Todd’s American Dispatch
Merry Christmas, Piedmont.
Thank you for keeping Christ in Christmas.
Thank you for keeping Christ in Christmas.
Todd Starnes, Fox News & Commentary — The annual Christmas parade in Piedmont, Alabama is a big deal in this small town tucked away in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.The Piedmont parade doesn’t have giant helium-filled balloons or dancing Broadway show girls – but they do have the local high school marching band and Santa Claus parades down North Main Street on a bright red fire truck. And just about every girl who’s ever won a beauty pageant will be riding on a float.
“We’ve got beautiful girls in Alabama,” Mayor Bill Baker told me.
This year’s grand marshal is the Piedmont High School track team – state champions – the pride of the town.
“We try to honor our kids and we try to give recognition to those who do well,” Mayor Baker said. “We’re proud to have them leading the parade.”
But the town also wanted to honor the “reason for the season” and that landed them in a world of trouble with a group of out-of-town atheists.
The parade committee selected “Keep Christ in Christmas” as the theme of Thursday night’s parade. Seeing how there’s a church on nearly every street corner in town – no one gave it a second thought.
“It was a great theme,” the mayor said. “I was totally shocked when I received the letter. It’s a small town. It’s a small Christmas parade. We didn’t think there would be any problems at all.”
Little did the mayor know that his town was about to be infested with an ill-tempered gaggle of atheists from Wisconsin – the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF).
They alleged that a single person in Piedmont had complained about the parade theme – and the FFRF sent the mayor a threatening letter.
The theme “alienates non-Christians and others in Piedmont who do not in fact have a ‘strong belief in prayers’ by turning them into political outsiders in their own community,” FFRF attorney Andrew Seidel wrote. “The sentiment of ‘Keeping Christ in Christmas’ does not qualify as a secular celebration.”
They told the city to find a “more appropriate, more inclusive, and constitutional theme” for the parade.
It’s not the first time that the perpetually offended atheists have targeted Piedmont. Earlier this year, they demanded that the local high school stop reciting prayers before football games.
“Somebody filed a complaint and we had to stop that,” the mayor said. Well, to be accurate – they sort of stopped praying.
And from that point on folks would gather on the football field before the game.
“And as citizens, we recited the Lord’s Prayer – out loud,” Mayor Baker said. “One week we had the entire football field encircled by people. It was really wonderful and very moving to me to see people come together and praise God and speak His name out loud.”
The prayer controversy was one of the reasons why the parade committee wanted to make a statement during the Christmas parade.
Unfortunately, the city attorney told the mayor that the theme violated the law – there was nothing they could do.
But the folks around Piedmont are not the kind of folks who back away from a fight. They’re a pretty resourceful bunch.
While they agreed to not officially have a parade theme – the city has decided to keep Christ in Christmas in other ways.
“Nothing has really changed,” the mayor told me. “We still have the same religious floats. We still have the churches. We still have the beauty queens. We’re still going to have this wonderful Christian parade regardless of if we have a theme or not.”
And they also found a way to legally keep Christ in the parade. They mayor said local citizens will be marching with signs reading “Let’s Keep Christ in Christmas.”
“They paid their entry fees,” the mayor said. “It’s a positive march – it’s not a protest march. They are keeping the theme alive even though legally we had to do away with it.”
The mayor is a kind-hearted fellow – but he’s not one to be trifled with – and he’s none too pleased with the out-of-town atheists.
“It annoys me that a small group of people can do what they do and get away with it and the majority has to suffer,” the mayor said. “They are infringing on my beliefs.”
And he also had some words of advice for the one person in town who complained.
“I’d like to tell that one person – whoever he or she is – if they even exist – to stay at home,” he said. “If they don’t like a Christian theme, if they don’t like a Christian parade – stay at home.”
Ironically, all the recent controversy has been a good thing – a blessing in disguise, the mayor said.
“The town has rallied,” he told me. “I appreciate all the citizens who got on Facebook and the telephone and talked to each other. It’s heartwarming to me to see the Christian response that has developed.”
So if you happen to be in North Alabama tonight, be sure to drop by the parade. Miss Piedmont will be there – along with Miss Calendar. The local Boy Scout troop will be hoisting Old Glory and you might even get a candy cane from Old Saint Nick – provided there’s not a last minute fire.
