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Will,

You may like to watch , entitled "Poor America"...

... and then ask those Republican Christians you happen to meet whether they think it is God's will to show mercy to the poor of America, or to crush them even further.

Perhaps you could ask such people if they think the law of God encourages us to...

1) care for the poor
2) ignore the poor
3) increase the misery of the poor.

And then ask them to justify their response biblically.

The programme features one of the Republican debates, where the question was asked as to what the panelists think should happen to someone without health insurance who went into a coma. The response was deeply disturbing, with some audience members shouting "yeah" to the question as to whether society should let the man die.

So there's a good question to ask on your travels: Should society let such a man die?

And if the answer is "yes", then perhaps a follow-up question would be: "What do you understand by the word 'patriotism' if you do not wish to protect the lives of some of your fellow citizens?"

Have a good time.

That edition of Panorama is grim. I think the jobs market has picked up a bit since the programme was made, so some of the poor will be getting back on their feet.

Nothing uplifting comes immediately to my mind, I'm afraid. I am interested in how criminals are dealt with, in particular paedophiles. Is Jessica Ahlquist still being bullied by Christians? On a less depressing note I am also interested in the issue of America's growing number of Spanish speakers. No Protestant sits on the Supreme Court - does it mean anything? Question for a potential senator: Who is the Chinese premier? I read that an electric version of the DeLorean was being developed, but that might have been an April Fool's Day joke.

@1. logica_sine_vanitate,
I think the question that many Americans might pose is whether caring for the poor through taxation is scriptural?

mscracker (@ 3) -

I think the question that many Americans might pose is whether caring for the poor through taxation is scriptural?

@4. logica_sine_vanitate,
I think to tithe is certainly scriptural & is something I'd recommend.Taxation is a civic issue & is not voluntary.

I would be interested in hearing something on the American porn industry, which I have read is worth billions of dollars.

I hear there’s a correlation between the American porn industry and the American political I mean religion industry.

On a side note. Since the scholarship is named after Eisenhower. On your day off you could visit the grave of Sir John Dill,a Lurgan man and the only foreigner buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He was highly thought of by Eisenhowers compatriots.

Will,

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall and extinction of soviet communism appears to have completely passed Republican front-runner Mitt Wrongney by ("[Russia] is without question our number one geopolitical foe"), if you have a chance, perhaps you might like to give him a gentle nudge and point him towards an Atlas showing the changes that have taken place since 1989.

Actually though, i've recently been giving some thought to the importance of Ronald Reagan's contribution, in bringing about those changes. I consider Blessed John Paul II to have been the primary agent in defeating communism, but Reagan's role should not be underestimated. And i believe his take on the Cold War can usefully be recycled for the pro-life cause:

"We win. They lose. What do you think of that?"

Further inspiration, incidentally, can be taken from the struggle of Emily Pankhurst and the suffragettes in the early years of the 20th century, to win recognition for the human and civil rights of women. Pro-lifers must win the same recognition - though renouncing all forms of violence - for unborn children. And we will.

@9. Theophane ,
Mitt Romney may be incorrect regarding Russia but his election would be a step in the right direction for pro-life issues.

mscracker;

Hi - Happy Easter to you.

"Mitt Romney may be incorrect regarding Russia but his election would be a step in the right direction for pro-life issues."

But don't you think he's Obama's preferred candidate?

@11-Theophane,
A very happy Easter to you,too!
No, I think in the best circumstances, Romney's the candidate that Pres.Obama would fear the most.But our GOP historically tends to splinter off into factions to the point where there's no energy left to unite behind a strong candidate.I've been involved in local politics & as a delegate to GOP conventions & it becomes a contest of who's the most conservative, rather than how can we actually win an election.I'm 100% pro-life-no exceptions, but if we lose the election because Mr. Romney can't pass some conservative litmus test, how does that further the cause? It just plays right into the hands of Democrats.

"I'm writing this blog entry from Philadelphia, at the start of an eight-week tour of the United States that will see me visit New York, Boston, Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other locations in the mid-west including Kentucky and Tennesee. "
**
I hope you enjoy your visit to Kentucky & Tennessee, but I've never heard them included in "MidWestern" states before...Hope you get to try some BBQ while you're here.

(Be sure & look for some country ham bisquits, too.)

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Pardon me, Will. Was it the Chattanooga Choo Choo?