Today, we are governed by another ruling class who, at best, gives lip service to the Creator and, at worst, wants Him banned from public discourse, lest their humanistic lies be exposed. They are the ones who determine who is favored and who is shunned. They decide who deserves the good will of the state and who requires observation.

Here is where we run into the idea of the “protected class” of citizens. These are people who don’t always have an easy time of life. It could be that they have some physical situation, or some lifestyle choice situation that is different than most. However, the common denominator is that the Democrat Party has managed to create a dependency on government in these citizens and, pretty well, takes them for granted at the polling place… sometimes multiple times in a cycle. Foolishly, the other party bought into the compassionate sounding names they gave the laws and embraced them as well.

This is not to say we should ignore our neighbors with physical disabilities. On the contrary, we need to look out for the welfare of our neighbors as we do our own families. However, to make such consideration a mandate from the government opens the door to all sorts of graft, corruption and cronyism.

Consider for a moment the outrageously priced child safety seat for cars. They are a great product and my grandchildren all had them. My kids had this flimsy little thing that hung on the back of the front seat. It would have been useless in a crash. However the mandate did not come until someone had a product they want to sell and the connections to have a law passed. Viola! An instant market of millions of new parents. I want to make clear that just because something is a law does not mean it’s a bad idea – just that we need to be aware of the whole story.

Now consider the whole new industry centered around “compliance”. It encompasses the fastest growing segment of the software industry all the way down to companies that pedal properly worded posters instructing employees how to behave so as not to offend one or more of the ruling party’s constituencies. Those with connections are making multiple millions because of these government regulations, while the rest of us are boxed in more tightly every day by people with no natural authority telling us “you must say this” or “you can’t say that”.

Some of the problems addressed actually had some basis in reality. Sometimes we Americans can behave boorishly, not thinking about the people around us. Yes, even Christians do the same thing. It may not be as overt at times, but we, too, can get caught up in our own concerns and forget the people around us. We are told that true religion is to look out for the least among us, so we are, in deed, our brothers keeper.

It is because we, as a group, have failed to be the salt and light in society, taking care of those in need that we opened the door for opportunists to come in and replace true compassion with the mercantile approach of trading favor for votes. Some of our own number, who claim the name of Christ, have fallen into the trap of attempting to meet their neighbors needs through a political organization that is essentially godless and corrupt.

We cannot escape the blame for allowing this to happen. We have been too wrapped up in our own concerns. These concerns could even include our own church activities. We have not been seeing the needs around us. Not seeing, we have not been responding… and the enemy has moved in with a false solution that takes away freedom and destroys souls.

This did not set well with those waiting expectantly. Police were called to the Instant Tax Service in Charlotte, NC as approximately 75 angry customers descended on their office demanding the refund deposits as promised on the date promised.  They wanted their money! However, was it? There is common thinking that half the people pay taxes and half do not.

This is only partially true. The part that half pay taxes is true, however, through the magic of Earned Income Credit and other creations of an overly generous congress, many who do not pay taxes actually are refunded more than they have paid into the system… thousands more! Liberals and progressives have a term for these, they are called a transfer payments. That means, money is transferred from those who have earned it to those who have not.

The near violence in Charlotte was repeated in Richmond, VA. Given the thirst for government (read taxpayers) money, it would be surprising if these were isolated incidents. This should be a source of concern for all of us as we work for and anticipate the defeat of the Prevaricator in Chief. This great divider has convinced his followers of their right to feed at the public trough at the expense of their fellow citizens. They have bought into his story European socialist vision and are waiting with outstretched hands. What’s worse, they have been deprived of the ability to create their own lives and their own successes.

What will happen when Barack Obama is ejected for the people’s house and the money stops flowing? Or, should the people foolishly keep him in office, what will happen when the money stops because we have simply run out. Denied expectations can promote a response that none of us would like, yet we must be prepared for. The fact is that sooner or later the money will stop flowing and we have a choice of whether it will be a gentle or harsh landing. And… we also have a choice of whether we are prepared for such a response or if it will take us by surprise.

