HE HIT IT OUT OF THE PARK!


Honus (The Dutchman) Wagner was born February 24, 1874. He was an American Major League shortstop and played in the National Baseball League from 1897 to 1917. 
We remember him not only because he was a great hitter and tremendous athlete, but because he stood for something that he truly believed.  You see, Honus played ball back in the day when everyone smoked or chewed tobacco. He was a christian man and didn’t want to promote these kinds of products to youth. These were the days when baseball cards were sold by the thousands to fans.  The cards had a picture of the athlete on the front and a place for advertisement on the opposite side, but this particular baseball card happened to be advertising cigarettes.  
When Honus learned that cards bearing his picture were being circulated beside cigarette ads, he had to make a quick decision. The Dutchman was faced with the choice of accountability. Knowing his integrity was on the line, he stood up and demanded recall of the cards. He told the tobacco company that he didn't want his name associated with something he opposed, and he refused to bend or comply. While other great baseball players left their faces on the front of these cards, his cards were pulled from the shelves! Only a few Honus Wagner cards found their way into the hands of the public and it's believed there are three in existence today. The Honus Wagner card is worth more than any other baseball card in the world and is valued around $3,000,000.00. 
What is this card telling us about the value of integrity?  This rare and amazing baseball card is screaming, “Do the right thing for the right reason, it’s the only way to create lasting worth and great value.”
Perhaps Honus could have been forgotten through time, but today his legacy lives on because of the standard he set.  This great man was not willing to compromise his principles or concede... not for money or for fame! Written by, Linda Sumner Urza, One fine day. 

Stephens: Muslims, Mormons and Liberals


'Hasa Diga Eebowai" is the hit number in Broadway's hit musical "The Book of Mormon," which won nine Tony awards last year. What does the phrase mean? I can't tell you, because it's unprintable in a family newspaper.
On the other hand, if you can afford to shell out several hundred bucks for a seat, then you can watch a Mormon missionary get his holy book stuffed—well, I can't tell you about that, either. Let's just say it has New York City audiences roaring with laughter.
The "Book of Mormon"—a performance of which Hillary Clinton attended last year, without registering a complaint—comes to mind as the administration falls over itself denouncing "Innocence of Muslims." This is a film that may or may not exist; whose makers are likely not who they say they are; whose actors claim to have known neither the plot nor purpose of the film; and which has never been seen by any member of the public except as a video clip on the Internet.
No matter. The film, the administration says, is "hateful and offensive" (Susan Rice), "reprehensible and disgusting" (Jay Carney) and, in a twist, "disgusting and reprehensible" (Hillary Clinton). Mr. Carney, the White House spokesman, also lays sole blame on the film for inciting the riots that have swept the Muslim world and claimed the lives of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three of his staff in Libya.
So let's get this straight: In the consensus view of modern American liberalism, it is hilarious to mock Mormons and Mormonism but outrageous to mock Muslims and Islam. Why? Maybe it's because nobody has ever been harmed, much less killed, making fun of Mormons.
Here's what else we learned this week about the emerging liberal consensus: That it's okay to denounce a movie you haven't seen, which is like trashing a book you haven't read. That it's okay to give perp-walk treatment to the alleged—and no doubt terrified—maker of the film on legally flimsy and politically motivated grounds of parole violation. That it's okay for the federal government publicly to call on Google to pull the video clip from YouTube in an attempt to mollify rampaging Islamists. That it's okay to concede the fundamentalist premise that religious belief ought to be entitled to the highest possible degree of social deference—except when Mormons and sundry Christian rubes are concerned.
And, finally, this: That the most "progressive" administration in recent U.S. history will make no principled defense of free speech to a Muslim world that could stand hearing such a defense. After the debut of "The Book of Mormon" musical, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints responded with this statement: "The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening but the Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people's lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ."
That was it. The People's Front for the Liberation of Provo will not be gunning for a theater near you. Is it asking too much of religious and political leaders in Muslim communities to adopt a similar attitude?
It needn't be. A principled defense of free speech could start by quoting the Quran: "And it has already come down to you in the Book that when you hear the verses of Allah [recited], they are denied [by them] and ridiculed; so do not sit with them until they enter into another conversation." In this light, the true test of religious conviction is indifference, not susceptibility, to mockery.
The defense could add that a great religion surely cannot be goaded into frenetic mob violence on the slimmest provocation. Yet to watch the images coming out of Benghazi, Cairo, Tunis and Sana'a is to witness some significant portion of a civilization being transformed into Travis Bickle, the character Robert De Niro made unforgettable in Taxi Driver. "You talkin' to me?"
A defense would also point out that an Islamic world that insists on a measure of religious respect needs also to offer that respect in turn. When Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi—the closest thing Sunni Islam has to a pope—praises Hitler for exacting "divine punishment" on the Jews, that respect isn't exactly apparent. Nor has it been especially apparent in the waves of Islamist-instigated pogroms that have swept Egypt's Coptic community in recent years.
Finally, it need be said that the whole purpose of free speech is to protect unpopular, heretical, vulgar and stupid views. So far, the Obama administration's approach to free speech is that it's fine so long as it's cheap and exacts no political price. This is free speech as pizza.
President Obama came to office promising that he would start a new conversation with the Muslim world, one that lectured less and listened more. After nearly four years of listening, we can now hear more clearly where the U.S. stands in the estimation of that world: equally despised but considerably less feared. Just imagine what four more years of instinctive deference will do.
On the bright side, dear liberals, you'll still be able to mock Mormons. They tend not to punch back, which is part of what makes so many of them so successful in life.  This article was written today by Bret Stephens for the Wall Street Journal 9/19/ 12.



9/11: WITH HONOR AND RESPECT


Today we honor those individuals who died in the tragedy of 9/11 and the brave men and women who served to preserve those lives hanging in the balance.  "May we never forget what can happen to innocent people when freedom is threatened. " 

The flashbulb memories of 9/11 are seared in our minds and our deepest sympathy is devoted to those who lost loved ones in this horrific tragedy.  

This country belongs to a people who believe in the highest standards of freedom, equality, and excellence.  A collection of people who walk different paths, yet respect the beliefs and the values of those individuals who have chosen to make this great country their home.  

We continue to believe and act upon the noble characteristics that keeps this nation superior to others: dependability, determination, ambition, courage, loyalty, fair mindedness, equality, straightforwardness, inspiration, intelligence, honesty, forgiveness and valor.  

We are forever moving forward, believing in a productive future filled with promise.  In our darkest hours we rally together, giving generously of our time and substance to those who are less fortunate.  We administer to the sick and afflicted, and we sustain those who suffer through personal tragedy and crises.  Never before has there been a people who have acted with such dignity and grace.  

It's our heritage and God given right, as a chosen people, to sustain the principles this country was founded upon.  We are a beacon of light in a world filled with confusion and turmoil yet, as we place our faith in God, we can visibly see the power that's preserving this great nation. 

Let us continue to lead the way in peace and prosperity.  Let us strive to protect our shores for future generations, through this privilege we have been given.  "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required..." Luke 12:48

A special blessing be upon the men and women of the armed forces, who keep our boarders safe, and in honor of those who have sacrificed their lives on our behalf. We are forever indebted to the courage and commitment these valiant individuals continue to display.  By Linda Sumner Urza, One fine day