Happy Birthday, FDR!

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on this date in 1882. Today marks the 127th anniversary of the late 32nd President's birth.

When I was a young boy, FDR always fascinated me. I liked his relative, 26th President Teddy, much more, nevertheless, I took an interest in FDR. Perhaps it had to do with my family who, I recall, talked about FDR being a man who cared for the people "unlike the Republicans". Actually, I have no idea if my parents voted Democratic or not but I sure got the impression they were firm Democrats partly (maybe largely) due to FDR's presidency.

FDR, of course, passed away in 1945 before I was born so all I knew about him was what I read. That material certainly played a major role in my taking a liking to him. Everything I got my hands concerning FDR indicated he was a wonderful man and how a great President.

I recall seeing "Sunrise at Campobello" when it came to our local theater. The movie recalled the story of FDR's battle against polio with which he was afflicted in 1921. I watched any television program that even mentioned FDR. I recall one of the episodes of the TV series "The Untouchables" revolved around the shooting of the mayor of Chicago, Anton Cermak, who was with President-elect Roosevelt at the time. The shooter, Giuseppe Zangara, was actually trying to assassinate FDR but hit Cermak and 4 others in and around FDR's car. Cermak was taken to the hospital in FDR's car and, supposedly, said to the future President, "I'm glad it was me instead of you". He died within a month. Zangara was executed only a couple of weeks after Cermak's death (justice moved swiftly, eh?).

I also recall paying one of my fellow classmates in grade school (Cliff Beadle?) $2.00, a fairly high price for an elementary student, for an original St. Louis newspaper from April 13, 1945, the day following FDR's death. The paper, of course, covers many aspects of his life, death, and Presidency. I still have that paper somewhere.

The principal thing I was taught about FDR was how his Presidency saved the United States from the Great Depression as well as saved the world from the Nazis and the Japanese in World War II. Of course, I have long since learned that President Roosevelt and his big government programs actually did not rescue our nation from the depression, rather, it was the war that did so. His programs simply extended the depression. And, in fact, even today we are paying more and more taxes to the government in order to continue funding the programs FDR established (plus many others since).

On the other hand, his leadership during World War II must be acknowledged. I could criticize him for not helping Britain earlier in their fight against the Nazis but America, as a whole, wanted no part of the war in Europe. FDR was not a whimp when it came to foreign policy. He recognized you could not simply sit down and talk to every foreign leader diplomatically and convince them we can all live in peace. Hitler, Mussolini, and others would never have listened. Rather, war, military might, was the only recourse for dealing with them and Roosevelt knew it. Some of our leaders today need to recognize their great Democratic forerunner was right and they and their naive thinking are wrong and dangerous.

Furthermore, let's give him credit for his appeal to the American people. He was elected four times as President, a feat which will never be matched. I suspect some of our other Presidents may have kept the White House for four or more terms if they had wanted it or had lived long enough. Yet, FDR is the only one who has done so.

Politically, FDR did not always succeed. As I noted, his big government programs did not save the nation from the depression. Some of his New Deal programs enacted during his first term were being invalidated by the Supreme Court. So, after winning reelection in 1936, Roosevelt attempted to enlarge the Court in order to prevent future invalidations. Thankfully, he lost that battle.

FDR's moral character was also covered up in the material I read. The picture painted by the biographies, movies, etc., that I read of this President always revealed a loving father and husband, completely devoted to his wife. Well, today we know this was not exactly the case.

So, over the years my respect for FDR has waned somewhat from my earlier view of this President. I would have put him near the top along with Washington, Lincoln, and his 5th cousin, Theodore. Today, my opinion of his Presidency and of his character would drop him lower on my list of the greatest Presidents. Nevertheless, I still hold him in respect because of his leadership during the war and for his personal spirit of never giving up which he illustrated in his battle against polio.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President! I wish you would have left those big government programs in some filing cabinet somewhere, nevertheless, thank you for your courage and your leadership during one of the darkest times of our nation's history.

The Stimulus Package

For those of you who are following the "stimulus" package passed by the House and now on the way to the Senate, you might be interested in a few facts.

