Conway Blew It

Rand Paul's candidacy for the U.S. Senate has been spiraling downwards the last few weeks. Due to his own gaffes, he is polling behind the Generic Congressional Ballot. He does not have nearly the presence of yard signs that he did in the primary, and few bumper stickers. Enthusiasm for him was waning.

Then Jack Conway -- who was beginning to look like he had a shot -- turned the election in Paul's favor by running a stupid ad that questions whether Paul is a Christian.

The Conway spot will go down in the history of political advertising as one of the slimiest ever. It took a college prank from 30 years ago and extrapolated upon it to suggest that Rand Paul worships false idols.

But as Paul angrily retorted in last night's debate, according to Joe Arnold,

Those who stoop to the level of attacking a man's religious beliefs to gain higher office, I believe that they should remember that it does not profit a man to gain the world if he loses his soul in the process.

This was a turning-point for some of us who did not support Paul in the primary. This election is no longer about electing Rand Paul so much as it is about seeing Jack Conway lose.

Vote, Then Pray

We will be told tonight that some party "controls" the White House, and/or the Congress. Let's not forget that no matter how the ballots add up, God is in control.

The Anchoress is always a great place to turn in times of high anxiety. Her quote form St. Teresa of Avila says it all:

Let nothing disturb you,Let nothing frighten you,All things pass away:God never changes.Patience obtains all things.He who has God Finds he lacks nothing;God alone suffices.

The Anchoress then advises:

Do your civic duty, say your prayers - help get out the vote, if you’re able - and then put all of your concerns into the Sacred Heart and be ready for whatever happens. It’s all you can do.

God Bless America.

Obama Picks Up a Cross -- Just for Kentucky!

Instapundit is reporting that an Obama brochure for Kentucky's primary features Obama standing next to a life-size cross. Obama manages to combine Mike Huckabee's pandering to evangelical voters with none of the subtlety of the subliminal cross Huckabee supposedly used in his TV ads. No, Obama's cross is big, bold and brassy.

Obama's brochure states that after graduating from college, Obama became a community organizer on the Southside of Chicago. And then,

Obama forged a profound connection with the people of these communities. At their encouragement, he visited a local church one Sunday. That day Obama felt a beckoning of the spirit and accepted Jesus Christ into his life.

Wow! He became "born again" after just one Sunday. This is the fastest conversion experience since the Lord blinded St. Paul on the Road to Damascus.

The brocure doesn't identify the church, but it is in the same locale as the Rev. Wright's church.

Obama has even changed his mantra on the brochure from "Hope and Change" to "Faith. Hope. Change." (Emphasis added.) If that sounds familiar, it's because St. Paul wrote something like it in his first letter to the Corinthians --only the epistle does not say"change." Rather, the Corinthian verse is "faith, hope and love abide, these three, and the greatest of these is love." Only Obama would have the gall to edit Paul.

We Can Pick Our Own Good Causes

Kentuckians don't need the state government to designate which charity should be the object of our generosity. Consequently, neither of the charities seeking to get the $10 from "In God We Trust" license plates should win this debate. Let the drivers decide as a matter of individual conscience.

John Cheves has been following the legislation for Pol Watchers,

The Senate Transportation Committee on Thursday approved House Bill 207 and sent it to the full Senate. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jim Gooch, D-Providence, would let Kentucky motorists buy a specialty plate emblazoned with the words “In God We Trust.” Ten dollars from each plate would go to the state’s veterans’ trust fund.

Gooch's bill has drawn protests from a nonprofit group, Reclaim Our Culture Kentuckiana (ROCK), that applied late last year to the Transportation Cabinet for its own “In God We Trust” plates to raise money for its anti-pornography efforts. ROCK alleges that lawmakers swiped its idea and now stand to divert millions of dollars in potential revenue.

Both sides of this debate implicitly assert that God would want that $10 donated to their charity. Helping veterans and fighting pornography -- both are worthy causes, competing for scarce dollars against other worthy causes.

The license plate about to be released, however, does not read: "God Loves Veterans!" or "God Hates Pornography!" though both sentiments may well be true. The disputed tag reads "In God We Trust." That's one God, but how and when and to what extent we trust Him varies greatly from person to person. State coercion or entanglement on matters of altruism and faith undermines respect for both state and charity.

So Kentucky should follow Indiana's lead and let drivers purchase the "In God We Trust" license plates for no additional charge. Then drivers can donate $10 or however much they want to whomever they want, as the Spirit leads them.

Dems Too Busy For God and Country

Now we know how the Democrats could whisk the Senate through its 30 second "pro forma" sessions -- their tactic to prevent the president from making any recess appointments over the Thanksgiving and August breaks.

Senator Jim Webb (D-VA), who presided over the Potemkin session, skipped the opening prayer. And he skipped the Pledge of Allegiance. See for yourself.

I was shocked, at first. But upon further reflection, the failure to open with prayer and the Pledge is consistent with the Democrats' values. Many are secular relativists who revile people of faith. Likewise, Democrats are prone to blame America for every evil, and display a weird need to be liked by the rest of the world, even by those who want to destroy our country.

In short, they are people who regard rituals of worship and patriotism as corny, at best -- mere wastes of time.

Avian Amber Alert

Here's a chance to blow apart the liberal premise that conservatives hate endangered animals (in addition to small children and library books). A rare missing bird needs your help; all you have to do is go for a walk and hopefully find him.

If you didn't catch WHAS 11's remarkable piece on the whooping cranes, check it out. This breed is down to one last flock in the wild. Conservationists have bred a new flock and are attempting to help it migrate for the first time from Wisconsin to Florida. A man uses a motorized hang glider to show the birds the way south.

This new flock consists of 17, but as it passed through Kentucky on day 44 of the migration, one of the birds went missing. I am certain that I saw that missing crane Friday afternoon at the lake by Springhill Garden Drive.

We noticed the bird because it looked so out of place -- like a Florida crane in a Kentucky pond, all alone. We joked that maybe one of our neighbors had built a tropical aviary and left a window open.

Then last night we heard about the migration project and the missing crane. I called number for the project and was told that the bird got lost on Friday. I went back to the pond this morning and sadly, he was gone.

But he may be close by, and that's where you come in. Walk around your neighborhood, and pay close attention to the birds near creeks, ponds and standing water from the all the rain. You'll know if you see him. Then call the migration project at 1-800-675-2618. If you have your cell phone with you, take a picture.

I've never bought in to the liberal notion that we need government agencies, funding or legislation to make us care for our environment. We take care of the earth and its inhabitants as good stewards, and because we have a duty to protect the weak (whether it's a fetus or a whooping crane).

Noah didn't build the ark in obediance to or with any aid from FEMA. His ark did include a pair of whooping cranes, and now one of their descendents needs our help. Spread the word!