Christmas: Remember the Birth of Christ

Let us remember the birth of Christ, our Lord and Savior.  Christ, who was born to die, and to live again.

From Luke 2 of the Bible:

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. ^]This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

________

Merry Christmas from OK-SAFE – may we all continue to the work of restoring liberty, while remembering that the giver of that liberty is the Lord.

 

Save the Date! Citizen Involvement in the Legislative Process Training Classes

OK-SAFE, Inc. –  Citizen Involvement in the Legislative Process Training classes.

Barring the end of the world, 2013 will soon be upon us.  With it comes the beginning of another Oklahoma Legislative session.

That means it is also time for OK-SAFE’s annual Citizen Involvement in the Legislative Process training classes so mark you calendars.

OK-SAFE’s training classes are in-depth, un-sissified working sessions.

Classes are broken up into three parts, starting with the basics for beginners, moving on to how and when to lobby, then to the more advanced subjects of how to read a bill with understanding, understanding political doublespeak, and who and what is influencing legislation in Oklahoma.

Attendees will come out of this class better informed, more confident in their ability to communicate with elected officials, better able to track and follow legislation, and more informed about the potential impact proposed legislation could have on this state.

The following dates, times and locations have been confirmed for three training classes.  Class details will be noted in our next newsletter.

Tulsa Area:

• Saturday, January 12, 2013.  9 am to 12:30 pm at Heartland HQ Building, 1008-B N. Hickory Ave., Broken Arrow, OK, 74012
• Saturday, February 2, 2013.  9 am to 12:30 pm at Spirit Life Church, 5345 S. Peoria Ave., Tulsa, OK, 74105

Oklahoma City Area:

• Saturday, January 26, 2013.  9 am to 12:30 pm at The Village Library, 103o7 N. Penn Ave., OKC, OK  73120

These training classes are free and open to the public.  Handouts will be provided; please bring your own notebook computers. A small donation may be asked to offset expenses.

If your group or organization would like to schedule addition training classes please contact OK-SAFE at oksafe@windstream.net.

Hope to see you there.

 

 

ObamaCare: NY Court Deals a blow to one mandate

OK-SAFE, Inc. – On December 5, 2012, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York rendered it’s decision on the complaint filed by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese and associated entities on the issue of mandating coverage for contraceptives, including abortifacients.   

This Court “concluded that the suit was both fit for adjudication and that there would be significant hardship to the plaintiffs from withholding judicial review…”

CatholicCulture.org report on this story begins by saying, “A US district court judge has ruled that the Archdiocese of New York’s lawsuit against the HHS mandate may proceed. Other courts have dismissed similar lawsuits on the grounds that the Catholic plaintiffs had not yet suffered injury from the mandate.”

The website Mirror of Justice reports the details of the decision here.

“The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York has denied in part and granted in part the federal government’s Rule 12(b)(1) motion to dismiss the complaint of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Catholic Health Care Systems, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre and Catholic Charities, and Catholic Health Services of Long Island (CHSLI).”

Significant comments made by District Judge Brian Cogan included this statement:

“Moreover, the First Amendment does not require citizens to accept assurances from the government that, if the government later determines it has made a misstep, it will take ameliorative action. There is no, “Trust us, changes are coming” clause in the Constitution. To the contrary, the Bill of Rights itself, and the First Amendment in particular, reflect a degree of skepticism towards governmental self-restraint and self-correction . . . . Considering the extraordinary political passion surrounding the Coverage Mandate from all sides, there is simply no way to predict what, if any, changes to the Coverage Mandate will be made, even if some policymakers favor certain changes.”

NewOK reported this story on 12/12/12 here.

It looks like challenges to the Patient Protection and Affordable Act will continue for quite some time.  The NY District Court decision on one of the PPACA mandates is encouraging to those of us who are striving to reverse this government overreach. 

May the people continue their fight.

Freedom Advocates adds new website – Agenda 21 News

OK-SAFE, Inc. – From our friends at Freedom Advocates in Santa Cruz, CA.  If you are not already signed up to receive their newsletters, click here to do so.

Freedom Advocates is excited to announce the introduction of a brand new website called Agenda 21 News. The purpose of this website is to broaden your understanding of the Agenda 21 onslaught through relevant news and information. Agenda 21 News works in tandem with the more formal presentation of the permanent resources at FreedomAdvocates.org. Check in regularly at Agenda21News.com or sign up to receive an email digest of new postings.

More from Freedom Advocates….

The REPORT from www.FreedomAdvocates.org December 2, 2012

There has been a surge of interest in Agenda 21. Freedom Advocates’ founders began their work in the year 2000 and have been consistently dedicated to Agenda 21 exposure, while always avoiding the false dialectic. The library of Agenda 21 materials at the Freedom Advocates website is a compilation of timeless information presented in multiple formats.

Regionalism at the Local Level Transit Corridors Plan – The County of Santa Cruz is moving quickly and quietly to implement this massive sustainability program. Although public opposition has taken root, many Santa Cruzan’s are unaware of the Transit Corridors Plan. Consensus-style “visioning” meetings are being held in order to lay the foundation for the local Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors to force the remake of Santa Cruz on residents. Read related articles here:

• Transit Corridor Plans: Cramped Quarters and Limited Mobility

• Regionalism – The Blueprint for Your Serfdom

More here.