One of Barack Hussein Obama’s most frequent complaints is that those pesky Republicans are placing party and politics over the good of the country. In some ways he is correct. One would have to ask what he is complaining about. He got his two trillion dollar blank check and he won’t have to bamboozle congress for more until after his defeat next year. Yet, somehow it is the Republicans fault that the economy is falling apart.
Yes, many Republicans did place party discipline and allegiance over actions they knew to be good for the country when they fell for the fearful John Boehner’s attempt to look statesmanlike by “compromising” with the administration and Harry Reid and giving the President exactly what he wanted – more money to spend and no further chance to stop it until after the people render their opinion of his presidency. I find the term “compromise” a little odd when one side gives up just about everything they fought for and the other side gets exactly what they wanted. Yet the president needs someone to blame his failure on, since it could not possibly be his policies.
This is what happens when our elected representatives place party loyalty and submission to those in leadership positions over following the wishes of those who put them in office – their bosses. How will they fair when the citizens render an opinion on their performance? Considering the fact that generic incumbents have a re-election rate percentage in the nineties and that they will usually be running against socialistic Democrats whose moral turpitude makes them completely unsuited for any kind of responsible position. Our only hope of getting through to them is through primary challenges. Read more of this article »
Just a few days ago, congress had the opportunity to remove one of the thumbprints of tyranny from the lives of the American people. A vote came up in the House of Representatives that gave the body the ability to actually represent the wishes of the citizens. The vote came and went and the people, who are quickly becoming subjects, were still stuck with the mercury filled light bulbs, loved by the followers of Algore and Company. We still are being forced to have these dangerous, so our government keepers tell us, products in our homes. Hazmats in the house it would seem.
How did this happen in a branch of government supposedly run by Republicans who are supposedly looking out for the well being of the American people? It happened because ten Republicans chose to side with the progressive Democrats to send our last hope crashing down in flames. Two of these people, are from my home state of Virginia… I am so ashamed of what has come of those we were proud to see elected.
This shows that we cannot depend on party labels to insure sanity in the legislature. Although, if someone admits to being a Democrat, we can be pretty sure they will not be on the side of freedom… unless it is freedom to kill your offspring. It does show the wisdom of the saying, “Don’t listen to what people say, watch what they do.” Since politicians are a loquacious bunch, they throw a lot of words at us as a smokescreen and would like us to believe and act on those words. Read more of this article »
Watching the British Gran Prix this past Sunday, I observed a microcosm of the European approach to life compared to the way we do things, at least for now, in the US of A. First was the tendency of the governing body to penalize and offense to its’ sensibilities, even if it is obviously due to human error… kind of like our bureaucrats in Washington – the EPA in particular.
A McLaren driven by Jenson Button had the misfortune of being waved out of the pits before a defective impact wrench could be replaced and the right front tire secured. He headed off back to the track, but got no further than the end of pit lane. His day was done, his weekend wasted, but after the race, to add insult to injury, his team was handed a major fine in some kind of European currency for unsafe release from the pit box. The good old boys from NASCAR simply make the team come back and fix the problem. That, in the highly competitive world of stock car racing, is regarded as penalty enough – if he could make it back in. It is understood that none of these professionals consciously sends out a car in unsafe condition – there is no need for official sanctions.
Many years ago, after returning to college with a number of years experience in the real world, I had the privilege of sitting through a class named “Man In God’s World”. As it turned out, this class had more impact on my world view than any event before or since. Reviewing some of the things I learned may help the reader understand why being a Christian is not a Sunday morning thing… but it colors, or should color, our view and approach to everything around us, including our interactions with society.
Using Jesus as our model, we find a life that was filled with pointing everyone to the Father and teaching spiritual values and lessons. But he did not stop there. He healed the sick, restored sight to the blind and raised the dead. He rescued a woman about to be stoned by an angry mob. He taught us how to get along with our neighbors, how to handle our money and how to relate to our government. His life and actions showed concern for every area of life, not just the afterlife.
Some Christians believe that if they go to church on Sunday and get their ticket punched, what they do the rest of the week doesn’t make that much difference… as long as it’s nothing too bad. If they don’t kill anyone, or throw widows out of their homes… they will be alright. Is this the case? Are there rules for life? Do they apply to everyone, everywhere? Read more of this article »
Here it is, another National Day of Prayer, and we still have all kinds of things going wrong in our country, not to mention the individual trials and troubles most everyone of us are struggling with. We have our list of needs and wants to bring to the almighty that we expect Him to take care of. We will lay them out and expect Him to get on with it.
