High Way 37 Revisited

1 Do not fret because of evildoers,
(This is a lesson I needed to learn)

Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
2 For they will wither quickly like the grass
And fade like the green herb.
(God determines who is a wrongdoer-He sees the heart)

3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
(This verse is often misused in selfish ways. What I think it means is:
Delight yourself in the Lord, and the desires of your heart will be to
Honor and Love Him more, worship and grow closer to Him.
Not a new car or a pretty wife or any other selfish desire.)

5 Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
(God is always ready to bless.)

6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your judgment as the noonday.
(Praise God if your life is one which He can use as an example
to shine His light in a dark world.)

7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him;
(Resting and Waiting means that we are not actively striving
to get things done in our own strength, but instead trusting that
God will do it, or give us strength to do whatever it is.)

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
9 For evildoers will be cut off,
(Ultimately, the evil that men do is buried with them-the grave
finishes off every Hitler or Stalin.)

But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.
10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
11 But the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
12 The wicked plots against the righteous
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees his day is coming.
Psalm 37:1-13

All of Psalm 37 is wonderful, and I encourage everyone to read and reflect on the entire Psalm. If we fret, aren’t we lacking faith in God to take care of us?
Trust God-He knows what He’s doing.

We Can Do No Less

Elizabeth stood up and started walking to another part of the cemetary. "Where are you going?" asked Edwina. "Just over there," she answered, pointing toward her destination. "But those are Union graves," said Edwina. Elizabeth smiled at her friend and said, "Somewhere up north there is a mother, a wife, a child, mourning the loss of one of these boys. Wouldn't we want them to do likewise for our fellows buried up there?" With that she turned and walked down the gentle slope to where the Union soldiers were buried.

The place was Columbus, Mississippi, it was a warm day in late May, 1863. Elizabeth Hayes and her friend Edwina Swarthmore had come to the cemetary to lay flowers on the graves of soldiers who had fallen in the still raging War between the States. Someone at the local newspaper heard about what the women had done and published a story about it in the next day's edition. Other newspapers soon picked up the story and before long it even appeared in northern papers. As word spread, other Americans followed suit and began to lay flowers on the graves of soldiers in their local cemetaries.

In the Spring of 1866, Henry C. Welles, a druggist in the village of Waterloo, NY, suggested that the patriots who had died in the Civil War should be honored by decorating their graves. General John B. Murray, Seneca County Clerk, embraced the idea and a committee was formed to plan a day devoted to honoring the dead. Townspeople made wreaths, crosses and bouquets for each veteran's grave. The village was decorated with flags at half mast. On May 5 of that year, a processional was held to the town's cemeteries, led by veterans. The town observed this day of remembrance on May 5 of the following year as well.

Decoration Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed officially on May 30, 1868. Ironically, the South did not observe Decoration Day, preferring to honor their dead on separate days until after World War I. In 1882, the name was changed to Memorial Day, and soldiers who had died in other wars were also honored.

In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday to be held on the last Monday in May.

Several American communities claim to have initiated the practice, the story of Elizabeth Hayes and Edwina Swarthmore is more legend than reality and their names come from imagination rather than from history, but none of that really matters. What matters is that Americans set aside time to honor those who have given all in a cause they believed to be just, the American cause.

The great American poet, Walt Whitman, had a special place in his heart for soldiers and devoted parts of his epic work, Leaves Of Grass, entirely to soldiers, veterans, and war. Dirge For Two Veterans is from the part entitled Drum Taps. In it Whitman describes how a father and son fell in the same Civil War battle and are now being laid side by side, together for all time. The closing lines express the real meaning of Memorial Day.

The moon gives you light,
And the bugles and the drums give you music,
And my heart, O my soldiers, my veterans,
My heart gives you love.

We can do no less.

Nuda Veritas

Tribute

You will be seeing many Memorial Day tributes, I hope. I’m sure that you will hear of an assembly,
maybe at the school, which you can attend on Monday. Rather than writing inadequate words, I’ll just post one of my favorite Statler Brothers songs, written by Jimmy Fortune.



MORE THAN A NAME ON A WALL

I saw her from a distance
As she walked up to the wall
in her hand she held some flowers
as her tears began to fall
and she took out pen and paper
as to trace her memories
and she looked up to heaven
and the words she said were these...

