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FOXNews.com - Mother Has 12-Year-Old Son Arrested for Opening Christmas Gift Early - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News: "After a mother discovered her son had unwrapped a Nintendo Game Boy Advance that was meant for him as a present from his grandmother, she called the Rock Hill Police and had the young man arrested for petty larceny, according to the police report filed this week."
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I wonder how many of my generation can even relate to a story like this. It is so foreign to any common sense that I am familiar with. My mother would no more have considered calling the police than she would have gone to the moon. She would have taken care of it herself and done a right good job of it.

Of course, she had developed a history with me. My backside had been warmed many times and I had a healthy respect for what she said. She said what she meant and my father backed her up. I feared them both, although I loved them a great deal.

Calling the police? Get real. What a failure.

Panel To Urge Pressure On Iraq - washingtonpost.com: "'Very early on, the notion of achieving some sort of victory didn't take,' said Chas W. Freeman Jr., a former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia. 'So if victory is not possible and not feasible, even if you could define it, then what you're left with is to find some way to mitigate defeat.'"
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I fear for my country. No wonder Iran and the Talaban smell the blood in the water. Oh, that our resolve could match our military and economic power!

Victory is always defined away from the start to meld the opposites. So it becomes a matter of heart and faith afterall, doesn't it? "Keep thy heart will all diligence," wrote wise old Solomon, "for out of it are the issues of life."

BREITBART.COM - US actress Gwyneth Paltrow prefers British dinner talk: "'I like living here because I don't fit into the bad side of American psychology. The British are much more intelligent and civilized than the Americans,' the 34-year-old added. "
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How many times have the barbarians saved the civilized hide of the English? Maybe Gwynny would rather live under the civilized rule of the Nazis or Bolsheviks or under Sharia law. Who protects England from these?

A New Direction?

"A New Direction For America -- Vote DEMOCRATIC!"

The stock market is at a new all-time high and America's 401K's are back.
A new direction from there means what?

Unemployment is at 25 year lows.
A new direction from there means what?

Oil prices are plummeting.
A new direction from there means what?

Taxes are at 20 year lows.
A new direction from there means what?

Federal tax revenues are at all-time highs.
A new direction from there means what?

The Federal deficit is down almost 50%, just as predicted over last year.
A new direction from there means what?

Home valuations are up 200% over the past 3.5 years.
A new direction from there means what?

Inflation is in check, hovering at 20 year lows.
A new direction from there means what?

Not a single terrorist attack on US soil since 9/11/01.
A new direction from there means what?

Osama bin Laden is living under a rock in a dark cave, having not surfaced in years, if he's alive at all, while 95% of Al Qaeda's top dogs are either dead or in custody, cooperating with US Intel.
A new direction from there means what?

World AIDS Day marked by warnings - AIDS - MSNBC.com: "In Copenhagen, artist Jens Galschioet put up an eight-foot sculpture of a crucified pregnant teenager outside Copenhagen’s Lutheran cathedral. He called it a protest against the idea that “God allows nothing but chastity and unprotected sex.”

City authorities gave the artist permission to erect the statue, named “In the Name of God,” outside the cathedral.

Anders Gadegaard, the cathedral’s dean, appeared to welcome the message. “It’s a good supplement to the crucifix we have inside the church,” he said."
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This was sent to me by a former student. A good caption for this article might be "If the blind lead the blind they shall both fall into the ditch."

O God, have mercy upon your poor church! Do not give to us according to our deserts, but pour out thy Holy Spirit in mercy and grace! Humble us before Thee, O God, and teach us to walk in your ways, for they are life, but the way of the ungodly is death.

RealClearPolitics - Articles - Webb Offends Bush & the English Language: "That was certainly swift. Washington has a way of quickly acculturating people, especially those who are most susceptible to derangement by the derivative dignity of office. But Jim Webb, Democratic senator-elect from Virginia, has become a pompous poseur and an abuser of the English language before actually becoming a senator."
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Glad you agree with me, Mr. Will. [see below]

Excite News - Pope Prays With Cleric at Turkey Mosque: "Pope Benedict XVI joined an Islamic cleric in prayers under the towering dome of Istanbul's most famous mosque Thursday in a powerful gesture seeking to transform his image among Muslims from adversary to peacemaker."
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To whom did they pray? To Christ, the Son of the Living God; or to Allah who has no Son?
I guess they just prayed to a flutter in their minds.

Telegraph | News | Hawking: Man must leave planet Earth: "The long-term survival of the human race is at risk as long as it is confined to a single planet,' he said. 'Sooner or later, disasters such as an asteroid collision or nuclear war could wipe us all out. But once we spread out into space and establish independent colonies, our future should be safe. "
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Of course, because our times are in God's hands [Ps 31:15], there is a problem with seeking to predestinate the future. The problem is this: God is a jealous God and will not give His glory to another. Those who seek safety in their own schemes make God their enemy. The reason is this, He knows that He is God and that we are creatures. There is no safety outside of Him, the true and living God, and it would be a most unloving thing for Him to do to pretend that this isn't so. Ps 9:20 Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.

Men tried this once at the Tower of Babel, which modern "science" deems a myth. See Genesis 11. [For those who attended public schools, that's in the Bible.]

FOXNews.com - Barack Obama Ponders Presidential Bid Amid Political Popularity - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Political Spectrum: "Three years ago he was little-known, a black state senator with an interesting family history and impressive academic credentials. Now polls show him as the top alternative to New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the early chase for the Democratic presidential nomination. No matter that neither senator has announced an intention to run."
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Does anyone know what qualifications either one of these has to be President of these United States? But then, it has nothing to do with qualifications, does it? A Clinton-Obama or an Obama-Clinton ticket would be a dream affirmative action ticket. There has never been a woman president or a black president, so I guess that is prima facia evidence for discrimination, so the Supreme Court could declare them the winner in order to right past wrongs. Or wrong past rights, or wrong past wrongs, or right past rights, or whatever penumbra they can find in the Constitution. Ezekial saw the "likeness of an appearance" one day, but he was a prophet, not a judge.

But take heart, little children. Very few senators get elected President. It is usually a Vice-President or the governor of a state that gets the job. The last Senator elected was Jack Kennedy, if my memory serves. Johnson, Nixon Ford, Bush I were Vice Presidents; Carter, Reagan, Clinton, Bush II were governors.

Senators are usually too partisan, have a voting record, and never manage anything but get in the way of those who are managing.

In Following His Own Script, Webb May Test Senate's Limits - washingtonpost.com: "At a recent White House reception for freshman members of Congress, Virginia's newest senator tried to avoid President Bush. Democrat James Webb declined to stand in a presidential receiving line or to have his picture taken with the man he had often criticized on the stump this fall. But it wasn't long before Bush found him.

'How's your boy?' Bush asked, referring to Webb's son, a Marine serving in Iraq.

'I'd like to get them out of Iraq, Mr. President,' Webb responded, echoing a campaign theme.

'That's not what I asked you,' Bush said. 'How's your boy?'

'That's between me and my boy, Mr. President,' Webb said coldly, ending the conversation on the State Floor of the East Wing of the White House."

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I loved his book, Born to Fight about the Scots-Irish, but Senator Webb will have to learn some manners before he will be effective as a Senator. Independence of mind can be a virtue, but you need friends to get the job done in Washington, and Republicans control the administration, and may very well control one or both houses during part of Senator Webb's term. As Commander-in-Chief, President Bush is the junior Webb's commanding officer, whether the senior Webb likes it or not. So much for getting rid of partisanship. But the Scots-Irish do know how to carry a grudge.

Sen. Harry Reid: Clean Up GOP 'Financial Mess': "Reid said he hopes that President Bush is willing to work with the Democratic congressional leadership, but the early signs have not been encouraging. He said the White House has not reached out to him since his meeting with Bush in the Oval Office on Nov. 10. 'Sorry to say,' Reid said."
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But, but, but....Mr. Reid: if it is our fault the Iranians don't like us; if it is our fault that Europe is mad at us; if it is the fault of whites that blacks don't like them; if it is the fault of the US that the Taliban wants to destroy us....

