Who Ya Gonna Trust? April 29, 2013

How are we supposed to know who/what to believe any more? (Is this part of the plan?) One minute, the Feds come out with all kinds of important things about Ma Burka and the Jihadi Brothers, and the next minute they are acting like total suckups, spouting the party line like good little toadies. It would sure be nice if we knew the information they were feeding us was legit, honest, and current. Who (if anyone) is releasing honest information?

I can hardly wait for the Issa hearings on Benghazi. Gonna be some crinkled-up touch-holes in the cabinet, I’m thinking… How much can they scare/threaten those witnesses before the only step left is silencing them permanently? What are they willing to do to protect their malfeasance?

Gads. I am SOOO sick of this bunch of criminals and thugs pushing us around, stealing us blind, and threatening us in all kinds of ways. (You think over a billion hollowpoints purchased by DHS in less than a year isn’t a threat?)

Anyway, who ya gonna trust?

Myths And Facts About Catholics April 28, 2013

This is rather long, but it was fun to respond to the common misunderstandings many people have about the Catholic Church. These, obviously, are nowhere near all of them, and some pertain to most Christians in general, but they are a start:

1. “There’s no such thing as absolute truth. What’s true for you may not be true for me.”
2. “Christianity is no better than any other faith. All religions lead to God.”
3. “The Old and New Testaments contradict one another in numerous places. If an omnipotent God inspired the Bible, He would never have allowed these errors.”
4. “I don’t need to go to Church. As long as I’m a good person, that’s all that really matters.”
5. “You don’t need to confess your sins to a priest. You can go straight to God.”
6. “If the Church truly followed Jesus, they’d sell their lavish art, property, and architecture, and give the money to the poor.”
7. “Dissent is actually a positive thing, since we should all keep our minds open to new ideas.
8. “Properly interpreted, the Bible does not condemn homosexuality. Rather, it weighs against promiscuity — whether homosexual or heterosexual. Therefore, we have no reason to oppose loving homosexual relationships.”
9. “Catholics should follow their conscience in all things . . . whether it’s abortion, birth control, or women’s ordination.”
10. “Natural Family Planning is just the Catholic version of birth control.”
11. “Someone can be pro-choice and Catholic at the same time.”
12. “People’s memories of their past lives prove that reincarnation is true . . . and that the Christian view of Heaven and Hell is not.”

Where to start?? The Ten Commandments are not multiple choice. Some things are immutable, which simply means that they are not subject to individual interpretation. So, Here we go:

1. “There’s no such thing as absolute truth. What’s true for you may not be true for me.”

This is so silly and specious that it almost can’t be answered. It’s like saying, “If God can do anything, can he make a rock he can’t move?” Relativists love this one. They think they HAVE us with this (to them) unanswerable question. They think this means God is helpless, toothless, and useless. It gives them leave to behave in any manner they choose without fearing any consequences. Of COURSE there is absolute truth. Does the sun rise in the morning? Do fish need water? Care to step off a cliff and test that theory? Ridiculous. Brush this one away like a fly.

2. “Christianity is no better than any other faith. All religions lead to God.”

Oh, really? Does the maker of this statement really believe Islam, for instance, really leads to God? You can know a tree by the fruit it produces. Do all those other religions produce goodness and truth? Produce positive changes in people’s lives? Promote mercy and justice? Provide hope for a life after death? Judeo-Christianity is better than “any other faith,” regardless of how long that “other faith” has been around. Anybody who thinks about this with their whole brain for more than a second or two will realize it.

3. “The Old and New Testaments contradict one another in numerous places. If an omnipotent God inspired the Bible, He would never have allowed these errors.”

Ah. Another attempt to sound smarter than God. The speaker apparently knows all about the Nature of God, and can state what He would NOT do. The Bible was written by men. How does the speaker KNOW there are contradictions? Is he a Theologian or scholar, steeped in the study of such things? The writers wrote of what they knew at the time. They were inspired by the Spirit of God to write what they experienced. The speaker appears to want to toss this baby out with the bathwater.

