I know we sing it with an exclamation point, but the national anthem ends in a question mark: “Oh say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” That’s a question, not an exclamation, and it reverberates down the ages as a question to each generation of Americans.
The star-spangled banner indeed yet waves, but it waves only because the land of the free has been the home of the brave. This is my home because I value every shred of freedom the Constitution protects. Where else in the world can a woman shout aloud proclaiming her disgust with a government that is legally bound to protect her right to make such statements?
Where else in the world can a person provide for his own physical protection, practice an unorthodox religion, succeed or fail on merits, yet be a part of a society that is for the most part compassionate toward the weakest among us?
Where else are people free to pursue their own dreams and potential and freely search for God and meaning?
Where else have people from every race and nation, of various creeds and languages, been welcomed as part of the great experiment we sometimes call the melting pot?
Where else is it recognized that our freedoms come from God and not from some benevolent elite who believe that they “allow” our freedoms?
Where else can one shout from the mountaintop one’s faith in God, proclaim the Word in print and media, and know that the vast majority of the people believe in that same God even though they may fall short in understanding and practice?
Yes, we are still the land of the free. The question is whether we have enough bravery to protect that freedom for our children. It aggravates me to see some of my own countrymen stating publicly that this country is not worth fighting for.
What, pray tell, is worth fighting for if freedom is not? Should Americans passively watch as our freedoms are slowly eroded by confused judges, pandering legislators, and internationalist lobbyists who want to subjugate our Constitution to some multi-national body?
The current conflict in which we are engaged, which like it or not is a struggle between world views, is very much about whether our freedoms and lives are worth protecting. The question is whether we have the patience when it takes longer and costs more than expected. Would our generation of Americans have stayed more than the decade long course that spanned the time between the Declaration of Independence and the ratification of the US Constitution? Would our generation tolerate the hundreds of thousands lost in World War II and the financial burden that went with it?
Today’s enemies of this country want to take our cherished freedoms and kill as many of us as they can. They have stated that aim. Are we still the home of the brave so that we can remain the land of the free?
Unlike the first verse, the seldom-sung last verse of The Star-Spangled Banner ends in an exclamation and not a question.
Then conquer we must,
When our cause it is just;
And this be our motto:
“In God is our trust!”
And the star-spangled banner
In triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free
And the home of the brave!
From my book Morning Coffee Companion. This essay was written several years ago.
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Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Shortsightedness or Blindness?
In this article from Inc. Magazine, we're treated to some insight on the bankruptcy of Circuit City. Businesses have a choice -- they can focus solely on the numbers in true business school fashion, ot they can factor in the human factor.
Remember this: Fast, cheap, good -- Choose two.
Excerpt:
Remember this: Fast, cheap, good -- Choose two.
Excerpt:
Truth be told, I don't think I ever bought anything from Circuit City anyway. On weekends, I would occasionally wander into the local branch, attracted like a moth to the bright wall of plasma TVs. When I actually needed a new TV, however, I found the Circuit City salesperson to be so aggressively unknowledgeable and remarkably useless that I fled to Best Buy, where I was helped by a cheerful, 20-year-old twerp who knew everything. I later learned that in 2007, Circuit City had fired the chain's 3,400 most experienced salespeople and replaced them with generic, untrained, near-minimum-wage workers.
Monday, June 29, 2009
The Climate Change Bill Really Works!
Amazing. It passed the House on Friday when the temperature was 100 degrees. Two days later the high was 85. The boys and girls in Congress really do know what they are doing.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Maybe many men had the same reaction as mine to Governor Mark Sanford’s peccadilloes. How could a guy abandon his post as governor, and worse (as some of us correctly argue) his position as a husband and father to engage in a clandestine dalliance far away in a foreign land?
My head tells me the guy was acting like a complete jerk, proving without question that he is unfit to run for the Presidency. How could anyone entrust him with high political office when he has proven his ability to disappear without trace in order to satisfy some adolescent urges?
But another side of me makes me very wary of condemning him, and I couldn’t explain why until reading something in the June 26 edition of the Wall Street Journal. Gerald F. Seib tells us in his commentary that, when voting to impeach President Clinton, then Congressman Mark Sanford “sited the need for a leader to have moral legitimacy”.