Then it must be the fault of the Democrats that Bush is reluctant to work with them. Your guys have said he lied to get us into war, that he is subverting the constitution, that he is a religious fanatic, that he is the dumbest one ever to be President, and that he was negligently visiting a primary school when the attack of 9-11 occurred, that he promotes torture and that he is like Hitler, or even worse than Hitler, that he knew about the attack on 9-11 but did nothing because he wanted to establish a dictatorship, that he is giving tax breaks to his rich friends, that he is aiding Halliburton in raping Iraq, that he is a draft-dodger, a racist, a charlatan, and a fool--so now he is supposed to smile and sign your liberal bills?

Alone in the world. 
Michael Kinsley - Like I Care - washingtonpost.com: "If so, we are all crazy now. There is something about the Web that brings out the ego monster in everybody."
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Ouch! This article by Michael Kinsley strikes a sore nerve. But then, why should I care if everybody in the world thinks I am egotistical?

Excite News - Sen. Reid: Ethics, Stem Cells Top Agenda: "Ethics reform, a higher minimum wage and more money for stem cell research are the top items on the Senate agenda next year, incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press."
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Ain't in wunnerful! Al Capone kept the gangs in line in Chicago, and now the lib's are going to keep the wackos in line with ethics reform. Then they will pay off their union supports with higher wages [I bet you didn't know that the wages on many government union contracts are tied to the minimum wage], and then they are going to cure paralysis, Parkinsons, etc., so that the lame will walk, the blind will see, the dead will be raised, and the dumb will speak. All at the cost of a few million slaughtered babies.

Of course, if Islam has its way none of this will matter, will it?

Jim Hoagland - Realism, and Values, in Lebanon - washingtonpost.com: "The Bush administration struggles in Iraq to prevent failure from becoming defeat. Ambitions of promoting democracy abroad through regime change are rapidly being scaled back to the bedrock question of intervention, from Kosovo to Darfur: Can 'we' stop 'them' from killing each other? If the answer is no, that is defeat."
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Why is this whole thing so hard to uncerstand. Defeat is if they kill us. We are not the world's policeman or the world's keeper. If they want to kill each other, that is fine and dandy.

The problem underlying all this liberal thought, which has paralyzed the Bush administration and intoxicated Europe: "Am I really my brother's keeper?" The answer to this whining whimper of a murderer [Cain] the answer is NO. See my article on this subject here.

New Report Refutes Global Warming
From Newsmax

A recent report from Britain's Sir Nicholas Stern warned of the devastating economic effects global warming could have on the world in coming years.

But a British researcher has added his voice to those saying the "hysteria" over manmade global warming distorts the truth.

Stern — former chief economist at the World Bank — cautioned that if greenhouse gas emissions weren't significantly reduced, by 2050 the global economy would shrink by up to 20 percent, millions of people would be permanently displaced and droughts would plague the earth.

Now journalist Christopher Monckton, who was a policy adviser to Margaret Thatcher, has published a detailed report attacking the manmade global warming theory from various angles — including the so-called "medieval warm period."

The United Nations, which has issued a widely quoted report on global warming, "abolished the medieval warm period — the global warming at the end of the First Millennium A.D.," according to Monckton.

A U.N. report in 1996 "showed a 1,000-year graph demonstrating that temperature in the Middle Ages was warmer than today," Monckton writes in Britain's Sunday Telegraph.

"But the 2001 report contained a new graph showing no medieval warm period. It wrongly concluded that the 20th century was the warmest for 1,000 years . . .

"Scores of scientific papers show that the medieval warm period was real, global and up to [5 degrees Fahrenheit] warmer than now.

"Then, there were no glaciers in the tropical Andes; today they're there. There were Viking farms in Greenland; now they're under permafrost. There was little ice at the North Pole — a Chinese naval squadron sailed right around the Arctic in 1421 and found none."

Monckton also writes that Antarctica has cooled and gained ice-mass in the past 30 years, and the oceans have cooled sharply in the past two years.

He calculates that global temperatures will rise only .18 to 2.5 degrees in the coming century, "well within the medieval temperature range."

And he suggests that rather than point to greenhouse gases as the culprit behind any measurable global warming, we might blame the sun. He cites a scientist who maintains that in the past half-century the sun has been warmer, for longer, than at any time in at least the past 11,400 years.

Monckton's conclusion: "Politicians, scientists and bureaucrats contrived a threat of Biblical floods, droughts, plagues, and extinctions worthier of St. John the Divine than of science."


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And this comes at a time when the Supreme Court has to hear a case from dipsey-doodle states and wackos on global warming. Has the world gone daft?
See Link

Excite News - Palestinian Attacks Go on Despite Truce
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The vision of the false prophet Mahatma Gandhi continues to live and vex the world. "Exude peace and goodwill and the bad guys will repent and go away. If they are mad at you, it's your fault. Love conquers all."

Governments die by that creed. Better the words of Paul, a true apostle of the true prophet, Jesus Christ: "For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. [Rom. 13:2,4]

And Peter, another apostle of the Lord Jesus: "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well." [1Peter 2:13,14]

Governments die when they fail to perform the first duty of government: protect the good guys from the bad guys, and that means you have to kill some people. They won't get good no matter how sweetly you smile.

Who me? 

Have I missed something? It's the fault of the U.S. that Iraqi Shiites want to kill Sunnis and vice versa. What a great religion Islam is. Maybe it would be a good idea to just have a refereed free-for-all over there and let them kill each other. Save us the trouble later on perhaps.

Makes you wish for the good old days of Charlemagne. Invade the heathen, pacify the country with sufficent force, destroy the idol temples, then send in the missionaries. Beats the present system.

But we moderns think that history started when we were born and no generation was ever as smart as we are.

Or least we could choose between the S.O.B.'s that didn't like us and the S.O.B.'s that did. But Jimmy Carter was really smart and got rid of our S.O.B. in Iran so now we have to deal with somebody's else's S.O.B.

Christians need to regain their voice and quit apologizing for themselves. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation and we ought not to be ashamed of it. To the extent that we are ashamed the more we look like the heathen who do not know the power of God, but worship that which is no God.

"Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

"This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." --St. Peter on the Day of Pentecost. Acts 4.

Land Of The Fake, CBS’ Meyer On A Search For Authenticity In American Politics - CBS News: "Similarly, an important quality public people who garner our confidence seem to share is an ability to be genuine and b.s.-free. It's hard to come up with a long list, but a short list might include John McCain, pre-Bush Colin Powell, Don Imus, Jon Stewart and Oprah Winfrey. "
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When a phony begins to get irritated over phoniness, the whole business gets really interesting. McCain authentic? Imus authentic? Poor Colin Powell got unaunticized by Bush? Your phony politics is [are?] showing, Meyer. Get real, as the kids might say.

How Long Is Too Long?

Back in the days when Americans thought some things were worth going to war over, we fought a bloody Civil War for four years, 1861-1865.

But hostilities did not end in 1865. The most famous "freedom fighters" who continued hostilities in the name of the Confederacy were the Jesse James outlaws. The bank robbers and murders and assassinations in the after math of the Civil war in America did not end until "Mr. Howard" [Jesse James] was gunned down in his home almost 30 years later. But Americans were all "cowboys" in those days and didn't believe in cutting and running when the going got tough.

"If you faint in the day of adversity, your strenth is small." [Prov. 24:10]

So What Is Your Choice?

"The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet." (Na 1:3 AV)
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When I was a lad, still very wet behind the ears, the conspiracy theories were all on the extreme right side of the political spectrum. We had the John Birch Society, which accused Dwight Eisenhower of being a conscious dupe of the communist party. We had Joseph McCarthy and the hunt for communists in the state department. These guys uncovered enough rot--Alger Hiss, Harry Dexter White, the Rosenbergs--to give some credence to their theories.

It's different nowadays. All the conspiracy theories come from the extreme left nowadays--they are as goofy as the old days, and once in a while there are some facts uncovered that encourage the convinced.

There are several things that the left-wingnuts have in the common with the old right-wingnuts. Both fear impending betrayal and disaster and seek to find the cause of things going from bad to worse.

Men may choose what ideas they want to believe--but they will not be able to choose the consequences of those ideas. The old liberals of the 19th and early 20th centuries believed that men were naturally good and if more and more freedom were given to them, they would follow their own naturally good impulses and the world would redeem itself. There are still a few of these museum pieces around, but the twentieth century consensus was that man is bad and must be kept in line by governments. Especially in capitalistic nations, men were dominated by greed and the love of power. This produced policies that conspired to bring people into economic bondage. Especially culpable were white European males. More and more freedom must be taken from such people.

