by guest blogger, Bonnie Cleaveland, PhD
Bill Maher pointed out that in 2008, Focus on the
Family wrote a letter to supporters predicting what could happen if President
Obama were elected. It's written in the past tense, as if it was 2012 and these
(disastrous!!!) things had already happened. The ones that came true (or
partially true – I was generous) are in boldface. The original letter is much longer
http://www.wnd.com/files/Focusletter.pdf.
Either god is only 8% correct, or the voices that Focus on
the Family hears in their heads are not really god. And therein lies the
problem with believing that the voices in your head are god speaking to you.
Here are the 101 predictions, 8 of which are true or
partially true.
1. "Many of our freedoms have been taken away by a
liberal Supreme Court and a Democratic majority in both the House and the
Senate, and hardly any brave citizen dares to resist the new government
policies any more."
2. "Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John Paul Stevens announced
they would step down from the Supreme Court....President Obama nominated two
far-Left, American Civil Liberties Union-oriented judges, and the Democratic
Senate confirmed them quickly."
3. "Justice Kennedy resigned...His replacement –
another young liberal Obama appointment – gave a 5-4 majority to justices who
were eager to create laws from the bench"
4. " Justice Scalia unexpectedly announced his
resignation due to health reasons and by October 2009 another Obama appointment
took his oath and joined the court."
5. " …the six liberal justices... decided cases in
light of their understanding of the needs of society, and they took more and
more precedents not from the U. S. Constitution but from international laws.
From the end of 2009, Justices Roberts, Thomas, and Alito have been constantly
outvoted 6-3, and they are essentially powerless. It might be 20 or 30 years
before enough new appointments could be made to change the far-Left dominance
of the Supreme Court."
6. The most far-reaching transformation of American society
came from the Supreme Court’s stunning affirmation, in early 2010, that
homosexual “marriage” was a “constitutional” right that had to be respected by
all 50 states because laws barring same-sex “marriage” violated the Equal
Protection clause of the U.S. Constitution."
7. Suddenly, homosexual “marriage” was the law of the
land in all 50 states, and no state legislature, no state Supreme Court, no
state Constitutional amendment, not even Congress, had any power to change it.
The Supreme Court had ruled, and the discussion was over.
8. This was a blatant example of creating law by the court,
for homosexual “marriage” was mentioned nowhere in the Constitution, nor would
any of the authors have imagined that same-sex “marriage” could be derived from
their words. But it just followed the precedents that had been set by state
supreme courts in Massachusetts (2003),2 California (2008)3 and Connecticut
(2008).
9. “President Obama repeated his declaration that he
personally was against same-sex “marriage”, but he told the nation there was nothing
he could do.”
10. “After that decision, many other policies changed, and
several previous Supreme Court cases were reversed rather quickly — raising the
question, “Is America still the land of the free?””
11. “The Boy Scouts no longer exist as an organization. They
chose to disband rather than be forced to obey the Supreme Court decision that
they would have to hire homosexual scoutmasters and allow them to sleep in
tents with young boys.”
12. “It had become increasingly difficult for the Boy Scouts
to find meeting places anyway, because in 2009 Congress passed and President
Obama signed an expansion of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which extended
federal civil rights protections to people engaging in homosexual behavior. So
the Boy Scouts had already been kicked out of all public facilities.”
13. “Elementary schools now include compulsory training in
varieties of gender identity in Grade 1, including the goodness of
homosexuality as one possible personal choice. Many parents tried to “opt out”
their children from such sessions, but the courts have ruled they cannot do
this, noting that education experts in the government have decided that such
training is essential to children’s psychological health.”
14. “ Tens of thousands of Christian teachers either quit or
were fired, and there are hardly any evangelical teachers in public schools any
more.”
15. “Many private Christian schools decided to shut down
after the Supreme Court ruled that anti-discrimination laws that include sexual
orientation extended to private institutions such as schools, and that private
schools also had to obey the law and teach that homosexuality and
heterosexuality are both morally good choices.”
16. “ There are no more Roman Catholic or evangelical
Protestant adoption agencies in the United States. Following earlier rulings in
New York 7and Massachusetts,8 the U.S. Supreme Court in 2011 ruled that these
agencies had to agree to place children with homosexual couples or lose their
licenses.”
17. “Christian parents seeking to adopt have tried going
through secular adoption agencies, but they are increasingly excluding parents
with “narrow” or dangerous views on religion or homosexuality.”