Mr. Seib was alluding to the hypocrisy angle in this sordid affair, and clearly that bothers many of us. But the Governor back in the day of the impeachment apparently had not yet engaged in such behavior. The fall came later – much later.
And therein lay my concern.
Men, we are all susceptible to this kind of temptation, and I think deep down inside we all know we are one drink, one flirtation, one off guard moment away from doing the same types of things. It scares us, and it should. And it should especially scare us if we are in a position of fame, power, or respect. Or if we are hungry, angry, lonely, tired, or stressed (acronym: HALTS).
In such circumstances we can become emotionally vulnerable and become capable of doing things we wouldn’t normally do. Men in positions of power are often targets of advances from the opposite sex. (Yes, there are women who are manipulators. I have known some.) Unless we as men are emotionally healthy and spiritually strong we can give in to the need for ego satisfaction. Political figures whose careers have been ruined or tarnished are more in number than just the Governor from South Carolina, and most school kids could rattle off the names. It’s tragic, but it happens.
And going through emotionally trying times can also set us up for a relationship with a “dear friend” (to use the governor’s term) that hormones will turn into something else.
The lesson for us, guys, is to keep ourselves from situations, both geographical and emotional, that could lead us into such disaster. Proverbs warns us of such in chapters 6 & 7 of that book.
God’s giant warning light is King David. David did everything wrong. II Samuel chronicles his steady march into a destructive relationship.
David had no accountability partner. Apparently no one in this powerful man’s court had the kahunas to warn about the direction he was going. No one told David, “No, I won’t go fetch Bathsheba for you”, or “No, I’m I will not be complicit in the murder of Uriah.”
At one time in his life, David had an accountability partner, his best friend Jonathan. We find nothing egregious in David’s life until he lost Jonathan’s sensible counsel. One must respect the Prophet Nathan for risking his head in order to confront David after the fact, but David really needed a close friend to keep him in line before the sin happened.
II Samuel 11 tells us that David was home in his palace when his troops were in the field. Scripture says, “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. …. But David remained in Jerusalem.” “When kings go off to war …”, “but David remained in Jerusalem.” Put simply, if he had been where he belonged -- with his men -- the ensuing intrigue of adultery, cover-ups, and murder never would have happened.
Guys, if we want to protect ourselves and our families, we need to be fulfilling whatever responsibilities God has given us. We need to be doing our jobs and not looking for the comforts of the palace, or in the case of recent events, the perks of the Governor’s office.
Verse 2 and 3 of II Samuel 11 tell us that David went up to the roof of the palace and saw a beautiful woman taking a bath. It’s hard for a man to walk away from such a sight, and David’s eyesight was very sharp that evening. Instead of turning away, he lingered. He drank deeply from the well, mulled over it, and then no doubt rationalized it. He should have walked away.
David did what he did because he was in a position to do it. The adultery was bad enough, but he also betrayed one of his loyal men in the process. His clumsy attempts to cover it up (apparently with quite a conspiracy) eventually led to the murder of a man who exhibited more honor than the king himself.
So here is what we see from King David’s bad example:
1. David was a powerful person, and that led to a certain amount of hubris. He assumed he could do whatever he wanted and find a way to cover it up.
2. David at this point in his life had no friend who was close enough to confront him as he walked down the road to perdition.
3. David was shirking his duties. He should have been with his men, enduring their hardship beside them, instead of basking in luxury and creature comforts.
4. David put himself in a position that led to compromise. It is said that Billy Graham wouldn’t so much as ride in an elevator alone with a woman in order to avoid even the appearance of evil.
5. David lingered over the sight of Bathsheba. If studies of the matter are any guide, even Christian men struggle with pornography. If you are struggling with that problem, be brave enough to get some help. If you know someone struggling with it, confront them as Nathan did David.
6. David should have honored the dignity of the woman and the loyalty of Uriah her husband. He should have simply turned away.
Paul Johnson, the great British historian, makes an interesting statement about Richard Nixon in his book History of the American People. Clearly President Nixon had his faults, and some people still despise him for reasons both rational and irrational. Of the President, Mr. Johnson said that his morals were impeccable, that he was one of the rare 20th Century presidents who slept with his own wife.
