Life / Religion / Philosophy / Science / Polictics

Category: Politics

Discussions about POLITICS and GOVERNMENT. POLITICS and GOVERNMENT at all levels – Federal / State / County / City / and Local. This category is about all things that interest me in POLITICS and GOVERNMENT.

  • The Days of Noah?

    While watching an Answers In Genesis video the other day it was mentioned that they often get the question “Are we living in the days of Noah?”. To which they reply “In the days of Noah God found only one righteous man.”

    We can be pretty sure that things are not as bad today as they were in Noah’s time. However, what about other periods in history? Can we say whether we are better or worse off compared to other points in time?

    This is not always an easy question to answer because History is usually recorded in snippets. And the recordings can be subjective and open to interpretation. It can be difficult to make honest comparisons to what was written about a time and what we observe before us today.

    Which is why it is sometimes better to make analogies between known specifics rather than a general comparison of overall state of affairs. But when doing so we need to be careful of context. This is especially true when it comes to Scripture. On August 5th I posted Do I Drive A Ford Mustang? expressing my concerns about this very problem. This was not by accident as I was considering how to approach this post at the time. And I wanted readers to understand that concern and view today’s BLOG post in the appropriate light.

    I am going to do something here I don’t believe I have ever done before, or if I have, it is very rare. I am going to use a piece of Scripture in an analogy. Please understand that this is not an expository of the Scripture nor an exegetical study of the Scripture. It is simply a very (very) loose analogy of an historical event then and what we see happening in our society today.

    And to do this I am going to ask the question – Are we living in the days of Christ? We may not be living in the days of Noah, but are things as bad today as they were some two thousand years ago when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, walked the face of the earth in Jerusalem?

    Well consider this one act by Jesus as recorded by Matthew:

    11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. 12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

    Matthew 21:11-13

    And as recorded by John:

    13 And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; 16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.

    John 2:13-16

    Jesus, upon entering the Temple at the Passover, sees some rather unsavory individuals, engaged in activities they ought not to have been engaging in while inside the Temple, and he makes a whip and drives them out of the Temple. And he tells them why he is taking these actions. He explains to them that they have made his Father’s house (the Temple) a den of thieves and a house of merchandise.

    Jesus probably took these actions as a way to trigger the religious leaders of the time in order to set into motion his arrest, trial, and crucifixion. But I also believe that his actions were just and with purpose. You see, I believe Jesus knew that the Temple was a house of refuge. It was a place for the lost and tired of the world to find peace. It was a place for sinners to find grace and mercy. And it was a place for the lost to find redemption. Moreover, it was the place were God met with His people and inhabited their praises. And Jesus knew that no one wants to come to the Temple to be robbed. Nor did He want people to be distracted by merchandise. And this is exactly what was happening. People were coming to the Temple to shop and were being ripped off by unscrupulous merchants.

    And if we take this event from history, can we find any similarities in society today? Well, I believe we can, in a loose sort of way. Consider our country, where we live. Is it not a place of sanctuary? Do we not want to find peace and happiness and to be able to conduct our lives free of harassment and having our goods stolen from us? Of course we do. We desire to live with the freedom to pursue our dreams and to achieve our greatest potential on an equal footing with all our fellow citizens. Is this not what the United States Constitution guarantees us? Is this not the promise of this great nation? It is our sanctuary.

    And have we allowed moneychangers to come into the courts of our great country and to set up shop? Well, once again, in a loose sort of way I believe we can draw an analogy here. Consider our halls of power and those who sit in them. Is our own Congress not filled with moneychangers who conduct business more to their gain than our benefit? Are they not fiscally irresponsible with our tax dollars? Do they not run a national debt, not at their expense, but at the expense of the country?

    Do they not upset our Constitutional guarantees when they proclaim that some groups are more equal than others? Do they really see all as being created equal when they begin to codify into law privileges for specific groups amongst us? And are they protective of our freedoms and liberties to pursue our dreams when they do not protect our borders and keep us secure?

    And when Nancy Pelosi mocks the Church and stands for abortion, and disregards God and the life He has granted, is that not seen by the very Creator whom we worship and anger Him? Is this not evil in our house?

    I believe we risk much with these “moneychangers” in our halls of power. Most notably the very wrath of God whom they mock and trample upon when they proclaim to know more than the Church and set themselves up as both the rulers of the physical as well as the interpreters of the spiritual.

    We have the power to vote these moneychangers out of power. And if we do not, then the Temple will be the Temple no more (meaning we will lose the country and evil will reign). Think about it.

  • Do You Count The Cost?

    There is a house just a couple of miles up the road from where my wife and I live. It is a house that has sat almost fully built for several years. Here is that house on Google Maps: 87-2182 Farrington Hwy – Google Maps. A closer image: Farrington Hwy – Google Maps.

    This home has been in a perpetual state of “almost completed” for probably close to a decade now. I have no idea what the actual story is with this house, but one rumor is that the builder ran into difficulties with zoning laws. If you look at the structure carefully you can see that it appears to be divided into at least four equal units, that might be individual apartments. And the rumor has it that the zoning in that area does not allow for multi-unit dwellings. Regardless of the reason, the house has remained just as it can be seen in the Google Maps image for several years.

    And the real kicker about this house is that it is directly across the road from Nanakuli beach. That would be this beach here. The real estate estimate on this property is $1.5 million. That is a fairly large sum of money to simply leave sitting in a partially developed property.

    Jesus Christ, while conversing with one of the chief Pharisees on the Sabbath, taught the people saying:

    28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Luke 14:28-30.

    It is somewhat incredible that Jesus Christ taught this very same truth more than 2000 years ago, and yet we are still falling into the same trap today as a people. The words of Holy Scripture are just as relevant now as they were 2000+ years ago. And this teaching is not just for those of us who own homes or are thinking about buying/building a home. The house/structure is simply the example. The truth in the teaching is to count the cost. In everything we do. We should count the costs in life.

