The Color Of Honor November 29, 2012

Worship is designed to be reserved to God alone.

But that doesn’t seem to sink in with people who worship skin color. Otherwise rational people will betray everything they hold dear to vote for or support someone whose skin is dark. It doesn’t matter what that person stands for. Trying to reason with these voters is useless. Explaining that incompetence and stupidity do not respect skin color has no effect. If you asked these people to worship a golden calf or an eight-eyed deity, they would be shocked and offended at the very idea, but they see no problem with putting something as superficial as skin color before their faith in God in any voting choice.

When the deck these people deal from is nothing but race cards all the way through, there is something haywire somewhere. God doesn’t care what color we are. If He did, He’d have made us all be the same. So, if that’s the case, why are otherwise perfectly sensible people falling for the race card? Don’t they know the malevolent joker is on the other side of every card in that deck?

The mistake was electing him in the first place, for a whole host of reasons, not the least of which was the fact that he was NOT VETTED by ANYBODY. His past is still concealed. What I’m saying is that it’s not the color of his skin that makes him such a giant mistake. It’s what’s UNDER that skin. It will always all boil down to race, but believe me when I say I am not against an HONEST and patriotic Black in any elective office.

It’s obvious to most honest people that skin color doesn’t have to affect a person’s politics, religion, or honesty. But it’s also obvious that people with a particular agenda have seen to it that people of color all over America have been trained to be as partial as is possible against anyone not sufficiently dark or liberal (here is a whole new train of thought for another post).

Honor and patriotism know no color. Nor should they. We are all Americans, and the only colors that should matter are the red, white, and blue.

What’d I tell you? Alfonzo Rachel NAILS it

A Hollow Victory November 27, 2012

Even Pravda says democrats are stupid, and that liberalism is a pathology. And, even though we all know that fraud is what put the pretender back in office, is anybody going to do anything about it?

“Victory” by chicanery is so hollow that normal people would rather not hold office than win by fraud and deceit. But the pretender is so desperate to cling to his power that he is falling back on the thug-tactics of his Chicago days. As time passes, more and more instances of blatant ballot fraud are rising to the surface. But as bad as it is turning out to be, it appears that the RINOs in Congress are reluctant to press the issue. It does make a person wonder just what he has on these guys to make them knuckle under like this.

Anybody with even a shred of conscience would be reluctant to step into a position under these circumstances. I guess this just proves that the pretender is, among his other negative qualities, a sociopath. Beware.

The Victory Lap November 25, 2012

When we were schoolchildren, and patriotism could still be taught in school, one of the things that was frequently emphasized was how fragile freedom is. We were admonished to cherish it, care for it diligently, and protect it mightily, because it could be taken from us in a heartbeat.

We forgot those words as we got older, and it wasn’t long before they were no longer taught in the schools, and the only patriotism and history we might manage to learn had to be taught at home. For about twenty years, we limped along like this, always thinking our freedom was a permanent fixture, a mighty foundation that could never be shaken. When politicians nibbled away at it, we didn’t mind, because we were sure that there was always somebody around to repair that little place if we didn’t.

Like a brick fortress, our freedom was only strong when it was complete. One brick at a time, we have allowed gaping holes in our “mighty foundation,” and now it is collapsing all around us. Don’t think this has only happened in the last four years. It has taken decades to undermine the goodness, the justice, and the liberty of a self-governing nation that was once the hope of the world.

The next four years are just the victory lap.
ADDENDUM: Watch Monica Crowley tell it like it is.

Make This Go VIRAL! November 23, 2012

What A REAL Conservative Sounds like

Huge hat tip to Gene Schwimmer at Ricochet

Happy Thanksgiving, Dear Friends! November 22, 2012

…WE THANK YOU, LORD!

And, for dessert:

Having A Think November 21, 2012

Could it be possible that the leftists shot themselves in their other left foot by stealing this election? If they had had a real brain in at least one head, they would have programmed their machines to manipulate down-ballot contests as well as the Big One. As it is, they might have won this battle but lost the war, since there were so many GOP candidates elected in state and local elections nationwide.

I woke up this morning thinking about the election official in St. Lucie County, FL, and her DETERMINED, OBVIOUS efforts to steal the election from Allen West. How does that kind of criminal behavior go unnoticed? Obviously, the people who hired her are at least as corrupt, if not more so, and it apparently goes clear to the top. It probably wouldn’t be a mistake to say that the entire election board of St. Lucie Co. (among others) is crooked as a nest of snakes.

West is no dope. I believe he is going to be doing some very exciting, very serious work for the Conservative cause in the days to come, and it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if some of it didn’t include appearances by Sarah Palin Neither of these patriots is defeated. Both are heroes. Thank God they are on OUR side!

NEVER FORGET THE BENGHAZI 4!

