< Previous www.TerryLowry.com February 2020 6 The Secret Power of Prayer to Make a Difference GUEST EDITORIAL [EDITED FOR SPACE] By Tony Perkins President Family Research Council Are you keenly aware that 2020 is an e xtremely important year for our values? It's cr unch time for America's future. Monumental battles will rage in the coming months. Currently, the Left is relentlessly pursuing the removal of President Trump... a thinly-veiled attempt to stop the advance of the conservative agenda. I believe America will rise or fall based on the actions and engagement of Americans like you and me -- those who believe faith, family, and freedom must be preserved. Is spending more time on our knees in prayer a good idea for all of us? One Scripture passage describes how believers should begin every day: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life , godl y and dignified in every way.” - 1 Timothy 2:1-2 It's a convicting message each of us should take to heart. Before we pray over meals or bring our other petitions before God, the Bible says “f irst of all” to pray for those in authority. Let’s Stand in the Gap Today: that means praying for our city council members, mayors, state representatives, members of Congress, Governors, Supreme Court Justices... and certainly for President Trump and his administration. I am asking you to pledge to pray for our nation. "Intercession" means to intervene on behalf of another -- or, put another way, to stand in the gap. David Went Forth and Faced Goliath. Now: Go Forth and Vote. One intercessor in the biblical history of Israel was young David, who stood for the people of God against the giant Goliath. In 1 Samuel 17, we see how he fought the powerful foes gathered against them, armed with just his sling and five smooth stones. Enemies of Life It's clear who the special-interest Goliaths are today -- those who are enemies of innocent life. Planned Parenthood Action Fund has pledged to spend $45 million in this year's elections. In 2018, the pro-abortion group Emily's List raised and spent more than $110 million. Abortion Up to Birth Those are the same groups who last year coordinated a wave of state laws intended to legalize abortion up to the point of birth. Tragically, New York and Illinois passed the barbaric laws. Other states are on these groups' 2020 target list. [like Texas] When we look at biblical examples of intercessors, they were not armed with the most powerful earthly resources. Young David rejected the heavy armor and sword of King Saul in favor of the simple defensive tools of a shepherd -- the tools he knew best. Tony Perkins7 February 2020 www.TerryLowry.com David Was Not Perfect: God Still Used Him Israelite worship leader Asaph concludes Psalm 78 by praising God for how He used David as an instrument of deliverance, saying, "David shepherded [his people] with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them." Willingness to Fight and Skillful Hands God Still Used Him Working through young David, willingness to fight and skillful hands were the only tools God needed to bring down the giant Goliath and the Philistines' reign of terror over the Israelite people. More Than 60 Million With more than 60 million defenseless American lives in the womb lost to abortion-on-demand since 1973, it's an alarming indicator of our depraved culture that pro-abor- tion forces continue raising funds for their wicked cause. FRC has "slingshot strategies" for impacting culture and policy with truth -- and we've learned to skillfully wield them. FRC Experts Often on the What’s UP Radio Program Our daily radio show Washington Watch engages and equips believers like you, and now reaches 336 stations nationally. Thousands of pastors nationwide receive updates that help them inform and activate their congregations with the truth in these deceptive times. FRC is increasing our training efforts, so parents and leaders at local school boards are equipped to stand up for what is right. Commit to Pray Starting Today I thank you for joining me in the pledge to pray. Discernment, wisdom, and, most of all, prayer are needed for Christians seeking to apply biblical principles to the issues facing our nation. Yes, let's stay informed of events happening right now and be wise as we seek out truth. But let us never neglect to start and end the day on our knees, interceding for our nation by crying out to God for truth to prevail, for innocent lives to be saved, and for the Kingdom of God to advance. Weekdays 2:00 to 3:00 PM on FM 100.7 The Word. Visit www.TerryLowry.com Jesus is NOT on the Ballot. www.TerryLowry.com February 2020 8 How A Russian’s Grocery Store Trip In 1989 Exposed The Lie Of Socialism GUEST EDITORIAL [EDITED FOR SPACE] By Jon Miltimore T he fall of the Soviet Union is sometimes remem- bered as Nov. 9, 1989, the day the Berlin Wall sym- bolically collapsed. While the physical barrier endured for some two more years, on that day, East German Communist Party officials announced they would no longer stop citizens from cross- ing the border. The fall of the barrier was indeed a watershed in the collapse of the Soviet Empire, yet one could argue the true death knell came two months before at a small grocery store in Clear Lake, Texas. An Unexpected Trip On Sept. 16, 1989, Boris Yeltsin was a newly elected member of the Soviet Parliament vis- iting the United States. Following a visit to Johnson Space Center, Yeltsin and a small entourage made an unsched- uled stop at a Randalls grocery store in Clear Lake, a sub- urb of Houston. He was amazed by the aisles of food and stocked shelves, a sharp contrast to the breadlines and empty columns he was accustomed to in Russia. Yeltsin “roamed the aisles of Randall’s nodding his