May 15, 2004
"Al Sharpton is notorious for not paying his
bills. The FEC must utilize all legal means at its
disposal to recover this taxpayer money,"
said National
Legal and Policy Center chairman Ken Boehm,
regarding Sharpton’s $100,000 in matching Federal
funds.
"We have no illusions about the nature of this
struggle, or the character of the enemy,"
Vice President
Dick Cheney said. "The recent murder of
Nicholas Berg, like the murder of Daniel Pearl in
2002, is a reminder that there are evil people in
the world capable of any atrocity and determined
to take innocent life. “
"This nation will never be intimidated by the
killers who despise us and everything we stand
for. We are taking this fight to the enemy, and we
will prevail,"
Cheney said.
Sharpton’s $100K Payback
The Federal Election Committee has determined the
$100,00 in matching funds given to Democratic
presidential candidate Al Sharpton needs to be
returned to the American taxpayers. Reason?
Massive irregularities in Sharpton's campaign
financing.
The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) had
filed formal complaints against Sharpton's
campaign with the FEC. NLPC Chairman Ken Boehm
stated, "We are delighted that the FEC has acted
to deny taxpayer money for Sharpton's presidential
campaign. As we have documented, there exist
massive irregularities in the financing of his
campaign." Boehm added, "Al Sharpton is notorious
for not paying his bills. The FEC must utilize all
legal means at its disposal to recover this
taxpayer money."
NLPC promotes ethics in public life, and sponsors
the Government Integrity Project. NLPC has a long
history of successful actions before the FEC.
President’s Commencement Speech at Concordia
University
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Dr. Ferry,
members of the faculty, trustees, families,
distinguished guests, and members of the class of
2004 -- (applause) -- I appreciate the warm
welcome to this fine university and to this great
state. Thank you for such a wonderful welcome. I
am honored to be with you on graduation day, as
you become proud alumni of CUW. (Applause.)
I thank you, as well for the honorary degree. I
kind of like the sound, "Dr. Bush." (Laughter and
applause.) I don't think Laura is going to call me
that. (Laughter.)
My congratulations to my fellow honorees today,
especially General Vessey, a fine officer who
served our country with distinction and honor.
(Applause.)
I'm here today with one of your alumni, class of
2000. He can't rise for applause because he's
working. But I want his parents to know he's doing
a really fine job. And everyone at Concordia can
be very proud of Officer Scott Eichstaedt of the
United States Secret Service. (Applause.)
I am told that when the name of your commencement
speaker was announced on April the 1st --
(laughter) -- a lot of students thought it might
be an April Fool's Day joke. (Laughter.) And some
of you may still have doubts. I saw a person when
I walked in, said, is it him or is it the guy on
"Saturday Night Live"? (Laughter and applause.)
All of you have worked hard and have come far, and
you can always be proud of the achievement we mark
today. Through it all, you've had a lot of fine
people standing with you. This graduating class is
a credit to the superb and caring teachers at
Concordia. And today we also honor the people who
believed in you, and prayed for you, and paid for
you -- (laughter) -- the parents of the class of
2004. (Applause.)
Many of today's graduates are on your way to
full-time ministry, and that commitment is one of
the greatest that a man or woman can make. All of
the graduates leave Concordia with a commission
and a calling. In the Lutheran tradition, all work
-- in an office, on a farm, in the home, or in the
halls of government -- should be done to the glory
of God. (Applause.) And that is accomplished by
doing our work with excellence, and care, and an
awareness of the needs around us.
We find our examples in great lives. Important
work in this world can be done by towering
figures, like Martin Luther, who changed history
and your own lives with an act of conscience. Work
of lasting value can also be done by a solitary
soul, condemned and stripped of all power, like
Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Every life holds the
possibility of serving God. And in every great
life, that possibility is realized in service.
After all, Bonhoeffer said, "The Church is the
Church only when it exists for others."
This teaching of faith is confirmed in our daily
experience. Many of us find that there is much
more to life than getting and keeping. True
fulfillment comes with the responsibilities we
assume: to care for our families, and to love a
neighbor, as we want to be loved ourselves. This
is more than a familiar saying; it is the
foundation of a meaningful life.
A person shows his or her character in kindness
and charity. And what is true in our lives is also
true in the life of our nation. You can fairly
judge the character of society by how it treats
the weak, the vulnerable, the most easily
forgotten. Our own country, at its best, strives
to be compassionate, and this isn't easy.
