Married to Medusa

Figuratively speaking, we conservatives and believers in God are married to an angry and vengeful spouse. She calls herself "progressive", yet she bears an ancient grudge; an obsession with victimization, enormous anger, a sense of entitlement, and a compulsion to punish us all for long-past "wrongs"; which we aren't responsible for. The Medusa tries to freeze us to stone with her fearsome and guilty gaze.

They are fellow citizens - onetime friends in many cases - who hold beliefs which are diametrically opposed and mutually exclusive to those we hold; upon which our country is founded, that we used to build ourselves up into a one-time prosperous world power. Many countries in the world modeled themselves after us when we were confident and strong, and they prospered in turn.

We've become weak and deeply divided now, a house divided against itself. It cannot stand for long. We're like matter and anti-matter - mirror images of each other - in danger of exploding if brought into intimate contact. We've tried to reason with 'progressives' for decades, but there's a cognitive disconnect. We see green, and they say it's red.

We must, sooner or later, be divorced. Our world views are conflicted - asymmetrical - and our situation is hostile to liberty and freedom. Like the slaveholders of the Confederate States, these deluded Americans now take it for granted that we all must be slaves of a sort, wards of a powerful state; dependent and willing to sacrifice our souls and highest aspirations for the future.

They don't believe in souls or non-material aspirations; so, for them, it's easy to surrender what they don't claim in the first place.

This is their "new normal": The federal government will grant us more and more entitlements to be paid for by the wealthy classes who they believe have bottomless wells of cash.

At the very moment socialism/Marxism is collapsing globally, these strange Americans are doubling-down, betting - in spite of all evidence - they can craft a new nation, and a new economy built on the world's decrepit socialist/crypto-Marxist model.

It's all falling apart now: California, New York, New Jersey... the list goes on. Public employee unions have bankrupted these states, and the money isn't there to continue the game.  The federal government is bankrupt and trying to paper-over that dismal fact.

There's still time to prepare for the collapse, and we begin by appealing to God for help.

Is Anything Sacred, or Holy?

What is sacredness, and holiness? What do the words mean? The dictionary says the sacred is, 'devoted or dedicated to a deity or some religious purpose; consecrated; entitled to veneration by association with divinity.' And of holiness it says, 'exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.' 

All the great religions of the world recognize these qualities; even if they don't agree on specifics, or the nature of God.

So, if one does not believe in God,  nothing can be sacred or holy. We live in an atheistic era that worships science, reason, and the works of man. Materialism is the new religion of the world. There is no room anymore for the sacred and holy, except as window dressing or decoration, and few people - relatively speaking - believe in them.

Here's a test: Ask your friends and closest associates if they believe in the sacred and the holy. You may be surprised at the answer. If they say no, you should seriously consider dropping them as close friends. The condition of the world and the events looming on the horizon - which will arrive soon - are going to require great faith and commitment to God, and strong belief in His goodness and holiness. The holy and the sacred will be obvious and welcome to those who believe; but entirely unrecognizable and frightening to those who don't.

Not very long ago, around 1900, the vast majority of humankind believed (or took it for granted without thinking) that the world was composed of a mix of things, qualitatively. The deeds of men and women, and their souls (people believed in souls back then) and the goods of the world were either good, neutral, or profane; meaning, 'debased by wrong, unworthy, or vulgar use; irreverent and contemptible.' Occasionally, sacred and holy things appeared in the world and were celebrated and venerated. Often they came in the form of music, art, and more rarely, as people - known as saints. Sometimes miraculous events took place that the world regarded highly, such as the appearance of the Virgin Mary at Fatima, Portugal.

On the 13th day of six consecutive months, starting on May 13, 1917, she appeared to tens of thousands.

The world is very different now. Profanity and abuse of Judeo-Christianity is common, and considered a mark of sophistication. Slander of the  sacred and holy are entertaining to many, and some people of faith go along just to get along. Ironically, much of the abuse comes through fanatical Islamists who mercilessly - and in some places commonly - torture and murder Jews, Christians, and other religious people who have different beliefs.

We can't control what happens overseas, but within America's borders we must resist this trend - the pressure to allow the profane to thrive and dominate. Our present world war is spiritual, but it's expressing itself now through politics. The Democratic Party is almost entirely the province of atheists and the most profane citizens of the United States. Nearly every day some 'progressive' celebrity or politician makes headlines with a profanity-laced attack on someone, usually Sarah Palin, because of her faith. This never would have been tolerated in America until recently. Ironically, the other day several Democrat Congressmen were publicly saying, "f*** Obama!".

