Declaration of American Values

Last week's Strang Report about the July 1 Denver meeting with the evangelical leaders received wide coverage. Associated Press quoted the Strang Report since I was the only one who reported from actually inside the meeting. At the end of the blog there are several links to articles that were written if you're interested in reading them.

Because I was the only person who was both at the June 10 meeting that Senator Barack Obama had with evangelical leaders in Chicago and the July 1 meeting in Denver I found myself being interviewed by numerous reporters. As a former reporter myself it's an odd feeling to be on the other side of the interview process.

At the Denver meeting organizer Mat Staver handed out a Declaration of American Values. There was some discussion and debate about some wording and it was referred to a small committee to take into consideration the suggestions that were made. Because the final report was not ready last Wednesday when I wrote my last Strang Report, I'm including it below.

Meanwhile, I'm still trying to get interviews with both Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain. I've received tentative approval from staff members in both campaigns for an interview. I'm eager to interview each candidate and report what they say.

Meanwhile, my son Cameron, Founder and Publisher of Relevant magazine was able to interview Senator Obama last week by telephone. His report was picked up by several of the major news services. Because his interview made Obama look more moderate on both abortion and same-sex marriage, it made the radical left go crazy (according to many of the blog postings that were written) as they are upset that their champion is moving toward the center. At the same time some on the right are horrified to read any depiction about Obama that is not extreme, concerned that some Christians may decide to back him.

You can click here to read Cameron's report.

Click here to read the articles that quoted last week’s “Strang Report.”

http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/07/christian_conservatives_unitin.html

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jrzRNJWPgYEArLcxWtJSmGR-3nFgD91M2DAO0

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/07/john-mccain-con.html



Here is the Declaration of American Values. Feel free to add your comments below in our blog.



Declaration of American Values

We the people of the United States of America, at this crucial time in history, do hereby affirm the core consensus values which form the basis of America’s greatness, that all men and women from every race and ethnicity are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We adhere to the rule of law embodied in the Constitution of the United States and to the principles of liberty on which America was founded. In order to maintain the blessings of liberty and justice for ourselves and our posterity, and recognizing that personal responsibility is the basis of our selfgoverning Nation, we declare our allegiance –

To secure the sanctity of human life by affirming the dignity of and right to life for the disabled, the ill, the aged, the poor, the disadvantaged, and for the unborn from the moment of conception. Every person is made in the image of God, and it is the responsibility and duty of all individuals and communities of faith to extend the hand of loving compassion to care for those in poverty and distress.

To secure our national interest in the institution of marriage and family by embracing the union of one man and one woman as the sole form of legitimate marriage and the proper basis of family.

To secure the fundamental rights of parents to the care, custody, and control of their children regarding their upbringing and education.

To secure the free exercise of religion for all people, including the freedom to acknowledge God through our public institutions and other modes of public expression and the freedom of religious conscience without coercion by penalty or force of law.

To secure the moral dignity of each person, acknowledging that obscenity, pornography, and indecency debase our communities, harm our families, and undermine morality and respect. Therefore, we promote enactment and enforcement of laws to protect decency and traditional morality.

To secure the right to own, possess and manage private property without arbitrary interference from government, while acknowledging the necessity of maintaining a proper and balanced care and stewardship of the environment and natural resources for the health and safety of our families.

To secure the individual right to own, possess, and use firearms as central to the preservation of peace and liberty.

To secure a system of checks and balances between the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches within both state and federal governments, so that no one branch – particularly the judiciary – usurps the authority of the other two, and to maintain the constitutional principles of federalism which divide power between the state and federal governments.

To secure our national sovereignty and domestic tranquility by maintaining a strong military; establishing and maintaining secure national borders; participating in international and diplomatic affairs without ceding authority to foreign powers thatdiminish or interfere with our unalienable rights; and being mindful of our history as a nation of immigrants, promoting immigration policies that observe the rule of law and are just, fair, swift, and foster national unity.

To secure a system of fair taxes that are not punitive against the institution of marriage or family and are not progressive in nature, and within a limited government framework, to encourage economic opportunity, free enterprise, and free market competition.

We hereby pledge our Names, our Lives and our Sacred Honor to this Declaration of American Values.