How long will it be possible that honor, truth or virtue should be respected among a people who are engaged in such a quick and perpetual successions of such profligate collisions and conflicts?
John Adams, in 1804
Wisely Adams realized, at the very founding of our Republic, the very likely possibility that the dark side of human nature would eventually gain the upper hand.
Founding Wisdom [Flouted by the Foolish]
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“Shovel Ready” Subterfuge Exposed
James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas does it again!
O’Keefe, already famous [or infamous, if you’re a leftie] for his Medicaid and voter fraud investigations, exposes the way union bosses and government collude to rip off taxpayers in New York state.
Here’s the scenario ~
Suppose you wanted to grab some of that “shovel-ready” cash from the government.
Suppose you develop a proposal based on a totally non-productive business model; digging and re-filling holes.
Then suppose you ask the local union bosses for assistance in obtaining subsidies through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act.
Would your scheme work?
No problem:
“It sounds like, it almost is exactly the same as where we were with Green Jobs, Green New York…
…You know, the Green Jobs, Green New York, between us, a lot of it is bullshit… even if it’s bulls**t, I think as long as people are working, that’s not bull, you know what I mean?”John Hutchings, director of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) New York State Laborers’ Organizing Fund (NYSLOF)
Baddabing!
Story and video from Breitbart.com ~
This would be hilarious – great material for a sequel to “Dumb & Dumber” – if it weren’t so outrageous. Our elected officials are shoveling s**t – and we’re stuck with the bill!
Posted in MSM Malpractice, Unvarnished
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Israel & her “Placebook” friends
Israel’s relationship with her “neighbors” – cleverly explained in social media format:
Posted in Good vs.Evil, Unvarnished
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Thank-you BSA!
America’s traditional values – faith, family and marriage – are under assault like never before. On every front, the Left seems determined to tear down the very foundations that made our country great. So it’s no surprise that the Boys Scouts of America have been targeted for deconstruction for a long time. (The Girl Scouts caved under pressure years ago.)
It’s hard to imagine most rational individuals condemning an organization that holds to these beliefs:
Boy Scout Oath:
On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
Yet somehow the very values the Boy Scouts embrace, and try to live by, morph into “hate” when the Left views them through their distorted lenses.
[You’ll find the “hate” accusation in the comments section following every online article about the BSA’s “anti-gay” stance.]
The attacks continue even when those long-held values have been proven to have a positive influence on society, as a 2011 study found:
One hundred years after Arthur Eldred of New York earned this nation’s first Eagle Scout Award, new, independent research demonstrates the significant, positive impact Eagle Scouts have on society every day. Since it was first awarded in 1912, more than 2 million young men have achieved the Boy Scouts of America’s highest rank. The study conducted by Baylor University, Merit Beyond the Badges, found that Eagle Scouts are more likely than men who have never been in Scouting to:
• Have higher levels of planning and preparation skills, be goal-oriented, and network with others
• Be in a leadership position at their place of employment or local community
• Report having closer relationships with family and friends
• Volunteer for religious and nonreligious organizations
• Donate money to charitable groups
• Work with others to improve their neighborhoods
Hate? This is hate. And this. And this.
Holding to the moral code that God wants us to follow is not hate.
Yesterday the Boy Scouts of America once again stood up to real hate, and vitriol, and demonization – from the Left. From the Washington Times editorial page:
On Tuesday, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) announced that they would retain their policy excluding homosexuals from membership and leadership positions. The announcement followed a two-year review by a select committee, which came to the unanimous conclusion that it was “absolutely the best policy for the Boy Scouts.”
Dare I say – at the risk of being labled a “hater” – it’s absolutely the best policy for America as well. Thank you Boy Scouts of America!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Related:
Thank the Boy Scouts of America for their stand ~ a link provided by the AFA(American Family Association) that let’s you send a personal note of thanks to the BSA. Considering the angry backlash they’ll be facing from the homosexual activists and the MSM, I’m sure they’ll be grateful for our support.
Quit the Girl Scouts Over Their Planned Parenthood Connection ~ Life News report on the GSA-Planned Parenthood partnership.
Posted in Comfort & Joy, Timeless Principles
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“Doctor will see the next ‘unit’ now”
Remember when healthcare providers referred to people as “patients?” Not anymore. We’ve “evolved” beyond such archaic words.
Guess we better get used to the progressives’ new terminology. Under Obamacare the sick and injured will now be referred to as “units.” And care will be rationed according to each “unit’s” value.
Think I’m kidding? Listen to this audio clip from a brain surgeon who called in to the Mark Levin Show:
God tells us that each one of us is a unique individual. He sees every human life as valuable and worthy.
Our federal government no longer agrees. It now considers us “units.”