Last Vista-Dome To Eternity November 19, 2012

Somewhere (tv? movies? music?), people have gotten the idea that they can cheat death and live forever. Risk-taking is no big thing, because, in the movies, even if the subject is killed, we’ll see him again in his next flick. We have become ten feet tall and bulletproof, and so it goes. Who cares about death? That’s for old folks and soldiers.

Do we even realize these days that death is permanent? That there won’t be any “do-overs” or second chances? In our secularized society, we have done away with the concept of Eternal Life, replaced it with “endless life,” and pursued our satisfactions wherever we can find them, with no thought to tomorrow. We seem to have begun to identify with the vampires, zombies, and other undead that populate the popular culture. Like the characters in the “Twilight” series, we can just never die.

And the old aren’t immune. As one of these, I am here to tell you that I love and rejoice in the gorgeous beauty of God’s magnificent creation every day of my existence and am going to be leaving it fighting tooth and nail to stay. I love my loved ones to snoopy, bossy, interfering distraction, and don’t know how I would survive the loss of even one of them. I would dearly love to live forever, or at least long enough to see my grandchildren’s children. In any case, death awaits us all, some sooner than others, messy or peaceful, but it will come, whether we believe in it or not.

But I am of a different generation from the secular hedonists of today’s culture, and I can know things about death that the more recent arrivals haven’t learned yet. To them, old age is evil, to be avoided at all costs. To them, old people are bad, especially if they want to stop the youngsters from doing whatever feels good, no matter what. The fear of what lies beyond death is there, but it is pushed far back into the consciousness in favor of “living in the now.” Which, in an aside, is why most of them will do nothing about the death panels and refusal of care for elderly and impaired that is the backbone of the new nationalized healthcare laws: They are convinced those laws will never apply to THEM.

Unfortunately, these youngsters are next in line for the old-fogey train to greener pastures, pearly gates, and harp lessons, and they aren’t going to like it any more than the current group of dodderers do. But, death is part of life, and one does not get out of life without having to experience death. No matter how suckky one’s life is, death is the only way out. There are ways to make it un-suckky, but few young people are interested in making the changes that would allow this to happen. Those who do realize their mortality, their morality, and their obligation to at least attempt to make the world a better place before they have to step aboard that last Vista-Dome to eternity.

In the meantime, we watch the self-destructive, selfish, arrogant, debauched behavior of these people, and wonder if we were ever that bad. Probably not, since mores and morals were still respectable and respected when we were their age. We could tell them a thing or two, but they aren’t interested. They are young and healthy, so why worry about that stuff today? Even if the worst happens and they get their tickets punched in the next twenty-four hours, they can’t be bothered with even the faintest vestiges of preparation for anything but that smokin’ hot comeback the next day. Just like in the movies. Ten feet tall and bulletproof. Yeah, that’s it.

Answering The Call November 18, 2012

We all know how troubling the times have become. Part of the worrisome aspect of this is “what is to become of all we hold dear?” In spiritual terms, this is again a troublesome contemplation, as most of us who have aged well have accumulated material goods we hate to see stripped away. And, yet, we who have, “…along with thy getting, [gotten] wisdom,” understand that we need to be ready to yield it all for the sake of our souls, should we be called to do so.

Mark 10:46-52(RSV) If we are listening with our whole hearts when we hear this passage read, we will probaly meditate off and on throughout the day on the deeper and deeper meanings of this little episode.

In the story, Jesus is surrounded by a great multitude. Have you ever been in a “multitude?” You know that there is a characteristic sound made by large groups of people that drowns out anything that might be specific, except to someone in the immediate vicinity.

Bartimaeus earned what little income he could through his blindness and the charity of passersby. A blind man was of no use in the field, in the shop, or in the pastures, for one had to be able to see one’s surroundings in order to ply any worthwhile trade. So Bartimaeus did what he could with what he had, and begged. He was not part of the multitude, but was sitting by the roadside, hoping to beg something more than usual from the sizeable crowd that was going past his place. He knew, perhaps because someone had told him who the personage was who was passing, that it was Jesus of Nazareth. But, how did he know that Jesus was “Son of David?” This was a specific title given to the Messiah. To call out to the “Son of David” was to call to the One Who Was To Come foretold by the Prophets. This was why those people around him were trying to silence him. Being good Jews of the day, they would believe that for any man to be called “Son of David” was a blasphemy, and wished to spare the blind beggar a trial and execution before the Sanhedrin.

But Jesus stopped when he heard the call of Bartimaeus. He knew who called. “Call him,” he said. “Tell him to come.” The call was made, but it was made through the believers. Bartimaeus was called because he called out. He had prayed to Jesus as He Who Was To Come, the Messiah, the Son of God. Had he kept silent, would Jesus have known of his needs? Of course, but silent prayer is not the teachable kernel of this passage. Jesus knew that Bartimaeus was the perfect illustration of what he wished to teach upon.

