What Am I Seeing?

I look around the world, and especially my country, and I am totally flabbergasted at what is going on and my consternation grows each day. We have lost our work ethic, sense of honor, honesty, integrity, courage of our convictions, or even a basic understanding of reading comprehension. Because of these noted deficiencies we have a very difficult time agreeing on anything.

Now someone says, someone for which I have very high regard, I was being misleading on what I was laying out. I stand by what I wrote. What I see, anecdotally, is if people dislike what the actual text of a law, a religious text, or some other text with which they disagree, they try to read the text a way it was never intended to rationalize whatever they are trying to do. I speak from personal experience.

What I can say is before I became a real adult I would look for ways to get out of things, find a loophole, or argue semantics. When I became a man, I put away childish things. It is just part of taking responsibility for your actions.

If you disagree with a law, fight to have it changed. If you disagree with a tenet of your faith, be honest about it and leave the faith if you cannot reconcile with the text. Your faith is your business and you have every right to speak in any way you wish, but it is disingenous of you to be untruthful about the reason you disagree and not make it about, “God didn’t really mean it”. You do not agree, or in this particular instance, the writer of this part of a text I say is still inspired, is wrong. The writer got everything else in the text right but this particular thing. I know it says the same thing in other parts of the text, but I think it is wrong.

Sorry, I am not buying it. Deal with your conscience or your changing faith honestly and in a straightforward way. Do not tear down an entire faith, which has stood the test of time, because you are no longer able to stand by the entire theology of a faith because you think your God has to change to conform to you, when the who purpose of a faith is you to change to the ideal of the faith you willingly have stayed in.

It is very arrogant to think everyone in a faith has to change for you. If you think a faith is wrong you can start a new one and worship in any way you wish. What I see now is denominations, such as the Methodists, are in very painful splits brought on my those wanting the faith to change away from their sacred texts to mirror the society at large. Those who hold on to the the basic tenets of their faith will not change. This leads to the split of the denomination/faith into differing groups. Which, if those who didn’t agree had just left; the whole painful process could have been avoided.

Being different from one another, believing differently than one another is okay. In fact, it is so important it is codified in the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America. It allows American citizens to say what they want, believe what they want, associate with whomever they want, and live most any way they want. It was a reason people left Europe, to have a place where this is all possible.

If you see a group of people happy in their belief system, allow them to be happy. Do not think they have to change to accommodate you, to change what makes them happy and fulfilled to please you or make you feel welcome. For you to expect them to change solely for you, is the height of arrogance and narcissism.

If you want to discuss your differences, and they do also, by all means have the discussion; this is also what America is all about. A free exchange of ideas, a peaceful, free exchange of ideas. The peaceful part seems to be the rub these days. No one seems to be able to give someone else the space to be able to express themselves without trying to “cancel” someone who disagrees. I really do not understand how you think you are so much the arbiter of right and wrong you get to decide whom can express themselves on the public stage.

I have very strong beliefs which I will defend until the end of time; but, I also know I only get to make those decisions for myself. I do not get to be the arbiter of what others believe. I do not have the right to suppress other people sharing their ideas no matter what I might think of them. It is this “marketplace of ideas” which bring the best ideas to the fore and allow us, as a country, to have the correct policies by trying them out. By doing this we find the one which works best.

We do not need to shut someone down who could have the answer to world peace, ending famine, actually make fusion work. Sometimes crackpots, the antisocial, the misfits of our society come up with the best ideas. If you shut those people out of the discourse, or ignore those not like you, you will miss the best and most interesting conversations and the chance to maybe learn a little something about yourself.

Integrity

I have been thinking a lot lately about integrity and what it really means. I watch our society and the evolving world, the ongoing destruction of Christian religious denomination, the growing differences within the various different sects of Islam, the different ways of worshiping within Judaism, and in other faiths. Each diverged because someone didn’t agree with a current interpretation of the sacred text or they believed they had a new revelation of the word of their respective dieties.

I can’t speak to other faiths, I can only speak to my faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior of the World as taught by my the Christian faith. I believe the Bible is the living, inspired, inerrant, immutable Word of the Living, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient God. The Bible gives us the Words of Christ and, through inspiration, the very words of God. When followers become dissatisfied the Word no longer condones the behavior or role they wish to engage in, they rationalize away the very meaning of the words of the Bible which condemn the behavior or role of which they wish to be part.

The same is true for citizens and politicians of the United States who wish not to follow the Constitution of the United States as written; they wish to play semantics with the words or use an emotional argument because the text isn’t on their side. It is all very much lacking in integrity when they have been sworn to uphold the Constitution and new what it said before they swore they oath.

To change a law there is a process outlined within the Constitution to do what needs to be done to accomplish the task. Why must someone intentionally tell a lie to hid their own pride and arrogance? Why is the dissatisfied individual so special the rules do not apply to them. This attitude is what has led to the lawlessness we have now. It goes all the way up to the highest levels of government.

The Constitution is clear about who is allowed to vote; people who are not citizens can’t vote. Yet, we have people who want to change the rules to ensure they can ensure they can build themselves a politically indebted group of people and they do not care the damage they do to our foundational legal document by being untruthful or ignoring the true meaning of the document. When a senior politician or government official will sacrifice their integrity, their honor, for power our country is in grave difficulty.