This was just a small skirmish in the quest for what some consider to be rightfully theirs. However, when things begin going badly, we need to consider how we will deal with the situation. We cannot operate a European welfare state, nor should we. However, we have seen the reaction to a delay of funds for just a few days. We cannot ignore this warning and need to be aware that even though we may be doing the right thing, there will be obstacles to overcome and we cannot loose resolve.

As Christians, we need to look beyond the annoyances and the attacks on our country and speak the truth to them that the real source of our security, and the security of those seeking our money, is our Creator, not the folks inside the beltway.

This is kind of the spirit of what we heard when Barack Hussein Obama declared, “With or without this congress, I will keep taking action…” during the State of the Union message. For a President to say this of the entire legislative branch of our government shows a complete contempt for our constitution and the separation of powers the founders built into our nation’s fabric.

This is the man who considers the constitution that was designed to protect rights of individuals through restraint of government to be a hindrance to the implementation of his schemes to change the world for the good of us poor, ignorant folks who still cling to our God and our guns. That is, those of us who are too dimwitted to know any better. Never mind that we have other plans for our money, resources and our lives. The anointed one and this minions are people who know how we should live… and we should just just quietly follow them.

Many years ago, C.S. Lewis noted, “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive”. We have been told that expansion of the national government power is for our own good. We are told that the power of government will keep bad things from happening. We are told that the government can give us better health care if only we are willing to sacrifice our potential well being for the good of the overall society.

Unfortunately, it is the power of government that keeps good things from happening. It is the excess of regulation and interference that has destroyed not only jobs, but entire industries. It has turned happy, prosperous cities into towns struggling with despair and joblessness. The President’s answer to this problem is to expand the unemployment insurance. This is indicative of the myopic approach to all our problems… just think about it. If city after city lands on the skids and survives on the unemployment insurance that former Speaker Nancy Pelosi says creates jobs, will there not come a point when more cities are taking than giving and driving the rest into poverty? How about us as individuals – when more of us are surviving on resources of those who earned them?

In the The Treasure of Sierra Madre, the impersonators came to a bad end. They pretended to be people with authority and power to protect the people. They were not people with authority and power to protect the people. They were liars and thieves. They paid the price and suffered the fate of an imposter. What will be the price that Barack Hussein Obama pays for the destruction of America… both now and forever.

Congress? We don’t need no stinkin’ congress!

What has happened is, the US Census Bureau erroneously claims that it “‘is required by the U.S. Constitution count everyone living in this country, regardless of immigration or citizenship status.’” Accordingly, they have counted millions of illegal aliens in the 2010 Census and are using those figures to apportion the US House of Representatives. If this egregious misinterpretation of the US Constitution is allowed to stand, five states (Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, and Ohio) will lose representation in the US Congress to which they are lawfully entitled, while three states (California, Texas, and Florida) will be awarded additional representation in the US Congress to which they are not lawfully entitled. And, of course, this will also directly impact the makeup of the Electoral College, which ultimately elects the President of the United States.

Of course, this manipulation of the 2010 US Census also impacts the election of the US President, as those states that are granted more seats in the US Congress are also granted more votes in the Electoral College as the Electoral College is composed of a “Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress. . . .” (Article. II. Section. I. Clause. 2. US Constitution). And, as everyone knows, under the US Constitution, it is the Electoral College that ultimately elects the President of the United States. Thus, the states of Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, and Ohio, will be unjustly denied their lawful votes in the Electoral College, while California, Texas, and Florida, are being unjustly granted unlawful votes in the Electoral College. Would it not be extraordinary if the margin by which President Obama is re-elected in the Electoral College would be provided by the manipulation of the census data under his control? Again, this would be an outrage!

In essence, the Obama administration is rigging the US Census to steal a congressional seat from the State of Montana. This rigging will keep Montana from having a second congressional representative. If the illegals in California, Texas, and Florida are not included, then Montana will receive two congressional seats and four electoral votes. Under Obama’s rigging plan, Montana will continue to have only one congressional seat and three electoral votes.

Considering the major media and even most “conservative” talking heads have said virtually nothing about this monstrous misallocation of constitutional government is just the latest example of how truly out of touch the people who are entrusted to inform the American people really are.