She said Lord my boy was special,
and he meant so much to me
and Oh I'd love to see him
just one more time you see
All I have are the memories
and the moments to recall

So Lord could you tell him,
He's more than a name on a wall..

She said he really missed the family
and being home on Christmas day
and he died for God and Country
in a place so far away

I remember just a little boy
playing war since he was three
But Lord this time I know,
He's not coming home to me

And she said Lord my boy was special,
and he meant so much to me
and Oh I'd love to see him
But I know it just can't be
So I thank you for my memories
and the moments to recall

But Lord could you tell him,
He's more than a name on a wall..

Lord could you tell him,
He's more than a name on a wall..

Part One

11For thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12“As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. 13“I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. 14“I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15“I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest,” declares the Lord GOD.
23“Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. 24“And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I the LORD have spoken.
25“I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate harmful beasts from the land so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26“I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. And I will cause showers to come down in their season; they will be showers of blessing. 27“Also the tree of the field will yield its fruit and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be secure on their land. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28“They will no longer be a prey to the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not devour them; but they will live securely, and no one will make them afraid. 29“I will establish for them a renowned planting place, and they will not again be victims of famine in the land, and they will not endure the insults of the nations anymore. 30“Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people,” declares the Lord GOD. 31“As for you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, you are men, and I am your God,” declares the Lord GOD. Ezekiel 34:11-15, 23-31

5 And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him
(For I am honored in the sight of the LORD,
And My God is My strength),
6 He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also make You a light of the nations
So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
Isaiah 49:5-7
12Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
John 8:12

Part Two

1Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me saying, 2“Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir, and prophesy against it 3and say to it, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,
“Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir,
And I will stretch out My hand against you
And make you a desolation and a waste.
4 “I will lay waste your cities
And you will become a desolation.
Then you will know that I am the LORD.

5“Because you have had everlasting enmity and have delivered the sons of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of the punishment of the end, 6therefore as I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “I will give you over to bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you; since you have not hated bloodshed, therefore bloodshed will pursue you. 7“I will make Mount Seir a waste and a desolation and I will cut off from it the one who passes through and returns. 8“I will fill its mountains with its slain; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines those slain by the sword will fall. 9“I will make you an everlasting desolation and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

10“Because you have said, ‘These two nations and these two lands will be mine, and we will possess them,’ although the LORD was there, 11therefore as I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “I will deal with you according to your anger and according to your envy which you showed because of your hatred against them; so I will make Myself known among them when I judge you. 12“Then you will know that I, the LORD, have heard all your revilings which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel saying, ‘They are laid desolate; they are given to us for food.’ 13“And you have spoken arrogantly against Me and have multiplied your words against Me; I have heard it.” 14‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “As all the earth rejoices, I will make you a desolation. 15“As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so I will do to you. You will be a desolation, O Mount Seir, and all Edom, all of it. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”’
Ezekiel 35

Watch this space...

for a more sensible post from me soon. It's been a very busy week for the world, and if it seems as if it's spinning out of control, at least it's still spinning. As I noted on an earlier post-God is in His Heaven, so all is going to be fine, eventually. Even if we can't see that happening. Even if it looks as if the world has gone crazy-viskas bus gerai.

Doug's Lost it...Again

To reiterate: I am not crazy.
I have an idea which may sound ridiculous until it is contemplated-then it drops down to merely goofy.
I live in a great Country, which I love.
Here comes the goofyness: We have indefensible borders. I admit it. We’re ready to build a wall, walls, to keep illegal aliens from crossing over on foot. They will still find ways to get in. That is the same for both our Northern and Southern borders. All you need to cross our Northern border is a boat. Or hiking boots.
I propose that we create a new nation, North America, which includes as citizens all Canadians, United States, and Mexican peoples. Forget about remaining divided over indefensible borders. Most Canadians live near the U.S. border. Most Mexicans live in the northern half of Mexico. Erase the existing borders and we are all North Americans. Just a bigger melting pot.
The dreadful standard of living in Mexico would be a thing of the past-all citizens would be able to move, buy land, and create industry within the three sections. Combining the natural resources, economic strength and financial stability of the three countries, we would be a force in the world.
This wouldn’t be a case of the United States taking over the other two, but the combination of three equal partners. We wouldn’t be giving up sovereignty as much as agreeing to expand into one sovereign Nation with a diverse population within more defensible borders. Tundra to the North, Oceans on three sides. Rather than Mexicans/Canadians being at odds with Our policies, we would all be governed by the same laws. With representative government, we would all have the freedoms Americans and Canadians now enjoy, which are sadly lacking in Mexico.
Militarily, we would be more secure, better able to defend ourselves if need be...and it might just be.
North America, the continental Country. Think about it.