In the days of the New Deal, the Fair Deal, the New Frontier, and the Great Society the liberals controlled the handles of government and the right-wingnuts found solace in the fiction that a few evil people in secret societies were conspiring to turn the world into a vast colony for their exploitation and wealth.

In the last couple of decades, things changed. The right wing came into control of the handles of government and the conspiratorial vultures fled from the minds of those who now had power and built nests in the skulls of the left-wingnuts.

What is common to both groups is the imagination that the causes of what takes place in the world must be found in the world. God has been removed from any part of history and relegated to the empty dreams of mystics and fools. We are "scientific" nowadays and will not allow religious foolishness to enter into our minds. There are causes for things that can be found in the world. Hence, conspiracies theories abound, because that is the inevitable result of denying that God rules the world for His own glory.

"He has His way in the whirlwind." Man conspires and plots but his dreams and plans are vanity. "Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established. The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil." (Proverbs 16:3,4) "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps." (Pr 16:9 AV)

Faith traces the causes of all things up to God. It therefore sees that the good and righteous God will not allow any permanent evil to happen to His people, but turns all things to their good. There is no such promise to the ungodly.

You don't have to believe this if you don't want to. But you must live with the consequences in both life and mind if you deny it. You cannot choose the consequences of denying first principles. You have to find the causes of things, for the alternative is madness.

 
From my kitchen window, a gorgeous fall red maple.  Fall, 2005

FOXNews.com - Murtha Lashes Out at Dem Leadership Opponent - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Political Spectrum: "
AP

Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Pa.Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Pa. WASHINGTON — The race to be the No. 2 House Democratic leader turned nasty Tuesday, with challenger Rep. John Murtha accusing opponents of 'swift-boat style attacks' that hark back to his days being investigated in the FBI's 1980 Abscam sting."
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Don't you just love it!

CREW Rips Pelosi on Murtha Maj. Leader Endorsement - CREW: "Washington, DC - Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) questioned soon-to-be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) commitment to eradicating corruption with her endorsement of one of the most unethical members in Congress, Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), to be Majority Leader of the House of Representatives. "
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This would be hilarious if it were a movie, say, starring Robin Williams. But it involves national interest so we will watch with mixed emotions. Murtha is one of the most corrupt members of the Senate, and is backed by Pelosi, who said this would be the purest congress ever. But what do lies mean to this crowd?

CREW is not exactly a GOP front; it's back by George Soros, I have heard. Does anyone know?

Outrage as Church backs calls for severely disabled babies to be killed at birth | the Daily Mail: "The Church of England has broken with tradition dogma by calling for doctors to be allowed to let sick newborn babies die."
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Well, why not? God has nothing to do with such things, which are the product of impersonal evolution and chance. Why should parents have to put up with such inconvenience. They need to get on with their lives, after all.

"16 These six [things] doth the LORD hate: yea, seven [are] an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness [that] speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren." (Pr 6:16-19 av)

Two Years Is an Eternity in Politics

They have to do it, of course. I mean, the political writers have to make preditions and speculate.

But two years is an eternity in politics. Two years ago, Bush was elected with the greatest number of votes in the history of America. Now, people seem to forget that he is still president with enormous powers. There is no way to know what the political climate will be two years from now.

This is certain, whether people believe it or not. God is still God. Jesus Christ is still His Son. Jesus Christ has an everlasting kingdom and He is still the ruler of the nations.

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Unless people know what those decrees are, it is best to be humble. It is also certain that the proud do not know what the decrees are.

As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation. (Pr 10:25 av)

The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. (Na 1:3 av)

All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. 11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; 12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. 13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. 14 The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. (Ps 145:10-14 av)

Elton John Promotes Hatred

DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2005®: "Sir Elton John wants religion banned completely -- because he believes it promotes hatred of gays. "
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There is no question of the sodomite agenda--not every particular sodomite, but those who are leading the charge. Elton John voiced what many will not say--the elimatiion of religion and all morality, except that which fits their agenda.

They lied to us years ago when they wanted sodomy to be decriminalized. Now the truth is coming out.

"Celebrate diversity?" Only a diversity that leaves the burned ashes of Christianity behind it.

It won't happen, of course. It's been tried before, Elton. The result is always the same: the growth and propsperity of Christianity.

What about the complete banning of sodomy because it promotes hatred of religion. Hmmmmmm?

RealClearPolitics - Articles - Only a Minor Earthquake: "The result is that both parties have moved to the right. The Republicans have shed the last vestiges of their centrist past, the Rockefeller Republican. And the Democrats have widened their tent to bring in a new crop of blue-dog conservatives.

Moreover, ballot initiatives make the claim of a major anti-conservative swing quite problematic. In Michigan, liberal Democrats swept the gubernatorial and senatorial races, yet a ballot initiative to abolish affirmative action passed 58-42. Seven out of eight anti-gay marriage amendments to state constitutions passed. And nine states passed referendums asserting individual property rights against the government's power of eminent domain."
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Yes indeed. Read the whole article. There is no need for conservatives to be downhearted. We are still winning.

The Republicans deserved what they got. They refused to be humble, refused to court their constituencies, abandoned moral values. The liberals will gloat for a while, but what are their ideas?

The Democrats that want to be president will try to court the radical left in order to get money and the nomination. This means they will alienate the middle. If the republicans return to their base, abandon drunken spending, truly affirm values and moral discipline, 2008 might look very good indeed.

In reality, the Republican party is a better party now. There are fewer liberals in the party. They are humbled perhaps.

Maybe next time, if there is one, they will do what they promised their voters they would do.

But the world is a very dangerous place right now. Islamo-fascists do not love us more, but think us weak.

Sober Reflections

Someone has written [I don't remember who] that hyporcisy is the complement that evil pays to virtue.

Interesting thought, and it seems to enforce the idea that even the hypocrite wants to appear better than it is.

So, thinking about yesterday's election, it would appear that liberalism could not run under its own right, but had to run as conservatives, in order to anoint a liberal leadership. It was successful, but there are some other considerations.

The Democrats have to govern now. I think that President ought to sit down with the Democratic leadership of the two houses of Congress, and say something like this: "The American people have spoken. They seem to agree that the war in Iraq has not been going very well. I have fired Rumsfeld, and I am willing to listen to what you think we ought to do about Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. I am open. What is your plan?"

Then the Republicans can gather a list of failures to use in 2008.

Here's another good idea, if anyone is listening. Tell Joe Lieberman that he can whatever post he wants if he will vote with the Republicans to organize the Senate. If he does, then Cheney can break the tie and the Republicans can keep control of the Senate. He could vote on anything else anyway he wants, but the Republicans can still keep control of the rules and the procedures and the committee chairmen. It would be worth it, and Lieberman doesn't owe the Democrats anything. He could be for sale, for he sold out to Algore. What does he have to lose? The deal could be sweetened with pork barrel projects is Connecticut; that would keep voters back home happy. Why not? He's a liberal, but Bush could boast of bipartisanship and the feel-good politics of "compassionate conservatism," or the tone of his father, "a kinder, gentler, America." His ratings would go up to 80% or so, and he could build his library in Crawford, and he could put the end to his "conservative" movement that way his dad buried Reaganism.

Isn't politcs a nasty business?

Here's something a lot better: “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!" (Ps 8:1 av)

You won't see His glory in all the earth unless you look for it through the eyes of faith in Christ.

We Will See, Won't We?

In the first few hours after 9-11 the only question I had in my mind concerning the rightness of the coming war with Islamo-fascism was this: Does America have the spiritual and moral fortitude to engage in such a war? Could Osama be right?

In the Sixties, the slogan of the American chicken was "Better red than dead." Will it now be, "Better Islam than death?" I fear that I might know the answer. Will a people who slays its babies rather than be uncomfortable find the price of liberty too great to pay? We will have the next two years to meditate.

Dolphin with four-wheel drive stuns the scientists | the Daily Mail: "Experts believe that the dolphin's ancestor was a dog-like creature which roamed the earth many millions of years ago. And now the extraordinary discovery of a bottlenosed dolphin with an extra set of flippers has provided living proof of the theory. "
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Proof? PROOF? I'd like to meet these scientists. I have some good land in Florida for sale. Or maybe they would like a good bridge near New York City.

