Back then, medical care was a private affair. You went to the doctor and paid your bill. He would diagnose and treat the illness according to his knowledge and skill. When we came upon a doctor who’s knowledge was inferior to ours – we didn’t go back. Even when the doctor wasn’t capable of treating a simple case of amoebas we never thought of suing him. We simply started taking medicine with us to the U.S. – just in case. And such has remained our practice over the years. Only now we will often visit a national doctor and obtain a prescription for the medicine so that we can satisfy the requirements of U.S. customs officials upon arrival there.

Now the U.S. is faced with a massive overhaul of the medical system. The problems with this are varied. People travel from all over the world to be treated in the U.S. – because the U.S. has one of the best health care systems in the world. The main problem is the cost associated with treatment there. And what drives the exhorbitant costs? Wages are a part – but not the larfest issue. The cost of litigation is one of the greatest problems. If someone is not happy with the results of their treatment, they sue for malpractice. That is why doctors will order all kinds of tests so that they can prove diligence in a court of law. A friend of mine recently underwent a long series of tests because his doctor noticed a spot on one of his lungs. Probable cause? Scar tissue from damage done years earlier. BUT there was a slight chanc of cancer so a long series of tests and procedures was undertaken to show that he had – scar tissue, the very thing his doctor’s experience and intuition indicated at the beginning. $40,000 dollars or so later and the doctor had prevented any chance of suing him IF by some fluke the scar tissue had proven to be a tumor instead.

The problem with the U.S. health system is the U.S. “justice” system.  We have become a nation that will sue at the drop of a hat, and drop the hat ourselves should we feel the need to sue. Gone are the days of personal responsibility.  Now it is always “someone else” who is to blame for anything that happens to us. The major problem is that we no longer have a strong judeo-christian foundation. That foundation laid for us by the Founding Fathers has been eroded by decades of concentrating on “Separation of Church and State”, castigating the Church and removing any base for moral and ethical teaching from our schools and society.  For decades we have been taught that there is “no absolute truth” – which is the only absolute that is allowed under modern education. We have instilled in our nation the idea that we have descended from apes and amoebas – and then wonder why folks act like animals.  The law of the jungle has overthrown the law of the land and the survival of the fittest means “looking out for number one” – to the extent of doing what ever it takes to “get one up” on the other guy.

Health care – does it need an overhaul?  People all over the world flock to the US when possible, because it is well known that we have the finest doctors and hospitals on God’s green earth.  If we truly want to improve the lot of the poor amongst us, we should work on overhauling our “justice system”, gutting current tort laws and returning common sense to the place it should have had all along.  People should once more be taught to take responsibility for their actions rather than taking it out on others when they goof up.  And YES that includes doctors, but we need to allow them the latitude necessary to exercise common sense when they treat us for illness and disease.

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“This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” (Romans 13:6-7)

This is a day in which millions of Americans will be sending in their tax forms.  There will also be a lot of groaning, muttering and complaining.  There will also be a lot of preaching on how it’s our “Loyal duty” to pay the taxes.  Few people I know would claim that we should pay NO tax.  MANY people I know believe we are over taxed – and for wasteful purposes. To be forced, via taxation, to participate in that which one considers abhorrent (federally funded abortion, for example) is unjust at the very best.  To be shouted down and called a racist for demurring from the call to foist upon our children’s children a bill for wasteful spending goes against the grain.

As I was meditating on the verse above today, other verses came to mind.  First, Samuel’s warning to the Children of Israel when they decided they’d rather have a human king “like everyone else” rather than allowing Jehovah to reign in their hearts and minds.  Here is what Samuel told the people.

¹¹ He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. ¹² Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. ¹⁴ He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. ¹⁶ Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. ¹⁸ When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.” (I Samuel 8:11-18)

Interesting, the king would take TEN PERCENT of their wealth and income. How much more does our government take from us today?

