Are Women Insane?

Given the problems Presidential candidate Herman Cain is having with several women coming forward with various accusations, the question asked in this vid is, should male and female co-workers, especially management\employees meet for meals or outside the workplace? Is even the appearance of impropriety to be avoided?

Why Progressive Institutions Are Unsustainable

A short vid comparing Classical Liberalism (modern Conservatism) and Modern Progressivism.

http://youtu.be/m3m0EyCCs8U

I've written a short history of modern Progressivism here. They have always been about the State taking away individual liberty while saying liberty can be found only in individuals' obedience to the State. That's a brain twister, huh?

Progressivism: A Living Oxymoron, Liberty Through the Oppression of the State

In my Marxist days, I believed the best, if not the only, way to get the poor and sick taken care of was to have the government in charge of it. To get that done money had to be taken from rich folks to pay for taking care of the sick, and the poor were poor through no fault of their own, it was rich people’s fault. I was often poor, even homeless a couple times. Thing was, I found work, sometimes two jobs, and worked my way out of it. That I was poor was because of my own decisions. I returned to the Church and Christianity, and noted that faith tradition puts on each of us to help and heal the sick and help the poor, and with God’s guidance, do well for ourselves, usually by being in service to others. It’s not government’s responsibility; it’s mine and yours, personally.

If we’re the moral and ethical creatures we claim to be, then we take action on that, not get the political class to shake down producers in the name of the less fortunate. How did it come to be so many in a democracy give up personal responsibility for self and service and pass this ethical imperative to the State? That shift results in racism and oppression, anti-Semitism, anti-Christian bigotry, and yet nearly half our population mistakenly believes it’s Liberty that leads to those horrible things.

At the beginning of the 20^th century there were a bunch of social scientists that came out of European economic thinking, mostly German, which stated economics should be, at its base, ethical. The leading thinker who was most influential in moving this notion forward was Richard Ely. His influence, (who knew?) served as the foundation of the New Deal, which in turn became the foundation for turning the US into a socialist state. All this was the “Progressive” Movement. Ely said, “To the demands of ethics, it is felt, should the entire economic life be made subservient.” He talked about this being the “ethical ideal” of social ethics. The “ethical ideal” he said “animates the new political economy”. It’s “the most perfect development of all human faculties in each individual, which can be attained.” From this he contended the government would foster, create and increase in people more love, knowledge, compassion and whatever else he and his fellow progressives decided would make better human beings.

This takes away individual freedom, which he pronounced a “negative freedom”, and needs to be replaced by “true liberty” which prompts us to become the most we can be by being forced to be in the service of others. Jesus taught us that service is the highest expression of our humanity, and those that willingly serve were “the greatest among you”. Ely and his fellow progressives did not, and progressives now (aka Democrats and other Leftists) do not believe people capable of that, so must be compelled by the State to “serve” others. A result of that is Progressives think taking care of others is best done by becoming a member of the political class, not going out and actually personally caring for others.

When mere people are left to their own devices, there’s a cycle of lots of help and service, down to less, up to more. Things run in cycles. Things get better, things get worse and so it continues; Natural Law. Progressives contend this isn’t a good thing, and by them controlling everyone, making them be of “service”, then that natural law can be stopped, and only then can things get “progressively” better in a linear manner.

People need, of course, to be trained on how to become servants of the State, often referred to as “the masses” (hate that term, but it makes Leftists, Dems and progressives easily identifiable) before they are granted the right to be contributors to the social good. One group especially needing extra guidance was and is our Black brothers and sisters. Some races needed extra guidance, and rejected the idea of the Founding Fathers that all men are created equal. Ely again: “For a long time in this country we were inclined to regard men as substantially equal, and to suppose that all could live under the same economic and political institutions. It now becomes plain that this is a theory which works disaster, and is, indeed, cruel to those who are in the lower stages, resulting in their exploitation and degradation.”  Of course non-whites need not apply for personal Liberty. White people must educate them how to be free.

