If they know of him at all, many folks think Ben Stein is just
a quirky actor/comedian who talks in a monotone. He's also a very
intelligent attorney who knows how to put ideas and words together in
such a way as to sway juries and make people think clearly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS
Sunday Morning Commentary.

Herewith a few confessions from my beating heart: I have no freaking
clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us
constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often
ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and
Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who
they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important?

I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care at all
about Tom Cruise's wife. Am I going to be called before a Senate
committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue
who Nick and Jessica are.

If this is what it means to be no longer young. It's not so bad.
Next confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it
does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful
lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I
don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I
don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a
ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers
and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at
all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near
my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine
with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think
Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think
people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around,
period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an
explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I
don't like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another
way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and
Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I
guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.
But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and
Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this
is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not
funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and
Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this Happen?"
(regarding Katrina)
Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She
said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for
years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of
our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He
is, I believe He has calmly backedout. How can we expect God to give us
His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I
think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her
body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools,
and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school . The Bible
says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor
as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children
when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped
and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed
suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we
said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why
they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill
strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about
it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great
deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Funny (translated "sad") how simple it is for people to trash God and
then wonder why the world's going to hell.
Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the
Bible says.
Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread
like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord,
people think twice about sharing.

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely
through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the
school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it
to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe,
or what they will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think
of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just ignore
it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought
process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is
in.

My Best Regards .. honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

that is pretty goos stuff animal, thanks for posting it. i agree with
his statements and think it is on the mark.

that is so true. Ben Stein hit it right on the mark.

(Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why
they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill
strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about
it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great
deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.")

God doesn't have to be present to produce law abiding or respectful
people. Where was God when Timothy MacVie blowup the federal Bld in
Oklahoma? Timothy MacVie professed to be a Christian. Gee does that mean
all Christians are hate mongers and like to blow up the Government just
because they don't get their way? Hitler professed to be a Christian.
There are many Christians who have done horrible thing. But there are
many who have done good too. Just the same as there are probably many
atheist who have done horrible and good things. So does one have to be
Christian or does God have to be in the school system in order to
produce respectful people? No! That's silly!

(Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely
through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the
school and workplace)
WTF! I've never seen God suppressed in school or the work place. I don't
hear it talked much cause those places most people don't think about God
there. They (Hopefully) think about work or their schooling. There's a
place for everything, and everything in it's place.

(I think
people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around,
period.)

Whose pushing them around? I see Christians pushing others people around
who don't have their life style, such as gays and pagan/wiccians,
atheists, Moslems, etc..
(I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an
explicitly atheist country.)
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To Ben Stein. Get a fucken life! That is soo sick
and perverted to me that he thinks this is a Atheist country. Give me a
break pal!

i know you don't like the idea of it being about GOD recon but the basic
message is that we as a nation have misplaced our priorities. it is
still a valid point if you take the religious aspect out of it.

KB ?

How can you take the religious aspect of it?

he is touting how he thinks religion is being regraided and pulled out
of main streem society. which is not true. If anything religion has
incroched on society even more so.

he is touting how he thinks religion is being degraided and pulled out
of main streem society. which is not true. If anything religion has
incroched on society even more so.