    This is also true for governments and nations. We as a people need to count the costs.

    Today, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act. The claims are that this legislation will result in new spending of $437 billion while raising an expected $737 billion and lowering the US National deficit by some $300 billion. Which is a net gain of some $600 billion ($737 billion raised – $437 billion spent = $300 billion + $300 billion in deficit reduction = $600 billion). Sounds fantastic, right? But have we really and truly counted the cost? Or have we begun to build the house without any hope of ever finishing it?

    If we look at just one provision of this legislation, the increase in IRS Agents by some 87,000 in new hires, we begin to gain some insight into just how well our government counted the cost.

    The addition of 87,000 new IRS Agents is key to the legislation. After all, if the majority of the $737 billion expected to be raised is going to come from taxes, you will need those Agents to process all that new revenue. But is it even feasible to hire 87,000 new IRS employees within 5 years? Most, if not all, government Agencies are currently struggling to meet their hiring goals for 2022. For most Agencies, to include DoD recruitment, those goals do little to increase the size of the Agency. They are geared toward simply keeping up with natural attrition (retirements, workers who leave for better job offers, etc.). To actually gain 87,000 new employees over five years would mean hiring goals of 17,400 new employees per year. Which is bound to put a strain on a system built to hire some 2,500 – 5,000 new employees per year. Part of the “cost” is what happens to the system as a result of an influx of 87,000 new employees.

    But let’s say that somehow the IRS magically manages to hire 87,000 new employees. What will those new employees cost? This is where the math becomes interesting.

    Obviously, there is the Direct Cost of their salaries. These new hires are expected to be 4-year degreed individuals with a financial background and who will be expected to go through basic firearms training. This roughly equates to a GS09 on the General Schedule. However, the base schedule is augmented by locality pay and sometimes COLA (Cost Of Living Adjustment). These new hires will probably be scattered across the US, but the IRS has a large presence in both Washington D.C. and Atlanta Georgia. If we assume a GS09 Step 05 with an averaged locality pay we might assume $70,000 (rounded) per employee per year.

    But wait, what about Overhead Cost? Overhead Costs are things like healthcare, retirement, vacation, holidays, sick leave, etc. And those are very real costs that are paid with very real dollars by the Agency (in this case the IRS). Those costs are generally computed by businesses at 2/3 of the total salary. Which they calculate at 1.66 * $70,000 (salary) = $116,000 (rounded) per employee per year.

    But there is even more. We have to figure in General and Administrative Costs. Things like Human Resource (HR) personnel for all of those new employees, the facilities costs (where is the IRS going to get 87,000 new desks from?) and even parking spaces for the influx of new commuters. They include Information Technology (IT) support (plus all the new equipment for those employees) and even legal support to handle employee complaints and disputes. Most businesses compute these total costs at about double the employee loaded cost (Direct Cost + Overhead Cost). In this case $116,000 * 2 = $232,000 per employee per year.

    At this point our Inflation Reduction Act is costing us $232,000 * 87,000 = $20,184,000,000.00 ($20 billion) per year. Which is arguably only about 1/4 of the total $437 billion the legislation aims to spend over 5 years. But consider this, the $737 billion the legislation intends to raise, comes out of the American economy. Which is yours and my pockets. It’s not $737 billion being squandered or hoarded by corporations and the super-rich today. It is money that will affect everyone either directly or indirectly. And that toll + the $100 billion in spending on new hires may just mean that the house never gets built.

    There is one other cost I’d like you to consider today. And that is the cost of your eternity. There is a very real Heaven, and there is a very real Hell. And every bit of humanity will spend all of eternity in one or the other. Fortunately for humanity, the cost of Heaven has been paid by the Son of God, Jesus Christ some 2,000 plus years ago on a Cross on Mount Calvary. The only thing for you to do is to Consider That Cost.

  • Has The USA Become a Banana Republic?

    Yesterdays unprecedented actions by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to raid and search the Palm Beach MAR-A-LAGO home of former President Donald J Trump is alarming, disturbing, frightening, and enraging at the highest levels. This single act demonstrates an emboldened effort by Government Officials (those in power) to wield a heavy hand of enforcement to enact their own desires and biases. It also has clearly demonstrated the two and unequal justice systems that have come to exist in America today.

    Alarming because the FBI raid is clear and concise evidence of a rather disturbing trend of some in Government to use the power of the sword in ways to intimidate those of us who align or agree with political leaders of opposing ideals or thoughts. It is distressing to see government power used in this way. This completely unnecessary and outrageous action served no other purposes than to distract public attention from other important matters of the day and to incite fear and send a message to those of us that disagree with their political or moral views.

    Disturbing because the FBI raid clearly demonstrates that there are those within our government who are empowered and emboldened to take nearly whatever actions they desire in order to effect their own desires and agendas. They deem to operate without fear and to use their positions in unpalatable and inequitable ways.

    Frightening because the FBI raid is a clear indicator of things that could come if not arrested and changed immediately. If a former President is treated in this manner for no other reason than the personal hatred, bias, and contempt of his political opponents, then those of lessor stature have no hope of escaping this type of abuse of power and position. We will simply be told how to think, how to act, and where our allegiances lie. Free speech, free thought, freedom itself will be no more. If these methods can be used in our society today and allowed to stand, we most assuredly will sink to the depths of Nazi Germany in a matter of time. History repeats itself because of evil in the heart of man and the master of all evil, Satan himself, has not changed his agenda nor his methods upon the face of the earth.

    Enraging because the FBI raid is so unprecedented, so far out of bounds of rationality, so deliberate and pretentious as to make one wonder if justice is dead and those in power will now simply do as they please. It lacks any common sense and defies logic. It infuriates one and causes anger to swell within our hearts as we become fearful of what is occurring within our Nation today.

