Monday, August 29, 2011

Murder in Hardin County, TX - Deputy Flowers Sued for Involvement in Death - Sheriff Ed Cain Sued for Cover-up

Update 6/18/2013: this article was posted over a year ago. I see that there are a ton of people looking at the article today so I wanted to post on here that, after this original article came out, Clint West had been CONVICTED and in prison for Murder! This story is not done though, there are some shocking updates that will be revealed soon about the coverup of this murder so keep checking back!

Update: The Hardin County District Attorney has requested that a special prosecutor be appointed to prosecute the case against West because of the Janca family's allegations.

Update: The Hardin County Sheriff Department has taken a positive step forward and released over 130 pages of documents to the Janca family that they were withholding. I am pleased to say that a couple of days after this article came out, and the day before the lawsuit against the sheriff went to trial, the Sheriff Department gave the Janca family over 130 documents that they were withholding. This caused the lawsuit against the Sheriff Department to be dismissed because the documents were finally handed over. Thank You Sheriff Department for the Positive Step Forward.

Update: Tuesday, 8/30/11 is a big day in court. Several Sheriff Deputies have been subpoenaed in a lawsuit against the Sheriff Department. Also, the District Attorney charged Clint West with murder months ago, but on Tuesday a Grand Jury will finally have an opportunity to indict West on the murder charge.


Update: After this article was posted, several News Agencies, including KFDM, KBTV, KBMT, and the Beaumont Enterprise reported that Clint West has been charged with the Murder of Nicole Janca. Plus, the Grand Jury has indicted West on the charge of Murder.


8/29/11 
by, David Bellow


Hardin County, TX

Clint West of Lumberton, TX has been charged with murder in the death of Lakon Nicole Janca. No one knows about the murder charge though. The media does not even know about the murder charge because they are still reporting that West has only been charged with manslaughter.

West has been charged with murder for a couple of months now but the Hardin County Sheriff’s Department has kept a tight lid on things. In fact, if the Sheriff Department had their way, West would have only been charged with furnishing alcohol to a minor and not charged with murder. Things have been so secretive that the Hardin County Sheriff, Ed Cain, has even been slapped with a lawsuit for allegedly manipulating official documents in an effort to seemingly protect a Hardin County Sheriff’s Deputy, Tony Flowers, who is involved in some of the events of the alleged murder of Nicole Janca.

Before I go any further I want to make something clear. I support law enforcement. I am a Federal Law Enforcement Officer and a member of the United States Military. I support the Hardin County Sheriff Department and I even know a few of the Deputies and they are good officers. One thing I do not like though is a bad law enforcement officer. They can cause people to get hurt or die and they give other officers and the department a bad name, like former Captain Robert Arnold in Orange who killed an unarmed war veteran (who now wants to have a badge again). I believe Tony Flowers is a bad officer who should be charged for his involvement in the events that lead to the death of Nicole Janca. I further believe that Sheriff Ed Cain needs to discipline or fire Tony Flowers instead of causing harm to the Department by covering for Flowers. This covering for Flowers has already harmed the Department because the alleged murder was not investigated properly and now there is a lawsuit against the department because Ed Cain allegedly falsified official records. This story uses facts from the investigation reports and court documents, and also uses information received from Nicole Janca’s mother and other firsthand witnesses. I do not name any Hardin County Sheriff Deputies except for Tony Flowers. Flowers, Clint West and Sheriff Ed Cain (who is ultimately responsible for the actions of his department) are the focus of this story and I do not want to make other Hardin County Deputies look bad who might not have done anything wrong so I do not name any other Deputies. My intent is not to attack the Sheriff, but the truth needs to be heard and Sheriff Ed Cain has some explaining to do and he needs to take immediate corrective actions to make things right. People can read this article and decide for themselves what they want to think.

The following story reveals the details of the alleged murder, the involvement of Deputy Flowers in this alleged murder, the details of the botched investigation by the Hardin County Sheriff Department, and the details of the lawsuit alleging Sheriff Ed Cain falsified documents to cover for Deputy Flowers.


The Alleged Murder of Nicole Janca


A couple of months ago I sat in a Hardin County courtroom and heard two men testify that Clint West admitted to them that he murdered Nicole Janca on November 8th, 2010 following an argument over a ring at a party hosted by Sheriff Deputy Tony Flowers at the Texas Peace Officer’s Dear Lease, aka the TPO Hunting Club (Deputy Flowers is President of Club), in Honey Island near Kountze, TX. I saw the DA present a picture of Nicole’s bloody hand with no blood covering a section of her finger where it was apparent that a ring had been before she died but was taken off right after her hand got bloodied. According to Police Records, Clint West had been drinking at the TPO club and became intoxicated and got into an argument with his girlfriend, Nicole Janca. Sheriff Deputy Tony Flowers told an Intoxicated West to get in his vehicle and find Nicole (who had walked down the dirt road on the camp) and then leave because they were arguing. West allegedly killed Nicole by pushing her out of his moving vehicle as they left the TPO Hunting Club, putting his hand over her mouth as she was dying on the road, and then taking the ring off of her finger before taking her to a gas station and telling police that she was intoxicated and jumped out of the car. She died at the hospital early the next morning, November 9th, 2010, as a result of those injuries.


Deputy Tony Flowers: His Actions and Involvement in the Alleged Murder

Although I am sure there are many law-abiding people who hunt at the TPO Club, the TPO hunting club has a reputation for being a place where people can have sex and get drunk. This situation with Clint West and Nicole Janca does not seem to be any different. Nicole told her mother, Frances Janca, that she was at the TPO Hunting Club with Clint West for the week and that she was drinking there. Nicole’s mother told her it was not a good idea for her to drink since she was underage. Nicole said that Sheriff Deputy Flowers was there at the Clun with his girlfriend, Stephanie Jackson House, (not his wife) and that Flowers did not say anything to her about not drinking. The night of the alleged murder, Flowers admits to seeing West drink several beers. Flowers admits that West and Nicole got into an argument and Flowers admits to telling West to get Nicole and leave (knowing that West had consumed several beers). When Nicole was allegedly murdered, West did not call 911. Records show that West called Flowers. Flowers did not render aid to a dying young girl who was only about a mile away at the end of his Hunting Club dirt road. Instead, Flowers says he told West to leave the scene with Nicole and then call 911 at another location. According to Nicole Janca’s mother, Frances Janca, a man named Robert Lee (who is friends with West and Flowers) says Deputy Flowers called him and told him to tell West that he would just be charged with giving alcohol to minor and that basically everything was going to be ok for West. West has been heard saying that Flowers better take care of him or everyone is going down. Frances Janca even says that West told her that Flowers told him if he would take the contributing to a minor charge he would help him with the rest. According to the police records, Flowers did not even give the police any information about the argument between West and Nicole even though that information would have indicated that there might have been foul play involved.

