Giving Up Liberty

Magna Carta Libertatum is the whole title to the document. It placed restraints on the king. The US Constitution placed restraints on the government, the political class. Both focused on the rights of people. The most recent attack on Christianity, specifically the Catholic Church, by the Obama Administration and the Democrat Party, is beyond just that. It’s an attack on liberty.

“I leave it up to the government to make good decisions for Americans.” Danica Patrick

For those that don’t know, Patrick is a sexy race car driver and model. She has hit here on the mindset of a growing number of citizens that it’s okay to give up individual liberty and submit to the State. It’s severely bothersome and disconcerting to me that for the five thousand years or so of civilization prior to the founding of the republic of America, Man has lived under tyranny. Just look how long and slow progress was; spiritually and physically. Just look at all the cool stuff we’ve got in the last couple hundred years or so. There’s more progress in freedom and goodies than all the history preceding the US Constitution.

The primary reason, arguably the only reason, for this explosion of creativity, innovation, and personal wealth is the power of the State had its wings clipped. People were able to do things for themselves, family and community, and all have benefitted. Now the State’s feathers of oppression have grown back.

The latest, of course, is the attempt to control the Catholic Church and by extension Christians, so Freedom of Religion gets clipped. Even those not tolerant of organized religion should take note because every tyranny begins with the crushing of Christians and Jews (anti-Semitism is on the rise). Freedom of Speech is clipped by “political correctness” and name calling. If you disagree with Obama’s policies you’re a racist, if you don’t approve of homosexuality or gay marriage you’re a bigot, if you don’t think employees or taxpayers should be paying for someone else’s abortions or contraceptives, you're a sexist.

Case in point from Chris Matthews: “There are a number of people who have chosen to convert to the Catholic faith because they don’t like the liberal positions taken by their sectarian groups, that’s a fact, you can write that down. . . .I’m saying that some people who are bigoted against gay people have changed religions, yes.”

Then there’s Obama’s statement: “So it’s not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” It’s an anathema to these Statists that people actually believe in God because they believe, not because the government isn’t fulfilling some need in their lives. Statists want Religion out of the way because it creates a vacuum for the State to fill. They want all citizens replace their religion with the Religion of the State like they have.

Now the government tells us what light bulbs we can use, even though the one’s we will soon be forced to buy provide worse light and are dangerous and toxic. Some public schools are forcing parents to buy school lunches, deeming home made sack lunches not healthy enough. I read one incident where the school didn’t let a kid eat his lunch meat sandwich from home and eat at the school cafeteria; the replacement meal was “chicken” nuggets. Really? The government is installing “smart meters” on homes to control your house temperature, what and how many appliances you can run. They have tried, so far unsuccessfully, to ban smoking in cars and homes. They tell restaurants how much sugar and salt they can use in their recipes. The tax code is designed to limit your income; they are mandating how much you may earn.  In California parents have to keep their kids in booster seats until they are 57” tall. Some kids will be in them until they’re 10 or 12 years old. This was a safety problem? If the people vote on something, and the government doesn't like the outcome, they just get a judge say it's unconstitutional and overturn the will people and their representatives.

“We are only a few days away from fundamentally transforming America!” Barack Obama, November 2008

Obama’s “accommodation” to the Catholic Church is to have insurance companies pay for contraception and whatever else, so the employees will have these for free. Statists say things are for free, if only we give them more power and money. Power to not obey the laws the rest of us are forced to obey, and money so they can live large with the things we can no longer afford because they took our money.

The cost of all that free stuff? The U.S. government debt is currently $44,215 per person. Obama’s own budget numbers show it will rise over the next ten years to $75,000.

“I leave it up to the government to make good decisions for Americans.” Truly?

Father Barron: On Lent

Here's a brief explanation of Lent which serves as a good reminder for Christians and a clear explanation for non-Christians. 

http://youtu.be/Vm3JK7JYAKs

My Shepard Will Supply My Need

We sang this in church today and I was moved by it's comforting words and beautiful melody.

http://youtu.be/KPcBRJpF-Vw

My Shepherd will supply my need, 

Jehovah is His name. 

In pastures fresh He makes me feed, 

Beside the living stream. 