18. “All businesses that have government contracts at the
national, state or local level now have to provide documentation of equal
benefits for same-sex couples. “This was needed to overcome “systemic
discrimination” against them and followed on a national level the pattern of
policies already in place in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle.10
19. “The Bible can no longer be freely preached over radio
or television stations when the subject matter includes such “offensive”
doctrines as criticizing homosexual behavior. The Supreme Court agreed that
these could be kept off the air as prohibited “hate speech” that is likely to
incite violence and discrimination.”
20. “ Physicians who refuse to provide artificial
insemination for lesbian couples now face significant fines or loss of their
license to practice medicine…”
21. “As a result, many Christian physicians have retired or
left the practices of family medicine and obstetrics & gynecology.”
22. “ Lawyers who refuse to handle adoption cases for
same-sex couples similarly now lose their licenses to practice law.”
23. “ All other professionals who are licensed by individual
states are also prohibited from discriminating against homosexuals. Social
workers and counselors, even counselors in church staff positions, who refuse
to provide “professional, appropriately nurturing marriage counseling” for
homosexual couples lose their counseling licenses.”
24. “Thousands of Christians have left these
professions as a result.”
25. “ Church buildings are now considered a “public
accommodation” by the Supreme Court, and churches have no freedom to refuse to
allow their buildings to be used for wedding ceremonies for homosexual couples.
If they refuse, they lose their tax-exempt status, and they are increasingly
becoming subject to fines and anti- discrimination lawsuits.”
26. “While churches are still free to turn down homosexual
applicants for the job of senior pastor, churches and parachurch organizations
are no longer free to reject homosexual applicants for staff positions such as
part- time youth pastor or director of counseling.”
27. “…President Obama invited homosexual rights leaders from
around the United States to join him at the White House as he signed an
executive order directing all branches of the military to abandon their “don’t
ask, don’t tell” policy and to start actively recruiting homosexuals.
28. “As a result, homosexuals are now given special bonuses
for enlisting in military service (to attempt to compensate for past
discrimination), and all new recruits, and all active-duty and reserve
personnel, are compelled to take many hours of “sensitivity training” to ensure
they demonstrate positive attitudes toward those with different sexual
orientations and practices. Any one who seems hesitant or who objects is
routinely passed over for promotion.
29. “In addition, any [military] chaplain who holds to an
interpretation of Scripture that homosexual conduct is morally wrong and
therefore does not espouse “mainstream values,” is dismissed from the
military.”
30. “High schools are no longer free to allow “See You at
the Pole” meetings where students pray together, or any student Bible studies
even before or after school.”
31. “The new 6-3 liberal majority on the Supreme Court
followed his reasoning and outlawed any use of school property for any kind of
religious meeting, even outside of normal school hours”
32. “In addition, Christian students cannot raise religious
objections to curriculum material that promotes homosexual behavior.”
33. “Tens of thousands of young churches suddenly had no
place to meet when the Supreme Court ruled that public schools in all 50 states
had to stop allowing churches to rent their facilities — even on Sundays, when
school was not in session.
34. “ Most of these churches have been unable to find any
suitable place to meet. Public libraries and public parks are similarly
excluded from allowing churches to use their facilities.”
35. “Campus organizations such as Campus Crusade for Christ,
InterVarsity, Navigators, Baptist Campus Ministry, and Reformed University
Fellowship have shrunk to skeleton organizations, and in many states they have
ceased to exist.”
36. “After the Supreme Court ruled that “proselytizing”
speech and “worship” speech did not have the same First Amendment protection as
other speech, and after it declared same-sex “marriage” to be the law of the
United States, a subsequent Supreme Court decision predictably ruled that
universities had to prohibit campus organizations that promote “hate speech”
and have discriminatory policies. Therefore these Christian ministries have
been prohibited from use of campus buildings, campus bulletin boards,
advertising in campus newspapers, and use of dormitory rooms or common rooms
for Bible studies.”
37. “ [Christian ministries’] staff members are no longer
allowed on university property.
38. “The only ministries allowed to function on campuses are “non-
discriminatory” ministries that agree to allow practicing homosexuals and
members of other religions on their governing boards.”
39. “Public school teachers are no longer free to lead
students in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States.”
40. “ Congress lost no time in solidifying abortion
rights under President Obama.”
“This federal law immediately nullified hundreds of state
laws that had created even the slightest barrier to abortion.
41. “States can no longer require parental involvement for
minors who wish to have an abortion, waiting period, informed consent rules,
restrictions on tax-payer funding or restrictions on late-term abortions.”
42. “ The act reversed the Hyde Amendment, so the government
now funds Medicaid abortions for any reason.”