The plaintiff in this case is the State of Louisiana, which has now been joined and supported by amici U.S. Border Control, U.S. Border Control Foundation, U.S. Justice Foundation, Institute on the Constitution, Gun Owners of America, Inc., Gun Owners Foundation, English First, English First Foundation, Conservative Legal Defense and Education Fund, The Lincoln Institute for Research and Education, Public Advocate of the United States, Policy Analysis Center, Virginia Del. Bob Marshall, Oklahoma Rep. Charles Key, Maryland Del. Don Dwyer, Washington Rep. Matt Shea, Wyoming Sen. Kit Jennings, as well as Candidate for Governor of Montana, Bob Fanning, and Candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Montana, Chuck Baldwin.

Attorneys filing this brief before the US Supreme Court are Herbert W. Titus, William J. Olson, John S. Miles, Jeremiah L. Morgan (of the law firm of William J. Olson, P.C. of Vienna, Virginia) and Gary G. Kreep (of the U.S. Justice Foundation).

As citizens of the State of Montana, and as candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the State of Montana, Bob Fanning and I are outraged at this unconstitutional manipulation of the 2010 US Census, and the subsequent unconstitutional and unlawful misapportionment of the US House of Representatives.

We are further outraged that our own governor, Brian Schweitzer (the incumbent Democrat governor who is term-limited out of office after the completion of his current term) has done nothing to prevent the people of the State of Montana from being denied the rightful seating of an additional US House member from the Montana delegation to Washington, D.C. He has not served as Montana’s watchman, to make certain that our State is being treated fairly by the Obama administration. Louisiana has been forced to go it alone, as the only State willing to bring this challenge. By not joining the lawsuit against the Obama administration, what Governor Schweitzer in essence is doing is allowing illegal aliens to deny the due representation of the citizens of Montana in Washington, D.C. This is an outrage!

It is a gross misinterpretation of the US Constitution to claim that the US Census is supposed to “count everyone living in this country.” Article. I. Section. I. Clause 3. as amended by Section. 2. of the 14th Amendment authorizes “a targeted decennial census of the ‘respective numbers’ of ‘the People’ of the several States, not a wholesale count of the numbers of persons found ‘living’ in the United States.” The term “the People” is a technical term used in the U.S. Constitution to refer to the polity, that is, the people who constituted the government and who are legal citizens of the nation. Only by such a tailored count can the constitutionally-authorized decennial census serve the purpose for which that census has been required–the apportionment of representation of the people of the several states in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“It is manifestly untrue that the decennial census ordained by the Constitution is to be taken without regard to a person’s ‘immigration or citizenship status.’ The decennial census is conducted for the apportionment of representation in the House of Representatives, the members of which are ‘chosen every second Year by the People of the several States.’ (Article. I. Section. 2. Clause. 1. US Constitution). The first sentence of the 14th Amendment establishes a symbiotic relationship between a person’s United States citizenship and that person’s State citizenship. Thus, whether a person is part of ‘the People’ of a State is largely, if not exclusively, dictated by a person’s ‘immigration or citizenship status.’ Any census that ignores that connection is fatally flawed.”

In the afore-mentioned lawsuit, we are asking the US Supreme Court to preserve the integrity of the US House of Representatives and Electoral College.

I can tell you that the people who want to disassemble constitutional government in this country are hoping that no one notices what the Obama administration is doing to manipulate the 2010 US Census to unlawfully reconstruct the US House of Representatives and Electoral College. Well, I can tell you, Bob Fanning and I (along with the other amici curiae supporting Louisiana in this lawsuit) are not going to let that happen!

I will be holding a press conference to blow the whistle on what is taking place to deny the people of the State of Montana (along with the people of the states of Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio) their lawful representation in Washington, D.C. I am also using the influence and outreach of this column to alert the American people as to how the Obama administration is attempting to manipulate the US House of Representatives and Electoral College.

It is more than interesting also that the “anointed” establishment neocon Republican Montana gubernatorial candidate, Rick Hill, has, himself, not even bothered to alert the people of Montana to this travesty. Why not? Rick is a career politician who once served in the US House of Representatives from Montana. One would think he would want to protect the people of the State of Montana from this outrage. But he has said nothing! Plus, have you heard anything about this from any of the “conservative” talking heads on FOX News? No you haven’t! Why not? Why is it left to this column to alert you to this gross violation of constitutional government?