    And these elements, these emotions, this reaction of a governed people in this manner, is what we find in a banana republic. It is what we use the derogatory use of the term to imply. These very things – fear, intimidation, rule by force, intolerance of other viewpoints, and lack of concern for how actions are perceived or interpreted by those who have no control over those actions.

    And it because of this that I believe we, those of us who support the US Constitution, fair and balanced rule of law, and common sense and demeanor in our actions and application of that law, should be alarmed to the point that we recognize the danger of the very loss of our democracy. The raid by the FBI on former President Trump’s residence yesterday sets a very disturbing precedence that, if left unanswered, could very well lead the US to become a banana republic.

    And I do not make this claim lightly or without thought. We have been on this slippery slope for some time now. Does anyone remember this incident? –

    Nancy Pelosi rips up a copy of the State of the Union Adress on National TV

    This one act demonstrated such a lack of decorum, a vile hatred of others, a complete breakdown of political savviness, and a boldness to act out despite what rational prudence would dictate. It was at this point that I knew things were changing for the worse in our country. That evil was now on display and not kept hidden behind closed doors. And that evil is now being unleased in ways previously before unimaginable. And evil unleashed in our country with this kind of vile hatred and disregard for actions or consequences, cannot possibly end well.

    And why did the FBI raid the Palm Beach home of former President Donald J Trump? What was the great offence that required FBI Agents, flashing lights, and armed personnel? We are told that it originated with an action from the National Archives.

    Government employees are required, by law, to keep a record of all official actions and decisions, under the Federal Records Act of 1950. There are a number of reasons for this Act and I believe we can all agree that it is generally a good thing. But let’s be clear here, the National Archives holds a national historic mission. Their job is one of preservation and archival for the purpose of research and understanding. And while there are clear definitions as to what an official government record is (and is not), the National Archives has little to no ability to enforce or police the entire government workforce in order to determine that those official records are being turned over or even created. And I would hazard a guess that many have slipped through the cracks over the years (since 1950). Including those of former Presidents. And not once, that I am aware of, has the FBI ever been called upon to retrieve those documents (and in this case those documents that have not been clearly explained as to knowledge of their existence).

    By any stretch of the imagination this was clearly a frivolous case that did not warrant the waste of taxpayer money with the use of such heavy-handed tactics. And that indeed justifies any concerns or fears raised. My prayer is that this is not a foreshadowing of things to come.

  • So, You Want to Be Free?

    Remember when Queen told us this (and yes, this is the official music video – just so you know what they wanted to break free from):

    The song, released on April 2nd, 1984 (missing April Fool’s Day by one day, in a rather ironic twist) tells us they want to break free as if they are being held prisoner against their will or are somehow enslaved. The subtle undertones of the music video imply that there is a social or cultural slavery going on (even if not found in the words of the song). And this cultural slavery is keeping them down, oppressing them somehow, and they just need to break free of the chains that bind them so that they may finally be happy.

    What about these freedom fighters in Canada? Do truck drivers who believe they are being oppressed by their government deserve to be free? At what point do laws, mandates, and government leaders actually become oppressors, eventually prompting people to want to break free?

    Remember the riots in Seattle, Washington just two years ago? We were told these people were free to protest and express their views. Even though the looting and rioting certainly seemed threatening to the freedoms of peaceful business owners and families living in the area.

    And we should not forget that we are told that freedom is not free:

    The world exists today, full of people, who have never experienced a day of slavery in their lives, and yet they constantly enslave themselves. They enslave themselves to the culture, to others around them, to perceived threats to their way of life, to governments, to employers, to drugs and other addictions, and even to religions. Most of all though, the world is full of people enslaved to lies that they do not recognize as lies, or even where those lies come from. And all of us just want to be free.

    The real irony of it all is that one person’s freedom is another person’s slavery. There is always a master and a slave. After all, that is how one becomes enslaved in the first place, by being ruled by the master. If drugs are your master, then drugs will rule your life and rob you of your freedoms. And far be it for me to be judgmental here. Jesus did not come into this world to condemn the world (John 3:17), and I have no place passing out condemnation either. I am still chief amongst sinners here and I need the Salvation of the Lord more than anyone else. But that does not change the Truth. Truth still stands and there is still light and dark in the world, and we all need to be aware of that. Sometimes we all feel a little condemned by the Truth and that causes us to embrace the chains that enslave us. No matter what those chains are.

    We all want to be free of something. To the point even of arguing who is the greater of the oppressed. Consider the Black Lives Matter movement. Does God consider the worth of one life over another? Of course, He does not. When people argue that black lives should receive a special pass because they have somehow experienced a greater degree of discrimination or oppression, they are simply putting themselves at the forefront. It becomes all about them. And when life become all about you … it is not all about God. The sheer craziness of these movement is that they enslave themselves. Christians are oppressed all over the world and all the time. Yet there is no Christian Lives Matter movement (and I sincerely hope there never will be). Why? Simply because Christians are not enslaved to their oppressors. And they do not bring any attention to their oppressors because to do so would be to take away from their freedom.

    You may be an African American today supporting Black Lives Matter. You may be a supporter of abortion (and the, so called, rights thereof). You may be an anarchist decrying the government. You may even be a Christian (or just a theist) and just feel like the whole world is against you. You believe (perhaps without recognizing it) that you are enslaved by the world. You are oppressed. It is discrimination, or threats to your perceived rights, or the government, or others that are taking away your freedoms and keeping you down. And so, we all reach a breaking point where we just want to break free (pun intended). But in doing so we put ourselves at the center of attention, and we (by necessity) put down everyone else. After all, Black Lives Matter could never ever allow ‘White Lives Matter’, or “Asian Lives Matter’, or ‘Jewish Lives Matter’, or ‘Hispanic Lives Matter’, or …. Because to do so would detract from them and would dilute the attention that they believe they so richly deserve (because they are enslaved and no one else – or at the very least, they are enslaved with the heaviest chains).