head in amazement,” wrote Stefanie Asin, a Houston Chronicle reporter. He marveled at free cheese samples, fresh fish and produce, and freezers packed full of pudding pops. Along the way, Yeltsin chatted up customers and store workers: “How much does this cost? Do you need special education to manage a supermarket? Are all American stores like this?” Yeltsin was a member of the Politburo and Russia’s upper political crust, yet he’d never seen anything like the offerings of this little American grocery store. “Even the Politburo doesn’t have this choice. Not even Mr. Gorbachev,” Yeltsin said. A Sickening Revelation It’s difficult for Americans to grasp Yeltsin’s astonish- ment. Our market economy has evolved from grocery stores to companies such as Walmart and Amazon that compete to deliver food right to our homes. Yeltsin’s experience that day ran contrary to everything he knew. A longtime member of the Communist Party who had lived his entire life in a one-party system that punished dissent harshly, Yeltsin had been taught over and over that socialism wasn’t just more equitable, but more efficient. Socialism Not More Equitable nor Efficient His eyes were opened that day, and the revelation left the future Russian president feeling sick. “When I saw those shelves crammed with hundreds, thousands of cans, cartons and goods of every possible sort, for the first time I felt quite frankly sick with despair for the Soviet people,” Yeltsin later wrote in his autobiography, “Against the Grain.” “That such a potentially super-rich country as ours has been brought to a state of such poverty! It is ter- rible to think of it.” Weekdays 2:00 to 3:00 PM on FM 100.7 The Word. Visit www.TerryLowry.com The fall of the Berlin Wall was indeed a watershed in the collapse of the Soviet Empire, yet one could argue the true death knell came two months before at a small grocery store in Clear Lake, Texas.9 February 2020 www.TerryLowry.com Yeltsin was not the only person fooled, of course. There is copious documentation of Western intellectuals beguiled by the Soviet system. These individuals, who unlike Yeltsin did not live in a state-controlled media envi- ronment, saw the Soviet system as both economically and morally superior to American capitalism despite the brutal methods employed in the workers’ paradise. Using Fake Data Paul Samuelson, the first American to win the Nobel Prize in economics and one of the most influential econo- mists of the 20th century, was a longtime enthusiast of Soviet central planning and predicted it would lead to a higher standard of living. “Who could know that [the data] was all fake?” Samuelson asked a fellow economist fol- lowing the empire’s collapse. The Truth About Socialism Revealed Despite decades of propaganda and obfus- cation, the great fiction of socialism was eventu- ally fully exposed with the fall of the Soviet Union and the publica- tion of its archives in the 1990s. No longer could academics deny the truth that the people of the Soviet Union endured a painfully low standard of living despite the vast wealth of its empire. “Their standard of living was low, not only by compari- son with that in the United States, but also compared to the standard of living in countries with far fewer natural resources, such as Japan and Switzerland,” the economist Thomas Sowell observed in “Basic Economics.” Yeltsin deserves credit for laying bare the lie of socialism that so many others had refused to see. “[T]here would be a revolution,” Yeltsin told his entourage that fateful September day in 1989, if the people in the Soviet Union ever saw the prosperity in American grocery stores. Yeltsin was more right than he knew. www.TerryLowry.com February 2020 10 President Trump is Winning for Texans and All Americans GUEST EDITORIAL By Paul Simpson County Chair, Harris County Republican Party A fter eight years of stagnation under Barack Obama, America desperately needed new direction. Our nation’s economy was dragging, health care costs were skyrocketing, left-wing judges continued shredding our Constitution and laws, prisons were overflowing, and our immigration system was a mess. Donald Trump in 2016 promised to Make America Great Again, and he has delivered on that promise! Since Donald Trump became President, the economy has been on a record-setting tear. With nationwide unemployment at all-time lows, a rising tide has lifted all boats. Texas has added 870,000 jobs, including 77,000 manufacturing jobs, and has seen its unemployment rate drop from 4.8 percent to 3.4 percent. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will bring an additional $68.2 billion into the U.S. economy and 176,000 new jobs to our nation. With today’s roaring economy, Texas’ economic outlook is incredibly strong. President Trump has enabled the U.S. to be energy independent from the Middle East and Russia. Texas has played a major role in achieving this campaign promise. It was recently reported the trade deficit fell 8 percent, a three-year-low due in large part to oil and gas exports. President Trump has helped Texas boom so Texans can prosper and thrive. With the election just months away, Democrats vying for the presidency are going to share stories about their big (socialist) plans for the nation, but we know what it would be like with a Democrat President – and it’s not pretty. Every Democrat White House hopeful has even supported eliminating fossil fuels, an industry vital to our state that Paul Simpson11 February 2020 www.TerryLowry.com provides good paying jobs and bright futures to nearly two million Texans. Since taking office, President Trump has also taken crit- ical steps in ensuring religious freedom and protecting the unborn, especially by appointing conservative