Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.
~ Thomas Jefferson ~
Founding Wisdom [Flouted by the Foolish]
Posted in Timeless Principles
Leave a comment
ACORN resurfaces as “Battleground Texas”
The latest investigation from James O’Keefe and Project Veritas exposes “Battleground Texas,” their ACORN roots, and their “Turning Texas Blue” get-out-the-vote “strategy” ~
“Data collection is the key”
[Hey! Isn’t that the NSA’s motto?]
With an ethics-be-damned approach to winning elections at any cost, is it any wonder that the Left opposes voter I.D. laws?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Related:
Unrepentant Battleground Texas Now Subject to State Investigation ~ Hopefully O’keefe’s video will lead to the Texas Attorney General’s involvement in the case.
Posted in Unvarnished
Leave a comment
“Creative” war-gaming
This story is rather disconcerting…
Video via the UK Telegraph and Clash Daily)
Gee, this shiny new training facility looks an awful lot like Hometown, U.S.A. doesn’t it? Just what sort of scenarios do you suppose our troops are prepping for?
Well, as Colonel John P. Petkosek, commander of the U.S. Army Asymmetric (“asymmetric” – as in military vs. civilians?) Warfare Group “explained” in bureau-speak ~
This is the place where we can be creative, where we can come up with solutions for problems that we don’t even know we have yet…This is where we’ll look at solutions for the future–material solutions and non-material solutions…The things that we do here at this facility will have a direct and lasting impact on our entire army.
Sounds like typical progressive gibberish to me – with a heavy dose of sinister thrown in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Related:
U.S. Army Builds Replica City to Practice Invasion ~ Clash Daily has more information. And more questions.
Posted in Unvarnished
Leave a comment
Life, liberty… and “equal outcome”
Stunning.
Ukraine is boiling over again as EuroMaidan supporters clash with government thugs in Kiev (hundreds injured; more than 20 dead in the last 24 hours) ~ Ukraine in Flames…
Venezuela, nearing meltdown – is also being oppressed by a power-hungry despot…
And in that bastion of liberalism, Ann Arbor, Michigan ~ U-M Students Hold All-Night Protest Over Minority Enrollment (2-18-14) ~
University of Michigan students plan to hold an all-night protest over what they say is low minority enrollment and inclusion on campus.
Last month, this same disgruntled bunch was threatening “physical action” if their “demands” weren’t met. 😯 Naturally, the compliant P.C. university immediately caved in to the extortion.
[Never mind that special/separate treatment based on race is unconstitutional. Ann Arbor is pretty much a firmly-established reality-free zone.]
In stark contrast, at the very same time, people are fighting – risking their very lives – for freedom from tyranny in Kiev ~
Students in Venezuela are being murdered in the streets of Caracas while protesting lawlessness, a collapsing economy, suppression of free speech/free press – not to mention police brutality – all brought about by an out-of-control corrupt government ~
Meanwhile, at the University of Michigan, protestors are demanding…
not freedom,
not liberty,
not even that favorite French virtue; equality,
no, these privileged college students are demanding equal outcome.
I seriously wonder whether these self-absorbed, entitled young people could even find Ukraine and Venezuela on a map!
Posted in Arrested Development, Unvarnished
Leave a comment
Venezuelan Oppression – and we thought Hugo was bad
As American conservatives, sometimes we’re so focused on exposing the creeping tyranny within our own borders we don’t always notice aggressive despotism in other hemispheres. But what’s happening in Venezuela right now should jar us out of our domestic concerns long enough to realize how fast things can go from bad to worse.
After Hugo Chavez assumed room temperature last year, Nicolas Maduro succeeded him as president of that troubled country. And, as Glinda said about the Wicked Witch of the West, he’s much worse than the other one I’m afraid~
Video via Fausta’s Blog
Although the Obama administration is presently more subtle in its totalitarian maneuvering than this blatant oppression in Venezuela, we’re fools if we don’t see the ominous parallels between the two situations.
