tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25705033781363714992024-03-08T03:00:26.024-08:00THE OSBORNE FILEUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570503378136371499.post-10504819087803972872008-11-12T06:29:00.000-08:002008-11-12T06:30:10.573-08:00Area Chamber of Commerce meetingHouston County <br /><br /> Minutes<br /><br /> November 6, 2008 <br /> <br /><br />The meeting was called to order at 12:06 by President Betsy Ligon. <br /><br />Members present: Betsy Ligon, Mayor Cecil Baggett, Jimmy Lowery, Melinda Conwell, Linda Bratschi, Shannon Kilgore-Harris, Paxton Harris, Sharon Knight, and Bettye McKinnon. <br />The minutes of the October 2, 2008 meeting were presented in written form by Bettye McKinnon. The motion for approval of the minutes was made by Linda Bratschi and seconded by Jimmy Lowery. The motion carried. <br />The treasurer report was presented in written form by Jimmy Lowery. Mr. Lowery noted the 2008 Chamber Membership Banquet was not deficit. The motion for approval of the treasurers report was made by Bettye McKinnon and seconded by Linda Bratschi. <br /> <br /><br />OLD BUSINESS: <br />Betsy Ligon stated the Membership Banquet at the high school was successful and she had received several compliments on it. She stated she was interested in securing Aaron Wilburn as next years entertainment since he was so well received. Betsy congratulated Shannon Kilgore-Harris for receiving the first Russ James Volunteer Award and thanked her for all her hard work. <br />Junior Achievement has started and is in the preschool, 1st and 2nd grades. Allen McCampbell is already planning to extend the program to the other grades in the upcoming years. <br /><br />President Ligon stated the need for a chamber director and she will pursue this issue. <br />Shannon Kilgore-Harris gave an update on the membership drive, stating it is going well with 111 members renewed so far. She is still waiting on plagues to distribute. <br />Southernaire Restaurant has been selected Business of the Quarter by the committee. Yard of the month has been suspended until the spring. Kay French is the committee chair. <br /><br />The Irish Day Executive Committee meeting will meet on November 17th at 5:30. Shannon Harris suggested one person or committee placed in charge of booths and pavilions space, as there was an unfortunate and avoidable conflict last year. Betsy invited Shannon to attend the executive committee meeting. Shannon and Melinda Conwell are Co-chairs of the 2009 Irish Day vendors committee and are sending out vendor applications this week. <br />Teresa Mitchell has already sent the Irish Day theme contest forms to the schools. <br />Betsy read Debbie Schmidt’s thank you card and displayed the ornament Debbie sent us. <br /> <br /><br />NEW BUSINESS: <br />The 2008 Christmas Parade theme is “We Believe”. The Erin Police Department is organizing the parade. Parade will start at 5:00 on December 6th. Parade participants need to contact the Erin Police Department. Betsy would like for the Chamber to go with a Nativity scene and will check to see if we can borrow one for the parade. She will notify Chamber Board when she has details. There will be bell ringers here for the event however they will leave immediately after the parade. After the parade, Santa Claus will receive children at City Hall. Betsy will contact Diane Lynch about the Ham Give Away. <br />Jan Posavec has sold all the spaces for the Arts and Craft Show on December 6th. The show from 10:00A.M. until 8:00P.M. is at Erin City Hall. She is donating all proceeds from the show to the Houston County youth program. The Houston County Lions Club will have a gift wrapping booth. <br /> <br /><br />ANNOUNCMENTS: <br />Signature Health Care will honor the health care workers on November 13th at 6:00 P.M. <br />The Houston County Community Theatre’s “The Homecoming” will be held December 5th, 6th and 7th at the HCHS forum. Call 931-289-2787 (ARTS) for ticket information. <br /><br />The Houston County Youth Choir Christmas Choir Concert will be held December 9th at 6:00 P.M. Admission is free. (Donations accepted) <br />The FCE Holiday Tour of Homes is December 14th from 2:00 to 5:00 P.M. <br />The Relay for Life sponsorship kick off campaign will be held November 17th at Erin City Hall. <br /><br />Bettye McKinnon read the Governor’s letter of regret to his invitation to the Chamber Membership banquet. <br />With no further business or announcements, President Ligon adjourned the meeting. <br />The next scheduled meeting will be held December 4th at 12:00 noon.