"These Are Times That Try Men's Souls"

Tuesday evening EST the House passed the Payroll tax cut extension bill. Peraonally in the final analysis I would have voted against this bill. Let’s just say that Michelle Bachman has a point. We don’t want to undermine Social Security for future retirees. But the price of awarding this sought after plum prize to the President was that pipeline from Canada to Texas where their pollution is exported to the United States in what I regard as tainted oil. This is the 21^st Century and we don’t need oil that bad. Personally I am still expecting the price of crude oil to drop dramatically soon since I just don’t see world wide demand supporting this high a price, and especially since so many alternative energy sources are coming online. Also there are numerous safety concerns about this pipeline. But other provisions of this bill just passed tonight are pretty bad. It vastly restricts unemployment coverage and mandates that unemployed people be tested for drugs since we all know they hang around the house smoking crack. There was talk of mandating unemployment recipients have a high school diploma. There is also some provision about their paying for their own work training. So in the end you have one minor incentive to pass the thing and a whole slew of reasons to oppose it. Just as I opposed last years Christmas tree, as well as Christmas gift tax cut bill.

I continue to be amazed that Gingrich is now the darling of the media, main stream and tea party alike, as the ideal republican nominee. It’s strange that Christians as well as Dr. Levy will vilify President Jimmy Carter no end when he had one of the most honist administrations we’ve had in the last forty years, as well as having impacable marital credentials, as well as being a truly honest, unassuming man. Of course it’s guys like him that forced Christian pastors to come up with the term of “false humility” to deal with modest people they didn’t like. Even Dr. Levy takes off on Jimmy Carter. At the same time Pete Richards, who first “called” the Gingrich surge, says that Newt feels “comfortable” among Calvary Church pastors and the feelings are mutual. Of course Calvary Chapel welcomed one pastor to preach as guest who had questionable sexual contacts with various young females whom he was counseling. But hey- - he is a good speaker. You know if the networks or more likely Cable are in for a good Christian sitcom of a satirical nature I know one family that fills the bill. Four out of the five nuclear family members have major character flaws. One daughter had a baby boy while she was still a teenager. The mother was an alcoholic and was basically driven out of the church. Whereas the brother was employed by an animal lab who does experiments on and dissects animals. And we mustn’t forget the grandmother, whom we call Sister Irene, who was a dingbat in her own right. The one daughter lacking any major character flaws, is definitely one of the quieter ones, when it comes to religious ponthication. I continue to cringe every time someone brings up the idea of term limits for Congressmen. That’s like going from the frying pan into the fire and would insure that the few good politicians get eliminated, such as Bernie Sanders and Barbra Boxer. If that happened the lobbyists would truly have the run of the place, unfettered by anybody with any actual experience in handling them. Newt got voted out of office and it didn’t stop him. Others suggest that we pay our legislators too much. But this job costs money and as the Bible teaches “A worker is entitled to his pay”. But I don’t see why they can’t just pass a law saying that a congressman shall receive NO money from any lobbyist. Dennis Prager’s position on campaign contributions is not to restrict it but to have full disclosure. That view seems acceptable to me. However I think the caviat is that some dummy organization is not set up just to disguise who is a contributor to it, or for that matter some dummy corporation set up. I don’t believe corporations should be allowed to participate in politics. Labor unions are a different story. I have no problem with the ACLU or the Sierra or NORML or other advocacy organizations contributing to a campaign because we all know who they are and what they stand for. But for instance a dummy organization set up by the Koch brothers we have no idea what their real agenda might be, but you know it’s gotta be bad. It’s funny how Neil of KFI can talk about “Big Boundaries” when it comes to sinning, and yet he sees no problem with anything connected with war- - - and as far as I know has never said word one about all of the Wall Street corruption that’s occurred in the last ten years. Or is he going to tell me that the Bible is silent on the subject of money and honesty in business dealings?

The military’s role in the United States has been growing. In 2002 President Bush established NorthCom, a military command inside the United States based in Colorado with additional bases in Alaska, Florida, Texas, Virginia and the DC area. On October 1, 2008, the 3rd Infantry Division (United States)’s 1st Brigade Combat Team was assigned to U.S. Northern Command, marking the first time an active unit had been given a dedicated assignment to Northern Command. In 2008, the Pentagon announced plans to deploy 20,000 troops inside the United States, set to be trained by 2011. The change in law in the new Defense Authorization comes at a time of rapidly creeping domestic military expansion. e of the gravest grievances described in the Declaration of Independence was the misuse of standing armies against the colonialists. Numerous state constitutions declared standing armies a threat to liberty and the U.S. Constitution showed antipathy to militarism. Now, the Congress and President Obama are prepared to turn the military against Americans and allow indefinite military detention without any finding of guilt. eese is right: see this, this, this and this.) d former high-level military officers say that the new bill authorizing indefinite detention of Americans will hand the terrorists a big win … and is a big step towards tyranny at home. Ron Paul says that it will establish martial law in America (and no, Obama will not veto it … he’s the one who asked for it). I told you Obama would not veto this bill last week.

Some people would make certain somewhat disparaging “observations” about my writings saying that I place too high a premium on Logic to the detriment of human emotions. Some might even liken me to that kid on Star Trek who responds “I am functioning within normal parameters”. Some like Bill Halliday might even say that I am emotionally damaged (based on NO evidence what so ever) Others may speak of this character flaw in me in terms of “not having the Love of God. They’d never come out and say I had a character problem because they know better. So they will speak in terms of something that I DON’T HAVE, with the implication is that it’s something they DO have, and are therefore superior. But the thing is Character is not something that you “Have”, it’s something you ARE. It’s a part of your intrinsic nature apart from any possessions. These people have trouble grasping this. We need to get right down to the core of the matter- - where the nitty meets the gritty, so to speak. They will claim that they have a thing called “Forgiveness” or “Salvation”. I say, “OK, that’s something you Have - - but what ARE you? What are YOU?” I never mentioned the Father’s profession in that example of mine. Well, what was Jehovah’s profession before he became universal God? Mr Hickey told us in philosophy class in 1972 that Monotheism was invented by the Zoroastrians of the Pursian empire, and before that Jehovah was just a local tribal god. The Mormons teach, or used to, that after you die you can go off and found your own planet with a harem of women, and in the future all your descendants will come to venerate you for all generations. That’s almost as good as being a god. So I guess what I’d ask all these devout Christians is “If you weren’t busy being Religious all the time what would you Be?” To get back to my initial issue, you could say I am drawn to Logic because Logic is prudent in most cases, and prudence is one of my seven cardinal virtues. A virtue is a character trait. It’s not something you “have”; it’s something you Are. What IS Newt Gingrich. Maybe the Deep Space Nine people would call him a political shape shifter. What is it about his inherent arrogance and propensity to Lie without flunching that attracts devout Christians? I believe a man’s character can also be determined by what he is repulsed by and what he is Attracted TO. Even Chuck Smith teaches this. Personally were I to be in one of these political debates I might get a little testy at all the idiocy around me. I’d be compelled to be constantly calling everybody else’s answers sheer lies. I might even repermand the audience for being such sheep like idiots. How I would like to see the world Thomas Jefferson envisioned of an educated electorate. We used to value education. An uneducated vote in my opinion is far less significant than an educated vote. But the “bread and circuses” mindset of audiences today might make this task difficult. They may not like being talked down to. But we are reaching the tipping point in America that if we don’t do something, and soon, the tea party with their economic madness and mindless bigotry will take over and the world as we know it will be plunged into Hell, and life won’t be worth living.