Pat Nixon could trust her husband. Guys, if your wife can’t trust you, why should anyone else?
My head tells me the guy was acting like a complete jerk, proving without question that he is unfit to run for the Presidency. How could anyone entrust him with high political office when he has proven his ability to disappear without trace in order to satisfy some adolescent urges?
But another side of me makes me very wary of condemning him, and I couldn’t explain why until reading something in the June 26 edition of the Wall Street Journal. Gerald F. Seib tells us in his commentary that, when voting to impeach President Clinton, then Congressman Mark Sanford “sited the need for a leader to have moral legitimacy”.
Mr. Seib was alluding to the hypocrisy angle in this sordid affair, and clearly that bothers many of us. But the Governor back in the day of the impeachment apparently had not yet engaged in such behavior. The fall came later – much later.
And therein lay my concern.
Men, we are all susceptible to this kind of temptation, and I think deep down inside we all know we are one drink, one flirtation, one off guard moment away from doing the same types of things. It scares us, and it should. And it should especially scare us if we are in a position of fame, power, or respect. Or if we are hungry, angry, lonely, tired, or stressed (acronym: HALTS).
In such circumstances we can become emotionally vulnerable and become capable of doing things we wouldn’t normally do. Men in positions of power are often targets of advances from the opposite sex. (Yes, there are women who are manipulators. I have known some.) Unless we as men are emotionally healthy and spiritually strong we can give in to the need for ego satisfaction. Political figures whose careers have been ruined or tarnished are more in number than just the Governor from South Carolina, and most school kids could rattle off the names. It’s tragic, but it happens.
And going through emotionally trying times can also set us up for a relationship with a “dear friend” (to use the governor’s term) that hormones will turn into something else.
The lesson for us, guys, is to keep ourselves from situations, both geographical and emotional, that could lead us into such disaster. Proverbs warns us of such in chapters 6 & 7 of that book.
God’s giant warning light is King David. David did everything wrong. II Samuel chronicles his steady march into a destructive relationship.
David had no accountability partner. Apparently no one in this powerful man’s court had the kahunas to warn about the direction he was going. No one told David, “No, I won’t go fetch Bathsheba for you”, or “No, I’m I will not be complicit in the murder of Uriah.”
At one time in his life, David had an accountability partner, his best friend Jonathan. We find nothing egregious in David’s life until he lost Jonathan’s sensible counsel. One must respect the Prophet Nathan for risking his head in order to confront David after the fact, but David really needed a close friend to keep him in line before the sin happened.
II Samuel 11 tells us that David was home in his palace when his troops were in the field. Scripture says, “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. …. But David remained in Jerusalem.” “When kings go off to war …”, “but David remained in Jerusalem.” Put simply, if he had been where he belonged -- with his men -- the ensuing intrigue of adultery, cover-ups, and murder never would have happened.
Guys, if we want to protect ourselves and our families, we need to be fulfilling whatever responsibilities God has given us. We need to be doing our jobs and not looking for the comforts of the palace, or in the case of recent events, the perks of the Governor’s office.
Verse 2 and 3 of II Samuel 11 tell us that David went up to the roof of the palace and saw a beautiful woman taking a bath. It’s hard for a man to walk away from such a sight, and David’s eyesight was very sharp that evening. Instead of turning away, he lingered. He drank deeply from the well, mulled over it, and then no doubt rationalized it. He should have walked away.
David did what he did because he was in a position to do it. The adultery was bad enough, but he also betrayed one of his loyal men in the process. His clumsy attempts to cover it up (apparently with quite a conspiracy) eventually led to the murder of a man who exhibited more honor than the king himself.
So here is what we see from King David’s bad example:
1. David was a powerful person, and that led to a certain amount of hubris. He assumed he could do whatever he wanted and find a way to cover it up.
2. David at this point in his life had no friend who was close enough to confront him as he walked down the road to perdition.
3. David was shirking his duties. He should have been with his men, enduring their hardship beside them, instead of basking in luxury and creature comforts.
4. David put himself in a position that led to compromise. It is said that Billy Graham wouldn’t so much as ride in an elevator alone with a woman in order to avoid even the appearance of evil.