He brings my wand’ring spirit back, 

When I forsake His ways. 

And leads me for His mercy’s sake 

In paths of truth and grace. 

When I walk through the shades of death 

Thy presence is my stay. 

One word of Thy supporting breath 

Drives all my fears away. 

Thy hand in sight of all my foes, 

Doth still my table spread. 

My cup with blessings overflows, 

Thine oil anoints my head. 

The sure provisions of my God 

Attend me all my days. 

O may Thy house be my abode, 

And all my work be praise. 

There would I find a settled rest, 

While others go and come. 

No more a stranger nor a guest, 

But like a child at home. 

My Shepherd will supply my need.

~~Isaac Watts

"Debbie Downer" Wasserman Shultz, DNC Chair Again Babbling Stupidly

In yet another amazing interview with the Chair of the DNC, Debbie Downer doesn’t get it when she decries corporations imposing their values on employees, but is perfectly happy and endorses the government imposing it’s values on citizens. One can leave a company or find alternatives, in this case, to health care provisions. When dealing with the government, obey or get fined\imprisoned. 

http://youtu.be/fKvbPzsl5aQ

At one time insurance meant we combined our money to cover things that are catastrophic such as fire, flood, car accidents, debilitating diseases or being disabled. Now it includes, because the government says so, products designed to keep one from getting knocked up? I’m supposed to provide rubbers and pills to people that are poking? Give me a break.

Fr. Baron Comments on the Persecuted Christian Church

While I’ve been focusing on our own government’s attack, in concert with NGS’s (Non-Governmental Secularists) on religion, there’s a huge, violent attack on Christians worldwide. 

http://youtu.be/lCiW_frCCZA

We must not forget these persecuted brave people and pray for them diligently. Would you and I stand up to this kind of hatred, violence and genocide knowing we could be killed doing so? 

Donald Cardinal Wuerl Responds to Attack on Freedom of Religion

This is a well reasoned defense against this Administration’s and the Democrat Party’s attack on the Catholic Church specifically and religion generally (except Islam, go figure). It’s noted here this goes beyond this unconstitutional attack on religion, but it reaches much deeper into our democracy, and is all about all our liberties.

 

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1450080861001/

Note here too Obama saying contraception and the rest will be provided for free by the insurance companies. Free? Does this guy have any clue that things have to be paid for? Part of ObamaCare, as with any socialist program, is the government can tell private companies what to charge for and how much to charge for it. If they can tell a company that, then they can tell you what procedures, care, medicine and all the rest that you will be allowed. I’m absolutely floored nearly half of Americans think it’s a good idea for government bureaucrats to decide what kind of care you get; especially after so many get angry with insurance companies for doing the same. The Political Class, which exempts themselves, will do better? Good grief.  

A Quiet Attack on Christianity By Our Anti Christian Government

We all aware of the recent attack on Catholics by the Christophobes in the Democrat Party and Obama. That was a rare political mistake by them. They had a notion that this country’s citizens have mostly gone secular. They jumped so far with their arrogant bigotry they can't back peddle far enough. While all eyes are on that issue, the intolerant secular bigots are doing other things to crush Christianity. I'm focusing on Christianity, but anyone paying attention to Obama understands he's also anti-Semitic and pro Islam.

Here's one of the little things that is part of the attack on Christianity, a program called Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Did you know if you did 10 years of “public service” work, the remainder of that loan would be forgiven?

Here’s how the law read until this year:

“Qualifying employment is any employment with a federal, state, or local government agency, entity, or organization or a non-profit organization that has been designated as tax-exempt by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). The type or nature of employment with the organization does not matter for PSLF purposes. Additionally, the type of services that these public service organizations provide does not matter for PSLF purposes.” (Italics mine)

Now the law has an additional paragraph:

“Generally, the type or nature of employment with the organization does not matter for PSLF purposes. However, if you work for a non-profit organization, your employment will not qualify for PSLF if your job duties are related to religious instruction, worship services, or any form of proselytizing.” (Italics mine)

Before Christianity there was no such thing as charity. It wasn’t even a social concept. Groups took care of their own occasionally (not often), but Christians were the first to reach out to help everybody. Governments have taken that concept and have used it to take money from producers, line their pockets with that wealth, and enslave their citizens by keeping them ignorant and impoverished.