How can the Hardin County Sheriff Department NOT investigate Flowers for his unacceptable actions? How can they not at least discipline him? This man is supposed to uphold the law. Janca’s mother says that Flowers let her daughter (underage) drink alcohol at his club. Flowers admits to telling a man who had several beers to get into his car and drive while intoxicated. Any upstanding law enforcement officer would never have allowed a drunk person to drive. Flowers did not just let a drunk person drive, he TOLD a drunk person to drive, according to investigation reports. There is even currently a lawsuit against Tony Flowers for his role in the death of Nicole Janca because he told an upset, drunk Clint West to get in his vehicle and get Nicole and leave. He is a law enforcement officer and he knows better. He told someone to break the law and now a person is dead. Instead of Flowers being disciplined or even criminally investigated for his wrongdoing, Sheriff Ed Cain has chosen shield Flowers and even seemingly to shield Clint West in the process of covering for Flowers.

This is not the first time Flowers has been allegedly been involved in questionable situations. I have been contacted by several people who said that Flowers was at a hunting club several years ago where a man was cut up and Flowers did nothing. Also, right after this incident, a Honey Island man allegedly went to Ed Cain and told him that Flowers was sleeping with the man’s wife and that Cain needed to do something about it. I have even been told from a first-hand source that Flowers allegedly stopped her cousin but told her she would not get into trouble if she showed him her ass. I could list other things that people have accused Flowers of doing, but now I want to get back on track with Nicole Janca’s Murder Case. You get the point though. Flowers does not seem like the kind of guy who should have a badge 

What kinds of people are allowed to work under Sheriff Cain? This is unacceptable and it is bringing discredit upon the Hardin County Sheriff Department. I suppose history repeats itself though because once upon a time, Sheriff Deputy (and current Silsbee City Councilman) Thomas Tyler was caught in a sting with a prostitute. Tyler did not get in trouble though after that incident with a prostitute, and he was even recently involved in an alleged cover-up of a child rape in Silsbee, TX



The Botched Hardin County Sheriff Investigation that Almost let Nicole’s Alleged Killer off the Hook

Clint West showed up at a gas station in Kountze with a dying Nicole Janca. Nicole is taken to the hospital where she later died. The Sheriff Investigation starts (and also basically ends) that night at this gas station in Kountze, TX. An intoxicated West was asked about what happened. After telling different stories and admitting he was arguing with her, he was asked to write a statement. West wrote a first statement, but the Deputy told him it would not work so the first statement was tossed (we do not know what it said) and West wrote a second statement. This is West’s exact statement (the second one) that he wrote for Sheriff Department that night: “I was at the culb, we eat some deer we talk and we waz going home and we get to sour mapler and to 1003 she said she going to jump out over me truck I went going about 20 mile and she did. I put she in me truck and drive to 421 and 69 to get help”. After West gave his statement, the Sheriff Department drove West home and then the next day, November 10th, 2010, they asked the County Attorney to charge him with giving alcohol to a minor and they all but closed their Investigation. No other charges.

WHAT?

Clint West was on probation for previously driving while intoxicated. He was driving with a suspended license, he admitted to drinking and driving, and had no car insurance. West told the Deputy more than one story and his stories were inconsistent like at one point saying he was driving 50 mph and at another point saying he was only going 20 mph. The Deputy knew there was an argument between West and Nicole. There was blood all over the inside of the car and Nicole’s bloody hand had a missing ring.  So what did the Sheriff Department do? Surely they booked him for at least drinking and driving or for driving with a suspended license? Nope. They got a statement, drove West home and concluded that he should only be charged with giving alcohol to a minor. It gets worse. They did not impound his vehicle to investigate all the blood in the front AND back of the vehicle. The car cleaning company by Beaumont Colony even called the Sheriff Department and told them about the blood and scratch marks on the inside window. The Sheriff Department told them to clean it. (West’s vehicle was not taken and inspected by the Sheriff Department till 7 months later when Frances Janca and Stewart Butler asked a Judge to allow them to inspect the vehicle) The Sheriff Department did not take West’s clothes or Nicole’s clothes and they even refused to take Nicole’s boots into evidence when Nicole’s mother brought them to the Sheriff Department and showed them how the deep gashes on the boots show that Nicole was dragged for some time and did not just fall out of the vehicle. They did not even go to the Hunting Club that night to look for evidence or to ask the several witnesses what happened there between Clint and Nicole. Frances Janca and her Lawyer Stewart Butler had to contact the witnesses at the TPO Club and interview them about that night since the Sheriff Department would not question them. The only thing the Sheriff Department actually did in their investigation, according to the records, was ask West for a statement, they took some pictures, and they also went to the “accident” site in the dark that night to get some pictures of the blood on the street. The “accident site” was conveniently only a couple hundred feet from the TOP Club property. 

Even more disturbing is that, according to one of the investigating Deputies who arrived at the gas station, the first Deputy there had already decided that no foul play was suspected. They had not even investigated yet and they already decided that nothing bad happened. Also, Deputy Flowers was still allowed access to all of the investigation reports and could read everything before he gave his official statement about what happened that night. Plus, why wasn’t the DPS involved since this “accident” happened on a Texas Highway?

I know the Hardin County Sheriff Department is better than this and would have normally investigated better….It is almost as if a fellow Deputy (Tony Flowers) called the Sheriff Deputies at the scene and told them that nothing happened and to not investigate. That is the only plausible reason why the Hardin County Sheriff Deputies would not investigate this death. They were probably tricked by their fellow Deputy Flowers.
So the case was closed. West was only getting a charge of giving alcohol to a minor.

Nicole Janca’s mother did not give up though.

Frances Janca went to the Sheriff Department and tried to give them Nicole’s boots with the deep gashed from being drug. She tried to tell the police that Nicole’s boot had a missing heel cap and Nicole’s wig was also nowhere at the “accident site” so there had to have been a struggle at the Hunting Club. She tried to tell them that her daughter did not jump out.

Frances Janca’s attempts to have the Sheriff Department look more into the case fell on deaf ears though. One Sheriff Deputy told Frances Janca that Nicole fell out of the car and that was the end of the discussion. Sheriff Ed Cain told Frances Janca that all she wanted to do is argue and accuse people of not doing their job. The Sheriff’s Department said that the only thing West did wrong was to give Nicole alcohol and that was that. Sheriff Cain even said that Deputy Flowers did nothing wrong for not trying to help her dying daughter because Flowers was off duty.