Proof indeed. Maybe it is proof that dogs will someday swim in the sea. Isaiah might give a better explanation:

Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish.... --Isaiah 44:25,26

Some Sober Thoughts on the Power of Sin

"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." (Rom. 3:19 )

There is not much said nowadays about the power of sin, but the Bible is clear: man cannot deliver himself from the power of sin, who is a cruel tyrant that brings judgment and death to mankind. Sin and death has reigned over mankind since the original sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden, as Romans 4:12 tells us.

If man could deliver himself from the power of sin, the coming of Jesus into the world would have been an absurdity. He came for one primary purpose: to "save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21.

The reader must not think that any man is so delivered from sin in this life that he is sinless and perfect, for that belongs only to heaven. But it is true, that any man makes a beginning in righteousness only when he is united to Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit through faith. This is why we are called to put off the old man and put on the new man as Paul says in more than one place. Eph. 4:22 and Col. 3:9.

And so we read, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Rom. 5:6 ) “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” (1Pe 3:18 )

This is the reason why the preaching of the cross is absolutely necessary if men are to be truly saved. “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1Co 1:18 )

The Gospel is not preached when men are enticed to become Christians because of the promise of fun and games and pleasure. If the enticement is in terms of the love of money, love of fame, love of pleasure, love of the world, or any such thing the power of the cross is removed and sin exercises it power and tyranny in the life. The message of the cross is this: the sin of man is so great that he cannot deliver himself and can be saved only by agreeing with the verdict of the cross that man is worthy of death but the love of God has been revealed in that Christ died in place of the ungodly. This message is the only hope for man, and to corrupt this message is to take away all hope.

New lIfe in Christ only comes in terms of the crucifixion of Christ and my union with Him in His death. As Paul said,

"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." (Php 3:8-11 )

Of course, this is foolishness to the proud, the greedy, the arrogant, and the lustful. Such men have their portion in the world and know nothing of the power of the Christ, but remain under the power and dominion of sin. We live only because we die in Christ.

If you think that all this is foolishness, you do not understand the cross of Christ and are yet in your sins.

A Soul Before God

I do not know whether or not Ted Haggard is guilty of the charges against him. I am no great admirer of human nature, and think that most people are capable of terrible things if not sustained by the grace of God.

But the spiritual wars being fought in America are bloody and vicious wars. The left does not care about Christians or their families. My wife had taught the Haggard children in school and they are are wonderful family.

But Haggard is no more important to the whole scheme of things than the individual GI who landed on Normandy and was a casulty in the war. If he is guilty, Ted Haggard will find solace in Christ and learn a depth of the meaning of Christ's death that he never dreamed existed before, and will be a better man than before, although without his ministry and world-wide influence. God cares nothing about that either, for He will sacrifice the whole world for the salvation of His elect.

Christians and non-Christians need to realize that all men are flawed. The fundamental difference between the saved and the lost is the election of God to faith and adoption. God has pledged Himself in Jesus Christ to save His people from their sins by faith in the blood of Christ. They will be justified, sanctified and glorified. If Haggard is one of these, he will be finally saved, though he walks through the depth of discouragement and abasement. The non-elect have no such hope.

The man who accused Haggard did it from malice and hatred of religion, by his own admission. Haggard is nothing, but the anger of God will be more than this poor sodomite will be able to withstand. Christians are not to seek revenge, and no true Christian will do so, but they trust in the word of God, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay."

For Ted Haggard, the only thing that matters if he is guilty, is not his ministry, his political agenda, or his church. It is now a matter of his soul before God. He must come clean, repent, and cast himself upon the Christ whose love he professes. Christ only receives sinners, not the righteous.

A word to the Sodomite lobby: "And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" --1Peter 4:18

California Poppies 

It might very well be ungovernable. Last year there were 190, 178 crimes of violence causing 2503 deaths, or about 8 per day. There were almost 10,000 forced rapes, about one per hour, and over 114, 161 violent assaults, or one every 12 minutes. The borders are porous and police are not able to seal them off to keep foreign criminals out.

Though rich in natural resources, it is so badly governed that there is no assurance that there will be electricity or sufficient water during certain parts of the year. The inner cities are rocked with violence and the schools are in disarray. Many have given up and are trying to flee the state. There is ethnic and religious discord.

No, we are not talking about Iraq or Afghanistan. The state is California, which has only a few more millions of people than does Iraq.

Why do you suppose that we do not get a daily body count from California from the media? Surely there is some newsworthy reporting and possible a Pulitzer Prize for somebody motivated enough to report on the break down of civilization in California.

But I am sure that it is the Republican’s fault for the disarray in California. They do have a sorta-Republican governor.

They probably were better off when they had Spanish dictators. We should set a time-table for getting out of California

World Tribune.com -- Ongoing 'intifada' in France has injured 2,500 police in 2006

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So, what's new? Islam has been the aggressor against Christ since the false prophet Mohammed received his satanic visions. The Crusades were simply a vigorous effort on the part of the West to remove a continuing hostile threat from the East, in spite of the revisionist "history" that has an agenda other than the truth. Look it up for yourself. Islam has always been the aggressor against the church.

Did the West make mistakes? Of course it did, just as the present War on Terror has made mistakes. But don't be deceived about the nature of the conflict, and who the good guys are.

Voting for Impeachment: "There is something satisfying about the fact that the communities that are voting on impeachment -- which range from urban centers to college towns to rural towns -- cannot be stereotyped. That is as it should be, says Buzz Davis, the Veterans for Peace activist who has been leading the impeachment campaign that has qualified two referendums for the November ballots in Wisconsin cities and hopes to qualify many more for next spring's local election ballots. 'Impeachment is not a partisan issue but a question of whether our nation will live under the rule of law as our Founding Fathers believed,' argues Davis. "
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Isn't this an example of the most brazen hypocrisy that a liberal rag like The Nation  suddenly becomes a defender of the "original intent" of the Founding Fathers.

Say, Mr. Nation, what about gun control, abortion, homosexual marriage, giving foreign terrorists the rights of American citizens, banishing of religion from the public forum, federalism vs. radical democracy, etc., etc., etc.

Of course, if public education would teach the words of the constitution instead of their liberal agenda, then demogogic articles like those in The Nation  would have no currency with the American people.

I wonder if this means that The Nation  will now support Supreme Court Justices who will be strict constructionists? Don't bet the rent.

Clinton says Republican extremists divided country | US News | Reuters.com: "Former President Bill Clinton told Iowa's Democratic Party faithful on Saturday that the actions of 'an extreme sliver' of the Republican Party have backfired and 'profoundly divided' the country."
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It's a tough world. Reminds me of the little boy that told his teacher, "Ma'am, the whole fight started when Bobby hit me back."

  

Just to make your day. There are beautiful things in the world.

Foul,Most Foul? Really?

  

NewsMax.com: Late Night Jokes: "People are now wondering what to do with Foley's seat in congress. How about they start with Lysol? Then some Bactene. After that cover it with plastic. "
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Is Leno really saying that homosexual behavior is foul, filthy, digusting, obscene, and dirty? If so, how does he get away with it?

Many of us can remember a gerneration that deemed that the only clean sex was that sanctified by the marriage between a man and a woman. "Dirty" books, "dirty" jokes, "dirty" speech, were repulsive. Some words were considered dirty. The enlightented sixties changed that, and it became chic and free spirited to use the dirty talk of young lads before ladies and adults. Even the girls gloried in filthy talk. It was sooooo urbane.

Did you every notice how language has changed? When I was a kid, adults didn't talk "dirty." Dirty talking was done by kids and adolescents outside the hearing of the adults. Now any "adult" movie has dirty talking, portrays dirty sex, and wallows in moral and conversational filth. I forbear to mention the spiritual and idolatrous filthiness.

There was a generation that felt it was being naughty by flocking to "Gone with the Wind" in order to hear Clark Gable say, "Frankly, Scarlett, I don't give a damn." Women would shiver and men would get a naughty chill up their back. How daring and naughty!

But how does Leno get away with speaking such truth?

Is it only Republicans who can be dirty? Is it normal for a President to have sex with an intern and then lie about it under oath? Afterall, everyone has a dirty six life in private and everyone lies about sex, don't they? Don't they? And if they all do, does that make it clean?

I guess Mark Foley's real crime is being a Republican. Right?

1Co 6:18 "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body."