Another passage that came to mind follows:

They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval.  With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction.  (Hosea 8:4)

So here’s what I’ve been cogitating on.  Do you suppose that setting up a “king” or choosing a “prince” without asking for God Almighty to guide us would entail an even heavier penalty than that given to the Children of Israel?  Do you suppose that by ignoring God’s leading in our daily lives as a nation and turning our backs on Him has lead us to the point where these words have come true, “When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.”? Indeed, be careful what you wish for – it may come true.  In 2008 many people wished for “Hope and Change” – never asking what the foundation for such would be nor what “change” entailed.  Chopping off your leg is change – but not necessarily a good one.

But there is another verse that says a lot to us today.

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Are there enough of God’s people left who are willing and able to both humble themselves and seek God’s face?  Will we?  Or will we continue to seek our own paths as a nation and dive deeper into the pit?

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“In passing, we should note this curious mark of our own age: the only absolute allowed is the absolute insistence that there is no absolute” – Francis Schaeffer

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But what surprises me are the voices lifted in thankfulness for the passage of the bill.  Voices of some who’s opinions I thought were carefully thought out.  How can a bill that is this expensive and which puts our nation at greater risk of bankruptcy be a good thing?  God teaches us to be careful of our finances and to spend wisely – this does not seem to be a wise thing at all.

Some Christian leaders are touting this as “The Bill Jesus Would Love” – or something to that effect, because it supposedly addresses the needs of the poor.  But does it?  And even if it does – is this the way?  When Peter asked about paying the temple tax, Jesus didn’t send him out to beg, nor did He send him out to steal. He sent him out to catch a fish – and allow God to provide for his needs.

Now, the question is – WHY would government even be interested in health care?  What is the history of health care in the first place?  Did you ever think about that?  Health care began when early Christians stayed behind in plague torn cities to take care of the sick and the dying.  They provided for those in need and established the first hospitals.  In fact, around the world we find hospitals that were established by medical missionaries.  People who felt the call to reach out to the sick and needy of the world – and did so with God’s help and provision.  So why is it that we now turn to government as the source of taking care of our health care needs?  Is it not because the Church has become irrelevant in many ways – turning over her work to secular government?  Schools in the US – started by churches.  Health care – started by Churches.  Shucks, even the militia was run from the church. (Look it up – folks carried their muskets to church and practiced drilling and shooting after services)  So why do we now turn those things over to secular government?

And why are we in the mess we are in?  Back in the 60’s a stay in the hospital cost less than $100 a night (in fact, if I recall correctly it cost less than $50).  So why do we now have such exorbitant costs?  Can you spell “lawyer” and “medical malpractice”?  Check out how high medical malpractice insurance is these days.  A huge portion of any doctor, anesthesiologist, nurse, hospital, dentist, etc bill goes to pay for medical malpractice insurance.  We’ve become such a sue happy nation that even negligence on the patient’s part can result in a multimillion dollar suit being settled against the doctor. Tort reform would do a lot more for us than “health care reform”.

So, what’s the solution?  Is taking from the “haves” to give to the “have nots” really justice?  No, it is not.  True social justice comes when society reaches out in love to the hurt and the needy – to give them a hand, not a handout. We have raised whole generations of people who depend on government from the cradle to the grave.  A look at the map of the districts represented by the congress critters who voted for the recent health care bill reveals that they all come from urban settings.  In my home state the largest city is the ONLY congressional district of either party to vote in favor.  Somehow I’m not surprised that this person voted in the interests of the feed trough mentality constituents – against the rights of the rest of society.

If the church would be the church, reaching out to the poor and helpless in true love – we could kiss such asinine legislation as that which our government foisted upon us goodbye.  But as long as the church remains content to limit herself to “worship services” and “praise services” and the four walls so many identify as the church – she will remain irrelevant and our culture will continue down the slippery slope towards servitude.

The problem isn’t that our nation voted in favor of socialism (a system geared for failure), the problem is that the church sees taking from one at the point of a gun to give to another as a way of showing the love of the Savior.

