Opus 2025-067: You Should Believe in Miracles

It looks like we might not descend into chaos as a nation.  We have had a successful transfer of power between groups of people who seriously disagree on almost everything.  We did it again without shooting or armies in the streets.  We did it without the Air Force generals trying to bomb the Marines.  This is an American miracle, the transfer of power in peace.

During my lifetime I have seen this kind of extreme before.  It last happened when Jimmy Carter turned over the reigns to Ronald Reagan.  I remember the rumors that flowed as the older Bush left office and how we were supposed to have a revolution when Clinton came in and another when he went out.  Conspiracy never takes a day off.  Part of the American genius is that the nation as a whole would not settle for such rituals.

That does not mean that currently the cabal running the Biden administration did not do everything they could to tie the hands of the incoming Trump.  I doubt if this is the first time such things have happened.  Way back in 1803 when the Federalists were leaving power they tried to appoint a bunch of their judges before Jefferson took the oath.  Down through history it has been a pattern.  

I would be willing to guess that the current crop of traps and handcuffs set a new record for obstruction.  Take the smothering of our justice system by the thousands of pardons that Joe Biden issued.  And what about the preemptive pardons?  Who ever heard of such a thing?  Who ever would imagine doing such a thing?  I guess the Democrats would.  If you have been following the click bait, you have been a witness to major league obstruction and attempts to violate the spirit of the republic.  

Let us hope that the republic and the Constitution are strong enough to surface and move forward.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-412: The Real Reason

One of the recurring themes that I see on YouTube videos and blog posts is “The real reason why Trump won the election,” sometimes expressed as a question, “How did Trump win?”  As a general rule, I’ll put them in the category of nonsense.

I’m sure that each and everyone of them has a horn to blow.  Each one of them has some points.  Each idea has something to recommend it and probably did have an effect.  However, the thought that any one factor brought about his election is just tooting infatuation with the sound of your own voice.

Having said that, let me give my input.  The one reason why Donald Trump won the presidential election was, ...drum roll..., Donald Trump.  He had a lot of help.  There were a number of key people like Elon Musk.  There were miracles, like turning his head at the key moment when the bullet went by.  These are all very real but the key ingredient was Donald Trump himself.

I hope that you join me in continuing to pray for him because the other key ingredient, the only one bigger than him, was Providence itself.  God worked miracles we saw and many more we did not.  Keep praying for Trump, the country, the political process, world peace and confusion to our enemies.  We need more miracles.  We may have made it across the Jordan but the Promised Land is still to be conquered.  

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-360: Election 2024: One Step at a Time

There is a gospel song sung by Christy Lane, which goes, “One day at a time, dear Jesus….”  Let me assure you again those of you who are very insecure, I am not equating Donald Trump with Jesus.  What I am saying is that we have to take this one day at a time, one step at a time.  At the present moment in the darkness of the morning it looks like we have won the actual election.  Rejoice.  Celebrate.  Have a party.  But don’t turn off your radar.  Don’t turn your back.  Don’t stop locking your doors.  Keep in mind that the deep state is there and they have at least until inauguration to keep playing their games.

So we can take deep breaths.  We can heave a sigh of relief.  We have more reason to hope for the best.  But now is the time to keep praying.  Now is the time to keep raising your voice on issues.  Now is the time to keep moving forward.

We now start the long trudge through the court system.  The corrupt judges are still out there.  They will still need to be battled.  If we can’t put a fear of the Trump in them, we need to put the fear of the Lord in them.  Keep within the law and keep your powder dry.  The battle continues.

And assuming that we make it to inauguration, Trump is installed, and the republic continues; So does the battle.  We will need to continue to extend the control of the patriotic Americans to state houses, courthouses, and ultimately, what’s the homes of America.  Keep talking to your family and friends.  Start pointing out to them the good things as they happen.  They certainly won’t hear about it on the evening news.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-359: Election 2024: So What

Two headlines had me shrugging my shoulders and at the same time seeing a little bit of red.

The first was the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire endorsing Trump.  The second was Joe Rogan endorsing Trump.  You might ask, “What is the problem?”  I would think it would be obvious, but let me explain.

