Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
Setting Up Kings Without God’s Consent
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. I wrote for them the many things of my law, but they regarded them as something alien. Hosea 8:4,12
As I was reading through Hosea recently, I came upon the verses above. To say that they gave me food for thought is an understatement indeed. The traditional way of thinking in our nation is that if we have a governor, president, congressman, senator or other public figure that it’s “God’s fault”. After all, He is the One Who sets up kings and rulers, is He not? Interestingly enough, at the time the words above were written, kings normally received their kingship by inheritance – there was little chance for public opinion to be expressed under normal circumstances. And yet, although there was no “democratic process” such as we enjoy in modern times, they DID choose men to rule over them – and men who were not according to God’s plan or design. Today we are ruled by a constitution. Within that constitution the means of selecting rulers is spelled out clearly and the responsibility and power of government is both spelled out and limited. How much more responsible are we today for the rulers we choose than those who lived thousands of years ago! Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in 
Socialism – for individuals, not nations
To Vote Or Not To Vote
Since I’m messing around with the blog today I thought I’d take time to say a little something about the voting process. As a US Citizen the privilege of voting is something I take seriously. I know that many of my country men do not. In fact many of them will abstain from participating this year. But I urge any of you who take the time to read my comments to take the time to express your opinion at the voting booth.
Voting is about expressing ourselves and proclaiming who our choice of representative is. It’s not about a contest between the “Two Parties”, because the US was not set up as a two party nation – even though we have mostly had two parties to choose from for the most part throughout our history (although different parties at different times). Do you know who the candidates are? And I mean ALL the candidates. The mass media has forced upon us a false paradigm in that they insist that there are only two candidates. Bob Barr, Cynthia McKinney, Chuck Baldwin and Ralph Nader are all on the ballot in many states across the nation. The media has sold us the idea that “there are only two candidates” – and it’s a lie. Some would say “Yes, but there are only two VIABLE candidates.” – but why would that be? That’s because as a nation we’ve allowed the media to control our way of thinking. I sure wish we’d turn back to the old paths and seek REAL leaders from amongst ourselves, men of character and wisdom. They still exist, but we need to seek them out and encourage them to join in the battle to retake our country from the grip of encroaching enslavement to humanistic socialism.
Dr. Del Tackett has a blog called “Truth Observed” and recently he posted some thought provoking articles on it. It looks like ol’ Noah Webster knew more than just how to write a dictionary… 
Political Wisdom From Dr. Noah Webster: How To Vote
Political Wisdom From Dr. Noah Webster: Political Evils
Political Wisdom From Dr. Noah Webster: Remedy For Political Evils
Political Wisdom From Dr. Noah Webster: Defining Politics
Choosing The Lesser Of Two Evils
So now the big question is: “What are we as Christians going to do?” Are we going to give up the battle to those who wish to destroy our nation? Some maintain that they “keep their religion separate from politics” – assuming that the two can be separated. But that is only true if you do not live your faith actively. If you are truly on fire for Christ you can NOT call evil “good” nor can you call good “evil”. If you are TRULY on fire for Christ you can NOT say that those who support the murder of unborn babies or the equating of abnormal, deviant sexual behavior with God ordained marriage are representative of your ideals – IF you are on fire for Christ. We are told that we are not to be conformed to the world – we are called to be transformed. That means that we as christians are neither Democrat nor Republican – that we will vote for those who support Godly ideals rather than those who actively promote submission to the corruption fleshly desire. This doesn’t mean that we seek perfect people to represent us. It means that we seek out those who strive with us to achieve God’s design for man kind.
One of our great failings as a church has been in relinquishing our call to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and lift up the fallen to the government. That is not government’s sphere of expertise or duty – it is the church’s. The first hospitals were founded by christians. The first orphanages were too. Hmmm… come to think of it, even education was in the hands of the church for generations prior to government moving in to teach kids that 2+2 does not necessarily equal 4.
It is time for us as a people to take back our land. It is time to say “No more humanism – turn back to God.” Yes, there are great problems in our land and around the world, but no human government has the answer. It’s time for us to say “Quit muddying up the waters, get out of the way and let us show you the way.”