There is only one word to describe this way of thinking… WRONG! We have been unfaithful servants in caring for this free country that we have been blessed with. Read more of this article »
It seems that all the fussing done by those opposed to the massive government debt has drawn little attempt at rebuttal from those who believe they have better use for our money, and Chinese money, than those of us who are paying the bills do. They talk of creating jobs by the thousands, while jobs are lost by the millions, but to the progressive elites, it’s only a matter of degree… mere details. And they don’t see the proportional differences as being catastrophic, after all, it is not they who are out of work and losing their homes.
Those who value traditional America, the right, for want of a better term, see the debt as destroying jobs and with them, the American middle class. Making this argument with the progressives on the left yields little more than a yawn – just like complaining to an enviro about higher fuel prices. Of course they know their nefarious schemes will destroy the middle class. Why do we think they are pursuing the course of fiscal terrorism in the first place?
Since we all seem to be in agreement, why the acrimony? Why the hostility? I guess it comes down to whether or not this destruction of individual prosperity and independence is a good thing. Patrick Henry, known for his “give me liberty or give me death” approach to life would say it is a bad thing – a very bad thing. Many of us would agree. Our President and his henchmen would not! Read more of this article »
The Internet is filled with good and bad. Personally, I believe the Internet (along with a precious few independent newspapers and radio talk shows) is analogous to colonial America’s “Committees of Correspondence”: it is the last resource of uncontrolled, unfiltered information left. I dare say if it wasn’t for the Internet (and the massive private ownership of firearms), it is doubtful that there would be anything left of the once great American republic. There isn’t much left as it is.
To help readers locate a variety of quality web sites, we posted a list of sites that I personally have found helpful. I invite readers to peruse these fine web sites: Click here.
Scrolling down the list, one will find James Wesley, Rawles’ web site: “Survival Blog.” This is one of the very best online resources for preparedness that I know of. Furthermore, I recommend that everyone read Rawles’ fantastic book, “Patriots: A Novel Of Survival In The Coming Collapse.” This book should be regarded as must reading for every American who cares about the future of his country and his family. Read more of this article »
Deterministic systems, ideological symbols of abdication by man from his natural role as earth’s Choicemaker, inevitably degenerate into collectivism; the negation of singularity, they become a conglomerate plural-based system of measuring human value. Blunting an awareness of diversity, blurring alternatives, and limiting the selective creative process, they are self-relegated to a passive and circular regression.
Tampering with man’s selective nature endangers his survival for it would render him impotent and obsolete by denying the tools of variety, individuality, perception, criteria, selectivity, and progress. Coercive attempts produce revulsion, for such acts are contrary to an indeterminate nature and nature’s indeterminate off-spring, man the Choicemaker.
Until the oppressors discover that wisdom only just begins with a respectful acknowledgment of The Creator, The Creation, and The Choicemaker, they will be ever learning but never coming to a knowledge of the truth. The rejection of Creator-initiated standards relegates the mind of man to its own primitive, empirical, and delimited devices. It is thus that the human intellect cannot ascend and function at any level higher than the criteria by which it perceives and measures values. Read more of this article »
Some shy away from Rand Paul because traditional Republicans get nervous around people that actually believe something and speak up about it… going after the prevaricating bureaucrats rather than treating them with the deference of fellow club members. To my thinking, even his approach was tepid when measured against the damage done to our country.
Yet Paul is setting the pace as the new legislators move into the seats of power inside the beltway. They have been sent to Washington to rock the boat and turn the government back into an organization working for the people who pay taxes and suffer from excessive and unrestrained regulation and interference. This hearing was one small skirmish in the battle to regain our freedom. Rand Paul cannot this win the battle alone. Read more of this article »
There’s an old saying that we are known by the company we keep. In spite of the culture that wants to tell us that new is good and ideas and things that have been around for a while are just plan old fashioned, this statement has the same ring of truth it did when it was first uttered. Of course we don’t hear too much of this from the media and political elites who proclaim the purity of their messianic president who counts among his associates, past and present, a guy who bombed the Pentagon, a preacher who hates America, a Secretary of the Treasury who didn’t pay his taxes and a thug former congressman from Chicago.
It must be difficult for Democrats to look through the prism of right and wrong when their dreams of national domination are so close at hand. Some of us are not even sure they could find the prism if they waned to. Minor missteps or major moral failures do not seem to be obstacles when long sought goals are within sight. Despite claims to the contrary, we are in an era when the end justifies the means.