    So why is it that we all feel enslaved by something, even if it is just a tiny little annoyance? Why is it we all feel the weight of the chains to the point we want to cry out that we just want to be free?

    I believe the answer to this lies in the understanding of just who it is that enslaves us and who it is that sets us free. 2 Timothy 2:24-26 tells us that Satan has taken us captive at his will. But John 8:35-36 tells us that Jesus is the one who can set us free.

    And when Jesus sets us free, we are told that we are free indeed. Meaning we are truly and completely free. And when Christ has made us free, we need not be oppressed by the bondage in this world (Galatians 5:1). We can put off the yoke of bondage that is keeping us down (whatever that is) and be free indeed.

    Freedom is a person. And that person is Jesus Christ. And freedom is free. It is His free gift to you. But my freedom does not serve myself. My freedom is nothing more than a vessel to serve Jesus Christ. Colossians 3:10-11 tells us that in Christ there is no bond nor free, no Greek or Jew. But rather Christ is all in all.

    When your freedom is all about the Glory of God and uplifting Jesus Christ for all the world to see, then you are truly, and completely free. Do you want to be free today? You need look no further than the person of Jesus Christ.

  • Are You Enslaved By The Democrat Party (III)?

    Joe Biden. Racist. Telling African Americans that if they can’t figure out who they are for between himself and Trump then they are not black. And if you don’t believe that is a racist comment then just try imagining President Donald Trump saying “If you can’t figure out if you are for me or Biden then you ain’t white”. Or what if President Trump had said “If you can’t figure out if you are for me or Biden then you ain’t Asian”? What if he had said just what Joe Biden said? What if President Trump had said “If you can’t figure out if you are for me or Biden you ain’t black”?

    Would any of those, if spoken by President Trump have been racist? The liberal Democrats are going to tell me that it is different. It is more pure when Joe Biden says it. A good friend once told me “If it were not for double standards, liberals would have no standards at all.” You want to know who was offended by Joe Biden’s comment here? African Americans who voted for Donald Trump. And I know quite a few of them. And if you hold to your defense that the comment is not racist, then my African American friends would like you to explain to them how they lost their blackness because they voted for Trump (and no I didn’t ask them – but I’m pretty sure they’d want to know).

    The truth is Donald Trump did not say any of those things and yet Joe Biden did. Why? Clearly because Donald Trump is not a racist and can control his speech (as much as any of us can) and Joe Biden is a racist and cannot control his speech. The truth also is Democrats have to be in control. The Democrat Party will tell you what is OK to say and what is not OK to say. The Democrat Party will tell you when you’ve been offensive even if you mirror their words. And that brings me to a final reason of how the Democrat Party enslaves America:

    CONTROL – If you belong to the Democrat Party you belong to the Party of diminishing freedoms. The Party of control. Lets take a look at the Democrat Party Platform (you can find it online here). I’d like to refer to the section “Protecting Americans’ Civil Rights“:

    Democrats are committed to ending discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, language, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability status. We will appoint U.S. Supreme Court justices and federal judges who look like America, are committed to the rule of law, will uphold individual civil rights and civil liberties as essential components of a free and democratic society, and will respect and enforce foundational precedents, including Brown v. Board of Education and Roe v. Wade. Democrats are committed to restoring the full power of the Voting Rights Act and ensuring every citizen can access the ballot box. We will enforce and strengthen the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and will end racial and religious profiling in law enforcement.

    President Trump’s words and actions have given safe harbor and encouragement to racists, anti-Semites, anti-Muslim bigots, and white supremacists. It’s time to root out domestic terrorism in all its forms. We will use federal law enforcement tools and resources to address domestic terrorism, and if necessary work with Congress to pass a domestic terrorism law that is consistent with the Constitutional right to free speech and civil liberties.

    Yes, those words are from the Democrat Party platform. Look at them. They make the utterly ridiculous statement that Trump’s words and actions give safe harbor and encouragement to racists. And yet we clearly see Joe Biden making the racist comments time and time and time again. It is beyond doubt that Joe Biden is the racist here, and yet the Democrat Party is fine with that. And why is that? Obviously CONTROL.

    For the Democrat Party free speech goes only as far as what THEY define free speech to be. So if Joe Biden says ‘you ain’t black if you don’t vote for me’ its perfectly OK. Because Joe Biden is on their side and thus they can turn a blind eye. But President Donald Trump, who did not say anything close to that, (nor anything racist during his time as President that I am aware of) is accused of encouraging racists. So Donald Trump, who is not a racist is bad, but Joe Biden who is a racist is good.

    And not that I care that Joe Biden is a racist either. I just note that his actions and his words prove that he is. He is free to be whoever he wants to be. In reality, the person he is hurting the most is himself. What I care about is the Democrat Party wants to CONTROL you and me and everyone else in this country. They are the antheses of freedom. And the reason we are the greatest country on this Earth is because we are FREE. And to see a political party come along and tear that down is heartbreaking.

    Look at the words from their platform again. They want to end discrimination against religion. As long as a bake shop owner in Colorado makes a cake for a gay (same sex) weddings. Even though he expresses that it is contrary to his religion. I wonder what would happen if a Christian were to walk into a bake shop owned and run by a Satan worshiper or a witch and ask for a resurrection day cake with an empty tomb and a cross in the background? Would that shop owner be obligated to make the cake? More than likely the Christian would be ridiculed by the shop owner. Would that be OK?

    And the Democrat Party platform says they are all about free speech and civil liberties. And yet condemn President Donald Trump in the exact same paragraph. How can they do this? Because in the Democrat Party vernacular, free speech is what they define it to be.

    The problem is, when the Democrat Party begins to define what is free speech and what is not, what are civil liberties and what are not, and what is religious freedom and what is not, they automatically discriminate against someone. It is a given. Their unfounded discrimination against Donald Trump is more than evident.

    So if you belong to the Democrat Party today, just give some thought to the fact that if in numbers only, you support the political party of SALVERY, MURDER, and CONTROL. Its in their platform. And is that really OK?