Public lying - along with profanity - is dramatically increasing. Example: On  December 15, employment figures were released that show unemployment at 9.8%. The Democrats have failed in all their attempts to solve it. They're suggested that this is "the new normal", something out of their control. On a weekly basis they publicly blame the Bush administration, even though Democrats have controlled Congress - and all federal spending - since January, 2007.

Imagine what Democrats would be saying if a conservative were in office, or a liberal Republican. Democrats were screaming “Depression!” in 2006, when unemployment was 5%, under George Bush. They’ve become entirely predictable. Whatever they do is high, noble, and good; whatever those who disagree with them do is low, mean, and malicious.

Their intentions are always “good”, so no matter how badly their policies fail, it’s never their fault or problem. Conservatives’ intentions are always “bad”, or suspect, so even when those policies succeed, no credit will ever be given to them. Democrats even try to steal credit, as with the success of the ‘surge’ in Iraq. Vice President Biden said in July that Iraq was their “big success”.

“Hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue” – Matthew Arnold

When individuals display such a shocking double standard between their actual behavior and the appearances they try to project, it shows an undeniable awareness of right and wrong. They cannot expect endless mercy for their transgressions. We have God's promise that an end is coming, when we least expect it.

There will be no room at all for the profane in the world to come. Ask yourself if you can live in a world without profanity. You must choose one or the other. The two can no longer live together. The profane is strangling the sacred and holy to death, and they must be permanently separated.

Now is the pivotal time of testing, the climax of spiritual warfare. We who recognize the signs and work daily with full knowledge of the battle at hand – helping the Creator in His work – are very fortunate, and our reward is great.

This is Jesus’ End of Days prophecy from Mark 13:19-22:

“For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will.” Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. “And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him; for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. “But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.”

Reply

America's Unraveling Credibility: Incompetence or Crime?

Almost two years have elapsed since Obama and his people took office, and clearly confusion, chaos, and incoherence are the hallmarks of his administration. None of it, sadly, should surprise us. Months before he was elected it was obvious that nobody - other than Fox News -  was looking into his background or record. The so-called 'mainstream media' (which I will call the Regime Media from now on) demonized everyone who attempted to look, or who criticized Obama. They actively campaigned and covered up for him, while attacking John McCain for trivialities such as a ten-year-old false accusation of infidelity - which went nowhere.


Americans walked on eggshells regarding Obama's race. Many wanted him to win so that we could finally transcend the race issue, and this was a Democrat campaign promise. Nobody mentioned his race until he brought it up, then the threat of a "racism!" allegation was ready for deployment on anyone who resisted his momentum. He went to Berlin and promised that the planet would heal and rising ocean levels would recede, and he became the ObaMessiah, The One. Oprah signed on. He cultivated the divinity image, and got away with it. This has never worked before in America. The Regime Media gave his Messiah-hood credibility.


We citizens are now victims of a crime. At least three crimes, in fact. Our nation is being destroyed from within, and there can no longer be any doubt. The only question is whether it's deliberate. But the legal term for the first crime, reckless endangerment - a felony - doesn't distinguish. It doesn't matter. If you drive drunk, you're guilty of reckless endangerment. It's a crime even when damages are not realized. But if someone dies it can rise to the level of murder.

A pattern of reckless endangerment shows malicious intent, and is called in the law implied malice. If someone puts an apple on your head and forces you to stand while they attempt shoot at it, that's implied malice. Even if you're not physically harmed, it doesn't matter. The perpetrator has revealed himself.
 

The third crime is depraved indifference. If one sees others being harmed and doesn't help, call authorities, or actively remedy the situation - callously ignoring it - that's depraved indifference.



Consider all that's happening around us. Can you say there's not abundant evidence of these three crimes? Impeachment and indictment of several key political figures is the bare minimum we should expect.


When politicians go on the rampage and decide to make suicidal sacrifice of their oaths to the nation and their careers - as we saw with the 'health care' bill, which they didn't read - we know there will be dire consequences. As of now, almost two-hundred corporations have sought and received exemptions from this 'health care'  travesty.