Psalm 81:13-34 says
13 “If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, 14 how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!
And in 1 Chronicles 7:14 it is written:
14 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.
Now although these words were written for the jewish people, they can be applied in principle to christians as well – because like the jews we are too often eager to follow our paths rather than God’s. BUT when we turn away from our stubborn evil ways to follow His paths – He WILL bless us, and also those around us.
So if you are a US Citizen, dig deep in your heart and seek to know the way that God would guide you. Go to the polls on November 4 and choose the options that are most like God’s paths. Do not vote for those who support policies that go against the Holiness of God. Send forth a loud cry “No MORE!” and lets start taking back our nation for the Glory of God.
Doom and gloom…
Three weeks ’til US elections 2008 and folks are full of doom and gloom. The gun boards are rife with talk about “What ‘battle carbine’ should I get?”, “What magazines for my ‘battle carbine’ should I get?”, “Who has the best price on bulk ammo?”, “What are you going to do if the obamanation gets in?”, etc. There’s a lot of speculation about what the future holds and “The End Of The World As We Know It” (otherwise known as TEOTWAWKI) is “just around the corner”.
Now, I’m no more in favor of “The Messiah”’s policies than the doom and gloom crowd. His ideas of “taking from the rich to give to the poor” are just so much warmed over communist pap – policies that have failed the world over and will continue to fail because they ignore the basic problem. The basic problem being the fallen nature of man as well as the vastly differing talents and abilities of mankind which mean that you can NEVER have a “level playing field” by stealing from one to give to another. The best we can do is to provide freedom so that each person can reach the place that they are able to reach without government’s encumbering “help”. The only system that has ever allowed such freedom was put into place in 1787 when the US Constitution was ratified. And that system was based on Biblical principles and a Biblical world view. No, it was not necessarily “inspired by God” but the men who wrote it and who ratified it had an overwhelmingly biblical world view even though they differed greatly in their understanding of God’s will for mankind. And that foundation gave rise to the freest society that the world has known where each was able to reach as high as his abilities would take him. In the past few decades, however, that freedom has gradually eroded due to the encroaching tenets of socialism/communism which decree that the state is the possessor of all and that none have any rights which are not permitted/granted by the state. This philosophy flies in the face of “We hold these truths to be self evident, that that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights…” Those words are also part of our founding, being taken from the Declaration if Independence and predating the constitution by just over a decade, and show the mentality and ideas of those who set the course for the nation.
But now, over two centuries after the founding, we have become a nation which denies that God has a role in our day to day lives. We’ve turned our backs on our Creator and we’ve enshrined each person’s darkest urges as “unalienable rights” while denying that rights have any source other than the government. We’ve turned our backs on godliness and placed unprincipled people at the helm of our nation. Is it any wonder that the ship of state seems about to run aground? Someone once observed that a democracy will only last until the people learn that they can “vote themselves largess from the public coffers”. With the recent “bailout” – not to mention decades of government funded “welfare” – we have proven that as a nation we have indeed learned to “vote ourselves largess” from the public coffers as each representative and senator seeks to bring as much pork home as possible, ignoring the greater good of the nation as a whole.
But, is it time for doom and gloom? I think not. Recently a friend sent me a few verses which I share with you here.
Proverbs 16:33 -Make your motions and cast your votes, but God has the final say. (The Message)
Daniel 4:32 – … the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.” (NIV)
Daniel 5:21 - ” …. the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes. “(NIV)
Acts 17:26 – “From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.” (NLT)
As Christians we need to remember that the Lord is Sovereign and that He is in control. When a nation turns away from God they can only expect to lose His blessing. I’m reminded of the following passage from 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12
They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
WOW! As a nation that pretty much sums us up, doesn’t it? I can’t believe how folks are eating up the lies and deceptions being told by “The One”. And yet when I look at how we as a nation “delight in wickedness” (how else can you describe our acceptance of every form of degeneration and how as a nation we embrace things that God has called “abominations”) I understand why God sent us this powerful delusion and also that those who believe the lie will be condemned.