Related:
Venezuela president orders expulsion of three US diplomats
Venezuela on the edge of collapse? ~ from Ed Morrissey at Hot Air ~
Before Chavez, Venezuela was a successful petro-state with a significant middle class and stable economics. Then Chavez created a command economy, expropriated private property, and ruled by whim for most of his term as president/dictator. He managed that through brute force and a cult of personality, but his successor only has brute force to use.
This could get ugly quickly. Perhaps the American media might get interested in this story sometime soon, enough to report not just when the bullets fly, but why Venezuelans are marching in the streets and their government is at least tacitly allowing violence to drive them off.
Posted in Fruits of Their Labors, Good vs.Evil, Unvarnished
7 Comments
Dear Mr. President…
Frank Beckman, a talk show host on WJR-AM (760) – Detroit, is obviously as fed up with the deceitful tyrant in the White House as I – and many of you – are. The following editorial was published in the Detroit News on February 14th
(Emphasis mine) ~
Dear Mr. President: America never needed to be transformed
Our founding fathers were brilliant men who crafted a system of government that led to the greatest demonstration of collective freedom and economic growth in world history.
The Constitution on which our republic was built has stood the test of time for nearly 250 years, and has insulated the United States from the sort of tyranny witnessed by power hungry rulers throughout history.
Until now.
In five short years, under the direction of one man, President Barack Obama, the work of our founders and very basis of our free nation run by a government with three equal layers of power is threatened with dismantling by a president, who promised just before his first election, that he was going to “fundamentally transform” America. Give Obama this — he’s a man of his word. When the founders established our nation, they envisioned a country run by the rule of law, based on a Constitution which separated federal power into the three branches of our government, executive, legislative and judicial. A system of checks and balances was established so that no one element of the federal government could gain unfettered autonomy. They explained their ideas while trying to convince the American public about the wisdom of the new Constitution in a series of newspaper editorials known as the Federalist Papers.
The so-called Father of the Constitution, James Madison, emphasized the importance of the separation of powers in Federalist No. 47 when he wrote, “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”
The current president’s continued actions to change the congressionally adopted legislation known as Obama-care could not more aptly fall under Madison’s warning.
Obama has changed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) according to his own caprice no less than 10 times and this week added the threat of criminal prosecution for some of those who would dare to exercise their First Amendment rights and point out its negative impact.
No tyrant can eventually gain total control without threats, and throughout history those threats have been represented by the barrel of a gun.
With the latest Obamacare implementation delay, the self interest of some companies may be best served by reducing payroll to fewer than 100 employees.
But these medium-sized employers have now been warned that if they seek to fall under that threshold to avoid the costly requirements of the ACA, as are now required — under threat of the felonious crime of perjury, which carries a jail term — to certify to the IRS that Obamacare was not a motivating factor in staffing decisions.
Aside from the obvious political conclusion that the administration does not want to be blamed for job losses in an election year and that Obamacare is a drag on jobs and the economy, this clear threat carries even greater implications.
This is how tyranny works, as exemplified by numerous authoritarians of the 20th century, from Joseph Stalin to Adolf Hitler to Saddam Hussein: Threaten your political opponents into submission under the fear of being jailed, all for the purpose of expanding power and maintaining political strength.
The president’s actions should frighten us all.
Frank Beckman
Saturday Shorts – 2-15-14
Random links of interest, concern or curiosity from the past week or so, that deserve at least a SHORT mention:
Global Warming: Don’t Confuse Us with the Facts ~ Just prevent the collection of any credible data. How deceitfully convenient. By allowing the degradation of our weather-measuring systems, the administration can simply make up their own “facts” to suit their agenda.