Too little, too late.

Assuming that the reports are accurate, which is a flying leap into the darkness, the timing means that any such endorsement won’t make much difference.  A week ago I heard at church that almost 50% of our county had already voted.  I am sure the percentage is higher today.  Since most people will have already voted how will these announcements make any difference?  I hope that the ones most likely to have voted early are the ones who would not be impressed by such endorsements.

It all comes down to whether the Democrats have enough middle level flunkies that are too afraid to cheat like they are told to do.

See you on the other side.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-344: Election 2024: Nothing to Lose

You’ve heard it again and again and again.  Let me add it one more time.

Go vote.

I assume that the same people that stole the last election will have even more shady actions in store for us this time.  I fear that they may steal it again no matter how many people vote.  I don’t plan to live in a fear that paralyzes me.  Neither should you.

Vote anyway.  You have nothing to lose that you would not lose anyway, and everything to win.  Think of it as another form of Pascal’s wager.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-342: Election 2024: A Corner on Hope

In just a few weeks, we will have another national election.  We’ve done this many times before.  We’ve had a lot of anger and hostility before.  We’ve had division before.  I was just reading about the hostility between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, it was very real, very deep and bitter.  The country survived.

You can go down through our history and see many occasions like this.  If you have access to any of the sites that look at the attacks on Abraham Lincoln in the press and in any other way of communication, you could almost substitute Donald Trump and see the same types of things.  All of this is nothing new in American politics.

So what is different this time?

The difference used to be on numerous corners in every town.  It used to be that everywhere you drove you would see church steeples, and those church steeples would represent the attitudes of the people who lived in that area.  The odds were those steeples would represent churches that were full of people that actually believe what the Bible said, and who had their hope resting in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  They were called the salt of the Earth.  They were never a majority but they were a significant segment.

What happens to a country when its salt loses its savor?  I’m sure you are familiar with at least part of this verse,

Matthew 5:13 (KJV) Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

It is perfectly clear to anyone who is serious about serving Jesus that the church has lost its savor, or savour as the KJV would put it.  That doesn’t mean there isn’t any life in the old girl yet but it does mean that it has lost the influence that it had.  That influence is vital in the coming election.  And it’s not just a matter of Christians not voting.  It’s a matter of so many people who call themselves Christians ignoring what they believe when they vote.  They have allow themselves to be brainwashed by the anti-God forces in our culture.  Many of those forces are in charge of the denominations of the churches they attend.  The recent action in the United Methodist Church is a good example of how the so-called churches have abandoned the standards of God.

There is still hope.  And that hope is in you if you acknowledge Jesus Christ is Lord.  Can you see if you acknowledge Jesus as Lord then that means that you are a part of that group of people that are called by His name.  At this point, let me bring forth a verse, which is so often quoted and quoted incorrectly.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV) If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

This is a message of hope.  But you need to understand that hope which is in Almighty God is dependent upon a small group of people, the ones who are “called by My name”.  Now this originally applied to Israel.  It still applies to Israel in specifics, but the principle applies to the church today.

It’s not going to do any good if people who deny God call upon his name.  It won’t do them any good to pray.  God is not listening to the prayers of his enemies.

If the country is to be saved, we need to vote, yes.  We need to pray, yes.  But above all that small group of people who are still faithful need to focus on turning from their wicked ways, and calling upon God.

The country can be pulled out of its nose dive.  It can be pulled out of his nose dive no matter who wins the election.  The key is being salt, and pepper has never been able to replace salt.

So vote. Pray. But above all turn from your wicked ways. The country is counting on you.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-289: Election 2024: Options

We have an election coming up.  It is said that elections matter.  That was a statement by someone who believed in the rule of law.  It might be good for us to pause and consider how blessed we are in what we face and how typical it is in human history.

Take the best case scenario.  Most of history has been lived out in the context of kings and nobility.  When the king died most did not have an election to see who would be the next king.  Some tribes voted on the next leader but it often was just a formality.  As a subject you had nothing to say in the matter.  All you could do, besides praying, was hope for the best.