So, doom and gloom? Why? We are seeing the natural outcome of a nation that turns away from God. I saw the years between Bushes as a wakeup call to the nation. And yet we slept on, ignoring the need to turn back to God’s path and hardening our hearts against Him. Come what may, the Lord is in control and that’s all I need to know. As Christians it may become more and more difficult and we may come under greater and greater persecution. But what can compare with those who gave their lives for the Gospel over the centuries? We’ve not yet reached the point of being thrown to the lions or burned at the stake – at least not in the west. Folks in the east have been undergoing horrible persecutions for decades. More people gave their lives for the Gospel in the twentieth century than in all the preceding centuries combined – and the western church slept on, complacent in her wealth and comfort.
Rather than doom and gloom we need to be preaching victory in Jesus the Christ – the TRUE Messiah. If people will turn to Him then it matters not what goes on around them, they will be at peace. And that is where our job lays, dear reader – in proclaiming the Gospel of Truth to all those around us and in calling them to repentance and new life through Christ who gave His Life to set us free from our bondage to sin.
Thinking about what happened seven years ago…
It’s been a while since I’ve taken time to just write “something”… or anything, for that matter. 
I guess getting old is tough – it took me a whole month + to do it in. 
Today the topic is due to thoughts generated by the horrific occurrences of September 11, 2001. It is inevitable that our minds should turn to such thoughts on the anniversary of that event. Many are remembering “where I was” when they heard “the news”. Me? I was visiting Deane and Bijie in NE Colorado, getting ready to head out for a speaking date at a Bible college up in Nebraska. I walked upstairs and found them sitting with coffee cups in hand, watching the news. “One of the Twin Towers was hit by a plane!” they informed me. “One of the WHAT?” is the unspoken question the flashed in my brain. I’ve never held NY to be “the center of the universe” as some do, much less put much importance in most of her “landmarks”, so I’d little idea of what they were talking about.
They handed me a cup of coffee and we sat there watching the news unfold. I’d been there just a bit when we saw the second plane strike the second tower. At that point I knew we were at war and that the world would never be the same as it was before. Later that day as I headed north I stopped in most towns along the way to top off the gas tank and saw the prices steadily climbing into regions that would not be normal for several more years. The news kept drifting in via the radio. The President is somewhere unknown. The vice president is also hidden away. All air traffic is shut down over the entire nation. Another plane has hit the Pentagon. Another plane has crashed. The immensity of the event was slowly increasing in the national awareness – but I knew that our lesson was not learned.
That bit of knowledge was confirmed a few days later as I headed back home to Colombia. As I sat in the airport in Miami talking with an elderly couple I found out that my premonition was right. They had confiscated the EMBROIDERY NEEDLE and the 1/2″ SEWING SCISSORS of a white, protestant, grandmother missionary on her way back to her station on Colombia’s Caribbean coast (but ignored the more potentially lethal sharp steel ink pen in her husband’s shirt pocket) . Not only that, they were wanding women’s brassiers and acting as if EVERYONE was a potential terrorist hijacker – ignoring the commonality of ethnic and religious background of the perpetrators – an ethnicity and religion that is foreign to the typical US citizen and not too hard to spot. But as a nation we put our head in the sand and started to play the “I don’t really know who my enemy is” game.
Prior to September 11, 2001 I regularly carried my usual 3″ bladed pocket knife on board airplanes. At no point did I ever feel the urge to cut throats and crash the plane into a towering building, it was just a tool, an instrument for peeling oranges, opening letters, trimming string, cleaning fingernails and myriad other mundane daily tasks. But there is a mentality, Jeff Cooper – deceased – called it “hoplophobia” (the fear of instruments), that believes that inanimate objects cause violence and mayhem. I saw this yesterday as I read an article in a newspaper from Cali about the sport of Olympic Trap shooting. The “reporter” asked “don’t you ever get the feeling that your ‘wires may cross’ when you pick up a weapon?” (referring to “getting the urge” to simply shoot someone) This is the mentality that refuses to accept that some people have a deeply seated problem called sin – that it is the PERSON who makes the decision to do harm, not the inanimate object. As much as some people claim to be “enlightened” and “educated” and “modern” – they still hold a superstitious fear of “talismans” that supposedly by themselves can cause harm. The calm and rational analysis of this situation reveals that the item itself is incapable of doing ANYTHING without the intervention of some person. A knife or a gun or a baseball bat or a chair leg or any other potential weapon will merely lay there until some PERSON picks it up and uses it – for good or for bad. People are the problem, not objects. And learning to discern WHO is probably going to cause harm would do us a lot more good than a bunch of mindless knee jerk rules to prohibit objects.