Back to the last sentence of that added paragraph to the law, it’s no mistake religious institutions are singled out. If you’re a student that has graduated from seminary or other religious institutions, if you do charity work, “public service”, for a religious organization, you do not qualify for loan forgiveness after ten years. Only if you work for the secularist government will your loans be forgiven. Same work, more cost effective and more effective in changing lives for the better than what government bureaucrats accomplish (which is very little).

I’ve stated many many times in this blog, all totalitarian governments must drive out Christians to be successful. Lenin\Stain, Mao, Castro, Hitler and all the rest, using a central tenants of the Left, Marxism. Fascism, Nazism, to marginalize and criminalize the religious. Europe has marginalized Christianity more benignly but as effectively. Anti-Semitism is on the rise there, approaching pre World War II levels. Christianity as a practice and belief system is for the most part dead; and the European Union is slowly becoming more totalitarian (and Islamic). Driving out Christianity predates the 20^th century; the Romans were the first totalitarian government to prosecute Christians.

Only Christianity teaches equality of each person. Only Christianity teaches individual power and responsibility. Only Christianity teaches charity for everybody. Only Christianity places the State low in the hierarchy of importance; God, Church, family, others in your community (charity), with nary a mention of the State with the exception of giving Caesar what is Caesar’s. Caesar wants it all, and he wants everyone, especially Christians to give him all. Little bits of legislation like this take this particular Caesar (Obama) and his Secularist political party to complete dominance of the citizens of this country.  

Colonel Martha McSally: Straight Talking Conservative Republican

Colonel Martha McSally has announced she’ll be running for congress in the special election to replace retiring Gabrielle Giffords. She’s a combat veteran, fighter pilot, that in 2002 challenged and won against Department of Defense rule that women going off base in Saudi Arabia had to wear Muslim clothing, the face and head scarf and all that.

Not only was she a fighter pilot, she was a squadron leader. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Harvard’s JFK School of Government. She’s a triathlete and has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro.

She’s a Republican, pro-second amendment, pro-life, and as far as I can tell so far, a conservative, not a RINO.

And she has that military way of plain speaking:

http://youtu.be/j-VVHGfDCAI

The Democrats had been thinking they have enough of the sympathy vote to keep Gifford's district, but if McSally follows up on her stated intention of running, and announces she's in the race, the Dems may lose yet another seat. 

The Evil Foundation of the Republican Party

This is a great explanation of the foundation of Republicans' socio-economic-political world view, based on greed, fascism, and racism. This shows just how evil Republicans are.

http://youtu.be/x-oS4WLui3Q

Pink Martini - "Sympathique"

http://youtu.be/ANVQScgIeag

Tape Five "Bad Boy Good Man"

Big band sound revisited. Love this.

http://youtu.be/n8Wx80TZ8OQ

Sarah Palin's Speech at CPAC 2012

http://youtu.be/tXsrajvFGk8

If Mitt Romney wants to get the support of Conservatives, he needs to take a note from Palin.

Governor Scott Walker's Speech at CPAC 2012

Scott Walker has had the Jurassic Press tell outright lies about him and his policies in support of the corrupt unions. The State Capitol Building was Occupied and $Millions in property damage resulted. Not only did they protest there, they went to his home, not the Governor’s residence and protested. Fourteen Democrat Party State Legislators fled the state to avoid voting on the budget, mostly because collective bargaining (not a right) was going to be taken away from the unions. Judge Maryann Sumi tried blocking publication of what was termed the “budget repair bill”, and after some legal battles she was overturned by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The Democrat Party and their Union thugs ran a dirty campaign to get a conservative judge thrown off the Supreme Court. There was a recall of some Republican legislators. He faces a recall with money and support nationally from the Democrat Party (and Obama supports this attack) and national union thugs. In the speech below he chronicles this national Leftist attack. As a side note, this President of the United States, proving once again he doesn’t believe in States Rights, has sued a couple states and has weighed in on this attack on a sitting governor. Legislation needs to be passed that state elections and state issues cannot use money from out of state organizations. Because Leftists can do this they can centralize their agenda resulting in everyone having to obey the Federal Government. People should be able to choose to live in states that have a government to respects and has similar political, socio-economic values.