Ravi Zacharias at University of Pennsylvania ~ “Is Truth Real? A Conversation on Science, Ethics, and Philosophy” ~ I didn’t hear about Tuesday’s live-cast until it was over, but luckily a video of Dr. Ravi Zacharias’ entire talk is available HERE. It’s 3 hours long, but TOTALLY worth it (in fact I plan to listen again this weekend). Wonderful apologetic for Christianity, especially the Q & A with the mostly-misguided students. (It’s tragic, but enlightening, to see the extent that relativism – and historical revisionism – have messed with some of these kids’ minds.)
Things that make you go “hmmm…” ~ NAACP requires marchers protesting North Carolina voter ID law TO SHOW PHOTO ID 😯
Replace the Speaker ~ Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho! Johnny Boehner’s got to go!
He may have done a u-turn on amnesty, but that’s only temporary. After raising the debt ceiling yet again this week, Rep. Boehner has clearly shown himself to be much too fiscally irresponsible – not to mention cowardly – to be Speaker of the House.
Easy cause to support; just click on the link and sign the petition.
Clarence Thomas: Northern liberal elites more racist than southerners ~ The Supreme Court justice is no stranger to racism; he’s been Uncle Tomed more times than he can count, which makes his remarks all the more credible ~
“My sadness is that we are probably today more race and difference-conscious than I was in the 1960s when I went to school”
Virginia Same-Sex Marriage Ruling Confuses Declaration of Independence with Constitution ~ The lawless Left is just winging it! (And they’ll continue to do so with impunity unless we stop them.)
Washington Redskins write scathing response to lawmakers who want team name changed ~ Congress seems to think they have nothing better to do than bully an NFL team about their 82 year-old nickname. The Redskins decided that they needed a reminder ~
Senator Cantwell should be aware that there are many challenges facing Native Americans, including an extremely cold winter with high energy bills, high unemployment, life threatening health problems, inadequate education and many other issues more pressing than the name of a football team which has received strong support from Native Americans.
Walgreens Fires Druggist For Refusing To Violate His Religious Beliefs ~ For six years, the retail chain didn’t have a problem accommodating Dr. Hall’s religious belief with respect to birth control prescriptions. Last August they apparently changed their policy – and fired him. Thomas More Society, a Chicago-based public interest law firm, has filed a federal lawsuit on his behalf.
Posted in Everything Else
Leave a comment
Love of another kind
Kenya is rapidly becoming more and more dangerous for Christians as Islamists spread their special brand of jihad diplomacy southward through the African continent.
In the wake of the Nairobi mall massacre last September, the bullet-riddled bodies of Sheikh Ibrahim Omar, and three other men were found on the outskirts of Mombasa, Kenya’s main port city, victims of a drive-by shooting. Those responsible for the four deaths were unknown, although odds are it was a retaliatory action; it’s believed that Omar had links with the Somali group al-Shabaab (the Westgate Mall murderers), which is tied to al Qaeda.
The day after the killings, Muslim extremists decided to enact revenge on random targets – including the local Salvation Army Church – which they torched.
The October assault on the church came just one year after the church experienced similar vandalism to their building. But instead of responding to the latest attack in kind, the Christians are following Jesus’ example ~ Twice Burned, Mombasa Salvation Army Church Responds With Christ’s Love ~
For the last sixty years, the Salvation Army Church and her Muslim neighbors have enjoyed a peaceful co-existence with deep friendships and mutual trust developing between the faith communities. This trust, however, is being threatened as protests, violence and misguided attacks against Christians have been perpetrated by radical Muslims in revenge for the drive-by shooting death of Muslim cleric Ibrahim “Rogo” Omar as he left the Musa Mosque on October 3 […]
Open Doors recently visited church leader, Salvation Army Major Nzioka, to offer fellowship and encouragement. As they gathered in the burned church, evidence of the attack surrounded them; fire-scorched walls, broken windows and charred scraps of furniture.
“My family and I were asleep,” Nzioka recalled, “but were disturbed at about 1 am by loud wailing and calls of ‘Allah Akubar!’ I immediately sensed danger. I woke my family and told them we must leave immediately.”