It has been shown that the majority of crimes are committed by a minority of the criminals. When a house is burglarized or a woman or child is raped you can lay a fairly safe bet that the perpetrator is a prior offender. They may not have been caught before, but the odds are that they have done this crime before. And when it comes to the type of crime that was committed on September 11, 2001 there is yet another factor – that of religiously inspired hatred. It has been shown that there a number of similar atrocities that have been committed over the decades prior to September 11, 2001 that can be linked to people similar to those who committed the acts of terrorism against the United States on that date. They were all committed by Muslim men between 18 and 40 years of age. By pointing out this fact I’m not attempting to engender racial or religious bigotry or hatred, but rather raising a red flag. When you see bombing after bombing committed by the same demographic – does it make sense to stick your head in the sand and pretend that EVERYONE will do the same type of thing? Think back to 1941 to 1945. Who were the “Kamikaze”? They were not white protestant women. They were not italian catholic men. They were not even German Third Reich soldiers – they were Japanese soldiers trained and prepared for this type of attack. Interesting to note – they too were inspired by their religion to give their lives to take out others.
So, seven years later, we are now treating everyone as an enemy when they go through the airport “security system.” We are pretending that the arthritic grandmother from Racine Wisconsin is at least as big of a threat as the young Arab man with a one way ticket and a tourist visa. In fact, our rules and regulations FORBID screeners from noticing that someone is a muslim male and treating them to well deserved scrutiny. Many occurrences have shown that screeners “randomly” choose an obviously NON muslim to fondle while a group of possibly radical extremist muslims waltz through the “security” checkpoint – just to prove that we aren’t “profiling” and are “being fair”.
Along with the varied thoughts on airway travel and taking down buildings with planes come thoughts about the upcoming election. Many are saying “If so and so becomes president the world will end, our nation will be destroyed and all hope is lost!” (Both sides of the political turmoil claim this) But the truth of the matter is – no matter WHO becomes president they will have arrived at that position with the consent and assistance of the general populace. No matter which way the winds blow they will NOT arrive at the White House “from nowhere” nor from another planet – they will have arisen from amongst the entire nation. The problem is not “who’s President” or “who’s going to be President” but rather “who are the people who are choosing their candidates and ushering them into office?” I’m amazed at the general lack of godly characteristics of the majority of the candidates this time around. Is this really “the best” we can do as a nation? If so, we are indeed in deep trouble – because we have allowed our godly principles to sink into virtual oblivion. This year, once more, we will choose from amongst ourselves the person we feel best represents who we are as a nation. Our choice will reflect what we have become – for good or for ill. Our choice will NOT “signal the end of all we are” – it will merely reflect what we have become.
Our only true hope as a nation is to repent from the sin of turning away from our Creator and to turn back to His Paths and His Will in our daily lives. We can not live for the devil and expect God to bless us when we choose a leader. We can only expect our daily life and our daily choices as a nation to be reflected in the leader who is finally chosen to govern over us.
The big question is – what will this year’s election say about what we have become as a nation?
…”our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
… “our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” how strange those words sound to modern ears, words which are in little use and poorly comprehended by our current “civilization” in which anything goes, just so long as “number one” is taken care of. And yet, that is what the signers of the Declaration of Independence pledged to each other. They knew that they were in grave danger from the king and his minions – and yet they put their names down and thus passed into the pages of history, founding the greatest bastion of freedom the world has yet known.
A careful reading of the document shows that the very abuses laid out by the signers of the declaration are things which today’s people do not understand. Too many have sold their freedom for “security” and when one cries “but the emperor has no clothes!” they act as though one were crazy – and blind.
232 years have passed since that fateful signing – it is time for our nation to read once more those words and to reflect upon them. Do we still believe in these values?