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The other evening we were discussing the problem of sin and evil with a new Christian.  He struggles with the idea of “Why did God allow us to choose rather than creating a perfect world in which there would be no opportunity for sin?” And that’s a tough question if we look at it from our limited perspective.  If there is no choice then there is no opportunity for excellence because we would not know excellence since we have no point of reference.  In a land where the average height is somewhere around five and a half feet, a six foot tall man is a giant.  In a land where the average height is around six foot, he is just average.  It is a matter of perspective.

God gave us the ability to choose because He wants a people who freely come to Him and who seek His ways and His paths over any and all other ways and paths.  Love that is forced is not true love.  Obedience through lack of choice is not true obedience.  And the way to show whether a person really wants to live like He designed us is to allow them to choose between two paths.  If that person freely chooses to seek the path of Light and godliness over the path of darkness and sin, that person obviously WANTS to walk in God’s paths.

Too often we look at life and the choices before us from a limited perspective.  We don’t look far down the path to see the results of our choice, we tend to choose on the spur of the moment – too often being influenced by immediate gratification rather than long term results.  And that is where we tend to mess up.  Building for the long term means making tough choices in the short term.

Here are a few quotes from the founding fathers of the republic known as the United States of America.

• “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. … Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God.” —Thomas Jefferson
• “If you love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.” —Samuel Adams
• “A nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master, and deserves one!” —Alexander Hamilton
• “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” —Benjamin Franklin
• “Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God, I know not what course others may take, but give me liberty or give me death!” —Patrick Henry
• “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.” —George Washington
• “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.” —John Adams

That last quote came to mind during another recent conversation.  In my current place of abode we are faced with an election for Congress critters and Senators as well as a primary (on the same day) for President. While discussing some of the principals we Christians should take into consideration before casting a vote, the subject of Constitutions came up.  I mentioned that although I’ve studied and considered the US Constitution in depth, the constitution of my current nation of residence is of such a complexity and length that I’ve long put off looking at it to any degree.

My friend commented, “The US Constitution is no longer sufficient to the needs of the nation.” At my raised eyebrow he went on to explain, “The US Constitution was designed for a moral and godly people, but the nation has long since departed from those principles.” OUCH!  I KNOW that’s true, but still it hurts to hear it from other lips.  And the funny thing is – he’s never read John Adams.  That’s right, he came to that conclusion through observation and consideration – and smacked it right on the head with accuracy.

He went on to say, “Our own constitution is complex of necessity.  We as a people are so corrupt that we can be governed in no other way.”  Again – he smacked the nail dead center. One of the “thorns in my side” here is the level and depth of dishonesty and corruption.  Everyone gripes about the politicians – but if we were to shoot them all and replace them with “average joes” off the street – we’d have the same type of problems because the roots of the problem go so deep.

But the thing about freedom is – we are free to choose wrong or to choose right.  We can choose justice and mercy and righteousness – or sink into apathy, egotism and filth.  Freedom allows us to choose.  We will become that which we CHOOSE to become.  If we choose to “go with the flow” – the flow goes naturally downward, if it moves at all. Stagnation results from NOT moving.  To move on an upward path requires a driving force, a desire to achieve.  Just think about plumbing for an instant.  If your toilet and drain pipes are not properly sloped they will cause the filth to back up and overflow.  If they are properly sloped they will cause the effluent to gently flow down into the cess pool.  But for the pure water to properly flow up from the well and into the home, there must be a pump to bring about the proper pressure.  As a nation are we merely “going with the flow” towards the cess pool of history, or are we ready to turn around and allow the desire for justice and mercy and godliness to to drive us to bring the pure, sparkling water of freedom in Christ to a thirsty world?

In the end, freedom must be chosen.  Freedom must be fought for.  Freedom must be wisely used.  God created us for freedom on all levels.  It is up to us to choose to live as He designed us – or to badly use that freedom which will lead us to follow the easy flow to corruption.

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The Cycle of Democracy follows this sequence:

1. From bondage to spiritual faith;
2. From spiritual faith to great courage;
3. From courage to liberty (rule of law);
4. From liberty to abundance;
5. From abundance to complacency;
6. From complacency to apathy;
7. From apathy to dependence;
8. From dependence back into bondage (rule of men).