It’s easy to criticize the Democrats, and many of us have been doing it for years. We catch hold of any failure on their part, even down to the Vice President foolishly thinking JOBS is a three letter word. The self-righteous among us, myself included, have to look at our reasons for our criticisms of Democratic idiosyncrasies. Are we really upset with the moral failures of our opponents or is it just one more shoe to throw at people whose policies are so terribly wrong for our country? Are we taking the easy way out with personal attacks rather than actually explaining why our ideas are better? Read more of this article »
1. Setting a goal just isn’t enough. You need a vision. You need to work hard to implement your plan, tweaking it as you go along. Learn from your mistakes knowing mistakes are stepping stones to success most people don’t acknowledge as life’s greatest lessons.
2. Yes, follow your passion after all it is passion and dedication that create success. Be dedicated. Believe in yourself. Make time to look for opportunities to do something better than just about everyone else being mindful to act responsibly to everyone, keeping family and colleagues happy knowing the people you pass on the way up are the same people you pass on the way down. Up or down, the gift is their willingness and desire to reach their hands out to you.
3. There is no reinventing the wheel. There are countless variations thereof so while risk is a necessary evil, more important is making time to learn from others inventions while risking making your own the time you invest into learning makes for much less competition. Read more of this article »
The Old World method of measuring human value was, and still is, by the group. Whether tribe, clan, city-state, color, ethnic, or gender, the Old World, ancient and modern, measures by the plural unit. Individuals had and have no value of themselves but only as they were and are part of a collective.
When Y’shua Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the Temple at the Holy of Holies parted from the top down. The individual believer in the congregation had, for the first time, a face-to-face, one-on-one relation with his Creator. The Creator, Himself, had validated each individual for the first time. Thus, the Individual became the cornerstone for later human value measuring systems: socio-political, philosophical, religious, educational, economic, etc., henceforth and forever. Western Civilization, America, English Law, civil Rights, the ‘democratic’ process, etc., all sprang from that single event. (Greco-Roman ‘democracies’ were 95% slave throughout their entire histories.) Biblical principles are still today the foundation under Western Civilization and the American way of life.
Many social systems attempt to borrow ideas of “democracy” without the basic premise in The Individual. Such a system is only superficially and temporarily ‘democratic.’ The cornerstone of the democratic process is The Individual and the cornerstone of the value of The Individual is Y’shua Jesus! It is not possible to have one without the other. There is only One Source – there is no other. Read more of this article »
This is just a short clip, but it contains some heavy duty advice that applies today even more than it did when first recorded. The point of it is that just because the progressive left or mushy middle sees a problem, does not mean that we have to find a solution. We need to stop running off in all direction just because some scatter brained lefty decides we have a problem. We also need to keep the realization that the government cannot solve all our problems.
Worshiping at the altar of diversity as advocated by the politically correct elites serves their purposes well, but what does it do for the rest of us? Does it help us unite to solve common problems, or does it split us into multiple camps where all we can see is our competing interests? If it is the latter, should we be viewing this politically correct article of faith as simply a well meaning error, or as a sinister attack on our country’s ability to function and lead the world?
Pursuing identity politics, that is, looking at each person as a member of some small, but downtrodden group rather than as an individual, serves to promote isolation from the rest of society and focus our attention on our differences rather than our similarities. It keeps us fragmented and distracted. We face many challenges in our country today. We need to pull together, but all we hear from our government is divisive rhetoric that keeps us at each others throats. The poor are told their plight is the fault of the rich. Union members are told corporate greed keeps them from getting what they want. One racial group thinks they are being held down by another. While the other group sees their opportunities given to less qualified workers based strictly on skin color.
The left, through the Democratic party, has successfully balkanized America so many people see themselves first as members of some sort of aggrieved group that needs help in redressing some real or imagined wrong. One must give them credit for forging this disparate group, with often opposing interests into a coalition that keeps many of them in office… even though few of the grievances are ever resolved. Read more of this article »
As surely as William Barret Travis drew a line in the sand at the Alamo, a line is being drawn in the hearts of men today. By the time it is over, every man and woman in America will have to choose which side of the line they are on. Neutrality will not be an option. Furthermore, this line is separating, not only political and cultural adversaries, it is dividing friends and families as well. In fact, it is no hyperbole to say that the enemy is not only AT the gates; the enemy is WITHIN the gates. Then again, I suppose that during any momentous turning point of history, it has always been this way. And make no mistake about it: we are at a momentous turning point of history.
Consider what our Lord told us: “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” (Matthew 10:34-36 KJV)
It’s happened before in America. It happened during our War for Independence. It happened again during the War for Southern Independence: father against son and brother against brother. And so it is now. Read more of this article »
[Editors note: Yesterdays article talked about preparation for disaster in the areas of location, provisions, and commodities.]