Take the worst case scenario.  There was no clear succession.  There was no meeting of the tribal elders to make the decision.  Many times in history it was a time of total chaos.  Every strong man would gather his followers, look for anyone who would join him and the survivor became the next leader.  If you were a peasant then you better hope you were out of town that day.

Let us hope for a peaceful transition that actually reflects the theory that we live in a federal republic that is governed by law.  The alternatives are not pretty and us peasants may have no town left to get out of.

Meanwhile, pray hard, speak up and check your preps.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-270: The Invisible Teleprompter

I watched the debate last night.  I didn’t really want to because my mind is made up and I know who the candidates are.  But as somebody said, “I watched it so you wouldn’t have to.”  Actually, I watched it because I wanted to be able to ignore the spin that everybody else wants to put on it.

If I were an alien from outer space, and we’re simply evaluating what I saw with no background, no knowledge and living in a bubble, I would give Harris the win.  But I do know the background.  I do have a memory.  I am reasonably intelligent.  That makes me a bit hesitant to give her advantage in reality.

What I noticed about both candidates is that neither one of them answered the questions.  Some of the questions were actually decent.  The problem was that there was no follow up and no holding the feet to the fire.  Take the simple question about whether people were better off than they were four years ago.  That is a hard question with an easy answer or an easy question with a hard answer.  For Harris it was a good question with no answer.  I believe she went off on her values again.  What?  How did she get there?

With that I am ready to suggest that, although there was no Teleprompter on the stage, Harris had one built in.  She obviously had prepared.  Her speeches were ready to go.  They was well rehearsed.  She had worked on her facial expressions, her eyes, her mouth, her smiles and gestures.  All of it was worked out very carefully ahead of time and memorized perfectly.  This is clear and should have been a problem, because none of her answers had anything to do with the questions she was asked, but the answers were free-flowing, eloquent and repeating the Democrat sound bites.

It is as she had a Teleprompter but we couldn’t see it.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-264: Election Prayer

Sunday it was announced that at church that November 3, instead of the regular Sunday school class we, would be having a prayer breakfast in regard to the coming election.  The plan is to start with something light to eat and then spend the rest of the time in various expressions of prayer and calling on God for his intervention.

I just thought I would write and share that with you and suggested perhaps you might take that idea to your church and suggest the same thing.  Maybe you are already planning it.  Although elections are important and we believe in the rule of law and the republican form of government, we believe even more in the God of the universe.  It was suggested that it might be a good idea not to wait for the 3rd to start praying.

National renewal depends upon spiritual revival. Join us.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-263: Election 2024: Tips

I am hearing repeated references to Trump’s proposal to exempt the tips of waiters and waitresses from the income tax.  I think that’s probably a decent idea, not because servers deserve a special break, but because anything that reduces the tax burden is a good thing.

However, his promise or his desire is stillborn, or will be stillborn, if we cannot elect people to Congress who will pass the legislation for his signature.  That is why the primaries were so important, but we are past that now.  We are now down to the general election.  It is not just important that we elect a president.  It is vitally important that we elect a Congress that also cares about the American people and the Republic.

That automatically rules out the Democrats.  I wouldn’t actually deny that there might be a worthy Democrat out there somewhere but the odds of finding him are very slim.  I will admit that the Republicans in many cases are not much better.  However, slightly better is more desirable than overwhelmingly worse.

So make sure that you vote down the tickets.  Try to find out who in your state is on the right side.  The hard ones will be the judges, county officials, and city councils.  We need a clean sweep.  Just selecting a man at the top, assuming we can overcome the cheating, will not do it.  We need change all the way down.

Since real Americans can’t vote often, make sure that you vote early.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-232: Headlines: RFK to Show

One of the current bits of Clickbait has to do with RFK Junior being willing to endorse Trump in trade for a seat on his cabinet.  I have mixed feelings.  On the one side except for one issue, RFK is a total mindless liberal.  He pretty much works lockstep on everything except that one issue.