2Co 12:21 "...I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed."

Col 3:5 "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry...."

1Th 4:3 "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication...."

Ephesians 5:11, 12 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret."

Deuteronomy 23:17 "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel."

Jeremiah 8:12 "Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush...."

Death in the Pot [See 2 Kings 4:10]

“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:” (Php 3:8-9 av)

Saving faith is specific, not general. The faith that saves is not simply the idea that God rewards good behavior and punishes bad behavior--even the devil knows that, and even Islamo-fascists think they will be rewarded for killing their religious enemies. Such is not the faith that brings eternal life. It is not by works of righteousness that we are saved, but by the mercy of God.

As a Pharisee, Paul expected to be rewarded for doing the things that God commanded, but when he understood the Gospel and the true sense of the law, he realized that he must abandon that idea completely, because the only righteousness that could justify him before God was a righteousness not his own. This righteousness had nothing to do with the law, but was in Jesus Christ, a righteousness which is received by faith in Christ.

Even this faith is not be be considered any kind of work of obedience. It is certainly our duty to believe that God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked for that is everywhere taught in the Bible. This sort of faith, however, is dead and lifeless, and is little better than what the devils believe about God.

Living faith cannot be rooted and gounded in the flesh, or the natural man. As sons of Adam we are dead in trespasses and sins, and cannot bring forth anything alive toward God.

In the passage quoted above, Paul gives the source of this faith: it is the "faith of Christ." It is not faith in general, but faith specifically that has Christ as its object and source. It is by grace that we are saved, through faith, and that not of our own, it is the gift of God. It is grace from beginning to end, so that even the faith which lives, lives in Christ alone, having its origin in God and not in the flesh. "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath befoe ordained that we should walk in them>" And, "It is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." Further, "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ."

Hence, living faith is not made living by the works of men, as though the words and works of men could raise the dead. No, only God can make the light shine out of darkness, and call the things that are not into being and life. "You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and in sins." Only God can do that. Life must come from Life.

People who are wrong on this point are most likely to be wrong on a great many other things. If the supernatural can only work through the natural, then evolution trumps scripture on the days of creation; drugs and naturalistic therapies will trump the scriptures on the transformation of character, humanistic salesmanship and religious spectaculars will trump the preaching of the cross in evangelism, for men will put their trust in the natural as a means of laying hold on the supernatural, retaining the initiative for themselves. But in spite of the cleverness of men the flesh cannot bring forth life, for that which is born of the flesh is flesh; only that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Even the Lord Jesus could not be our savior if He were born of the flesh; He was born of the Spirit, for the Spirit overshadowed Mary and that which was born of her was the Son of God. The flesh can only earn death because of sin; eternal life is the gift of God.

The heart of the Gospel is this, "The word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten Son of God." The natural flesh does not clothe itself with deity in order to bring life and salvation, for this transforms Christianity into humanism and we see its destruction everywhere around us. The gospel is this: the Divine Word took upon Himself our flesh, that He might suffer and die, condemning our flesh in His death, so that we by the Spirit might rise with Him in newness of life. A man, even such a man as Nicodemus, must be born again to see the kingdom of God.

Our life springs from His Life. Eternal life does not spring from our flesh no matter how we abuse it and try to subdue it to God. Our life springs rather from the death of the Son of God. It is the preaching of the cross, therefore, that is the power of God unto salvation. I do not live because I die; I live because Jesus died for me. Amen and Amen.

Resign, Mr. Speaker - Editorials/Op-Ed - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper: "The evidence was strong enough long enough ago that the speaker should have relieved Mr. Foley of his committee responsibilities contingent on a full investigation to learn what had taken place, whether any laws had been violated and what action, up to and including prosecution, were warranted by the facts. This never happened. "
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The party of family values and decency should do the decent thing and let the heads roll. This is a wonderful opportunity to let the party of Monica Lewinski, San Francisco, Barney Frank, Ted Kennedy, etc., know how decent middle America views these things. No cover up, no whitewashing, no excuses, no bunkum.

Hassert should resign immediately. Bush should take the lead in calling for the heads of anyone who knew and did not say. It is not acceptable and I am ashamed of the Republicans if they do not step up to the plate. Where is Focus on the Family? Where are the other evangelicals; are they so tainted by involvement in the game of power that they have forgotten their values?

Isn't everyone a sinner? Yes, but everyone is not a criminal and most try to keep theri evil side under restraint and live by a measure of civility. It is too much to expect people to live without sin; but they must pay the price if they do not live without crime. There is a difference, you know.

My Way News - Ex-Rep. Foley Checks in to Alcohol Rehab: "House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., in a letter sent Sunday to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, asked the Justice Department to 'conduct an investigation of Mr. Foley's conduct with current and former House pages.'"
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The headline we never read: House Minority Leader [Democrat] asks the Janet Reno justice department to conduct an investigation into the conduct of Presdent Bill Clinton with interns and other women during his public life.

I wonder why not?

Ted Turner says Iraq war among history's "dumbest"�|�Entertainment�|�People�|�Reuters.com: "It will go down in history, it is already being seen in history, as one of the dumbest moves that was ever made by anybody"
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No, Ted. I think the dumbest move was Jane marrying Ted. The next dumbest was Ted marrying Jane.

What if Jesus had been a liberal? What's wrong with beams in your eye?

Doing It My Way, with Justice for All

Go to Basket of Figs Homepage

There was once a man who had a beam in his eye. This was no ordinary beam. It was a great beam made out of Douglas fir from the vast forests of Oregon, from a tall, majestic tree that had once housed a nest for a spotted owl.

People looked on the beam as a great inconvenience. It protruded from his eye exactly fifty-three and one-fourth inches, and was constantly poking into things. It was an especial nuisance in elevators and in church. There were people who absolutely refused to ride in the car pool with him, and he was seldom invited to parties.

Everywhere he went he was inconvenienced. “This world has absolutely no regard for people like me," he complained. “They do not build cars for us; elevators are designed without any regard at all. Even the public schools are callous to our pain. I have quit going to church. Something has really got to be done.”

Once when he was going on and on about it, his little daughter said, “Daddy, why don't you have the beam removed?” His reaction was so violent that she never mentioned it again.

The climax of his anger came when he was refused entrance to medical school. “There is no reason why I should be denied a license to practice medicine. I know about eye problems, and I want to specialize in ophthalmology. You cannot refuse me.” But they did.

Most men would have given up at this point, but our friend was made of sterner stuff. He founded Beamology, a newsletter designed to promote “sensitivity toward Beamists,” as the masthead said. Soon he had inquiries from all parts of the country. “The pain people are feeling in this country cannot be described,” he said. “I am absolutely amazed at how our people are victimized by the cruelty of others. People just can't see it.”

After several months of publishing Beamology, a convention was held in Philadelphia. Delegates came from all over the country and from several foreign countries. Our friend appeared on the Tonight Show, and Oprah and Charlie Rose were looking into inviting him. “People have no idea of the way our people are treated,” he told Jay.

“As a result we are organizing the National Organization of Beamists. There will be N.O.B. chapters in every state in the Union, and we are organizing a great march on Washington next year to present our case to the United States Congress. We need people of vision there.” The most dramatic moment of the show was a call from a member of the United States Senate, saying that his daughter was a Beamist. “You cannot imagine the shame and pain I have felt all these years. You have given me courage and hope,” he said.

Soon N.O.B. buttons were seen on the lapels and blouses of Hollywood celebrities. Some went so far as to go to doctors to have beams installed in their eyes to show that they cared. This led to a increased demand for Douglas fir, the wood of choice, and this almost led to a confrontation with environmental groups. Conflict was avoided when the founder said that it was not necessary to have a beam in the eye. “Many of you have beams in your heart, and we know that you care,” he said. There was no empty eye in the auditorium that night.

In the presidential election, a new president was elected. “It was the vision thing,” the defeated incumbent said. Congress could see what was happening, and soon came through. Legislation was passed to provide special rights for Beamists in school, public buildings, elevators. There was great resistance from the auto industry, but when a Beamist ran into a school bus in Alabama, because he had to sit sideways in his car, the industry caved in, and made holes in the windshields. This caused other problems, but N.O.B. was happy.