4. “I don’t need to go to Church. As long as I’m a good person, that’s all that really matters.”

Right. Define “good person.” This one might work if people actually did act like “good people.” But they don’t, and that’s why they need to be in church. This is just another excuse to sleep in on Sunday, do whatever they want (as long as they don’t “kill somebody or rob a bank,” of course), and continue without changing their lives. Like they said, Good people. So, what’s wrong with being HOLY people? Isn’t that what God has called us all to do? Church shows us the way to holiness of life. Of course, it’s a difficult way, with lots of temptations and obstacles, and most people simply don’t want to do the work involved in getting holy.

5. “You don’t need to confess your sins to a priest. You can go straight to God.”

In the first place, a priest is ordained by a linear “heir” of the first Apostles, and the power imparted to him is real spiritual power. Don’t sell his office short. It is ordained. The man may be a sinner, but his Orders are holy.

Churches have requirements for behavior. Sinful acts generally go against these requirements. And, besides, Confession to a priest is going straight to God. Priests are called and ordained specifically to comply with Christ’s orders: “Whose sins you shall forgive shall be forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain shall be retained of them.” This really does indicate a priest’s role in forgiveness. Picture a brick wall. Now, take out one brick at a time. It won’t be long before that wall collapses. Same way with sins. When we sin, we pull a brick from the wall of the congregation. The priest, by virtue of those Holy Orders, helps us replace those bricks properly. An oversimplification, of course, but remember that you won’t be speaking to Great Brains.

6. “If the Church truly followed Jesus, they’d sell their lavish art, property, and architecture, and give the money to the poor.”

This one is usually the killing slice, the coup de’ grace. Everybody KNOWS that rich, nasty ol’ Catholic church sits on all the money in the world! The Vatican Museum is a MUSEUM. Those treasures belong to the world, and everybody with a wit knows it. So, ok. Let’s say the Church sells all that stuff. Maybe realizes a couple billion dollars or so. Then what? How long will that amount feed all the poor in the world? “Give the poor the money?” How many poor people does this questioner think there are in the world?? Two billion dollars would buy maybe a week’s worth of food, then the money would be gone. Same with just handing it out. The treasures in the Vatican museum are in the safest possible place, and anybody in the world can come and see them any time. The Vatican museum is open to the public, and this is another silly, specious, unthought-out phony argument, made by SELFISH leftists who wouldn’t give a personal cent to the poor, but demand that the government step in and give my tax dollars freely. And it would be interesting to see just how often and how recently the speaker had done anything HIMSELF to feed the poor, clothe the naked, house the homeless, etc. Figures.

7. “Dissent is actually a positive thing, since we should all keep our minds open to new ideas.

More relativism. This just means, “I want to rebel against the rules of the Church, against the Laws of God, and against anyone who says I can’t do what I want.” Typical relativistic “thought.” I’ll bet these are people who have never had to do a single thing they didn’t want to do, or a thing that was difficult (like obey), or to deny themselves a single physical satisfaction.

8. “Properly interpreted, the Bible does not condemn homosexuality. Rather, it weighs against promiscuity — whether homosexual or heterosexual. Therefore, we have no reason to oppose loving homosexual relationships.”

This is blasphemy. These people know a “proper interpretation” of the Bible, I take it. What they really mean is, “carefully twisted and parsed…” The Bible, in both Old and New Testaments, repeatedly and vehemently opposes and condemns homosexual behavior in men and in women. This myth is just more relativism: More people who don’t want anybody to tell them there are lines that must not be crossed. What part of “Thou Shalt Not…” do they not understand? More people who just want to go to hell in their own special fashion, and take as many like-minded folks with them as possible.

9. “Catholics should follow their conscience in all things . . . whether it’s abortion, birth control, or women’s ordination.”