That one issue is important.  That one issue is the vaccines and our medical industry.  He seems to have his head on straight for this.  If Trump puts him in a position where he can reign in the CDC and the other medical alphabet agencies then he is the man for the job.

Trump also needs to realize that he can’t listen to the man on anything else.  I’m not sure Trump is able to do that, but we will see.

It may be a non-issue, pure click-bait.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-172: Thrift Truck Stops

Would you do your weekly grocery shopping at the local truck stop?  I find that the prices are higher than my local supermarket.  The general reason is that when you are traveling you don’t have the time to price shop.  Of course some people never do.

Imagine what it would be like if you went through a time warp between the car and the hot dogs.  Say you went back ten years in time.  You might go outside and check the sign again because you might think you had walked into a discount store by mistake.  The prices would not just be low, they would be shocking.  I guess for that matter all you would need to do is go back one year.

We have gotten so used to inflation that we think it is a normal way to live.  Not so.  When money was based on gold and silver prices might fluctuate by supply and demand but the overall extremes would recede to the level you were used to.  All you would have to do is go without for a short time and the excess product prices would come tumbling down.  That doesn’t work any more.  The government is printing so much money and passing it out with abandon that people just keep spending which makes the prices go even higher.  There is no reason for delayed gratification which is the mechanism of supply and demand.

Some people think there is no way out of this spiral.  I disagree.  If we could just get the government to stop trying to buy off their constituents then things would start to normalize.  A free economy would start the recovery but socialist believes that everyone else should pay for their style of living.  As long as they are around things will get worse.

November is coming.  Make sure you are paying attention.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-171: Lessons of Hide and Seek

We had the grandchildren over today and I was drafted for a game of hide and seek.  The four year old didn’t have a clue.  He told me to hide behind the door, counted to three and then came and found me.  We switched roles.  He went and hid behind the door, while I was still watching.  We both screeched when I “found” him.  My granddaughter walked by him in his bright green shirt when he was playing turtle on the floor in front of the couch.  She did not see him.  Needless to say we all had a great time.

It also taught me something about our American population.  Like my grandchildren, they don’t have a clue.  They don’t see things in plain sight.  They never look in corners.  They are as mature as those kids were and they often have just as good a time.  The polls say that a third of Americans still would rather have Biden in the White House with prices that have doubled than to have someone who posted mean tweets which effected them just how?

If you live next door to one of that third, or have one in the family, you need to realize they will never understand what you are talking about.  They believe Joe when he says he as endorsed by the Border Patrol.  They think the devil wears an orange suit.  It is about that simple.

That means that the other two thirds have to step up to the plate.  It means speaking up.  It means taking a stand.  It also means getting right with God and living a life of repentance.  That is actually the hard part.  

November is coming.  We keep saying the current election is vital.  If you don’t believe it is true then just look at the condition of the country compared to four years ago.  It is hard to believe anyone could destroy things so quickly.  They did.  Once again, it is the most important election of our life time.  Maybe they all are.

I hope to be seeing you on the other side.  I pray that the rule of law will be revived.  I know that a lot of people need to go to jail.  I dream that violence will not be necessary.  It was a good life while it lasted.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-084: New

I wonder how old I was before I began to realize that new and improved wasn’t.  We are used to the blurbs on the package, screen or radio.  Because it was new it must be improved.  That was obvious.  Improved meant better, right?  So how come things wore out more quickly or didn’t taste the same.  It was a slow lesson to learn.

And then I begin to wonder how old I was when I realized that traditional wasn’t always the best way.  “We have always done it that way” was a popular excuse for not changing.  Originally it had some validity.  There are good reasons why you whittle away from your body.  There may not be as good a reason for using the knife you saw on TV.  As new technology developed it became more of a challenge to know if the new was better.  It might be.  It might not be.

All decisions and considerations we make need for us to have our discernment and brain plugged in.  While there are some choices that are finally a shot in the dark, a little bit of homework can turn up a lot.  The question is do we have the discipline to search and the strength to decide.

We have elections coming.  You may get a call about the warranty on your car.  You might be thinking about getting married.  Think hard.  You will be living with your decision.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-298: Build a Bubble

We often complain about the rodents of congress living in a bubble.  They don’t know how the other 99% lives and, as long as they get reelected, don’t care.