Issues are coming to a head. The man-made global warming scam has collapsed, yet the Administration is preparing and enforcing more draconian CO2 regulations; the economic plan of the Democrats is a dismal, dangerous, and embarrassing failure;  America's allies see us withering, and are cutting deals with our emboldened enemies... there's more, but this will do for starters. Can it all be due to ineptitude alone? Even incompetent people do something well, occasionally. These events are all part of a plan.


Think of the world as a huge sting operation. Everyone is wearing a wire - whether they know it or not. Criminals are going about their chosen business with impunity - for the time being. The final criminal case, Mankind vs. The Creator of All, is being built. It's necessary that people of malice - and many of the good guys, too - not know who's operating behind the scenes. That way everyone demonstrates exactly what's in their heart.


This is our last chance as a people to wake up and smell the coffee, make the right moral choices, and take action. The days are getting short for the contending forces in this time bomb world. 

All three great religions of the world contain scripture describing God's work in these Last Days, known to Christians as Apocalypse, Armageddon, and a New Heavens and New Earth. Don't be fearful of these terms. They describe a process of truth being revealed, the final conflict, then rebirth. The battle lines are more clearly delineated every day, and the moral choices we're making are becoming more stark. The stakes are doubling, and redoubling. The end result for people of faith is all good - better by far than anything we can imagine.

The Ironies and Falsehoods of "Progressives"

Ask any 'progressive' if they believe in individual freedom and they will all say "Yes. Of course". But this is completely false. At every turn, 'progressives' work to build a more powerful and centralized government, reducing and eliminating individual freedom. The struggle for human rights is a zero-sum game. The more you give up to government, the fewer you have personally.

'Progressives' view corporations with alarm, and want government to control them. They think that corporations - which cannot make law - oppress us more than government, which does; never noticing the irreversible intrusions and oppression of Statist power. This has been true since the 'progressive' movement was founded, around 1900.

Communism by then had failed to catch on in Europe or America, much to the alarm of its advocates. Living standards were very high compared to the mid-19th Century, and people could move freely about the world. There was nothing stopping them from emigrating to the western U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Africa, or many other countries; setting up businesses, and flourishing. There were very few laws and regulations governing people and businesses back then. There were no income taxes, withholding deductions, or state sales taxes. You kept what you earned. Businesses faced few regulations.

Marx was wrong; workers were generally well rewarded if they remained mobile and sober. So another name had to be invented to mask Marxism, and the one they came up with was 'progessivism'. Due to a lapse of good judgment similar to our recent plunge in 2008, Woodrow Wilson, the 'progressive' candidate, won the 1912 Presidential election on a platform of, among other things, a one-term presidency - which of course he violated. In 1916 he won a second term, running on a strict peace platform, and within months the U.S. was fully engaged in World War I.  An avowed racist, he also re-segregated the armed services.

The 'progressive' relabeling trick worked in the United States, and  by 1919 we had Prohibition, the Progressive Income Tax, the Sedition Act of 1918, the Federal Reserve, and direct election of U.S. Senators - which gave unions, lobbyists, and uninformed voters direct control of the federal government. Even though Prohibition was repealed in 1933, many drugs were then outlawed, and the FBI was created and empowered to spy on us to a degree never seen before. America had survived and thrived without any drug laws at all before then.

We had real free speech before 1918. The shutting down of discourse by rules of 'political correctness' is merely a variation of the Sedition Act of 1918, which punished and often jailed people for speaking their minds. Writing about condoms and birth control got many people incarcerated back then. Political correctness is now hurting, and even killing us. We're not allowed to mention Islamic extremism, Sharia Law atrocities, or reverse racism in the mainstream media without threat of legal attacks.

We're now reaping a terrible harvest for these corruptions of the Constitution. Ben Bernanke, head of the Federal Reserve, recently gave a trillion dollar bailout to banks overseas. This is our money. Congress was not advised. We the people were not asked to approve. King George III of England never had such power. This hearkens further back, to Louis XIV of France. We're well on our way to genuine tyranny.

Progressives say they believe in science and evolution, but they don't, in truth. Conservatives are the authentic believers in evolution; holding fast to the idea that governments, modes of thought, actions in war and peace, methods of child rearing - and a dozen other forms of problem solving - have taken the shape they have because they've been proven to work over centuries. Experimentation with these norms is risky, conservatives say.

It's massively ironic that 'progressives' say they believe in biological evolution, which depends on nature's harsh law of 'the survival of the fittest'. Yet 'progressives' actively and deliberately strive to eliminate those forces from human nature.