More relativistic twaddle. The Church tells us to form our consciences PROPERLY, and “properly” implies compliance with certain absolute norms. This means that a good conscience conforms to the Laws of God. This one is related to the lie regarding “dissent,” above. These people could very easily go out and make their own church. It’s being done every day, by many people. But they don’t want that. Their aim is simple–to destroy the Catholic Church. Building their own denomination isn’t part of their plan. Women can’t be ordained in the Catholic Church because it doesn’t have the authority to do so. There were no women ordained in the early Church, so there are no historic grounds for tradition regarding women’s ordination.

10. “Natural Family Planning is just the Catholic version of birth control.”

They can call it whatever they like. NFP is submitting one’s sexual identity to God. What IS “birth control?” If they mean “contraception,” then they are 100% wrong. There is no “contra-” about NFP. Every act of intercourse is left open to the possibility of life. Don’t want a baby right now? Don’t have intercourse. But, of course, this means having some discipline, and denying oneself a momentary pleasure for three or four days. Such a BURDEN! Pathetic spoiled brats have to have their fun NOW. Behaving like adults is so much like work.

11. “Someone can be pro-choice and Catholic at the same time.”

Isn’t it interesting how many of these false assumptions have to do with sex? One would think sex was the most important thing in the world. Well, in the minds of a lot of relativists, it probably is. Unable to control their sex drives, they make up plausible-sounding platitudes to cover up the fact that they just can’t keep it in their pants/panties. “Pro-Choice” means “pro-ABORTION.” No ifs, ands, or buts about it. If I say that my choice was LIFE, I will be attacked and calumniated. Pro-”choicers” believe that it is okay to slaughter a child in its mother’s womb simply because it exists inconveniently. The Catholic Church has always stood strongly against all forms of humans playing God: In-vitro fertilization means forcing conception out of season. Artificial insemination, the same. Abortion supporters believe that unborn children are part of the mother’s body, when in truth, the baby is its own person–half the time, a different sex, often a different blood type, with a life not theirs to take. These people want unfetterd, indiscriminate sex whenever they want it, with no hindrances or consequences, especially children, and even murder of the most innocent of all is no obstacle to their immediate satisfaction. This is the ugliest, most brutish, barbaric form of selfishness.

12. “People’s memories of their past lives prove that reincarnation is true . . . and that the Christian view of Heaven and Hell is not.”

LOL! Anything, as long as it removes their responsibility to God. Jesus says it is given to man to die once, then comes judgment. There really are no do-overs, no second chances. I guess people who want what they want when they want it will be expecting extra lives in which to get what they didn’t get in the life before. Whatever. Some people will believe anything, as long as it doesn’t involve believing in Jesus Christ, His ministry, His crucifixion, and his Resurrection, and the responsibility that comes with faith. I have something to tell them: “Good luck! I hope you like warm climates.”

Couldn’t Have Said It Better April 25, 2013

It takes a REAL THINKER to clear away the fog of speculation and ignorance regarding the Jihadi bros. The DiploMad has done just that. A definite instance of “things that make you go, “hmmm…”"

And then, there’s this…

For Purposes Of Prayer April 24, 2013

I was thinking of the Will Smith movie, “I, Robot” as I meditated at prayer this morning. In it, Sonny, the robot who is the apparent suspect in the death of the old inventor who built him, expresses something to the detective who pursues him with prejudice against robots and the scientist who tries to protect Sonny. “I believe my father made me for a purpose,” Sonny says. When I heard this, boy, did MY ears ever perk up!

Our Father, God the Creator, made each of us with a free will. This was necessary, so that we could choose to LOVE God for Himself, and not because we had no choice in the matter. Because of this free will, though, we can also choose evil. We can choose to sin. Or not. We can choose to pray because we feel called to do that thing at that time. He also gave us a divine calling to participate in the salvation of the world by praying for others.

This is part of our purpose as Children of God. He gave us each a free will, and He does not violate that will. If we use it to choose sin, He does not arbitrarily step in and cancel our choice (although it is possible that if someone else is praying for us, the intervention might come).

As I thought on this, it occurred to me that there are a lot of people praying and fasting for this country and the 2014 election. Among other things, I believe we have been created to be the people who pray now, for this outcome. I began to see that perhaps my existence, my faith, my love and desire for prayer, have all been seen by the Father to be necessary in this time and in this place, for this reason. And, if that would be applicable to me, could it not be applicable to all of us who have undertaken to pray diligently for America?

