Tuesday, July 28, 2009

A plea from me to you, my fellow Americans

In 2008 when Barack Obama became the Democrat candidate for President of the United States, I did not believe he could be elected, even though McCain was far from an ideal alternative. At least McCain had some honor, had some love for his country. Surely, I thought, people will see how radical this Obama was, how utterly un-American and how wrong he would be as our President.

When he was elected, then I began to wonder if this was God's punishment upon a nation who more and more had turned away from Him and the principles of righteousness. Materialism had turned people away from spiritual thoughts. In-your-face homosexuality no longer stirred up general righteous indignation. Legalized abortion was an everyday occurrence leading to partial-birth abortion and then to infanticide. Unjust court verdicts, reverse discrimination, rampant lying and perjury among the highest governmental officials grew out of control, and yet the general populace, the decent, hard-working, middle-class families did nothing, said nothing. We were going about our business making the country work. We did not WANT to believe that such evil really existed and that people we WANTED to trust to run our country properly actually wanted to destroy it and us.

Barack Obama is President. The Senate and House are both controlled by a majority of people who believe as the President does, that they are smarter than the rest of us, that they by right should control everything in our lives, even whether we live or die for "the greater good."

We have underestimated our enemy. Big time. These people are so arrogant they don't even realize that they are instruments of Satan. We have not followed the advice of Jesus to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves." We have been too trusting and willingly naïve.

Is this God's judgment? I can't say for sure. I know that many, many people are as outraged as I am at what these elitists are trying to do to our country. I know that those same people feel as helpless as I to do anything to stop what's going on. Right now I want to throw all the bums out and start over with a special election. I can't find anything in the Constitution about a people's referendum on elected officials. The Founding Fathers didn't foresee a United States of America that would let itself get into these dire straits.

This is all way too big for me. It's too big for you. But it's NOT too big for God.

It's so important to make phone calls, write letters, communicate with our elected officials. But it's even MORE important to humble ourselves, get down on our knees, and turn our hearts back to God.

Will that stop His judgment on this nation? All I know is what God says in His word: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." II Chronicles 7:14

I ask you to pray with me for God to deliver us from evil, if it be His will. If not, then we will need to pray more than ever for the courage to face whatever happens. It will be bad. But God's faithful children have a hope greater than any despair these evil men can bring upon us—we have the hope of eternal life where there will be "no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain." Revelation 21:4 Not so the wicked ones: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Revelation 21:8

May God have mercy on us, and may we all search our hearts and do the right thing, no matter what the consequences.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

My letter to the editor

I have not been blogging for the last two weeks because I have been writing over 100 U.S. Representatives, including the sponsors for the nationalized health care bill. And I had this letter published in the Kerrville Daily Times and Community Journal, AND it was read by a local radio host, James Williamson:

I have a dream. In my dream I sit down with the President, the Senate and the House and have their undivided attention for sixty seconds. This is what I tell them:

I am an American, a taxpayer, and a voter. I am a self-sufficient adult, capable of taking care of myself. When hard times came, as when we had no job, no health insurance, and a baby on the way, we found a way to make things work without government assistance. When cancer struck me at age 46, I fought it, defeated it, and used it as an opportunity for personal and spiritual growth, all without the help of government.

I’ve lived for 50 years in this wonderful, free country. You are stealing my retirement, my children’s inheritance, and now you want to destroy my perfectly adequate health care plan that saved my life four years ago. You are raping the prosperity of this country for personal wealth and power. Shame on you!

I do not want to bail out others who made foolish or greedy mistakes. They won’t learn from their mistakes and will repeat them. They need tough love. I practiced it with my children and it works.

I do not want any form of nationalized health care. I don’t want to be a ward of the state. I want to be free to choose my own health care plan and especially my own doctor.

I am an adult. You insult me by treating me as a child and trying to be my “nanny.” You took an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. Have you forgotten that the Constitution gives all citizens freedom FROM government?

You work for me, not the other way around. Based on your job performance in the last six months, you’re fired.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

About Congressional Districts

Before moving to Article II about the executive branch, just a little more about Congress.

Each state has two Senators, no matter how large or how small. But the number in the House is fixed at 435. Therefore each member of Congress represents about 693,000 people (as of 2007). In that way states with larger populations have more Representatives than smaller states.

For example, Texas is divided into 32 Congressional Districts and therefore has 32 representatives. However, because the population is not spread evenly throughout the state (the eastern half has many more people than the western half, and most of the state’s population is concentrated in the Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin metro areas) there are some strange-looking districts.

These districts are rendered even more strange in that they have been “gerrymandered,” which is the deliberate rearrangement of district boundaries in order to influence the outcome of elections. This weird term came from Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry who in 1812 redrew the boundaries of a district (for political purposes) that resembled a salamander.