(Attributed to Frasier Tytler)

It reminds me of the story of the little boy who asked his mother, “Mommy, is it true that God made Adam from the dust of the earth?” His mother replied, “That is true, son.” So then he asked, “And is it true that when we die we go back to dust?” And she answered, “Yes, son – that is true.”  “Well, Mommy, you’d better look under my bed,” the little guy told her, “because there’s someone either coming or going!”

As we look at our nation, we can see that indeed, it is either “Coming or going”.  In fact, as we look at history it is easy to see that we are at the point of going.  As a nation we have reached the point where apathy is leading to dependence which will pave the way for a despotic government to enslave a once free and prosperous land.  And this leads me to the point of remembering the words of Elijah as he complained, “Lord, there is no one left but ME.” The Lord told him (essentially) “Stop whining – there are still 7,000 men who have not bowed their knee to Baal.”  There are a lot of good folk left who are independent in nature and many of which are faithful to God.  The question is – will we stand and be counted or allow our nation to keep sliding down the slippery slope of history to become yet another example of the relentless cycle of democracy?

It is time to seek the Lord with a whole heart.  It is time to cast our cares on Him and to live as He designed us to live – walking in His Light.  If we will do so we may be able to swing our nation back to spiritual faith, great courage and liberty.

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We electors have an important constitutional power placed in our hands: we have a check upon two branches of the legislature, as each branch has upon the other two; the power I mean of electing at stated periods, one branch, which branch has the power of electing another. It becomes necessary to every subject then, to be in some degree a statesman: and to examine and judge for himself of the tendencies of political principles and measures.

[John Adams, The Papers of John Adams, Robert J. Taylor, ed. (Cambridge: Belknap Press, 1977), Vol. 1, p. 81, from "'U' to the Boston Gazette" written on August 29, 1763.]

Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual – or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.

[Samuel Adams, The Writings of Samuel Adams, Harry Alonzo Cushing, editor (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1907), Vol. IV, p. 256, in the Boston Gazette on April 16, 1781.]

Nothing is more essential to the establishment of manners in a State than that all persons employed in places of power and trust be men of unexceptionable characters. The public cannot be too curious concerning the character of public men.

[Samuel Adams, The Writings of Samuel Adams, Harry Alonzo Cushing, editor (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1907), Vol. III, p. 236-237, to James Warren on November 4, 1775.]

Consider well the important trust . . . which God . . . [has] put into your hands. . . . To God and posterity you are accountable for [your rights and your rulers]. . . . Let not your children have reason to curse you for giving up those rights and prostrating those institutions which your fathers delivered to you. . . . [L]ook well to the characters and qualifications of those you elect and raise to office and places of trust. . . . Think not that your interests will be safe in the hands of the weak and ignorant; or faithfully managed by the impious, the dissolute and the immoral. Think not that men who acknowledge not the providence of God nor regard His laws will be uncorrupt in office, firm in defense of the righteous cause against the oppressor, or resolutly oppose the torrent of iniquity. . . . Watch over your liberties and privileges – civil and religious – with a careful eye.

[Matthias Burnett, Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Norwalk, An Election Sermon, Preached at Hartford, on the Day of the Anniversary Election, May 12, 1803 (Hartford: Printed by Hudson & Goodwin, 1803), pp. 27-28.]

I have one great political idea. . . . That idea is an old one. It is widely and generally assented to; nevertheless, it is very generally trampled upon and disregarded. The best expression of it, I have found in the Bible. It is in substance, “Righteousness exalteth a nation; sin is a reproach to any people” [Proverbs 14:34]. This constitutes my politics – the negative and positive of my politics, and the whole of my politics. . . . I feel it my duty to do all in my power to infuse this idea into the public mind, that it may speedily be recognized and practiced upon by our people.

[Frederick Douglass, The Frederick Douglass Papers, John Blassingame, editor (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1982), Vol. 2, p. 397, from a speech delivered at Ithaca, New York, October 14th, 1852.]