N.O.B. provided curriculum guides to school teachers everywhere. “If we can teach children that a beam is normal, then we will have achieved the goals of our organization,” their spokesperson said. The break through came in Michigan. The state organization (M.O.B.) was the first to see legislation through the state house to provide special rights in school. For a time the governor threatened to veto the act, but under the threat of a boycott of the state from national groups, he saw the light and signed. Before long high school students in California thought it chic to have beams in their eyes, and those who didn't have them lost status. “Visualize Beams" appeared on bumper stickers.

Under pressure from N.O.B. and groups with similar agendas, preachers no longer mentioned beams. There was a lawsuit in Texas when a Sunday School class sang, “I'll Be a Sun-beam for Jesus.” “My client has no sun-beams. What is wrong with wooden beams?” the lawyer for the plaintiff asked. The jury awarded one million dollars in punitive damages.

“What is normal, after all,” said our friend the night he was honored for a lifetime of warfare against the forces of reaction. “We have our people everywhere. Last year a Beamist was elected to Congress for the first time. We dominate the arts and the more enlightened denominations are ordaining Beamists to the ministry. Next year we are publishing a vision-neutral version of the New Testament and a vision-neutral hymnal. And I have been made an honorary member of the American Society of Ophthalmology.”

Across man's kingdom, some people wondered why it seemed so dark all the time. Most people couldn't tell the difference, though. (See Matthew 7:1-5).

[This article first appeared in Basket of Figs, in August, 1993.
Updated, September 13, 2006. Copyright, 1993, 2006. All rights reserved.]
C.W. Powell

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Too Fat·

My Way News - Health Experts: Obesity Pandemic Looms: "An obesity pandemic threatens to overwhelm health systems around the globe with illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, experts at an international conference warned Sunday."
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I think that we need to quit feeding government systems such as welfare and health systems and this problem would go away. If people were hungry, they wouldn't be over weight. If they didn't get so much health care, sick people would die and not prolong their lives so much. What are we doing anyway? Maybe the Islamists are right. We should strap bombs unto these people and use them to kill our enemies. Fat people are disgusting and sick people are going to die anyway; why cannot they be made useful for something?

"Pandemic" carries the idea of sickness. What is the cure for obesity?

Maybe a better question is this:

What is the name of the disease that makes people get money from government to do studies to find things that need fixed so they can get more money from government to meddle in people's lives to try to fix them?

What is the cure that will make them all go away?

New Questions About Inquiry in C.I.A. Leak - New York Times: " An enduring mystery of the C.I.A. leak case has been solved in recent days, but with a new twist: Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the prosecutor, knew the identity of the leaker from his very first day in the special counsel�s chair, but kept the inquiry open for nearly two more years before indicting I. Lewis Libby Jr., Vice President Dick Cheney�s former chief of staff, on obstruction charges."
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This article from the NYT is a coverup of a coverup and a coverup of a miscarriage of justice. The American people ought to be outraged at the misuse of the press by radical enemies of the American people and the Bush Whitehouse.

Cure: The Attorney General ought to fire Fitzgerald. The American people ought to fire the NYT and the Washington Post and the other liberal media that aided and abetted this outrage by cancelling their subscriptions. American advertizers ought to fire the same media by removing their advertizing budgets.

This media scandal is every bit as noxious and poisonous to the news media as the Dan Rather doctoring of documents before the last election which lost him his job. There is no credibility left to the media unless they take strong action to clean up their houses.

"Mr. Fitzgerald’s decision to prolong the inquiry once he took over as special prosecutor in December 2003 had significant political and legal consequences. The inquiry seriously embarrassed and distracted the Bush White House for nearly two years and resulted in five felony charges against Mr. Libby, even as Mr. Fitzgerald decided not to charge Mr. Armitage or anyone else with crimes related to the leak itself.

"Moreover, Mr. Fitzgerald’s effort to find out who besides Mr. Armitage had spoken to reporters provoked a fierce battle over whether reporters could withhold the identities of their sources from prosecutors and resulted in one reporter, Judith Miller, then of The New York Times, spending 85 days in jail before agreeing to testify to a grand jury."

An "oops" or a "sorry" doesn't cut it. Heads need to roll starting with the special prosecutor, the justice department, and continuing through the New York Times and the Washington Post and to other biased and criminal liars in the completely corrupt media.

The major media in the United States has come to play the role of being paid liars for special radical and left-wing elements in the Democratic Party, which is becoming more and more radicalized. They are clever in what they do. They accuse others of doing what they are doing. They aid and abet each other in their lies. They hate freedom and especially the Christian Faith. Don't laugh and take it lightly. People laughed at Mussolini and Hitler, too, in the early days, but it cost the blood of a great many people to overthrow them.

With the radicalization of the Democratic Party, it may take more blood to preserve our freedoms here at home from domestic slavers, aided and abetted by a radicalized media and the perverted interests that support them.

End of an Affair: "It follows that one of the most sensational charges leveled against the Bush White House -- that it orchestrated the leak of Ms. Plame's identity to ruin her career and thus punish Mr. Wilson -- is untrue."
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Have we become immune to outrage? This pious admission by the Washington Post doesn't blunt the fact that the Post and the rest of the major media have perpetrated this hoax of Wilson's for the last several years, willing to break the 9th Commandment in order to pull down the poll numbers of President Bush and destroy him politically.

But some things don't go away with an "oops." Where are the newspapers and TV heads who will express the outrage this admission deserves? Dan Rather fabricated documents to "get" Bush; Everyone in the country knew that Wilson was the bad guy in the Plame issue. Only these corrupt, abased, and perverted news people don't seem to get it.

But what do you think of the moral character of those who defend infanticide and sodomy? What's a lie or two? That's what its all about you know. The reason that these people hate Bush is that he represents a threat to promote traditional values: especially saving the babies and inhibiting sexual perversion. Just remember that.

But how does Scooter Libby get his reputation back?

The news media should reveal corruption, not spread it around. "If the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness." --Jesus.

: "-- Bills that would give California's local governments more power to fight Wal-Mart and other huge stores are heading to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, over the objections of the giant retailer, business groups and Republican lawmakers."
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This is wonderful news--for the red states. These means that doing business will cost more in California, taxes will go up to enforce these regulations, the cost of goods will go up, and the exodus of business and people will accelerate as people escape to the freedom of the red states. The liberals won't get it, of course, and blame other people's selfishness, being blind to their own.

"Fight Walmart?" I can think of one or two much more important enemies that ought to concern the state of California rather than successful businesses. I guess Wallmart isn't paying enough into campaign slush funds. That's the modern way corruption in government works. Ask Bill Gates. Pony up or becoome the enemy of the state. In the old days the racketeers were less sophisticated: they threw a brick though your window if you didn't buy protection. Now it isn't a brick; it is a lawyer with a subpoena from a government regulatory agency. It's not nearly so messy as the old days. Al Capone would have envied these guys. Al Capone didn't go to jail because he was a crook; he was dumb.

Good for the red states. Bad for the country.

FOXNews.com - Governors Ask Rumsfeld to Oppose Bush's National Guard Plan - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Political Spectrum: "All 50 governors earlier this month signed a formal letter opposing a House provision in the National Defense Authorization Act that would let Bush federalize the Guard without governors' consent in the event of a 'serious natural or manmade disaster, accident or catastrophe.'"
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Ok, that's fair. Then let them stand up and tell the world that the governor of Louisiania had reponsibility far more than President Bush for the Katrina disaster. They can't have it both ways. Whoever is in charge has the responsibility.

BREITBART.COM - Kerry Revives 2004 Election Allegations: "An e-mail will be sent to 100,000 Democratic donors Tuesday asking them to support U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland for governor of Ohio. The bulk of the e-mail criticizes Strickland's opponent, GOP Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, for his dual role in 2004 as President Bush's honorary Ohio campaign co-chairman and the state's top election official. "
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These people, starting with Al Gore, are seeking to poison the election system in the United States for their own imagined gain. They would turn us into a third world nation that despises the rule of law. Nixon was better than this whole modern crowd of Democrats. He refused to challenge Kennedy's narrow win in 1950 although there were plenty of grounds. Nixon did not want to damage the public's view of the process.

Sidenote: seems that other liberals are learning from Al Gore. Witness the fiasco south of the border. The losers there threatened to make Mexico "ungovernable" if they lost their court appeal. On the other hand, who said that Mexico was governable? Their only hope is for the election to stand with a conservative in power. Liberalism destabilizes government everywhere, pitting citizen against citizen, group against group, wrong against right. People in America are catching on--they have been restless, but didn't know the reason. They are learning and will teach liberals a lesson this election, too.