1. The stimulus package is a 647 page bill. Yes, 647 pages! If you want to read it or print off a copy, go here.

2. Despite what all the major news networks say, the majority of this package does nothing to create new jobs. Rather it contains many (and I mean many) pet projects of politicians. In other words, it is the largest spending bill every proposed in the history of our nation.

3. Our economy is weak right now and folks are losing their jobs. But comparing our current economic state to that of a Great Depression is a farce. Our situation is no where near as dire as it was then. Such language is used in an effort to get this package passed as soon as possible, even though the package will do little to help our economy.

When Franklin D. Roosevelt became President in 1933 at the height of the Great Depression, the unemployment rate nationwide was 24.9% (1 in 4 were without a job). At the end of 2008, the unemployment rate in the United States was 7.2%. Michigan and Rhode Island, at 10.6% and 10% respectively, were the largest. We are far from the situation of the Great Depression. Let's not over react but let's take time to analyze the situation and make good choices.

4. Furthermore, it has frequently been touted that Roosevelt's "New Deal" is what brought us out of the Great Depression. In his first 100 days, FDR rammed through Congress several new government programs with more over the next several years (including Social Security). We are told these great government programs conceived by FDR's "brain trust" pulled us out of the depression. Therefore, we need the government implementing similar programs today to save us.

Unfortunately, this is not true. In 2004, two UCLA economists released the results of a study which showed FDR's government programs actually prolonged the depression. Several articles have now revealed that World War II, NOT government programs, led to our nation's recovery. As Michael Fumento has written, "The grotesque reality is that it wasn’t an American aristocrat who led us out of the Great Depression but a monstrous Austrian corporal".

So, let's not put too much hope into our government to bail us out of this crisis. The more they get involved, the worse it will get for us and our children. Read over this bill and tell your Senators what you think of it. Point out to them the items in the bill you feel are of no value when it comes to creating jobs. Don't just shake your head and say, "Well, the President is for it so it must be good". That was the attitude of some back in the 30s.

A Letter from my Congressman on FOCA

I wrote a letter to my Congressman and Senators last week asking them to reject any attempt by this administration to pass the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). Today I received the following response from my Congressman, Rep. Todd Akin.

Dear Reverend Walker:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA.) It was good to hear from you and I appreciate the opportunity to respond.

As you may know, FOCA would establish, as the official policy of the United States that every woman has the "fundamental right to choose" to: (1) bear a child; (2) terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability; or (3) terminate a pregnancy after fetal viability when necessary to protect her life or her health. It also prohibits any federal, state, or local governmental entity from: (a) denying or interfering with a woman's right to exercise such choices; or (b) discriminating against the exercise of those rights in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information - and it makes that prohibition retroactive. It further explicitly authorizes civil suits under the Act, including against federal, state or local governments.

Sadly, this is one of the most divisive pieces of legislation I have seen in all my years of public service. The effects of this legislation would be sweeping and devastating for women who face unplanned pregnancies. It would, in short, codify Roe v. Wade and subsequent related Supreme Court decisions as public law - enshrining abortion on demand: any time, any reason, as U.S. policy. Worse, it would overturn all state laws (including laws currently allowed under Roe v. Wade) designed to protect the health of the mother, prohibit certain late term abortion procedures or recognize medical professionals' rights of conscience. In addition, it could have a far reaching "chilling effect" on the provision of life-affirming services in the non-profit sector.

One of the beliefs on which I will never waiver is that life begins at conception and that we should do all we can to protect the lives of innocent children while they are still in the womb. Because of this conviction, I am committed to ensuring that no woman is forced or coerced into an unwanted or unnecessary abortion. FOCA would eliminate state laws that guarantee women full and accurate information about abortion and further erode the social support system that helps many women make life-affirming choices.

Since Roe v. Wade, thousands of lives have been prematurely ended by various forms of abortion. The numbers of abortions in the United States have been declining for more than a decade due to increased access to (a) practical, life-affirming support, (b) protections for minors, and (c) information about the serious physical, psychological and spiritual after effects of abortion. FOCA would roll back many of these protections and increase the number of abortions nationwide. It would send the message to women that abortion is easy, safe and completely acceptable - while having a child, especially in some circumstances is difficult and irresponsible. In fact, states that already have FOCA-like laws see much higher rates of abortions than those states that do not have similar statutes.