Therefore, I unashamedly appeal to readers to help Bob and I carry this fight to preserve the integrity of the US House of Representative and the Electoral College to the US Supreme Court. Please go to our web site.

I also highly encourage readers to visit the web site of the law firm filing this brief. William J. Olson, Herbert Titus, et al., have been at the front lines in helping to defend constitutional government for longer than many of us have been alive. Bill Olson and Herb Titus have defended a sizeable number of patriot organizations and individuals against federal usurpation for decades. I don’t know of another law firm with the credentials and track record of fighting for constitutional government, Second Amendment rights, and individual liberty anywhere in the country than the law firm of William J. Olson, P.C.

To learn more about this lawsuit and the Olson law firm…

In the meantime, each of us should be using our individual and collective sphere of influence to trumpet this attempted travesty as loudly as possible! I especially encourage readers in the states of Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, and Ohio to demand of every elected public office holder in their respective states to use every means possible to defend the lawful rights of their states to proper representation in the US House of Representatives and the Electoral College. The people of America simply must not allow this flagrant manipulation of the 2010 US Census to take place! If the Obama administration gets by with this now, think how the states’ representation in Congress will be abused in the future.

For more by Chuck Baldwin go to http://chuckbaldwinlive.com

Essentially there are two primary ways of viewing the world around us. C.S. Lewis called it the “Great Divide”. Do we live our lives with the recognition of the supreme being, or do we consider ourselves (man) to be the supreme being? There is even a perversion of the secular humanist thinking that sees man as the supreme underbeing and Mother Earth is the deity to be worshipped… in the way that these unusual people shall specify for us.

In any case, the culture war that currently engulfs our country is one that most who would claim the God centered world view are blissfully unaware of. So many, like their secular neighbors, are absorbed in their own lives and problems. They have been distracted by the small acts of goodness they can do, and totally miss the bigger picture that shows the Christian viewpoint being shuffled off to the side. Many of us have been majoring in minors, as the saying goes… fighting over hymnbook content or carpet colors.

Many also site II Timothy 2:4 that tells us “No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs – he wants to please his commanding officer.” We are told this as they, many with sincerity, attempt to go about the business of the Lord. The problem with this thinking is that it fails to recognize that a major part of the battle has moved into the public arena and the forces of secular humanism have been winning by default. The other problem with this thinking is that many of the Lord’s “soldiers” are AWOL from the fight entirely.

Many also take Paul’s admonition to heart that we need to endure hardships and the implementation of a secular based government with no concept of the creator endowed rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is just something we will have to live with.

This all well and good except they are missing the main point: IT’S NOT ABOUT US! Our convenience and ease of life are not the issue. The issue is the millions of children going through the public schools immersed in Darwinism. The issue is the millions of babies killed in the name of convenience with no concept of consequences. The issue is the gay and lesbian clubs in the same public schools that now call Christmas Vacation a Winter Break. No, it is not about us. It’s about permitting a culture that devalues the God of the Bible and promotes the idea that our puny logic can figure out what is right and wrong based on our circumstances… and it’s about the tragic consequences to those misdirected by our culture.

An example of how one’s world view determines their actions and impact on those around them is the slavish allegiance of academic biology departments at all levels to the evolutionary thinking of Charles Darwin. They understand there are gaps in the theory, but they have faith that eventually, their knowledge will be filled. Why is this, as the facts can’t substantiate their position? To understand this, let’s go back to the basic divide in world views. One says there is a creator God and the other denies this fact.

Most academicians in their ivy covered world with inbred social and work life circles publicly proclaim that they have never been able to see or measure God, therefore, he must not exist. With this background they HAVE TO embrace Darwinism since it meshes with their world view. There is no way they can even admit Creationism is a valid alternative. They deride Intelligent Design as simply an attempt to insert religion into science.

Ben Stein showed the foolishness of this position in his film Expelled when he interviewed a distinguished professor who could accept the possibility that a superior race from another solar system could have set life in motion on earth, but could not accept that we were created by a deity. These people are people are teaching our young and we are letting them!

Books could be, and have been, written about the effect of the secular humanist philosophy on our society as a whole and on us individually. Basically it has only led to increases in crime, suicide and poverty. The secularized society has proven it is not the paradise envisioned in John Lennon’s Imagine any more than the former Soviet Union produced the workers paradise it touted around the world.