Compassion is not merely a vague feeling of
empathy; it is a demanding virtue. It involves
action and effort, and deep conviction -- a
conviction as old as Scripture and present at the
founding of our country. We believe that everyone
has a place and a purpose in this world, that
every life matters, that no insignificant person
was ever born. (Applause.)
America rejects the ethic of sink or swim. America
rejects social Darwinism, because strength is not
the same as worth. Our greatest failures as a
nation have come when we lost sight of our
compassionate ideals -- in slavery, in
segregation, and in every wrong that has denied
the value and dignity of life. Our greatest
strength as a nation is that we bravely face our
flaws and do our best to make things right. Our
greatest successes as a nation have come when we
broadened the circle of protection and inclusion.
And this work is not finished. We will press on
until every person shares in the promise of our
country. (Applause.)
The mission statement of this university directs
each of you towards a life of service to the
church and to the world. It's not my place to tell
you how best to serve the church, but I do have a
few thoughts about how you can make your mark in
the world. Wherever you are headed, I urge you to
do the work nearest you, and help to build a more
compassionate society.
First, America needs your efforts and energy in
the fight against poverty and despair. A
compassionate society does not look away from a
man being dragged down by addiction, or a mother
being abandoned by the father of the child, or
boys and girls with no role models in life, who
wonder if anyone cares about them. These personal
tragedies are often failures of love -- and they
must be answered with love, and caring, and
kindness. Government can play many important
roles, but it cannot take someone's hand, and be
their friend. You have that power. If you follow
this calling, you can help transform our society,
one heart, one soul at a time. (Applause.)
This call is heard and followed here in the
Milwaukee area, at Lutheran Counseling and Family
Services. It was founded over a hundred years ago
to help children in need. Today, it offers
services and counseling that help teens and
preteens escape drug and alcohol abuse. When
children hurt this deeply and this early, they
often need an entirely new path, a new way. The
CEO of the program, Dr. Chuck Mesek, says this:
"The clinical work is important, but in helping a
person, faith is what really heals them
completely." (Applause.)
Around our country, there are so many people with
loving hearts who despair at the suffering they
see around them. And so I made a decision: Instead
of ignoring or resenting religious charities and
faith-based groups, this country will encourage
these good works in every way we can. (Applause.)
The federal government now allows faith-based
groups to compete for billions of dollars in
social service funding, without being forced to
change their identity and their mission. We must
support the best, the most effective sources of
compassion and hope -- and we will not
discriminate against people of faith. (Applause.)
Second, America needs your good heart in meeting a
basic responsibility: to protect and honor life in
all its seasons. A compassionate society shows a
special concern for those at the beginning of
life, those at the end of life, and those who
struggle in life with disabilities. Most of you,
at some point, will be called to care for a dying
relative, or a frail and aging parent, or someone
close to you with a terrible sickness. Often, in
their pain and loneliness, they will feel they are
nothing but a burden, and worthless to the world.
And you will need to show them that's not true.
Our worth as human beings does not depend on our
health, or productivity, or independence, or any
other shifting value the world might apply. Our
worth comes from bearing the image of our Maker.
(Applause.) And the hardest times of your life may
be the most important, when you bear witness to
this truth by your sacrifice and loving-kindness
to another soul.
This commitment to the value of every life also
challenges our society. Technologies that have
extended life also make treatment decisions harder
at the end of life. New methods of research hold
promise in treating disease. These innovations
show the resourcefulness of humanity, and they
must be guided by all the wisdom of humanity. Our
standards must be high, and clear, and fixed. Life
is not just a tool, or a commodity, or a means to
other ends. Nothing good or just can be built on
the destruction or suffering of others.
(Applause.)
These convictions have deep roots in our nation's
founding. Our Declaration of Independence calls
life an endowment of the Creator, and on earth, an
unalienable right. Applying this belief has always
been a test of our democracy. Your education has
prepared -- has prepared you to add to these
debates with respect for others, and with
confidence in your own beliefs. By your voice, and
by your example, all of you can help to build a
culture of life in America. (Applause.)
Third, America needs your idealism to show the
good heart of our country to the whole world. A
compassionate society sees needs and suffering
beyond its borders, and cares enough to act.