5. David lingered over the sight of Bathsheba. If studies of the matter are any guide, even Christian men struggle with pornography. If you are struggling with that problem, be brave enough to get some help. If you know someone struggling with it, confront them as Nathan did David.
6. David should have honored the dignity of the woman and the loyalty of Uriah her husband. He should have simply turned away.
Paul Johnson, the great British historian, makes an interesting statement about Richard Nixon in his book History of the American People. Clearly President Nixon had his faults, and some people still despise him for reasons both rational and irrational. Of the President, Mr. Johnson said that his morals were impeccable, that he was one of the rare 20th Century presidents who slept with his own wife.
Pat Nixon could trust her husband. Guys, if your wife can’t trust you, why should anyone else?
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Back on WHAT Track, Mr. President?
An old college buddy from Texas, Murdock Gibbs, recently received an e-mail from Mr. Obama. He says it's okay to share his reply with you.
Doc's blog is at http://docgibbs-rightthoughts.blogspot.com/
----
Did you hear that the President wants us to volunteer more - says we're all off track? He sent me an e-mail today”:
"Our nation faces some of the greatest challenges it has in generations and we know it’s going to take a lot of hard work to get us back on track.
While Michelle and I are calling on every American to participate in United We Serve, the call to service doesn’t end this fall. We need to stay involved in our towns and communities for a long time to come. After all, America’s new foundation will be built one neighborhood at a time – and that starts with you.
Thank you,
President Barack Obama"
With all due respect, Mr. President and First Lady, in regard to volunteering, I do not feel that Americans are off track. And what is this "new foundation" you're talking about? I believe you are failing to acknowledge the "volunteer" work of religious folk and especially of American Christians. I do not believe we have some crisis in volunteerism that through "a lot of hard work" will "get us back on track (“Back on track”—what does that mean anyway?!). American Christians have been volunteering for years -- since our country's inception. Or perhaps you do not consider their work as being on the same "track" that you want us to get back on.
Back on track... would that mean volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center?
Back on track... would that include church sponsored aid to a homeless shelter?
Back on track... would that involve ministering to the needs of wounded warriors -- injured American veterans?
Back on track... does that include the valiant, unselfish work of groups like the Salvation Army, and countless church outreaches to battered wives' shelters, orphanages, VA hospitals, and senior citizen homes?
I have seen no evidence that Americans as a whole are off track in their volunteering. Perhaps the secularist Left is off track (as is shown by the percentage of their incomes donated to charity). Perhaps the godless, materialistic, self-absorbed citizen is off track. But the people I know and associate with -- people in the Christian community -- are very much on track, and have been for years.
I appreciate your call to invite more Americans to volunteer, but I remain skeptical and confused about your plan to get us "back on track." Your rhetorical "track" is an ill-defined, feel good amorphism; and it seems to discount the years of work, unselfish volunteering and stellar example of American Christians. Theirs is a magnificent heritage of volunteering and helping the unfortunate and hurting, which in other presidential administrations was recognized as the lead engine on the "track" of service to others. They -- we -- are certainly not off track.
~ Murdock Gibbs, Coppell TX
Doc's blog is at http://docgibbs-rightthoughts.blogspot.com/
----
Did you hear that the President wants us to volunteer more - says we're all off track? He sent me an e-mail today”:
"Our nation faces some of the greatest challenges it has in generations and we know it’s going to take a lot of hard work to get us back on track.
While Michelle and I are calling on every American to participate in United We Serve, the call to service doesn’t end this fall. We need to stay involved in our towns and communities for a long time to come. After all, America’s new foundation will be built one neighborhood at a time – and that starts with you.
Thank you,
President Barack Obama"
With all due respect, Mr. President and First Lady, in regard to volunteering, I do not feel that Americans are off track. And what is this "new foundation" you're talking about? I believe you are failing to acknowledge the "volunteer" work of religious folk and especially of American Christians. I do not believe we have some crisis in volunteerism that through "a lot of hard work" will "get us back on track (“Back on track”—what does that mean anyway?!). American Christians have been volunteering for years -- since our country's inception. Or perhaps you do not consider their work as being on the same "track" that you want us to get back on.
