The RECORD

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AMERICA ASLEEP
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"Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep" (Proverbs 6:10)

QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

"When vice prevails and impious men bear sway, the post of honor is a private station."

(Addison)

"Honor and fortune exist for him who always recognizes the neighborhood of the great, always feels himself in the presence of high causes."

(Emerson)

IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL WILL OPEN DOOR TO
OVER 100 MILLION NEW IMMIGRANTS

A study by Robert Rector, Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, warns that a proposed immigration reform bill now in the U.S. Senate, S. 2611, will allow more than one hundred million new immigrants to the U.S. over the next twenty years, a number equal to one-third of the current population of the U.S.

Rector warns that under the bill, the rate of immigration into the U.S. would increase from one million a year to over five million. Legal immigration would provide nearly twenty million new immigrants over the next twenty years; and amnesty for illegal aliens would provide twenty million new Americans. Expanded immigration rights for legal immigrants would result in five million more over the next twenty years; and employment-based green cards, would allow in thirteen and one-half million additional immigrants. Twenty million more would be allowed in under a proposed guest worker program; and the immigration of spouses and children of illegal immigrants would bring in at least six million. Parents of naturalized citizens would add an additional five million new immigrants.

According to Rector, the Senate bill, if enacted into law, would cause the largest influx of immigrants in U.S. history, resulting in fully one-quarter of the U.S. population being foreign-born by 2026. Meanwhile, eighty-four hospitals in California have already closed their doors because of the costs of caring for illegal aliens.

Although it escaped the notice of all but a few Mainers, Governor John Baldacci, while a Congressman, was criticized by many immigration reform groups because of his ultra-liberal stand on immigration.

In April 2004, the Governor signed an Executive Order making Maine the first sa nctuary state, following the lead of Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City. Under the Governor's Executive Order it became illegal for any state employee, including law enforcement officers, to inquire into the status of illegal aliens, or to report their status to any other branch of government. Supporters of the Governor's sanctuary state order said it was needed to make Maine a "more welcoming place" and to ensure that state services were "open to all people, regardless of their legal status." On the day the Executive Order was signed, Governor Baldacci joined with representatives of the Maine Civil Liberties Union and other left-wing groups, to celebrate in the Blaine House. At the time, many observers commented that the Governor's sanctuary state order would lead to total immigration anarchy, and the eventual collapse of social services in Maine because of the estimated eleven million to twenty million illegal aliens already in the U.S.

Pressure from the public recently forced the enactment of a state law which prevents illegal aliens from using expired visas and passports to obtain a Maine drivers license. In one notorious incident, an Egyptian who was in deportation proceedings in New York City, traveled to Maine and obtained a drivers licens e with the help of a Portland attorney. He had previously been denied a drivers license in New York. Although the DMV employee who handled the case was reluctant to issue the license, she was instructed by the Secretary of State to grant the illegal alien a license, even though the documents presented were not enough for a U.S. citizen to obtain a Maine license under the same circumstances.

The number of illegal aliens in Maine is unknown, having been estimated at anywhere from slightly more than three thousand to forty thousand, as recently claimed by Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion. Interestingly, the State of Maine asked the Federal government for over $400,000 as compensation for the cost of incarcerating illegal aliens in 1999, but received only slightly more than $100,000.

THE DANGEROUSLY DECEPTIVE DA VINCI CODE

The mainstream press has taken the League to task for daring to suggest that the soon-to-be-released Da Vinci Code presents an extreme spiritual danger because the movie deliberately and cynically seeks to undermine the faith of its viewers. Now, a survey has provided scientific proof that the movie does just that.

According to Reuters News Service, a poll commissioned by a group of prominent English Catholics, and conducted by a leading opinion research firm, the Opinion Research Bureau, shows that the book has an enormous impact on those who read it, by distorting their views regarding certain basic principles of Christianity. Those who have read the book are more than twice as likely to believe that Christ had children by Mary Magdalene; and were four times as likely to believe that the conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei has carried out murders, as depicted in the book.

The scientific study, which sampled the opinions of one-thousand members of the public, confirms the League's claim that the book and movie were never intended as entertainment, but were from the beginning a demonically-inspired effort to lead people away from Jesus Christ, and into the soul-destroying belief called Gnosticism.

