To Our Fellow Orthodox Christians:
This message is from Stella and George Jatras. Hopefully, many of you are already familiar with our strong efforts on behalf of Orthodox Christians from Chechnya, to Bosnia and Kosovo, to Cyprus and the Middle East. To those for whom our names are unfamiliar, an internet search will clearly show that our writings are not about political endorsements.
This time is different.
As Election Day approaches, this is our appeal to you to support Rick Santorum with your contributions and, where applicable, your votes in his bid for re-election to the U.S. Senate from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. For reasons explained below, this year's election may not only determine control of the U.S. Congress, its outcome may determine the survival of our country. Not since the Vietnam War has this country been so divided.
In 1992 the winning slogan was, "It's the economy, Stupid." But today, with the economy booming, the stock market hitting all time highs and the unemployment rate near record lows there is a more important issue, one that should not be lost in the squabble for power and political campaign policies of personal destruction.
We firmly believe that today there is a far greater danger to our country than those we faced from Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union. Militant Islamic Jihadists are bent on establishing world dominance. Which political candidates recognize that threat and are prepared to deal with it are the ones we should support whether they be Republican, Democrat or Independent. If we lose the struggle against what the Jihadists themselves say is their goal of world domination, the United States will cease to exist as we know it and we will have squandered the future of our children and grandchildren.
There is no better example of the struggle we must win than Senator Rick Santorum's bid for re-election as senator from Pennsylvania. While his opponent has been vague about his stand on the issues, Santorum has been up front with the voters. Now, that may not be the best political thing to do, but with Santorum what we see is what we get. With him we have a senator who sees the danger and is ready to fight for the American people. He was the first in the U.S. Senate to speak of Islamic Fascists, whether in Iraq, Iran or Kosovo. He took the political risk to write a letter of support of His Grace Bishop Artemije of Kosovo. In part, his letter reads:
In 1992 the winning slogan was, "It's the economy, Stupid." But today, with the economy booming, the stock market hitting all time highs and the unemployment rate near record lows there is a more important issue, one that should not be lost in the squabble for power and political campaign policies of personal destruction.
We firmly believe that today there is a far greater danger to our country than those we faced from Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union. Militant Islamic Jihadists are bent on establishing world dominance. Which political candidates recognize that threat and are prepared to deal with it are the ones we should support whether they be Republican, Democrat or Independent. If we lose the struggle against what the Jihadists themselves say is their goal of world domination, the United States will cease to exist as we know it and we will have squandered the future of our children and grandchildren.
There is no better example of the struggle we must win than Senator Rick Santorum's bid for re-election as senator from Pennsylvania. While his opponent has been vague about his stand on the issues, Santorum has been up front with the voters. Now, that may not be the best political thing to do, but with Santorum what we see is what we get. With him we have a senator who sees the danger and is ready to fight for the American people. He was the first in the U.S. Senate to speak of Islamic Fascists, whether in Iraq, Iran or Kosovo. He took the political risk to write a letter of support of His Grace Bishop Artemije of Kosovo. In part, his letter reads:
I commend you for your mission to Washington with a much-needed reminder that the defense of freedom, like the global terror movement itself, is indivisible. In Kosovo, no less than in the United States or the Middle East, the reality of Islamic Fascist violence must be called by its proper name and opposed in every way possible.
The letter to Bishop Artemije is available at: http://byzantinesacredart.com/blog/2006/09/powerful-ally.html
Senator Santorum sees the struggle as a world-wide ideological battle, not just individual criminal issues to be fought out in the courtroom. On the other hand, his opponent represents those who deliberately distort the NSA phone surveillance program as being a domestic program, not to or from foreign parties as it actually is. Those whose primary concern is control of the Senate are willing to put so-called rights of Islamo-terrorists over the security of our country. They do this not because they are unpatriotic; they do it because they don't see the threat to our country and, therefore, are concerned only about political power.
Did we expect more from a Republican Congress? Have we been disappointed that they haven't done more about Illegal Immigration, Social Security, Income Tax Reform and other issues? You're darn right! But we're not willing to give control of our grandchildren's future to those who criticize, but have no solutions, and who want to treat the ideological struggle that will determine the future of our country as a matter to be solved by lawyers.
Did we expect more from a Republican Congress? Have we been disappointed that they haven't done more about Illegal Immigration, Social Security, Income Tax Reform and other issues? You're darn right! But we're not willing to give control of our grandchildren's future to those who criticize, but have no solutions, and who want to treat the ideological struggle that will determine the future of our country as a matter to be solved by lawyers.
We lived in Saudi Arabia for more than eight years. We also served for two years in the Soviet Union where George was the Senior U.S. Air Force Attaché at our embassy in Moscow and Stella worked in the Political Section. We have seen both Islam and communism up close. Just as George spent most of his Air Force career fighting the communist threat to our nation, our military is fighting Islamic Fascism today. We need men and women in Congress who understand the threat to our very existence . There are already too many empty suits in Washington, politicians interested in just getting along and protecting their jobs. We cannot afford to lose a senator like Rick Santorum, whose primary concern is the security of this country; who is willing to stick his neck out and make the hard decisions; who is not afraid to ask us to face the truth no matter how unpleasant it may be.
For the sake of our country and our children's future I'm asking you to help keep Rick Santorum in the U.S. Senate. There are only a few days until the election. Go to his web site at http://www.ricksantorum.com/. Make a contribution to the campaign. Pass this message to friends and relatives, especially those living in Pennsylvania, asking them to do the same. And above all, VOTE for SANTORUM on NOV 7.
Stella L. Jatras and Col. George Jatras, USAF (Ret.)
Camp Hill, PA
Camp Hill, PA