Self-Defense:
Needless to say, during any kind of disaster, your safety and protection will be completely up to you. If you really think that the police are going to be able to protect you during an upheaval, you are living in a dreamworld.
In both the New Orleans and Los Angeles disasters, police protection was non-existent. Lawless gangs quickly took control of the streets, and people were left to either defend themselves or swiftly become the helpless prey of violent marauders. In fact, in New Orleans, some of the policemen actually abandoned their oaths to uphold the law and joined with the criminals, turning their weapons upon the public.
Face it, folks: in any kind of disaster, you must be able to defend yourself, or you and your family will be meat for these animals of society that will quickly descend without mercy upon the unprepared, unsuspecting souls around them. This requires that you be armed! It also requires that you be skilled enough to be able to efficiently use your arms.
Therefore, I strongly suggest that you purchase firearms sufficient to keep you and your family safe, and also that you practice sufficiently to know how to use them. Read more of this article »
This column was initially released last June. Without a doubt, this has been one of my most requested columns. So, in response to the large number of readers who have asked me to re-release this column, I do so today. And in doing so, I have added some new material to the original column.
One does not have to be a prophet to know that we are on the precipice of some potentially catastrophic–or at the very least, challenging–days. In fact, most of us are already in challenging days, and some are already enduring catastrophic events. That is, if one would call being out of work, losing one’s home, facing life-threatening medical conditions without any prospect of medical insurance, several families being forced to live in one house due to homes being foreclosed, etc., catastrophic.
The potential for an escalation of cataclysmic events, however, is very real. Only a “blooming idiot” would call someone who attempts to prepare for “the day of adversity” a Chicken Little now. Anyone who does not see the storm clouds on the horizon isn’t paying attention. Read more of this article »
In the September issue of the “New Guard”, Congressman Paul Ryan mapped out his plan to reclaim the American Idea. As a Tea Party leader it was necessary to respond with an alternative Tea Party Road Map. The most challenging task is to confront our ballooning and unsustainable entitlements and other usurped government spending from State and local governments, commerce, charity and the individual.
Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid grew to an unsustainable level through the legislature’s lack of prudent fiscal responsiveness to increased life spans and political pressures that expanded care under Medicare and Medicaid without regard to the costs. I submit these programs should never have been anything more than minimal fully portable safety net protections executed through private products. The conflict arose when the government decided to run these programs.
Social Security is not held to the same reserve requirements as the private sector hence we have no money set aside to pay these obligations. Government continues to expand government to “fix” the conflict of interest that exists from government engaging in the market and who then regulates, taxes and oversees its competition (the private unsubsidized market) and itself and its agents (subsidized Corporations and non-for-profits.) Government spending is now driving unemployment and preventing a recovery.
Social Security
The fundamental problem is that we are all forced to participate in these programs, we have few choices, lower return on our investment and a massive loss of opportunity through inflationary measures to shirk the debt these unsustainable programs demand. Transitioning from a program for all to a minimal fully portable safety net benefit may take decades but all participants need to be part of the solution from existing retirees to the teenage employee. For Social Security, increasing the eligibility age to 70, capping the income paid out and moving to private accounts will be the ultimate solution for America. Products that guarantee a rate of return that covers inflation will be the minimal option available in the market. Read more of this article »
In early February 2009, I responded to a request for video from Senate Republicans about what they should do about the financial crisis. My prescription was to return to commerce, charity and the individual their rights and responsibilities and reset Government as “honest brokers” in regulation, tax and oversight of competitive markets.
Shortly thereafter, I created Tea Party WDC and combined efforts with another group for a Tea Party at the U.S. Capital for the Fourth of July. Three thousand came on that beautiful day to amplify our call for fiscal responsibility, constitutional limited government and free enterprise.
My recommendations are based on the least amount of public money and regulatory manipulation, funded and executed at the lowest possible level of government or by the individual. For instance, States should fully fund Medicaid and unemployment benefits. Entitlements should be reformed to reflect its end of life purpose, to make it actuarially sound and private options should be permitted. States should fund the majority of their transportation projects and municipalities should finance the waste management. Wealthy individuals should pay for their rights and responsibilities such as educating their children, payng for healthcare and retirment. Beyond enumerated powers, taxpayers should only be responsible for minimal mean-tested, fully portable safety net benefits at the State and local level. Read more of this article »
A column co-authored by John Eidsmoe and Ben DuPré struck me. They titled their column, “What makes a ‘great’ president?” See it at here.