  • Are You Enslaved By THe Democrat Party? (II)

    Remember when Joe Biden warned a group of supporters that ‘they‘ (Republicans/Conservatives) were going to “put y’all back in chains“? All the while planning on tightening the chains around all of America (Black, White, Hispanic, Latino, Asian …).

    Well today I’d like to continue my thoughts on how the Democrat Party enslaves people and keeps them in chains. Because if you belong to the Democrat Party, you support some pretty horrific ideals that you lend credence to if only by shear numbers.

    MURDER – If you belong to the Democrat Party, you belong to the Party of murder. I usually follow the social norms and refer to the Democrat Party as the Party of Death. Democrats relish in it. They defend it with all their might. And they fight to expand it to new societal levels of inclusion. But today, I’d like to call it what it is. Murder. Abortion is the murder of innocent pre-born human babies. It is the taking of a human life.

    Now I am sure a lot of Democrats take great offense at being referred to as murderers, and they should. They should take such offense that they should examine their Party’s values and probably leave the Party. I know I would if I were a member of the Democrat Party. But if you are a member of the Democrat Party and you take offense at being labeled a murderer, then please convince me that you are not.

    Abortion is quite simple and it only becomes complicated when people want to defend it. Since people know that killing little babies is wrong, they suddenly claim that abortion is simply removing a “fetus“. Note the definition references “when the body structures are in the recognizable form of its kind”.

    But here is the duplicity and hypocrisy of the Democrat Party. Their definition only applies to human development. Bring any other kind into the conversation and suddenly not only does their definitions change, their rules become much more draconian. Everyone is horrified by bad treatment of cats, dogs, birds, dolphins … but only the Democrat Party Platform is OK with bad treatment of humans. If you disturb a Bald Eagle egg, you are breaking the law. If you abort a human fetus it is perfectly OK.

    Furthermore, there are about 30 States that have unborn fetal homicide laws. In the Democrat Party’s mind these are unrelated issues (this argument has been made many times and rather than supply just one reference, I leave it as an exercise to the reader to research). In the Democrat Party’s mind it is OK to abort the fetus if the mom chooses to, but if a pregnant mom is killed in a car accident, then suddenly it is not OK that the fetus died.

    Clearly, in Democrat Party logic parlance, it is OK to kill a human fetus in one instance, equating it to a non-human but not granting the same considerations as a cat, or a dog, or a bald eagle. But suddenly in the other situation the rules change and the Democrat Party agrees with the Republican Party that a life has been taken. Suddenly the Democrat Party grants the human fetus the same considerations as the cat, or dog, or bald eagle.

    The problem in the Democrat Party tangled web of non-logic foolishness is in defining when human life really and truly begins. Christians widely believe that human life begins at conception. That is, a Holy God performs a miracle, and creates a brand new life out of a physical act between two humans. We can all agree for the most part that it takes a male and a female of the human kind to procreate. The fuzzy part comes in agreeing on when the physical part gains the spiritual part. When does the soul and the spirit become relevant? And admittedly, not everyone agrees with the Christian world view that it is immediately at conception. And it is a pretty important point because in Democrat Party logic parlance, it literally defines when it is OK to kill and when suddenly it is not OK to kill.

    But I’m not here today to convince you that you should accept the Christian worldview. The Christian worldview has already been defended in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Bible. I’m here today for you to convince me that your worldview is defensible.

    By what measure do you decide when human life begins and a person becomes a person? And be careful how you answer. Because your criteria could potentially be used across an entire human lifespan. How do you know that a person is a person? And how do you prove that? A lot off people have offered a lot of answers to that question. And every time they answer they immediately validate hundreds of thousands of abortions murder. For example, I once had someone tell me their criteria was brain waves. Now never mind the difficulty in trying to establish the fact that measurable brain waves does indeed equate to a person being a person, measurable brain activity can indeed be detected in the womb at about six weeks. And this is fairly consistent medical knowledge. The problem is, more than 50% of abortions occur after week 6 (week 7 and up). So if you choose brain activity as the criteria for defining when a person is a person (as my friend did) then more than 50% of all abortions in the USA are murder by your definition.

    The Republican Party simply says that science and medicine today does not know enough to definitively say when a person is indeed a person. And since we do not know, the Republican Party chooses to err on the side of caution and preserve all life. And respect all life. Something the Democrat Party does not do.

    So how does championing the murder of unborn children enslave people? Look at the statistics. The majority of abortions occur amongst the African American community. Seems to me that if the majority of abortions are occurring amongst the minority of people, something is wrong. One of the first things Joe Biden did was restore funding for abortions in foreign countries. Our tax dollars taken to fund murder overseas. If that isn’t being enslaved, then we need a sanity check.

  • Are You Enslaved By THe Democrat Party? (I)

    Remember when Joe Biden made this offensively racist comment?

    And had the audacity to tell people to look at “their” values while doing it? Well have you ever considered how the Democrat Party really does have you in chains? Because I believe it is important that we do, And if you are an American citizen who is registered with the Democrat Party, I believe it very important that you carefully consider what it is that you actually support.

    SLAVERY – If you are a member of the Democrat Party, you belong to the party of slavery. Which is why it is so ironic that Joe Biden would even make such a stupid comment as the one referenced above. Hey Joe! LEARN YOUR HISTORY (if your mind isn’t overcome with dementia that is). It was the Democrat Party that kept slaves in the South, and were willing to go to war in order to keep them. It was the Republican Party in the North, led by President Abraham Lincoln, that issued the Emancipation Proclamation. LEARN YOUR HISTORY. President Abraham Lincoln is not the hero of the Democrat Party, he is the hero of the Republican Party. And now, the modern day Democrat Party is so incensed by that, they are going to great lengths to remove President Abraham Lincoln from history. They are tearing down statues raised in his honor, they are removing his name from schools, one wonders how much time we have before the Lincoln Memorial is torn down or Mount Rushmore defaced.