[T]he time has come that Christians must vote for honest men and take consistent ground in politics or the Lord will curse them. . . . Christians have been exceedingly guilty in this matter. But the time has come when they must act differently. . . . Christians seem to act as if they thought God did not see what they do in politics. But I tell you He does see it – and He will bless or curse this nation according to the course they [Christians] take [in politics].

[Charles G. Finney, Lectures on Revivals of Religion (New York: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1868), Lecture XV, pp. 281-282.]

Now more than ever the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature. . . . [I]f the next centennial does not find us a great nation . . . it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces.

[James A. Garfield, The Works of James Abram Garfield, Burke Hinsdale, editor (Boston: James R. Osgood and Company, 1883), Vol. II, pp. 486, 489, "A Century of Congress," July, 1877.]

If the time ever comes when we shall go to pieces, it will . . . be . . . from inward corruption – from the disregard of right principles . . . from losing sight of the fact that “Righteousness exalteth a nation, but that sin is a reproach to any people” [Proverbs 14:34]. . . .[T]he secession of the Southern States in 1860 was a small matter with the secession of the Union itself from the great principles enunciated in the Declaration of Independence, in the Golden Rule, in the Ten Commandments, in the Sermon on the Mount. Unless we hold, and hold firmly to these great fundamental principles of righteousness, . . . our Union . . . will be “only a covenant with death and an agreement with hell.”

[Rev. Francis J. Grimke, from "Equality of Right for All Citizens, Black and White, Alike," March 7, 1909, published in Masterpieces of Negro Eloquence, Alice Moore Dunbar, editor (New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 2000), pp. 246-247.]

A share in the sovereignty of the state, which is exercised by the citizens at large, in voting at elections is one of the most important rights of the subject, and in a republic ought to stand foremost in the estimation of the law.

[Alexander Hamilton, The Papers of Alexander Hamilton, Harold C. Syrett, ed. (New York, Columbia University Press, 1962), Vol III, pp. 544-545.]

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.

[John Jay, The Correspondence and Public Papers of John Jay, Henry P. Johnston, ed. (New York: G.P. Putnams Sons, 1890), Vol. IV, p. 365.]

The Americans are the first people whom Heaven has favored with an opportunity of deliberating upon and choosing the forms of government under which they should live.

[John Jay, The Correspondence and Public Papers of John Jay, Henry P. Johnston, ed. (New York: G.P. Putnams Sons, 1890), Vol. I, p. 161.]

The elective franchise, if guarded as the ark of our safety, will peaceably dissipate all combinations to subvert a Constitution, dictated by the wisdom, and resting on the will of the people.

[Thomas Jefferson, The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Albert Bergh, ed. (Washington: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Association, 1903), Vol. 10, p. 235.]

[T]he rational and peacable instrument of reform, the suffrage of the people.

[Thomas Jefferson, The Works of Thomas Jefferson, Paul Leicester Ford, ed. (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1905), Vol. 12, p. 136.]

[S]hould things go wrong at any time, the people will set them to rights by the peaceable exercise of their elective rights.

[Thomas Jefferson, The Works of Thomas Jefferson, Paul Leicester Ford, ed. (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1905), Vol. 10, p. 245.]

When the righteous rule, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.

[Supreme Court Justice William Paterson reminding his fellow justices of Proverbs 29:2. United States Oracle (Portsmouth, NH), May 24, 1800.]

Governments, like clocks, go from the motion men give them; and as governments are made and moved by men, so by them they are ruined too. Wherefore governments rather depend upon men than men upon governments. Let men be good and the government cannot be bad. . . . But if men be bad, let the government be never so good, they will endeavor to warp and spoil it to their turn. . . .[T]hough good laws do well, good men do better; for good laws may want [lack] good men and be abolished or invaded by ill men; but good men will never want good laws nor suffer [allow] ill ones.

[William Penn quoted from: Thomas Clarkson, Memoirs of the Private and Public Life of William Penn (London: Richard Taylor and Co., 1813) Vol. I, p.303.]