Merry Christmas, Piedmont. Thank you for keeping Christ in Christmas.
About the AuthorTODD STARNES is the host of FOX News & Commentary — heard daily on the Fox News Radio network. Throughout his journalism career, Todd has covered a number of high profile stories — taking him from Wall Street to the White House. He is also a frequent contributor to FOX Nation and FoxNews.com. He has made regular appearances on FOX & Friends and Hannity. His work is heard on hundreds of radio stations around the nation. In his spare time, Todd is active in his church, plays golf, follows SEC football, and eats barbecue.
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REMEMBERING NON-REVISED HISTORY: DEC 13, 2014
Because much rewriting of history is destroying the truth.
The Right Honourable Margaret Thatcher
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1979-1990)
Quote in Context
Margaret Thatcher in a 5 February 1976 TV Interview with journalist Llew Gardner for Thames TV This Week.
Biography
MARGARET HILDA THATCHER, Baroness Thatcher, LG OM PC FRS (née Roberts, 13 October 1925 – 8 April 2013) was a British politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and the Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century and is the only woman to have held the office. A Soviet journalist called her the "Iron Lady", a nickname that became associated with her uncompromising politics and leadership style. As Prime Minister, she implemented policies that have come to be known as Thatcherism. Margaret Thatcher also served as Secretary of State for Education and Science, and Member of Parliament for Finchley.
NEWS BRIEFS: DECEMBER 13, 2014
Current Events And Commentaries
“And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come,
he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.” ~ Jesus
he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.” ~ Jesus
Luke 12:39
WND
America’s Independent News Network - “A Free Press for a Free People”
Shock Prayer: City Calls On Allah, Zeus, Satan
Mayor, commissioners walk out during ‘invocation’ by atheist
By Bob Unruh — An atheist invited to give the opening prayer at a Lake Worth, Florida, City Commission meeting recently called on the “wisdom of Satan” and declared “if almighty Thor is with us, who can ever be against us,” a perversion of a New Testament verse.It was not altogether surprising as people with nontraditional beliefs increasingly are demanding their place in the public square.
But in this case, a number of city commissioners expressed their opinion of the “invocation” – without saying a word.
They got up and walked out.
“Free speech works both ways,” Mayor Pam Triolo told WPTV after the event. “You can say what you want, and I can choose to leave.”
The invocation was offered by Miami “anti-theist” Preston Smith, according to a column by Tim Brown at Freedom Outpost.
Brown described the statements as “utterly moronic” and noted that three other commissioners walked out with Triolo then returned for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Brown wrote that Smith states people “can create a better, more equal community without religious divisions.”
“Of course, we all know that is not what he wants. He simply wants people not to speak about God and morality,” Brown wrote.
“Though he mentions Satan, Allah, Buddha, Zeus, and even Jesus, it all comes down to the fact that he openly states that he wants people to ‘do good for goodness sake’ and he doesn’t want to hear about damnation or judgment.”
Brown said the problem for Smith is that he has “no authority outside of himself to determine what is good.”
“Second, by his own logic, he has no means to impose his view of goodness upon anyone else,” Brown continued. “He mocked true prayer by calling on the remaining members and others in attendance to ‘pray.’ In a similar manner to the RINOs in the House, who stood by reverently as an Islamic imam offered a ‘prayer’ to Allah, these people stood by silently with heads bowed reverently as Smith demonstrated his foolishness. ”
WPTV said Triolo explained she left not because of Smith’s beliefs but because of an earlier Twitter message in which he presented an offensive interpretation of the Bible. She told the station she was concerned the “invocation” would be more of the same.
When the council members walked out, Smith said, “Duly noted.”
Then Smith said: “Our collective atheism, which is to say, loving empathy, scientific evidence, and critical thinking leads us to believe we can create a better more equal community without religious divisions. May we pray together.”
He prayed:
Mother Earth, we gather today in your redeeming and glorious presence to invoke your eternal guidance in the universe, the original creator of all things. May the efforts of this council blend the righteousness of Allah with the all knowing wisdom of Satan. May Zeus, the great god of justice, grant us strength tonight. Jesus might forgive our shortcomings while Buddha enlightens us through his divine affection.Commissioner Christopher McVoy stayed for the invocation, saying he felt he had a responsibility “to respectfully listen.”