A FULL MONTH passed since the Sheriff Department had closed the case and told Nicole’s mother that it was an accident. But Frances Janca was still working on her daughter’s case. She contacted Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Texas Rangers.

Frances Janca had asked the Texas Rangers to get involved because she believed that the Hardin County Sheriff Department should not have done the investigation in this death because it involved a Hardin County Sheriff Deputy and because the Hardin County Sheriff Department was refusing to re-open the case or accept any more evidence, like Nicole’s boots. Also, West’s furnishing alcohol to a minor charge, and the idea that Janca would jump or accidentally fall out of the vehicle, hinged on West’s statement that Nicole was intoxicated that night. Well the toxicology results came back and showed that Nicole, although she said she was drinking that week, was NOT drinking the night of the accident and had no alcohol in her system when she died.

Things were not adding up, so a month after the Hardin County Sheriff Department had stopped investigating is when Texas Ranger Ken Parks got involved at the request of Frances Janca. Then and only then is when the Sheriff Department decided to open the case back up. In fact, the investigating deputy even writes in his report that Ranger Parks came and met with him and Ed Cain and this is when (a month later on December 6th, 2010) the Sheriff Department finally decides to re-interview Clint West and then go to the TPO club and look around for evidence. At this point, they also do other things like get the evidence from Nicole’s mother and they request the phone record of West’s cell phone. Now they are investigating! Another month after they re-opened the investigation, The Sheriff Department and Ranger Ken Parks concluded their investigations and decided that West should be charged with manslaughter. Basically that means they decided that Clint West caused the death of Nicole Janca but did not intentionally try to kill her. 

So the District Attorney charges Clint West with Manslaughter and West is held on a $200,000 bond.
Now things are moving along. But what about the ring missing from Nicole’s hand? What about all the other evidence and missing pieces to the story? Why was Deputy Flowers not investigated?

Things went cold again. But then a few months later, The District Attorney, David Sheffield, steps in and gets his own evidence together and starts putting the pieces together himself. He gets two witnesses who say Clint West admitted to killing Nicole. These witnesses filled in the missing parts like why Nicole and West were arguing. They were arguing over a ring (but the Sheriff Department would have known that if they would have talked to the witnesses at the TPO Club that night). This new information also explains why there was a missing ring on Nicole’s finger when she died (again, the Sheriff Department would have known that a long time ago if they had investigated properly). 

So the District Attorney gets this new evidence together, puts the pieces together and charges Clint West with Murder. Clint West is now currently being held in the Hardin County Jail on a $500,000 bond with Manslaughter and Murder charges.

But wait, there is more.

After these new witnesses and new evidence had been introduced, and after the DA charged West with murder, Frances Janca asked Ranger Parks to consider the new evidence and consider that Clint West murdered Nicole. Ken Parks refused to re-open the case to consider this new information and he still says it was just an accident and that Frances Janca is just a grieving mother who is trying to make it into something more than what it is and she needs to stop. Frances Janca even says that Ken Parks lied to her. Frances Janca was told by Ken Parks that he had a tissue sample taken of Nicole (for testing) but the morgue told Frances Janca that there was no tissue sample taken. But why would Ken Parks not want to consider this evidence that shows that Nicole’s death was more than an accident. And why would Ken Parks lie to Frances Janca? Also, Ken Parks did not investigate Deputy Flowers for any wrong doing. Ken Parks is with a different agency but he lives only a couple miles from the TPO Club and where this incident happened. He is sure to know the Sheriff Department well. Maybe he is trying to shield Flowers too by concluding it was just an accident and not investigating Flowers? If Ken Parks is trying to cover for Flowers this would not be the first time that Parks is accused of covering for another officer. Ranger Parks has also been accused of falsifying witness statements to protect former Officer Robert Arnold who shot and killed an unarmed war veteran in Orange, TX. Even the former Orange Police Chief, Sam Kittrell, said that Ranger Parks had taken the side of Officer Robert Arnold prematurely because Parks had decided that it was a “clean shoot” before Parks had even had time to investigate the killing. The Orange Police Department decided that it was not a “clean shoot” and fired Officer Arnold. Anyways, whether or not Ken Parks is in the wrong for his actions in this Hardin County case, he certainly should have had a different Texas Ranger investigate from the beginning because it is not really an outside investigation if the Ranger investigating lives by, and knows, the people he is investigating.
 

Lawsuit Against Hardin County Sheriff, Ed Cain, alleging that Sheriff Cain Falsified Official Documents to Cover for Deputy Flowers

Does this story not have enough twists? There are more.

As mentioned above, Hardin County Sheriff Ed Cain has been sued for allegedly falsifying official documents and illegally withholding documents. Stewart Butler, the lawyer for Frances Janca, did an Open Records Request of all the phone calls made to the 911 the night of Nicole’s death and also the investigation reports. An Open Records Request is part of a Texas law that requires that government agencies must provide public documents to anyone who sends a written request. The governmental agency has 10 days to provide the documents. The agency cannot withhold any information. If the agency feels that there is some information that should not be released then the governmental agency must ask for the Texas Attorney General for an opinion to decide what the governmental agency can withhold, if anything.

So Frances Janca asked for 911 records and investigation reports. That is a pretty simple request right? Frances waited months to get the information. When she finally got the information, the Sheriff Department certified that the information they were receiving was an exact copy of the originals. Unfortunately the Sheriff Department lied to them. Frances Janca and Stewart Butler discovered that the documents had been altered (important information was taken out) and also several documents were missing. So first of all, it took the Sheriff Department months to get the documents instead of the 10 days they are allowed by law. Second, the documents were altered and some documents were missing. The Sheriff Department did not tell Frances Janca that anything was missing or altered. Third, the Sheriff Department did not request that the Texas Attorney General allow them to withhold any information. The Sheriff cannot say they were not aware of the rules because the Sheriff Department has the Open Records Request Rules posted on the wall of the Sheriff Department.

Stewart Butler and Frances Janca know that the Sheriff Department falsified what they gave them because the information that the Sheriff Department gave the morgue was different than the information they were given by the Sheriff Department.

So Stewart Butler files a Mandamus against Sheriff Cain. Sheriff Ed Cain is being sued for falsifying documents and withholding document and the lawsuit is asking a judge to force Sheriff Cain to release the information.

