Opus 2026-345: On the Road: Off the Road

Home at last.  Two weeks on the road is enough to make you appreciate home more than ever. As an introvert, a road trip can be torture if someone else is with you.  There is no place to hide. The female questions keep coming and sometimes an answer is expected.  How did I feel about the trip?  How do you summarize the variety of feelings emerging over two weeks?

Two weeks on the road help to remind me of what a great country we have both in size and in quality.  At one point we had a three hour drive and most of the way we saw no evidence of humanity except for fences and an occasional cell tower and of course the road.  We saw little box houses next to spreading ranch style homes.  Macho hot dogs would try to run us down and the next minute someone is totally polite.  In short periods of time you can go from arid flatland to hilly forests.  In the middle of the sage you come across irrigation systems that hover over lush fields.

The fools that worried about over population need to get out more and drive from central Texas to central Wyoming.  Of course such people might not notice that most of it is empty.  Those who worry about the world starving would hopefully notice that the lack of food is political, not potential.  Water can make the desolate productive.

All that said, it is good to be home at last.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-342: Global Warming Rather Than Tsunamis

As I watch the joy and sense of celebration that has come with Independence Day this year I am encouraged and hoping that we will be able to ride the crest of this to get our country back.  Then I started thinking in metaphors and similes and realize that maybe we don’t want to catch the big wave.  When I used to be young and foolish, we would go to the beach and do body surfing.  It was a lot of fun, but we noticed that the waves tended to come in a series. There would be a big one after several small ones.  You learned the pattern.  You learned to ride the big one in and then maybe take a slight break or relax a little bit until the next big wave came.  If we are going to simply ride the crest of enthusiasm generated by the celebration, then we are going to come crashing down on the sand and have nothing left, but a mouthful of seashells.  I’m thinking that instead of hoping for a tsunami or a tidal wave, we sould embrace the concept of global warming.  In the imaginary global warming scenario, the polar ice caps melt, the glaciers melt, our refrigerators are turned off and all our ice cubes melt, and ultimately the oceans rise.  What people forget and ignore about past times when we’ve had global warming and oceans rising, it’s a better time of life than we have now.  If you go back to the last warm spell around the year 1000 and beyond you had in North America longer, growing seasons, more water, better crops, and a booming population because of global warming.  If you go to what is now the Gobi desert, you would find forests and lakes and rivers.  I’m guessing also that you would find northern Africa was had much less desert and much more sahal and land that could be farmed.  In other words, the global warming brought about a change in the atmosphere that was beneficial, not only for man, but for life in general.

So as we look at our celebrations, we need to somehow anchor ourselves in this and keep the warmth going so that we can raise the political waters and make all the boats float.  We are surrounded by people who are ignorant of their history, know not much of anything and are basically modern pagans.  They need to be reacquainted with the God of the Bible, the principles of liberty that He gives and the standards of morality that He demands.  Let there be moral global warming.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-322: Mini Declarations

Our minds are on the 250th anniversary of the country.  I’ve urged you to read the Declaration of Independence.  Millions of Americans will go out and shoot off fireworks.  Thousands of policeman will be out writing citations on those Americans who are celebrating their liberty without permission of the central government.  We live in interesting times.  One of the reasons why people might celebrate important events less is because those who are in charge of regulating our behavior, make it harder and harder to express enthusiasm or commitment.

Do you live in a city that has outlawed fireworks?  I’m sure it was done for your safety.  I’m sure it’s because they didn’t want you to burn your house down.  I’m sure they knew that you were one of those people who would not realize you were supposed to let go of firecracker after you lit the fuse.  Such people to exist.  I’m not sure if sifting out the jean pool isn’t worth a little freedom in danger.  All people are not known for their common sense.  I think of one relative of a student I had who evidently shot himself three times while cleaning his gun.  My guess is he’s a bad shot.  Most people would learn the first time, if they missed.  They would learn another lesson if they struck home.  I’m still asking myself:  How do you shoot yourself cleaning a gun when the first thing you work on is the barrel?

That having been said, we need to say more.  We need to be constantly on the alert to speak up.  A Declaration of Independence doesn’t mean much when all the talking is done in the hall in Philadelphia.  The document had to be delivered.  The document had to be lived out on a daily basis.  We need to take that seriously.