I am an active member the Pro-Life Caucus which leads the way in working for life-affirming legislation. In my time in Congress, I have supported a number of pieces of pro-life legislation. Last Congress, I was an original cosponsor of the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (H.R. 1063) and I supported an increase in abstinence education funding for fiscal year 2009. I also co-sponsored the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act (H.R. 3442).

I appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts with me. I believe the Freedom of Choice Act is bad public policy and I will actively oppose it in the 111th Congress. I have also signed a letter to President Obama, calling on him to join me in opposing radical legislation - like FOCA - which would increase abortions across the nation.

It is a privilege to represent you and I hope that you will not hesitate to contact me regarding any matter where I might be of assistance. If you would like more information on issues or would like to share further thoughts with me via e-mail, you may visit my website.

Sincerely,
W. Todd Akin
Member of Congress

If you want to see the letter signed by Rep. Akin (and many others) and sent to the President, let me know and I'll e-mail you a copy.

"The Obama Agenda" by Jonah Goldberg

Jonah Goldberg, a columnist I almost always enjoy reading, has a great article on Glenn Beck's web site, posted yesterday shortly after President Obama's address. Here is a link to the web site containing Mr. Goldberg's thoughts.

Praise for Lee and Jackson

The following came to my attention last Friday in an e-mail sent to me by one of my son-in-laws. I thought it was worthy of passing on via this blog. It comes from Chuck Baldwin who was a Presidential candidate in 2008.

Praise For Lee And Jackson
By Chuck Baldwin
January 16, 2009

This column is archived at http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2009/cbarchive_20090116.html

January is often referred to as "Generals Month" since no less than four famous Confederate Generals claimed January as their birth month: JamesLongstreet (Jan. 8, 1821), Robert E. Lee (Jan. 19, 1807), Thomas Jonathan"Stonewall" Jackson (Jan. 21, 1824), and George Pickett (Jan. 28, 1825). Two of these men, Lee and Jackson, are particularly noteworthy.

Without question, Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson were two of the greatest military leaders of all time. Even more, many military historians regard the Lee and Jackson tandem as perhaps the greatest battlefield duo in the history of warfare. If Jackson had survived the battle of Chancellorsville, it is very possible that the South would have prevailed at Gettysburg and perhaps would even have won the War Between the States.

In fact, it was Lord Roberts, commander-in-chief of the British armies in the early twentieth century, who said, "In my opinion, Stonewall Jackson was one of the greatest natural military geniuses the world ever saw. I will go even further than that--as a campaigner in the field, he never had a superior. In some respects, I doubt whether he ever had an equal."

While the strategies and circumstances of the War of Northern Aggression can (and will) be debated by professionals and laymen alike, one fact is undeniable: Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. Jackson were two of the finest Christian gentlemen this country has ever produced. Both their character and their conduct were beyond reproach.

Unlike his northern counterpart, Ulysses S. Grant, General Lee never sanctioned or condoned slavery. Upon inheriting slaves from his deceased father-in-law, Lee immediately freed them. And according to historians, Jackson enjoyed a familial relationship with those few slaves that were in his home. In addition, unlike Abraham Lincoln and U.S. Grant, there is no record of either Lee or Jackson ever speaking disparagingly of the black race.

As those who are familiar with history know, General Grant and his wife held personal slaves before and during the War Between the States, and, contrary to popular opinion, even Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation did not free the slaves of the North. They were not freed until the Thirteenth Amendment was passed after the conclusion of the war. Grant's excuse for not freeing his slaves was that "good help is so hard to come by these days."

Furthermore, it is well established that Jackson regularly conducted a Sunday School class for black children. This was a ministry he took very seriously. As a result, he was dearly loved and appreciated by the children and their parents.

In addition, both Jackson and Lee emphatically supported the abolition of slavery. In fact, Lee called slavery "a moral and political evil." He also said "the best men in the South" opposed it and welcomed its demise. Jackson said he wished to see "the shackles struck from every slave."