Thoughts RanFridaydom

Things I’ve heard, seen or read which cross across my mind today:

Iraqis love Lionel Ritchie. He is a favorite of many in Iraq, and no one knows why, including Ritchie himself. I think he had some great songs, and if they like him, wonderful. They could do a lot worse (Morris Day and the Time).
I think I’ve got Congress figured out, at least as much as a simple computer guy can figure out anything to do with politics: They are passing legislation about illegal aliens which will...alienate most of America. They are acting as if they WANT to be kicked out of office. I think they see a bleak future ahead for the country, and would prefer to be defeated so that their golden parachute of a pension can kick in and they can get out from under. There has to be a tipping point where the life they could have out of office is more appealing than staying. Term limits would be lovely. No one gets to be Prom King or Queen for all of their lives-more capable, strong leaders would be interested in government service if the Senators didn’t have a stranglehold on the few possible slots for a lifetime. And if someone knew going in that they were limited to two terms, after which they would return to the private sector, they might just keep clean, knowing they would have to live under the laws passed on their watch. What would Ted Kennedy do, for example, if he had to learn a living outside of politics? Someone else has his old paper route. The “Inside the Beltway Bubble” would disintegrate if the government had to live with the rest of us. Term limits would make that happen. The argument that term limits take choice away from the voters is half-right. It doesn’t seem to hurt our country that the President has a limit to his term. Choose a Pelosi twice if you want, but then you must choose someone else-fine with me. Taking power away from politicians may be harder than getting a gazelle away from a lion, but the country would be better served by our servants if they could only stay in power for 8 years versus lifetime election. They are supposed to serve us, not us serve them.
I’m having fun commenting over at Hot Air, though with so many different commenters, I kind of get lost in the crowd-but that’s okay.
Ahmadinejad has written to the Pope, after writing to President Bush. I wish I had so much free time-I wonder if he’ll also write to Lionel Ritchie? Iran might love him, too.
But Iran doesn’t seem to love Jews and Christians very much-they want to pass a law establishing a dress code: yellow stripe for Jews on their clothing, blue band for Christians--so that a Muslim will recognize the Jews and Christians and therefore not accidentally brush against them. I know, I know-if you hadn’t read it yet, you think I’m making stuff up again. This law was introduced before Ahmadinejad was placed in office, and has been in committee, but will come up for a vote soon before their “Congress” of Mullahs. The most surprising item to me was that Iran supposedly has 25,000 Jews. That’s 25,000 more than Saudi Arabia. Or United Arab Emirates. Or quite a few other Muslim countries-I’m guessing that the Iranian Jews are leftovers from the Shaw’s reign, which ended back in the 1970’s. Iran was nearly a Western country then, before the Mullahs took over.
On a brighter, happier note, it’s Friday (!) which brings about an end to the workweek, and is looking to be quite beautiful here. I may have to work tomorrow, but until I find out, I’m going to assume that the weekend is here, and I’m happy.
No matter how much the nations rage, no matter how many wars start, or earthquakes, turmoil happen-God is in His Heaven, so all is right with the world. Have a great weekend!

Play

It’s too beautiful of a day to stay at the computer. I’ve been out in the sunshine, taking a few pictures, enjoying the nice warm day after a month of rain. Tomorrow is soon enough to get back to the issues and arguments. Have a great day, all!

Do The Right Thing

Tonight, the President will be speaking to the nation-and the world-about the issue of ‘illegal aliens’-and I hope he does well. I hope that President Bush and his advisors have heard the discontent coming from conservatives.
We are a nation which survives because we adhere to the principle of the rule of law.
Break the law and face undesirable consequences: if you have stolen, that which you have stolen is taken from you and returned to its rightful owner. If you murder someone, your life is taken from you, your freedom is taken from you-you must pay for breaking our law. And “Our Law” means that the law belongs to and is enforced for every one of us.
The American Dream which the illegal aliens strive for and wish to own will disappear for all of us-All of Us-if we do not punish their breaking of our laws.
Those not bound by laws live in chaos. Enforcing laws keeps the chaos away from our shores.
I know the emotional pleas of those who say that we cannot fault the illegals that lived in poverty, and could have a better life here. I’m a Christian-I know God’s Mercy and Grace are the only things keeping me from Hell. But as a nation, we must turn a deaf ear to those pleas, as Mercy and Grace are not ours to bestow. Breaking the law does not make one right with God, or with the United States of America.