As we watch the forces of Marxism penetrate into all areas by culture, we see them doing everything they can to take away the liberties that were given to us by God and recognized in the first 10 amendments to the constitution.  We have a three standards given in the declaration of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  A good number of the laws that come out of your local city councils, county seats, state capitals, and of course Congress are designed to take away those liberties.  We need to get in the habit of constantly speaking up while we can still hope that that speaking up might do some good.

It’s kind of like witnessing and doing evangelism though.  You’re not going to get a lot of visible response.  Many people will turn you off.  You might lose friends.  You will get invited to fewer parties.It still needs to be done.  I wrote recently about going into a store which had a sign saying no concealed carry and informing the manager that I would not be shopping at his store.  I don’t think I made any big splash. I  asked him to pass it on up the chain.  I doubt if he did.  But we need to make people aware that the default of the masses of Americans is not that of sock puppets.  We need to speak up while we still can.  We need to ask people when they’re shooting off fireworks, what are you celebrating.  We need to ask people if they’re gathered on the hill watching the official government agency, shootout fireworks, why aren’t we doing this ourselves?

Short comments.  Penetrating questions.  A smiling countenance.  And add to that the concept that the apostle Paul gave us a praying without ceasing.  Our hope is that we can get the country back on the right track without having to resort to violence.  Make the little declarations so that the big declaration has some significance.

Opus 2026-318: Patriotism, American Style

I was just listening to a song that came up on my MP3 player.  The song was God Bless America.  It was done southern Gospel style.  It was very inspirational listening to it.

As I listened, I got to thinking about how we is Americans can sing this song, but we could make some very small changes possibly and allow anybody from another country to sing it about theirs.  I don’t say this to belittle the greatness of America in any way.  I don’t say that we should be praising other countries above our own.  Utopia does not exist, but the United States of America is as close as mankind has ever come.

At the same time I accept the fact that a citizen of Germany might be able to sing their national anthem, except for the fact that I think it’s title is Deutschland Uber Alles, which means Germany above all.  That sentiment I would reject.  But then again I’m not sure if that’s actually their anthem.  For that matter, this is not our national anthem, yet.  God bless America is not a statement that we are better than anybody else, although I think we are.  It is a statement calling upon Almighty God and His grace to extend that grace towards us.  I would be not particularly offended if we added a verse for each country in the world.  God bless Namibia.  God bless Uganda.  God bless China.  I have no trouble with that.  God’s grace and God’s blessing are big enough that nothing we say and hope for other countries belittles what we want Him to do for us.

So sing with joy in your heart as you call upon God’s blessing.  Rejoice with an awareness of what grace is all about.  Embrace our heritage.  Understand the foundations.  And God bless America.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-314: Time for a Pilgrimage

It is that time of year where we pause and look at one of our founding documents, The Declaration of Independence.  I urge you to find the time to read through the entire document.  The middle complaints against King George can get confusing but try to get the general idea.  As you read, compare what was going on then to what you see being forced on you today.

Think about what you read.  Pray for guidance in how to live as a responsible citizen today.  Act on your insights.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-376: The Seething

I am wondering when the revolts will begin.  Will the world submit to sharia law with a whimper or stand up for what they used to believe in?

We still have a bit of freedom of speech here in the United States and we have a population that is well armed.  We still have a minority that actually believes that Christianity is the way.  We still have a chance to wake up without massive violence but I am not sure you can say that for Western Europe.

What kind of moral degeneration and cowardice produces what the United Kingdom is demonstrating today?  While being raped a woman fights back.  She goes to jail.  People who express disagreement with the government are arrested and violent street thugs are released.  You may have been paying attention when it was revealed that police in Scotland had ignored organized rape rings but did nothing because they did not want to be accused of Islamophobia.

Why has the revolution not started in England?  The rest of Europe is the same.

If they don’t begin then we will come to the place where we are grateful for the ocean between us and them.  If they begin will we get pulled in?