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570503378136371499.post-42112011844401864112007-09-17T16:03:00.000-07:002007-09-18T15:38:07.737-07:00U.S. Constitution establishes a Christian nation<div style="MARGIN:1ex"><br /> <div><br /> <p><br /> <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><b>A recent poll by the First<br /> Amendment Center has determined that most Americans believe that the U.S.<br /> Constitution establishes a Christian nation. 55% say that the<br /> founders put Christianity into the Constitution. Of course, such a<br /> finding is not surprising given the steady drum beat of the various<br /> fundamentalist Christian evangelical leaders and televangelists over the<br /> last two decades. Unfiltered by the media and traditional mainline<br /> religious groups they declare that the United States was founded as<br /> a “Christian nation” and that it must be brought back to these roots, or<br /> lose its divine guidance and calling by God to be the new chosen<br /> people. </b></font> <br/><br /> </p><br /> <p><br /> <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><b>This theme has reached hysterical<br /> levels in the wake of September 11</b><sup><b>th</b></sup><b> and has<br /> often dangerously borrowed the bellicose language of the Crusades to<br /> declare a holy war against the Muslim world; the same Crusade in which it<br /> was proclaimed ‘to kill a pagan is to win glory, for it gives glory to<br /> Christ.’ With these words came the slaughter of 70,000 Muslims and<br /> Jews. For contemporary evidence of where such unbridled rhetoric<br /> leads we have only to witness the tragic results of the ill-fated invasion<br /> and occupation of Iraq fueled by the misguided words of some of our<br /> leaders:</b></font> <br/><br /> </p><br /> <p><br /> <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><b>In the words of President Bush,<br /> post 9-11, “This is a new kind of evil and we understand, and the American<br /> people are beginning to understand, this crusade, this war on terrorism is<br /> going to take awhile.”</b></font> <br/><br /> </p><br /> <p><br /> <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><b>Lt. General William Jerry Boykin,<br /> former Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence who has made claims that<br /> his God is “bigger than theirs,” has repeatedly described from America’s<br /> pulpits that our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are a “Christian holy<br /> crusade against Islam,” a religion he suggested was aligned with Satan,<br /> who he said wants to destroy us as a nation, and as a Christian<br /> army…</b></font> <br/><br /> </p><br /> <p><br /> <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><b>Just for the record, before the<br /> next poll is taken, it should be compulsory for every American to<br /> reexamine just exactly what our founding fathers thought about the role of<br /> religion/Christianity in America. Having fought to escape religious<br /> persecution in Britain their thoughts should come as no surprise. <br /> </b></font> <br/><br /> </p><br /> <p><br /> <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><b>While all the founding fathers<br /> recognized religion’s valuable social role, they cherished the separation<br /> of church and state and so did their government.</b></font><br /> </p><br /> <p><br /> <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><b>All of them emphasized the<br /> supreme importance of individual reason and conscience – not<br /> ecclesiastical authority and dogma. Author, Bruce Bawer, in his<br /> book, <i>Stealing Jesus, </i> gives us a summary of some of these<br /> thoughts:</b></font> <br/><br /> </p><br /> <p><br /> <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><b>Jefferson said that he was not<br /> generally disposed to seek his religion outside the dictates of his own<br /> reason and feelings of his own heart. Jefferson also said, “There is not a<br /> young man now living in the United States who will not die a<br /> Unitarian.”</b></font> <br/><br /> </p><br /> <p><br /> <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><b>Washington could not accept the<br /> conclusions [of religion] on the basis of authority or long-standing<br /> belief; he was no mystic. “He felt he did not know and could never<br /> know.” He added that he didn’t care which religion immigrants to the<br /> United States might profess: “…If they are good workmen, they may be<br /> Mohammedans, Jews, or Christian of any sect, or they may be<br /> atheists.