The basic thrust of the column was to examine the qualities that make one a “great” President. They start by examining the Presidency of our 11th President, James K. Polk. They note that Polk is commonly regarded as being one of America’s top 12 greatest Presidents. To use their words, “between eighth and 12th among our greatest presidents.”
Eidsmoe and Dupré note that Polk was undoubtedly a man of outstanding Christian character and faith. They say that Polk was “the only president who kept and fulfilled every one of his campaign promises.” They observe him to be a man “with a Puritan work ethic, literally worked himself to death as president, retired from office in broken health and died 103 days later.”
But Polk also greatly expanded the power of the Presidency. “In 1846, President Polk sent American troops into disputed territory where they were almost certain to become embroiled in hostilities, and then demanded that Congress recognize that a state of war already existed. Increasingly with Polk’s presidency and thereafter, the president set national policy and the Congress rubber-stamped the president’s decisions.”
Eidsmoe and Dupré note that the people who are charged with rating our Presidents are commonly academicians, “and as such they tend to be left of center. They believe in centralized power, and they therefore admire presidents who increased federal power and concentrated it in the presidency.” Read more of this article »
This past weekend, several thousand of us in the Old Dominion enjoyed the Virginia Tea Party Convention. Unlike many tea parties in the past, we saw many elected office holders, including the top three offices in the commonwealth and some former Senators, with at least one looking to get back into the game. We were told this was the largest such gathering of it’s kind, and it was the most enthusiastic, involved crowd I’ve been part in years. I was fortunate to run into a lot of old friends and made some knew ones.
While we were regaled by numerous heroes of the movement, including Dick Morris, Ron Paul and Lou Dobbs, along with a few hopefuls and wannabees, the real rock stars of the event were Herman Cain and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. The two were outspoken critics of both parties as they stirred the crowd by talking about how we got in our current mess and what we have to do to get ourselves back the the America we knew and loved.
But, as great a time as we had with the big names, the real heart of the event was the breakout sessions where all sorts of information was available including such topics as A Nation At Risk – Illegal Immigration, How To Use The Tools That New Media Offers and What We Can Learn From Reagan’s Revolution. There was an abundance of knowledge available, and the patriotic Virginians were soaking it up. Read more of this article »
Tyler Clementi’s dive off the George Washington Bridge into the murky waters of the Hudson River was a tragedy on so many levels. No eighteen year old should see life as so painful and hopeless that such a plunge would be preferable to facing another day among the living.
Some, who see the world in terms of group identities and memberships, miss the idea that this was a tortured young man whose life ended prematurely. They see the whole affair as one of a member of their group being disrespected and hurt by a cruel and uncaring straight society… and they are doing their best to make this a movement event to advance their agenda. The fact is that he will now have to face his creator on the basis of his own life, not based on the membership in one group or another.
Clementi’s actions showed the presence of a concept that is becoming a foreign one in today’s world: shame. Many of his so-called supporters show none of this emotion as they as they use his death to promote their cause… or in their own actions. They are encouraged by and model themselves after a culture of celebrity that values notoriety over virtue. Read more of this article »
I have a friend who was kind of negative on most things that did not originate with him. Some thought it gave him a little prickly personality at times. He believed his “gift” was to see what was wrong with most anything, and then tell people about it. A few years ago, he came to the conclusion that this “gift” really was not a gift at all, but simple negativism. We all mellow with age and experience and his revelation helped, not only my friend, but me as well… since I had (and at times still have) that “gift”.
Why do I bring this up at this time? Our country is facing the most dangerous days it has since we pushed the British occupiers from our shores or the darkest days of World War II. We need to focus on the objective of gutting this current congress and taking away the compliant and foolish congress that has given Barack Hussein Obama just about every thing he has desired. This current congress is composed of both Republicans and Democrats who have lost their love of country and replaced it with love of government and power.
The thing that bothers me most is the way we eat our own. I am one who is most comfortable working with people that share ALL my values. Many times we freedom loving people who believe in principles over personal loyalty, tend to be fairly narrow in circle of trusted associates. I often see this after primaries that can get brutal at times because we have several candidates and their followers who each believe they have the only correct answers. Fortunately we have seen a good number of tea party victories where established, machine backed candidates have met defeat at the hands of an angry electorate. Read more of this article »
Kirsten Powers is a liberal contributor to Fox News and she was interviewed by AOL’s Matt Lewis this week. Matt asked Kirsten how her faith has shaped her politics. Fair question. Her answer was the quintessential foundation of modern-day liberalism: “I also now see humanity as totally interconnected and am completely anti-individualism. It’s sad that Americans believe that individualism is so great, because I really do believe we would be a better country if we held the concept of community as a higher value.” Yes. That warm, fuzzy feeling that sends “tingling sensations” up the legs of Chris Matthews, the concept of ‘we are one’. Now, on the surface it does sound utopian and wonderful. Who wouldn’t want to be in a country where everyone is stress free and happy? Reality is a female dog though. This kind of society can’t work. Ask Cuba, Venezuela, The Soviet Union, or North Korea how their extreme anti-individual, collectivist society is working or worked out.