judges who will uphold the Constitution and laws as written. The President has put in place 187 federal judges, including Supreme Court Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, 50 circuit court judges, and 133 district court judges. President Trump’s judicial confirmations have “flipped” three federal appeals courts to majority-Republican-appointees, at a faster pace than any president in four decades. President Trump and the Republican-controlled Senate’s confirma- tion of so many judges will ensure conservative-leaning courts for a generation. President Trump has also taken historic steps to support and defend our cherished ally Israel. He acknowledged Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and declared Israeli settlements in the West Bank consistent with inter- national law. The President also removed the United States from the United Nations Human Rights Council due to the group’s blatant anti-Israel bias. And though others promised, President Trump actually delivered on his pledge to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moved the U.S. Embassy there. Under the Trump Administration, the criminal justice system has finally had a huge overhaul that should have been taken care of years ago. President Trump’s FIRST STEP Act is the most meaningful criminal justice reform in a generation. In addressing our border crisis, President Trump has made it clear that we can no longer allow unfettered influx of drugs and criminals into our country. The President is fulfilling his promise to build a border wall, crack down on illegal entry, and modernize and reform our broken immigration system. With more than 500,000 apprehensions of migrants at the border in fiscal year 2018 (the largest yearly total in a decade), the Trump Administration is taking long-overdue action to solve this crisis. Thankfully, President Trump is prioritizing the problem while 2020 Democrats turn a blind eye to the seriousness of this emergency. The 2020 presidential election is on the horizon. It’s critical we rally in support of a safe, strong, and proud America. With Donald Trump in the White House, the results are nothing short of phenomenal. With the Lone Star State’s help, we’re ready to re-elect President Trump to another four years and see him secure many more victories for all Americans. Why Unlocking More Oil and Gas is Good for Every American - And the Environment? www.TerryLowry.com February 2019 12 Weekdays 2:00 to 3:00 PM on FM 100.7 The Word. Visit www.TerryLowry.com GUEST EDITORIAL By Ryan Sitton Texas Railroad Commissioner Candidate for Re-Election What if gasoline prices doub led? In other words, if you had to pay $5.00 per gallon, how much would that hurt your life? That’s what happened during the 1970s oil crisis. The Middle East-led Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) weaponized oil by embargoing the United States twice. At that time, America lacked the capacity to make up for the lost oil. In 1978, the average price per gallon was around 60 cents. By 1981, it reached $1.35. The economy went into severe recession and millions lost their jobs. But more recently, major unrest in the Middle East has not affected Americans as strongly as it used to. On September 14, 2019, Iranian-backed militias attacked the world’s largest oil refinery, in Saudi Arabia. The attack cut the refinery’s capacity in half. No Price Spike At the Pump American energy leadership is why. As the chief regulator of oil and gas production in Texas, I am on the front lines of American energy production. And I am seeing a revolution that helps all Americans. The likelihood that Iran or any other bad actor can use violence or weaponize oil to hurt the global economy has dramatically receded. Why? American Energy Leadership American energy leadership is why. As the chief regulator of oil and gas production in Texas, I am on the front lines of American energy production. And I am seeing a revolution that helps all Americans. Our modern economy needs energy. From the smart phone in your hand to the lights in your home to the electric cars more Americans drive, we depend on affordable and reliable energy. We have vast proven oil reserves, we have the technology to extract it, and under the Trump admin- istration we have the freedom to produce it and get it to market. Americans produce oil and gas more affordably and reliably than anyone else. This affects everything for the better, including the environment. When I was building my business, I visited about half the world’s refineries. No one produces energy more cleanly than Americans do. Some point to flaring natural gas as an issue. Natural gas is a by-product of oil production. No one likes flaring, but producers are flaring just one to three percent of the total natural gas produced in Texas. American Emission Reductions The solution to flaring is not to slow down oil produc- tion, or ban fossil fuels as some suggest, but to speed development of pipelines and other capacity to get natural gas to market. America has actually reduced emissions faster than any other industrialized country, thanks to the market-driven switch to natural gas. We just need to get more of it to market here and around the world. Ryan Sitton13 February 2020 www.TerryLowry.com The United States was once desperately dependent on foreign oil. In 1973 we imported about 35% of our oil from the Middle East. In 2019, the United States became a net oil exporter. Now, we produce 12 million barrels per day (5 million in Texas alone) and import less than 10% of our oil from the Middle East. We have diversified our other foreign sources. When we were dependent on Middle Eastern oil, American forces had to stand cop on the beat to keep the oil flowing