What did you do in the war, UNIFIL?: "UNIFIL--the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, a nearly 2,000-man blue-helmet contingent that has been present on the Lebanon-Israel border since 1978--is officially neutral. Yet, throughout the recent war, it posted on its website for all to see precise information about the movements of Israeli Defense Forces soldiers and the nature of their weaponry and materiel, even specifying the placement of IDF safety structures within hours of their construction. New information was sometimes only 30 minutes old when it was posted, and never more than 24 hours old.
Meanwhile, UNIFIL posted not a single item of specific intelligence regarding Hezbollah forces. Statements on the order of Hezbollah 'fired rockets in large numbers from various locations' and Hezbollah's rockets 'were fired in significantly larger numbers from various locations' are as precise as its coverage of the other side ever got."
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No wonder Israel sent a rocket or two their way during the latest war over there. Do not think that the new contingent of UN troops will be any better. 15000 troops will be 7.5 times as bad as 2000 troops. They will probably serve as guards and spotters for Hezbollah.

The world is mad.

Those who support the United Nations as a means to achieve peace on earth and establish the security of the American people are either living in a fantasy world, with their eyes closed to the reality of the world as it is or they are blinded by false religion. There are many Americans who are not friends of this country, its laws, its religion, or its traditions. In the cold war we used the term "useful idiot" to describe those who thought that communism was the hope of the world and were used of the Soviet Union to undermine American policy.

Neutrality is a myth. We face real evil today. Human sacrifice, even the sacrifice of babies and children, is still being practiced in many places of the world. Whether it is a lunatic religion that straps bombs on children, or a medical practicioner who rips a baby from its mother's womb, the end result is the same. A religion that allows either is an evil religion, and the god served is a false god--not the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Baal worship is alive, but not well.

I will be preaching at 11:30 at Trinity Covenant Church [see link at the right] on "Stolen Gods." Gods that can be stolen are not gods, and you cannot steal God from His faithful worshippers.

Jesus Christ cannot be known after the flesh. He is in heaven and must be found there. Read the Bible to find out how, especially Luke, John, and Romans. A good place to start.

“But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee. 18 When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers. Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother’s son. These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.” (Psalms 50:16-23 AV)

Psalms 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.

God is not like any other that man can imagine. His fear is the beginning of wisdom.

  


Excite News: "France said on Thursday it was ready to send an extra 1,600 troops to bolster a revamped U.N. force for Lebanon, bringing the total French contingent to 2,000 and making it easier to recruit other nations."
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This is rich, isn't it? A nation that could not defend itself successfully in any major war of the 20th century, who could not defend its possessions in South East Asia, is now going to be the protector of Israel--or are they really there to protect the terrorists. Virulent anti-semitism exits widespread in France, so I suspect that Israel will not disarm.

But it is good that the UN is impotent. Who needs world government, anyway? But what will the fundamentalist do if world government is impotent? What kind of anti-Christ is that?

Excite News - Syria Warns Against Deployment of Troops: "Israel's foreign minister said Wednesday the situation in Lebanon was 'explosive' while Syria's president says the deployment of international troops along the Syria-Lebanon border would be a 'hostile' act."
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Isn't the United Nations wonderful. We all know, of course, that talking is so much better than warfare. David was so benighted and he thought that it was a godly thing to do, to kill Goliath. We are so much more enlightened nowadays. Modern Davids sit down and drink latte and "negotiate" with Goliath. "Suppose we give some of us to you for slaves? would that be satisfactory? You want all of us? Well, I don't think Saul will go for that. What about 1 in 10. God says that we will someday be as the sand of the sea in number, so even 1/10 of that would be quite a bunch. No? Well, what do you want then? All of us? I am afraid that this will go nowhere if we don't see some movement on your part. You want to do what to my flesh? What kind of diplomacy is THAT?"

My Way News - Annan: Israeli Raid Violates Cease-Fire: "Israel said the raid was launched to stop arms smuggling from Iran and Syria to the militant Shiite fighters, while Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Saniora called the operation a 'flagrant violation' of the U.N. truce."
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What a sham this whole thing is. The only thing worse than the phony-balogny called the United Nations in general and Annan in particular would be a United Nations that meant what it said and could enforce its wicked decrees.

The United Nations is a graven and lying image of the Kingdom of God and needs to be considered with the horror it deserves by every child of God. We need to pronounce the decree of God, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen." Babylon fell when Jesus died and rose, and those who put their trust in her will find no rest.

Babylon can do no good nor evil, but can thoroughly corrupt all those who bow at her altar. Such become unfit for leadership.

RealClearPolitics - Articles - The Real Teachings of the Koran: "During the Cold War, American intelligence loved getting its hands on defectors from communism. The reasoning was that these people had the best information about the plans of the other side, information that would help America defeat them.

In the present war against what President Bush has properly labeled 'Islamic fascism,' defectors are just as valuable."
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Cal Thomas has interviewed one such defector, and his account is chilling. Everyone ought to read this column.

US says it has no plans to invade Cuba - Yahoo! News: "In his first public statement as interim ruler, published by the Communist Party newspaper Granma, Raul Castro said he had mobilized tens of thousands of reservists and militia members to face a possible US invasion threat."
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There is a story that in ancient times a long-necked dinosaur lived on the earth. Its neck was so long that if it received a mortal wound in its body it would take a long time before the news of its death reached its brain.

Someone needs to tell the Castros that Cuba is dead, communism is dead. It has been mortally wounded, but the news hasn't reached their brains yet. There are a lot of people in that same fix.

Evolution is dead, mortally wounded by the science and physics of the last thirty years. It hasn't reached the brain yet of the educational establishment who does research or those politicians who hand out government largess to them.

The same thing could be said of feminism. Only a few old ugly women are still true believers. The news hasn't hit their brains yet.

Again, it is also true of the Federal Vision. They are still trying to explain it, but the Reformed community understands it now. Judiciary after judiciary in the Reformed community are taking clear and strong stands critical of it and its mommy and daddy, Norman Shepherd and the New Perspectives on Paul. Its a very long neck in this case and it is taking a very long time for the news to reach the head of the Federal Vision people. Don't know what the Federal Vision is? Try this link.

Then there are the Islamo-Fascists. Their death was a long one: Tours, Granada, Vienna. The body is twitching again, and they forget that the power of the Risen Christ is against them and they cannot win anything but temporary and costly victories. This neck is also a very long one, but the news will eventually reach the brain, carried perhaps by a marine or stealth bomber. The West may suffer a great deal in this one because we have been disloyal to that same Christ, but there is no doubt as to the outcome of the conflict. You cannot gain life by loving death and murder. It's been tried before, young terrorists:

"Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: 16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner [stone], a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. 17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. 18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it." (Isaiah 28:15-18 AV)

There is a new blog at "Political Figs." Use the link at the right.

Hizbollah stumps up cash for Lebanese war victims |Top News |Reuters.com: "Hizbollah handed out bundles of cash on Friday to people whose homes were wrecked by Israeli bombing, consolidating the Iranian-backed group's support among Lebanon's Shi'ites and embarrassing the Beirut government."
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So what's new? Al Capone was one of the major dispensers of welfare, food, and other niceties to the poor in Chicago during his heyday. Others build political machines that regularly bought votes in cities all over the U. S. It seems that maybe Hizbollah is on its way to being a respectible dispenser of goodies in return for political power and the destruction of its enemies, chief among them America and Israel.

It takes a lot of money to buy elections in the U.S., even if you keep the law while doing it. But it can be managed by good lawyers and campaign advisors.

It is a lot of trouble if you are out of office, however. You must rely upon promises. Or, if ideas for promises are scarce, you can simply keep up a drum beat of criticism about those who are in office. The latter is risky, however, because voters might possibly remember and expect you to not make mistakes when you are in office.

It's a tough world, except for those who are drinking out of the hose.

There is a new blog at "Very Bad Figs." Use the link at the right.