Back on track... would that mean volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center?
Back on track... would that include church sponsored aid to a homeless shelter?
Back on track... would that involve ministering to the needs of wounded warriors -- injured American veterans?
Back on track... does that include the valiant, unselfish work of groups like the Salvation Army, and countless church outreaches to battered wives' shelters, orphanages, VA hospitals, and senior citizen homes?
I have seen no evidence that Americans as a whole are off track in their volunteering. Perhaps the secularist Left is off track (as is shown by the percentage of their incomes donated to charity). Perhaps the godless, materialistic, self-absorbed citizen is off track. But the people I know and associate with -- people in the Christian community -- are very much on track, and have been for years.
I appreciate your call to invite more Americans to volunteer, but I remain skeptical and confused about your plan to get us "back on track." Your rhetorical "track" is an ill-defined, feel good amorphism; and it seems to discount the years of work, unselfish volunteering and stellar example of American Christians. Theirs is a magnificent heritage of volunteering and helping the unfortunate and hurting, which in other presidential administrations was recognized as the lead engine on the "track" of service to others. They -- we -- are certainly not off track.
~ Murdock Gibbs, Coppell TX
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Today I received an e-mail from my friend John Akin regarding the recent death of Bill Warfel. Couldn't help thinking about the slow passing of the Greatest Generation.
John's email:
Below is a poem that was written by Bill Warfel. He wrote this poem just prior to entering the US Army Air Force, when he was 18 years old. When he recently passed away, his grandchildren found it and several other poems that he had written.
When Bill enlisted, he had wanted to become a pilot, but instead, became a tail gunner on a Billy Mitchell B-25. He survived 18 bombing runs in the Pacific Islands, when at that time the life expectancy of a tail gunner was 8 seconds!
He was a quiet, unassuming man who worked hard, loved his family and his country, and served Jesus Christ. Bill always had a positive upbeat attitude and never complained no matter the circumstance. Thus passed a Christian and a great American!
What Price Liberty
A bursting bomb, a whistling shell
Suffering the pangs of a waring hell
To think of home on a hospital bed
Receive word that your son is dead
What price liberty?
A piercing scream, unknown dead
Are you sorry for the things you have said?
Fighting amid friends and foe,
In a land of sunshine, or icy snow
What price liberty?
Love of country, freedom of speech
A land with equality for each
Threatened by a treacherous foe
Who wants to rule and cause us woe
What price liberty?
To lose an arm, a leg, or an eye
To be blown to bits from the sky
A struggle to victory, or the end
To receive injuries that’ll never mend
What price liberty?
The urge to kill, the will to die,
To keep “Old Glory” waving on high
The torn bodies and lives of countless men,
In a world of bitter hatred and sin
What price liberty?
Is it the price of billions, the cost of war?
Or is it the millions of lives or more?
Is it any price so that right will win
A freedom for all? If not this…….then……
What price liberty?
Billy C. Warfel 1943
John's email:
Below is a poem that was written by Bill Warfel. He wrote this poem just prior to entering the US Army Air Force, when he was 18 years old. When he recently passed away, his grandchildren found it and several other poems that he had written.
When Bill enlisted, he had wanted to become a pilot, but instead, became a tail gunner on a Billy Mitchell B-25. He survived 18 bombing runs in the Pacific Islands, when at that time the life expectancy of a tail gunner was 8 seconds!
He was a quiet, unassuming man who worked hard, loved his family and his country, and served Jesus Christ. Bill always had a positive upbeat attitude and never complained no matter the circumstance. Thus passed a Christian and a great American!
What Price Liberty
A bursting bomb, a whistling shell
Suffering the pangs of a waring hell
To think of home on a hospital bed
Receive word that your son is dead
What price liberty?
A piercing scream, unknown dead
Are you sorry for the things you have said?
Fighting amid friends and foe,
In a land of sunshine, or icy snow
What price liberty?
Love of country, freedom of speech
A land with equality for each
Threatened by a treacherous foe
Who wants to rule and cause us woe
What price liberty?
To lose an arm, a leg, or an eye
To be blown to bits from the sky
A struggle to victory, or the end
To receive injuries that’ll never mend
What price liberty?
