True conservative
As the Democratic and Republican National Convention dates approach late this summer, the presidential choices are now Sens. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain.

But wait a minute! In spite of news media efforts to rule him out of the race, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) is still campaigning and getting his message out for consideration.

In his insightful article entitled “Why Does the Establishment Hate Ron Paul?” commentator Chuck Baldwin stated, “Ron Paul’s record in Congress is so unblemished, so honest, so full of integrity, that it is difficult to describe. This is a man who actually takes his oath to the Constitution (an oath every congressman, senator and president also takes—but then ignores) seriously.”

Baldwin goes on to point out that Ron Paul has “never voted to raise taxes, never voted for an unbalanced budget, never voted for a congressional pay raise, never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership, and never voted to increase the power of the executive branch of the federal government.”

He is the only candidate who is a champion of the Constitution and one who is not ruled by special interest groups in Washington, D.C.

The 2008 Republican presidential nominating convention coming to St. Paul in September, will most likely pick the very liberal McCain.

Over the years, McCain has teamed up with ultra-liberals such as Sens. Ted Kennedy and Russ Feingold to draft legislation that is devastating to the American cause.

McCain only promises more of the same big spending programs, more government controls over our people, and bigger and bigger deficits.

How about one of the two Democratic nominees? Don’t even consider those radicals.

Support Ron Paul, the modern-day Thomas Jefferson, for president.

Bob Nesbit
Owatonna, Minn.


Required reading
I recently challenged the Stillwater High School English Department on their 10th grade mandatory reading selections for our 15-year-old children.

My concerns are well warranted as titles currently being read graphically describe situations of homosexuality, pornography, pedophilia, filthy language, drug and alcohol abuse and dysfunctional relationships. There is a continued theme with these titles that human life is cheap, truth and goodness are subjective, and an underlying tone that raising a family is not a worthy vocation.

The committee—made up of staff, teachers and parents—looked over my concerns and disagree with my arguments. They favor the continued requirement to read these types of novels because these X-rated novels fit the 10th grade theme of “coming of age."

As parents, we are the primary educators of our children. Our authority over morality is under attack by the “establishment’s” ideas that absolute liberty will set our children free. The “establishment” teaches a blurred distinction between good and evil, right and wrong—emotions and senses being fed over reason and intellect.

Why is it that parents who want reason and intellect to be developed in our youth and ask for an alternative of traditional classics are ridiculed and thwarted?

Kate Carlsen
Stillwater, Minn.

Balance
I know I’m often only compelled to write Letters to the Editor when I have something controversial or challenging to say. I’m happy to report this is not one of those times.

Despite the fact that I’ve had some disagreements with some of the views in the Minnesota Christian Chronicle, I really appreciate that you seem to make an effort at a fairly balanced perspective. I always enjoy reading Greg Boyd and Efrem Smith’s editorials, and there have been a handful of other articles I was impressed to see covered.

The writeup on the Scallywags Bike Shop (February ’08 MCC) was great. Just wanted to say thanks for making an effort to keep a balanced perspective.

Ariah Fine
via e-mail


ICFI
The Minnesota Christian Chronicle always offers an ongoing presentation of interesting articles. One of late involved the InnerChange Freedom Initiative prison program.

As you may have known, ICFI is a Christian-based recovery program created to mentor inmates while in prison and after their release.

Thankfully, Minnesota is one of three states in the country that have allowed the ICFI units into the prison system.

The really good news is that about 90 percent of ICFI graduates will not re-offend, which means the success rate achieved through such faith-based organizations is truly astounding—even more so when compared to the nearly 70 percent of inmates who will repeatedly re-offend as non-participants in such Christian programs.

Our prison system is straining to contain the ever-increasing number of first time offenders as well as those who reenter, even with the outsourcing of inmates to subsidized satellite facilities.

The need for Christian-based reformation, rather than secularly repetitive incarceration, is now more than ever of a greater imperative!

Rod Barfknecht
St. Francis, Minn.