Back to Scott Walker. Some of the things he’s been able to do, in the face of massive national Leftist, Union, Democrat Party opposition is reduce the state’s $3.6 Billion deficit without tax increases or massive layoffs of state employees.  About $850 in savings to local governments have been seen. School districts can hire and fire based on merit rather than seniority. Tenure is out the window for teachers. I never did get that concept. Every other job I know of, if you don’t produce with a certain level of quality, it results in termination. School property taxes have been reduced. There’s school choice now, citizens with children aren’t forced to attend schools the government says they have to.  

This speech is the keynote speech for the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference). Actual speech begins at about 4mins.  
   

http://youtu.be/cOcjxT8ZAuU

Another side note, linking into one of my pet peeves...when I Googled attacks on Scott Walker, nearly all the results were press attacks on what was termed by them attacks on freedom of whatever by Walker. 

The Pope and Prayer

Prayer is so important to our lives; it should be the center of our daily activities.

http://youtu.be/bAUmxMkwzIo

I've written on prayer earlier:

http://metaphysicalperegrine.blogspot.com/2011/11/call-to-prayer.html

http://metaphysicalperegrine.blogspot.com/2011/11/call-to-prayer-ii.html

The New Progressive Bible

This is a hilarious satire updating the Bible to meet modern Leftist beliefs and values. Here's a taste. Full article here. 

The New Modern Library's Progressive Bible is written within a scope of only 200 words to make it accessible to everyone. It is produced in various versions, each of which targets a wide range of demographics, from God-free to God-lite (less than 3% opiate for the masses) to the Rick James "Superfreak" Version, and is suitable for any occasion - pick one that best fits your current moral needs. In the Egalitarian Bible, for instance, God is equal to everybody else in the story. He votes, drives a hybrid, is in debt, uses recreational drugs, hates Bush, participates in peace marches, complains about the minimum wage, and feels lousy about nothing like everybody else.

Exactly half of the characters are women (50% of the kings are now queens). Solomon is Shirley. Very few of the characters are Jews. Some of them are mentally retarded; the rest are progressive minorities, with the ever growing Hispanic representation and a vocal Muslim voting bloc, as well as a gay, lesbian, and transgender alliance, mirroring life itself.

Every progressive Christian worth his/her/its "pillar of salt" is sure to enjoy the revised story of Moses, whose crusading band of Zionist aggressors ambushed the disenfranchised Egyptian freedom fighters in what became known as the "Red Sea Massacre."

Other revised inspirational stories of moral relativism include:

·             The Organic Garden of Eden

·             Pharaoh Has Two Mummies

·             What Happens in Sodom and Gomorrah Stays in Sodom and Gomorrah

·             Noah Builds Ark to Survive Global Warming

·             Jonah Saves the Whale

·             David Appeases Goliath

·             The Bilingual Writing on the Wall

·             The Tower of Babel & The Controlled Demolition Theory

·             Uncle Samson & The NY Times Reporter Delilah

·             Judas The ACLU Lawyer

·             Joseph & Mary Celebrate Holiday Season By Donating Fetus To Federal Embryonic Stem Cell Bank

·             Government Program Feeds The Multitudes with Five "Whole Grain" Loaves And Two Non-Endangered Fishes

Racial Code Words? Decoding Juan Williams False Charges of Racism

Funny and true. Really, the words "food stamps" are racist?

http://youtu.be/90mKETE-a5A

Every once in a while Juan Williams actually says something right. Not too often. When he does, I have a little glimmer of hope. Just a glimmer.

How the Democrats Are Defending Their Assault on Freedom of Religion

There's the observation man isn't a rational being, but a rationalizing being. This vid shows Dems justifying forcing religious institutions to submit to the State in violation of their teachings and beliefs, and in violation of the First Amendment. The most frightening of all this justifications comes at 2:04. This woman is actually a national politician, as well as incredibly stupid. Gwendolyne Moore, Wisconsin Democrat: "The National Institute of Health has said that it is a danger to women's health and safety of their families, that for 30 years, to be exposed to the prospects of pregnancy." Pregnancy is a health and safety issue that women are exposed to? It's a prospect of something unhealthy, or something.  What?