'Progressives' love to try out new and untested ideas intended to perfect mankind and the world. In spite of all evidence to the contrary, 'progressives' endlessly theorize and experiment with schemes intended to change human nature, and make life "fairer", "kinder", "sustainable", and more abundant. They're willing to act globally with unproven ideas, and their hubris knows no bounds.

Conservatives believe there is a God, expressed as Providence; an orderly mind enveloping all Creation, which has a plan and purpose we can understand only by diligent investigation. 'Progressives' are actively anti-God, because God imposes limits and boundaries to mankind.

We must separate ourselves from people who refuse to acknowledge God, our Founders, the Constitution, and the values of the Western Tradition. The separation will come in any case, and will be easier if we prepare for it.

Nature's God and Natural Law

Late summer here in Virginia is a real show. I'm an avid spectator of wild weather and have seen many dramatic lightning storms. But nothing compares to this part of Virginia, at the feet of the Appalachian Mountains. It changes on a dime, from a hot and humid clear sky to threatening black clouds, drenching rain, and blazing lightning in twenty minutes. I have a sheltered front porch with a rocking chair that makes a perfect vantage point. I've seen thousands of lightning strikes, but August 6 was the capper: An upside-down V that was only a hundred yards away. The thunder followed instantly. It's extremely unusual to see electricity follow two paths of least resistance; and many scientists would say it can't happen. I've never seen it before; and never saw a picture of it either.

At the same time - and just as significant - a squadron of swallows were flying high and fast, straight into the storm, like the swept-wing F-86 Sabre jets of the Korean War. Yes, that's right, a dozen of these guys were fearlessly - and  joyfully - soaring on the gale force winds. Even as the storm was building, the hummingbirds and butterflies were happily feeding and fluttering, carefree.

Natural Law knows its own and protects it.

We've lost the power to watch nature the way our ancestors did, as a miraculous thing, and we're poorer for it. They really saw its power, and didn't trivialize it with so-called "scientific" explanations; i.e.,  "Lightning? Oh, that's just electricity in the atmosphere," or, "gravity is a property of all matter, like magnetism". These words don't tell us anything, and only masquerade as answers.

Isaac Newton, who studied and discovered the properties of gravity,  fell out with his contemporaries when he refused to see the cosmos as a cold, mechanical construct. He insisted that Divine Mind and Natural Law were behind all things in nature. He also studied codes that he saw in the Bible, and was labeled insane by many. But he has been proved correct since the computer was invented.

His opponents - the agnostic/atheist pure Rationalists - won out by 1900, but this was a terrible turning point for mankind. World War I followed as a result of the Rationalist victory.

I prefer the Newtonian, and even Einsteinian view that universal intelligence governs all things, seen and unseen. It is telling me that what's threatening and destructive to some is a boon to others. And victory comes in many forms, sometimes appearing as the exact opposite of what it really is.

Spiritual Surgery

Why do we undergo surgery? Two reasons: to repair damage and to have something removed, like a tumor. It's always dangerous, to some degree, because it's invasive and opens up the body to infection from outside. But we usually agree to it because our lives and fortunes are at stake.

So too do our souls require repair and removal of  malignancies. Jesus said, "...And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell." Matthew 5:30.

Jesus was speaking metaphorically, of course, but his point is clear. If we harbor hatred and madness in our hearts or minds, it's an impediment to all our relationships. It can kill our souls and wall us off from God's love, which often expresses itself through the kindnesses of others. Like Scrooge, the bitter and greedy man in A Christmas Carol, by Dickens, we can become entirely joyless and isolated. Scrooge found healing when three different angels showed him a retrospective of his life; the hard lives of others; and the future he was forging for himself.

At this very moment, we are all being given a second - and even third - chance at life; an opportunity to make amends and take a new path. We're in precisely the same situation as a patient undergoing brain surgery. The decisions we make today are critically important to our future.

Without regard for our religion, the Almighty and His holy angels are working furiously to unravel the Gordion Knot of fear, confusion, and chaos; the cancerous hubris that has afflicted humankind from the beginning. It will be extracted and thrown into the fire. No wonder the enemies of God are screaming in terror and the weaker of our fellows are fainting from fear.

Miracles are happening, and wonderfully good things are coming. Merry Christmas to All!

