The current "War on Terror" in which America now finds herself is not a new war. It is a war that has raged for over a thousands years. The great conflict between Islam and those nations founded on Christianity has been raging ever since the Arabs first invaded the Byzantine empire. There have been many battles throughout the centuries, from the invasion of Europe, to the Battle of Tours, where the invasion was stopped, to the Crusades, to the Reconquista, to our modern struggle. The current War on Terror cannot be truly understood, unless you realize that it is a far more basic conflict than simply America against a few extremists. We are truly in a war of civilizations. Traditionally, the Islamic view of the world sees two realms, the realm of peace (the areas controlled by Muslims), and the realm of war (everywhere else). Unless we recognize that this conflict goes very deep, and cannot be won in a few battles, we will not be victorious in the end.

America needs to reject the political correctness that demands "tolerance," and call a spade a spade. We are in a war against Islam, we are in a war to preserve our freedom, our values, our very way of life. How can we win a war we won't admit to being in?

Politics

Take a look at the American government, and ask yourself what it has accomplished lately. I'm sure you'll find a few items here and there, but for the most part, our government is rather ineffectual. Even with one party controlling both houses and the presidency, it seems impossible for such a simple thing as actually arresting illegal immigrants to get done. Our government is growing larger and more intrusive with each passing day. Why is it that the party that says it stands for small government and personal freedom is growing the government at an exponential rate? The answer is that our government is full of politicians, and we need statesman.

The difference between the two is gargantuan, and yet simple. The statesman will not compromise himself for gain, and the politician will. We need leaders who will lead this country and do what is right, not politicians who will only do what is needed to keep their power and gain more for themselves.

This is why it is far more important to vote for a candidate than for a party. Parties have a purpose, they are a useful vehicle to organize support, but they cannot be the defining factor in elections if we want to have leaders who will do what is right. When you vote for a candidate this November, ask yourself if that person is really someone you want to be your leader. Is this candidate willing and able to stand for what is right against overwhelming odds? Is this candidate a statesmen, or a politician?

Death of Harold the Wonder Octopus

Come gather 'round, and hear the tale of Harold the Wonder Octopus. Tis a sad tale, one of full of hope, and ending in tragedy. It is not for the weak of heart.

Harold started life as a normal octopus, born to normal octopus parents. But, something was different about him, his did not react well to water, was not nearly as flexible as his octopus friends, and seemed to filled with something soft. It was soon discovered that Harold was no normal octopus, but a stuffed animal meant to hang in a carnival game booth.

Now that he know what he was, Harold took on his new vocation in life with great vigor. He was the best octopus at the booth, and when he was finally won by a lucky player, he though Now I will finally fulfill my destiny!

Little did Harold know what awaited him. For his new owners took him to a Christmas party, to be given away in a gift exchange! Harold didn't mind, he was sure whoever ended up with him would be a good owner, and he could do what he was meant to do. Sadly, it was not to be so.

Harold changed hands several times, each time he held hope that this owner would keep him, but each time he found a good owner, he was taken a new one. And then it happened, he was stolen by the Dark Lord Arysyth. All hope was lost then, for it was known that all Octopi who went into his clutches suffered the same fate. Harold the Wonder Octopus was soon dead, all the hopes and dreams of his friends died with him. His pitiful end can be seen here, for like all of Arysyth's victims, his death was recorded for posterity.

America: a Plumber with leaky pipes?

The Church in America has, for several decades, concentrated heavily on reaching the lost in other countries. America supports many many missionaries in many countries around the world. We have done much to spread the gospel throughout the world. However, when one looks at American society today, it is hard to believe that this could be so.

America's foundation, once based firmly in Christianity, has been eroded away over the past century, until we are now precariously close to moral collapse. How has this happened? I believe that America has become like a plumber, who goes out and fixes other people's pipes all day, but never looks to his own house to fix his pipes. The Church here in America has concentrated almost completely on reaching people in other countries, and has not been active in shoring up the foundation of this nation. It has come to the point where nearly every area of society, government, schools, the media, even the leadership of many churches is so humanist and "politically correct" that there is no right or wrong, or even a perceived need for redemption.

The church has been effectively blind to almost all things "secular" for far too long. Unless strong Christians step up to leadership in our society, how can we expect the country to
continue to be the christian nation it started out as? Foreign missions are important, no doubt, but we can't ignore our own country either.

The old saying, "all evil needs to succeed is for good men to do nothing," really is true. For the most part, Christians have done nothing to influence the areas of public or higher education, government, media, entertainment, or even business. Humanist thought has pervaded all of these areas, taking over with almost no fight at all. We now see what the selfish greed of humanism has done to these areas, the schools are often little more than brainwashing centers, the government is incredibly corrupt, the media and entertainment industries are simply disgusting, and most businesses chase the dollar with no concern for anything else. While many in the church complain about how far our society has fallen, how many are willing to do something about it? Many will send and support missionaries over seas, but how many are willing to fight for the soul of our country? America is still a free country, not completely lost, if the Church does mobilize and begin to fight back, we can, by the Grace of God, take back our culture.

We, as Christians, need to step up, and strive to take back the reigns of leadership from the humanists who now control almost every area of our society. Only from a solid base can any truly effective effort be made to change other countries.