Consider your world view. Compare it to the programs and pronouncements coming out our Washington and your state capitol. Don’t just think about the impact they will have on your life. Think about what they will do to the people around you and society as a whole. Many are trying to buy you off with trinkets as they steal and corrupt the soul of our country.

They are wringing their hands in despair as if the retirement of a supposedly “moderate” senator held the key to the retention of power by a corrupt and unresponsive administration.

As for Senator Nelson, it appears that he has the wisdom to recognize how precarious his position really is with a disenchanted electorate. There is an old tradition among the political class when faced with certain defeat… it’s called “take the money and run”.

With millions of Americans angered at the encroaching government from our nation’s capitol and the Democrats having to defend 23 seats as opposed to the Republicans 10, it would seem to be an exercise of feckless hubris to think this farm state legislator would be one of only five (the minimum number for a Republican takeover) to be sent packing… or at least off to the wonderful and profitable world of the lobbyist. Members of the “club” never seem to loose. It is only the taxpaying citizens who get the short end of the proverbial stick.

This may just be talk to keep the troops from deserting in despair or perhaps they have developed newer and better techniques to bypass the electoral will of the people. Possibly the word could also be spread to diminish the hopes of the opposition, both Tea Party and Republican. The Democrats are masters at psychological warfare and disinformation. The only thing certain is that we are looking and interesting eleven months.

We can take heart in the fact that one more of the scoundrels who have been wreaking havoc on our land will be gone from their position of power. Now, it is up to us to see that Nelson and those like him are replaced by true patriots looking out for the welfare of the people rather than their own wealth and power.

Matt Kibbe from FreedomWorks was correct when he noted that we have two jobs. We have to defeat the Republicans before we can defeat the Democrats. Our country faces tremendous dangers, and a tremendous opportunities. We cannot permit the status quo merchants to convince us that the same people who created the mess we are dealing with can solve it.

Some of these slick lipped politicians actually meant well. Good intentions just don’t get the job done. C.S. Lewis wrote, “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.” Others had different agendas. Whatever the reason for this intrusion into our lives, the fact remains that the path they have set before us is the path of destruction. Unless the situations changes greatly, there is a very good chance that the Republicans will take control of the Senate and, most likely, the Presidency. That doesn’t mean the people win as well. We win when the goals and approaches of our leaders are the goals and approaches of the American people.

What are these issues? Here are some that are critical to our survival as a nation. I make no claim to omniscience, so there are probably others. However, we shall start with these for your consideration:

One of the most pressing problems our country is facing is the economic doldrums where the Federal Reserve and members of the banking community seem to be profiting nicely while the rest of the country is struggling for survival. They are continuously throwing new money in to the system as production plummets. Anyone with an understanding of non-Keynesian economics knows this will never work. The banks, even foreign banks and governments, are bailed out and the American citizen sees his dollars devalued as inflation depletes their purchasing power, and loans are still difficult to get.

There seems to be agreement on the need to rid the nation of ObamaCare. It is a threat to both our health and our wealth. It is modeled after ineffective European plans that have been shortening lives, while increasing pain and suffering for years. The difference in the candidates is how aggressively they would pursue killing off this threat to our freedoms.

Many progressives would like to paint conservatives as unconcerned about the environment. The is a complete misrepresentation of the freedom fighters mindset. Some of the most enthusiastic conservationists are gun loving hunters who have a longstanding appreciation for our wildlife and woodlands. It’s just that we don’t jump every time a pseudo-scientist comes up with a “could happen” speculative article. We also respect our hard working brothers and sisters more than academic posers and pretenders. This determines our interpretation of the size and power of the Environmental Protection Agency.

The restrictive EPA is only one aspect of the quest for jobs badly needed by so many. Evironmental regulations are not the only rules restricting the growth of employment in our great land. Unions currently are tying up various job producers, and are poised to grow even more powerful. The administrations solution to the high unemployment rate is to simply increase unemployment benefits. Jobs, including manufacturing jobs, are the long term answer. A shrinking working population simply cannot support a growing non-working population.