</b></font> <br/><br /> </p><br /> <p><br /> <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><b>Stephen Prothero, professor of<br /> religion and author of the best-selling book, “Religious Literacy,” offers<br /> a wise and well informed warning to those religious Americans who would<br /> put God and country on the same line. He summarizes the case with three<br /> salient points: </b></font> <br/><br /> </p><br /> <p><br /> <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><b>“First, separation of church and<br /> state is not so much a protection of American values as a protection of<br /> Christianity. Second, instead of being the faith that would change<br /> hearts and minds it has become a religion of exclusivity. Public<br /> Christianity in America in all too many cases has become what you<br /> are opposed to, where “the religious dimension of America has collapsed<br /> into the political dimension.”</b></font> <br/><br /> </p><br /> <p><br /> <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><b>Because we have so closely<br /> blurred the lines between our nation and our religion we have diminished<br /> both of legitimacy and meaning; we have lost the prophetic voice that can<br /> speak truth to both, and ultimately heal our spirit. This is what<br /> happens when we put God and country on the same line. </b></font> <br/><br /> </p><br /> <p><br /> <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><b>While not a majority, this recent<br /> poll demonstrates that there are still many millions of Americans who<br /> believe that being saved by America and being saved by Christianity is not<br /> one and the same. </b></font><br /> </p><br /> <p><br /> <br/><br /> <br/><br /> <br/><br /> <br/><br /> <br/><br /> <br/><br /> </p><br /> <p><br /> <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><b> </b></font><br/><br /> </p><br /> </div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570503378136371499.post-83232627707321832152007-08-16T17:55:00.000-07:002007-08-16T18:01:14.578-07:00COMING SOON THOMAS OSBORNE THE SOUTHERN VOICEJournalist<br /><br />Assigned as reporter/producer and Bureau Chief at the United Nations in 1989 just prior to the Gulf War, Tom Osborne covered the UN for ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT WITH PETER JENNINGS, GOOD MORNING AMERICA, NIGHTLINE, and 20/20, overseeing all editorial coverage for the various prime time news specials and general coverage for ABC news at the UN through 2000.<br /><br />Elected president of the UN Correspondents Association in 1992, he inaugurated and chaired the 1992 series of international press conferences: "The UN in the Post Cold War Era". Convened at UN headquarters in New York, the conferences provided a forum for international journalists, members of the UN Security Council, the UN Secretariat to discuss UN Security Council forum and transparency; an issue under intense scrutiny in the wake of UN involvement in conflicts in the Iraq Gulf war, and the impending crises in the former Yugoslavia.<br /><br />Prior to his UN assignment, Osborne covered NE U.S. for ABC News, New York Bureau.<br /><br />Osborne served as U.S. Director of the Amsterdam-based ANNE FRANK FOUNDATION, 1984-1985, supervising the U.S. opening and national tour of the international archival photographic exhibition: ANNE FRANK IN THE WORLD: 1929-1945, created by the foundation. Osborne later inaugurated the U.S. tour of the exhibition, opening it in 18 U.S. cities. He inaugurated the first annual ANNE FRANK Award for Human Rights in the U.S.<br /><br />In 1971, Osborne began serving as staff assistant and speech writer for various members of the South Dakota congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. He served in the Washington office of Rep. Frank E. Denholm, D.S.D. as legislative assistant and speech writer.<br /><br />Thomas Osborne received a BA degree from Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D. and completed his Masters of Divinity from Methesco Seminary in Delaware, Ohio. He studied at St. John's College, Durham University in Durham, England where he was accepted as a Ph. D. Candidate in the Department of Theology. He attended Catholic University in Washington, D.C. while studying theology with the Paulist Fathers.<br /><br />Osborne was recently awarded a 2006 Fellowship Award at St. John's College, University of Durham, Durham, United Kingdom. Currently he has been teaching "U.S. Policy in the United Nations" at Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN, and lectures on the topic "Behind the Bullets: The Failure of Diplomacy". He has been a frequent guest journalist on The Public Forum: The Teddy Bart Show, produced in Nashville.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0