It’s no secret that liberals loathe the individual and worship collectivism. Barack Obama claimed he wanted to “spread the wealth around” so “everyone has a fair shot“. Hillary Clinton has a couple famous quotes regarding collectivism such as: “It takes a village to raise a child.” and “We’re going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.” Nanci Pelosi on spending tax dollars on the ‘poor’: “Stock market windfall profits taxes could go a long way to guarantee these [poor] people the standard of living they would like to have as ‘Americans.” – Of course. We must guarantee people who are too lazy or too incompetent to provide their own standard of living some sort of assurances that they will be taken care of by Big Brother. But, the most famous anti-individual in the last couple of centuries is the father of modern Communism himself, Karl Marx: “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” This is just one glaringly obvious similarity between the thought process of liberals and Karl Marx. Read more of this article »
This may not be a fashionable post, but there are things that must be said, that few are saying. The NAACP, feeling the heat as the tea partiers are waking up our country to the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of government programs in solving the problems, not only of the black community, but all Americans struggling to make it in the world.
Showing the exclusively race based tunnel vision, the organization set their sites on repudiating “the racism of the Tea Parties”. The leadership of this formerly useful institution, in pushing the same disastrous programs that all but destroyed the black families, had to resort to playing the race card and engaging in character assassination. Generally this is the last play of one who is unable to refute logical arguments.
We know that the government intervention has never, and will never, lift people out of poverty. Abraham Lincoln said, “You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich, you cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong, you cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down, you cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.” Yet, holding out the promise of benefits paid for by someone else is what placed these leaders in their exalted positions and what they expect to keep them in power. Therefore, the tea parties who recognize the failure of the NAACP’s traditional approach and had the audacity to point it out… much like the child who noticed the emperor had no clothes, have to go. Read more of this article »
The Roman poet Juvenal (circa 100 A.D.) wrote regarding the way latter-day Roman emperors retained power and control over the masses that were seemingly more than happy to obsess themselves with trivialities and self-indulgences while their once-great-and-powerful empire collapsed before their very eyes. He wrote:
“Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions–everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses.”
I submit that a good many in America are, like Rome of old, carelessly frittering away their God-given liberties, foolishly clamoring for nothing more than government handouts and never-ending entertainment. Millions and millions of Americans (especially males) are literally intoxicated with sports. Sports are no longer a great American pastime; they are now a great American obsession. Read more of this article »
Long weekends are great to have friends over, go to the beach or just lounge around the house getting some much needed rest. It’s the unofficial beginning of summer, and time for cookouts, the Indy 500 and Coca Cola 600… not to mention the Turkish Gran Prix, Stanley Cup Finals and all sorts of lesser sports. In spite of the destructive efforts of our unprofitable servants in DC, we still live in the greatest country in the world.
This country, that is the envy of the world, did not just pop up out of nowhere. It about through the efforts and sacrifices of brave Americans from the fields of Lexington and Concord to the deserts and mountains of Iraq and Afghanistan. American patriots have defended this country with courage and honor… qualities we would really like to see in the rest of our government. Many served, but not all came home to their friends and families. Because these people did not shrink from danger that we enjoy this day in freedom… and, to be honest, that much of Europe can enjoy relative freedom. Read more of this article »
[Editors note: Michael Kleen has had better experience with social action in the church than many of us. He discusses the origins of the social gospel and offers an understanding perspective.]
Much hay has been recently made out of Glenn Beck’s ill-advised comments about the term “social justice.” In the first week of March, on his popular radio and television shows, he said, “I beg you, look for the words ’social justice’ or ‘economic justice’ on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words.” Code words, he claimed, for Marxism. The overwhelmingly condemnatory commentary regarding this quote, though understandable, has so far overlooked a critical point about social justice and Christianity—and its use by some on the statist left—that can and should be debated. There are many activists, such as Sister Diane Drufenbrock (the 1980 vice-presidential candidate for the Socialist Party USA), who have used social justice as a rallying cry in their war against hierarchy and private property, and therefore Beck’s concern about the Marxist use of the terms social and economic justice is somewhat valid. His assumption about the danger of social justice as a moral philosophy, however, is not. His mistake can be excused by his lack of education, but there is no excuse for the trained theologians who willingly distort Christian social teaching for political ends.