We have to hold our leadership to higher standard, not a lower one. We have to hold ourselves to a higher standard and understand we get the government and leadership for which we vote.

As for me, my standard is the Word of God first then the Constitution. I attempt to live out the word everyday and to uphold the the oath I took as a Marine upon entering the service as a Marine never stops being a Marine. I cannot vote for a party which supports abortion or other things which are expressly and unambiguously against the teachings of God. I will not vote for a pastor of the Christian faith who actively votes for and campaigns things which are unambiguously against the Word of God; they do not believe in what they say they believe. They do not have the courage of their convictions.

I pray for these pastors who preach this compromised message as they are leading people of away from the true Word of God and the Word is very clear about those who preach a compromised Gospel and lead people from the Truth.

Response To David French Article 21 April 2020

Every morning I spend some time reading a website which constitutes a series of sections. I start with RealClearDefense and then go on to other sections. I also always read the religion section as that is of importance to me and today it featured an article from Mr. David French who made some real good points about White Evangelical support for President Donald Trump.

He spoke about the distinctions made regarding President Clinton and President Trump when it comes to philandering and both do have that history. The difference right now, and it may be due to a lack of information on the current sitting President, but President Clinton continued these behaviors while in the Oval Office whereas, as far as we know now, President Trump has not.

Mr. French also makes a point of President Trump playing fast and loose with the truth at times, could be. We know his opponent in the last election, while holding the office of Secretary of State lied under oath regarding Benghazi and her email server as well as destroying evidence which was under supoena. Mr. Trump, in that battle will get my vote on veracity every time.

We then come to the issues of social justice of which Mr. French skirts the issue. I will be very direct and not skirt anything. No one has the right to what I earn. What I, as a good steward, choose to do charitably is my decision as an investment in the Kingdom of God and to ensure it gets the best use and goes directly to dealing with the issues at the root of the problem. I do so quietly because it isn’t for my glory but for the Glory of God and the growth of His Kingdom. Government programs have not been effective; if they were, generations of the same families would not still be on those programs.

I also hold them to account for holding on to false ideologies, like Socialism, which have never worked wherever they have been implemented. Socialism says my God given rights aren’t God given; rather, they are gifts from the secular state which can be removed at any time. You know, rights like freedom of expression, freedom of association, freedom of religion and it is interesting to watch as the governors of differing states and differing parties regard those rights and either support or suppress those rights in this very difficult time. It is very telling about their party’s regard for those rights.

I do also hold politicians to account for their stands on issues like abortion, religious liberty, other issues of Biblical morality, and what kind of judges they appoint. I also hold them to account for political issues like going after opposition politicians with less that honest FISA warrants and false impeachment charges. All of it together is why I voted for President Trump in the last election.

Questions Regarding Impeachment

1. Why wasn’t the President’s legal counsel allowed to participate for the first 71 days of the House’s impeachment investigation?

2.Why isn’t the transcript of the testimony of the Intelligence community Inspector General available to both counsel and legislative members?

3. Why isn’t the President, who is being investigated for impeachment, allowed at least the due process for everyone else investigated for a “high crime or misdemeanor”?

4. Why must the President prove his innocence since as a basis of any legal proceeding he is afforded innocence until proven guilty?

5. What have the contacts between the various legislative members, their staffs and the whistleblower not been disclosed?

6. Why isn’t the video of then Vice President Biden openly stating he forced Ukraine to fire the prosecutor investigating the company Burisma, on which his son Hunter Biden sat on the board earning 1 million dollars a year, in exchange for 1 billion dollars in aid not a justifiable reason for Vice President Biden to be investigated for corruption?

7. Why is “hearsay” testimony allowed violating established standards of evidence?

8. Why didn’t the House investigations gathering all the pertinent evidence before voting out articles of impeachment to the Senate as has been the standard in past impeachments?

Why Brennan And Clapper Should Permanently Lose Their Clearances

What happened during the last presidential election cycle by members of the intelligence community and Justice Department should be of great concern to every American as it threatens the very core of our constitutional republic. I do not exaggerate and I will endeavor to explain.

We had the sitting administration have the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) conduct a domestic operation to influence the presidential election. Just sit back and think about that for a moment. This is the type of thing done in North Korea, China, Russia and third world countries. James Clapper was the Director of Homeland Security and John Brennan the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It is illegal for the CIA to conduct domestic intelligence operations.

Brennan and Clapper were instrumental in contacting the British former intelligence agent Christoper Steele to put together the dossier of false information, funded by Hillary Clinton, from the same Russian intelligence sources with whom President Trump was supposedly colluding. They then gave this dossier to members of the press, members of Congress and the Justice Department.

The press then began writing stories, members of Congress and the Justice Department forwarded the information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation which were taken up there by ideologically driven agents to obtain FISA warrants to monitor the communications of inhabitants of Trump Tower which have produced no evidence of President Trump colluding with anyone and there is no federal statute which governs collusion. The only evidence thus far presented of collusion with Russians is from the then administration and the Democrat National Committee and its candidate for president.