There are various views on the most productive foreign policy. We currently have members of our armed forces all around the the world with a price our struggling economy cannot afford. Some see it as a pride inducing projection of American power throughout the world. In some ways this is not necessarily a bad thing, considering all the bad guys running countries around the world. The problem is, we just and afford to throw our power around indiscriminately as the world’s police force anymore and must focus where dangers really exist.

On one end of the spectrum we have a view that the says we have nothing to fear from a religion whose holy book says things like:

“O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: they are but friends and protectors to each other. And he among you that turns to them for friendship is of them.” Sura 5:51

“O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be unyielding to them; and their abode is hell, and evil is the destination.” Sura 9:73

“Believers! wage war against such of the infidels as are your neighbors, and let them find you rigorous: and know that God is with those who fear him.” Sura 9:123

The Muslim Brotherhood that has recently increased its power throughout the middle east makes it clear that jihad is their life. The other end of the spectrum recognizes that there are people out to conquer the world… not because we attacked them first… not because they are treated badly in our country, but because we are the infidels that must be defeated or destroyed in the name of Allah. Foreign policy must be based on real threats… not just feel good policies.

The border seems to be one area that generates general agreement among average Americans, but seems to scare most politicians. While I realize we need more courageous politicians, we don’t have time for these beltway insiders to develop backbone. Someone needs to take a stand to close the border, and figure out how to stop the flow of illegal aliens and drugs. Then work out a plan to deal with those that are already among us.

Then we always have to deal with courts who have this nasty habit of throwing a monkey wrench in attempts to deal with these problems. They represent a law unto themselves taking the United States in a direction only acceptable to politicians, academics and those seeking to live off the efforts of others. If we do not deal with the judiciary, they will short circuit almost every attempt we make at fixing the country.

I realize I have not touched on the social issues to this point.  Most of those running have indicated that they believe killing babies is wrong.  The verbal support is good, but it is their character that will determine how far we see this support go.  As for homosexual marriage, that is an open question to some.  The thought of making it a state issue has some merit except for the reciprocal recognition that would eventually be required by some judge who has his own sense of right and there-is-no-wrong.  These issues do not get a lot of attention, but may speak more to the nature of the country under their leadership.  The formerly main stream media treats these issues as settled and deviation from their norm as anti-social behavior, so we probably won’t see them addressed often except in a derogatory sense.

The last thing we will consider is the character of the man or woman seeking the office. It is a vital element in the selection of a candidate. Even the best of promises are meaningless unless the candidate has the determination to live up to their promises. However, character alone, without understanding and ability won’t get the job done.

So, I’ve come to the conclusion that, despite what some supporters will tell us, that there is no perfect candidate. They all have good points and most have some failings.

Forget the names, look at your favorite man or woman, not just rhetoric. Look at their records and positions. Compare them to the issues that are most important to you. Perhaps then we can come together and defeat the abomination in the White House without destroying each other in the process.

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 (NIV)

In our present day society, the politically correct keepers of proper thought are on constant guard lest the truth get out and expose the lies of the ruling class. We saw the impact of this at the last Republican debate where so many participants, even good conservatives, were scandalized that Newt Gingrich had the audacity to tell the world that the Palestinians were an “invented” people group. It was a people group invented to lay claim to land possessed by a legitimate people group, the Israelis.

Many said, in essence, this is right, but we shouldn’t talk about it because it will make the people perpetuating the lie, and their fellow travelers, angry. Apparently some would rather be a slave to deception than stand on the solid ground of truth.

Others have told the truth. For years, Ron Paul has been telling us of the damage done to our country and our economy by the Federal Reserve System. For those who may have doubts, consider how ineffective the monetary manipulation and ridiculous below market interest rates have been in correcting out economic malaise.

He has been trying to warn us of the inflation caused by the uncontrolled injection of new money into the system. He, almost alone, stood against bailing out the same banks that made risky investments and helped generate the inflated real estate prices that are still destroying the equity people thought they had in their homes. He could almost be described as the anti-Barney Frank.

Generally, because of this unconventional wisdom and some of his other views, Dr. Paul is marginalized like a sort of crazy uncle that everyone smiles at, but never takes seriously. Those with vested interests in the current unconstitutional monetary system, or those who have never really looked into the Fed or such practices as fractional reserve banking, are happy to keep this complex subject behind the wizards curtain and out of sight of the public.