Michael Ledeen on War on National Review Online: "The longer we wait, the larger the real war becomes. Iran has been at war with us for 27 years and we have yet to respond. As time passes, and our fecklessness is confirmed, the mullahs' confidence grows. Surely they must believe that their moment has come, that we will never respond, that they can bloody us and force us to retreat. That is the clear lesson of Lebanon, and they are undoubtedly raising the stakes for the next round. The Iranian missiles used against Israeli warships off the coast of Lebanon are now pouring into Somalia, and will be used against our ships in one of the most strategically sensitive areas of the world economy. The clandestine network rolled up in London surely extends to this country, and it is only a matter of time until they get lucky. Just a few weeks ago, the Germans fortunately discovered powerful bombs on their railroads. The French found similar weapons a couple of years ago. The Italians have arrested 40 people, are expelling many others, and have more than a thousand under surveillance."
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Ladeen has nailed it. What part of hate don't we understand? Just because someone says that his religion is not a religion of hatred doesn't mean it isn't.

Our real enemy is our humanistic, liberal unbelief. [See blog below]

"He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool." (Proverbs 10:18 AV)

"Burning lips and a wicked heart [are like] a potsherd covered with silver dross. He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him; When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart. Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation." (Proverbs 26:23-26 AV)

Gunmen kidnap Fox News journalists in Gaza: witness�|�Top News�|�Reuters.com: "GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian gunmen kidnapped two foreign journalists working for the Fox News television channel in Gaza on Monday, a witness said."
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How nice is this cease fire. Someone should tell the other side.

Hizbullah claims 'big victory' | Jerusalem Post: "Hizbullah distributed leaflets on Monday congratulating Lebanon on its 'big victory' and thanking citizens for their patience during the 34-day war with Israel. "
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Once again, the United Nations bails out the bad guys, arranging a cease fire so that Hizbullah, who were getting their butts whipped, would gain time to regroup, rearm, and fight again another day. The civilians are returning to south Lebanon so that Hizbullah can use them for human shields. The "Peace" forces from the UN will not have the guts to root out Hizbullah, and Israel is again betrayed by the chicken-hearted.

The United Nations not only has outlived its usefullness, but is a malignancy that needs to be excised. They are like Eli, "My sons do not so wickedly," but did nothing to stop the wickedness. The only thing worse than this United Nations would be a United Nations with the force and will to enforce its ungodly, corrupt, and foul agenda.

But take heart, child of God: "And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." (Revelation 18:2 AV)

Jesus Christ is risen, ascended, and sits at the right hand of God.

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; 11 And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11 AV)

His Kingdom is one of truth and righteousness, and His eternal throne cannot be touched by the corruption of men. Amen and Amen.

The Death of Optimistic Liberalism.

It's completely dead, you know. The universal brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God has died a well deserved death.

The rise of pure evil has dealt a fatal blow to this monstrous dream and optimistic folly. The first blows came from the wars of the twentieth century--Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin and others. But these were at least Christian economic heresies. There was an implicit suicidal impulse, of course, and these systems died because of this impulse, but hope remained among the true believers, for they thought that the failure was because of bad planning selfish capitalism in the West which brought about the ruin of these better systems, which were based upon the inherent goodness of men and altruism. They thought they could win and still bring in the utopian society where there would be economic freedom for all, no national boundaries, and brotherhood and fraternity. The ideal of the French Revolution would be achieved, Brotherhood, Equality, Liberty. Narrow religious prejudice, racial prejudice, and parochialism would be banished from the earth for the brotherhood of man.

The whole dream of the Enlightenment which spawned this whole utopian fantasy was based upon theological heresies involving the nature of God and the nature of man. The new world would not need any religion, but if one is necessary for the ignorant, the only one that could be tolerated would be the false worship of a god who was indifferent to evil and good and made no distinction between them; one who was not involved in the world, loving all men and who will not judge the world in righteousness, making no distinction between the sheep and the goats.

Because there is no such thing as evil, there must be no punishment for criminals but redemption and forgiveness. Children must not be punished, for this damages self-esteem, and they must all consider themselves the children of God, no matter what their deed are. All people are of equal worth, no matter how they choose to live their lives, and have the right to food, shelter, medical attention, and civil liberties. The ideas have been wearing pretty thin, and are on the point of being swept away, by the pure evil that now faces the world, which will ultimate bring disillusionment and the crashing down of the tottering institutions that are no longer in touch with reality.

When women are willing to take their babies onto airplanes and use them as a cover for suicidal bombings [see following article]; when people are willing to murder their own people along with the infidels, then we are dealing with a mindset that is strange to Western civilization that was nurtured in the womb of Christianity. Pure evil has arisen in the womb of fundamental Islam. The love of death, the glorification of suicide, the willingness to kill millions in undifferentiated slaughter is an inversion of the great truths of the teachings of Christ and the Christian heritage of the West. Christ never taught His people that the way to heaven was by murder and death and revenge, but by faith the forgiveness of sins, praying for your enemies, and doing good to all men. Christians have not always lived up to these ideals, but their failure is their own, and those who did not practice Christian ideals have been condemned by other Christians. The spirit of Resurrection and Life in Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead, is totally the opposite of the spirit that drives Islam.

For a thousand years, the church was attacked by Islam, from the time that Muslim invaders came out of Arabia, conquering Palestine and Northern Africa, converting the populations by the sword, destroying churches, slaughtering Christians and priests and ministers and bringing all into bondage to the "obedience" of Islam. It was only by the heroics of Charles Martel and a great Christian Army at Tours, France, in 732, that Europe was spared, but for the next thousand years, Christianity had to endure constant pressure from the various Sultans and Satraps who called themselves the Army of God. Not only Christian Byzantium, but also Christian Russia, constantly were at war with Islam, who had taken by force lands belonging to these peoples.

The sad thing, is that in the name of the brotherhood of man, the schools in the West have not taught the true history of the wicked advance and tyranny of Islam and crushing of freedom in these lands. Instead they have focussed on the Crusades, which were a legitimate and proper response of the Christian West against the evil of Islam, in spite of the excesses and foolishness by which they were conducted.

Europe faced a most dreadful peril after the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and the way was open into the heartland of Europe for the Eastern Roman [Greek] Empire had been a buffer protecting Europe since the early Islamic conquests. Europe was torn by wars and petty quarrels and did not truly understand its peril which came to a head by the Ottoman advance in the 17th century. The high water mark of this advance was reached before the walls of Vienna in 1683, when a combined army of Polish, Austrian, and German troops under the command of Jan III Sobieski, head of Poland-Lithuania smash the "Army of God" and Islam retreated to Asia Minor. Islam never recovered from this defeat and the Ottoman Empire went into a long decline until it was partitioned after the World Wars of the twentieth century, during which it sided with the forces of evil, supporting Hitler and the Axis Powers. Islam oppresses its women, sends its children on suicide missions, is venomously anti-semitic, and know nothing of religious or civil liberties.

There is nothing in the teaching of Mohammed that even resembles Christ's teaching to "render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God's the things that are God's." In Islam the church is the state and the state is the church. The kingdom of Allah is an earthly kingdom and it must be obeyed without question.

There is no freedom of conscience and no idea of a personal God. In so many ways it is the antithesis of the Christian faith. Until the Protestant Reformation, Muhammad was considered the Anti-Christ until Luther transferred that honor to the Papacy. Luther, perhaps, was wrong on that one.

The present terrorism that Islam has launched against the West is nothing new and is not the fault of the West. The wickedness is in the hearts and minds of those who are in bondage to the devil, alienated from the life of God that is in Jesus Christ. This struggle will not be over in our lifetime or in the lifetime of our children. The attack will be upon the bodies of Christians, but the true enemy of Islam is the Lord Jesus. Because He is in heaven and beyond the reach of all Satanic power, His people will suffer the wrath of the enemies of Christ, but the gates of hell will not prevail against the church, for their war is not against flesh and blood but against the very God who created the heavens and the earth. They shall not prevail, but will fail just as they have throughout history. Hate and murder cannot overcome grace and life.

But liberalism is dead. Men are not all brothers. Although all men descend from Adam and are under the curse of sin and death, Jesus Christ by His grace and resurrections has brought life and immortality to light. Those who believe are the true sons of God. Those who do not believe are of their father the devil, no matter what their pretenses. As Jesus said to Anti-Christ in HIs day: "Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." (John 8:44 AV)

There are liars and murderers today, who do the works of their father the devil. This is reality and those who refuse to accept it will perish with them.

"...what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (2 Corinthians 6:14-15 AV)

There can be no neutrality or triangulation in this conflict.