and limited function.

Protect Homeschooling

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:53:20 PST

Focus on the Family is reporting that a California court issued a ruling that could affect up to 200,000 homeschool students. According to the ruling parents who don't have a teacher's certificate should not be allowed to teach. This outrageous ruling must be confronted.

You can do something right now that will take only a few seconds. Below you will find a link. It will take you to an online petition. Fill out the form and help us protect homeschooling in America.

California creates trends for the rest of the country. Homeschooling is a hard fought right in Maine. The price to maintain this critical right is eternal vigilance.

Telling it like it is

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:16:03 PST

The Institute on Religion & Democracy (IRD) recently reported on a courageous Russian Orthodox Bishop. He spoke to a group of religionists on the opening day of the World Council of Churches Central Committee meeting in Geneva. The 42 year old Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev was first in line to speak. According to IRD he "delivered a bold statement that he certainly knew would not tickle all ears in the room."

The Bishop started, "I would like to draw your attention to the danger of liberal Christianity. The liberalization of moral standards, initiated by some Protestant and Anglican communities several decades ago and developing with ever-increasing speed, has now brought us to a situation where we can no longer preach one and the same code of moral conduct. We can no longer speak about Christian morality, because moral standards promoted by 'traditional' and 'liberal' Christians are markedly different, and the abyss between these two wings of contemporary Christianity is rapidly growing."

Not very pale

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 03:56:44 PST

Editor's note: The Center Against Hate Violence issued a call for censure of League executive director Michael Heath. Click on the headline to read Heath's response. Portland Press Herald columnist M.D. Harmon wrote a satirical column about this matter. You can listen to his column, and a brief discussion between Heath and Harmon, by clicking here.

I am not very pale.

Bold and colorful are more to my liking, especially in politics. I'm no fan of Mr. Obama's promise to bring everyone together -- to cross the aisle and rush to compromise. My Scottish blood runs too hot for such tripe.

The English in me, however, can relate to Mr. Wessler's call for caution, civility and care. Wessler says that I went too far -- that I went beyond the pale -- when I spoke of Jesus suggesting that adults who violate the innocence of children should be cast into the depths of the sea and drowned.

What Jesus actually said is much worse. Jesus said that "it would be better" that offenders of childlike innocence be cast into the depths of the sea. This begs the question. What could be worse than staring heavenward wideyed as you plunge headfirst into the depths of the sea with a millstone tied about your neck?