When Democrats are in power, they redraw the lines in their favor, and Republicans do the same when they are the majority power. This is one reason why incumbents have such an advantage over challengers. If the incumbent has “stacked the deck” in his district by making sure there are more of his party than “the other party,” it’s almost impossible to bring in someone new.

On our Congressman Lamar Smith’s website it says: “The 21st Congressional District includes portions of Bexar and Travis Counties and all of Comal, Real, Kerr, Bandera, Kendall and Blanco Counties. Over 650,000 people live in the 21st Congressional District.” At another site there’s a map showing all of the districts of Texas. It looks like a very weird puzzle: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd?state=TX

Ignorance and apathy are deadly in the cause of freedom, but Congress hopes to keep the populace dumb and distracted so they can do whatever they please.

“An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens.” --Thomas Jefferson

Monday, July 6, 2009

Moving Mountains

Here’s something in Section 9 that is being grossly violated in Congress today: “No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law; and a regular statement and account of receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from time to time.”

Congress is “drawing” money from the treasury today at such an alarming rate that our minds can’t even wrap around the vast numbers of billions and trillions. Sure, they are making laws to “appropriate” it, but I haven’t seen any statement explaining how the money is being spent. Have you?

Their bombardment is purposeful. A true “blitz,” it’s designed to overpower us with sheer numbers of unread congressional bills and daily assaults on our freedoms. They WANT us to feel small and insignificant, to believe that they are all-powerful and that there is nothing we can do to stop them.

Have you purchased some postcards yet? Have you encouraged your family and friends to write or call their senators and representative? The only way we can make a difference is if WE blitz them with our outrage!

Remember the movie “Miracle on 34th Street” when “Kris Kringle” was being ridiculed for claiming to be Santa Claus and mailmen brought in bags and bags of mail addressed to “Santa Claus”? That mountain of mail made a huge impression—and so can we if we all send mountains of postcards to Washington. (Don’t forget, letters take too long because of silly “decontamination” procedures.)

What did Jesus say? “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you!” (Matthew 17:20) Let’s start moving mountains!

“Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves, therefore, are its only safe depositories.” --Thomas Jefferson

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Happy Birthday, America!

Two hundred and twenty-three years ago, our country was born with the Declaration of Independence from England's tyrannical rule. Typically we Americans celebrate with fireworks, picnics, parades, family get-togethers.

This year, because we are facing a similar situation to that which our Founding Fathers faced with a government attempting to seize control in every area of our existence, many towns and cities held rallies or "tea parties." Our small town was no exception.

In front of our county courthouse under a large oak tree, several hundred gathered waving American flags, "Don't Tread on Me" flags and various protest signs against Cap and Trade, Illegal Immigration, Seizure of Health Care, etc. We listened to a local radio host read the Declaration of Independence and exhort us to greater faith in God and diligence in speaking out against tyranny.

In doing so we were exercising our God-given rights of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.

Do we realize that, unless this government's trajectory is stopped, by America's next birthday we may no longer have those rights?

Impossible, many say. Not in America!

Not in the America of our youth, or even last year. But elections have consequences, and this past one's consequences are dire, even deadly for our Republican form of government, for the freedoms won by blood and taken for granted by all of us for far too long.

It's not too late to turn things around. But it has to be now, before the current government steals more of our money and our freedom. We must all make our voices heard and pray with a heart turned back to God.

"If the press is not free; if speech is not independent and untrammeled; if the mind is shackled or made impotent through fear, it makes no difference under what form of government you live, you are a subject and not a citizen." --William E. Borah

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Moving On to Section 9

I’m getting bogged down in the list of congressional duties in Section 8 and need to move on, at least for now. Unfortunately I like research so much that sometimes my scavenger hunts become the end rather than the means to an end (a blog entry).

In Section 9 there is this little gem: “The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.”

A “writ” is a formal order under seal. “Habeas corpus” is Latin for “you have the body.” So a writ of habeas corpus is a judicial order to a prison official that an inmate must be brought to court so the judge can determine if the person is lawfully imprisoned and whether or not he/she should be released. This writ/petition can be filed by the prisoner or an advocate for the prisoner.

This statement in Section 9 seems a little ambiguous, even ominous, especially considering the partisan rancor going on in Congress today. In the 1700’s defining “rebellion” and “invasion” was probably not a problem for elected officials who had a better grasp of truth and honesty than those in office today. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see that this suspension of habeas corpus could be misused by unscrupulous “leaders” to imprison those whom they deem political “enemies.”

Could we ever have a Soviet-style “gulag” in the United States of America?

“We are so concerned to flatter the majority that we lose sight of how very often it is necessary, in order to preserve freedom for the minority, let alone for the individual, to face that majority down.” --William F. Buckley, Jr.