A Muslim neighbor stepped outside to offer assistance and quickly usher the family into her home. “She told us she had been trying to get my phone number to warn me because it was ‘going to be bad’ and we would be in grave danger,” he continued. “She gave us some refreshments as I tried getting police help … but they did not respond until the next day. By this time, the mob had vented their anger at the church. May the Lord God bless that kind lady for risking her own safety to give my family refuge.”
While lamenting this new wave of religious-inspired violence, Nzioka reflected that, “This church has been here since 1948, and we have not had problems with neighbors of Muslim faith. We have respected each other’s faith, families and property. They are the ones that saved our lives that night.”
Despite the millions of dollars worth of damage, the faith of the Mombasa Salvation Army congregation is unwavering ~
“These attacks, instead of discouraging or pushing Christians away from church,” exclaimed Major Nzioka, “are making us more prayerful and causing us to review our individual commitments to the Lord! Indeed as the Lord said, ALL things, good or bad, do work together for the good of His people.”
Major Nzioka shared a scripture close to his heart, Psalm 116:1-6. “I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome with trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: ‘O Lord, save me!’ The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects the simple-hearted; when I was in great need, he saved me.”
It’s been four months since the assault and the church continues to respond with care and commitment toward their Muslim neighbors, a testimony to their Christian faith and love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Romantic love is nice – but transient.
God’s love is boundless – and eternal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank You, Father, for the testimony of the Salvation Army Church as they live out Your forgiveness and love in the midst of their tragic circumstances. Continue, Lord, to grant resilience and longsuffering, looking to You for the strength to continue serving You each day.
Thank You for the love and concern they have received from their Muslim neighbors; we pray that You will bring many out of the darkness of Islam into a saving knowledge of Christ’s love. In the name of Jesus who has already won the victory, taking even the evil intent of men and turning it into good for Your church. Amen.
Posted in Comfort & Joy, Timeless Principles
Leave a comment
Courageous Christianity in Eurabia
Billed as an interfaith event to bring Christianity and Islam together, “The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace” was taking multicultural tolerance one huge step too far for a German woman named Heidi Mund. A Christian herself, Mund was especially dismayed because the venue was the Memorial Church of the Reformation in the Rhineland city of Speyer, built to honor Martin Luther.
Sensing that God wanted her to go, the German woman attended the concert on November 10th last year. Here’s what happened ~
(Video CBN TV via ClashDaily)
Pretty amazing stuff. What if every Christian lived their faith as courageously as Heidi Mund, with allegiance – above all – to God, and to His transcendent truth?
[Hat-tip: BradsDad]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Related:
Verboten: Praying by Soccer Coach ~ The “White Rose” was a group of German college students who dared to speak out against the Nazi evil that had transformed their country. They were all Christians.
“Eurabia”
Posted in Comfort & Joy, Good vs.Evil, Unvarnished
2 Comments
“Dirty Dozen” Republicans vote to destroy America’s future
The following RINO senators just voted to raise the debt ceiling (AGAIN), thus sentencing us, our children, and our grandchildren to perpetual debt servitude:
• John Barrasso – WY
• Susan Collins – ME
• Bob Corker – TN
• John Cornyn – TX
• Jeff Flake- AZ
• Orrin Hatch – UT
• Mike Johanns NE
• Mark Kirk – IL
• John McCain – AZ
• Mitch McConnell – KY
• Lisa Murkowski- AK
• John Thune – SD
These elitists and their Democrat comrades continue to reside in a reality-free zone while the national debt is growing at the speed of light ~
You can’t count that high – or that fast. The total debt number goes up almost $1,000,000 / minute! And that figure doesn’t include the unfunded liabilities of social security and medicare – not to mention Obamacare.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s all so worth it though ~ as long as Barack, Michelle, their BFF socialist pals (and their pets 😯 ) can keep on living like royalty.
Posted in Fruits of Their Labors, Unvarnished
Leave a comment