Many governors believe the best thing they can do for their state is to play nice with the national government to keep the money flowing for projects and activities that are actually sometimes needed by their citizens. Under fire for attempting to protect her citizens from the crime and fiscal dissipation of illegal aliens, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer spoke the truth when she declared, “We Have an out of control, arrogant federal government.”

We can listen to people like these, who are under constant attack by the formerly main stream media and those who believe they are simply too sophisticated, or perhaps too unimaginative, to deviate from conventional wisdom. Yet our well being depends on rejecting the lies that abound in our government and pursue the truth.

What kind of lies do we have to reject? DNC Chair, and Florida Congresswoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz is telling us that unemployment has been coming down during the Obama administration. Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid wants us to believe that no jobs are created by millionaires. This makes it easier to vilify and rape them financially.

This is the other side of the truth coin. If we follow the lies, they will enslave us… not set us free. The choice is ours. We can make a stand of what is true and right, or we can keep our eyes closed and let those in power continue to pull the wool over our eyes.

When faced with the choice of accepting the temporary comfort of the status quo or fighting for freedom, Patrick Henry knew which path he would take when he told the Virginia leaders, “I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death.” To him freedom and justice were more important than life itself.

Unfortunately, for most Americans, it is too much trouble to even make such a statement, let alone live it.

Henry’s cry for freedom echoes the words of Joshua, “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15 NIV)

Joshua’s declaration arose out of a passion for the God of the universe. Henry’s came from a passion for our God given freedoms. My question is, do we have a passion for anything beyond our own comfort and convenience? I sincerely hope the answer is “Yes!”

When our country was founded well over two hundred years ago, the citizens were neither perfect or marching in lock step, yet there was a form of Christian consensus. There was a general agreement on what constituted right and wrong. There was an agreement on the rights and duties of citizenship in this great land. Because of this the people were happy and productive – creating the most prosperous nation on earth.

Sure there were conflicts. There were those who desired to take advantage of the good people… both inside and outside the government. In spite of this the sense of common values and common destiny held us together even through our darkest hours. This sense of common values kept us from fragmenting ourselves into ineffective and hostile tribes that could only succeed at the expense of others.

This is exactly what scripture above tells us. It comes from the story of the Tower of Babel, where a disobedient people thought they could build their own society on their own terms. To a point, they could… but there came a time when God intervened and put a stop to their humanistic schemes. We humans are created in the image of God with considerable physical and intellectual capabilities. We can do a great many things, even though we cannot save ourselves.

When we work together, we can do amazing things. We can find energy under thousands of feet of rock. We can turn a barren desert into an abundant garden. We can put a man on the moon. We can develop businesses that employ thousands, giving them a way to support their families and enjoy a good life in our land.

However, in recent years, we have not been so together as we once were. Many in our land still have a love and respect for the “American Dream”. They believe in the work ethic that made this country great. They believe in working hard and reaping the rewards of that work.

Unfortunately, this belief is not as common as it once was. There are those who cannot make it in our performance oriented society, or do not think they can make it… or do not wish to put forth the effort that seek to receive the benefits of the work of others and are willing to take what they want. They have no regard for the people or the system that is so effective that there is enough left over to allow even those at the bottom of our economic ladder to live better than most of the rest of the world.

We will always have those among us who, legitimately, have disabilities that prevent them from productively working in our society. They are not that many that we cannot care for them. However the systems to do so that are in place, make it far to easy for those who are capable, but simple do not wish to put forth the effort.

Even more unfortunate is the fact that the most influential people in our government are among their number. Just recently the New York Times ran an article, publicized by Rush Limbaugh, that confirms the President is building his support among those looking to benefit from the federal “safety net”. He is expanding programs at a pace and in areas the even FDR never considered. The only thing is that, while he is succeeding in giving away more and more, he is also succeeding in pseudo job creation programs that give the appearance of concern, but have absolutely no possibility or intention of creating jobs… which would be the only way of paying for his redistribution schemes.