The colonial occupation or the imperialism of the late 18^th and early 20^th century American foreign policy was a result of this notion than lesser races needed help from those more enlightened. Albert Beveridge, a progressive leader of the early 20^th century, on the idea America should withdraw from the Philippines: “Self-government is a method of liberty — the highest, simplest, best — but it is acquired only after centuries of study and struggle and experiment and instruction and all the elements of the progress of man. Self-government is no base and common thing to be bestowed on the merely audacious. It is the degree which crowns the graduate of liberty, not the name of liberty’s infant class, who have not yet mastered the alphabet of freedom. Savage blood, Oriental blood, Malay blood, Spanish example — are these the elements of self-government?”

Back in the US, Progressives were against the 15^th amendment which denied government, state, local or federal, to deny the right of citizens to vote based on “race, color, or previous condition of servitude”. Another Progressive leader at the time, John R Commons, on the notion that everyone should have a right to vote: “…after many thousand years of savagery and two centuries of slavery, was suddenly let loose into the liberty of citizenship and the electoral suffrage. The world never before had seen such a triumph of dogmatism and partisanship. It was dogmatism, because a theory of abstract equality and inalienable rights of man took the place of education and the slow evolution of moral character.” 

These “progressives” actually advocated putting African Americans in labor camps and while their parents were “laboring” put their children in “progressive" schools to learn how to be free. As Blacks became more educated they could be released from the labor camps, after passing a “literacy test”. Does that sound familiar? That idea was used by Democrats in the South well into the 20^th century to oppress the Black vote. Here’s the justification for labor camps, written by another “progressive” leader of the time, Charlotte Perkins Gilman: “…Given: in the same country, Race A, progressed in social evolution, say, to Status 10; and Race B, progressed in social evolution, say, to Status 4. . . . Given: that Race B, in its present condition, does not develop fast enough to suit Race A. Question: How can Race A best and most quickly promote the development of Race B?”

Fredrick Douglas protested this, saying it was re-enslaving Blacks. Gilman’s response that it isn’t enslavement: “It is no dishonor but an honorable employment from the first, and the rapid means of advancement. . . . All should belong to it — all, that is, below the grade of efficiency which needs no care. For the children — this is the vital base of the matter — a system of education, the best we have, should guarantee the fullest development possible to each; from the carefully appointed nursery and kindergarten up to the trade school fitting the boy or girl for life; or, if special capacity be shown, for higher education.”

Setting Blacks in camps is segregation, promoted and practiced by Democrats well into the 20^th century; segregated schools, restaurants, bathrooms, drinking fountains. Literacy tests. The idea Blacks were inferior, that not all men are created equal, is a Leftist, Progressive, idea, promoted and practiced by the Democrat Party. This idea lasted even into the 1960’s when a majority of Democrats voted against the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Bills. More on the Racism and violence of the Democrat Party here.

All the programs that have bankrupted this country morally, culturally, religiously, and economically can be laid at the feet of “Progressives”, Leftists, Socialists, and the Democrat Party. W.W. Willoughby, another shining light of this philosophy of oppression of the State being true freedom, on the attributes of the State: “…that which first impresses one . . . is its possession of omnipotent rulership over all matters that arise between itself and the individuals of which it is composed.”

“Omnipotent Rulership”. The Left, Democrats…they decide, not you, how you behave, what decisions you make in your life, who you care about, how you care about them, how your serve your fellow man or not, how much of your income you get to keep.

This is a summary of and my thoughts on an article by Tiffany Jones Miller, "Progressivism, Race, and the Training Wheels of Freedom"

Crossroads: Political, Cultural, Religious...The Danger of Losing Liberties of All Three to Tyranny

Both vids about 20mins each, but a must watch. Skip a part of the football game or the TV show. Replace it with this. It's good for Conservatives, Christians, Traditionalists to watch as a warning for us to step up and protect our Liberties. Leftists and their Socialist Bosses in the Democrat Party will not watch because they want to see the United States reduced to Tyranny and Israel destroyed, or are "useful idiots". We're at a crossroads, an epic battle between Liberty and Tyranny, Good and Evil.