A couple of weeks after the lawsuit against Sheriff Cain, the media finally picked up on it. The Beaumont Enterprise wrote an article about the Mandamus that was filed against Sheriff Cain. In the article, the Sheriff Department does not accept responsibility for altering the documents and for not contacting the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, to ask for permission to withhold any information. Instead the Sheriff Department’s lawyer just plays down the lawsuit by telling the Enterprise that there was some confidential information that was withheld and that everything will be ok and there is not a need for the court to get involved. Kudos goes to the Enterprise for finding out about the mandamus and writing about it, But the Media still does not know what is going on. Ok, the media knows that there is a lawsuit against Sheriff Cain because Cain is withholding some information, but the media has no idea WHAT information the Sheriff Department is withholding. 

Well, it seems that some of the information that the Sheriff Department secretly withheld is the list and timeline of calls made by Clint West and Deputy Flowers. Now why would Sheriff Ed Cain want to hide that information? So it is ok to release the information about everyone else who calls 911 but it is not ok to release information about 911 calls when a Sheriff Deputy and his friend call 911? Come on now, it is almost as if the Sheriff wants people to think there is a cover-up.


Conclusion

District Attorney David Sheffield should be commended for really investigating this case and charging Clint West with murder. Stewart Butler should be commended for fighting for Nicole Janca for free. Frances Janca should be commended for fighting for her daughter and not giving up until the truth was revealed. Clint West will have his day in court and a jury will decide whether or not these facts and allegations are enough evidence to convict him with murder. The Hardin County Sheriff Department is filled with some great Deputies. Tony Flowers is not one of them. Frances Janca has said that Sheriff Ed Cain has privately told her that there was pure negligence in the Sheriff Department investigation but that he would not have changed anything if they had done the investigation right. Sheriff Ed Cain, whether or not you love the guy or hate the guy, needs to stop covering for Flowers. Sheriff Cain needs to take responsibility for the botched investigation, he needs to apologize publically to Frances Janca, he needs to discipline, or fire, Deputy Flowers, and he needs to stop hiding the documents. Just come clean and let the Sheriff Department move forward so y’all can go out and continue to do a good job of fighting crime without all these distractions. I am sure I will get several emails after this article. Some people will love it and some people will hate it. I just want to bring the facts to light for everyone to see so that justice will be done for Nicole Janca. This story was written using facts from the investigation reports, and by information from Frances Janca, Stewart Butler, and other people close to the investigation whom I believe to be telling the truth.


Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Pictures of Virginia and Washington D.C. Earthquake Damage and Devastation

Here are some pictures of the damage and devastation from the August 23, 2011 Virginia/Washington DC earthquake. These pictures and more from the Beaumont Enterprise

These Pictures made me laugh out loud! haha

An Earthquake in Virginia/Washington DC or is America’s Foundation cracking due to Obama’s Enormous Debt & Big Government?


So there was an earthquake in Virginia yesterday. After it was clear that no one was hurt or injured, I decided to have a little fun. I tweeted on my @DavidBellow twitter page, “Was that an earthquake in Virginia/Washington DC or is America’s foundation cracking due to our enormous debt & big government?”

I was not the only person who thought that the earthquake in Virginia was a perfect opportunity make a point and have a little fun. Before we get to the more serious discussion, including graphs of America’s Debt (below), let’s take a look at some of the humorous comments after the earthquake yesterday.

On Texas GOP Vote’s Facebook page, the comments came rolling in.

Here are some of the Facebook comments:

Apparently the earth's crust has collapsed under the weight of all the BS in Washington...

Breaking News: it's just been established by the administration that the DC earthquake occurred on a rare and obscure fault-line, apparently known as "Bush's Fault". I knew there would be a way to blame Bush....

Must be human caused climate change.

I am sure Bush will be blamed for this too

Could it have been tremors from the Founding Fathers rolling over in their graves?

plus CHECK OUT THESE PICTURES of the Virginia/Washington DC Earthquake Damage and Devastation. I rolled on the floor laughing at these pictures! haha

But Seriously, America will crumble under the weight of our uncontrollable deficit spending and debt increases if we do not do something to stop it. Imagine if you have a family and a set income. You have 4 car notes and a mortgage but now you can no longer pay the monthly payments on your vehicles and house. Do you go out and buy another car or do you sell one of them?

America has maxed out her credit cards. The logical thing to do is to cut spending, not increase spending.

But I believe seeing this debt will help people understand the situation we are in much better than just hearing about the situation.

Obama Administration Debt and Spending Graphs from the Heritage Foundation:

This first graph shows the enormous increase (and projected increases) in deficit spending per year since Obama took over in 2009. Although I believe George W. Bush was a great president, I was not happy with the debt spending that we saw under Bush due to the recession and the wars BUT Bush’s deficit spending is only a fraction the deficit spending that Obama has created. Obama did not inherit the mess we are in. He created it. The graph speaks for itself




This second graph shows that entitlement spending is what is driving up the deficit. In fact, entitlement spending will consume all tax revenue by 2052! We cannot give out more to people than we take in and we have to have money in the bank to pay for America’s Constitutional duties like defense.




This third graph is one of my favorite graphs. It breaks down Obama’s 2012 budget by spending category. We hear people complain and complain about how military spending is why we have so much debt and deficit spending. Well surprise surprise! Military spending (a constitutional expense) in Obama’s 2012 budget is only 19 percent, while entitlement spending consumes 58% (over half) of Obama’s 2012 budget spending.



Saturday, August 20, 2011

Obama's Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Used Incorrect Grammar to Criticize Governor Perry


The following is part of a letter I received from Donna Garner. Donna calls out Arne Duncan for using incorrect Grammar while Duncan criticized Governor Perry.Thanks for the info Donna! - David Bellow



ARNE, LET’S START WITH AN ENGLISH LESSON


U. S. Sectretary of Education Arne Duncan decided to take a cheap shot at Texas Gov. Rick Perry by saying, “Far too few of their [Texas] high school graduates are actually prepared to go on to college…I feel very, very badly for the children there.”

First of all, Arne Duncan, the highest-level education official in our land, used incorrect grammar to criticize Gov. Perry and our Texas education standards.  The word “badly” is an adverb to be used with an action verb; “bad” is a predicate adjective to be used after the intransitive linking verb “feel.”  Duncan should have said, “I feel very, very bad for the children there.”