The urge to kill, the will to die,
To keep “Old Glory” waving on high
The torn bodies and lives of countless men,
In a world of bitter hatred and sin
What price liberty?
Is it the price of billions, the cost of war?
Or is it the millions of lives or more?
Is it any price so that right will win
A freedom for all? If not this…….then……
What price liberty?
Billy C. Warfel 1943
Monday, June 15, 2009
Change Your Mind About Anything Lately?
Over the past 15 years, I have changed my mind about a few things Biblical. A big one is my understanding of I Tim 2:5: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
This Scripture might seem clear enough, but I brought a lot of past baggage to my early theology. I believed from my earliest years that God really works through an organization, and more particularly through whatever man was leading that organization. I bought into the myth that the church is the Mother of us all. (The Scriptures never say this about the church. You can look it up).
Even when I reached adulthood and changed my religious affiliation, I ended up in an organization that claimed the very same things regarding church authority as I had been taught in my youth, accept more so. The only way I could reach the Father was through the Son, I was told, but reaching the Son could only be through a particular church organization headed by a particular man.
That dangerous theological view implies shifting responsibility for salvation to the organization and its leadership, giving them a dangerous degree of control over your life and thinking. This, in spite of Paul’s admonition to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”, in spite of Jesus’ teaching about the truth setting us free, and in spite of Peter’s statement that we, i.e., we Christians, are a royal priesthood and therefore by definition have a direct private line to God without the need of a physical priesthood over us.
The fact is, we’re responsible for ourselves. It is incumbent upon us to prove all things, and this isn’t just for theological constructs. It’s true that we shouldn’t accept everything that comes out a pulpit, and it’s just as true that we shouldn’t accept everything that comes out of the mouth of Sean Hannity. (No offense to Sean intended). And certainly we shouldn’t believe everything that comes out of the mouths of our duly elected officials.
How ironic it was for someone like me, free-thinking enough to choose my own religion even while a youth, to promptly leave my critical abilities in the baptismal tank. Trust me on this: God expects more of us than that. He is big enough to handle our questions and doubts and powerful enough to lead us into all truth without the aid of self-proclaimed prophets.
If anyone anywhere demands that you accept whatever they say as truth on penalty of ridicule or worse, they are trying to enslave you by stealing from you your right to God’s unique spiritual path for you in pursuit of his truth.
This Scripture might seem clear enough, but I brought a lot of past baggage to my early theology. I believed from my earliest years that God really works through an organization, and more particularly through whatever man was leading that organization. I bought into the myth that the church is the Mother of us all. (The Scriptures never say this about the church. You can look it up).
Even when I reached adulthood and changed my religious affiliation, I ended up in an organization that claimed the very same things regarding church authority as I had been taught in my youth, accept more so. The only way I could reach the Father was through the Son, I was told, but reaching the Son could only be through a particular church organization headed by a particular man.
That dangerous theological view implies shifting responsibility for salvation to the organization and its leadership, giving them a dangerous degree of control over your life and thinking. This, in spite of Paul’s admonition to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”, in spite of Jesus’ teaching about the truth setting us free, and in spite of Peter’s statement that we, i.e., we Christians, are a royal priesthood and therefore by definition have a direct private line to God without the need of a physical priesthood over us.
The fact is, we’re responsible for ourselves. It is incumbent upon us to prove all things, and this isn’t just for theological constructs. It’s true that we shouldn’t accept everything that comes out a pulpit, and it’s just as true that we shouldn’t accept everything that comes out of the mouth of Sean Hannity. (No offense to Sean intended). And certainly we shouldn’t believe everything that comes out of the mouths of our duly elected officials.
How ironic it was for someone like me, free-thinking enough to choose my own religion even while a youth, to promptly leave my critical abilities in the baptismal tank. Trust me on this: God expects more of us than that. He is big enough to handle our questions and doubts and powerful enough to lead us into all truth without the aid of self-proclaimed prophets.
If anyone anywhere demands that you accept whatever they say as truth on penalty of ridicule or worse, they are trying to enslave you by stealing from you your right to God’s unique spiritual path for you in pursuit of his truth.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
What Ticked Jesus Off (From Matthew 23)
Not much really ticked Jesus off, but certainly hypocrisy did. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites,” he said, after which he assailed these so-called leaders for placing stumbling blocks between the people and God.