The movie, which will be released in seventy countries worldwide -- including the countries of the Middle East, Africa, and Asia -- can be expected to have a deep and lasting impact on public opinion regarding the truth of the Gospels.

THERE IS NO DENYING THE TRUTH

"For we overthrow arrogant 'reckonings,' and every stronghold that towers high in defiance of the knowledge of God, and we carry off every thought as if into slavery--into subjection to Christ"

(2 Corinthians 10:5)

QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

"Strong and bitter words indicate a weak cause."

(Victor Hugo)

"Some talkers excel in the precision with which they formulate their thoughts, so that you get from them somewhat to remember; others lay criticism asleep by a charm. Especially women use words that are not words,--as steps in a dance are not steps,--but reproduce the genius of that they speak of; as the sound of some bells makes us think of the bell merely, whilst the church chimes in the distance bring the church and its serious memories before us."

(Emerson)

"Nothing is as frustrating as arguing with someone who knows what he's talking about."

(Sam Ewing)

"The difficult part in an argument is not to defend one's opinion, but rather to know it."

(Andre Maurois)


FAIRCLOTH - RANKIN DEBATE ON "GAY RIGHTS"
REVEALS DEEP DIVIDE BETWEEN LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES

True to our prediction, the debate between State Representative Sean Faircloth and Harvard-trained theologian John Rankin yielded new insights into the debate over gay rights. The debate drew a fair-sized crowd, made up of conservatives, both Protestant and Catholic. One could not imagine a more conservative setting than the medieval-looking hall, each wall having a crucifix, and a mural of Columbus setting foot in the New World in the back. No supporters of gay rights were anywhere to be seen, with the lone exception of Representative Faircloth, who appeared absolutely confident and self-possessed as the debate got underway. Faircloth looked every part the legislator, with the exception of his Picasso-esque tie and his unpolished shoes, which at least testify to his lack of pretension.

His opponent was the scholarly John Rankin, whose spectacles and beard, combined with his reserved and deliberate manner, made him look every inch the college professor. Not as self-possessed or as confident, Rankin appeared lost in thought in the minutes before the debate. As the debate began, it quickly became clear, that although Rankin had a better understanding of the issues, both sides were an even match.

Faircloth as a lawyer and legislator knows how to capture the attention of an audience, so although his comments lacked substance, he was able to hold his own. With an average crowd, he would have prevailed over his opponent. But those who turned out for the debate were no average crowd. Many were activists who have been opposing the homosexual agenda; and most had come to the debate armed with answers to Faircloth's claims.

From the very start, the debate turned out to be an important lesson in the different way liberals and conservatives approach an issue. In his opening statement, Faircloth sought to disarm the conservative side by invoking the authority of the Founding Fathers in support of the gay rights movement. After listing the sacred cows of the Left -- John F. Kennedy, Mahatma Gandhi, Robert Kennedy, Jr. -- Faircloth went on to debunk the assertion that many of the Founding Fathers were actually Christian. Washington, Faircloth claimed, was not a churchgoer; Benjamin Franklin was a womanizer, and Thomas Jefferson fathered a child out of wedlock. Were the Founding Fathers alive today, Faircloth said, they would support gay rights.

Rankin, on the other hand, went to the heart of the issue in his opening statement, by explaining the difference between divinely-ordained inalienable rights, and rights based on popular opinion, which of course, is the liberal view. Rankin clearly pointed out that rights determined by popular opinion eventually become a matter of "might makes right." Faircloth's response to Rankin's explanation of the meaning of rights was to launch into a minor diatribe against Christianity, quoting a passage by Thomas Jefferson that Christianity had been responsible for the deaths of millions upon millions of people throughout history. A member of the audience later pointed out that the alleged passage by Jefferson is an obvious forgery.

Despite Rankin's brilliant explanation of how all rights and human progress are derived from the Bible, Faircloth insisted on repeating his accusation that religion, and in particular Christianity, has been a force for evil. Man's knowledge of rights is always evolving, Faircloth claimed.