Whichever way things go we are looking at a lot of turbulence in the near future.  Vote with care and keep your powder dry.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-326: To be, or not…

America has been, is, and hopefully long will be that great “city on a hill” that Governor John Winthrop  hoped it would be.  I’m not even going go recite that trite mantra about how we aren’t perfect.  Since no one is perfect, that’s just a silly excuse.  It’s an attempt to seem noble to the America haters.

Anyway, you want to slice it America is a shining city on a Hill.  As far as I know, it’s the only country in the world that people are seeking to get to because it’s such a great place to be.  There may be refugees fleeing to other countries because of persecution.  There are armies of Muslim infiltrators flooding into Europe with a desire to destroy it and bring it down.  Those people are after us too.  At the same time, there are those that look at us as the world’s last great hope.  When the communist and socialist try to tell us how wonderful it is in Sweden, they don’t call on Sweden to come and bail them out when things go south.  They look to America.

The stories of immigrants coming wanting to become Americans and live the American dream are numerous and available if you look for them.  Of course, our educational system and government coerced media ignore those stories and emphasize the criminal darkside established and reinforced by the left, but the stories are still there.  The reality is still there.  America is a place where you can come, start with almost nothing, and with hard work find success for you and your children.

You won’t find me out in the street, shouting and waving my flag as I walk back-and-forth.  That’s not how I respond to life.  I could be at a World Series game with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the third with Willie Mays coming to bed, and still sit there calmly, nodding my head and smiling.  That’s who I am.  Outwardly, I am smiling, maybe, but relatively calm.  Inwardly, I am shouting, “Glory.”

I like those buttons that young Christians used to wear that had a group an acronym and what the words meant were “Please be patient. God is not finished with me yet.”  I think we may be need to put one of those buttons on the Statue of Liberty.  I’m sure we need to put those in the hearts of all Americans.

Let’s pray that our best days are still ahead.  Much of that will depend upon us and whether we follow God’s lead toward righteousness, or fall into the trap of materialism.

Let the people shout, “Glory!”

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-308: New Terms: Bluicide

Is this  good time to talk about secession?  I am not talking about Alberta.  I am not talking about California.  I am thinking about the blue counties of California.  Maybe it is time to let them go their own way.

Much of California is as sane as real Americans.  They care about their neighbors but plan on staying out of their business.  They go to work, pay their taxes, go to church, pay their taxes, go bowling, pay their taxes...you get the idea.  As a reward the crazies in the blue areas look for loopholes to happiness that they have missed.  We don’t need to say goodby to Riverside County or Shasta but LA does not deserve to be a part of us.

Let them go.

We can built tunnels with guard towers so that they can visit the Utopias they came from but let them go.  We could have testing in schools outside the cities and anyone who passed could be allowed to relocate inside a city.  We could call it bluicide.

Of course we could also just make the voting system honest and deport people who have no right to be here.  We could develop the courage to label treason as treason.  That way we could visit the cultural assets that used to make a visit to the city worthwhile but I would be willing to give up the Rose Bowl for the cause of liberty.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-112: The Destruction of Diversity

As I went through some old notes I noticed a comment from 10 years ago about Ukraine as the Russians were flexing muscles.  What we see taking place in Eastern Europe is nothing new.  It also illustrates a concept that most Americans don’t think about much but our elites are trying to make central.  That is the concept of ethnic awareness.  Ukraine, like Lithuania and Estonia all have large minorities that still consider themselves Russians.  This is an issue.  They view their ethnic background as a major part of whom they are and their nation of residence a lesser allegiance.  Tribal identities are big dividers in the world and the cause of much of the violence.

Take a brief look at our world, even today.  The conflict in India is between the Hindu and Islamic cultures.  Go to China as they are working on exterminating the Uyghurs.  If you do a search on “Chinese persecution of...” you come up with Tibetans, Falun Gong, Buddhists, Christians and that doesn’t even touch on the historic differences across China.  If you remember the brutal killing going on in Ruanda, it was tribal, and as I write it is going on again.  In the middle east it isn’t just Jews against Palestinians but various Arab groups killing each other.  The Soviet Union was an uncomfortable union of many ethnic groups.

The Russians are one group that knows how to work this for their advantage.  They are tribes and the Soviet Union divided these nations along tribal lines.  It kept them from uniting.  Keep the tribes bickering and you can control them.  We have elitists in American that are trying to get us to divide and bicker over our ethinic identities.  They want to destroy the unity of the country.  They have pushed us a long way down the road of Balkanization.