Robert Mueller was appointed a special counsel to investigate, not the perpetrators of the fraudulent dossier; rather, to investigate the target of the fraudulent dossier. He has been unable, in the length of this ongoing investigation, to identify any evidence against President Trump. He has uncovered sexual information, which isn't illegal, from long before President Trump was a candidate and alleged crimes over a decade old against associates of President Trump. No evidence against Mr. Trump.

Because of their involvement to undermine the constitutional electoral process, which betrays their oath of office, Mr. Clapper and Mr. Brennan should have their access to classified information and clearances should be forever removed. This is very simple, and they understood fully what they were engaged in, and should also be up on charges of treason.

What Is Freedom?

What is freedom? Why did the founders of the United States of America think it was worth dying for? From where do our individual rights come and why are they so important? Who is really trying to curtail or eliminate those freedoms? How are they trying to curtail them? What can each of us do to combat these attempts? Why is this even important?

Freedom is the cornerstone on which America was founded; freedom in all its forms. Freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of our person, freedom of privacy, freedom from government intrusion without probable cause, economic freedom, freedom of association, and the freedom to be a noble person or a raging piece of excrement. Those are our choices and we, as individuals, make the choices for our lives to be the person we envision ourselves to be regardless of what others think or want you to be.

Freedom of expression means you express yourself as you see fit, and others get to express themselves however they see fit. Should you take into account others feelings and point of view as your express yourself? Of course, but it isn't a requirement under our constitution. Each of us decide, according to our standards, ethics and free will, how we make our thoughts, ideas, and feelings known. The rights we have are for everyone and trying to shut out one group's expression degrades the entire concept of free speech.

Speech codes, trying to keep people from talking because you don't like what people have to say, or using a position of power to preclude people from voicing opinions differing from your own is wrong. Feelings are no reason to erase someone's inherent right to freedom of expression.

These rights are ours, each of us, because we are human beings and they are our birthright as image bearers of God. You do not have to believe in God, that is also your right as a human being. You do not have to believe in anything or anyone; but, it also means we each have to extend the same courtesy to those who disagree with us. This is the ability we have lost. We cannot seem to agree to disagree. To accept the very possibility that other's opinions should be given an airing just as our own.

It doesn't mean there is an equality of correctness or validity, but unless an idea is expressed it cannot be examined for correctness or validity. An idea has to be examined by everyone, peer reviewed, to determine the efficacy. Which means it must be put out for all to see and examine. Even when the majority decide an idea is efficacious there are those who will continue to disagree; this is also necessary.

A vast majority of us have come to understand institutions of the past, such as indentured servant-hood, slavery, child labor, and separating ourselves along ethnic and tribal lines, are wrong and lead to nothing but further distrust, miscommunication, and violence. We cannot make a better society or civilization by going backward and retreading old ground; as seems to be happening now. We are allowing ourselves to be pulled back into those old behaviors which have caused nothing but division, hurt, and actual violence; what happened in Charlottesville, Virginia is but one example. Another example is what has happened at Virginia Tech this year with student requested ethnically separated graduation ceremonies.

How did we forget the lessons of the past? How did we allow people to again separate us according to tribe and ethnicity. How could the teaching and example of the Reverend Doctor King become so distorted or forgotten? How could we forget God is no respecter of persons? That we are all equal in His sight? None of us are better or worse in God's sight regardless of tribe, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender or any other factor we choose differentiate ourselves. God judges us each as individuals according to our behavior and beliefs as stacked up to His standards.

We choose how we respond to the freedom of expression of others. Are we going to allow people to use the tactics of Saul Alinsky to try to demonize people for sincerely and legitimately held beliefs. Allowing others to speak and express themselves doesn't mean we agree with them; rather, it means we respect them as we do ourselves and allow them the same freedom we allow ourselves. We can only control ourselves and no one else. It is time we lived accordingly.

Thoughts 29 May 2019

I wanted to expand on what I wrote yesterday; so, let's flesh this out a little more. Yesterday I wrote about what happened during the Presidential campaign of 2016 if it were a normal criminal investigation of someone other than a presidential candidate, like you or me. Today let's look at it in regards to how those in the media have handled the coverage of the investigation.

So, throughout the investigation there have been leaks and articles based on anonymous sources from within the intelligence, law enforcement and prosecutorial communities. We have come to find most of the leaked information to be false and unverified; and some are even now in the throws of legal action of defamation (such as Mr. Halpert) concerning the information leaked. In fact, two (2) reporters won a Pulitzer Prize for their reporting which has now been found to be false.

Let's continue the illustration from yesterday. The police officer or prosecutor has this false document on the person of interest in their investigation and really it is a compilation of several documents to make up an investigative file or dossier on the person of interest which they begin to leak to friendly media people/reporters. The reporters then run the information they have received through their editor(s) who then proceed to bring the legal advisors into the conversation. The decision is to delay publishing until verification can be made.

The media organization learns another media outlet is about the publish the same information and legal issues are subsumed by the need to be the first to release the information, to get the scoop. The false information is then published and begins the narrative, though false, the person of interest is up to nefarious activities and is under investigation. Thus begins the narrative to taint the jury pool and take away the presumption of innocence.