Americans show this care by adopting orphans from
other lands, by resettling tens of thousands of
refugees each year, by sending surgeons and
dentists on medical missions, by spending years
living among and serving people in far away
countries. The kingdom you serve is not bounded by
coasts or rivers or checkpoints. The hymns you
sing are sung in every language. The needs of all
the world are your concern, and I hope that, with
your generous spirit and global vision, you will
point the way for others. (Applause.)
The moral ideals of America are also universal.
Because we believe in the rights and dignity of
our own citizens, we believe in the rights and
dignity of people everywhere. (Applause.) So in
Africa and elsewhere, we are leading the fight
against AIDS and other diseases. Where there is
famine, our country provides food. Where there is
desperate poverty, our country provides
developmental aid. Where there is natural
disaster, even in hostile nations, America is
eager to help. (Applause.) And where there is
tyranny, oppression, and gathering danger to
mankind, America works and sacrifices for peace
and freedom. (Applause.) The liberty we prize is
not America's gift to the world; it is the
Almighty God's gift to all humanity. (Applause.)
At this hour, our fellow citizens are sacrificing
for the security and freedom of Afghanistan and
Iraq. Their mission is like others we have given
to past generations in our military: to defeat the
violent and rescue the innocent. (Applause.) The
mission of our military is also vital to the
interests of America: We will not allow
Afghanistan and Iraq to fall under the control of
radicals and terrorists who are intent on our own
destruction. (Applause.) On these matters, the
compassion and the vital interests of our country
speak as one: For the sake of peace, for the sake
of security, we will stand for freedom.
(Applause.)
The great events of these historic times can seem
remote, and beyond the control of individuals.
Yet, we have recently seen how much difference,
for good or ill, the choices of individual men and
women can make. In Iraq, the cruelty of a few has
brought discredit to their uniform and
embarrassment to our country. The consequences of
their failures of character reach well beyond the
walls of a prison. Yet, those failures cannot
diminish the honor and achievement of more than
200,000 military personnel who have served in Iraq
since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(Applause.) The character of the men and women who
wear our uniform has been shown in countless acts
of goodness and decency and unselfish courage. Our
American military comes from all parts of the
country. Six are members of the graduating class,
and we thank them all. (Applause.)
One person can do so much harm, or so much good.
One person can show the compassion and character
of a whole country in an hour of testing. Never
doubt that you can make a difference, because the
call that comes to you is yours alone. And a great
deal depends upon your answer. By bringing care
and hope into other lives, you can fill your own
life with purpose. By caring for life at every
stage, you can make our country a more just and
welcoming place. (Applause.) By showing the
generosity of America, you can help change the
world.
Each of you has gifts to offer, and I am confident
you will use those gifts where they are needed. I
wish you well on the journey ahead. I thank you
for the warm welcome, and the honorary degree. I
leave today a proud member of the Concordia
University Wisconsin Class of 2004.
May God bless. Thank you, all.
527 PACs fallout
The following is a Joint Statement by Bush-Cheney
Campaign Chairman Marc Racicot and RNC Chairman Ed
Gillespie on Today’s FEC Ruling on 527 Groups:
"The FEC’s decision today to do nothing to stop
the massive spending of soft money "527"
committees to influence the 2004 elections is
unfortunate, but provides clarity.
"It has always been clear to us that the
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act ("BCRA") and its
subsequent affirmation by the Supreme Court would
limit the role of political parties in the
political process and allow special interest "527"
groups to proliferate. We had always assumed
however, that the provisions of the Federal
Election Campaign Act that have existed since the
1970’s and were not changed by BCRA would require
the 527s to follow the basic tenets underlying
federal campaign finance law.
"We erroneously thought "527" groups would be
regulated by their status and their activities. We
expected that when one of these "527" groups
raised and spent more than $1,000 for the specific
purpose of defeating or electing federal
candidates such as President Bush or John Kerry,
that particular "527" group would fall under the
Federal Election Commission’s umbrella as a
federal political committee. In other words, the
"527" would have to spend and raise federally
regulated money, "hard dollars." No corporate
money could be raised nor spent and individual
contributions would be limited to $5,000 per year.
"Today’s decision to delay addressing fundamental
questions regarding the regulation of "527’s" is
irresponsible. It also sets the stage for a total
meltdown of federal campaign finance regulation in
2004 - the first election after BCRA supposedly
banned soft money from influencing federal
candidates and elections.