Texas Commissioner of Education Robert Scott Calls Out Obama's Education Secretary Arne Duncan for Lying about Texas Education


The Following is a letter sent from Robert Scott (Education Commissioner of Texas) to Arne Duncan (Obama's Education Secretary) following Duncan's Misinformed Criticism of the Education Standards in Texas


Mr. Secretary,

I have read your recent comments criticizing Texas public education, and I am disappointed that you have never raised your concerns during any of our personal conversations. If you had, I may have been able to correct any misunderstanding you have about Texas public schools and the efforts of the 333,000 teachers and the 4.8 million students who have been striving to meet increasing standards and graduation requirements.
Your pity is misplaced and demeans the hard work that is taking place in schools across Texas. Texas students are doing very well and in many cases outperforming their national peers. Since you appear to be misinformed about the achievements of Texas educators and students I would ask that you consider the following information: 

-- In 2009, Texas ranked 7th in a 26 state comparison of the only states reporting four-year on-time graduation rates. That year Texas' on-time graduation rate was 80.6%. The Texas on-time graduation rate for 2010 is now 84.3%, an amazing 3.7 percentage point increase in a single year on the dropout indicator that you are now requiring all states to report to the Department. 

-- Texas is ranked 13th in Ed Week's Quality Counts report. Quality Counts gave Texas an "A" in "Standards, Assessment and Accountability," and an "A" in "Transitions and Alignment" of the Texas system with college and career readiness. This year's graduating class is the first to graduate under Texas' required 4x4 graduation requirements (four years of math, science, English language arts and social studies) and we are already seeing great things from the class of 2011. 

-- The Texas class of 2011 posted a record-high math score on the ACT college entrance exam. The Texas average math score was 21.5 and was higher than the national average of 21.1. ACT scores from 2007 to 2011 showed increases in all four subjects. 

-- The 2009 NAEP Science results were impressive, as well. Texas' African American eighth-grade students earned the highest score in the nation and our Hispanic eighth-grade students were eighth. Only eighth-grade students attending the Department of Defense schools scored higher than Texas' white students who were tied with white students in Massachusetts. On the fourth-grade test, Texas' African American students out-performed their peers in every state accept Virginia and those students attending Department of Defense Schools. Texas' fourth-grade white students were ranked third behind only Virginia and Massachusetts. 

-- We are also a leader in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education. Texas has established 59 STEM schools, 7 STEM professional development centers and is a leading state in creating a national STEM network of states that want to pursue STEM education reform. Texas' STEM reform began in 2005, long before your administration decided to model this and other aspects of your reform agenda on the efforts that have been taking place in Texas for nearly a decade. 

Finally, I'm not sure where you are getting your information regarding class sizes in Texas public schools. Texas is experiencing a four-year trend of class sizes getting smaller across the board in both elementary grades and in core subjects in high school. If you would like to see the actual data, I would be more than happy to provide it for you. 

As you can see, Texas has a strong record, and I am proud of the accomplishments of Texas educators and students. It is clear that they have risen to the challenge of higher standards and expectations placed before them.

Rather than simply talking about education reform, Texas policy makers, educators and students have delivered. I look forward to seeing the student performance results of your efforts to centralize more control of public education in Washington, D.C.

Robert Scott
Commissioner of Education

Friday, August 19, 2011

Black Republican Bill Calhoun Tells Minorities: It's Time to Let Go of Obama and the Democrats!

The following is a letter from Bill Calhoun, a Black Conservative Republican and the Chairman of the Texas Federation for Republican Outreach:



Dear Friend,

Often, leaders lead from behind then run to the front when they sense the movement of the people. This is especially true of so many of today's political leaders. Where are the political leaders who have the courage to lead from their convictions?

This week, the President, also known as The First Black President or The FBP, flew to Minnesota, rented an entire hotel to sleep overnight, then got up the next morning, boarded his Big Bad Black Bus aka The BBBB and rode a few miles on The Bus Tour aka as The BT.

However, The BT had no plans to stop in not even 1 "black" neighborhood, even though the FBP was onboard or was that Bill Clinton?

At the same time The BT was taking place, The Congressional Black Caucus aka The "CBC", was on its People's Tour aka The "PT" with plans to stop only in "black" neighborhoods. (Power To The People aka PTTP).

Are you with me so far? Okay!

So, when The PT got to Detroit aka "The Motor City" or MOTOWN for short, lead CBC'er Congresswoman Maxine "Maxie" Waters spoke to The People aka The Peeps. She wanted to get them to give her and the FBP some TLC aka Tender Loving Care.

But, The Peeps were in a foul mood and had no love to give, not to the CBC nor the FBP. Heck, they weren't even sure about this PT thing. They were just in a funk.

Their rent had not been paid, their electricity bills were overdue, and their mortgage had not been modified-- it was time to let the FBP know just how they felt!

However, Congresswoman Maxine "Maxie" Waters felt she could use her extensive speaking skills to calm The Peeps. Surely they still loved The FBP and for that reason, would understand why The CBC had not criticized him, right?

But, The Peeps wanted no part of this Grand Bargain aka as The GB and they felt like telling Congresswoman Maxine "Maxie" Waters where to stick that GB concocted by The CBC and The FBP. Ouch!

So, when Congresswoman Maxine "Maxie Waters finished her grand and eloquent speech, The Peeps had their own thing or two to say.

The moral of this story boys and girls is that The Peeps are always ahead of The Pimps even the Poverty Pimps aka Pee Pees.

Watch the video here.

Then when you're finished, go here to donate to our work.

Have a happy day!

Bill Calhoun
Chairman

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

New Texas Law Will Prohibit Cities, like Lumberton, TX, from Secretly Using Eminent Domain

By, David Bellow

Earlier this year I uncovered that the City of Lumberton, TX had secretly used Eminent Domain to take over 100 acres from a man and told the man he was only going to get $2000 per acre. This man took the city to court and the city lost and was ordered to pay over one million dollars to the man. None of the residents knew about the use of Eminent Domain and no residents knew that there was a judgment against the city for over one million dollars because it was all kept secret by the city. To put a one million dollar judgment into perspective, the yearly budget for the city is only about three million dollars.

This secret use of Eminent Domain really bothered me, especially since the City of Lumberton has had problems with eminent domain in the past. I even contemplated doing a petition for the people to vote on creating a city ordinance that would prohibit the City of Lumberton from secretly using eminent domain and would help protect the property rights of the people of Lumberton.

It looks like I will not have to do any petitions.

In 2011, the Texas Legislature passed a new law, SB 18, that strengthens Private Property Rights. This new law includes a requirement that public entities must take a public vote to initiate eminent domain proceedings.