From the Vids:

“Here’s where we’re headed.  Possibility — World War III. Because Israel has a right to survive, Israel has a right to live, the Jews have a right to be left alone by the rest of the world — they will defend themselves, as they should. [...]
Guaranteed anti-Semitism not seen since the 1930s.  Guaranteed economic — not depression; collapse.  Collapse.  And civil war.  You cannot put this genie back in the bottle.
But there is something else.  There’s something that I’d like to focus on here.  These things are coming.  But so is this.  Healing.  Healing and profound light, should we choose it.  Now.

Part 1



Part 2

A View of Gringrich

This is as clear an explanation of the difference between Liberty and Tyranny as you'll find, and as clear an explanation with history, wisdom and virtue that support Capitalism and the Constitution over Statism.

http://youtu.be/s9iURuZzXb0

Gringrich has many flaws, as we all do, but he's owned up to them, and as you'll see in the vid below he grieves and apologizes for what he's done. Heaven knows what pain we all caused some others, and what any of us has suffered because of others or what we've brought on ourselves.


http://youtu.be/m5nC9x8qg8g

This speaks to humility, that one can't assume so powerful a position without divine guidance. The body of this man's work for good; the time, energy and passion needs to be looked at, and we shouldn't fall into the trap the opposition wants us to, which is to focus only on his failings. God help me if I were viewed by only my failings.

Government's Attack on Christianity

I've pointed out many times government must drive religion, especially Jews and Christians out. The reason being Jesus told us to render to Caesar what is his, and God what is his; the State wants, and must have, everything rendered unto it. It will not tolerate dissent. The history of Nazi Germany, Soviet Union, Red China and Cuba are some examples that bear this out.

The campaign against Christianity in this country is getting stronger. What follows are some examples. The simplest start is the idea, even supported by some Christians, is religion is a private thing, and has no place in the public arena. Practicing Christians know being infused with the Holy Spirit means our Faith is the center of everything we say and do. Those Christians thinking that religion, especially Christianity, is exclusively a private thing, need to reevaluate where they are with their Faith. 

The government’s driving Christianity out of the public sphere won’t reach the level of persecution seen in the countries mentioned above, but is just as insidious. Without the traditions and values of Christianity, we will end up reflecting what those states were or are.

Russell Shaw writes:

“Don't think I'm making the wild-eyed claim that this new persecution either is or ever is likely to become a bloody one resembling the purges of the French and Mexican Revolutions or the Communist war on religion—eruptions of violence in which thousands of clergy, religious, and lay faithful were killed. It won't be a repetition of the Spanish civil war, just 75 years ago, when death squads of the anticlerical left executed the incredible total of 12 bishops, 283 religious women, 4,184 priests, 2,365 religious men, and an unknown number of laity whose only crime was being faithful Catholics.
No, the persecution of religion in the United States won't be like that. It will be a tight-lipped campaign of secularist inspiration in which the coercive power of the state is brought to bear on church-related institutions to act against conscience or go out of business.” Full article here.

 The most blatant and egregious example of this is Health and Human Services decision to deny funding to Catholic programs that aid victims of human trafficking.  The programs administered by the Catholic Church are the most effective. The reason for government not helping with funding, is the Church doesn't, and will not, refer abortions. Base on that criteria, Catholic health care programs and hospitals that serve non-Catholics are denied funding. Those institutions must provide “the full range of legally permissible gynecological and obstetric care” aka abortions. Given the government advocates for tax payer funded fetal genocide, religious health institutions must necessarily withdraw or be forced to violate all religious values, traditions and beliefs.