The media's dislike for the person of interest is visceral. The person of interest has been a part of their community and feted by them for donations to their causes, actions in support of agendas they believe in, and success within their field; however, the person of interest has chosen to take a stance with people they disagree with and they are feeling betrayed. They run every bit of innuendo that can possibly be found, they lose all sense of objectivity and every leaked falsehood they find is given credence as 85% of their profession run with the leaked information because it comports with their own agenda.

Then a special prosecutor is appointed and they stack their team with investigators and lawyers who are philosophically and and politically opposed to the person of interest. They use every prosecutorial intimidation tactic available to rattle the person of interest and their associates, even going so far as to charge some with crimes outside the chronology of the case of the person of interest. Yet, when the special prosecutor's report is released there is no legal foundation for any criminal charges.

The media feel betrayed by the special prosecutor and continue to push the narrative of the discredited information they reported and now the media is running a story claiming the special prosecutor is involved in a cover up. In addition, they are trying to get some other legal venue to pursue the charges even though those charges have been demonstrated to be false. This is where we are right now in reference to President Trump.

Thoughts 28 May 2019

I have been ruminating on a few things which have been going on the past couple of years and I have just reached a point where I must write about them. You know, like the reason the 4th Amendment of the Bill of Rights is even in the Constitution.

It is there to protect us from the police just coming into our homes, our digital lives, our relationships, and any other private areas of our lives without what is called “probable cause”. Probable cause is the concept, defined in numerous court decisions, where governmental authorities have to have a legitimate investigative purpose before they can delve into all aspects of our lives looking for evidence of a crime. They can't just go looking for something, they have to show a court of law why they legitimately expect to find evidence of a crime before the court will allow the governmental body to have access to our information.

Why can't the same standard be applied to different congressional committees before they ask for a subpoena as a means of checks and balances. It would require an amendment to the Constitution and it may be something we need to look into. The Judiciary committee has not, to my satisfaction, shown any legitimate probable cause to issue a subpoena for President Trump's tax returns other than they just want to go deep diving into his financial history to a point years before his being elected to the Presidency. The only reason I am leery of even pushing for this is because I no longer trust the judicial system.

After the issue of the FISA warrants based on known false information, district judges issuing nationwide injunctions based on political ideology as opposed to legal standards, the Supreme Court legislating instead of issuing legal opinions I am beginning to see mounting objective evidence the whole system has become politicized and that rulings are being based on feelings and political ideology instead of actual objective fact.

What happened with the FISA warrants is just one example. In this instance imagine if a police officer or prosecutor went to their computer and created some documentary evidence against a person of interest to obtain an electronic surveillance warrant from a judge despite there being no evidence of any wrong doing. The officer just didn't like the person and wanted to prevent the person of interest from obtaining something they might actually achieve.

The judge, having had a relationship with the officer for quite a while and a level of trust through those dealings, issues the electronic surveillance warrant without checking the facts of the affidavit on the reasons for the warrant. This is what essentially happened to President Trump during the course of the campaign for the 2016 presidential election. It would be like taking a fingerprint from somewhere other than the crime scene and saying in the affidavit the fingerprint was found at the crime scene.

I have a hard time believing anyone, from any political party, would be supportive of this. Then to have a special counsel spring from this and determine there was no chargeable crime, and yet the police officer or prosecutor is still pushing for the person of interest to be charged. This is what the Democrat's position is currently. It is a complete compromising of our judicial system and it's under girding ethics.

Observations 5 March 2019

What I have seen happening to my country is really causing me worry and concern. We have citizens that seem to believe they are entitled to what someone else has earned. We have citizens who are giving socialism serious consideration. We have citizens who believe it is morally acceptable to allow a child to die after taking a breath. We have citizens who think biology, genetics and physiology can be subordinated to feelings. We still have citizens who think a person's worth is determined by the amount of melanin in their bodies. We should have been long passed these things and aren't. It is a little demoralizing.

Nowhere in the Constitution is there any wordage which can be interpreted to have a meaning whereby I am to fund any part of someone else lifestyle. I am more than willing to contribute to national defense, law enforcement, fire departments, other emergency services, infrastructure construction, primary and secondary education. I am not willing to fund you a cell phone, an able bodied individual who will not work, your post secondary education, child care, subsidize or fully fund your living expenses. There was a time I would, not any longer. I will do all I am able to end all subsidies.

I am not responsible for any past generation's wrongs. I am not willing to take the blame for anything someone else may have done. I cannot apologize for that which I have not done. I refuse to be jealous for what someone else has earned, inherited, or fate has allowed them to acquire. I do not have a legal or moral claim to their assets.

Life is not fair. There will always be differences of circumstance in which each human being finds themselves; we all have to navigate the vicissitudes of life as they are presented to us. Navigation of life is more difficult if I am trying to blame someone else for the position in which I find myself. I will always have it better than some and worse than some. I can only realistically acknowledge my current place in life and move out from there; not as I wish it were but as it is.