She Shall Be Praised

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth no the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
- Proverbs 31: 10, 25-31

le

One of Those Things

Okay it's one of those things. I think they are called memes, but I don't know why. Does anyone know if meme stands for something? Is it pronounced mem or me me? Found this at Reformed Chicks Blabbing.

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open it to page 161.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence and name of book and author.
5. Don't search around and look for the coolest book you can find. Do what's actually next to you.

Here's mine:

"The rulers of the respective members, whether they have a constitutional right to do it or not, will undertake to judge of the propriety of the measures themselves."

The Federalist
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay

What's yours?

le

I guess I should mention at the outset that I do not drink alcohol or take any mind altering drugs beyond the socially acceptable Coffee and Chocolate. And I’m of sound enough mind to recognize shapes and colors and find my way to work each day, so I can’t claim insanity. Having graduated from college, I COULD claim ignorance, but really, that depends on the college. Mine was like most-you get what you got: put forth effort, learn. Put forth no effort: um...nonlearn?
All of this preamble is building up to the Craziest Idea I’ve had this Week:

HOW TO MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST SAFE(R)

Bear with me as I lay out a few dots which, when connected, should create a picture of either a bunny rabbit, or a possible peace plan.


*In the 1950’s and 60’s in America we had a civil rights movement; the instituted racism and bigotry was confronted by those who suffered unjustly in a segregated America. After Abortion, America’s second greatest shame is that race bigotry was accepted as ‘just the way things are’ for even one day. Brave souls marched-and some died-right in the heart of the South, where the segregation and racism had its strongest base. The Freedom Riders and Freedom Marchers sought the enforcement of rights they had been guaranteed as citizens of the United states. And they changed America for the better.

*I believe that Israel would love to be at peace with it’s neighbors, with the entire world. A tiny country the size of New Jersey isn’t going to antagonize anyone, unless it’s very existence antagonizes the Mullah George Wallaces, the Saddam Bull Conners of the world.

*Saudi Arabia has no anti-Semitism problem, as it has no Jews. As with most of the rest of the Islamic world, Saudi Arabia does not allow Jews to enter the country. Call it the White Lunch Counter, or the Front of the Bus.

(Do you see the ears on the bunny yet? A few more dots.)

*Medina and Mecca are so exclusive, no non-Muslim is allowed to enter either city.
Jerusalem, according to the Bible, is the city of the King of Peace-Jesus will someday rule the world from Jerusalem. If Satan has a city of the king of non-Peace, it would be Mecca. Or Medina. Pick your poison.

*Remember the peace loving human shields who went to Iraq before the start of the war? Our picture is nearly complete. Here’s my plan:

Train 10,000 Jews to parachute into Mecca and Medina. They would not be armed, and would not be an occupying force. Instead, they would be a threat which would strike fear into the heart of every bigoted Muslim who should have been confronted hundreds of years ago, shown that his hatred of Jews is not acceptable in this world.
The Muslim would have a dilemma: to spill blood of the Jews in their most holy cities would be unthinkable. The Jews would have transport out-the planes which dropped them would be allowed to land so as to get the Jews out of Saudi Arabia. Sometimes a boil has to be lanced instead of being allowed to fester. The hatred of the Jews is a sickness which needs to be treated and cured. The institutionalized racism and bigotry of Islam against their brothers the Jews, if confronted and denounced, would move the world forward towards the Peace we all wish for. Did you get a bunny instead?