America is an idea, not an ethnic identity.  At least it used to be an idea.  If we want to continue as a beacon of liberty and opportunity we need to get over the diversity thing.  The only way that diversity gives strength is if there is a stronger unity.  It is okay to have roots and cultural traditions that are based in another country as long as you realize they are the herbs and spices of whom you are as an American.  The basic ingredients must be consistent with the ideas in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.

As the late George Putnam used to say, “Here’s to a better, stronger America.”

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-102: Shame, Shame

Have you ever been summoned to jury duty?  In California I would get called every few years.  Since I got paid for jury duty, it was no problem.  It gave me a few days vacation.  It never got over a few days because I am not a suitable candidate for a jury.

Why am I not suitable?  I don’t drink.  I know policemen.  I have had family members assaulted.  My home has been broken into several times.  Attorneys don’t like people like me on a jury.  For instance, since I don’t drink they figure I can’t make a judgement on whether a driver was driving under the influence.  I did make it on one time.  It involved a traffic accident near where I worked.  I did not endear myself to the judge.  When we were ready to go to deliberations he told us that he would tell us what our options were and basically, what we could decide.  When he asked if we had any questions I asked, “Based on what you have told us, why do you need a jury?  What are we here for if you can tell us what to decide?”  He patted me on the head and sent us on our way.

If you get a chance, do your duty.  Before you go do a little research on a topic called “jury nullification”.  The theory is that the jury can not only decide if someone is guilty but also has the options to declare them not guilty because the law is bad.  Judges don’t like that either so I would suggest you don’t say the words out loud or you will be dismissed.

Are you one of those people who avoids jury duty?  Do you pretend to be insane when jury selection is in progress?  Do you figure you are too busy?  Then shame on you.  It is hard enough to get honest juries because of the way the lawyers have rigged the sytem.  It is impossible if those who have a brain and integrity avoid service.  If you are like me and would like to see the cabal go to prison, jump at the chance to have a voice.

If called, go.  If chosen serve.  Be on the side of truth and justice not legal technicalities.

I would welcome being on the jury if Fauci ever comes to trial.  

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-098: Society’s Debt

What does society owe us?  Does it owe us a job?  Does it owe us an income?  We have a generation coming up with seems to think that they deserve everything that life has to offer at no cost to themselves.  Actually, it’s probably more than one generation.  There are even elderly people who feel like they are owed a retirement from the government.  I don’t mean just a fair repayment of Social Security, but I mean a certain quality standard of living.

Of course, nobodys asking who’s going to pay for all this.

I am asking and not getting an answer, unless you consider crickets an answer.

I think the preamble of the constitution goes a long way towards answering this question.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Such phrases as “insure domestic Tranquility” fit in with the responsibilities the Constitution assigns to the Federal Government.  It makes you pause and wonder where the Feds are when Antifa is burning cities and illegal gangs are taking over apartment houses.  I guess I live in a Unicorn Land where the government reads its founding document.  Forgive me.  

Then you have the Declaration of Independence which brings up the the concept of the “Pursuit of Happiness”.  Read the paragraph.  Notice it is not the guarantee but the pursuit.

Americans traditionally have not asked the government to do things for them that they can do themselves.  Originally we didn’t even ask the government to step in when we had personal issues, we expected neighbors to step up.  The churches and synagogues were the centers of help and charity.  Ultimately people were expected to be their own first responders in life.

We seem to have lost that concept.  We need to get it back.  Being our brothers keeper does not mean relieving him responsibility.

(Php 2:3-4 NAS77) Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

The hard part of this to understand is that often what is best for the other person is not what they want and by giving them what they want we actually do them long-term damage.  This calls for real genuine love for them, guided by discernment and wisdom.

This morning I was humming an old patriot song from my childish memory,

What can I do for my country,
For all the things she’s done for me?

That brings to mind the old quote from JFK,

“Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.”

Those were the days when you could call Democrats real Americans.  I miss those kind of Democrats.