The modern concept of social justice incubated in the Catholic Church. In the 1840s, Father Luigi Taparelli used the phrase to criticize the major economic theories at the time for ignoring moral philosophy and for undermining the unity of society by dividing it into competing classes. Since then, the Catholic Church has been clear about its condemnation of both socialism and unrestrained capitalism. In Pope Pius XI’s 1931 encyclical Quadragesimo Anno, he praised laws that “undertake the protection of life, health, strength, family, homes, workshops, wages and labor hazards, in fine, everything which pertains to the condition of wage workers, with special concern for women and children,” but noted, “it is gravely wrong to take from individuals what they can accomplish by their own initiative and industry and give it to the community.” Read more of this article »
Passage of the so-called “health care reform” bill in the House of Representatives this past Sunday, March 21 (I won’t even address the inferred unconstitutionality of Congress doing business on the Lord’s Day. See Article. I. Section. 7. Paragraph. 2.) drove yet another stake into the heart of America. For all intents and purposes, it is the health of the United States that is in dire need of healing. In fact, the US has been on extended life-support for decades. With its condition being rendered critical, and absent major surgery, its days are numbered. The passage of this bill only serves to further weaken an already frail Constitution. In fact, this one may prove to be the fatal blow. Lady Liberty may never recover.
The decision by Congress to socialize medicine in the US ranks among the most draconian, most egregious, most horrific actions ever taken by the central government in Washington, D.C. This bill rocks the principles of liberty and constitutional government to the core. It changes fundamental foundations; it repudiates historical principle. Oh! The same flag may fly on our flagpoles, the same monuments may grace our landscape, and the same National Anthem may be sung during our public ceremonies, but it is not the same America. The Congress of the United States has now officially turned America into a socialist state.
On March 23, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the health care bill into law, and as such, this date–along with March 21–joins a list of dates that have each inflicted unconstitutional, socialistic, and sometimes even tyrannical action against the States United and have, therefore, contributed to the destruction of a free America. Read more of this article »
With racing season in full swing, I thought it would be helpful to provide some advice for the few Democrats brave enough to read this blog. For those of you intelligent enough not to fall into this category, you may find tips on how to help your less perceptive friends navigate among real Americans. Watch and enjoy!
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One of Barack Hussein Obama’s most frequent complaints is that those pesky Republicans are placing party and politics over the good of the country. In some ways he is correct. One would have to ask what he is complaining about. He got his two trillion dollar blank check and he won’t have to bamboozle congress for more until after his defeat next year. Yet, somehow it is the Republicans fault that the economy is falling apart.
Just a few days ago, congress had the opportunity to remove one of the thumbprints of tyranny from the lives of the American people. A vote came up in the House of Representatives that gave the body the ability to actually represent the wishes of the citizens. The vote came and went and the people, who are quickly becoming subjects, were still stuck with the mercury filled light bulbs, loved by the followers of Algore and Company. We still are being forced to have these dangerous, so our government keepers tell us, products in our homes. Hazmats in the house it would seem.
Watching the British Gran Prix this past Sunday, I observed a microcosm of the European approach to life compared to the way we do things, at least for now, in the US of A. First was the tendency of the governing body to penalize and offense to its’ sensibilities, even if it is obviously due to human error… kind of like our bureaucrats in Washington – the EPA in particular.
Many years ago, after returning to college with a number of years experience in the real world, I had the privilege of sitting through a class named “Man In God’s World”. As it turned out, this class had more impact on my world view than any event before or since. Reviewing some of the things I learned may help the reader understand why being a Christian is not a Sunday morning thing… but it colors, or should color, our view and approach to everything around us, including our interactions with society.
Here it is, another National Day of Prayer, and we still have all kinds of things going wrong in our country, not to mention the individual trials and troubles most everyone of us are struggling with. We have our list of needs and wants to bring to the almighty that we expect Him to take care of. We will lay them out and expect Him to get on with it.
It seems that all the fussing done by those opposed to the massive government debt has drawn little attempt at rebuttal from those who believe they have better use for our money, and Chinese money, than those of us who are paying the bills do. They talk of creating jobs by the thousands, while jobs are lost by the millions, but to the progressive elites, it’s only a matter of degree… mere details. And they don’t see the proportional differences as being catastrophic, after all, it is not they who are out of work and losing their homes.