Imagine I’m Pregnant

No, this is Doug, not le writing this. I can’t become pregnant, thanks to God humbling me by making me male, but if I were pregnant, no matter how wonderful the end result, I would, for the next nine months be feeling gravid; aches, pains and sicknesses would be my daily companions-I know not every woman gets sick, but I would- as I grew heavier each day, it would be hard to look at the months ahead with anything less than trepidation.
Now the light begins to dawn.
I hate politics, as much as I enjoy talking about my beliefs. I hate that our country, which is polarized most of the time, becomes Actively, Hysterically, Polarized during an election. It’s like knowing for sure that you’re going to get the measles in five months. Long before election night, I will be ‘sick up and fed’ with the whole business, longing for the days when, if not quietly, at least respectfully we can disagree.
Friends, I can’t promise that I won’t upset any of you during the upcoming election. I, or le, or Allan may make you angry as we stand here on our little Internet soapbox, telling the blogosphere what we believe. I don’t even know if le, Allan and I agree on politics-we’ll find out as we go along.
As Christians, we seek to Glorify God through our lives, and through our writing here on this blog.
May our robes remain spotless as we descend into the Valley of Mudslinging for the next 7 months.
Seven months. {sigh} Lord Jesus, please have mercy on us, and come quickly!

General Sada

I was recently given an audio tape from a brother at my church of a presentation given at Grace Chapel in Franklin, Tennessee, by General Georges Sada, a born-again Iraqi general. I invite all of you to listen to his audio or video story here. He has also written a book entitled Saddam's Secrets which can be bought at Amazon. Terry Law, President of World Compassion Ministries, speaks briefly first, so you will need to sit through his section, which is also very interesting, first.

I guess this is not new news, but it was new to me when I heard the tape. He was interviewed on Hannity and Colmes in January, and you can read a partial transcript here. I have also found several blogsites for which you can search if you are interested, that speak about his story since it came out in book form in January. General Sada is currently an advisor to the National Security Council in the newly constituted government of Iraq and Executive Secretary of the Iraqi Institute for Peace. He is Assyrian and became a born again Christian in 1986. His compelling story needs to be corroborated by the pilots, who would appear to still be alive, who transported the weapon of mass destruction, sarin nerve gas, to Syria. I hope some news organization will make the effort to interview these pilots to prove or disprove his claims. General Sada is credited with saving the lives of 31 American pilots, 6 British pilots and several Kawaiti pilots shot down in Iraq in the first Gulf War by refusing an order of Saddam's son Qusay to execute the prisoners of war. This decision eventually resulted in General Sada being put into prison himself. He was awarded the Coventry International Peace Prize in Britain in 2003 for saving the British pilots, and his continuing work to bring peace between factions in Iraq.

Perhaps some day we will have the whole story of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and can put to rest the myth that "Bush lied." I thank God for General Sada and his efforts past and present, and pray that God blesses him abundantly and continues to protect him.

le

Use Your Imagination

This isn't really a Sunday Question as Michael has done in the past, but is prompted by
very current events. Imagine that the United States/Cananda are under Islamic Shariah Law. What is your life like? How has it changed, or has it? Use your imagination, and please give the questions serious consideration. Thanks.

Last Flight Home

This was originally posted on the OneJerusalem blog. I thought it worthy of inclusion here, especially in view of the last line. The original link is One Jerusalem

May God Bless Those Who Serve Posted by The Editors on May 2, 2006 at 9:36 AM Last week, while traveling to Chicago on business, I noticed a Marine sergeant traveling with a folded bag, but did not put two and two together. After we'd boarded our flight, I turned to the sergeant, who'd been invited to sit in First Class (and was seated across from me), and inquired if he was heading home. "No," he responded. "Heading out?" I asked. "No. I'm escorting a soldier home." "Going to pick him up?" "No. He is with me right now. He was killed in Iraq. I'm taking him home to his family." The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch in the gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that, although he didn't know the soldier, he had delivered the news of his passing to the soldier's family and felt as if he did know them after so many conversations in so few days. I turned back to him, extended my hand, and said, "Thank you. Thank you for doing what you do so my family and I can do what we do." Upon landing in Chicago the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement over the intercom: "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of the United States Marine Corps join us on this flight. He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family. I ask that you please remain in your seats when we open the door (so as to) allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the fasten seat belt sign." Without a sound, all went as requested. I noticed the sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane, and his action made me realize that I am proud to be an American. So here's a public thank-you to our military for doing what you do so we can live the way we do. Stuart Margel, Washington, D.C. Please Pass This Along.

I'm passing it along.
Nudas Veritas

Vote For __________!