Genetically an individual is either male or female. It isn't a choice an individual can make. There are medical reasons you have to come to grips with the gender you are at birth. Some medical treatments are different for the same malady dependent upon your genetic, biologic gender. Your feelings do not enter into this equation. It doesn't matter how you feel, genetics are genetics. Can you surgically change your apparent gender? Yes. Does the actual genetic gender ever change? No. I am not trying to be harsh, but it is time we started dealing with reality.

Like the fiscal reality there are finite resources available to us in our nation and on our planet. There is also the historic evidence socialism does not work, capitalism does. You do not have to like it, but capitalism is much more efficient and does not curtail an individual's freedom. With a socialist form of government you will inevitably curtail an individual's freedom to ensure everyone is equally miserable. The state determines what is produced and how much, it is for the good of the state. If your freedom is compromised by the needs of the state that is just how it is.

I also find it incomprehensible anyone could be able to allow a child be born (no matter the circumstance), take a breath, and then be allowed to die. I cannot understand lawmakers unable to have the intestinal fortitude to enshrine the legal necessity to provide medical treatment to children which have actually been born and taken a breath. Those who do not provide the medical care necessary are murderers and I do mean murderers.

I also can no longer deal with our separating ourselves based upon the amount of melanin in our skin. We are individual human beings with individual tastes, morals, ethics, religious beliefs, goals, wants, needs and desires. Can some of those fall within the ethnic group we belong to? Sometimes. Can we also find like-minded individuals of other ethnic groups who have the same religious beliefs and other common ideas and outlooks? Yes. Why alienate anyone from your life who isn't just a terrible person? I have found I need all the help and different perspectives I can get. I cannot afford to alienate anyone except for those who are just people who would hamper the goals I have for my life and that has absolutely nothing to do with ethnicity.

We must get back to a realistic look at life. Feelings change minute by minute. Facts must be the primary basis of our decisions. We know socialism does not work. Capitalism does. Biology and genetics do not change. We should have learned by now that we should judge each other on the content of character and no other basis. Until we do, we will continue to have dysfunctional social interactions and expectations.

The Rule Of Law

We just observed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. day here in the United States and it is interesting for me to think on his teaching and actions. He was a leader of non-violent protest and maintained the moral high ground whatever the situation. He spoke the truth regarding ethnic differences and refused to be drawn into violence in any way. He faced violence with love, mercy, grace and truth. He was a man, a leader, and an inspiration.

His dream of every human being having their character be the litmus test of their life hasn't yet become reality. I try every day to achieve that dream in my interpersonal relationships, but as a nation we refuse to really grasp and hold to that dream. We keep remaining within the bubbles we have created, our safe zones, to protect ourselves; we refuse to step out onto the pitching seas of that grand dream. It is easier to stay attached to what we have always known instead of taking that leap which may end with us hitting the ground face first.

Dr. King knew we all are made in the image of God; that as human beings we were given certain rights because of this creation. The Founding Fathers of our great nation understand this, at least some, as they codified them in the first ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights. These rights had to be codified and protected to ensure our government must respect and hallow them, otherwise we would not be a free people.

Dr. King knew these rights were his and refused to accept anything less. He also knew the rule of law had to be maintained and every American must be held to its standard. It is the only way those God given rights, codified in the Constitution, could be protected. We have forgotten that important part of his teaching. We are all to be the same, not equivalent but equal, before the bar of justice.

To have his dream to become reality we each have to put it into practice within our own lives. We have to be the hands and feet of his God given dream before it can become a living, permanent reality. It means being able to look ourselves in the mirror first and be honest about ourselves. Are we being honest with ourselves about the behaviors in which we are engaged? Are we honest with ourselves about the friends with wihich we surround ourselves? Are we living out our ethics and morals for everyone to see not just hear?

After ourselves we have to work within our sphere of influence to reach those around us; to be honest about their behavior. We have to ask ourselves hard questions. Do those whom I consider my friends really share my ethics and morals? Do we have a common belief system? Can I engage with them constructively, even on difficult issues? Love is being honest and, sometimes, confrontational.

Confrontation doesn't have to adversarial or violent; it should be a discussion of specific behavior or actions or ideas. There should be boundaries in the discussion you shouldn't go beyond. The people involved should be able to agree to disagree if agreement is impossible. You will not agree with someone on everything; doesn't mean you cannot continue to be friends most of the time. Life is not a zero sum game. It is an experience to be lived.

The common boundaries we in the United States of America have agreed upon are the Constitution and the subsequent laws which have been enacted by those we have elected to represent us. The concept of following those laws is called the Rule of Law. We are beginning to forget this powerful concept which ensures a society which respects its citizens and their individual rights.

It ensures when someone comes before a judicial body they are equal in the eyes of the law regardless of ethnicity, gender, or economic status. Each individual is special and has intrinsic value simply because they are a human being whom God created in His image.

Groups are made of up of individuals who have their own agendas and plans. Groups do not always reflect the beliefs of an individual associated with that particular group. Individuals each have their own behaviors, morals and ethics. Each individual is different. We have to treat each other individually and not as members of a group.

The Fallacy Of Adulting

I want to begin this by quoting 1 Corinthians 13:11 from the International Standard Version, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” This verse plainly states you don't act adult at required times; rather, it is something you become as a part of the maturation process. You become an adult 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks of the year. You realize you have responsibilities, people who depend on you and how you conduct your life. I can trace the vast majority of my mistakes to not being an adult and using mature thinking to make those choices. I do not believe I am alone in that regard.