Texas State Representative Charles Perry had this to say about SB 18:

Private Property Rights were strengthened by Senate Bill 18, which requires governmental entities to take a public vote to initiate eminent domain proceedings.  It also requires condemning entities to make bona fide offers in writing, or if they fail to do this, it requires the entity to pay the landowner's expenses and attorney's fees.  SB 18 also levels the playing field by requiring that a condemning entity compensate landowners for damages from a loss of access to their property, as well as provides relocation assistance if a landowner is moved off of their property due to the eminent domain process.   It goes further to include buy-back provisions and clarify that the land may only be used for a public use.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Orange, Texas City Council Votes Against Union. City doesn't want to be Forced to Rehire former Police Officer, and Killer, Robert Arnold

By, David Bellow 

Orange, TX City Council stood up and made the right decision be refusing to rehire Robert Arnold as an Orange Police Officer. The City instead chose to defy the Union that represented the Killer and the City appealed the arbitrater's ruling. Click Here for the News Story of this update

I previously wrote this article about how fellow police officers say that this former officer, Robert Arnold, killed an unarmed war hero, James Whitehead, over a racial slur

I then wrote this follow up article about how a Texas Union was trying to force the city of Orange to rehire Robert Arnold

America’s Founding Fathers Would Approve, and Attend, Governor Perry’s Prayer Rally (The Response) this Weekend in Texas

Texas Governor Rick Perry has been criticized by the leftist media and atheist groups for calling for a day of prayer to ask God’s help in solving the many problems we face in America today. This Prayer event is called The Response and it is this Saturday, August 6th, 2011 at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX. It is an all day event that starts at 9am.

These groups opposing Governor Perry’s involvement in the prayer rally use words like “separation of church and state” and they say that the Constitution forbids the government from having anything to do with something that even smells of religion or spirituality. They want to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance and our history books. They want to prohibit prayer at private memorial services of fallen soldiers and they say that the Founding Fathers were deists.

The Atheists and the Liberal Media are wrong.
                                  
The Constitution does not mention the words church or state. The Constitution says that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

What that means is that Congress shall make no law creating a national religion (like the Church of England) and Congress cannot tell people that they not to freely exercise their religious beliefs, even if a politician wants to express his religious beliefs. It does not mean that spirituality should be taken out of America, nor does it mean that government officials cannot be publically spiritual. In fact, America was founded the idea that GOD has given us inalienable rights that cannot be taken away. The Founding Fathers created America on a spiritual foundation and, according to Wallbuilders, 27 of 56 Founding Fathers were pastors. Learning about our Christian Heritage, or having in God we Trust on money, or having Governor Perry call for a day of prayer, none of those amount to “Congress establishing a National Religion”, nor are they the government forcing someone to believe in a specific religion. You can believe and practice whatever religion you want in America and a cross on the side of the road is not going to prevent that. An atheist or a Muslim might not like it, but the cross on the side of the road is not establishing a national religion that everyone has to belong to, and it is not prohibiting you from believing in Allah or no God at all.

Still, Atheist and Agnostics of the Freedom From Religion Foundation sued Governor Perry to try to keep him from being involved in the Day of Prayer. U.S. District Judge Gray Miller threw out the lawsuit against Perry and said that the Freedom From Religion Foundation argued against Perry's involvement based merely on feelings of exclusion, but did not show sufficient harm to merit the injunction they sought and that The governor has done nothing more than invite others who are willing to do so to pray.

So what would the Founding Fathers think of Rick Perry’s Prayer Rally? They would probably be there!

First of all, if God was to completely taken out of America then we would have no rights because, according to the Declaration of Independence, all people are created equal with inalienable rights given to us by our Creator (God)

Second of all, the founding fathers were deeply involved in public prayer and public religious activities, even in government, and especially while they were founding the United States of America.



What did the Founding Fathers think of Public Religious Expression?

Below is just a small list of examples of Founding Fathers and Public Religious Expression (Click Here for the Much Larger List from Wallbuilders)



One of the most famous pictures of the First Continental Congress is a picture of the founding fathers on their knees praying for God’s guidance.



Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson would disagree in several areas with those who often invoke him as an authority for a secular public arena, for Jefferson himself regularly violated the bland “civil religion” standards which many secularists promote. Consider:
  • Jefferson urged local governments to make land available specifically for Christian purposes
  • In an 1803 federal Indian treaty, Jefferson willingly agreed to provide $300 to “assist the said Kaskaskia tribe in the erection of a church” and to provide “annually for seven years $100 towards the support of a Catholic priest.” He also signed three separate acts setting aside government lands for the sole use of religious groups and setting aside government lands so that Moravian missionaries might be assisted in “promoting Christianity.”
  • When Washington D. C. became the national capital in 1800, Congress voted that the Capitol building would also serve as a church building. President Jefferson chose to attend church each Sunday at the Capitol and even provided the service with paid government musicians to assist in its worship. Jefferson also began similar Christian services in his own Executive Branch, both at the Treasury Building and at the War Office.
  • Jefferson praised the use of a local courthouse as a meeting place for Christian services;
  • Jefferson assured a Christian religious school that it would receive “the patronage of the government”;
  • Jefferson proposed that the Great Seal of the United States depict a story from the Bible and include the word “God” in its motto;
  • While President, Jefferson closed his presidential documents with the phrase, “In the year of our Lord Christ; by the President; Thomas Jefferson.”
Furthermore, Jefferson would especially disagree with those who believe that public prayers should be non-sectarian and omit specific references to Jesus. Jefferson believed that every individual should pray according to his own beliefs. As Jefferson explained:
[The] liberty to worship our Creator in the way we think most agreeable to His will [is] a liberty deemed in other countries incompatible with good government and yet proved by our experience to be its best support. (emphasis added)
Critics, therefore, would be particularly troubled by President Jefferson’s words that:
No nation has ever existed or been governed without religion. Nor can be. The Christian religion is the best religion that has been given to man and I, as Chief Magistrate of this nation, am bound to give it the sanction of my example.