through chokepoints such as the Straits of Hormuz. This made us more likely to get into wars. Now our energy sources are more stable and reliable than ever. American Energy Makes Us Safer Energy is one cost that no one in our modern economy can avoid. Unlocking America’s energy makes us safer and richer. For the teacher or nurse making $60,000 per year, at current gas prices you’re paying about $2,600 per year for gas if you commute 25 minutes to and from work every day. A 1973-size gas price spike would raise your costs significantly, to around $4,000 per year – just to drive to work. The price of the electricity to power your home would also rise significantly. You’d feel that pinch right in the wallet. I’m working every day to make sure that doesn’t happen. What do Americans really want from oil and gas produc- ers? Affordable and reliable energy produced as cleanly and safely as possible. How do we get that? Drill baby drill. Right here in America. Editor’s Note: Ryan Sitton is one of the Texas Railroad Commissioners and is running for re-election. www.RyanSitton.com Who Will You Choose For Congressional District 7? By Terry Lowry, Editor Leading Candidates: Cindy Siegel www.cindysiegel.com Wesley Hunt www.wesleyfortexas.com The fight to take back Congressional District 7 is rounding the bend and heading towards the home stretch. Six candidates are reaching out to the voters in an attempt to win their vote in the upcoming Republican Primary. CD 7 is John Culberson’s old seat, which he lost to a Democrat in November 2018. I have reached out to many of the Republican candidates vying for this coveted seat. Two of the candidates, Cindy Siegel and Wesley Hunt, were asked the same questions during recent interviews on the What’s UP Radio Program. Their interviews can be found in the archives at www.TerryLowry.com Editor’s Note: Over the next few pages find the questions and their responses (edited for space). Terry Lowry, Host of the What’s UP Radio Program: Why should voters cast their vote for you? Cindy Siegel: I am a CPA in my day job. I have been one for 35+ years, the last 28 having my own small practice, serving small business owners and individuals. I am the former Mayor of Bellaire, for eight years, and led through two hurricanes. And more importantly, I’ve been a very long-time Conservative Republican grass-roots activist, holding leadership roles within the Party. I support our Party because I believe in our principles of governance, limited government, personal freedom, and personal responsibility. Wesley Hunt: I am a military soldier who believes in preserving the values and our way of life in Texas. As a military veteran, I feel like it’s my responsibility to continue to serve our constituents in Houston. I come from a military family [all graduates from West Point] ... There is almost 60 years of military service in our family. I believe that we understand what it means as a family to preserve Conservative values and that needs to be translated to the next generation. That is why I am running for Congress. Lowry: Police officers throughout our area are stating that criminals have a revolving door due to “catch and release” or no bond/very low bond amounts. Many police officers are very discouraged. How do we keep our wives, daughters, and everyone safe? Siegel: I understand what the police officers in this day and age have been going through. I think when you look at Houston and Harris County, the issue is that we have judges that are very Liberal Democrats. We have a Democrat DA that has been doing exactly what you said: catch and release. I think the first thing we do is we elect Conservative, Republican judges and DA who will enforce the law and support our police officers. www.TerryLowry.com February 2020 1415 February 2020 www.TerryLowry.com Hunt: We don’t need more laws. We simply need to enforce the laws that we already have. Having a strong judicial system is where this starts. First, I want to thank all the men and women who are serving us, especially the first responders, because they lay their lives on the line for all of us. Second, we must protect them by enforcing the laws we have in this nation. Lowry: Millions and millions around the world see America as the land of opportunity not afforded to them where they live now. Where do we draw the line in terms of immigration, legal and/or illegal? Siegel: I am very supportive of legal immigration. We are a land of laws. We are a sovereign nation…and have the right to control who enters our country. We are not opposed to legal immigration… I’m a big supporter of what President Trump is trying to do to secure our borders, looking at immigration reform… It’s really no different than what we have in our own homes. We lock the doors. We determine who comes into our home… we need to be able to set who comes into our country and secure the border so they come in legally. Hunt: This is an issue of national security. I think it’s fair to understand that we are a sovereign nation with laws and those need to be enforced… as a country, we need to understand who, what, and why people are coming into this country… There are people who are trying to come into this country the right way… and those who come to America illegally… That is not the American way. Lowry: Men and women have seen their take-home pay shrink because of ever-increasing health insurance premiums since Obamacare was passed by the Democrats. What can you do to lower these costs for Texans? Siegel: If I’m elected to go to Congress, I will support President Trump’s efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare... We had told people that if you give us Weekdays 2:00 to 3:00 PM on FM 100.7 The Word. Visit www.TerryLowry.comNext >