To think that Lee and Jackson (and the vast majority of Confederate soldiers) would fight and die to preserve an institution they considered evil and abhorrent--and that they were already working to dismantle--is the height of absurdity. It is equally repugnant to impugn and denigrate the memory of these remarkable Christian gentlemen.

In fact, after refusing Abraham Lincoln's offer to command the Union Army in 1861, Robert E. Lee wrote to his sister on April 20 of that year to explain his decision. In the letter he wrote, "With all my devotion to the Union and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, my home. I have therefore resigned my commission in the army and save in defense of my native state, with the sincere hope that my poor services may never be needed . . ."

Lee's decision to resign his commission with the Union Army must have been the most difficult decision of his life. Remember that Lee's direct ancestors had fought in America's War For Independence. His father, "Light Horse Harry" Henry Lee, was a Revolutionary War hero, Governor of Virginia, and member of Congress. In addition, members of his family were signatories to the Declaration of Independence.

Remember, too, that not only did Robert E. Lee graduate from West Point "at the head of his class" (according to Benjamin Hallowell), he is yet today one of only six cadets to graduate from that prestigious academy without a single demerit.

However, Lee knew that Lincoln's decision to invade the South in order to prevent its secession was both immoral and unconstitutional. As a man of honor and integrity, the only thing Lee could do was that which his father had done: fight for freedom and independence. And that is exactly what he did.

Instead of allowing a politically correct culture to sully the memory of Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. Jackson, all Americans should hold them in a place of highest honor and respect. Anything less is a disservice to history and a disgrace to the principles of truth and integrity.

Accordingly, it was more than appropriate that the late President Gerald Ford, on August 5, 1975, signed Senate Joint Resolution 23, "restoring posthumously the long overdue, full rights of citizenship to General Robert E. Lee." According to President Ford, "This legislation corrects a 110-year oversight of American history." He further said, "General Lee's character has been an example to succeeding generations . . ."

The significance of the lives of Generals Lee and Jackson cannot be overvalued. While the character and influence of most of us will barely be remembered two hundred days after our departure, the sterling character of these men has endured for two hundred years. What a shame that so many of America's youth are being robbed of knowing and studying the virtue and integrity of the great General Robert E. Lee and General Thomas J."Stonewall" Jackson.

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(c) Chuck Baldwin

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Exponential Change - Eternal Constant

Tom Ascol's blog had this posted today and I enjoyed it very much. So, I decided to post a link to the You Tube site for those of you not following the Founders blog.

As Dr. Ascol mentions, before (and after) you watch this video, remember our God never changes!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpEnFwiqdx8&eurl=http://www.founders.org/blog/2009/01/exponential-change-eternal-constant.html&feature=player_embedded

Another Quiz for the Walker Faithful (and Followers)

Aunt Jane sent me this quiz the other day so I decided to post it here for your pleasure. See if you can go fROM ANSwer to answer and find the 30 books. I'll publish the solution as a comment to this post in a couple of days. I suggest you read through the quiz first since some of the "rules" are explained in the quiz itself.

The quiz begins with the next line.

30 BOOKS OF THE BIBLE PUZZLE

This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much; he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it, she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That’s a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or a scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, “The books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight.” Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that the books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus, there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found. God Bless!

Christmas at the Walker house

The Walker house was full of siblings and in-laws during the Holiday week, and boy was it a blast!

The Gants (Tyler, Emily, Gracie, Levi) came down on Christmas day. As well as the Kaatmans and Greens. Gifts were exchanged, presents were opened, and cookies were eaten! We had a blast that evening playing games. A new game, Apples to Apples, was among the top played that night. As well as card games such as 'Golf' and 'Crazy eights'. Mom put out some food earlier that morning, and all day long food was available.

The next day Jessica and the boys (Brody & Bryson) came home for Holiday. It's amazing how much Brody, Gracie, Bryson, and Levi have grown!!! And the noise they came make :)

It was like a party every evening because everyone would come back over, and we would bring out more food and play more games...like Apples to Apples!! It was a lot of fun having everyone that could be at the house playing games and having fun.

I thank God for blessing us to all be together during the Holidays!

-Rebekah