Orthodox Editors

Planned Parenthood’s Abortion Quotas Exposed

WorldNetDaily | by Chelsea Schilling | Nov. 4, 2009

A former director of a Texas Planned Parenthood branch who resigned after she watched an ultrasound-guided abortion told WND the clinic was pushing employees to strive for abortion quotas to boost profits.

“There are definitely client goals,” former clinic director Abby Johnson said. “We’d have a goal every month for abortion clients and for family planning clients.”

Johnson, 29, said the Bryan, Texas, Planned Parenthood clinic performed surgical abortions every other Saturday, but it began expanding access to abortion to increase earnings. [Read more…]

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The End of American Representative Democracy

Senate blocks census US-citizenship question. So much for our American Representative Democracy system. What a travesty!
AP | Nov. 5, 2009

Senate Democrats have blocked a GOP attempt to require next year’s census forms to ask people whether they are a U.S. citizen. The proposal by Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter was aimed at excluding immigrants from the population totals that are used to figure the number of congressional representatives for each state. [Read more…]

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The Market, School of Virtue

Acton Institute | by Stephen Grabill | Nov. 4, 2009

Does the market inspire people to greater practical virtue, or does it eviscerate what little virtue any of us have?

Far from draining moral goodness out of us—as many think—the free market serves as a “school of the practical virtues.” Rather than elevating greed and self-sufficiency, the market fosters interdependence and cooperation. Its rewards do not go to those who are the most isolated, self-absorbed, or cut off from society, but to those who sustain mutually prosperous relationships with others. [Read more…]

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Knocking Human Beings Off the Pedestal of Exceptionalism

Church Report | by Wesley J. Smith | Oct. 30, 2009

Society’s belief in the unique moral value and importance of human life is under unprecedented assault. Most people still believe in human exceptionalism and are unaware that powerful social and cultural forces are working diligently to dismantle the sanctity of life ethic as the fundamental value of our social order. But the time has come to pay attention. If human life is knocked off the pedestal, universal human rights will be impossible to sustain. [Read more…]

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Capitalism: A Love Story

American Spectator | by James Bowman | Oct. 6, 2009

There is one scene in Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story where its writer, director, hero and sole credited actor is examining the copy of the Constitution that is on display in the National Archives. He asks a guard — this is the kind of thing Mr. Moore routinely does for effect, pretending he doesn’t know that the guards are not constitutional experts — where in the document before him there is any mention of free markets, free enterprise or capitalism. He can’t seem to find those words. Could it be that they’re not there? And, if they’re not, does that mean that they’re not constitutionally protected? Not, of course, that one could imagine its mattering to him if they were. But without a specific mention, presumably, we must suppose that these “evil” things — he has the testimony of two lefty priests and a bishop to that effect — must have been snuck into America’s constitutional arrangements at a later date by, well, capitalists — or other, equally unscrupulous sorts. [Read more…]

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But What About the Poor?

American Thinker | by Allen Weingarten | Nov. 2, 2009

The left avers that many Americans are poverty-stricken, that we need to do more to alleviate their plight, and that the primary role of government is to help them. Let us examine these claims.

‘Poverty’ may be viewed as harsh deprivation, such as in Biafra or the Congo. Yet nobody in America starves to death. It is true that the standard of living of illegals from Mexico is far below ours, yet even they are far better off than the inhabitants of third-world countries. Nor do the poor in America suffer as did those during the Great Depression. [Read more…]

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A Society that Venerates Lawyers More than Doctors

DennisPrager.com | by Dennis Prager | Nov. 3, 2009

Those of us who are not true believers in expanded government are certain of the following:

If the 1,990-page House Health Care Bill becomes law, the average American will receive worse health care, American physicians will decline in status and income, American medical innovation will dramatically slow down and pharmaceutical discoveries will decline in number and quality. And, of course, the economy of the United States will deteriorate, perhaps permanently. [Read more…]

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Bye-Bye, RINO

American Thinker | by Pamela Geller | Nov. 2, 2009

New York’s 23rd Congressional District has become the site of a showdown between RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) and conservatives. The conservatives are winning — but the RINOs are not being gracious in defeat. Now the RINOs are showing how much party unity means to them. They have no loyalty to conservatives, so why should conservatives have any loyalty to them?

The latest showdown came when ultra-liberal State Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava became the Republican candidate in NY-23. ACORN’s racketeering arm, also known as the Working Families Party, backed her. Yet the Republican old guard also backed this useful idiot. Newt Gingrich backed this tool. The name “Republican” was all that mattered to them. Not principle. [Read more…]

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Idol Worship, Counterfeit Gods

BreakPoint | by Marcia Segelstein | Oct. 27, 2009

What we worship defines us and controls us. And sometimes figuring out what we really worship isn’t easy. Timothy Keller is pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City and author of the just-released book, Counterfeit Gods. He writes that while some cultures still practice idol worship in the traditional sense, “internal idol worship, within the heart, is universal.”

Anything and everything we turn to in order to satisfy our deepest needs and longings can become idols. Even good things such as family, love, and morality become idols when they take the place of God. As Keller writes, “If anything becomes more fundamental than God to your happiness, meaning in life, and identity, then it is an idol.” [Read more…]

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Charity and Sacrifice in a Free Society

American Thinker | by Andrew Foy and Brenton Stransky | Oct. 31, 2009

The Founding Founders established a Republic under a written Constitution with the clear intent of protecting individual freedom; however, the role of our government has been grossly perverted over the last century to the point where politicians now violate individual rights routinely and without batting an eye. Most violations occur under the banner of providing for the public good, and to garner support, call upon the virtues of charity and sacrifice. Fortunately, charity and sacrifice in a free society are individual and personal undertakings and as a rule, cannot be subject to coercion if liberty is to be maintained. The current President and various members of both political parties do not abide by this rule and as such are positioning themselves as tyrants; servitude will be the price we pay unless we stand up today and defend our rights boldly and educate the broader public on the proper role of charity and sacrifice in a free society. [Read more…]

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