In my mind, if you’re not for something, you’re against it. You may say you have no dog in the chase, and that’s fine. We can’t have knowledge and opinions about everything, but when it comes to our attention we need to make a decision. Sitting on the sidelines cannot be an option when the attack on freedom of religion, speech, and the rest are under attack. The government here is for human trafficking if it's willing to cut out the most effective organization and give it to failed or failing organizations dealing with slavery.  

The attack right now is mostly focused on the Catholic Church, but not limited to it. Obama’s EEOC recently argued to the Supreme Court the hiring practices of the Lutheran Church were discriminatory; that religious institutions must be held to the same hiring practices as secular businesses.  That would mean the government would have a say in who a church selects as their pastor or ministerial team. Given this violation of the establishment clause, the government could force a Catholic priest that got married to be rehired if the priest sued to get his job back. Really. Fortunately the Supreme Court rejected this anti-religious, anti-Christian, anti-Constitutional filing.  

Coming up on the Christmas season, we’re braced for the onslaught of anti-traditionalists, anti-Christian bigots, and atheists' annnual attack Christianity; all supported by government. They are so desperate in their hatred and intolerance they even try and take out Santa Claus and Christmas trees, claiming they're religious symbols. They are not. Christians need to stand up and say so.

Uniformed Christians are a problem too. We used to have a Christmas tree in our break room at work, and a “Christian” said it was a pagan religious symbol; he was offended, so we can no longer have a Christmas tree. Even though the knucklehead has left the company, the rule stays. Back when thug rapper Tupac Shakur was alive, a woman had pictures of him around her cube and a Bible on her desk.  I experienced cognitive dissonance.

One last point. The Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, and the laws in the Constitution, are all founded in Scripture. I’ve posted several times Democrats (aka Leftists) stating they’re not held to the Constitution. The document they do hold themselves to is the Communist Manifesto, which rejects God and religion. What they advocate is an earthly utopia based on the rule of men, not the natural laws of God. There can be no earthly utopia, and peace can't reign without God's rule. Understanding God as natural law, that God is Love, and government rejects both, we must ensure more people understand that only by God’s rule and Grace can there be Liberty.

  

Bill Whittle: The Most Profound Observation of the Wall Street Protests

This is truly what the protests are about.

http://youtu.be/OAOrT0OcHh0

Conception To Birth Visualized - Alexander Tsiaras

The brilliance and perfection of creation.

http://youtu.be/-yk5sH5hPCQ
Pro abortionists call this 'viable tissue mass'. 

Larry Elder Schools Chris Matthews in History

Thin skinned radical Leftist and Democrat Party propagandist Chris Matthews gets schooled in history. Sounds like he can dish it out, but not take it.

http://thedc.com/uLEDUq#ooid=R2cjExMzp51rzxYZra35qNt-scnmj2zk
Using Leftist criteria of disagreeing with a black man makes one a racist, I guess Matthews is a racist. 

Gringrich Takes Stupid "Moderator" to Task

Self important pompous Pelly, Leftist Radical Spokesman for the Democrat Party, gets corrected by Gringrich. Pelly is way out of his league.

http://youtu.be/igxgegOSniY

Pope Benedict- "Love in Truth", The Great Commission, Government and the Church

Recently Pope Benedict published an encyclical and there was much furor over a part of it suggesting there be a world governing body, a “Global Authority”, to balance economics and charity; for a more equitable distribution of wealth globally. It set every conservative’s and capitalist’s mind on edge. Governmental authority with the best of intentions always corrupts and oppresses and has the force of law, man’s, not God’s. I would rather we live according to God's law, natural law, based on a foundation of prayer. Governments have secularized themselves, denounced God, and theirs' is a more dangerous greed than that of capitalist as a result. They have the force of secular man made law we are forced to obey. God at least gives us free will; we ignore it at our own peril.    

The Catholic Church, like the Episcopal Church has, in the West, found itself in a minority. The largest numbers of members are in the southern hemisphere, in “developing” countries, seeing the West as decadent, uncharitable, oppressive and greedy. Protestants, my tradition, has embraced that liberal notion while at the same time often not living up to the giving and sacrifice they espouse; let someone else, like governments, do it by confiscating money from producers. Not so far from what the encyclical was stating.  