Step up.  Grow up.  Reverse the order if you need to.  Accept responsibility for your own life and look around to see if there is anyone you can really help.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-047: Time to Double Down

I’m not sure where the term “double down” comes from.  In the back of my mind there is this thought that it is a gambling term which somehow means that you multiply your bets.  My creative imagination tells me that there’s a situation in playing blackjack where you can divide your cards into two piles.  Is it imagination or memory?  That part is not important.

What is important is that people who have been praying for the revival of our country and a change of direction need to not get complacent.  We are now at the point where we need to pray even more.  This morning on the day after the inauguration I realized that we need to double down in our prayers.  What brought this home to me?  What’s the way in which God scheduled me to be reading Proverbs 21 and found this as the first verse,

Proverbs 21:1 (KJV) The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

I noticed that Donald Trump made several mentions of how God was important to our progress as a nation, and how God is going to use him.  All that was good.  I believe he meant it.  I believe he feels the hand of God upon him.  I don’t know that he has become what we might call a “true believer.”  If not, I hope that day comes, but until it does, or if it has, we need to double down in our prayers for him.

We feel we took a step forward by winning the election.  We’re hearing the kind of things that we need to hear or want to hear.  We need to make sure we don’t submit to hubris and start thinking we have arrived, and that we are specially blessed by God at the expense of other people.  We need to pray that God‘s will would be done.

As we pray for the president, we need to pray for ourselves and for the church.  We need to double down in all areas.  America is not the chosen nation in the sense that Israel was chosen by God and received a special mandate directly.  In spite of that we can be used of God, and we want to keep this nation as close to the center of his will as possible.  It makes me wonder how the world might be different, if righteousness has taken hold of Sodom or of Egypt or of any other political power in history.  Where would the world be today if Israel had been faithful?

God bless America.  Pray that we would be a part of that blessing.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-016: Happy Faces

I am finding people who are sharing that they are feeling optimistic about the future.  They are smiling when they say it.  I talked with another one Sunday after church.  He brought it up out of the blue.

I wonder why.  Could it be that they are starting to believe that Trump will make it to office?  Do they see Americans being Americans?  Do they think we will see the Electoral College do its job?  Have they upped their meds?

It is okay to think things will get better.  At the same time don’t stop praying.  Don’t stop being salt.  Keep speaking up, standing up and, if you can’t push back, don’t be pushed into a corner.  Keep in mind that they are used to traditional people going back to minding their own business, assuming they have won and forgetting to lock their doors at night.

Find a way to tie a string around your finger so you will remember.  Find something that reminds you of the evil that is out there waiting for you to look the other say.  Maybe a picture of Ashli Babbitt as wallpaper on your computer screen.  Put it where you see it every morning when you make your coffee.  Remember what was.  Embrace what is.  Commit to live the day the way God would want you to and let Him worry about the big issues.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-428: Values

A quote comes to mind from a movie I used to show to the kids at school about the Battle of the Alamo.  It has William Travis, making a statement, “There are many things in life that are worth living for, but they’re only a few that are worth dying for.  Liberty is one of those.”

Our liberty has two foundations.  First come the ideas.  When you read the Declaration of Independence and Constitution you are instructed in some basic concepts.  It is necessary for us to believe in those principles.  The other side of the coin depends on people willing to die for those principles.  While we still have people willing to risk their lives I am not sure that we have leaders that believe in the principles.

Stories like this are valuable because they reinforce in dramatic form ideas we should embrace.  It might be a problem though to be sure that the actual events happened as repeated.  Since no one survived on the Texas side in the Battle of the Alamo, we would have to say that the story and this quote are probably either myth or legend.  That, of course, does not take away from the power or the truth behind the statement.

Take something most people are familiar with, the parable of the prodigal son.  One of the questions I ask when teaching on this parable is, “Is this an event that Jesus knew about or is it a story made up to teach a principle?”  For some people this is an important question.  My position is that a position is irrelevant.  The truth being taught does not depend on whether the events are fact or fiction.  The point is, did you understand the principle being taught?  If Jesus was teaching history then the precision of the details might matter.  Since He was teaching about the love of God the Father there are many things that are irrelevant.  It doesn’t matter the date.  The location is immaterial.  The gender of the child could be changed.  It could be about a prodigal daughter in New York City during the 21st century.  The basic truth would not change.