Somebody tell me please, just what are we “evolving” into?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Related:
Big Brother wants to impede “unit” reproduction as well ~ Sterilization Won’t Cost Women A Penny Under Obamacare
Posted in Good vs.Evil, Unvarnished
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“God is my coach”
Ryan Hall will be heading to London in a couple weeks as a member or the U.S. Olympic marathon team. His coach will be accompanying him, though He won’t be needing an airline ticket, or a berth in the Olympic Village. That’s because, well, Ryan is coached by God.
As Jeré Longman’s story in Saturday’s New York Times relates, just after Hall finished second in the U.S. half-marathon championships last year ~
As is standard procedure nowadays, he was escorted to a back area to take a drug test. There, he had to fill out a form and list his coach. Hall, a person of deep faith who is known to sing praises to Jesus during his runs, listed “God.” Officials told him he had to list a real person.
“He is a real person,” Hall retorted.
Video from Nissan Innovation for Endurance via The Blaze
Hall said that God spoke to him regularly, giving him training plans, even a race strategy for the London Olympics. He does not hear a voice; rather, he will pray or scroll through workouts in his head and a heightened thought will give him a sense of peace, grace, empowerment. Or a passage from the Bible will seem particularly relevant and urgent. Hall is still learning to distinguish his own thoughts from what he believes are God’s words to him…
…“I’m my own toughest critic,” Hall said. “I’ve messed up, but the mistake wasn’t on God’s end. I really believe God is always wanting to speak to me and reveal secrets to me and tell me what I need to be doing. I just mess it up sometimes.
Hall doesn’t just rely on advice from God when it comes to running. He and his wife, also a runner, are actively living their faith:
Hall donates prize money from his races to a nonprofit organization founded by himself and his wife, Sara, the national cross-country champion.
The nonprofit, called the Steps Foundation, is dedicated to fighting global poverty through improved health. The Halls have financed running programs in the United States to help mentor disadvantaged youth and homeless adults. They have also worked with Korir to build a hospital in Kenya’s Rift Valley.
Wishing Ryan success in his bid for a medal.
Although with God as his coach – he’s already a winner!
Posted in Comfort & Joy
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Syriac Monastery Threatened with Eviction – After 1600 Years
Established over 16 centuries ago Mor Gabriel (Saint Gabriel), is the world’s oldest functioning Christian monastery. But if the Religion of Intolerance has its way, it won’t be around much longer.
Located in Southeastern Turkey near the Syrian border, St. Gabriel sits on the Tur Abdin plateau near Midyat in an area referred to as the motherland of the Syriac people.
The monastery’s roots go all the way back to the fourth century. Founded in 397 by two monks, its fame and reputation quickly spread, word of its existence eventually reaching the emperors in Istanbul and Rome. Contributions from various Roman Emperors enabled construction of several building which are still standing undamaged today.
St. Gabriel’s primary mission is to keep Syriac Orthodox Christianity alive in the land of its birth by providing schooling and the ordination of native-born monks. Current inhabitants include Mor Timotheus Samuel Aktash, 3 monks, 11 nuns and 35 boys who are learning the monastery’s teachings, the ancient Aramaic language spoken by Jesus and the Orthodox Syriac tradition. They welcome some 20,000 pilgrims annually.
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Now, just to be clear… the monastery of St. Gabriel still occupies the very same land it has been on for 1600 years. Unfortunately for the present-day occupants, national and ethnic borders have shifted over the centuries and their land is now situated in a Muslim-majority country. And, along with the growing movement toward Islamist ascendancy in the Middle East, radical Muslim elements have been emerging in formerly secularist Turkey as well.
So it shouldn’t come as a huge shock to learn that, as part of a Christian minority amid a Muslim majority, the monastery is suddenly facing an existential threat. Although it does seem a bit surreal to learn that in 2008 three nearby villages actually sued the monks – claiming ownership of the land.
Here are the details and background story from a July 13th Assyrian International News Agency article ~
But in the past 150 years Mor Gabriel has gone through a decline after the massacres of Christians by nationalists at the end of the 19th century – 3,000 Christians were burnt to death in Edessa’s Cathedral in 1895 – and clashes between Turks and Kurds in the area during World War I.
In the mid 1960s the community in Tur Abdin numbered 130,000.
Today only 3,500 people are left and the ‘second Jerusalem’ is in danger. The heads of the three neighbouring Muslim villages, Kurds with the Belebi tribe, filed a lawsuit against the monastery years ago with the support of an MP member of the Islamic Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Under the lawsuit, the Syriacs are accused of practicing ‘anti-Turkish activities’ by providing an education to young people, including non Christians, and of illegally occupying land which belongs to the neighbouring villages.
After a number of contrasting verdicts, the highest appeals court in Ankara, which is close to the government, has ruled in favour of the village chiefs and said the land which has been part of the monastery for 1,600 years is not its property, Turkish newspaper Zaman reported.