I watch to struggle in the Catholic and Episcopal churches between members in Asia and Africa and the Western church. Non-Western churches embrace the traditions about divorce and contraception (Catholic view), homosexuality, female priests and ministers and the rest. Western churches, both Catholic and Protestant are ignoring or jettisoning those traditions. The Episcopal church is on the verge of splitting in two. Demographics show nearly two thirds of Catholics are in developing countries, and I suspect the encyclical was for that audience. Mainstream Protestant denominations have been toying with these Marxist views for awhile, diluting the “Great Commission”. If Protestants would practice the Great Commission they wouldn’t need to be compromising and diluting their Christianity by letting the State do, with much failure, corruption and damage, what they themselves should be doing.

I’ve written on being “radical” in our practicing the Great Commission here. I do have my own personal challenges with walking the Great Commission confessed here. 

Here’s Fr Barron on this latest encyclical “Caritas in Veritate” 

  

http://youtu.be/LhlwPgUkwWE

What's so disturbing about this discussion is Christians are turning to secular, often anti-Semitic, anti-Christian governments to do the work of charity and care that should flow from their own love and hearts. 

Call to Prayer II

Most of us really don’t know how to pray. We have some idea, and mostly our prayers turn into a personal wish list. Here's a teaching about how to pray that may give some structure to help us discipline ourselves and have our prayers emanate into the world and push back the darkness pressing in on us from a world that praises those things that deceive, ruin, damage us.

This teaching I recently received and it comes from Pastor Dick Eastman, the International President of “Every Home for Christ”.

It’s absolutely necessary to set a specific time for daily devotional prayer. Morning is usually best. Our minds are uncluttered, we can focus, and we get ourselves aligned with God for the rest of the day. It’s the setting of the time that’s important, but it’s not necessary to set a time limit except for it to fit into your schedule. You may have to rearrange your schedule, maybe not do something that’s part of your routine. Not watch that TV program, or stay up and watch the eleven o’clock news, or get up a little earlier to make room for what's truly important.  

From Pastor Eastman’s book, Look What God Is Doing!  if you can get up to an hour, understandably tough if this is a new evolution in your life, is something to work toward. He breaks personal prayer hour into twelve five minute segments.

~Praise, recognizing God’s nature

~Waiting, silent soul surrender

~Confession

~Scripture Praying, prayer with your Bible open and read scripture

~Watching, develop holy alertness

~Intercession

~Petition, share personal needs

~Thanksgiving

~Singing, a sure challenge for some

~Meditation, ponder spiritual themes

~Listening, receive spiritual instruction

~Praise, bring it back to where you started

When praying intercession pray for your neighborhood; even take a walk through it, praying for those in each house you pass. Create a personal prayer list for family and friends that need intercession.

He gives us several spheres of influence.

~Monday, Pray for those in the Arts and Entertainment, including Sports. Ask God to use Christians here to touch lives.

~Tuesday, Pray for those in business.

~Wednesday, Pray for those in education, especially teachers.

~Thursday, Pray for families, especially those families facing breakup.

~Friday, Pray for those in Government, local to national, and international. Pick a country each day. Get a prayer map of the world to do this.

~Saturday, pray for those in the Media to become tools for Jesus Christ to change our culture from the baseness it exalts now to reflecting His honor and glory.

~Sunday, pray for the anointing of all churches and ministries. Pray for other religions to see the truth of the Gospel.

Pastor Eastman has three focuses, the first a “Prayer Focus” for our neighborhood and for the nations. For your neighborhood, start a prayer watch over them, walk the neighborhood praying. Declare God’s praises over your neighborhood. Whenever you can, lead your neighbors to Jesus. For the nations open doors to spread the Gospel, open minds to hear the Gospel, open hearts to embrace the Gospel, and open the Heavens to reveal the Gospel.