I am wondering if it might be a good idea to actually put them in a bubble.  Make it a self-contained world in which they cannot read the MSM or have access to any polls.  It might also be reinforced so that they could not talk to other members of congress.  No parties, no interviews by talking heads, no eating out.  You get the idea.  Make that double for Democrats.  Make them decide what to do based on their promises and their knowledge of how the real world works.  I say this as I watch the Republicans continue to be the worthless party as the Rinos keep crossing the line to lick the shoes of their Democrat overlords.

I wonder how they would vote if they were not worried about the next cocktail party or trip to Epstein’s Island.  It might transform the country.  It is clear they are transforming the country, the wrong way.

Primaries are coming up.  Consider whom you will vote for.  If the Republicans won’t give you a real option then go third party.

Elections matter.  Vote.  Pray.  Stand up.  Speak up.  Be counted in life.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-257: Election 2024: Tiger of Paper

In thinking about the election coming up I peruse the candidates to remind myself why I like some and dislike others.  When I do this I always shake my head in regret when I pass over Mike Pence.  

Mike Pence, on paper in 2016, had all the boxes checked to make a good president.  You can’t forecast “great” but I think you can see the potential for “good”.  He had a solid record behind him.  He was vocal about his Christian faith.  He weathered the storm of hysteria that the media dished out when he said he did not go to dinner alone with women other than his wife.  When Trump picked him for VP that also seemed like a solid choice.  As far as I know he did a good job up until the electoral college.

When he refused to bend to the pressure to reject certain delegates I could see his point.  I am not sure I agreed with his actions but I could understand why he did it, or I thought I could.  On the surface it seemed like the actions of man of principle.

Since then every time he opens his mouth he has gone down in my estimation.  It seems like he is now on a crusade to stab Trump in the back.  I don’t know if he has changed or if he always was a snake in the grass but he is not even on my long list for president.  

Donald Trump did not check many boxes, yet we saw how much he got done, and I don’t refer to his incessant tweets.  He endured the lawless onslaught organized against him and still managed to bring peace to the Middle East, employment to all demographics, progress on the border, a strong economy, gas in my tank, etc.  And during the entire ordeal he always followed the rule of law and the principles of the Constitution.

We need a real tiger, not a paper Tigger.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-226: Election 2024: Vivek? Maybe Someday

Everywhere I look I see the face and name of Vivek Ramaswamy.  At first I ignored it but eventually I took the click bait.  I find him an interesting person.  I find him an unknown quantity that needs consideration.  I find him to be totally human in the fact that he is a mixed bag.

I have watched a few interviews.  At this point I can’t remember which ones except the beginning of his conversation with Bill Maher.  The bit I watched convinced me that they both had big gaps in their education and that Bill Maher is not as funny when he is drunk as he is in the clips I occasionally watch.  

In addition to that I have finished Ramaswamy’s first book, Woke, Inc.  I am in the process of reading his second, A Nation of Victims.  I love libraries.  He writes well.  If you like what you see on video I would suggest you read his books with your mind turned on.  You will see the enthusiasm for America but you will also see that he has drunk a bit of the Kood-aide and doesn’t seem to know it.

He is an interesting combination of innovative thinker and naive sponge.  One simple example of the concept appeared in his discussion with Bill Maher.  He stated his opinions and was not going to back down.  When it came to discussion Christopher Columbus he managed to get Maher to admit that Columbus made a contribution.  Well and good.  Too bad they did not leave it there.  I would have been impressed with both of them.  Maher then went on to compliment Columbus on his courage, sailing out into the unknown where everyone thought they would fall off the end of the earth.  He even said everyone believed that.  Ramaswamy agreed with him.  I don’t know if you ever did any reading outside your public school class room but this is one of the popular myths of our age.  When I was researching early explorers I learned that the existence of land to the west was well known.  Columbus knew that the Vikings had tried to plant a colony in the area.  The ancient Greeks had even calculated the circumference of the earth.  The truth is that the only people who believed the world was flat were farmers who lived in small, isolated communities.