For people of faith, these matters are no strange and esoteric fields. We all say, “I believe My Father made me for a purpose,” and mean it. We know we can never fathom the thoughts of God, but it’s a reassuring meditation.

I plan to act as though I had received my marching orders directly from the Commander in Chief of all the Legions of prayer warriors across the country. Who knows? Stranger things have happened.

How “Alaskan” Of Us… April 22, 2013

Real Alaskans are different. Take Alaskan women, for instance.

I don’t mean the alaskan-lite (small “A”) pieces of fluff that cluster in Anchorage (“They have a NORDstrom!!”) or Juneau (political groupies in the landlocked state capitol), but the real Alaskan women that helped carve this state out of the wilderness.

Alaskan men admire these Alaskan women, not just because there are so few of them, but because the real Alaskan women are as tough as the men. And they don’t complain. They accept hardship and tough going with humor and optimism.

Alaskans can make a garden produce in spite of rocks the size of babies’ heads, cottonwood seedlings sprouting in the flowerpots, weeks of damp, dismal weather, late springs, and moose who simply won’t respect a fence. They can store canned goods and groceries in places nobody ever thought of, and always manage to find enough edible material to make a meal, even if it’s only salmon-belly chowder. They have a huge walk-out freezer for most of the year (and a giant cooler for most of the rest of it), and they use it frequently. They keep a comprehensive cookbook for game meat and saltwater fish in their heads. They can make homebrew, and they can drink it.

Alaskans are adventuresome and courageous. They are good-natured, philosophical, and patient. Most of them know how to shoot. Almost all of them love fishing and have their favorite poles for each kind of fish and their favorite fishing spots. They also know what to do with all that game and fish after they bag their quarry. They’ve all learned through experience the best ways to get through extended winter power outages (which almost always includes no water, since water pumps run on electricity), snowdrifts over the windows, shoveling snow from roofs of houses, driving on wet ice, and coping with minor medical emergencies in the face of all the above. As you can tell, winters in Alaska can be difficult and downright inconvenient, even dangerous. We all count it a blessing if we make it through any winter without a complication. “Any landing you can walk away from…” etc.

Alaskans of both sexes are like forces of nature: Quirky, patriotic, fiercely independent, boisterous, audacious, adaptable, hard-working, and courageous. The only things they fear are men in suits (usually politicians, around here), women in suits (ball-busters), running out of drinking material, trips to the doctor, and big bears. Many Alaskan men have been known to carry their firearms on their hips at all times. Others wear less obvious holsters, but many are armed, including more than a few of the women.

Every time I look around, I can’t help thanking God for giving me the gift of homecoming. I wasn’t born here, but that doesn’t matter, because some people are born Alaskans, no matter where they happen to first see the light of day. It’s a state of being, not a statistical detail. Most Alaskans wouldn’t be happy anywhere else, even if they left. (I know, because it happened to me. I could only stand it Outside for about 18 years.)

Alaskans consider Alaska HOME. Yeah. Works for me.

Silly Me April 20, 2013

Does the lefty press (of all sorts) have any plans to backpedal on their vicious slurs, aspersions, and accusations against conservatives in general and tea party/NRA people in particular regarding the Boston bombings? Or are they going to forget they ever said what they did about us and pretend they knew all the time it was radical Chechen Muslim Jihadists?

Of course not. Silly me.

Only In America April 19, 2013

I got to comparing the won and the Boston bombers, and realized that they actually have a lot in common. All were raised by hard-core, America-hating radical extremist Ideologues. They were all taught all their lives that America was inferior and decadent. One bomber even became a citizen last year, for some unknown reason, perhaps as a tool for milking the system even further. Or, maybe, because of the date (September 11, 2012) it was done as a finger in the eye of the country he hated.

All three were raised in American plenty, good health, comfort, kindness, bounty, and openness. They all benefitted greatly from the American educational system, scholarships, and friendliness, and even though they shared a common type of curriculum, it was administered in American freedom.