The second focus he calls the “Care Focus” to show Christ’s Love to a hurting world. For our neighbors bless them, know them (very tough in this time of mistrust), help whenever you can, and tell them the Good News. For Nations, remember to be like Jesus and be compassionate, remember to care for the suffering, and remember Him by sharing the “Bread of Life” (he is the bread).

The last is a “Share Focus” to share Christ’s Love through personal and relations evangelism, where we work, play and live.

This is a call to prayer in a darkening world consenting to live in the shadow of the Adversary. We need to penetrate that every day, for everybody, everywhere, and in every home.

You can get learn more and get involved in “Every Home for Christ” by visiting http://www.ehc.org/index.jsp, or calling 800 423 5054.

A Call to Prayer

The dark times we have entered aren't only socio-economic, it’s mostly spiritual. These dark times are a result of forces pushing back the holy power of God. Pedophilia being more acceptable, massive corruption in politics and business, plummeting wealth internationally, a culture sexualizing children, racial tensions and all the rest that disturb us, are a call to prayer for the Church, the Body of Christ. Prayer will penetrate the Darkness, and from there we can begin breaking it down and pushing it back.

Most of the time we pray, it’s more like a personal wish list, prayers of personal petition. In the prayer Jesus taught us, he has us saying, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done”, calling on us to bridge His kingdom to our life here. We’ve allowed ourselves to lose that relationship, our lives being ruled more by men than by God. That leads to deception and ruin; we see the results daily, experiencing the encroaching Darkness. We let ourselves become spiritually blind. Instead of pushing back the Darkness, we close more in on ourselves as the Church, as Christians.

While we do good works, there must be more prayer, both corporate and personal. When we look at the early Church, following Pentecost, prayer life was number one. The power of His Kingdom into our realm is brought by prayer. It began with Jesus, and his constant praying; he set the example. He would withdraw and pray often. He taught us how to pray. The Apostle Paul admonished us to pray unceasingly. Peter kneeled and prayed until his knees bled. Reading in Acts, the story of the early Church, people prayed and there were healings and miracles, new ministries, there were visions of God, people that lost direction found direction, and in the face of unbelievable persecution, the growth of the Church exploded. Acts 1:14 tells us these tangible results were the result of prayer, “all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication”.

This is a call to prayer, for all of us. It takes time and discipline. We each need to find a time to connect with the Holy Kingdom, and do it daily. Prayer is a spiritual discipline, and much neglected, and often limited to our own needs. The recommended time is morning; all is quiet and our mind uncluttered unlike at the end of our day. When we do this, we present ourselves to Him with praise, we open our hearts to Him, we offer our day to Him, and we expand our prayers, reaching out from ourselves, to family, to our Church family, to community, our nation, and then to other nations.

When we open our hearts to Him, He reviews what’s there, and will cleanse us of those things that deceive and keeps us from living totally in tune with His will. Psalms 139 tells us “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”. When presenting our day to Him, Psalms 5 tells us, “Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend.” When we do this we’re asking for His power and anointing to come upon us; this will push back, penetrate the darkness that surrounds us daily. When we reach out, we expand our prayer beyond our immediate circle. We can specifically name those in need of prayer within our immediate circle, and we need to do the same outside the circle. Pick a country everyday and pray for their leaders and people to be delivered from the encroaching Darkness.

There is no predestined fate. Many think God has set in motion events, so just let it be, things will just be taken care of. God has called us to intercede, to bring His Kingdom into our realm. It's on us. God will only act where He is invited; He won’t do things just on His own. It’s more important now than ever, with the force of the Enemy blanketing us in more Darkness that we make the time for daily devotional prayer.

Additionally, as the Body of Christ, the Church must pray, corporate prayer, as if each of our churches is the only church praying. Kingdom power must be that amplified. The order of things has been violated, and we must pray as if our lives depended on it, and it does, to put things right and open His kingdom here on earth. 

Celine Dion, "I'm Alive"

http://youtu.be/I-W5ND6wj_A