Page 1320 – Family Council

God’s Providence in Plymouth

Nov 21, 2014JerryThanksgivingThanksgiving

Thanksgiving is less than a week away. As the holiday approaches, the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview has re-released a classic commentary from the late Chuck Colson about the real hero of the first Thanksgiving: God.

Colson’s commentary is about Squanto, the Wampanoag Indian who helped the Pilgrims survive in the early days at Plymouth. Colson writes,

According to the diary of Pilgrim Governor William Bradford, Squanto ‘became a special instrument sent of God for [our] good . . . He showed [us] how to plant [our] corn, where to take fish and to procure other commodities . . . and was also [our] pilot to bring [us] to unknown places for [our] profit, and never left [us] till he died.'”

You can listen to Chuck Colson’s full commentary below.

[audio:http://bit.ly/1BMXRgz|titles=Tell Your Kids the Story of Squanto]

Unpacking Arkansas’ New Term Limits Law

Nov 20, 2014Jerry1 CommentLegislatureArkansas Legislature, Legislature

Rep. Clemmer and Sen. Rapert When Arkansans headed to the polls earlier this month, many of them probably did not realize one of the items on the ballot was an extension of term limits for lawmakers.

Up until 1992 there was no limit on the number of years a person could hold office in Arkansas. Then, 22 years ago, Arkansans chose to institute a limit. At most, a person could serve 6 years in the Arkansas House of Representatives (3 terms); 8 years in the Arkansas Senate (2 terms); and 8 years (2 terms) in any constitutional office, like Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, and so on. Once you max out the number of years you can serve in an office, you’re done; you can never run for that office again.

This has left many elected officials hopping from office to office. Where once upon a time a person might serve 30 years in the Arkansas House of Representatives, today a lawmaker typically starts in the House; runs for the Arkansas Senate after 4-6 years; serves 8 years in the Senate; and then makes a run at a constitutional office, like Secretary of State, or gets a job in a state department or agency. The result is many of the legislators in the House of Representatives are brand new lawmakers while some of the members of the executive branch have been coming out to the Capitol for 20 years or more.

There is little doubt term limits is popular in Arkansas. When it was proposed in 1992, it received nearly 60% of the vote. Every attempt to change term limits was rejected–until November 4 of this year.

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Researchers: Marijuana Smoke as Dangerous as Tobacco Smoke

Nov 19, 2014JerryMarijuanaMarijuana

Preliminary findings in a study on marijuana reveal secondhand marijuana smoke may be as dangerous as secondhand cigarette smoke.

Matthew Springer, associate professor of medicine at University of California San Francisco and one of the authors of this newest study, says, “Both tobacco and marijuana smoke impair blood vessel function similarly. People should avoid both, and governments who are protecting people against secondhand smoke exposure should include marijuana in those rules.”

Researchers found blood vessel function in laboratory rats was reduced by 70% following exposure to secondhand marijuana smoke–similar to levels found as a result of tobacco smoke. Reduced blood vessel function can lead to serious health complications, including heart attack.

This research raises many questions. If secondhand marijuana smoke is dangerous, how safe can firsthand marijuana smoke possibly be? And just how safe are other methods of marijuana consumption? After all, many of them have not been thoroughly researched.

These latest findings underscore, once again, that marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

Read our most popular blog post of all time, “Busting the Myth Marijuana is Harmless,” here.