While I’ve always been aware of the problem as it occurs internationally, I am just learning of the dangers that the sex and forced-labor trade causes here in the United States.  The fact that American girls are regularly being abducted and forced into slavery is both hard to fathom and perplexing.

In recent weeks, I’ve become increasingly interested in learning about how I can be a positive catalyst for change.  My Human Events piece is the first step in terms of “doing something.”  The second?  I will be attending an amazing event that Elisha Krauss is working hard to put together on Sept. 16th here in NYC!  I would highly encourage everyone to purchase a ticket (or tickets) to support the excellent work “Stop Child Trafficking Now” is doing to combat human trafficking.

Perhaps the most compelling argument for why we should all be engaged with preventing and stopping trafficking is captured in a recent Contra Costa Times piece.  Journalist Tracy Manzer writes,

According to the U.S. Department of State, approximately 600,000 to 800,000 victims annually are trafficked across international borders worldwide. They are forced into either sex or labor trafficking and more than half are children.

But not all the victims come from outside the U.S. or are poor and neglected.

“Our experience is human trafficking crosses all color lines and it crosses all socio-economic lines,” said Long Beach Police Department Missing Persons Detective Kenneth Turner.

This is a problem that impacts us all.  I plan to write much more on this subject.  In the interim, why not explore what you can do to make change?  A good start would be donating to “Stop Child Trafficking Now” or, if you’re in the NYC area — or know someone who is — purchasing tickets to the Sept. 16 event.  Let’s work together to make our nation — and world — a better place.

Yesterday, Politico analyzed some intriguing polling numbers.  Like many of the results we’ve seen the past few months, November is looking like it’s going to be pretty difficult for Democrats.  According to Politico,

A new Gallup poll released Monday shows Republicans with a record 10-point edge over Democrats on the “generic ballot” test — the question of whether voters prefer a Democratic or Republican congressional candidate. It’s the largest GOP polling edge at this stage in the 68 years of the generic ballot poll.

While no one can know for sure what the midterms will yield, public angst following the highly-contested stimulus, followed by health care legislation, the BP oil spill and a variety of other minor blips along the way, have all contributed to a sense that a “new kind of politics” is once again being sought out by the American people.

Perhaps most perplexing is the six-point lead Democrats had in the poll this past July; today, the proportions stand at 51% for Republicans and 41% for Democrats.  This erosion is leading some liberal strategists, according to Politico, to quietly concede that the Republicans may very well capture the House in November.  Perhaps this shift in support for the GOP is coming from mere desperation surrounding a bad economy and a creeping sense that many facets of our society are all failing simultaneously.  Or, perhaps the American people are reacting to what they (we) see as bad policy.

Where do you stand when it comes to Republicans vs. Democrats?  Which party would you put your support behind and why?  Be sure to comment and share your perspective below!

The now infamous mosque project has become a sore for Democrats in a hotly contested election year. Perhaps this is one reason why Halperin pleads so mightily for Republicans to leave the issue alone. Unfortunately for the left, the GOP has little control over public perception on this issue. Americans disagree with the mosque’s placement near Ground Zero, regardless of what conservatives say (or don’t say, for that matter). Even Harry Reid is hip to this reality. Halperin seems to believe that Republicans are driving public perception; this is incorrect on all counts. The American people are outraged and they want answers, explanations and assurance that nothing is awry.

Aside from the aforementioned tenants, there are a number of irritating elements in Halperin’s article. Of course, no words at all are devoted to questioning why the Cordoba Initiative has chosen to build a massive monument to Islam just blocks away from where the World Trade Center once stood. Halperin’s article is limited to telling Republicans why they should silence themselves on the issue. Before I continue, allow me to clarify something. I’m all for religious freedom; I’m not attacking Islam, but I am questioning the intention, knowing the sensitivities involved, of planning to build a mosque at that location. Naturally, Halperin is more concerned with providing advice to Republicans than he is in actually getting to the bottom of the issue at hand — why the Cordoba Initiative is obsessed with placing an Islamic beacon at the center of America’s greatest travesty.

And another note — I recognize that most Muslims are peaceful. That’s not the point here. In the end, the Cordoba Initiative has every legal right to build, but the moral implications of doing so at, near or around Ground Zero are evident. Whether leftists agree, the vast majority of the public sees the move as insensitive; it is widely opposed by nearly every measure. Should plans for the mosque forge on, there will be a great deal of resentment, which will, in turn, damage reconciliation efforts. If those individuals who wish to build truly care about bridging divides between Muslim and non-Muslim Americans as they’ve stated, they’ll choose another location. Wouldn’t this spread the goodwill that Halperin seems to believe can only come if conservatives remain silent?

Aside from the asinine notion that conservatives should simply back away from questioning the mosque’s moral implications, Halperin inserted a number of slaps, digs and generalizations. For instance, he claims that the GOP has avoided dealing with social issues, while focusing wholeheartedly on Obama’s spending habits. In his letter to Republicans he writes,

Up until now, you have restricted yourself as much as possible to an economic message, eschewing social issues and foreign policy as you try to establish contrasts for the electorate between your brand and the Obama-Pelosi-Reid record.

