Are You Really Free? Thoughts on Liberty

Truly?

I wrote an essay for my first English class in college positing the idea that eventually the explicit graphic sexual writing and descriptions (this was in 1968) would have to eventually fade because it lacked creativeness, anybody could to it. I thought writers that truly loved their craft would stop indulging in that low level of writing. The professor gave me high marks, but wrote the comment "are you serious?" I was, but for the most part I was wrong.

Part of it is our culture has degenerated into easiness and mediocrity; in all things, not just literature. At it's core, this phenomenon has to do with our giving up on liberty, the rejection of it, and replacing it with libertinism. As a culture we've redefined liberty to mean we can do whatever we want without consequence. We can reject the Judeo-Christian moral and ethical values and rules of behavior and replace them with "if it feels good, do it". In our US Constitution we can ignore "enumerated rights" and accept the government can do whatever it damn well pleases, cannot "infringe" doesn't really mean that, and freedom to practice religion and the government can't establish a State religion, is changed to meaning freedom from all religious mention anywhere, anytime, except in church on Sunday.

I had left Christianity and the church (institutional worship and service) for about twenty five years, returned, and when I say that I am more free now, that I experience and practice more liberty now than during the years of secularism and libertinism, I get that 'you're nuts' look, or "what the hell are you talking about?"

During those years I was free not to commit to anything except pleasure  I had to ask myself, how is that good? I found it lends itself to alienation, from people and groups. Now I'm committed to my Church and my friends in a way I didn't understand before, and I'm a better man for it. I also moved from Leftism\Marxism to Conservatism politically, and my political thinking is more clear and true.

At the national level we have a government and culture that ignores fiscal responsibility and have allowed ourselves to be tens of $trillions in debt; an unimaginable number, and think there's no consequences. We accept graphic sex and violence as the norm. Maybe it's only age, but I've lost interest in it. It doesn't tantalize anymore. At the national level look at the $trillions we spend on sex, drugs, alcohol, the things that only provide us with short term material pleasure. I'm all for pleasure still, but it shouldn't be life's purpose. Tithing and giving to charity and missionary organizations is much more fulfilling. 

I think if those libertine things are the most important, is what drives you, then you aren't free. I have to ask, what good is it if what's most important is getting loaded, who benefits? If politicians' greed for money and power, which they get only by taking it from you, is what drives them, not the rule of law, who benefits? The Bible and our Constitution make it abundantly clear there are specific rules and laws that work, for both national and personal behavior. Rejecting those leads to bondage to the State, and personal bondage to things that hurts oneself and others.

I have found that the discipline of Judeo-Christian living is what frees, and the Constitution is based on those principles, and is what has kept us free as a people. Both are being rejected, at our peril, and why those of us that care see more degradation, decay and corruption in our civilization. Since the 1960's we have seen these things continually increase, our problems increase, because we reject what is right for what is convenient and mediocre, comfortable and easy.

Romans 8:21 observes "....because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.' Another way to word that is, what would you rather choose, the fake freedom of liberty of the world, or the world God intended for us? For you secularists, God intended us to get along, not fight, treat others well, and care for each other. Hope, Love, Charity. 

Marketing the Conservative Brand of Politics...Coke vs Pepsi...Conservatism vs Progressivism

This is a brilliant analogy of what happens as a result of a bad marketing strategy. The Republican Elite have it in their heads that becoming more Leftist and rejecting Conservative Principles will win more elections. It's been proven time and again to be a failure. It also drives home the point Conservatives must continue to campaign against RINO's as much as Democrats\Leftists\Totalitarians. Both are about taking power from Citizens and amassing it for themselves.

Bill Whittle, once again is spot on.

Scott Pelley, CBS News Anchor, Owns Up to Horrible Journalism (vid)

Scott Pelley, CBS News Reader Anchor, accepting a journalism award, takes to task journalists, pointing out  how a lot of stories recently have been dead wrong. Admitting one has a problem is the first step. It's what happens when blinded by ideology. The Jurassic Press is more interested in supporting the president and his political party, and attacking the alternative press, so much so that it can only tell lies. Kudos for stating a part of the problem. He's managing editor of CBS (alleged) News. CBS News, after eight months has finally spent a couple minutes on Benghazi, where Obama and Sec of State Clinton took no action and let American Citizens be slaughtered by Islamofascist Terrorists, covered it up, then covered up the cover-up  Let see if he takes his own advice.

His speech starts and 14min in. It's out of sync; I've tried several sites and all I could find are.

"Common Core" The Federal Education Program for the "Good of the Collective"

Common Core is the newest installment of the federal government's efforts to collectivize children, to educate them according to the needs of the State. It started with the Dept of Education in the 1970's which centralized education, taking it away from the states. Can anyone honestly say kids are coming out of school are more knowledgeable since the take over? Take a look at the tests and curriculum before the 1970's compared to now. Now it's about ensuring kids come out without math skills, speaking and writing badly, no knowledge of history or civics. What they do come out as are little drones obedient to the State. Whatever happened to simply teaching the three R's? It worked at the local level for over two hundred years. The problem for the State is it also taught personal achievement, personal responsibility, and how to think for oneself. Can't have that now. 

The program has standardized testing which is problematic to some teachers and parents. What federal standardized testing does is allow the State to determine what is taught. We have a government and political/socio-economic elite that is re-writing history as Orwell predicted to control the present, indoctrination to obey the State, and is anti-religion (specifically anti Christian). It indoctrinates kids to reject individual responsibility and to work for the "collective". Yes, the proponents of this program actually use that word.