The government mandating what products and services citizens should buy. In the case of the Catholic Church, it's been suggested that going forward they needn't hire employees that don't have the same values and belief system as the Church. How many law suits would that generate, denying employment based on ideology?

If a government controls healthcare, it controls every aspect of every citizen's life. Every citizen will have to obey the State to get health care. Guns are unhealthy. Ban them. Religion endangers the health of women. Suppress it. Leftists/Democrats have done very well suppressing free speech with political correctness, to the point now, if you call a black man "Juan" without the correct inflection you're a racist. Traditional press has given up it's freedom; it willing and with joy does the bidding of the State. Pretty much us in the blogosphere are what's left of the free press, and the State is doing everything it can to get control of that. 

Rick Santorum's CPAC 2012 Speech - Impressive

This is the first time since we began this process of picking a presidential candidate for the Republican Party, that I was impressed by Santorum. He talks about founding principles, conservative principles; it would be good to have someone in the White House that could re-teach and advocate for those.

 “Are we going to believe, as our Founders did, that our rights don’t come from the government, that they come from a much higher authority?”… “There are those in the Oval Office who believe that’s not the case, that rights do, in fact, come from the government, and they have gone around convincing the American people that they can give you rights. We see what happens when government gives you rights. When government gives you rights, government can take away those rights. When government gives you rights, they can coerce you in doing things in exercising the rights that they gave you.”

“As a result, government will own because you will have to pay tribute to Washington in order to get the care you need for your children.”

This is well worth the 20 minutes. Impressive, profound, and, strangely enough, moving. 

http://youtu.be/RxHM2_9t7G8

“Why would an undecided voter vote for a candidate the party is not excited about? We need conservatives now to rally for a conservative to go into November, to excite the conservative base, to pull with that excitement moderate voters and to defeat Barack Obama in the fall. … Please walk out of this gathering and choose the candidate that you believe is the right person to lead this country, so you can say, ‘I have done my duty. I have kept my honor.’”

Indeed. 

"Hidden" Mortgage Fee Paying for Payroll Tax Cut

Here's a tax that will be imposed for the next 10 years on most mortgages and refinancings and it lasts for the life of the loan. For every $200,000, it amounts to an extra $15 dollars a month. That 2% payroll tax the gov gave everybody last Dec. This is how they'll pay for it and them some, to the tune of an extra $35.7 billion to the general treasury. Bet you didn't hear this one. Gov offers a few dollars back out of paycheck, takes $billions back. Good deal for them, and no one knows, until now. Thanks to CBS for actually doing some reporting for a change.  

For every $200,000, it amounts to an extra $15 dollars a month.

$35.7 billion collected in fees go to general fund for congress to spend any ol’ way the want. 

Jackie Evancho "To Believe"

http://youtu.be/foUrBztgzZA

Alison Krauss "A Living Prayer"

http://youtu.be/kv3WSrZ-9bM

In this world I walk alone
With no place to call my home,
But there's one who holds my hand
Through rugged roads, through barren lands.
The way is dark, the road is steep,
But He's become my eyes to see,
The strength to climb, my griefs to bear.
The Savior lives inside me there.

Chorus:
In Your love I find relief,
A haven from my unbelief.
Take my life and let me be
A living prayer, my God, to Thee.

In these trials of life I find
Another voice inside my mind.
He comforts me and bids me live
Inside the love the Father gives.

In Your love I find relief,
A haven from my unbelief.
Take my life and let me be
A living prayer, my God, to Thee.

Take my life and let me be
A living prayer, my God, to Thee.

Yet More Attacks on Christianity by Our Secularist, Bigoted President & His Party

This President and his political party have made it abundantly clear they are Secularists, and specifically anti-Christian. Here’s a few items to make the point.

I had written earlier that I’m disgusted by the use of Our Savior Jesus Christ being used as a political pawn. The anti-Christian bigot Obama did just that when he attended a prayer breakfast and used the time meant for communing with God to make a Marxist campaign speech, saying Jesus' admonition to help the poor means the government must raise taxes, especially on the rich.