The people standing near Bartimaeus, now impressed that Jesus had heard Bartimaeus’ call from afar, are moved to tell the blind man, “Take heart. He is calling you.” This was exciting for them, like having someone standing next to you in a crowd win the big doorprize. Bartimaeus already knew. He didn’t have to be told. He knew in his heart that Jesus had heard his prayer. He knew who Jesus was, and he knew that he wanted what Jesus had to offer him, so he threw off his mantle, jumped up, and ran after Jesus. This is the phrase that is the core of the teaching of this reading. His mantle was all Bartimaeus had. It was his protection from the elements, his cover in the night. It was the rug upon which he sat to ply his lowly trade. It was his only possession, his entire treasure. Yet, it meant nothing to him in the face of Jesus’ specific call. He ran to Jesus. He didn’t walk, or have to be dragged or carried. Blind as he was, he ran. He could have kept silent, kept his blindness, and been content to beg for the rest of his life. But he preferred a life of service to a life of slavery to his affliction. It was his joyous pleasure to hurry to do the Master’s will, and in his mind, he already saw. His blindness made him the perfect servant; humble, willing, and joyful. Jesus could ask for nothing more.

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus’ question is a mere formality. He is the reader of hearts, and knew who Bartimaeus was, what he was, and what he would ask for. But he also knew that it was necessary for Bartimaeus to express his request aloud so that the crowd could witness the power of Jesus’ response.

“Master, let me receive my sight.” In some translations this is expressed as, “Lord, that I may see.” Bartimaeus knew as sure as he was standing there that regaining his sight would mean that he would have to go to work for a living. He would not be able to beg any more, and the crowd would be witness to his healing, so that would mean they would not tolerate him continuing to beg for a living when they would all know he had received his sight. But to be able to follow the Messiah would be worth losing all he had and all he had ever known. He was willing to work and serve for the sake of being healed by the Messiah.

No sooner does Jesus finish speaking than Bartimaeus sees the face of his Saviour, and from that moment, follows, bringing the story full circle. The rich young man mentioned earlier clings to his treasure and goes away sad, while Bartimaeus gives up everything and joyfully follows after Jesus. The contrast can’t be more stark.

There are layers of meaning in this passage that invite us more and more deeply into the Scriptures and the real meaning of Christ’s ministry on earth, but suffice it to say that the Call is felt by all of us. Some of us don’t know Who is calling, we just know that we must search until we find the source of the call. Some know, but are reluctant to follow because it will mean, as it did to the rich young man, we have much treasure that we are unable to release. Some of us will be groupies. We will flit around the margins of discipleship, but will never really make the final choice to be all for Jesus. Some will never recognize the call or the Caller, and will continue in their blindness.

Bartimaeus had a “heart for Jesus” before he ever knew him, and was willing to give up everything, including his blindness, and receive the “sight” of knowledge of Jesus as Truth and Salvation. He wanted to SEE JESUS.

We are called. And we no longer have to be satisfied to sit in our blindness beside the road begging for a pittance from our neighbors. We can ask of Jesus that our sight be of him, and with the eyes of faith and trust, we will really get to SEE JESUS.

But it’s up to us to answer the Call.

A Couple Of Visuals November 16, 2012

Israeli soldiers protecting palestinian children in Gaza

Self-explanatory

Borg November 15, 2012

It’s no accident the Marxists/Leninists refer to people as “the masses.” Robbing a person of his individuality is a sure way to break his spirit, which is what the utopianists must have in order to prevail. It’s a sad ruler who must have a kingdom full of broken wills, but the Marxists realize that leaving any individual will intact is inviting challenges to their authority.

America has 235 years or so of unbroken individualism. During that time, we have seeded freedom around the world, much to the chagrin of the utopianists. Our individual minds are always willing to work together, but never confuse cooperation with melding.

We now teeter on the brink of disaster for our uniquely American individualism. The cabal in power is determined to break as many wills as it is possible to break, even if it means referring to individuals as “units.” Any weapon against a free mind is useful to a tyrant, who won’t be satisfied until the last unique mind has been assimilated, like the Borg in the Star Trek Next Generation series, a mass-mind of dehumanized people who had their individual minds and wills assimilated into the will of the Borg, just as their bodies were wired into the system to provide “external sensors.” The Borg was the most chilling of the adversaries of the Starship “Enterprise,” and the most difficult to defeat. Their pronouncement to humans they intended to overwhelm was, “We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.”

With the current administration, America is in danger of becoming assimilated into a mindless anthill of groupthink and acquiescence, into the ominous cubical hive of the Borg, unable to formulate a single independent, useful thought.

Americans still in control of their minds will see the danger we face, and do something against it. Resistance is NOT futile. It is imperative.