New Year Questions For Republicans

Well, as I am an independent I have some questions for Republicans. Why, having 2 years with majorities in Congress, did you not repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare), reform immigration law, and appropriate the necessary monies to build an appropriate border barrier? The President would have signed the legislation.

I have to be honest the House of Representatives did pass monies for the border barrier but the Senate just couldn't get the job done. It is funny the Republicans in the House can come together, but you have Republican Senators who can't seem to actually follow through on what got them elected. They forget what their platform was. They say it is because they are a more deliberative body: I just think they have no integrity. Former Senator Flake, Former Senator (now deceased) McCain, Senator Snow all forget what small government means and have an over inflated view of themselves. They forget they are to represent their constituents, not themselves.

Also, what is the rebellion within the party from a first term senator, hello Senator Romney of Utah, who has failed as a presidential candidate and seems to have no ideas beyond trying to stop whatever President Trump wishes to do though those who elected him seem to like what the President has done and wants to do. Senator Romney you not liking President Trump doesn't matter; but getting legislation passed does. Why not spearhead an effort in the Senate to find some type of compromise on immigration which can deal with the issues appropriately and fund the border wall. Walls work in Israel and other places. What say we try it? You have offered no solutions.

Senator Lindsay Graham is asking President Trump to open the government for 3 weeks for negotiations to fully fund the government and deal with the immigration issue. Why would the 3 weeks make any difference? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has stated she will block any attempt to fund a border barrier as she finds it immoral to force those wishing to enter our country to have to do it legally. The Democrat party members in the Congress have shown themselves to be without integrity with the way they went after Justice Kavanaugh during his nomination hearings to the way they have avoided dealing with immigration in a meaningful way throughout the President's first 2 years in office. They want it to remain an issue and find a way to allow illegal immigrants to vote as they see them as their votes.

What should clue Senator Graham into the Democrat's lack of integrity is there current campaign to impugn his integrity by hinting the Russians are trying to blackmail him as a closeted homosexual. This just furthers my distaste for the Democrat Party and their lack of integrity. It is an utterly disgusting thing to do to someone who has actively tried to work in a bipartisan manner up until the Democrats went after Justice Kavanaugh with fake charges he sexually assaulted women. This is the state of the current Democrat party and proves they cannot be a trusted legislative partner.

New Year Questions

I start the second half of this term of the Trump administration with questions from the beginning of the first half. Questions which have persisted and do not seem to be any closer to having answers.

My first question is why are there no charges, findings, or report from the special prosecutor regarding President Trump's alleged collusion with Russians to influence the 2016 presidential election? There has no evidence been presented, leaked, or hinted at about a topic which isn't even a codified crime. Several associates of President Trump have been charged with “process crimes” or unrelated crimes from years gone by, but nothing even hinting at collusion. Maybe Mr. Mueller is keeping his powder dry, but all evidence (which is abundantly available) only points to my second question.

My second question is why no charges have been brought in the attempt to influence a domestic election by the then sitting heads of the Central Intelligence Agency and Department of Homeland Security? These two individuals colluded with British and Russian intelligence agents to create a false dossier to denigrate a presidential candidate and then leaked said dossier to the press and passed it to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to fraudulently obtain FISA wiretaps on individuals associated with the presidential candidate's campaign. Which leads to a third question.

My third question is why are there no charges pending against the individuals in the Federal Bureau of Investigation who used a dossier they knew was factually challenged as a basis to obtain the FISA wiretap warrant on members of a Presidential candidate's campaign staff? This is an abuse of power and the continuance of the domestic intelligence operation to influence the 2016 presidential election by a sitting administration which is a crime. It is called treason.

I do not care which party carried it out. It is just plain wrong. A subversion of the Constitution and constitutional processes is treason. Which leads to another question. Why is this particular party seemingly pushing and celebrating lawlessness?

They are pushing the breaking of immigration law. They are encouraging people to form caravans of thousands of people to travel thousands of miles through other countries, breaking those countries laws in the process, to try to illegally enter our country and circumvent the established legal process for entry into our sovereign nation. Others from around the world, without a contiguous border with the United States follow the legal process, what is special about people from Latin/Central America?

Children are forced on this long and difficult journey and then these same people encouraging this lawless and dangerous behavior are surprised and try to blame the existing administration when these children take ill, and some die, despite being provided medical care. They need to look in the mirror and examine themselves on whom should take on some of the responsibility for the consequence of this irresponsible behavior.

Another example is when members, not just one, is found to be guilty of not paying millions in taxes; they are not sent to jail and have as yet not paid those back taxes. These people are still venerated and put forward as people worthy of our respect. They even maintain their positions of leadership.

They nominate someone who shows a disdain for handling classified national security information and who seems to believe they are above the laws which all the remaining citizens must follow. Who has no issue with spreading a false narrative about the deaths of four Americans, one an ambassador. Who disregards the request from that very same ambassador for increased security measures for which monies had already been appropriated.