43. “As a result, the number of abortions has increased
dramatically.”
44. “ The Freedom of Choice Act also reversed the Partial
Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, so infants can be killed outright just seconds
before they would be born.”
45. “Nurses are no longer free to refuse to participate in
abortions for reasons of conscience.”
46. “ Many Christian nurses have left the health care field
rather than violate their consciences. A number of Christian nurses challenged
their loss of jobs in court, but the Supreme Court ruled that medical
professionals do not have the
freedom to refuse nonessential, elective care on the basis
of conscience.”
47. “The same restrictions apply to doctors: Doctors who
refuse to perform abortions can no longer be licensed to deliver babies at
hospitals in any state.”
48. “As a result, many Christian doctors have left family
medicine and obstetrics, and many have retired.”
49. “ It’s almost impossible to keep children from seeing
pornography. The Supreme Court in 2011 nullified all Federal Communications
Commission restrictions on obscene speech or visual content in radio and
television broadcasts. As a result, television programs at all hours of the day
contain explicit portrayals of sexual acts.”
50. “In addition, all city and county laws restricting
pornography were struck down by this decision. As a result, pornographic
magazines are openly displayed in gas stations, grocery stores and on
newsstands”
51. “ It is illegal for private citizens to own guns for
self- defense in eight states, and the number is growing with increasing
Democratic control of state legislatures and governorships.”
52. “ Citizens in those areas who are discovered owning guns
have been subjected to heavy fines and imprisonment.”
53. “ Inner-city violent crime has increased dramatically.”
54. “Parents’ freedom to teach their children at home has
been severely restricted.” Homeschooling parents had to agree “not to teach
their children that homosexual conduct is wrong, or that Jesus is the only way
to God, since these ideas have been found to hinder students’ social adjustment
and acceptance of other lifestyles and beliefs, and to run counter to the
state’s interest in educating its children to be good citizens.”
55. “ Parents found in violation of this ruling have been
subject to prosecutions for truancy violation, resulting in heavy fines and
eventual removal of their children from the home.
56. “Thousands of home schooling parents, seeing no
alternative in the United States, have begun to emigrate to other countries,
particularly Australia and New Zealand, where home schooling is still quite
prevalent.”
57. “In his role as commander in chief, President Obama has
been reluctant to send our armed forces to any new overseas commitment.”
58. “ President Obama fulfilled his campaign promise
and began regular withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.”
59. “Al-Qaida operatives from Syria and Iran poured into
Iraq and completely overwhelmed the Iraqi security forces.”
60. “A Taliban-like oppression has taken over in
Iraq, and hundreds of thousands of “American sympathizers” have been labeled as
traitors, imprisoned, tortured, and killed. The number put to death may soon
reach the millions.”
61. “Al-Qaida leaders have been emboldened by what they are
calling the American “defeat” and their ranks are swelling in dozens of
countries.”
62. “President Obama directed U.S. intelligence services to
cease all wiretapping of alleged terrorist phone calls unless they first
obtained a warrant for each case. “
63. “Terrorists captured overseas, instead of being tried in
military tribunals, are given full trials in the U.S. court system, and they
have to be allowed access to a number of government secrets to prepare their
defense.”
64. “Since 2009, terrorist bombs have exploded in two large
and two small U.S. cities, killing hundreds, and the entire country is fearful,
for no place seems safe. “
65. “[President Obama] has challenged the nation to increase
foreign aid to the poorer nations that were the breeding grounds for terrorism,
so people could have an opportunity to escape from the cycles of poverty and
violence in which generations had been trapped.”
66. “ As Vice President Joe Biden had predicted on Oct.
20, 2008, some hostile foreign countries “tested” President Obama in his first
few months in office. The first test came from Russia. In early 2009, they
followed the pattern they had begun in Georgia in 2008 and sent troops to
occupy and re-take several Eastern European countries, starting with the
Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.”
67. “ Russia occupied additional countries that had been
previous Soviet satellite nations, including Poland, Hungary, the Czech
Republic and Bulgaria, with no military response from the U.S. or the U.N.
NATO.”
68. “President Obama has also moved to deepen U.S. ties and
U.S. trade with communist regimes in Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia, regimes that
had long enjoyed the favor of far-Left factions in the Democratic Party. “
69. “Several other Latin American countries seem ready to
succumb to insurgent communist revolutionary factions funded and armed by
millions of petrodollars from Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.”