Impress upon children the truth that the exercise of the elective franchise is a social duty of as solemn a nature as man can be called to perform; that a man may not innocently trifle with his vote; that every elector is a trustee as well for others as himself and that every measure he supports has an important bearing on the interests of others as well as on his own.

[Daniel Webster, The Works of Daniel Webster (Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1853), Vol. II, p. 108, from remarks made at a public reception by the ladies of Richmond, Virginia, on October 5, 1840.]

In selecting men for office, let principle be your guide. Regard not the particular sect or denomination of the candidate – look to his character. . . . When a citizen gives his suffrage to a man of known immorality he abuses his trust; he sacrifices not only his own interest, but that of his neighbor, he betrays the interest of his country.

[Noah Webster, Letters to a Young Gentleman Commencing His Education to which is subjoined a Brief History of the United States (New Haven: S. Converse, 1823), pp. 18, 19.]

When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers, “just men who will rule in the fear of God.” The preservation of government depends on the faithful discharge of this duty; if the citizens neglect their duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the laws; the public revenues will be sqandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizens will be violated or disregarded. If a republican government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the divine commands, and elect bad men to make and administer the laws.

[Noah Webster, History of the United States (New Haven: Durrie & Peck, 1832), pp. 336-337, �49.]

Those who wish well to the State ought to choose to places of trust men of inward principle, justified by exemplary conversation. . . .[And t]he people in general ought to have regard to the moral character of those whom they invest with authority either in the legislative, executive, or judicial branches.

[John Witherspoon, The Works of John Witherspoon Edinburgh: J. Ogle, 1815), Vol. IV, pp. 266, 277.]

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Recently a fellow started posting there.  He goes by the name Charlie and builds guns for a hobby.  Now, a lot of folks do that anymore.  They’ll order up a bunch of parts from Brownells or Midway or one of a number of other places and put them together.  Some of the guns so produced are fairly easy to do.  Put everything in the right place and PRESTO! You’ve got a functional firearm.  Others are more demanding, requiring some filing or stoning of parts to get them to fit and function properly.  But all these have one thing in common – they rely on mass produced factory parts.  Not that I’m trying to take anything away from the folks who build a gun this way, not at all. I’m in the process of building up a Kentucky rifle from a poorly built kit that was given to me a couple years back.  It takes time and effort to get it right.

But Charlie does something a bit different.  He builds his guns from scratch – and makes his own scratch.  The rifle that is the subject of this little piece is his rendering of an old design.  The Volcanic was a weapon made by Smith and Wesson before they became Smith & Wesson. It was a lever action design that fired a “rocket ball” which was basically a hollow based lead bullet with a charge of powder and a primer in it. The ballistics left a lot to be desired but the design gradually evolved to become the Henry, then the Winchester ‘66, the Winchester 73 and eventually the Winchester ‘76.  The main problem with building a Volcanic today lays with the need to use an available cartridge.  The original design makes it impossible to chamber this rifle for anything much longer than a 22 short cartridge, although there’s enough room for the 41 rimfire.  So Charlie designed his own cartridge around the 40 S&W – by trimming it down, reaming it out and loading it with a pinch of powder.  My friend Hobie did a blog post on the building process of the Volcanic.

What I find interesting in this entire process is that Charlie basically came up with the idea, made some calculations, did some drawings and went to work.  The quality of his work has to be seen to be understood.  He is a careful craftsman who is very painstaking in his efforts.  AND – if he can build something like this, what could NOT be built?  All the efforts of the gun banning crowd are useless as long as people have the creativity and ability to design and build machines or tools according to their desire and inclination.  Many folks forget our past.  Bill Ruger started out designing a machine gun.  Can you imagine the trouble he would be in today for building such a tool in his garage or basement? J.M. Browning was constantly experimenting.  One time he even converted a Winchester leveraction to full automatic fire. Again, if you do that today you will be in a world of hurt if the authorities find out.  BUT IT IS STILL DOABLE. With the wide availability of machine tools in the US and the world as well as the skilled craftsmen who use them, it is impossible to prevent people from building any firearm they so desire.