James Madison
James Madison also encouraged public officials to declare openly and publicly their Christian beliefs and testimony — as when he wrote to William Bradford (who became Attorney General under President George Washington):
I have sometimes thought there could not be a stronger testimony in favor of religion or against temporal enjoyments, even the most rational and manly, than for men who occupy the most honorable and gainful departments and [who] are rising in reputation and wealth, publicly to declare their unsatisfactoriness by becoming fervent advocates in the cause of Christ; and I wish you may give in your evidence in this way.
Additionally, throughout his Presidency, Madison issued several proclamations for public days of prayer, fasting, and thanksgiving, and like Jefferson, President Madison also attended church at the Capitol, thus publicly endorsing religion in official arenas.
So, not only did Jefferson and Madison endorse religion in the public arena, they were even willing publicly to endorse Christian prayers in the public arena rather than the bland politically-correct civic prayers desired by critics of public prayers.
There are many additional framers of our government who are also qualified to speak to the issue of religious expressions in official and political arenas. For example:
· [W]e can only depend on the all powerful influence of the Spirit of God, whose Divine aid and assistance it becomes us as a Christian people most devoutly to implore. Therefore I move that some minister of the Gospel be requested to attend this Congress every morning during the sessions in order to open the meeting with prayer. Elias Boudinot, President of Congress, A Framer of the Bill of Rights in the First Congress
See the rest of the list from Wallbuilders


What Did the Founding Fathers think about Religion and Government?

Below is a small list of a much larger list of the Religious Quotes and Activities of the Founding Fathers (Click Here for a Larger List from Wallbuilders)



George Washington

JUDGE; MEMBER OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS; COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY; PRESIDENT OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION; FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES; “FATHER OF HIS COUNTRY”
You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are.
While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.
The blessing and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary but especially so in times of public distress and danger. The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier, defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country.
I now make it my earnest prayer that God would… most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of the mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion.

Thomas Jefferson

SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; DIPLOMAT; GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA; SECRETARY OF STATE; THIRD PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
The doctrines of Jesus are simple, and tend all to the happiness of man.
The practice of morality being necessary for the well being of society, He [God] has taken care to impress its precepts so indelibly on our hearts that they shall not be effaced by the subtleties of our brain. We all agree in the obligation of the moral principles of Jesus and nowhere will they be found delivered in greater purity than in His discourses.
I am a Christian in the only sense in which He wished anyone to be: sincerely attached to His doctrines in preference to all others.
I am a real Christian – that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus Christ.

John Adams
SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; JUDGE; DIPLOMAT; ONE OF TWO SIGNERS OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS; SECOND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.


John Quincy Adams

SIXTH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES; DIPLOMAT; SECRETARY OF STATE; U. S. SENATOR; U. S. REPRESENTATIVE; “OLD MAN ELOQUENT”; “HELL-HOUND OF ABOLITION”
In the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior. The Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity.

Samuel Adams

SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; “FATHER OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION”; RATIFIER OF THE U. S. CONSTITUTION; GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS
He called on the State of Massachusetts to pray that . . .
  • the peaceful and glorious reign of our Divine Redeemer may be known and enjoyed throughout the whole family of mankind.
  • we may with one heart and voice humbly implore His gracious and free pardon through Jesus Christ, supplicating His Divine aid . . . [and] above all to cause the religion of Jesus Christ, in its true spirit, to spread far and wide till the whole earth shall be filled with His glory.
  • with true contrition of heart to confess their sins to God and implore forgiveness through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior.

Josiah Bartlett

MILITARY OFFICER; SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; JUDGE; GOVERNOR OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
Called on the people of New Hampshire . . . to confess before God their aggravated transgressions and to implore His pardon and forgiveness through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ . . . [t]hat the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ may be made known to all nations, pure and undefiled religion universally prevail, and the earth be fill with the glory of the Lord.

Elias Boudinot

PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS; SIGNED THE PEACE TREATY TO END THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION; FIRST ATTORNEY ADMITTED TO THE U. S. SUPREME COURT BAR; FRAMER OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS; DIRECTOR OF THE U. S. MINT
Let us enter on this important business under the idea that we are Christians on whom the eyes of the world are now turned… [L]et us earnestly call and beseech Him, for Christ’s sake, to preside in our councils. . . . We can only depend on the all powerful influence of the Spirit of God, Whose Divine aid and assistance it becomes us as a Christian people most devoutly to implore. Therefore I move that some minister of the Gospel be requested to attend this Congress every morning . . . in order to open the meeting with prayer.

Jacob Broom

LEGISLATOR; SIGNER OF THE CONSTITUTION
A letter to his son, James, attending Princeton University:
I flatter myself you will be what I wish, but don’t be so much flatterer as to relax of your application – don’t forget to be a Christian. I have said much to you on this head, and I hope an indelible impression is made.

Charles Carroll

SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; SELECTED AS DELEGATE TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION; FRAMER OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS; U. S. SENATOR
Grateful to Almighty God for the blessings which, through Jesus Christ Our Lord, He had conferred on my beloved country in her emancipation and on myself in permitting me, under circumstances of mercy, to live to the age of 89 years, and to survive the fiftieth year of independence, adopted by Congress on the 4th of July 1776, which I originally subscribed on the 2d day of August of the same year and of which I am now the last surviving signer.

Congress, 1854
The great, vital, and conservative element in our system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and the divine truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Congress, U. S. House Judiciary Committee, 1854
Had the people, during the Revolution, had a suspicion of any attempt to war against Christianity, that Revolution would have been strangled in its cradle... In this age, there can be no substitute for Christianity... That was the religion of the founders of the republic and they expected it to remain the religion of their descendants.

John Dickinson

SIGNER OF THE CONSTITUTION; GOVERNOR OF PENNSYLVANIA; GOVERNOR OF DELAWARE; GENERAL IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
 [Governments] could not give the rights essential to happiness… We claim them from a higher source: from the King of kings, and Lord of all the earth.

Benjamin Franklin

SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION; DIPLOMAT; PRINTER; SCIENTIST; SIGNER OF THE CONSTITUTION; GOVERNOR OF PENNSYLVANIA
As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and His religion as He left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see.

John Hancock

SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS; REVOLUTIONARY GENERAL; GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS
He called on the entire state to pray “that universal happiness may be established in the world [and] that all may bow to the scepter of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the whole earth be filled with His glory.”

Patrick Henry
REVOLUTIONARY GENERAL; LEGISLATOR; “THE VOICE OF LIBERTY”; RATIFIER OF THE U. S. CONSTITUTION; GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA
The great pillars of all government and of social life [are] virtue, morality, and religion. This is the armor, my friend, and this alone, that renders us invincible.

Samuel Huntington
SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS; JUDGE; GOVERNOR OF CONNECTICUT
It becomes a people publicly to acknowledge the over-ruling hand of Divine Providence and their dependence upon the Supreme Being as their Creator and Merciful Preserver . . . and with becoming humility and sincere repentance to supplicate the pardon that we may obtain forgiveness through the merits and mediation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I recommend a general and public return of praise and thanksgiving to Him from whose goodness these blessings descend. The most effectual means of securing the continuance of our civil and religious liberties is always to remember with reverence and gratitude the source from which they flow.
Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation, to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.