They denigrate those who try to uphold and enforce the laws which Congress has passed and the President, of both parties, has signed into law. They celebrate and overlook those who would destroy public and private property in what is suppose to be a peaceful protest. They celebrate and elevate those who call for the assassination of a sitting president or call for the public harassment of members of their cabinet.

This is the present day Democrat Party and I am not a Republican. But I can never support a party which revels in lawlessness.

More New Year Questions

I have even more questions after the events of the government shutdown and the reasons from both sides and in light of certain facts, not emotional pleas or grandstanding.

Why is it immoral to enforce the existing immigration law which everyone else around the world has to follow? Again isn't it more immoral to tell people to begin a journey of over a thousand miles with inadequate food, water, shelter and medical care knowing they are acting contrary to the laws of their own country as well as all the countries they will have to traverse in their journey and the laws of the United States (the very country whose constitution and laws you took an oath to uphold and defend)?

With United States census data telling us that over 60% of those who have illegally entered the United States of American remain on public assistance after arrival, isn't it immoral to tell American citizens they must support these individual's lifestyles and medical needs with their hard earned living and taking money from these citizens families to do so through taxes they have to pay?

Isn't it immoral to not pass funding for those who are citizens and depend upon government funds in the form of Welfare and SNAP benefits to not enhance border security and to allow individuals who break our laws by entering our country illegally? You would rather allow people to enter illegally, not fund government assistance programs for actual citizens, take care of veterans, or protect this country by constructing an actual barrier to at least slow down the arrival of illegal drugs, those involved in the trafficking of children, or possibly even terrorists?

This is the morality of the present day Democrat Party; not something I can support.

Integrity

What is integrity? The best definition I have is to do the right thing even when no one is around. That means not stealing anything whether or not you will be caught. It means not saying something about someone if you wouldn't say it to their face. It means being the same with someone no matter who is around. It means treating everyone the same, having the same standards for everyone in your life. It means being honest with yourself. It means being intellectually honest even when your most cherished beliefs and philosophies are being challenged.

Integrity is difficult and is mostly absent in American culture. Look at our politics and those in the public eye. Look at yourself and those within your sphere of influence; be honest, how much integrity is exhibited?

The first place to begin instilling a culture of integrity is with yourself. It all has to start with you. You are the prime mover in your sphere of influence. If you can't be honest with yourself you cannot be honest with anyone else. Examine your expressed belief system and whether your actions are in tune with your system. If you believe stealing is wrong are you stealing? Are you stealing time from your employer by not working as you should? Are you stealing financially by not being honest on your taxes. Are you stealing things from stores, neighbors or other citizens? Are you stealing from yourself in the way you are a steward of the things God has placed in your life?

Are you being truthful with yourself and those around you?

Abortion Thoughts

Abortion is making headlines with passage of the new abortion bill by the state of New York allowing an abortion to be performed right up to the moment before birth. It codifies into law as legal that which Dr. Gosnell was sent to prison for performing. It rejects the humanity of that child, and that child is human. The child's DNA proves it is human from the moment of conception.

In my state of Georgia we have a fetal heartbeat bill pending in our legislature and we have Hollywood elites threatening a boycott if the legislation becomes law. I say let them. Georgia is an inexpensive place to film a movie or television show which will not change with the passage of this bill. I am sure there are other actors waiting for a show to display their talent in such productions. Actors and their involvement in politics is a whole other issue I do not wish to get into; but, suffice it to say, they are not whom I seek out for information regarding politics, morals, or ethics.

When sperm meets ova something magical happens that science has yet to explain, and the two become one. An embryo is formed. An embryo does not result from every such encounter. It is why every embryology textbook will tell you life begins at conception.

Justice Blackmun was just plain wrong when he came up with the whole “viability” aspect of his decision and it has led us to place we are now, in some states, a child can be born, actually take a breath, and then be killed or allowed to die from neglect. Democrat senators actually voted to allow this infanticide, the murder of babies.

We have come to a place where the bodies of these murdered children are sold piecemeal to entities for testing. We are selling human body parts. Selling human body parts. This is stuff from Nazi Germany. I just cannot understand what we have become.

I have talked with female friends who have tried to tell me how difficult the decision is for women. I get the emotion because the ladies I have spoken with about this became emotional as we talked. The reasons they give to abort the child are emotional, not fact based. Even so, their quality of life is more important to them than the human life being taken. It is an innocent human life.

It is an innocent human life which never asked to be conceived. The human beings involved in the procreative act which caused the child's conception decided to engage in said act knowing the possible outcome could be a pregnancy. They chose to go down the path which could create an unborn, unique human being, but the child is the one who suffers the death penalty. Just doesn't seem fair. Every human being is equal and has the right to a life. These unborn human beings get no such consideration.

28 August 2018 Truth

Truth: the true or actual state of a matter: He tried to find out the truth.

• conformity with fact or reality; verity: the truth of a statement.

• a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like: the state or character of being true.

• actuality or actual existence.

• an obvious or accepted fact; truism; platitude.

• honesty; integrity; truthfulness.

• (often initial capital letter) ideal or fundamental reality apart from and transcending perceived experience: the basic truths of life.