There’s an old saying that we are known by the company we keep. In spite of the culture that wants to tell us that new is good and ideas and things that have been around for a while are just plan old fashioned, this statement has the same ring of truth it did when it was first uttered. Of course we don’t hear too much of this from the media and political elites who proclaim the purity of their messianic president who counts among his associates, past and present, a guy who bombed the Pentagon, a preacher who hates America, a Secretary of the Treasury who didn’t pay his taxes and a thug former congressman from Chicago.
by James Fletcher Baxter
Worshiping at the altar of diversity as advocated by the politically correct elites serves their purposes well, but what does it do for the rest of us? Does it help us unite to solve common problems, or does it split us into multiple camps where all we can see is our competing interests? If it is the latter, should we be viewing this politically correct article of faith as simply a well meaning error, or as a sinister attack on our country’s ability to function and lead the world?
As surely as William Barret Travis drew a line in the sand at the Alamo, a line is being drawn in the hearts of men today. By the time it is over, every man and woman in America will have to choose which side of the line they are on. Neutrality will not be an option. Furthermore, this line is separating, not only political and cultural adversaries, it is dividing friends and families as well. In fact, it is no hyperbole to say that the enemy is not only AT the gates; the enemy is WITHIN the gates. Then again, I suppose that during any momentous turning point of history, it has always been this way. And make no mistake about it: we are at a momentous turning point of history.
[Editors note: Yesterdays article talked about preparation for disaster in the areas of location, provisions, and commodities.]
This column was initially released last June. Without a doubt, this has been one of my most requested columns. So, in response to the large number of readers who have asked me to re-release this column, I do so today. And in doing so, I have added some new material to the original column.
In the September issue of the “New Guard”, Congressman Paul Ryan mapped out his plan to reclaim the American Idea. As a Tea Party leader it was necessary to respond with an alternative Tea Party Road Map. The most challenging task is to confront our ballooning and unsustainable entitlements and other usurped government spending from State and local governments, commerce, charity and the individual.
In early February 2009, I responded to a request for video from Senate Republicans about what they should do about the financial crisis. My prescription was to return to commerce, charity and the individual their rights and responsibilities and reset Government as “honest brokers” in regulation, tax and oversight of competitive markets.
A column co-authored by John Eidsmoe and Ben DuPré struck me. They titled their column, “What makes a ‘great’ president?” See it at
This past weekend, several thousand of us in the Old Dominion enjoyed the Virginia Tea Party Convention. Unlike many tea parties in the past, we saw many elected office holders, including the top three offices in the commonwealth and some former Senators, with at least one looking to get back into the game. We were told this was the largest such gathering of it’s kind, and it was the most enthusiastic, involved crowd I’ve been part in years. I was fortunate to run into a lot of old friends and made some knew ones.
Tyler Clementi’s dive off the George Washington Bridge into the murky waters of the Hudson River was a tragedy on so many levels. No eighteen year old should see life as so painful and hopeless that such a plunge would be preferable to facing another day among the living.
I have a friend who was kind of negative on most things that did not originate with him. Some thought it gave him a little prickly personality at times. He believed his “gift” was to see what was wrong with most anything, and then tell people about it. A few years ago, he came to the conclusion that this “gift” really was not a gift at all, but simple negativism. We all mellow with age and experience and his revelation helped, not only my friend, but me as well… since I had (and at times still have) that “gift”.
By David Atlee
This may not be a fashionable post, but there are things that must be said, that few are saying. The NAACP, feeling the heat as the tea partiers are waking up our country to the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of government programs in solving the problems, not only of the black community, but all Americans struggling to make it in the world.
The Roman poet Juvenal (circa 100 A.D.) wrote regarding the way latter-day Roman emperors retained power and control over the masses that were seemingly more than happy to obsess themselves with trivialities and self-indulgences while their once-great-and-powerful empire collapsed before their very eyes. He wrote:
[Editors note: Michael Kleen has had better experience with social action in the church than many of us. He discusses the origins of the social gospel and offers an understanding perspective.]
Passage of the so-called “health care reform” bill in the House of Representatives this past Sunday, March 21 (I won’t even address the inferred unconstitutionality of Congress doing business on the Lord’s Day. See Article. I. Section. 7. Paragraph. 2.) drove yet another stake into the heart of America. For all intents and purposes, it is the health of the United States that is in dire need of healing. In fact, the US has been on extended life-support for decades. With its condition being rendered critical, and absent major surgery, its days are numbered. The passage of this bill only serves to further weaken an already frail Constitution. In fact, this one may prove to be the fatal blow. Lady Liberty may never recover.