    But … but … but … that was a long time ago. That is not how things are today. TODAY’S Democrat Party is the champion of the downtrodden and enslaved. It is the Republican Party that is evil and wants to “put y’all back in chains” (according to Joe Biden).

    It astounds me that people believe that lie. In order for you to believe that myth you would have to consider that sometime after the end of the American Civil War, perhaps after WW-II but prior to the 1960’s, everyone that was a proponent of the Republican Party Platform (that ALL people are created EQUAL) thought to themselves, “Hey, we should switch parties and go join the Democrat Party”. And pretty much about the same time, everyone that supported the Democrat Party Platform (“put y’all back in chains” – I’ll explain in a minute) thought to themselves, “Hey, we’ve seen the error of our ways, lets go join the Republican Party!”. And then, miraculously, they left their values behind with the other party. And POOF!!!! The Democrat Party suddenly became the Party of freeing slaves, and SHAZAM!!!! The Republican Party became the Party of ensuring people were slaves.

    The truth is, the Democrat Party is still pretty much the same as it was during the American Civil War, and the Republican Party is still pretty much the same as it was during the same period of time. And I can just hear the outcries now, “Why you can’t know that! That is a gross generalization! That is NOT TRUE! How dare you?” Well I am so glad you asked (finally). Here is how I know that to be true (beyond the fact that it is readily apparent if you look at history). Championing people’s freedoms or enslavement is a WORLD VIEW. It is influenced by values. And values are taught. Most people become part of a Political Party simply because it was the Party of their parents. They blindly and naively follow in footsteps before they have even thought about it or considered the best choice for themselves.

    And I know, most members of the Democrat Party are going to scream that they are against slavery. But here’s the problem, none of you ever changed the values of the Party. It is still the Party of slavery. The values and practices of the Democrat Party are keeping people in chains still today.

    Just look at our inner city welfare housing. Generation after generation trapped in sub-standard living, barely existing above the poverty line, in high crime areas, that are poorly maintained and subject to vandalism and defacement. That was invented by the Democrat Party, and is perpetuated still today. Welcome to the chain gang. Because that is what the Democrat Party delivers. People trapped in chains that they can never quite break free of. And when they do, they are held up as shining examples of success and examples of how the Democrat Party is moving people ahead. But I’d challenge you to look at the ratio of those who have broken free of our inner city welfare projects compared to those that are left behind. It would seem to me that the inequity is just a little too large to justify continuing that failed experiment.

    And people will then ask what the Republican Party solution is? After all, we know that if you give a person a fish they’ll eat for a day, but if you teach a person to fish they’ll eat for a lifetime. The Republican/Conservative solution will tell you to give the person the opportunity to fish. Give them the same access to the fishing tackle, the boats, the oceans and rivers and lakes, and let them fish. And if they want fishing lessons, well ensure they have access to that as well (although the Conservative point of view would hold that the free market would avail itself to all opportunities are fill the gaps). But the Democrat Party is the Party of fear and will tell you that you have to give a person the fish in the first place so that they don’t starve while they are learning to fish. I have a question … “How is that working out for you?” Republicans/Conservatives believe that people can be motivated. And hunger is a pretty strong motivation. A person becomes hungry enough, and they’ll learn to fish very, very quickly.

    Are you a member of the American Democrat Party? Look at your Party’s Platform. You belong to, and support with your numbers, the Party of slavery. Is that what you really want to support?

  • Rush Limbaugh Passed Away Today

    Rush Limbaugh finally succumbed to lung cancer and passed away this morning. And I cannot tell you of the wave of grief that swept over me upon hearing the news.

    Many people are paying tribute to Rush and many are telling what Rush meant to them.

    And I just want to take a moment here and record what, and who Rush Limbaugh was to me.

    First of all, if you do not know who Rush Limbaugh is, well then let me say you should. It most parts of the world it would be hard not to know who Rush Limbaugh is and was. You should know who Rush Limbaugh is because of the great light of truth he let shine forth from his life and his work. You should know who Rush Limbaugh is because of the transformational way he approached his chosen profession and because of the astounding changes he was able to make within that profession over the course of his career.

    But many, many others are, and will, heap accolades on Rush for all of these things and what he meant to his community. And I’ll let them do that as they can handle it much better than I can.

    What I’d like to do is tell you who Rush Limbaugh was to me in a way that I don’t believe anyone else will.

    Rush Limbaugh was the greatest Pastor to ever live (and probably ever will live). And I am a Pastor, so I can say that with all sincerity and meaning. But here is why:

    Rush Limbaugh had the largest flock of any Pastor I’ve ever known. Some 25 to 30 million people tuned in to his broadcast every single weekday and sometimes on Sunday. He had a huge congregation. Bigger than anyone else, probably in all of history. And that is completely astounding when you think about how effortlessly he pulled it off.

    Rush Limbaugh captured the attention of his audience almost every single day. Most Pastors have difficulty retaining the attention of our congregation 2 or 3 times a week. Not Rush. Every time Rush began his broadcast, millions and millions were waiting to tune in to hear what he had to say. And for every listener he lost, he gained two more. He was constantly adding to the fold.

    Rush Limbaugh had the longest sermons at the greatest retention rate. Rush would sit behind the golden EIB microphone and preach for three hours a day. Now to be fair, most preachers out there can preach for three hours (although I doubt they can sustain it for five days a week on an ongoing basis). But most preachers preaching for three hours usually find themselves preaching to empty pews.

    Rush Limbaugh preached the truth. He coined the term Truth in Broadcasting and referred to himself as the Truth Detector. And isn’t that what Pastors do? Preach truth. Now I can just hear the screams of heresy shouted my way. But hold on a minute. The Truth of the Gospel is the Truth of conservatism. Lets face it, Rush was hugely Pro Life. Christians are (or should be) Pro Life. The Bible teaches a Pro Life message. Rush was all about Freedom. And the Bible teaches true Freedom. But Paul! Rush didn’t teach from the Bible! He didn’t expound upon Scriptures. He didn’t … Let me tell you something, Rush Limbaugh has been more of a shining light than all of the Pastors in this country combined.