Unfortunately for this political analyst/journalist, who has obviously paid little attention to conservative proposals, the GOP offered a detailed alternative to ObamaCare, which the administration and members of the leftist media brigade simultaneously ignored. But, the bombshell (allow me to channel Nancy Grace) comes at the end of the piece, as Halperin writes,

It isn’t clear how the battle over the proposed center should or will end. But two things are profoundly clear: Republicans have a strong chance to win the midterm elections without picking a fight over President Obama’s measured words. And a national political fight conducted on the terms we have seen in the past few days will lead to a chain reaction at home and abroad that will have one winner — the very extreme and violent jihadists we all can claim as our true enemy.

Did you catch that, America? Holding a president accountable for his own words will literally hand victory over to our enemies. When leftists and their enthusiasts in the media are prepared to allow students to recite the pledge without designating the words “under God” unconstitutional, idiotic or bordering on the illegal, I’ll take their advice on matters of religious freedom. Until then, I’ll stick with the notion that the Cordoba mosque is perfectly legal, but overtly insensitive and morally damaging to reconciliation efforts. Moving the mosque would be a sign of goodwill and would do wonders for Muslim/non-Muslim relations in our post-9/11 world.

With that in mind, don’t give up. Make your voices heard, but do so respectfully and without making Islam the target. Focusing on the Constitutional and legal rights of the Cordoba Initiative, while illustrating the moral conundrums the project will create is a viable and common sense way to treat this issue. Don’t let Halperin or anyone else for that matter tell you otherwise.

(Originally published at HuffingtonPost.com)

“I AM FOR A SATANIC DEATH CULT CENTER AT FOX NEWS HQ AND OUTSIDE THE OFFICES ORDICK ARMEYAND NEWT GINGRICH-and all the GOP WELFARE FREAKS.”

How’s that for a dose of sanity?  A number of well-respected conservative pundits responded to Cusack and, of course, he belittled them.  Then, in a bizarre move, he blocked everyone who tried to engage him in conversation.  I was among those blocked after I sent requests for a fair interview with Cusack (one in which I pledged to allow him ample respect to describe his opinions).

Interesting how leftist celebs rail on and on about freedom of speech.  Then, when they’re challenged, they act out to silence anyone who disagrees with them.  Hypocritical isn’t it?  I will say this: Perez didn’t bury the story; he published it and posted the word “Cuckoo?” over Cusack’s picture (a truly ample description if you ask me).

Special props go out to Perez.  Cusack – get a grip!  Getting too political is a sure-fire way to lose fans and supporters. FOX News has more…

Any thoughts on this, friends (every time I say “friends” I feel I’m channeling John McCain.  Anyway…speak up (in the comments section, of course)!

So, I’m opening the comments up on this post for people to share their prayer requests.  I’ll be RTing them, praying and asking others to do the same.  If you’re feeling down and out, looking for jobs and struggling in this lagging economy please don’t give up.  I have faith and you should too.  Something will surely come your way!  Post your prayer requests (or praises — to encourage others with your success stories).  Feel free to do so anonymously as well!

The debate over the Pledge of Allegiance has intensified over the past decade, with atheists and their leftist enthusiasts insisting that the proclamation be banned from the public square. While these individuals claim that they have no problem with the Pledge’s general patriotic tenants, the words “under God” are the objects of their intense scrutiny.

Click here to read the rest.

The Natures sang their song Come On and Celebrate which includes the lyric “Jesus done washed my sins away.” Don’t judge the music by the grammar – their style is modern folk, earthy, and energetic. They brought the message of the cross to life in a great way.

I gather, from the website, that they’re just getting off the ground, and I hope they go far. I loved their sound. Being from Kentucky, I enjoyed the slightly bluegrassy, folksy feel. Being in California, I could appreciate the earthiness of it. Their music is an excellent mix of the two.

After the service, we bought their CD – 5 songs for $5 and played it on the way home. Good stuff! You should buy it too over at their website. And perhaps you might even consider having them perform at your church or some other venue near you.

And thank God, “Jesus done washed my sins away!”

________

The Natures: A Bushel of Really Cool Music! is a post from: Brandon A. Cox. © 2010. Share it freely, but please link back to this source.

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When it comes to public perception of late, the plurality sees the nation’s current status in a fairly negative light.  A recent FOX News poll finds that 62 percent of the American voting public believes that the United States is “on the decline.”  Only 26 percent see America as “on the rise.”

While Democrats are split (and Republicans, who are more negative regarding what is happening in the nation, lean more on the side of “decline”), the Independent take is startling – 64 percent believe the nation is “on the decline.”

While the vast majority of the country sees any move toward socialism in a negative light, only 49 percent of Democrats agree.  The “only” here may seem like an overstatement, but Democrats are the only group falling below the halfway mark on that indicator.  Furthermore, the left is continuously accused of supporting socialistic policies, thus this finding is potentially damaging to Democrats and liberals alike.  While somewhat surprising at first pass, it follows in line with popular stereotypes and, perhaps, a growing reality.