Obama: “When I talk about shared responsibility, it’s because I genuinely believe that in a time when many folks are struggling and at a time when we have enormous deficits, it’s hard for me to ask seniors on a fixed income or young people with student loans or middle-class families who can barely pay the bills to shoulder the burden alone.”  … “And I think to myself, if I’m willing to give something up as somebody who’s been extraordinarily blessed and give up some of the tax breaks that I enjoy, I actually think that’s going to make economic sense.”

“But for me as a Christian, it also coincides with Jesus’ teaching that, ‘for unto whom much is given, much shall be required.’”

He added this even more appalling observation:  “…mirrors the Islamic belief that those who’ve been blessed have an obligation to use those blessings to help others, or the Jewish doctrine of moderation and consideration for others.” Since Christianity came first, and Islam imperfectly picked and chose what it wanted and needed to oppress people, I don’t think so.

http://youtu.be/jRA6l-VCttg

The quote, “Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required,” does not mean from each according to his ability and to each according to his needs. Obama sees everything through Marxist lenses. It’s his religion.

Part of that religion is to ignore the establishment clause of the Constitution (and the rest of the Constitution too, but I need to stay on point), “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” and the free exercise clause, "... or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". The latest kerfuffle is his forcing the Catholic Church to adhere to his secular religion, which advocates the killing of babies, i.e., abortion, over the life of babies. Add to that forcing, against the teaching/values/beliefs of the Church requiring them to provide contraception. This Administration ruling forcing the church to provide abortions, sterilizations, and contraceptives as part of their health care programs is a requirement from Health and Human Services Department, not even legislation. They can get away with it because, contrary to what was said to the public by Obama and the Democrats, mandating abortion is in ObamaCare. This doesn’t only apply to the Catholic Church, but to all religious organizations; if the Catholic Church and other organizations stick to their guns on this, many religious funded hospitals, health facilities and companies will be forced to shut down. The Obama administration isn’t entirely insensitive to this issue; all the affiliated organizations have a year before being forced to comply or shut down.

Archbishop Timothy Nolan has published a letter to the president in protest, and there are several with some variations from many Bishops in America. A copy of one is at the bottom of this article.

He's also forbidden Chaplin's in the military to comment on this abuse of power, this ignoring of the Constitution, this forcing of Religion, specifically Christianity, to ignore and reject the teachings of their respective churches. He is Commander in Chief and has the legal right to do so, but not the moral right. 

Recently struck down by the Supreme Court, and not reported or under reported by the re-elect Obama press, was a ruling requiring Churches to adhere to equal opportunity legislation. This requires the Catholic Church to allow female priests, and Jews female rabbis. You may color me wrong on this, but aren’t elected officials sworn to uphold the Constitution? If I’m right, the Secularists in power that took that oath are definitely ignoring both the establishment clause and free exercise clause.

Off on a tangent here; the first female ex-Speaker of the House, a professed Catholic, stated about the issue: “First of all, I am going to stick with my fellow Catholics in supporting the administration on this. I think it was a very courageous decision that they made, and I support it.” Say what? She’s one of many Catholic politicians that are pro-abortion and contraception ignoring the teachings of the Church she professes to be a member of. For most of us practicing Christians, God comes first, and informs our beliefs and actions. If one is a politician, and speaks honestly about his\her Faith, they should let it be known and live by it. I think if a Catholic runs for office on a pro-abortion platform, or lives and legislates in opposition to the Church, they should renounce the Church. If not, and I’m not Catholic, so I don’t know how exactly this works, but if they stay in the Church and support the kinds of regulation written about here, they should be excommunicated. It shouldn’t bother these anti-Christian, anti-Catholic Catholics anyway since they apparently don’t believe or practice Church doctrine.  

There’s a whole section of the Bible discussing Spiritual Warfare, mostly in Ephesians 6: 10- 18. This is where it manifests itself in physical world. We have the leader of the free world leading an assault on Christianity (and supporting Islam). Good for the Catholic Church for standing up to these bigots and secularists.