The Glory of God is Real, and It's Coming

What is glory?  We know it exists, but it's very rare in our human experience. When a miraculous and unexpected victory is achieved, elevating us suddenly from the pit of our fears and despair to the heights of success, we call that glorious. Sports often gives us a taste of what that feels like, and it's a joyful thing to experience; when a beloved team suddenly does the impossible by winning a championship, for instance. 

In times past, war was seen as an arena where glory might be won, and team sports as we know them didn't exist. As war became more deadly and horrific in the later 19th Century, it became obvious that there was very little glory in it. Team sports were created on a large scale, possibly as a more humane alternative. One essential feature of glory is that our bodies must be put at risk, and of course, pain must be endured. Crippling injury and even death are a possibility, however remote. But glory is real. 

How much greater then - exponentially greater - is resurrection from death to eternal life in paradise? There's no deeper pit than death, and no greater height than eternal life in joy; and that is God's promise to us. Only God can do this, and it makes jealous humankind crazy. They fight back by creating counterfeit glory, and counterfeit gods.

How very sad – except for people of faith – is the timing of Obama the Messiah. Just at the moment in history when statism/socialism is dying from bankruptcy, he came to turn America into a Euro-client state. With no regard for our history, and against all our founding principles, Obama and his minions press on diabolically. Expanding government exponentially with "free" ObamaCare blows a hole in the federal budget that we'll never be able to fill honestly, and opens the floodgates for many more entitlements. It has now come to grief, and is imploding. Almost every Congress-person who voted for it has been ejected from office. But that doesn't stop the Democrat Party leadership. 

How can we stop at medical care? Why not HousingCare, FoodCare, JobCare, and TransportationCare? All of them are important for our health, according to 'progressives'. It's very important that we care for everybody, since they aren't capable of taking care of themselves, apparently. This is the Devil's bargain: We'll take care of you, and you'll do as we say. This is a good plan for raising children, but a terrible one for adults to live under. Just ask anyone in the former Soviet Union or Red China. Every freedom you give up for security will be lost for life, and soon you'll discover the security promise is bogus as well. But by then you are a slave to the State.

Just as with Mosaic Law, the Law of the Accountant’s Ledger is nearly absolute, and catches us in its  inescapable arithmetic. When too many people are consumers of wealth, not producers, bankruptcy looms. As Margaret Thatcher famously said,"The problem with socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people's money." So, here we are.

We should be grateful. Obama awakened us from the sleep that almost consumed us. It’s not easy to be grateful, though, surrounded as we are by so much wreckage. But we must try – for God’s sake and our own. God's glory always appears when the works of mankind utterly fail, as they are failing today all over the world. God's glory is eternal life and joy, which no human scheme can ever compete with. This makes God's enemies, the trolls, extremely angry.

The trolls are attacking everyone who isn't enthusiastic about the New Regime in Washington D.C. Who are the trolls? They are the furious shaming critics who need to hate and envy others, and are never content with their lot in life. There's always another problem they want to be fixed by huge government; one more aggrieved group of "victims"; another bottomless pit we must dump money into. They find problems half-way around the world for us to fix. There's never an end to the trolls' demands, and these demands must be seen for what they are: projections of the trolls' own problems. Instead of fixing themselves, they want to fix the world.

Projection, rage, and fear over dying Utopian dreams is certainly part of the troll’s syndrome. If you ask them what they're grateful for, they won't be able to say much, if anything. Ask them if anything is sacred. They'll probably laugh at you. Nothing is sacred if you don't believe in God, and nothing can be. These so-called 'progressives'  of the Democrat Party epitomize the type, but socialists, Marxists, and many Republicans display this behavior also.

What hope can the trolls have? They believe in nothing beyond the material world. Politics and a narrow view of science are the only tools they have to understand the world. And your money, of course, seized by taxation. They've spent over 21 trillion dollars on "social programs" in America - over the last fifty years - and have nothing to show for it. Like the Soviet Union, their one-time Utopia, it has all failed.

Naturally they're beside themselves. Without God; without a standard for all things beyond mankind's low standard, how can anyone remain sane in times like these? This author knows he couldn’t.

Watch for the coming Glory. We have Christ, the genuine Messiah, who fulfills and exceeds Mosaic Law; freeing us from the Accountant’s Ledger of death and chaos. We’ve tried to free the trolls, but they will not take our hand. It's time to let them go their way, and we will go ours.