We praise you Krishna for the sanguine sacrifice that freed us all. After all, if almighty Thor is with us, who can ever be against us? And finally for the bounty of logic, reason and science, we simply thank the atheists, agnostics, humanists, who now account for one in five Americans and growing rapidly.
In closing. Let us above all, love one another, not to obtain mythical rewards for ourselves now, hereafter or based on superstitious threats of eternal damnation, but rather embrace secular-based principles of morality, and do good for goodness sake.
And so we pray, so what?
But Brown warned that when a nation “forgets God, God brings judgment upon that nation and we are seeing it before our eyes … blasphemers, idolaters, sodomites and other sins and crimes abound in our nation, and why?”
“The church has not been salt and light, but rather has pampered herself and whored herself out, despising the cross of Christ for the accolades of man,” he said. “It’s time the church repented and stood against the gates of Hell and prevailed over them once again. Without such repentance, there is simply more judgment to look forward to.”
Smith’s speech has now inspired at least one other atheist activist, Chaz Stevens, to send an email to Lake Worth city commissioners, asking for permission to deliver a Satanic invocation at a future meeting....
Watch VIDEO: American University Professor Jamal Al-Din Ibrahim: John McCain Established ISIS
By Pamela Geller, Atlas Shrugs — John McCain went to Syria, got photographed with Al Qaeda-linked terrorists, and declared those savages moderates. McCain was wrong about the Syrian “rebels.” Qui cum canibus concumbunt cum pulicibus surgent, if you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas. Bah dah bing, bah da boom. This photo will (and should) haunt McCain the rest of his uninformed days. Look who he got into bed with. Self-Proclaimed American University Professor Jamal Al-Din Ibrahim: John McCain Established ISIS...ISIS: Prelude To Apocalypse
By Elwood McQuaid, The Christian Post — Standing atop a mountain plateau in the stark Judean wilderness, one can look down at the remains of Roman siege camps that eventually trapped some 960 Jewish men, women and children who had fled Jerusalem to Masada while the Romans slaughtered Jews by the thousands in the Holy City in A.D. 70. Masada stands as a stark testimonial to a chapter in history most thought would never happen again. The scope of Roman savagery is a study in the fallen nature of godless, corrupt tyrants who have no regard for human life....Jonathan “Americans Are Stupid” Gruber
Subpoenaed To Turn Over All Documents!
Subpoenaed To Turn Over All Documents!
Gabor (Gabe) Zolna
Congressman Darrell Issa’s committee has subpoenaed all documents between Jonathan Gruber and the federal government, as well as state governments, that Gruber contacted or worked with that pertains to Obama-Care.
Big Win for Netanyahu: Party Primaries Now Dec. 31
By John Waage, CBN News — JERUSALEM, Israel -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at least partially silenced critics by winning a secret Likud vote Thursday to move the party's primaries up to December 31 from January 6. Netanyahu supporters had wanted the earlier date to fend off challengers within the party to his chairmanship in advance of Israel's national elections to be held March 17. The Knesset was dissolved earlier this week after divisions between left-leaning members of the government and the ruling Likud party widened in part over a law that would officially declare Israel to be a Jewish state....LIKE CLOCKWORK: Pension Plans To Be Looted Nationwide
As Congress Okays Institutional Theft Of Funds
As Congress Okays Institutional Theft Of Funds
By Mike Adams, Natural News — On April 2, 2013, in an article entitled Economics 101: Production, coercion and theft, I wrote about the coming looting of pension plans, stating: When societies approach collapse, coercion shifts to outright theft: Stealing money right out of your bank account, for example, like we recently witnessed in Cyprus. Government also routinely target pension funds and even private retirement accounts, attempting to keep itself afloat by any means necessary. Just like clockwork, that looting of pension plans is now...Oil Price Drop Guts Obama’s Green Agenda!
Dick Morris TV - ‘Lunch Alert!’