Francis Scott Key
U. S. ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA; AUTHOR OF THE “STAR SPANGLED BANNER”
[M]ay I always hear that you are following the guidance of that blessed Spirit that will lead you into all truth, leaning on that Almighty arm that has been extended to deliver you, trusting only in the only Savior, and going on in your way to Him rejoicing.

Gouverneur Morris

REVOLUTIONARY OFFICER; MEMBER OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS; SIGNER OF THE CONSTITUTION; “PENMAN OF THE CONSTITUTION”; DIPLOMAT; U. S. SENATOR
There must be religion. When that ligament is torn, society is disjointed and its members perish… [T]he most important of all lessons is the denunciation of ruin to every state that rejects the precepts of religion.
Your good morals in the army give me sincere pleasure as it hath long been my fixed opinion that virtue and religion are the great sources of human happiness. More especially is it necessary in your profession firmly to rely upon the God of Battles for His guardianship and protection in the dreadful hour of trial. But of all these things you will and I hope in the merciful Lord.

Jedidiah Morse

HISTORIAN OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION; EDUCATOR; “FATHER OF AMERICAN GEOGRAPHY”; APPOINTED BY SECRETARY OF STATE TO DOCUMENT CONDITION OF INDIAN AFFAIRS
To the kindly influence of Christianity we owe that degree of civil freedom and political and social happiness which mankind now enjoys. All efforts made to destroy the foundations of our Holy Religion ultimately tend to the subversion also of our political freedom and happiness. In proportion as the genuine effects of Christianity are diminished in any nation… in the same proportion will the people of that nation recede from the blessings of genuine freedom… Whenever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, our present republican forms of government – and all the blessings which flow from them – must fall with them.

James Otis

LEADER OF THE SONS OF LIBERTY; ATTORNEY & JURIST; MENTOR OF JOHN HANCOCK AND SAMUEL ADAMS
Has [government] any solid foundation? Any chief cornerstone?... I think it has an everlasting foundation in the unchangeable will of God… The sum of my argument is that civil government is of God.

Benjamin Rush

SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; SURGEON GENERAL OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY; RATIFIER OF THE U. S. CONSTITUTION; “FATHER OF AMERICAN MEDICINE”; TREASURER OF THE U. S. MINT; “FATHER OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS UNDER THE CONSTITUTION”
The Gospel of Jesus Christ prescribes the wisest rules for just conduct in every situation of life. Happy they who are enabled to obey them in all situations! . . . My only hope of salvation is in the infinite tran¬scendent love of God manifested to the world by the death of His Son upon the Cross. Noth¬ing but His blood will wash away my sins [Acts 22:16]. I rely exclusively upon it. Come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly! [Revelation 22:20]
I do not believe that the Constitution was the offspring of inspiration, but I am as satisfied that it is as much the work of a Divine Providence as any of the miracles recorded in the Old and New Testament.
By renouncing the Bible, philosophers swing from their moorings upon all moral subjects… It is the only correct map of the human heart that ever has been published.
[T]he greatest discoveries in science have been made by Christian philosophers and . . . there is the most knowledge in those countries where there is the most Christianity.
[T]he only means of establishing and perpetuating our republican forms of government is the universal education of our youth in the principles of Christianity by means of the Bible.
The great enemy of the salvation of man, in my opinion, never invented a more effective means of limiting Christianity from the world than by persuading mankind that it was improper to read the Bible at schools.
[C]hristianity is the only true and perfect religion; and… in proportion as mankind adopt its principles and obey its precepts, they will be wise and happy.
The Bible contains more knowledge necessary to man in his present state than any other book in the world.
The Bible, when not read in schools, is seldom read in any subsequent period of life… [T]he Bible… should be read in our schools in preference to all other books because it contains the greatest portion of that kind of knowledge which is calculated to produce private and public happiness.

Joseph Story

U. S. CONGRESSMAN; “FATHER OF AMERICAN JURISPRUDENCE”; U. S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE APPOINTED BY PRESIDENT JAMES MADISON
One of the beautiful boasts of our municipal jurisprudence is that Christianity is a part of the Common Law. There never has been a period in which the Common Law did not recognize Christianity as lying at its foundations.
I verily believe that Christianity is necessary to support a civil society and shall ever attend to its institutions and acknowledge its precepts as the pure and natural sources of private and social happiness

Thomson

SECRETARY OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS; DESIGNER OF THE GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES; ALONG WITH JOHN HANCOCK, THOMSON WAS ONE OF ONLY TWO FOUNDERS TO SIGN THE INITIAL DRAFT OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE APPROVED BY CONGRESS
I am a Christian. I believe only in the Scriptures, and in Jesus Christ my Savior.

Jonathan Trumbull

JUDGE; LEGISLATOR; GOVERNOR OF CONNECTICUT; CONFIDANT OF GEORGE WASHINGTON AND CALLED “BROTHER JONATHAN” BY HIM
He called on the State of Connecticut to pray that . . .
God would graciously pour out His Spirit upon us and make the blessed Gospel in His hand effectual to a thorough reformation and general revival of the holy and peaceful religion of Jesus Christ.


Daniel Webster

U. S. SENATOR; SECRETARY OF STATE; “DEFENDER OF THE CONSTITUTION”
[T]he Christian religion – its general principles – must ever be regarded among us as the foundation of civil society.
Whatever makes men good Christians, makes them good citizens.
[T]o the free and universal reading of the Bible… men [are] much indebted for right views of civil liberty.
The Bible is a book… which teaches man his own individual responsibility, his own dignity, and his equality with his fellow man.

Noah Webster

REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIER; JUDGE; LEGISLATOR; EDUCATOR; “SCHOOLMASTER TO AMERICA”
[T]he religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and His apostles… This is genuine Christianity and to this we owe our free constitutions of government.
The moral principles and precepts found in the Scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws.
All the… evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.
[O]ur citizens should early understand that the genuine source of correct republican principles is the Bible, particularly the New Testament, or the Christian religion.
[T]he Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children under a free government ought to be instructed. No truth is more evident than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.
The Bible is the chief moral cause of all that is good and the best corrector of all that is evil in human society – the best book for regulating the temporal concerns of men.
[T]he Christian religion… is the basis, or rather the source, of all genuine freedom in government… I am persuaded that no civil government of a republican form can exist and be durable in which the principles of Christianity have not a controlling influence.

See the rest of the list from Wallbuilders