• agreement with a standard or original.

• accuracy, as of position or adjustment.

• Archaic. fidelity or constancy.

The above definition was taken from Dictionary.com and it is illustrative of the way our language has been debased to somehow equate emotion to actual truth when we use the terms “your truth” or “my truth” or other such terms.

There is only a singular truth. 2 + 2 is always going to equal 4. If you drop a rock from a building it is going to plummet to the ground not float away into space. If you cut your skin it is going to bleed. This is truth. How your perceive things is only perception, not truth.

I do not care how you want things to be in some illusory world you have created for yourself, it is not going to be reality unless it is grounded in a realistic view of the forces at work in the world you inhabit and how those forces operate. If you see a stop sign it will never become a go sign no matter how you tell “your truth” to the officer as they write you the traffic citation. If your perception does not comport with reality you will never be able to be happy with your place in the world.

Emotion and reality are sometimes the same thing, but not always; but, truth is always truth. Your emotions cloud your judgment and can make you see things too pessimistically or too positively. It is why you have to allow your emotions to be your early warning system not your critical thinking agent.

Emotion will alert you to an issue in your sphere of influence, but it is often only that. It is like a sensor telling you something is wrong so you can take the time to examine what has triggered the sensor. You then begin the troubleshooting process to determine what is the root cause of the issue to intelligently address the underlying problem.

We do not teach critical thinking skills anymore, not really. If people were taught to think through a problem it would not matter what was on a test because students would have the skills to think through the challenge successfully. Math problems are not biased in any way; if logic and an understanding of mathematics has been taught you will solve the problem. Same with grammar and history. If they have been taught properly you will solve the problem presented.

Thoughts 8 June 2018

How do we pursue our relationship with Christ and build that Godly character within us so it shines as a city on a hill to the world around us? I used the word pursue intentionally. We should pursue Christ and all He has for us as if it is a priceless treasure; because it is a priceless treasure. This relationship will strengthen us and every aspect of our lives if we relentlessly pursue its fulfillment in our lives.

We seek God in prayer and study of His Word. As we pray and study His Word the Holy Spirit will enable us to understand and implement what we learn in our lives. As we submit more and more of our lives over to Christ He shines brighter and brighter to the world around us. The Bible promises if Christ is lifted up He will draw all men unto Him.

We should also become members of a local body of believers. In this body we will find friends, mentors, and people who can teach us, aid in our spiritual growth, and hold us accountable in our walk. We can bear witness to God's moving in each other's lives and build each other up in the faith.

We spend time in reading and studying the Bible, time in prayer, and time meditating on what we have read and studied. We search for ways to put those things into action in our lives everyday as we walk through the day. It is this which will draw people to Christ as they see us changing everyday to come into further submission to His will for our lives. As we allow Him to shine through our daily lives people will see Him and His work in our lives.

Thoughts 6 June 2018

Dr. King spoke about letting a person be known by the content of their character, not the amount of melanin in their skin. Yet, everything we do politically divides by physical ability, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation or ethnicity. It is how at least one of the major political parties choose to market themselves. That particular political party cares little about character, as character is an individual condition, and all about catering to providing funding to ethnic, sexual identity and other groups compatible with their political agenda.

Character, or lack thereof, is THE major issue facing our country today. Our leaders in every sphere of our society are corrupt. They hardly put in hours leading and doing the people's business, yet act as aristocracy.

We have whole segments of our society which think it is okay to lie, steal, cheat, and ignore any law or rule inconvenient for them. Our popular culture places as exemplars those who achieve not through hard work; rather, those who can break those laws and rules.

Our Christian churches, as a Christian I can speak to this, are all about making people feel good about themselves and making the standard of achievement material gain. That isn't the purpose of the church. The purpose of the church is to be the light of the world by beaming the love of Christ to a lost and dieing world to win the lost to a saving relationship with Christ.

When this relationship with Christ is started the convert becomes a new creation. They are born again. They begin to change from the inside out and Godly character is formed. It doesn't matter what societal pigeon holes they have been placed in. God will do His work as the relationship is pursued and allowed to grow. It is being impatient with each other and the rate of our spiritual growth which leads to disunity and false doctrine.

Salvation of the lost should be the central message of the church; everything else follows from that singular starting point.

Thoughts 1 June 2018

I keep reading the posts on different social media outlets of various Christian friends I have and how we can attack each other over differing interpretations of Scripture when the main point of it is salvation of the lost through a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

The Bible is the Bible and it says what it says. If you cannot handle the King James Version get a New International Version or an interlinear version or any other translation. You could even do as I and compare several different translations during your reading and study. If you truly search for God you will find Him.

I believe the Bible is the living, inspired, inerrant, immutable Word of the living, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God. Yes, I am one of those people. I do not believe any one denomination has ownership of the one true theological doctrine.

There are doctrinal issues I will not compromise on and here is a partial, by no means complete, list: the deity of Jesus Christ, the Trinity, the inerrancy of Scripture, the need for repentance and salvation and the only means for that is an acceptance and belief in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. I will be more than happy to talk about anything but I will not argue or have a discussion become ugly. It may be we have to agree to disagree and that is an acceptable outcome for me.