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of AmericaWhen in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.
— John Hancock
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew ThorntonMassachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge GerryRhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William ElleryConnecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver WolcottNew York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis MorrisNew Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham ClarkPennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George RossDelaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKeanMaryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of CarrolltonVirginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter BraxtonNorth Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John PennSouth Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur MiddletonGeorgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
As Independence Day Draws Near
In just a couple days we’ll be celebrating the fact that 232 years ago a band of brave men pledged their “lives, fortunes and their sacred honor” to declaring the 13 north American British colonies to be independent from England. They said “No!” to the stamp act, “No!” to the Tea Act, “No!” to the quartering act, etc. They didn’t “choose the lesser of two evils” – they said “Give me liberty, or give me death!” and then picked up their muskets and marched into battle.
Now, 232 years later, we’re being told “It doesn’t matter that John McCain was one of the Keating Five, nor does it matter that his name is part of the McCain-Feingold or the McCain-Kennedy pieces of foul legislation, it matters only that he’s the Republican candidate and we’ve got to get behind him or lose to the Democrats.” Uh, I beg your pardon, but since WHEN does putting a Republican into office constitute voting for freedom? Under our latest Republican President we got “The Patriot Act” and “Department of Homeland Security” and the joy of removing our shoes in the airport and being scrutinized and humiliated by government minions when we wish to travel by air. Yes, it’s all about “the war on terror” and “we’ve not been hit again since 2001″ but we HAVE paid – with our freedoms. Once more our freedom is taken away “to make us safe” – thus giving victory to those who would destroy our freedom via terrorism, we’ve given them victory by surrendering our nation’s freedom in the name of “safety” – while refusing to act against those who are REAL threats as we allow non-threats to be harassed in the name of “security”.
Also, once more we are being rallied to the support of the GOP – the very group that is sponsoring the AWB Version 2 (Assault Weapons Ban) – that’s right, the very ones who are saying “you’ve GOT to get behind McCain” are the ones who are pushing for a new (and worsened) version of the failed Clinton Assault Weapons Ban. I feel like I’m living in some “Wonderland” such as Alice fell into. Or, worse yet, like “1984″ is coming to life twenty four years later. We now have “double speak” as the national language, apparently. “Conservative” now means new bans on freedom and new assaults on our resources. The only (slight) comfort one can get is that “Liberal” is MUCH worse, sliding into the deepest recesses of Marxist/Leninist doctrine – but the so-called “Conservatives” are little better any more.
And there’s a growing rallying cry of “No MORE!” when it comes to those who would pull the wool over our eyes once more. It will be interesting to see what transpires in November. Interesting in the same way that seeing an out of control cruise ship come steaming into a crowded harbor and crashing through the pier is “interesting” – a sense of horror and impotence sets in as one realizes that there’s nothing one can do as the captain obliviously allows the ship to steam to its destruction – this is the feeling I get as I see the GOP once more steaming powerfully forward – in the wrong direction.
And many will say “Vote for McCain or you’re voting for Obama.” No, no matter how I vote I vote my conscience. And if I vote for a third party it will NOT be for Obama – it will be for the candidate for whom I’m voting. The guilt trip should be laid upon those who are responsible for drumming up support for such a leftist candidate as John McCain is. There are good men yet in the nation, I’m sure of it. So why are we supposed to be getting behind someone who has proven time after time that he leans farther left than many Democrats (some southern Democrats are more conservative in their values and voting than their Republican couterparts)? Just because of a party name? What’s in a name? A marxist by any other name smells just as bad to a freedom loving person.
Two hundred and thirty two years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence – and what have we done to our country? Will we allow her to slide ever deeper into the socialist mire that is sucking her freedom dry? Well, time will tell. Many of us will NOT vote for those who drag us in that direction. And we will NOT be to blame for the sinking of the ship. Those who ignore our calls of “Wrong direction, wrong director!” and insist on following the pied piper of ever increasing socialization of the nation are the ones to blame. Give us a candidate who sings the old song of freedom and liberty and you’ll see supporters crawling from the woodwork all around. But don’t expect those who think for themselves and who refuse to get on board a ship bound for destruction just because “at least it’ll crash later than the other choice” to rally around a RINO who has proven himself to be an enemy of our nations ancient values. To paraphrase what the man said, “Being shot down and spending years as a POW does not necessarily qualify a person to be President of the United States.”