There was a time in ancient Israel that the people were led by God through Judges, men and women set as administrators, put in place by God to take care of His people. But even back then power corrupted, and some of the Judges, sons of Samuel, abused the privileges which came with the office. The people revolted, and demanded that they should be allowed to have a King to rule over them rather than the Judges. In effect, they were turning away from their God, who had put the Judges in place.
God, through Samuel, warned them in advance of what would happen if they were ruled by a human king instead of the King:
10So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who had asked of him a king. 11He said, “This will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots. 12“He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13“He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14“He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants. 15“He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants. 16“He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work. 17“He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants. 18“Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.”
19Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us, 20that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the LORD’S hearing. 22The LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and appoint them a king.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.” 1 Samuel 8:10-22
Those with long memories know that I’ve commented on this passage before. It is good to have a reminder every now and then of how weak men get when given power.
As mentioned in these verses, the king will:
Build a personal empire- “he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots” “He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.” “He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14“He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants.”
You can look at every tin hat dictator and would be world conqueror throughout history and find that they fit this profile. Human nature is to be greedy, abuse positions of authority and get as much as you can while you can. You find graft and corruption if you scratch the surface of any government, including the United States Federal and local governments all the way down to the office of dogcatcher. Chicago has nothing on New York and the Boss Tweed era. China today has a ruling elite which lives spectacularly
on the backs of peasants, going against their own charter where all citizens are supposedly equal. Every Saddam Hussein or Jacque Chirac or Bill Clinton will build a personal empire as large as he can get away with, building up personal wealth far beyond any realized by Saul, whom Samuel ordained as Israel’s first tin hat king.
“He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants.” Cronyism and passing out gifts of power to consolidate personal power. Buying loyalty with largesse.
Here we have an example from this week:
“Palestinian minister Mahmoud al-Zahar has been robbed of 450,000 dollars from his hotel room during his stay in Kuwait, according to Israeli news agency Itim. The agency says the Hamas minister had asked the Kuwaiti authorities not to make public the incident but a hotel official had confirmed the theft. Al-Zahar is currently on a fund-raising tour of various Arab and Muslim countries following the decision by the European Union and the United States to cut financing to the Palestinian Authority.”
So al-Zahar has walking around money-nearly a half a million dollars-while the Hamas faux government is supposedly bankrupt. I think we can assume his mission was to buy loyalty, influence for Hamas. They are as morally and financially corrupt as their predecessors the Palestinian Authority, who under Arafat reaped billions of dollars in aid from the world which was hoping to buy Peace in the Middle East. All that money has disappeared, and the PA handed over empty coffers to Hamas when they came to power.
Look at Africa, which has kept people starving for generations, while the rulers of the people have set up their own “money for food” scams. Ask a citizen who lives under the rule of Idriss Déby of Chad, for example, to read the description of the type of a king mentioned in the scripture above. Ask a political flack in the lower echelons of a ward boss in Chicago to read the same verses. You’ll hear the same answer: man cannot be trusted to watch over his fellow man without becoming corrupted by the power of the office.
But God, who cannot be corrupted, holds absolute power, and can be trusted with our lives. Obey the authorities set up to rule your nation, but remember that, being human, they will disappoint you by building their little empires, wearing their little paper mache crowns, getting all they can while in office. If their interests run with yours, be thankful. If they run contrary to your interests, work through the system to make their stay in the seat of power a short one. And Pray for deliverance from our human kings by the return of our real King, Jesus Christ!

Surprize!

Happy Birthday, Aliera!
Are you surprized? May you have a very happy birthday, Aliera, from your friends at FDW!

"Nothing gringo on May first"

I didn't want to write about this again, but the quote in the title forced me to the keyboard. The polarization of the illegal immigration issue is well on its way and shows no sign of slowing down. The quote is a racist insult (look up 'gringo') and its tone says, "we'll show them that they can't make it through a day without us". By staging protests, walkouts, and boycotts featuring this kind of rhetoric, they are pushing more and more Americans away. Americans may soon begin pushing back.

There is one issue in the debate over immigration into the United States and that is; did you come here legally, conforming to the laws in place at the time of your entry? All other issues fade into insignificance if this country is to remain a nation of laws, not of men. The recent street demonstrations for supposed rights are nothing but subterfuge and cover for this issue and an attempt to refocus the debate on minor issues which allegedly are of great import.