The lawsuit also claimed that the sanctuary was built over the ruins of a mosque, forgetting that Mohammed was born 170 years after its foundation. 😯
St. Gabriel plans to appeal the ruling to European Court of Human Rights. Let’s hope and pray that some sanity will prevail.
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This episode of Christian persecution by Muslims speaks volumes about the Religion of Peace. But of course it’s really just a manifestation of the Islamists’ doctrine ~
In Surah 9:29, Muhammad tells his followers:
Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold
that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His
Messenger, nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth, from
among the People of the Book (Jews and Christians), until
they pay the Jizyah (tax) with willing submission, and feel
themselves subdued.
By contrast, on the homepage of the St. Gabriel website, the following message is posted:
The Monastery of Mor Gabriel lives its life in accordance
with Jesus Christ’s teaching of “you shall love your neighbor
as yourself,” [Matt. 22:39] and “as you would that men should
do to you, do you also to them likewise” [Luke 6:31] and pays
great attention to the mission of embracing all humankind with
love to ensure our future is as God intends.
Which sounds like the Religion of Peace to you?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Related:
Gem of Christian History at Risk in Turkey
Turkish Court Takes Monastery’s Land, Declares Assyrians ‘Occupiers’
Apparently eliminating the cultural heritage of any non-Muslim civilization is a growing Islamic trend: Mr. Infidel, Tear Down This Pyramid!
Posted in Good vs.Evil, Unvarnished
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Saturday Shorts – 7-14-12
Random links of interest, concern or curiosity from the past week or so, that deserve at least a SHORT mention:
Why the West Loves Lying to Itself About Islam ~ by Daniel Greenfield at Sultan Knish. Revealing insight into the Left’s fascination with naked emperors. “It’s not insanity; it’s the term that rhymes with a certain river in Egypt.”
New Study Thoroughly Debunks Global Warming, Will Media Notice? Yes. As soon as pigs take to the air.
Never a vulture in Mitt’s venture ~ The truth about Romney’s record that the Prez and his minions want you to ignore. They don’t want you to see this either: Romney’s Old Company Is The Best Employer In America.
Oh, and then there’s this ~ Obama Took Cash From Bain Outsourcing Execs.
Is Janet Napolitano Gunning for Rush Limbaugh’s Job by Executive Order? ~ Big Sis gets authority to commandeer the airwaves?
Salad Days of the Public Sector Are Over ~
It’s a vicious cycle:
Rising deficits and debts force new tax hikes and new cuts in schools, cops and firemen. Residents see the town going down, and pack and leave.
This further reduces the tax base and further enlarges the deficit.
Then the process begins anew.
This is what is happening in Spain and Greece, which have reached the early 1930s stage of rioting and the rise of radical parties.
The Current Cowardly Church Needs a Mega Dose of the Rebel Spirit ~ The original apostles were revolutionaries. Speaking the truth isn’t for the timid!
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Northwest Ordinance – A Significant Legacy from the Founders
On July 13th, 1787 the Congress of the Confederation enacted the Northwest Ordinance. During that summer, delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, were busy debating and drafting the Constitution (which was ratified in September). Beyond that remarkable document, the Northwest Ordinance was no doubt the second most important achievement of that historic convention.
Written by Thomas Jefferson and unanimously passed under the Articles of Confederation, the Northwest Ordinance was enacted to formally establish the Northwest Territory as part of the United States. The area encompassed sparsely-settled lands which now include Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and the northeast part of Minnesota.
The net effect of the Ordinance was to launch America’s rapid westward expansion.
Key parts of the legislation were:
• A territorial government was established and procedures put in place for the eventual formation of individual states
• Prohibition of slavery and involuntary servitude within the territory
• Free land grants for colleges and universities
Your average drone would no doubt find several of the Ordinance’s passages stunning. For example:
Article I.
No person, demeaning himself in a peaceable and orderly manner, shall ever be molested on account of his mode of worship or religious sentiments, in the said territory.
Article III.
Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.
The utmost good faith shall always be observed towards the Indians; their lands and property shall never be taken from them without their consent; and, in their property, rights, and liberty, they shall never be invaded or disturbed, unless in just and lawful wars authorized by Congress; but laws founded in justice and humanity, shall from time to time be made for preventing wrongs being done to them, and for preserving peace and friendship with them.
Get that?
Slavery would be forever banned in the territory.
Religion, morality and education would be promoted.
And Native Americans would be treated fairly and humanely.
Before the Constitution was even ratified.
Pretty radical stuff for a bunch of evil, white, male slaveholders.
In fact, the language and provisions of this one document, effectively put the lie to the progressive narrative that the founders were a bunch of racists intent on wiping out Native Americans, enslaving black Africans and marginalizing religion.