233 Years Ago Today
233 years ago today a group of simple village and farm folk stood up against the forces of an empire which desired to force upon them its ideals and laws. They “fired the shot heard ’round the world” and after several long years of war they attained their goal – a free and sovereign nation that was built upon Biblical principles with freedom for all. May we all be grateful for the legacy passed down to us by those brave men. It is because of their resolve and dedication and sacrifice that we enjoy the freedom that we have a US citizens.
Now we have candidates to the presidency of the US who would take away the very freedom by which our nation was founded. We have a candidate who denigrates “fly over land” as “bitter people clinging to their guns and religion”. I stand amazed at the current crop of candidates and can only wonder what happened to the spirit of the men who stood that April morning against the forces of a far off king and set the stage for a grand new nation’s entrance upon the stage of the world. Oh that their spirit may spring once more to life in the hearts of my fellow citizens.
Concord Hymn
by Ralph Waldo Emerson
By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled;
Here once the embattled farmers stood;
And fired the shot heard round the world.
The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps,
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream that seaward creeps.
On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set to-day a votive stone,
That memory may their deeds redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.
O Thou who made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free, –
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raised to them and Thee.
The lesser of two evils…
With 2008 being a presidential election year, we are now about past the middle of the active electioneering that’s been going on since last year. There’s a recurring theme I keep hearing from dyed in the wool members of the supposed “conservative” party and that is “Anyone but a Democrat!” It matters not what the so called “Republican” stands for, all they need to do is say “I’m a REPUBLICAN!” and folks will vote for them. But that’s not what bothers me the most, and is only partially the reason for this post.
What really “gets my goat” is the attitude that “We have to vote for the ‘lesser of two evils’.” The lesser of two evils – is still evil. Let’s see. On one side we have Democrats who are in favor of the sodomite agenda to demean and dishonor marriage by twisting it to include their unholy unions. And they are also in favor of executing unborn children who have done no harm to anyone. And they are in favor of prohibiting the free use of weapons by ordinary, upright citizens. And they are in favor of granting amnesty to the millions of foreign nationals who have violated our laws and invaded our land. On the other hand we have Republican candidates who are in favor of the sodomite agenda to demean and dishonor marriage by twisting it to include their unholy unions. And they are also in favor of executing unborn children who have done no harm to anyone. And they are in favor of prohibiting the free use of weapons by ordinary, upright citizens. And they are in favor of granting amnesty to the millions of foreign nationals who have violated our laws and invaded our land. So, what’s to choose from? Does it really matter which party drags the country into the mud?
Now, I know I’m generalizing and not all the candidates openly support the issues outlined above – but they ALL have abominable track records on one or more of the issues above, issues I’m convinced are of vital importance to the nation. And yet, when one says “Send me a truly conservative candidate who will obey and enforce the US Constitution, uphold moral values, secure our borders and decrease the interference of the Federal government in individual citizens’ lives” people tell me “If you DON’T vote Republican you’ll be putting a DEMOCRAT in the oval office!”
I’ve got news for the Republican party. If they want to REALLY do something POSITIVE and garner the support of the sector of the US population that holds onto traditional values -THEN QUIT TREATING US LIKE IDIOTS BY OFFERING UP LIBERALS IN CONSERVATIVE CLOTHING!!!! If the Republican party endorses a liberal candidate and tries to cram them down the throats of voters with strict conservative beliefs – they are the ones who will be responsible for keeping conservatives away from the polls. Telling us that WE are responsible for the failure of a liberal Republican to win the presidential race is like telling a woman that she is responsible for the actions of a rapist.