    Rush Limbaugh changed lives. And isn’t that the goal of Pastors? At least in their preaching? To change lives? I am pretty sure that some people who listened to Rush over the years actually were prompted by the Holy Spirit and sought out Salvation. So yes, I think it very likely that Rush Limbaugh led come people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. But here is something Rush did that may have been more impactful than that. He changed Christian lives. Rush changed peoples minds. Where people were stuck in darkness and untruth, Rush shone the light of truth and people actually switched over to the other side. And that is even more astounding because those changed lives will go out and change more lives and those will go change even more. Rush helped spread the message. And that is something we so often fail to do.

    Rush Limbaugh mastered all mediums. I can’t tell you how many Pastors I’ve heard talk about throwing the seed by any means possible. Well Rush Limbaugh mastered Talk Radio, Printed Word, Television, Live gatherings with stadiums full of people. Rush was a master at whatever method was available for getting the message out. And he was better at it than any Pastor on the radio I know, or TV, or Evangelist, or author. Rush knew how to communicate. He knew how to connect. And that is a trait that every single Pastor should aspire to.

    So Rush Limbaugh had a larger congregation, for more times a week, for longer periods of time each time than any other Pastor alive today or in recent memory. Rush Limbaugh was highly successful in Talk, Print, Video, Face-to-Face, large gatherings, small gatherings, any gatherings. More so than any Pastor anywhere in the land today. And he did it with ease and made it look like he was having fun.

    And here is the saddest part of it all. We Pastors, for the most part, refused to learn a single thing from him. Oh, I know Pastors from all over tuned into Rush’s show and I’m sure we all learned a lot about the topics of the day from that. What I mean is we never learned how to be a Pastor from Rush. We never learned how to preach the way Rush preached. We never learned how to share the way Rush shared. We never learned how to connect to people the way Rush Limbaugh connected to people. And that is very, very sad.

    Who was Rush Limbaugh to me? A great Pastor, a great Communicator, a talented giant greatly blessed of God who kept half of his brain tied behind his back just to make it fair to the rest of us.

    “Where never lark, or ever eagle flew –
    And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
    The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
    Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.”

    High Flight – John Gillespie Magee

    Go in peace Rush Limbaugh and may God bless your soul. You will be greatly missed.

  • Did Joe Biden Fail On Day One?

    MediaIte reports that Georgia voters are rather miffed at Joe Biden after ensuring he had the votes to carry the state. Their problem with Liberal Joe? Well they feel cheated on the next round of COVID-19 stimulus checks (story here). Seems that some Georgia voters were expecting a full $2,000.00 USD and not the $1,400.00 now being discussed.

    In all fairness, as is pointed out in numerous comments to the article, Joe probably just meant that an extra stimulus was coming in addition to the already $600.00 USD checks passed out to add up to a full $2,000.00. But that is the problem with Liberal Joe, you can never be quite sure because he never says what he means and he never means what he says. As with all Liberals, the Truth is somewhat relative.

    We will have to wait and see however if Georgia voters receive any extra stimulus money at all. Newsweek reports Republican resistance to the bill in an article here, while CNBC reports the challenges faced in an article here. If you don’t believe that elections have consequences, consider that the previous Presidential Administration kept their promises while the current Administration may have made promises they can’t keep And if you don’t think the Georgia voters have grounds to be just a little bit upset, consider this article from COMPLEX that quotes Liberal Joe as saying: “If you send Jon and the Reverend to Washington, those $2,000 checks will go out the door, restoring hope and decency and honor for so many people who are struggling right now,” Biden told the crowd outside Georgia State University. “And if you send (Perdue and Loeffler back to Washington, those checks will never get there. It’s just that simple. The power is literally in your hands.” before the election. Hmmmm, “those $2,000 checks will go out the door“, I believe I can see where Georgia voters feel like a little bait-and-switch is going on.

    But did Joe Biden fail on day one? Regardless of whether or not Georgia voters were betrayed or not (or even end up being betrayed, there is still plenty of time for Congress to change those $1,400.00 USD checks to $2,000.00 USD checks) there are many different ways you can measure success or failure of the new Administration’s first day in office,

    Even if he didn’t fail on day one, I can assure you there are huge fails to come. And one of the biggest, if not the biggest, is going to be his stance on Abortion as found in this article from National Review. The article also mentions changes to the countries immigration policies. Which I can understand. Liberals are driven by their desire to control others lives. To be in charge. To wield power and authority over everyone else around them. And their lust for this power is insatiable. Therefore winning (or stealing, as the case may be) an election is nowhere near enough for them. They need more. And so opening up the borders is a natural step to them. Liberals hold no regard for the fact this act is treasonous in and of itself. Neither do they appreciate the irony in the action of giving a free pass to our adversaries to simply walk into our country and conquer us from within. So the open border policy is understandable to me. It is simply Liberal Joe growing the Liberal base of the country.

    A little harder one for me is the abortion issue. I guess I just fail to comprehend a culture that much in love with death. So in love with it as a matter of fact, they are willing to spend our money in other countries in order to propagate it. Democrats are completely consumed by killing and death. They just can’t seem to get enough of it. So much so that they won’t even acknowledge that a third trimester abortion is reprehensible. They argue for and protect the killing of innocent unborn children up until the very moment of birth (and they are fighting hard to go beyond that).