70. “ Iran launched a nuclear bomb that exploded in the
middle of Tel Aviv, destroying much of that city. They then demanded that
Israel cede huge amounts of territory to the Palestinians, and after an
anguished all-night Cabinet meeting, Israel’s prime minister agreed. Israel is
reduced to a much smaller country, hardly able to defend itself, and its future
remains uncertain. “
71. “The new Congress under President Obama passed a
nationalized “single provider” health care system, in which the U.S. government
is the provider of all health care in the United States, following the pattern
of nationalized medicine in the United Kingdom and Canada.”
72. “Because medical resources must be rationed carefully by
the government, people older than 80 have essentially no access to hospitals or
surgical procedures.”
73. “Euthanasia is becoming more and more common.”
74. “President Obama asked Congress for a large tax
increase. He explained the deficit had grown so large under President Bush, and
the needs of the nation were so great, that we couldn’t afford to cut taxes.”
75. “…Obama’s economic policies have hurt the poor because
they have decreased production and increased inflation and unemployment.”
Here is what happened:
76. “Tax rates have gone up on personal income, dividends,
capital gains, corporations, and inheritance transfers.”
77. “ The amount of income subject to Social Security tax
has nearly doubled.”
78. “We have experienced a prolonged recession.”
79. “ In dozens of cities, there are no jobs to be
found.”
80. “President Obama increased [the rich’s] tax burden so
much that many business owners decided they didn’t want to work any harder when
the government was taking so much away.”
81. “…many of these entrepreneurs have moved their
money, their factories, and often themselves, overseas.”
82. “ So many jobs have been lost that welfare rolls have
swelled, and President Obama is calling for more taxes to meet the needs of
those without work.”
83. “… Obama’s tax bill still included “tax credits” for the
lowest 40% of earners…”
84. “ The federal budget deficit has increased
dramatically under President Obama, in spite of higher tax rates. “
85. “Increasing tax rates on “the rich” did nothing to
reduce the deficit because the economy shrank so much with reduced investment
that the total dollars collected in taxes actually decreased — even though most
people’s tax rate is now higher.”
86. “… Congress passed and President Obama quickly
signed a “card check” program that nullified the requirement for secret ballots
when voting on whether workers wanted a union shop.”
87. “ Several industries are completely unionized, and
prices of goods produced by those industries have shot up as a result.”
88. “World demand for oil continues to climb, and prices
keep going up…”
89. “President Obama for four years has refused to allow
additional drilling for oil in the United States or offshore.”
90. “Gas costs more than $7 per gallon, and many Democrats
openly applaud this, since high prices reduce oil consumption and thus reduce
carbon dioxide output. “
91. “…environmentalist legal challenges have prevented the
construction of nuclear plants, and the courts have been leaning so far in a
pro-environmentalist direction that nobody expects the construction of nuclear
plants for several decades, if ever.”
92. “President Obama directed the Environmental Protection
Agency to implement strict new carbon emission standards that drove many
coal-powered electric plants out of business.”
93. “The price of electricity has tripled in places like
California, which also faces rolling blackouts during peak energy periods.”
94. “Through the actions of the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) and Congress, Democrats were able to largely silence the
largest source of conservative opposition: talk radio.”
95. “… all radio stations have to provide equal time to
contrasting views for every political or policy-related program they broadcast
by talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, Dennis
Prager, Janet Parshall, Michael Medved and Hugh Hewitt, and broadcasters like
Dr. James Dobson. Every conservative talk show is followed by an instant
rebuttal to the program by a liberal “watchdog” group.”
96. “Conservative talk radio, for all intents and purposes,
was shut down by the end of 2010.”
97. “…homosexual-activist groups targeted” Christian
publishers and brick-and-mortar bookstores “that had publications arguing that
homosexual conduct was wrong based on the teachings of the Bible.” As a result,
those evangelical publishers could no longer distribute any of their books
through any of these bookstore chains. Any Christian publisher that dares to
print works critical of homosexual behavior faces the same fate. As a result,
several Christian publishers have gone out of business.”
98.”… Obama followed President Clinton’s precedent and fired
all 93 U.S. attorneys, replacing them with his own appointments, including the
most active members of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
99. “The Justice Department soon began to file criminal and
civil charges against nearly every Bush administration official who had any
involvement with the Iraq war.”
100. “President Obama rescinded President Bush’s executive
order that had prevented presidential papers from being released, and millions
of pages of previously secret White House papers were posted on the Internet.”
101. “Dozens of Bush officials, from the Cabinet level on
down, are in jail, and most of them are also bankrupt from legal costs.”
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