What are you willing to die for?  Your cat?  Your collection of match books?  Your children?  Those are relatively easy.  What about more abstract things like your freedom of speech?  How would you respond if the marshals showed up and nailed your church doors shut?  How about the government ignoring the third Amendment?  Don’t know what the third Amendment is about?  You are in good company.  It was a problem in 1776.  It may be an issue tomorrow.

After you decide what you would die for it might be a good time to consider if you are living for them now.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-373: A Good Reason

I think all of us recognize that the current educators and academics have done everything they can to destroy patriotism and love of country.  Many of them actively hate America.  Others are just kind of sheep led along by those who do the hating.

Sunday we celebrated Veterans Day and part of the celebration was singing patriotic songs out of the hymnal.  It didn’t take very long to understand why these people hate patriotism.  All of the songs dealing with patriotism and love of country also dealt with love of God and giving God credit for the blessings we have.

Take for instance the Battle Hymn of the Republic.  The last verse has these words,

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me.

Now that is a thought you would not want precious young woke minds to hear.

Or,

America!  America!  God shed His grace on thee,
And crown they good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!

So if you’re looking for part of the reason why the songs are not popular ,why they’re not sung, why the whole topic is avoided, it’s because people who hate America also tend to have a hatred for God.  They may cover it up.  They may call themselves Christians.  Don’t believe it.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-372: Veterans and Veterans

I want to thank all those who recognized veterans this weekend.  They had us stand at church.  They said some nice words.  That’s very welcome.

Having said that I think that we need to have an understanding that there’s a difference between guys like me who put in their time and were either in the states or in the rear echelons and never came under fire compared to those who actually went out into the field and not only were shot at but might have been wounded and had to shoot back.

It’s a whole different world.  If you’re looking for someone to thank then give double thanks to those who actually put their lives on the line.  I was in a war zone.  I went places where people have been killed at other times.  I on the other hand never experienced what it was to actually risk my life.

Thank you, you’re welcome.  And I thank those who actually served as warriors.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-318: The American way

As I have been looking at the efforts of Americans to help other Americans recover from the destruction of Asheville, my mind went back to my personal experiences.

Somewhere in the last couple years we had a major event here in Texas, where the storm came through, the wind blew, and the combination of wet ground and extreme winds brought down trees all over the area.  After the assault was over I surveyed my kingdom and realize that some work needed to be done.  Trees have gone over, branches had broken off, my little world was a mess.  It was no tragedy.  It was nothing comparable to what people are going through in North Carolina.  But I was wondering how I was going to take care of it.  I’m getting old, and I don’t have the equipment to remove major trunks of trees.

Not to worry.  My neighbors are Americans.  I came out one day to find that my neighbor, his wife and his adult children were busy taking care of my problem.  They have chainsaws, a wood chipper, tractors, you name it they have it.  They brought it all with them, and before you know it, the tree that came down, was cut up into manageable links, loaded on the trailer and hauled off to be disposed of.  They even brought their blowers in and cleaned off all the walkways.  It was awesome.

What Asheville needs it’s not the federal government coming in like the benevolent grandpa and bailing people out.  What Asheville needs is the federal government to get out of the way, and let Americans be Americans.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-315: Hold My Beer

You have all seen those meme posters of somebody making a bold claim and then the next panel has somebody saying “Hold my beer”.  I think we need someone to tell the federal government not only to hold my beer but take theirs back to Washington DC.  Maybe they could go into some dark room and start plotting the overthrow of the Republic instead.  Actually that should be to continue plotting the overthrow of the Republic.  Notice I didn’t say government because they already control the government, what they are after is the Republic.

I think the best way to deal with the catastrophe in Asheville is for the feds to go home.  Get out of the way with your regulations and egos and let the people below the Mason-Dixon line get on with the business of rescuing their neighbors.  I think we would even allow citizens from above the line to help out as long as they don’t identify as a government employee.  Keep in mind that Washington DC is below that line.