He called them blind guides who strained at the gnat yet swallowed the camel. He called them whitewashed tombs, which appeared beautiful on the outside but inside were full of dead men’s bones.
They built monuments to the heroes of their people and proclaimed, “O if only we had been around in those days! We would have stood beside them for the cause of justice and liberty!” But Jesus said, “You are witnesses against yourselves, that you are sons of those that murdered the prophets.”
They, through their laws, bound heavy burdens on the people, laying them on the common man’s shoulders, but the leaders wouldn’t move them with even one of their fingers.
They loved the adoring crowds shouting their names, not realizing the adulation they received rightly belongs to God alone. Servants they were not; narcissists they were.
The world has changed in the past 2000 years, but the follies of despotic leadership has not.
The courts in California cut off irrigation to orchards, destroying generations of work, tens of thousands of jobs, and the production of untold tons of fruits and vegetables in order to protect some sub-species of a minnow.
They offer Constitutional rights to Taliban captured on the battlefield, but deny them to a pastor who wants to hold a Bible study in his own home.
They insist on Iran’s right to develop nuclear technology, but oppose the building of nuclear power plants at home.
They’ll wag their fingers and tongues against private citizens for wasting precious fossil fuels, but see no problem jet-setting themselves to shopping sprees and dinner dates in New York or Paris at taxpayer expense.
They demand the right to themselves to determine correct pay based upon performance in the private sector, but would never apply performance based rules to themselves.
Yes, I think Jesus is ticked. And you should be too.
He called them blind guides who strained at the gnat yet swallowed the camel. He called them whitewashed tombs, which appeared beautiful on the outside but inside were full of dead men’s bones.
They built monuments to the heroes of their people and proclaimed, “O if only we had been around in those days! We would have stood beside them for the cause of justice and liberty!” But Jesus said, “You are witnesses against yourselves, that you are sons of those that murdered the prophets.”
They, through their laws, bound heavy burdens on the people, laying them on the common man’s shoulders, but the leaders wouldn’t move them with even one of their fingers.
They loved the adoring crowds shouting their names, not realizing the adulation they received rightly belongs to God alone. Servants they were not; narcissists they were.
The world has changed in the past 2000 years, but the follies of despotic leadership has not.
The courts in California cut off irrigation to orchards, destroying generations of work, tens of thousands of jobs, and the production of untold tons of fruits and vegetables in order to protect some sub-species of a minnow.
They offer Constitutional rights to Taliban captured on the battlefield, but deny them to a pastor who wants to hold a Bible study in his own home.
They insist on Iran’s right to develop nuclear technology, but oppose the building of nuclear power plants at home.
They’ll wag their fingers and tongues against private citizens for wasting precious fossil fuels, but see no problem jet-setting themselves to shopping sprees and dinner dates in New York or Paris at taxpayer expense.
They demand the right to themselves to determine correct pay based upon performance in the private sector, but would never apply performance based rules to themselves.
Yes, I think Jesus is ticked. And you should be too.
Friday, June 12, 2009
I was so impressed with Senator John Kerry's reversal of position on nuclear power plants (Financial Times, June 11, 2009) that I went to his website and posted a thank you message to him. In my opinion we should offer praise where praise is due. It is so rare in this world.
Text of my message to Senator John Kerry:
Senator:
I wanted to thank you for your support of the construction of nuclear power plants, as reported in the Thursday, June 11 Financial Times. It is important to develop all sources of energy for national security reasons so that we no longer need to depend on unfriendly nations for our security and economy.
Hopefully, you will support legislation that will allow similar development of nuclear power in the United States, and not just in Iran.
Let's see what kind of reply I get.
Text of my message to Senator John Kerry:
Senator:
I wanted to thank you for your support of the construction of nuclear power plants, as reported in the Thursday, June 11 Financial Times. It is important to develop all sources of energy for national security reasons so that we no longer need to depend on unfriendly nations for our security and economy.
Hopefully, you will support legislation that will allow similar development of nuclear power in the United States, and not just in Iran.