For some reason, it is the terrorists who are the closest to American life who hate it the most and are the most determined to destroy it. I don’t have even a clue as to why this would be. Presumably, it’s because they have been raised to feel entitled to the best anyone has to offer; spoiled princelings who are happy to suck up the bounty of American generosity while plotting the demise of the country that has nurtured them all their lives.

The only differences between the bombers and the won are 1) the brand of extremism to which they adhere, and even in that, they are co-religionists, and 2) Their chosen weapons of destruction. The bombers were less patient, more impetuous. The won has chosen to poison the well of liberty.

But, tonight, after a murderous rampage by two of these princelings, one lies dead, one lies gravely wounded, and one just lies and lies on national television.

Only in America…

Flixxy Pix April 18, 2013

A Terrible Thing To Waste April 18, 2013

Kinda sad how the mainstream media people can’t do anything but spout the approved official propaganda. Are they afraid, or are they just blindly ignorant…or both?

It’s like the leftist pressies can’t not hew to the party line. It’s sort of like finding a primitive tribe in the jungle. You haven’t got enough common ground to even begin to illustrate the world beyond to them because they don’t comprehend anything with a square corner. The leftist pressies are in the same situation: They can’t comprehend anything with a solid foundation of absolute moral truth.

Locking in on the “White American Conservative” bomber meme is just the latest illustration of what happens to a mind after the leftists have had unfettered access for a person’s entire life. If you want to see absolute textbook examples of Marxist mind control, look no further than your television screen when the network news is on. The victims are completely unaware that they exist in a statist vacuum. To them, the entire world ends at Washington or NYC, political correctness is a religion, the won is a god, and abortion is sacred.

Don’t expect to ever hear wisdom, honesty, or unvarnished facts on network or satellite news. it doesn’t exist in their world. Like wine snobs, they ignore anything that doesn’t agree with their opinions, which are not their own, of course, but come in every day on the official talking points memo.

No wonder the alternative media are running circles around them. It’s easy to do when your opponent’s “think-outside-the-box” brain node has been disabled by their steady diet of p/c; and life ceases to exist outside the New York/DC corridor. Should be easy pickin’s. Easy.

Making The Stretch April 16, 2013

Do the leftist press celebrities really believe what they pronounce??

If they do, they are spineless dupes; weak and cowardly toadies pathetically eager to pass on every word from their Dear Leader, and promote the destruction of all that is free and good in America.

Observing the reactions of the lamestream media to the Boston bombing is bringing a lot of this kind of wondering to my mind. It takes a stretch to even imagine that the bloody deed was perpetrated by an American on Americans (a la Oklahoma City), and trying to FORCE the idea into the public mind that such a dastard would be a Conservative is vile and despicable. Every time they open their mouths, they try to get “conservative/right wing” and “bomber/terrorist” into the same sentence.

It’s pathetic and obvious and predictable and a natural given that these so-called “journalists” are disgustingly EAGER to say “right-wing extremist” as many times as possible in any “report” regarding the bombings. Everybody who speaks up from the lofty perches of media pontifications immediately goes out of their way to state that there is probably no possibility of terrorism from the jihadis but quickly tars all Conservative groups, movements, and not-leftist groups as the more-likely culprits.

The agenda of the left is so blatant and open these days that it’s a wonder they even bother to talk about anything with each other since it is all the same common spin on the same talking point. Most times, they don’t even bother to change the words to add variety, and they all say the same thing in exactly the same way, using identical words. The won’s promise (only one I can think of he’s even come close to keeping) a few months ago to Speaker Boehner that he was going to blame the Right for EVERYTHING that happened from then on has been carried out gleefully by the flying monkeys of the electronic newsrooms across the country.

We have been warned, so if we don’t act against this demagoguery, we will deserve whatever we get from the left. The ball is in our court. We will have no grounds for complaining about the shabby treatment we conservatives get at the hands of the leftist “press.” It’s up to us to choose what we are willing to tolerate from these people.

We can do this.