This president is not only taking from the productive members of society, he is reducing their numbers. Beyond that, worse even, is the fact that he is generating hostility between the working and the non-working segments of society. He is building his whole administration by driving wedges between classes of people. This is his worst crime of all. The animosity Barack Obama has created over recent years by telling people at the lower end of the economic scale that their problems are the result of intentional actions by those who have worked for their lifestyles is poisoning our society, making a return to united prosperity possibly generations away.

Apparently he never heard that Benjamin Franklin told us, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” Neither has Obama considered Dante’s interpretation of hell where he looked on the “sowers of discord” as worthy of only slightly less torment then the Devil himself. This time though, I would suggest that it is not the Creator fragmenting us – we are doing it to ourselves.

However one wants to look at it, a united society overcomes adversity, while a fragmented society fails and reduces everyone to the lowest common denominator. We cannot permit the political class, particularly the progressive political class, to destroy our country for their own nefarious gains and ends.

On another occasion, he said, “No one who looks realistically at our world today could think that Christians can afford to go on with business as usual, ignoring the profound crisis of faith which has overtaken our society, or simply trusting that the patrimony of values handed down by the Christian centuries will continue to inspire and shape the future of our society,”

He was correct on both counts. His truth does not only apply to the business in the Catholic church. It applies to the Christian church as a whole. An entire industry made up of lawyers and bureaucrats is dedicated to pushing Christians in to background of irrelevance. In an attempt to be cooperative and non-confrontational, so many good men have backed away from from the role assigned to us in Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” (NIV)

This withdrawal from the battle for the soul of our country… and the soul’s of the population has been accompanied by a confusion of who really is the church and who is the mission field. Many have taken the words of Rick Warren as an addendum to the gospel and fled from teachings and symbols that have long marked the presence and influence of God’s people in the land.

Churches have taken down crosses. They have turned their buildings into little more than conference centers. They have adopted Madison Avenue promotion techniques and ridiculous new logos and symbols that leave the viewer with, at best, a vague idea of what they are and what they stand for.

Much preaching, even among television “evangelists” avoids subjects that might be offensive to non-believers. People may be turned off, stop attending and… stop contributing if they are confronted about such things as sin, abortion, homosexuality and corruption. One well known TV preacher who has fallen on hard times often said he only wanted to talk about God’s goodness and didn’t like to deal with the “sin stuff”.

What these well meaning pastors have done is make the mistake of thinking they have a church, the body of Christ, when in reality, they have a mission field before them that needs the straight message from the scripture. It is not surprising then, that much of the church is ineffective, when much of it not really the church at all, but a body in dire need of the whole gospel of grace and truth.

Our country is falling apart. Babies are looked on as an inconvenience and thrown away. We have corruption at all levels of government and industry and hardly anyone seems to be bothered by it. Then, when people do come to God’s house, they do not hear a message that pricks their conscience – they hear one that makes them feel good about themselves.

The late Christian rocker Larry Norman often told his audiences that he heard many people say reading the Bible makes them feel good. Norman said it made him feel bad… as he realized how far he fell short of living up to God’s plan for him. It is only when we, as individuals feel bad about our shortcomings that we will change our ways. It is only when we, as a nation, recognize how far we have fallen and recognize the need to change our ways.

How can we change our ways as a nation if we don’t learn of the difference between right and wrong and the need to pursue right. Allowing us to continue feeling good about ourselves will just keep us going down the path to destruction.

Patriot preachers in the years leading up to the first American revolution were unashamed to expound on the need for godly, principled leadership and the concept that freedom, like all good things, was the gift from our Creator.

Contrary to the revisionist history coming out of academia, these revolutionaries were, for the most part, Christians who heard the words of the likes of John Witherspoon and John Peter Muhlenberg, and understood the dignity and value our Creator invested in each one of us. It was a dignity and value not to be trampled on by a despotic monarch… or any heavy handed, dictatorial government for that matter.

In the late 1700s, powerful preachers led the way to liberty. It can happen again.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed — a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” (Romans 1:16-17 NIV)

We have gotten ourselves in the mess we are in because we have strayed from the Biblical principles and values that led us to greatness. It is only by returning to these values we can survive as a free society. How, then, can we return to these values unless we have courageous pastors to preach the unapologetic word? The side effect of the revival that will save our country is that there will be far fewer of our friends and neighbors regretting their eternal destination. Isn’t that the point of preaching in the first place?