So, what to do about violence and crime?  They do not stem from the availability of firearms.  They stem from a mindset that views others as less than one is and the desire of obtaining that which another worked for with as little effort as possible and the decision to impose one’s will upon others by violent means.  These things were going on LONG before the advent of firearms – and if by some miracle all firearms were to be destroyed overnight the violence and crime would continue because it stems from the heart, not the tools available.

In my library I have a few books that detail the building of firearms in primitive settings.  One is a Firefox book that shows how early settlers would smelt iron and then work it into usable form on the anvil and make some of the most beautiful and elegant firearms ever, the Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Kentucky “Mountain Rifles” or “Long Rifles”. Charlie holds my respect for building such an intricate design as the Volcanic.  And I extend to him my gratitude for sharing with us the process he followed.

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Recently someone left a knife at our place.  It was in horrid condition and showed signs of abuse.  Since the same folks also caused stuff of our to no longer appear it wasn’t hard to convince myself to give the old abused cutlery a new lease on life.  So below is a photo essay on the process. Essentially it went kind of like this.  First, remove hollow plastic handle thingy.  Not too hard since one of the rivets was actually a melted lollipop stick. Then use a grinder to reshape the blade and angle the cutting edge. Use an orbital sander with coarse paper to give it a “matte” finish and then add a multilayered nylon rope/string/epoxy glue handle and sharpen the blade on a whet stone.  The abuse is still evident on one side of the blade, but it’s much more useful now. And then I finished it up by dipping the wrapped handle into liquid rubber to seal it from water and to give it a better non-slip grip surface.

The tools I used were basic.  The skill level low.  All I had to do was remember to keep the steel cool so that it would not lose its temper.  It would be a matter of maybe two minutes to reshape one of those “stab proof” knives into something that could easily be used to stab.  What the presumably well intentioned folks who invented that knife don’t seem to understand, it’s not the tool – it’s the person who uses it.  And if one is intent on going around stabbing folks, nothing will stop them from obtaining or manufacturing the tool necessary for such activities.  The weapon does not cause one to use it inappropriately. Inappropriate behavior comes from inappropriate thought patterns and belief systems.

You can click on the images below for a larger version of them, then use your browser’s “Back” button to return to this page.

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And it is interesting to hear folks talk on the ‘net.  Over the years it has been my pleasure to visit various internet friends in person.  And getting to talk with someone over a cup of coffee or a meal is a great way to get to know them a bit better.  Sometimes one forms an opinion about folks because of the way they “talk” on the internet. But once you get to know them personally you see a different face entirely.  And then there’s the voice.  Am I the only one who forms an “image” of what someone’s voice must sound like by reading what they write?  The first time I talked with various people was an experience – because they didn’t sound like I’d thought they would.  And what about SEEING them? That reminds me of my dad and a story he told about someone he used to talk with on the phone all the time.  He built up an image of the person based on their name and their voice. But when he met that person in person he was in for a surprise.  From physical stature to race – everything was different.

As a moderator on various forums I get to interact with folks all the time – but too often it is in situations where one would rather NOT have to deal with people.  My forum browsing time is limited so having to deal with people who insist on dragging bar room behavior into a respectable forum is not my favorite use of that time.  But someone has to to it. Lately I guess folks have been itching a lot due to the weather and the season.  And they seem to want to take it out on the world.  All to often they sink to using  ad hominem arguments.  It is so much easier to go after a person than it is to argue for or against an idea.  One area in particular is an area where I see a lot of heat generated – religious views.  It seems that folks too often believe something based on ??? instead of knowing the facts behind their beliefs.  And so when someone comes along with an argument they’ve never heard before they find it easier to be nasty than to do the work necessary to find the answers they need to substantiate their position – or to change their mind.

“Evidence That Demands A Verdict” was written by Josh McDowel. As I understand the story, Josh set out to prove Christianity was wrong and the Bible was a bunch of myths.  But he did the work.  He dug down and examined the evidence – and then wrote a book about it.  He was honest enough with himself and the evidence that he looked into the matter and changed his position.  But folks like Josh are few and far between.

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