The Oil War Has Begun, And It will Eventually Lead To
The Doom Of Mecca And The Worship of ANTICHRIST
The Doom Of Mecca And The Worship of ANTICHRIST
By Walid Shoebat (Shoebat Exclusive) — Saudi Arabia which over a billion Muslims worship towards its direction for prayers began its war using oil to control both Russia and Iran. This war will not hurt the U.S. much, but will cause Mecca’s destruction. How all this will unfold must be explained from all angles, biblical, Islamic, economic and demographic. Firstly, from the biblical perspective. Why so many use the Bible to predict the end of the U.S. is beyond me. While the U.S. has its share of sin, it is not the greatest persecutor of the Church....Madrid’s Largest Mosque Was Jihad Recruitment Center
Led By Ex-Gitmo Prisoner
Led By Ex-Gitmo Prisoner
By Robert Spencer, Jihad Watch — A mosque? What? A center of peaceful worship in accord with the peaceful Qur’an of the Religion of Peace? How could this be? Why didn’t the vast majority of peaceful Muslims rise up and throw out these misunderstanders of Islam who were busy twisting and hijacking their peaceful religion? “Madrid mosque was used to recruit combatants for Syria and Iraq,” by Fernando J. Pérez, El Pais, December 12, 2014 (thanks to Fjordman): Madrid’s largest mosque was functioning as a Jihadist recruitment...Lena Dunham, Al Sharpton, Eric Holder
And The New Barbarism
And The New Barbarism
Truth Revolt Originals: “Bill Whittle: Firewall”
Rioting. Slander. The wanton personal destruction of people known by their accusers to be innocent. In his latest Firewall, Bill Whittle shows how events like the rioting in Ferguson do not occur in a vacuum, and how Progressives not only tolerate this lawlessness, this New Barbarism -- they teach it.
Partial Transcript: In the aftermath of the acquittal of the police officer involved in the Michael Brown shooting, the town of Ferguson erupted into riots. Hardly surprising when the former Attorney General, Eric Holder – presumably fully informed of the same evidence that the Grand Jury saw before declining to press any charges against the officer – went all in and decided to literally make a Federal Case out of the incident. President Obama, prior to the decision, met with leaders of the so-called protest movement, telling them to stay the course – he too, needless to say, was fully informed about what actually happened that day on the streets of Ferguson and knew that an officer of the law was innocent. Lawlessness is nothing to these two reprehensible individuals. But power – power is everything. We’ll come back to them in a minute.
This case was manufactured from the ground up, by Holder, Obama, and other evil people, to hold political power. Stealing a television set does not undo injustice – not even a trumped-up one; walking out of a looted store is not a civil rights act. It’s lawlessness, it’s violence, it’s chaos and it’s brutality, and that’s all it is. It’s Barbarism. Read full transcript here
Shutdown Looming: Outgoing Senate Leader Harry Reid
Blocks Quick Budget Deal to Protect Exec Amnesty
Blocks Quick Budget Deal to Protect Exec Amnesty
By Warner Todd Huston, Breitbart — A last-second vote helped pass the new federal budget bill through the House of Representatives late Thursday evening, but the Senate still has to give its approval before it can land on President Obama's desk. With the clock ticking down, a deal to quickly send the bill to the Oval Office failed, resulting in the possibility that the upper chamber might not get the job done before the government runs out of money at midnight on Saturday. Reports state that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid tried to force a quick Friday afternoon vote to send the CR-Omnibus budget to the President to be signed into law, but Republican Senators Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, and Jeff Sessions wanted Reid to agree to allow a vote to defund Obama's amnesty plans before they would agree to vote for the budget. ...BOMBSHELL: Republican Congressman:
Boehner LIED To Me To Get My Vote
Boehner LIED To Me To Get My Vote
By Greg Campbell, TPNN — Speaker of the House John Boehner may soon find himself short on friends after he betrayed each and every American with his crusade to pass the Cromnibus resolution that funds both Obamacare and the unconstitutional amnesty program created via executive fiat. However, while each and every American ought to feel betrayed, one Republican congressman says he feels particularly betrayed and asserts that Speaker Boehner lied to him to get his vote on bringing the Cromnibus to the House floor....Voters & America Betrayed By *RINO*
*Republican In Name Only*
» Cartoonist: Gary Varvel is the editorial cartoonist for The Indianapolis Star. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1957, Varvel was drawn to cartoons as a child when he saw a copy of MAD magazine. His freshman year at Danville High School in Danville, Indiana, Varvel won his first cartoon contest held by the school newspaper.
Jesus Privately Briefing His Inner Circle of Disciples
Regarding The Last Days
Regarding The Last Days
“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” ~ Matthew 24:3-14