Charter schools, magnet schools, private schools and home schoolers are all subject to this Statist takeover of education. 

Below is a great explanation of what this program is about. Glenn Beck has been demonized by the Left\Democrats\fascists\ totalitarians as an attempt to get people to avoid, dismiss and insult him. They've done the same to Rush Limbaugh, and did it to Mitt Romney during the presidential campaign. You'll be hard pressed to find, on any issue, Leftists to address the topic at hand with cogent arguments, only insults to and about the person that opposes them. Don't believe, be a free thinker, and listen to the other side if you're a Leftist\Statist. We conservatives have that opposing few rammed down our throats 24/7 so we can't help but know what our opposition is saying. 

I find it not so amazing the same people for this centralized planning of education tore down "No Child Left Behind", attributed to GW Bush but primarily written by Democrat Ted Kennedy and his staff. The thing that chaffed them is tests. Go figure. 

Christian Persecution Supported by the President

Sometimes I just have to withdraw from making any comments about events. Everything that's wrong with economics, culture, politics, religion is praised and promoted, and what's right is demonized.

We have a president, in regards to religion, making pro Palestinian/Islamist statements of support, caustically comments on Jews and Israel,  and makes personal attacks on Israel's prime minister. He's silent on the slaughter of Christians in the Middle East, most especially by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt who recently destroyed St Mark Cathedral. It's as important to the Copts as the Vatican is for Catholics. It's also hugely important to millions of Christians worldwide. It was attacked by regular people, and the military, instead of protecting the site, joined in and gunned down Christians that were there. Not a word by the Obama administration. The only word I've heard from them is the plan to go ahead with sending fighter jets, tanks and weapons to the Muslim Brotherhood, which have set up a murderous dictatorship.

Sadly, but not unexpectedly, the Leftist Jurassic Press downplayed this destruction and slaughter, and Reuters (the new international Pravda) tried to lay blame at the feet of the Copts, calling them a "fringe" element, “an angry young fringe … of Christianity may also be turning to violence". Copts make up 12%-15% of the Egyptian population. A fringe element?  Tens of thousands have fled to save their lives, and their homes and churches are burned to the ground, usually with people in them.

American Christian pastor Saeed Abedini has been imprisoned, beaten and tortured only because he's a Christian. Not a peep (well, maybe some small peeps) from the Obama administration or his State Department. The attempt to deal with this is so weak as to be no attempt at all.

Coming back to our shores, the persecution of Christians continues, fortunately without the violence. If Obama were the Christian he claims he is, he would be using the presidential bully pulpit to speak against these things. Instead he promotes and allows his atheist\secularist fellow travelers to bully Christians. Not only is he silent on the persecution of Christians, he endorses it. An instructor at a reserve Army training facility in Pennsylvania classified Christians, specifically Evangelicals, as religious extremists, equivalent to Al Qaeda, Hamas and the KKK.. Catholics were included in the list of religious extremists. Seriously?  Of course this administration, the Army and Department of Defense pleaded ignorance. Still haven't heard the administration respond. Then again, it's against Christians, so I'm not holding my breath.

Obama, further using the military to persecute Christians, has appointed Mike Weinstein as a Pentagon Adviser on matters of “religious toleration.” Weinstein is an anti Christian bigot, that has reinterpreted the freedom of religion establishment clause to mean freedom from religion and throws up the false separation of church and state. It doesn't exist, no such thing is in the Constitution. Weinstein is the founder and president of the anti Christian hate group and President of The Military Religious Freedom Foundation.

Weinstein told Defense Secretary Hagel and the Washington Post: “This is a national security threat. What is happening…is spiritual rape and what the Pentagon needs to understand is that it is sedition and treason.  It should be punished.”

Weinstein wants anyone serving in the military to be court-martialed if they talk about their Faith to anyone. Re-read what I've italicized;  that anyone speaking of their faith is guilty of sedition and treason, acts that are punishable by imprisonment or execution. Seriously? The military is controlled by the commander in chief, and not one word of this has been addressed by him. Not going out on a limb here, but if such a charge were launched against Islamists, he'd knock it down immediately

Another word about Weinstein.  In 2011 he sued to stop Air Force Cadets participating in Operation Christmas Child because the project is Franklin Graham project. There were Christian cadets asking for donations for poor children, and that was unacceptable because Graham is an evangelical, and therefore an extremist and anti Constitutional. Really, that coming from a knucklehead that says the establishment clause says freedom "from" religion, not that the government can't establish a religion you must practice and be a member of. Since Obama and the Dept of Defense have not spoken against this, I can only assume they must, once again, support the persecution of Christians. Weinstein has called Christians "monsters". He's in charge of forming "religious toleration" policies for the military. Denying food and gifts to poor children because of anti Christian bigotry, intolerance and hatred.

In Texas, at Columbus High School, runner Derrick Hayes won his race, pointed to the sky, and was disqualified, it being deemed a religious gesture and "excessive celebration".  Seriously? Another example of Christian persecution. Of course if an Islamist runner turned and kneeled to Mecca and gave thanks, nothing would have been done.  The centralized Dept of Education supported no praying at high school football games, so I can only assume they support this anti Christian ruling too.

We have a president and his cabinet that supports anti Christian foreign and domestic policy, along with his political party and their supporters, the Main Stream Press.

Christian Tim Tebow has practically been driven from his career in football, but a guy that comes out as gay is celebrated for about two weeks now. Obama reached out and called the gay guy.

Religious  history proves that whenever God is denied by a people, that nation collapses into slavery to the State, dictatorships, no liberty of any sort.