"Who will reap your crops, pick your fruits and vegetables, work in your low-wage jobs" are questions frequently asked by proponents of open borders. I suspect someone else will even though employers may be forced to pay higher wages and prices will likely rise. Regardless of your position on that issue, the question will remain "do you want a nation of laws or are some laws not worth enforcing?"

"it's racism," say some and bolster the charge with, "why aren't you clamoring for a fence along the Canadian border?" The answer is simple and it has nothing to do with racism. If a four-inch pipe springs a leak at the same time as does a half-inch pipe, which do you repair first? The answer is obvious. The flow of illegals is largely across the southern border with only a trickle coming across the northern one. By the way, racism and nationalism is alive and well in Mexico as witnessed by its persecution of the indian populations in its southern state of Chiapas and its treatment of illegals from Central and South America.

Millions of immigrants have come here legally over the past 200 years including me. I came as a child so I had little choice in the matter, but I still had to jump through all the hoops in order to obtain papers of naturalization. I suspect those millions, and thousands on waiting lists all around the world, resent the prospect of amnesty being given to millions of illegal border crossers simply because they are loud enough. If you wish to address fairness, include them in your arguments.

There is a certain 'slippery slope' aspect to this issue as well. If the nation wishes not to enforce immigration laws then why shouldn't tax laws be ignored also. How many of us ignore speed limit signs, or spit on sidewalks despite most cities (outside of San Francisco) having laws against it, or violate jay-walking ordinances? They are called 'scofflaws', laws which are ignored because they are so infrequently enforced. The question is, at what point do scofflaws begin having a deleterious effect on a nation's character? In other words, how far can we go in breaking laws before people say 'enough is enough'?

There are those who say that compassion should govern our response to this question. The vast majority of illegals are truly decent people seeking only a better life for themselves and their families. On a strictly personal basis I, and I'm sure many of us, feel compassion for these hard-working people, willing to risk life and limb to improve their lives. (Ignore for the present the moonbat brigade reconquista). However, a nation can be neither formed nor governed with compassion preceding law, it must come second. If we allowed compassion to be the only guiding principle in governance we would not punish criminals. In any criminal trial, the verdict must be based on the facts of the case, not the jurors' compassion for the defendant. On the other hand, compassion may mitigate the punishment meted out in the penalty phase. Compassion must not be absent, but it must not receive primary consideration. That is the correct order of things and that is the correct order of border regulation also.

Laws have been broken and the scales of justice demand to be righted or we will slide down that slippery slope of becoming just another corrupt, ungovernable country. Solutions? I have none, but I know that amnesty is not the answer nor is deportation. But with the good faith from all concerned, some sort of resolution can be reached which will satisfy all but the extreme elements. What is happening now is already beginning to make that an unreachable goal. I hope and pray the polarization will stop before it is too late.

Nuda Veritas

Halleluah

Rather than commenting on the turmoil of this fine May Day, which I believe has been covered enough by others, something closer to my heart is the upcoming National Day of Prayer. Last night at church we talked about it, and will be joining other churches on the courthouse steps in my town to publicly pray for our nation, our government, and, I imagine, the world in general.
I’m not much of a public prayer-I understand that it is a symbolic gesture of unity; and that’s fine-Jesus prayed publicly when teaching His followers how to pray (The Lord’s Prayer) and on other occasions,
such as when raising Lazarus from the dead: “41So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42“I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” John 11:41-42
You may be wondering why I even brought that up, about Jesus praying in public. It’s because I honor prayer as communicating with our heavenly Father. Whether done on courthouse steps, in church, in a car, or next to your bed before going to sleep, prayer isn’t just talking into the air. We are before the throne of God. Because I love God, and respect and reverence Him, I take prayer seriously.
I have prayed for everyone who has been visiting this site on a regular basis. My church lifted up Antigone’s name often, praying that she may accept the gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ. I asked prayer a few days ago for Kathy and her husband MB, as they are going through tough times. Being a Christian doesn’t make you invulnerable like Superman, and we all face problems; we are called by God to encourage, edify, pray for our brothers and sisters, and build up the body of Christ, which is the church.
On May 4th, which is a National Day of Prayer, wherever you are, in public or private, lift up your voice to God and pray-for our country, for your loved one, for the return of our Lord Jesus to set up His Millennial Kingdom...however you feel led to pray. And may God Bless you, because He Loves you.