I think that the ingenuity and creativity and entrepreneurship of the American people is more than able to deal with this tragedy.  There are people even from Texas that are packing up and heading out to help.  Some are sent by their companies.  Some are going on their own.  Picture if you had access to some kind of tractor, a chainsaw, a few shovels and, of course, a bunch of Jerry cans to load with fuel.  By this time, not only would you be in Asheville, but you would have already cleared out miles of road and freed up people who had been trapped in their homes.  That is assuming that you could get past the roadblocks of the federal government and the local sheriff trying to arrest you for riding to the rescue.

We are not subjects of the Soviet government, at least not yet.  We are not the kind of people who sit in our basements, cowering, afraid that the government is going to come along and take over our lives.  We’re not worried about being recruited into work gangs to go and clear out masses of mud with our bare hands while armed guards stand over us.  We are Americans.  Because, as a general rule, we tend to be more wealthy than even the rich people of other countries we have access to resources.  Not only do we have access to resources but we have the inner attitude of can-do.

By this time, if the federal government and their cronies in local law-enforcement had gotten out of the way, much of the real tragedy would’ve taken been taken care of.  Many more people would have been rescued.  Food would be piling up to be distributed and the piles would stay manageable because people would keep distributing it.  No one would be running on ego power.  Americans would be helping Americans.  It wouldn’t matter that FEMA spent all the money earmarked for emergency relief on illegal aliens and moving them around the country.  People would laugh at the $750 check that Kamala offered.  Actually, I think they are already laughing at that.  They may take the money and if there’s a bank open actually cash it.  At the same time they will be laughing all the way to the bank.

And I hope that in November they remember to vote their paycheck, or the insult of their paycheck.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-185: The Real Man

I watched President Trump‘s speech last night.  It was the same man in many ways that we are used to.  He is not what I would consider a gifted public speaker in the crafting of what he has to say.  He talks too long.  He repeats himself, repeatedly.  He uses. superlatives almost without end.  Everything is the greatest, the biggest, the best, and so forth.  That’s Donald Trump.

But that’s not what attracts people to Donald Trump.  There is a basic personality that if you look, you can see.  It often expresses itself in love for America.  But it goes deeper than that.  It brings to mind a verse that one of my favorites in the Bible,

Micah 6:8 (NASB95) He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?

When you break this down the first part of “ Do justice?”, describes Donald Trump to a T.  You might say he is one of the greatest of the legalists.  He follows the law.  That means that he takes advantage of the nonsense that is in the laws and the conflicting laws and use them to his own advantage.  But at all times, he follows the law.  That is why all these witch hunts have been able to do nothing to him with legitimate lawsuits.  He has a tendency to do what is right or “just” as this verse talks about.

He definitely “loves kindness”.  Many people don’t see this or know about it because the media is on a vendetta against him, and would not say anything if they saw him walking on water, or raising the dead, things which he has never claimed to do.  But if you follow the little bits and pieces here and there you see constant instances where he is reaching out to those less fortunate than himself, and trying to help them.  In his speech, he mentioned several times that he talked to family members of people who’ve gone through trials.  He mentioned the man who was killed behind him on the podium.  He mentioned talking to families of people murdered by illegal aliens.  This is not just for show, this is Donald Trump when no one is looking. There are endless stories of him quietly, with no publicity, doing benevolent things for other people.  He truly does love kindness.

If there’s any area that Donald Trump has had trouble with is in the idea of walking with humility.  Part of that is just who he is.  And if there’s anything that this recent attempt on his life may help him with it is this idea that he is to be humbled before Almighty God.  I think he finally gets it.  He brought it up several times in the speech last night.  Of course we are used to politicians talking about God and getting religious during campaigns.  Those politicians have not come within a quarter of an inch of dying.  There are so many factors that were miraculous in his survival.  I think he sees that.

I support Donald Trump. Big surprise, right?  It’s not because of his great speaking ability.  It’s not because he is flawless in his execution of things.  He is still a big spender. He will make many mistakes.  But the basic man is decent, caring, and patriotic.  Now if we could just be sure that he was saved.

Opus 2024-168: A Reminder

It is that time of year again.  This is when it is good to take a few minutes and read over the Declaration of Independence.  As we watch the political theater and realize it is not just a fictional stage, it would be good to renew our memory on what the Founding Fathers actually said.

It doesn’t take all that long.  Get as far as you can.  I am sure you will see something to get you a little bit angry.

homo unius libri