Let's see what kind of reply I get.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Stunning News! John Kerry Now Favors Nuclear Power Plants!
In a stunning development, Senator John Kerry told the Financial Times Thursday that construction of nuclear powers plants should continue. However, the Senator only supports construction of such plants in Iran.
No word on whether the Senator would support construction of such plants in the United States.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d5c6395e-55e6-11de-ab7e-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
No word on whether the Senator would support construction of such plants in the United States.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d5c6395e-55e6-11de-ab7e-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Solving Social Security and High Healthcare Costs in One Fell Swoop
Congress is working on sweeping healthcare reform. If the history of healthcare in Britain is any guide, a government run system will also solve the Social Security deficits.
Who says Congress can't walk and chew gum at the same time? Excuse me, bad cliche. Who says Congress can't talk and tell the truth at the same time?
http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Waiting-list-in-British-healthcare-causing-them-to-shell-out-a-fortune-21-11027-1/
http://www.neoperspectives.com/britishhealthcare.htm
(This one is an absolute killer -- literally)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/world/europe/21britain.html
(From the NY Times!!)
This is just a sampling. Search "waiting list, British Healthcare" on Google. Euthanasia and lower life expectancies are on the horizon. On the bright side, that will solve our Social Security crisis. Baby Boomers deserve to die young anyway.
Who says Congress can't walk and chew gum at the same time? Excuse me, bad cliche. Who says Congress can't talk and tell the truth at the same time?
http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Waiting-list-in-British-healthcare-causing-them-to-shell-out-a-fortune-21-11027-1/
http://www.neoperspectives.com/britishhealthcare.htm
(This one is an absolute killer -- literally)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/world/europe/21britain.html
(From the NY Times!!)
This is just a sampling. Search "waiting list, British Healthcare" on Google. Euthanasia and lower life expectancies are on the horizon. On the bright side, that will solve our Social Security crisis. Baby Boomers deserve to die young anyway.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Fifth Anniverary of the Death of Ronald Reagan
June 5 was the fifth anniversary of the death of Ronald Reagan. This seems like a good occasion to remember a character trait of great leaders.
In her book When Character Was King Peggy Noonan relates a little-known incident about Ronald Reagan’s hospital stay after the assassination attempt:
“When I try to tell people what Reagan was like I tell them the bathroom story. A few days after he’d been shot, when he could get out of bed, he wasn’t feeling well one night and went to the bathroom connected to his room. He slapped water on his face, and water slopped out of the sink. He got some paper towels and got on then floor to clean it up. An aide came in and said, “Mr. President, what are you doing? We have people for that.” And Reagan said oh, no, he was just cleaning up his mess, he didn’t want a nurse to have to do it.” (p. 187)
Imagine the most powerful man in the world on his hands and knees cleaning up a hospital floor! He knew he was not the center of the universe, that it was not about him, that he was no more than a bit player in a great cosmic purpose.
Shortly after the attempt on his life he said that “whatever time I may have is left for Him.” (A Different Drummer, by Michael Deaver, p. 147). Not a bad goal in life. Not bad at all.
In her book When Character Was King Peggy Noonan relates a little-known incident about Ronald Reagan’s hospital stay after the assassination attempt:
“When I try to tell people what Reagan was like I tell them the bathroom story. A few days after he’d been shot, when he could get out of bed, he wasn’t feeling well one night and went to the bathroom connected to his room. He slapped water on his face, and water slopped out of the sink. He got some paper towels and got on then floor to clean it up. An aide came in and said, “Mr. President, what are you doing? We have people for that.” And Reagan said oh, no, he was just cleaning up his mess, he didn’t want a nurse to have to do it.” (p. 187)
Imagine the most powerful man in the world on his hands and knees cleaning up a hospital floor! He knew he was not the center of the universe, that it was not about him, that he was no more than a bit player in a great cosmic purpose.
Shortly after the attempt on his life he said that “whatever time I may have is left for Him.” (A Different Drummer, by Michael Deaver, p. 147). Not a bad goal in life. Not bad at all.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The Bigger the Whopper, The More People Believe
I know we're not a Christian country because Mr. Obama says so, but I had no idea that we're "one of the largest Muslim countries".
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