Which, of course, is why the Left either distorts or pointedly ignores this important chapter of our history.
When, according to a 2010 survey, 26% of Americans were unable to correctly answer a basic question like – “From which country did the United States win its independence?” – how many of them do you suppose have even heard of the Northwest Ordinance? A document so significant that Benjamin Rush had this to say about it at the time it was adopted:
We are accustomed to praise lawgivers of antiquity … but I doubt
whether one single law of any lawgiver, ancient or modern, has
produced the effects of more distinct, marked, and lasting
character than the Ordinance of 1787.
~ Benjamin Rush ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Founding Fathers, with their prescience, wisdom and efforts to promote religion, morality and education, would be astonished and ashamed at the level of ignorance among contemporary Americans.
Rebuilding Spirits in the Wake of the Wildfires
Samaritan’s Purse volunteers help homeowners sift through the ashes of the Colorado and New Mexico fires. And, more importantly, help them see the way to a new beginning:
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Our Rights, Our Republic and the Constitution
It’s been two weeks since the unfortunate Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare and most of the pundits are still studiously avoiding any serious analysis about the decision and what it means for the future of our Republic.
The Left of course is thrilled – the court did the right thing, time to move on. Most moderates are still bogged down with is it a tax or a mandate?
And among conservative voices, too few are focused on the obvious. Or what would have been obvious just a few short decades ago. Too few are asking the critical questions:
• Isn’t this precisely what tyranny looks like?
• If so, is it even possible to restore our Constitutional Republic?
Thankfully there are still some with the correct historical perspective and the personal courage to point out the implications of the SCOTUS ruling, and the growing irrelevance of “We the People” as participants in our own governance.
In an insightful article, “The Duty to Throw off Such Government,” Rev. James V. Schall, S.J. reflects on where America finds itself 236 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed ~
The American founders saw that the kind of limited government that they formed was likely to be strong enough to withstand most external enemies. What some of them also recognized was that the most dangerous threats to the country’s future would come from within and not without. The American system was put together to prevent despotism…
…The American Republic was established so that a people who could rule themselves did rule themselves also in the public order. But it was also a Republic based on the idea that such a thing as virtue of soul and order in human affairs existed. They were not simply created in any form we wanted…
…Reflecting now on the Fourth of July 2012, we have to wonder about a regime now manifesting a growing list of abuses to the fundamental nature of human worth. These abuses are put into effect by elected rulers themselves. They are accepted by many citizens who themselves are “democratic” in the classic Greek sense, that in their soul they have little principle of order…
…Constitutional rule derives from a people who understand the nature and demands of the virtues and their relation to our final end. It is aware of an order transcendent to politics. Arbitrary rule arises when a leader, seeing that the people have no real order of soul, sees himself able to impose whatever form of rule that he thinks good for the people. Unless they acquiesce in this rule and its decrees, they are no longer citizens, whatever a written Constitution might say.
In 2012, when we read the Declaration of Independence and its appeal to the judgment of mankind, it seems more addressed to our own government rather than to the British Crown.
I’ve excerpted just some key parts of Fr. Schall’s article, but the whole thing is definitely worth reading. I only disagreed with one phrase; “…we see that the Supreme Court may still function as a check on governmental depostism.”
With all due respect Father, I’m not seeing it.
I agree with Frank Turek’s view on the implications of the Supreme’s ruling. He’s asking some very pointed questions:
Why Not Treat SCOTUS Opinions Like They Treat the Constitution?
“Oh, but the Constitution is a ‘living’ or ‘evolving’ document!” say the liberals. Nonsense! Do your rights evolve?
If the Court can misinterpret or rewrite Obamacare and certain clauses in the Constitution, what’s to stop them from misinterpreting or rewriting the Bill of Rights?
Why have a written Constitution if we can interpret it anyway we want?
Why have red lights if drivers are free at anytime to interpret them as green lights?
Justice Scalia: “What is a moderate interpretation of the [Constitution]? Halfway between what it really means and what you’d like it to mean?”
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If we want to preserve our freedom – and recover what’s been usurped – we must, as Turek says, “conserve our founding principle that elites do not rule us, we do. The King is not law—the law is king.”
It’s Lex Rex – not Rex Lex.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Related:
If We Took the Constitution Seriously, Obama Would Be Impeached
Posted in MSM Malpractice, Timeless Principles, Unvarnished
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Founding Wisdom [Flouted by the Foolish]
“How prone all human institutions have been to decay; how subject the best-formed and most wisely organized governments have been to lose their check and totally dissolve; how difficult it has been for mankind, in all ages and countries, to preserve their dearest rights and best privileges, impelled as it were by an irresistible fate of despotism.”
~ James Monroe ~
Posted in Timeless Principles, Unvarnished
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