Too bad our modern intellectuals also live in small, isolated communities.

I find this tendency in Ramaswamy.  I am an uncompromising Trump supporter in this election but I am looking down the road.  I wonder if he will grow into a good candidate.  I hope to come up with more as I finish his second book.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-208: Election 2024: Gas!

It is time for us to put on our campaign filters.

Filter what we hear.  Most speeches will be bombastic verbosity.  They don’t mean a whole lot.  Extreme statements will be made.  Get a salt shaker because there are a lot of grains you are going to need to take.

Filter what we say.  This is advice mainly to those doing the speaking.  It might be a good idea to have your mother proof-read your speech to see if it meets the sniff test.  Of course if your mother is a never-Trumper that won’t do any good.  Find someone who is easily offended and have them review what you are going to say.  Use the time to build a vision instead of tearing down the opposition.  Think ahead a bit because you may need those people to support or defend you at some future time.

Filter what you read.  How do I get this across?  The media lies.  The government lies.  Scientists lie.  Even conservative sites, who should know better, lie.  We call it exaggeration or click bait but that is because we feel a need to defend our allies.  The basic fact is, they lie.   I have jokingly commented that if someone tells me at noon that the sun is up, I will go outside and check for myself.  Yes, it is that bad.  It reminds me of basic training when they forced us to walk through a room filled with tear gas.  When we smelled it we were supposed to yell, “Gas!”  We were then to put on our gas mask and try to breathe normally.  It took awhile but could be done.

Can we find our way through the labyrinth of lies?  To some degree.  Start with a foundation of truth.  For me that is the basic principles of the Bible.  Everything must mesh with that truth.  Then I look at the click bait and automatically rule out anything making claims that are scintillating.  I will then do some reading.  Over time we find people that seem to be more reliable than others.  I think of Dr. Malone on the covid brainwashing.  As a general rule he seems to be sharing truth.  I listen to people like that more than the CDC or, now days, the Salvation Army.  

Over time I think you can get a feel for what is true and what is not.  Does that tell us what is going to happen next?  No, simply no.  It simply helps us to make wise and moral decisions.  So, is murder wrong?  Yes.  Simple.  Is vigilante justice wrong?  Not so simple but still a question we may need to answer soon.

For the next year and a half keep in mind that campaigns are not a proclamation of truth.  What a candidate says on the hot seat is not like Moses coming down from Mount Sinai.  Wait it out.  Listen for the principles behind the proclamations.  Remember how each person has performed in the past and get ready to vote.

Gas!

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-162: Election 2024: Right Click

The Daily Wire is a right wing publication.  Their recent headline tends to reinforce my opinion that they are also anti-Trump.  The click bait begins,

“Trump Vows To Stay In Race Even If Convicted Of Crimes: ‘I’ll Never Leave’”

If you read the first paragraph of the article is says “criminal charges” instead of “crimes”.  It seems such a small difference but it gives a completely different message.  To be fair, the quotation marks in the click bait are not around the crimes part but the impression is still there that Trump in admitting there are crimes.

This is the kind of reporting we need less of.  Leave it to the left to bait and switch.  Get over your Mean-Tweet-Syndrom.  

I am a total Trump supporter.  At the present time I also like Ron DeSantis and Tim Scott who have declared and I can think of other potentially great candidates.  I am still a Trump supporter.  He may offend suburban millennial housewives but he is a man who loves America and has shown that he can get things done.  I am willing to forgive his spending and overlook his fast-tracking of the vaccinations.  Everyone makes mistakes but few people get so much right.

Pray.  Vote.  Stand up and speak out.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-070: Election 2024: A No Brainer

As you are aware tomorrow we change our clocks again.  What an irritation.  I am sure that there are people out there who embrace this ritual and maybe sacrifice virgins as celebration.  If there are I don’t remember meeting them.  Of course, that could just be my memory.

Might I suggest that the Republicans prepare a plank for the 2024 elections pledging to work to do away with this nonsense.  I think it is a winner.

homo unius libri