"The Commission by its own action, or more
precisely inaction, today has given the "green
light" to all non-federal "527’s" to forge full
steam ahead in their efforts to affect the outcome
of this year’s Federal elections and, in
particular, the presidential race.
"Conservative groups now have the go-ahead they
were waiting for as the commission has now made
clear that these "527"groups will not be affected
by the federal campaign finance rules, at least in
2004.
"As FEC Commissioner Michael Toner said, "Delaying
a decision is making a decision-namely, that we
are not going to issue any regulations for the
2004 elections. We are going to see a new ‘soft
money’ arms race for the 2004 election." (Delay
Urged for FEC Action on Pro-Democratic Groups,
Washington Post, 5/12/04)
"Look at the blatant anti-President Bush and
pro-Kerry activity by MoveOn.org, The Media Fund,
ACT and others. Add in their uninhibited
coordination with agents of the Kerry campaign and
the Democratic Party at the national and state
levels. Remember that all of this information was
known to the FEC during its "527" rulemaking
deliberations.
"By today’s action, the FEC has sanctioned the
activities of these groups. Its decision sends a
very clear signal to the political community --
let the "527" battle begin.
"The 2004 elections will now be a free-for-all.
Thanks to the deliberate inaction by the Federal
Election Commission, the battle of the 527’s is
likely to escalate to a full scale, two-sided war.
"Groups like the Leadership Forum, Progress for
America, The Republican Governor’s Association,
GOPAC and others now know that they can legally
engage in the same way Democrat leaning groups
like ACT, the Media Fund, MoveOn and Moving
America Forward have been engaging.
"Now that the Commission has spoken, or not
spoken, it is all but certain that those groups
that would like to see the President re-elected
and the U.S. House and Senate remain in Republican
control will begin raising and spending money in
the same manner as those groups that would like to
see the President defeated and the U.S. House and
Senate in Democratic control have already been
doing. Thanks to the Federal Election Commission,
the "527" battle will now rage unabated through
Election Day."
Kerry’s obsession with internationalization
by Roger Wm.
Hughes
There continues to be a disturbing trend by
Democrats to want to involve the French in the
Iraq War. France -- the country, that provided a
safe haven to the Ayatollah Khomeini... a country
that has so socialized its economy that its
continued economic decline is inevitable... a
country that resents our hard work and what it
calls the America's MacDonaldization of European
culture.
Robert Kagan in his book, Paradise and Power,
points out the deep resentment by France and
Germany towards America and their stated goal of
diminishing America’s power. According to Kagan’s
book, the French Foreign Minister called on Europe
-- that being France and Germany -- to create a
joint military force that might offset America’s
military strength. However, their weak economies
would not support such a move.
These are not the words of allies.
Despite this, Sen. John Kerry called on Friday for
greater participation from France:
"There are senators and … diplomats who have had
conversations with other folks that I think
indicate that — given the right equation, given
the right statesmanship and leadership — it is
possible to have a very different level of
participation," Kerry said.
"I know what the public statements are today," the
Democratic presidential nominee said. "It doesn't
deter me one iota from saying what I say, based on
what my private conversations have been."
Earlier this week, France's new foreign minister
said his country would never send French troops to
Iraq, even as part of a peacekeeping mission.
It is clear that America needs to do something
about these wayward allies that resent us so much.
It is clear that the U.S. and the EU must develop
a common policy that recognizes their historical
and strategic differences.
France and Germany, Kagan argues, have learned
that nation-states must live together or die.
America has come to rely on the blunt diplomacy of
force; Europeans resent America for its raw power
tactics. Americans, however, get fed up with
whining Europeans who would not enjoy their
freedom to moan but for the post-1945 umbrella of
NATO security. Americans are not willing to make
money off of terrorists or let a ‘Komeini’ live in
their country -- even if it would later result in
the harming of France at some future date.
Given all of this, it remains strange the Kerry
continues to insist on France’s participation --
participation from a nation that is undoubtedly
linked to the Food for Oil kickbacks to Saddam
Hussein. A nation, along with Germany and Russia,
that continued to build up Hussein’s military
capabilities and defenses. These countries that
supported the ending of embargoes against Hussein,
despite his failure to comply with the terms of
surrender.
We must continue to view Kerry’s obsession with
selling out America with grave concerns. We have
to wonder whether it is his hatred of the concept
of American exceptionalism or a naive belief that
if we all just talk things out people will no
longer kill us because of who and what we are.
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