Both sides were at loggerheads from the beginning, with absolutely no common ground. Faircloth's opening statement was so heavy-handed and irrelevant to the discussion at hand, that it provoked laughter from the audience. During the debate, the audience was incredulous at how far out of touch Faircloth was on the most basic matters. His flat denial that there are no unfavorable medical consequences from homosexual acts between males met with expressions of disbelief, for example.

And in the question and answer session which followed the debate, the audience was quick to point out the obvious inconsistencies in Faircloth's arguments. Two members of the audience pointed out that Washington was in fact a regular churchgoer and a deacon in two churches over his lifetime. Another member of the audience pointed out more errors in Faircloth's opening statement, but Faircloth was unmoved, and insisted that his sources were correct.

To an impartial observer it was embarrassingly clear, that not only was Representative Faircloth wrong on many matters of fact, but his entire argument was an unimaginative rehash of liberal commentary dredged up from the New York Times or the Boston Globe. Faircloth's performance was unoriginal and uninspiring, an appeal to warm, fuzzy thinking, in the best liberal tradition. Faircloth was worth seeing, not for the depth and substance of his ideas, but only as another amusing reminder of how out of touch with reality many of our leaders really are.

LETTER ANNOUNCES BOYCOTT OF THE DA VINCI CODE

The following is a letter announcing the intention of the Maine Grassroots Coalition to boycott The Da Vinci Code. The letter was delivered by Paul Madore, Executive Director of the Maine Grassroots Coalition to a theater manager in Lewiston last Thursday.

To whom it may concern:

A personal letter and formal request to the Manager and Owner of ___ Theaters.

Please cease and desist from showing the upcoming file, The Da Vinci Code.

The purpose of this request is to cease blaspheming our Lord Jesus Christ and to prevent from offending the Christian community and other people of good will.

Furthermore, we the undersigned, Leaders and Members of the Catholic and Evangelical Christian Community are hereby on record that we are respectfully and formerly requesting that ______ Theaters and their Manager and those assigned to scheduling and facilitating the viewing of said films, cease and desist from advertising and/or promoting The Da Vinci Code with the express intent of showing Dan Brown's movie The Da Vinci Code.

The director Ron Howard has promised he is being faithful to the bestselling novel as he adapts it to the big screen. That means the movie will likely be blasphemous, just as the book is. The book is a novel, but in telling its story, it makes massive claims about Jesus Christ--that He was not divine, that He was secretly married, and the New Testament is false propaganda; and that the interpretation Brown uses "History is written by the winners" suggests that the whole history of Christianity, beginning with Jesus himself, is a lie.

In the words of Roman Catholic Archbishop Angelo Amato, second in command in the Vatican Doctrinal Office, formerly headed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, "We called on all Catholics and people of good faith to boycott The Da Vinci Code film. This film is full of calumnies and theological errors regarding Jesus, the Gospels and the Church, and is stridently Anti-Christian."

We also recognize that while the movie may give Christians a good opportunity to talk about faith issues, millions of people, not familiar in the least with the Gospels and Sacred Scripture--could be spiritually poisoned with false propaganda against Christ. We also realize that Brown's book has become largely famous due to the extreme cultural poverty on the part of a good number of Christian faithful. This is especially true of children. Every movie ticket purchased is a VOTE, saying "Yes, Hollywood, make more movies like this!"

Therefore, we will encourage other likeminded Christians to avoid participating in seeing this film, and will avail ourselves of every legal opportunity to express our moral outrage to the entire Christian community. We choose not to support the blasphemy. While recognizing that this is an issue of conscience and people of good will may differ on how to approach the film, this is how we choose to act. And we ask Christian and all people of good will to consider joining us in this expression of moral outrage.

TEENPACT IN NEED OF A FIFTEEN PASSENGER VAN OR SMALL SHUTTLE

Justin Horsman, state director for the Christian homeschoolers program called TeenPact, is in need of a reliable, fifteen passenger van, or a small shuttle to take a group of homeschoolers to the National TeenPact Convention in Atlanta, May 25 and June 3.

TeenPact is a national program headquartered in Atlanta that teaches homeschoolers firsthand about many different aspects of their local and state government. If you can help out by lending a van for this valuable work for Christ and the future of America, please call Justin Horsman at 207-240-6368, or e-mail Justin at jhorsman@gmail.com.