I’ve made it clear that I will not be kidnapped. I will not go along with evil men merely because they threaten my life. Nor will I go with them because they threaten the lives of someone else. I will not go along with them because I do not agree with what they are doing. If they kill someone else or if they kill me because I refuse to cooperate – THEY ARE THE ONES WHO PULL THE TRIGGER – NOT ME. In other words, any innocent blood shed is not by my hand but theirs. In the same way, those who offer up a liberal, pro sodomy, pro abortion, pro amnesty for law breaking aliens, pro higher taxes and anti second amendment (or any combination of the above) candidate and say “Vote for them or else” are giving me the same option as those who would attempt to force me to acquiesce to their demand to accompany them at the point of a gun. I simply will not be coerced into violating my principles.
To those who are running the supposed “conservative” party I say “Give me a REAL conservative or I’ll seek out my own. And so will others who are also tired of voting against someone. Give us a leader who will honor the Constitution and the foundations of our nation, give us someone to vote FOR, who represents our values from the heart – or YOU will be responsible for the continued downward spiral of the nation as we sink lower and lower into the moral abyss – one “lesser evil” at a time.
The Birthday Post – 2007
The piece below was written as a “birthday post”. The idea of a “Birthday Post” was started by fellow Pistol Packing Preacher Charles Graff. In years past Charles would post a controversial subject, attacking some “holy cow” of the shooting sports in a well thought out manner. People would rise to the bait and the dust and fur would fly. Then he’d own up as to how it was his birthday and folks would realize they’d been had. Over the years others have attempted to follow his example, but few have shown his skill. Some would merely say something like “Hillary Clinton’s right. I’m going to destroy all my guns” or some other such transparent effort. As I type this it is the day before my 42nd birthday. I’ve been cogitating on what kind of post to put up for 364 days. Over the past week I’ve put some more thought into the matter and finally decided to “go for it”. I’m guessing that the post below will generate some heat from certain quarters – or it could actually get ignored. Only time will tell. My question at this moment is, “Do the guys know me well enough to realize it’s a joke?” Surely by now SOMEONE realizes I’ve got an extremely weird sense of humor. We shall see what we shall see, as the butler said when he looked through the keyhole.
And, furthermore, to show that I’m not a completely insensitive person, I DIDN”T post the original 2007 birthday post on the forum. First I asked a fellow conspirator and radical thinker about it. Well, ok, the posting won’t occur there. Instead, I put up the first piece which is immediately below this. It’s more of a general “birthday post” instead of the pot stirring one I’d typed up yesterday.
All the recent talk about flat guns has put me to cogitatin’ a bit about them. I know that Jeff Cooper was a real proponent of the bottom feeding 1911 family of firearms, but for serious, dependable, defensive work, the semi automatic just doesn’t cut it.The semiautomatic is plagued by a host of weak points which can cause problems when it is called upon to defend one’s life. The weakening of springs in the magazine lead to failures to feed and/or eject (depending on design), the easily deformed magazine lips which also provide feeding problems, the strength (or lack thereof) of the recoil spring which can cause problems for proper feeding, not to mention the need to run pretty much full bore ammunition through them to ensure that the slide will reciprocate properly, all are inherent design flaws.
For defensive use you need a gun that’s likely to go “BANG!” each and every time you pull the trigger. If you get a dud while shooting a semiauto, you need need both hands to run the clearance drill prior to continuing with what you were doing. On the range this is an inconvenience – in a firefight it can get you killed. Yes, you can learn to grasp the slide between your knees or use other means to clear a dud or other failure to function, but most of the procedures to do so are not very safe to execute, unfortunate word there, execute…
Yes, I’ve owned (still do) and carried semi automatic pistols – back in my wet ears years. In a 22 for plinking they are a blast and the jams and malfunctions are not too much of a hassle since they’re almost invariably used on the range and not in defensive situations. But for pure reliability? A good revolver will out shine any semi automatic in that department. You can load anything from wax bullet to full bore hunting loads and they’ll keep on tickin’ – with no fussing around with finicky springs, barrel ramps and other such nonsense. You can load any kind of bullet profile from round ball to full wadcutter to jacketed hollow points to shot loads – and it will feed and fire them all.
I know there’s no way some of you will give up your slide action flatguns, and that’s OK. But you really should consider the danger you expose yourself to by relying on them for defensive work. I guess the best way to sum it up is: “I sure hope you never have to bet your life on one.”
The original “2007 Birthday Post” can be found in the complete article.
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