    Nazi Germany was into killing a class of people during World War II. The Jewish people. They attacked and murdered them with a vengeance. And we were (and are) horrified by those actions. But that culture of death lives on in the Democrat Party today. You might say they’ve advanced. By switching tactics and killing unborn children in the mother’s womb, they’ve managed to become equal opportunity murders targeting all people equally. They’ve done particularly well with the Black/African American community. Abortion statistics place African American abortions at 61% of all abortions in America. My question to all my fellow African American citizens is: Why do you not realize you are enslaved to the Democrats? Their policies are not designed to make you free.

    I’m not sure if Joe Biden realizes it or not (my guess is not), but one day he will stand before the Creator of the Universe, the Great I AM, Jehovah God. And on that day there will be a reckoning of Liberal Joe’s life. And I hope I’m close enough to hear his answer to the question “Why did you murder millions upon millions of My unborn creation?” And I can definitely believe that God will ask that question. Liberal Joe has done nothing in his unremarkable life to protect the unborn. In fact he has done everything in his power to enable the killing of more and more unborn children all over the world. Just as Nazi Germany did everything in their power to kill innocent Jews, the Democrats do everything in their power to kill innocent unborn children. And Adolph Hitler did not need to turn the valves to the gas chambers in order to have the blood of millions of Jews on his hands, likewise Joe Biden need not apply the suction to pregnant mothers ripping their unborn child from them in order to have their blood on his hands.

    If you are a registered Democrat, I sincerely hope you will consider the fact that you are facilitating the Party of Death. Joe Biden’s biggest fail? Failing to protect God’s innocent creation the unborn children.

    LRPSP is still looking for a person of Artistic Talent to create and share caricatures and cartoons with the world through illustrations of articles here on this site. If you are an artist who can draw/create cartoon illustrations and caricatures, and would like to be involved with this site, please Email me at: peorman@lrpsp.com.

  • Is America At War?

    Why was Jesus Christ crucified on the cross? And yes, I know, because He is the Son of God and He gave up His life at the will of the Father in order to pay for the sins of the world that you and I might be saved. But what reason was put forth at His sham of a trial? And yes, He threatened the power base of the religious rulers of the day. But what was the crime he was charged with? Essentially it was heresy, was it not? His claim before the religious rulers of the day to be the Son of God and the fulfillment of the prophecies of the magi that came before Herod seeking “he that is born King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:1-3). Notice that all of Jerusalem was troubled along with Herod. It was troubling times. And this is born out in the written charge that was placed over his head on the cross:

    37 And set up over his head his accusation written, This Is Jesus The King Of The Jews. (Matthew 27:37)

    So essentially Jesus was crucified for his speech. His teachings. What he claimed. You might even come to believe he was charged with civil unrest and inciting riots if you study hard enough. He wasn’t charged with performing miracles. That would not have been looked upon very favorably by the masses. What He was charged with was performing those miracles on the sabbath. Heresy. And then His answers to the religious rulers when questioned about it. If you boil it all down, Jesus was charged with walking around the country and talking to people.

    And I want us to ponder that. Consider the fact that Jesus was doing nothing but exercising free speech. He was talking about ideas. Ideas we know some of the people scoffed at and ridiculed while others embraced and sought to learn more. But Jesus never forced anyone to accept His ideas. Or even to listen. He just exercised free speech. It was the religious rulers that practiced censorship. It was the religious rulers that demanded their ideas be listened to above all else.

    And why is that? Well I have a theory about that. We know that the word of God produces results and will not return unto Him void (Isaiah 55:11). And if you consider that Satan is also aware of that fact, then it is not that big a leap to believe that Satan will do everything in his power to diminish free speech. In other words, Satan desires to control all speech. He doesn’t want the Word of the Lord to be spoken. He knows that would produce fruit for God. So he does everything in his power to censor, to quell, and to control speech. Satan wants his message to be on the tongues of men, not God’s message.

    And it is not like we have not seen free speech controlled throughout the world and throughout all of history. It is always a battle for the message and the control of ideas. It is always a fight over free speech. Who can put forth an idea and who cannot. Countries like China and Iran go to great lengths, even putting people to death, to control speech. But here in the United States of America, we cherish the First Amendment to our Constitution. Prohibiting Government from interfering in our right and ability to free speech in any way, shape or form. But what happens when we do it to ourselves? What happens when we the people begin to limit and control the free speech of others? When I try and control your speech and you try and control mine, then we are at odds. Because I no longer agree to hear your ideas and you no longer agree to hear mine. And that is when the Nation dies. It can no longer thrive and flourish because it is under the control of tyranny and oppression.

    And that is happening within the United States of America today. Those in control, and those in power, are using their positions of power and control to censor and direct the message of free speech. Just like the religious rulers did with Jesus. And trust me, they are out to crucify.

    Companies (monopolies I might say) like Apple, Google, Twitter, and Amazon (along with others like Simon & Schuster, and FaceBook) are using their positions of power and control to ensure that only their versions of truth are presented and all others are heresy. Where is this happening you ask? Well for one example they are using it to control the narrative of Parler, a company dependent upon their infrastructure for business. In other instances they are blocking posts, tweets, and blogs of those they do not agree with. The war against Parler may be found in numerous news articles here.

    And meanwhile our Government leaders, such as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, are engaged in an all out war, essentially over free speech and the exchange of ideas. Ms. Pelosi is even seeking a second impeachment of President Donald Trump (story here). Why? Because she doesn’t like a few tweets. Nancy Pelosi is the most vile, heartless, vengeful, hateful, and controlling Speaker of the House to ever sit in the chair. And I am careful with my words. Any reasonable person would realize that Donald Trump has barely 10 days left in office and would turn their attention to the affairs of the next administration. But Nancy Pelosi does not have the grace for that. She is driven to put the final stake through Donald Trump’s heart because of her sheer hatred and her vengeful drives. And that is both heartless and vile.

    So is the United States of America at War? I believe so. We are not engaged in a physical civil war with guns and bullets and swords, but we are engaged in a war over free speech, the arena of ideas, and who is to control the thoughts of others. And that is because of the age old war of Satan trying to control the Word of God. Think about it.