Opus 2013-121: Monday Pulpit: Salt and Pepper

I was shivering through an outdoor sunrise service on the East Coast.  It was in the mid 40's with a nice breeze blowing.  I was trying to pay attention to the homily but it was difficult.  The sermon was focusing on the light that Jesus brought.  My mind started to wander.

There are a couple of figures of speech that are used to refer to the role of the church in the world.  In one image we are called light.  In another we are called salt.  Since he was talking about light my mind wandered down the path of salt.

(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.

In the strange way that my mind works I asked myself, “Why did Jesus call us salt instead of pepper?” 

Salt has many uses.  It is a seasoning.  It is a preservative.  In sufficient quantities it can kill.  The followers of Jesus have many roles in the world.

Salt is necessary for life.

Salt brings out the flavor.  Pepper tends to cover up the flavor.  Pepper is one of the new products that came from the Middle East during the Crusades.  When the educational videos talk about pepper they don’t talk about it as a fine seasoning but how it was used to cover up the flavor of rotten meat.  Salt keeps things from rotting, pepper covers the rot.  It is possible for the church to wait too long to influence our culture.  When we try to cover up we make things even worse. 

I think it is time for the church to act like salt again instead of trying to go the pepper route. 

But then what do I know?  I am old school. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-120: Tax Dollars at Work: Protecting Your Children

We had a faculty meeting on April 1.  It was a very appropriate date for the discussion we had.  We had just returned from “Spring” break (aka Easter Vacation).  The day before the break began we had a fight on campus.  To most people you would just throw the book at the kids involved and get on with life.  Not so in modern, politically correct, anti-bullying, Venus dominated education.  It was a time for soul searching, breast beating and serious contemplation.

One of the tongue lashings we received was about how we as teachers should respond to fights.  The average adult would assume that we were criticized because we did nothing.  Not so.  We were reminded that it is not recommended that we break up fights.  That was bad enough but we were then told we were forbidden from breaking up fights.  Then they said it was district policy for us to do nothing.  Then they really went overboard and said it was state law. 

Can you believe it?  Believe.  In an atmosphere where people are afraid to send their children to school because of the violence, we are being told to do nothing when we see it.  We have serious lack of leadership.  Of course most of these people also believe that Islam is a religion of peace and the real danger to the country are the gun owners who have never broken a law but insist on going to church and marrying people of the opposite sex for life.

Real leadership would approach this in a different way.  They would tell us we would be fired if we did not break up a fight.  They would assure us that they had lawyers on staff who protect us from law suits and cover us if we lost in court.  They would make sure that our backs were covered and tell us to do our job. 

The humor here is in talking about “real leadership.”  The school’s approach is to call the office and if we insist on getting involved to tell the students, “Please stop.”  It was also recommended that we carry whistles.  Brings to mind the statement that when seconds count the police are only minutes away.

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-119: Should-a-Beens: April, Fool’s Month

I check the Drudge Report daily.  I am expecting soon a declaration from congress that, due to popular demand, April Fool’s Day has been extended to be a month long celebration.

Not to be outdone, I expect some organization to declare this the Year of the Fool.  The year of Obama’s reelection would have been a better choice but we are thinking of Decade of the Fool for his term in office.

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-118: America, the ex-Beautiful

I was again listening to Alistair Begg.  He mentioned that the disciples kept responding in a nationalistic tone.  Jesus had come to bring redemption and forgiveness.  He was to be the sacrifice, the Perfect Lamb of God, that would make salvation possible and would be extended to the entire world.  He did not condemn the hated Romans.  He interacted with the despised Samaritans.  He ate with the rejected publicans and sinners.  He was here for the world, and all the disciples could see was they wanted to restore Israel.  It was all about them being special.

Do we as Americans have that same attitude?  I am a believer in American exceptionalism.  I think that the United States has been a tremendous force of good in the world.  I have no problem with that.  At the same time I don’t believe we are the new Chosen People.  We are not God’s anointed just because we are Americans. 

God has blessed us because the Founding Fathers built a society on Biblical principles.  Like all social structures it has had its flaws, but we have been the best yet.  We are now departing from that pathway.  The supreme court is hearing cases about homosexual marriage.  Fifty years ago these people would be laughed out of court.  Now many think they have the high ground.  It did not start here.  It has been a slope that started gradually and gets steeper daily. 

No, we are not God’s chosen, but we have been uniquely blessed.  I think we are going to see that change.  The change will not be because of different political philosophies or economic practices.  The disaster will be because there is not enough salt and light left in our culture to overcome the evil and cause God to bless us as a nation.  Remember, if Sodom had contained a few righteous people it would not have been destroyed.  Can we expect a different standard?

There are times when I am glad to be older.  I may not live to see the worst of it.

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-117: Cornerstone Considerations: CUSA, Suspending Habeas Corpus, Part 3 of 3

I am concerned with the thinking of our current leadership.  It almost seems like they are doing everything they can to incite riots and rebellion among those who disagree with them on political issues.  The president has stated that if he cannot get the legislature to do what he wants he will go around them with executive orders and the regulatory agencies.  Think about the fear you might have of the IRS.  Remember how helpless you felt when the TSA confiscated your pocket knife when you forgot to put it in your checked luggage.  How do you feel when you see the state police doing a road block to stop cars to check for pollution?  It becomes more than road rage.

We see them laying the groundwork for labeling people as insurrectionists by picking out behavior that they don’t like.  They equate Fundamentalist Christians who believe in forgiveness and turning the other cheek with Fundamentalist Muslims who believe blowing up women and children gets them a quick trip to heaven.  If you believe in the Second Amendment you are under suspicion.  Look at the list:  patriotic citizens, ex-military, bloggers, letter writers, and anyone else they think might not vote for them are seen as dangerous and needing to be watched by the government. 

If the administration can cause a violent response it will give them the rationale to suspend the writ of habeas corpus and if they follow the logic of Abraham Lincoln, the loss of protection can be extended from the areas in upheaval to areas that need to be protected from it.  Based on the arrogance and elitest thinking of our leadership, I can see this happening.

We see states going back in time and invoking the Principle of Nullification from the 19th century.  In 1832 the legislature of South Carolina issued an “Ordinance of Nullification” against the tariff.  In 1850 Massachusetts passed a law giving a five year prison term to anyone who tried to enforce the federal Fugitive Slave Act.  Now the struggle is in things like education, medical care and environmental regulation.  The tip of the conflict is in gun rights, gay marriage, and marijuana usage.  State legislatures are voting to ignore federal laws.  The same actions that were happening before the Civil War in response to the Fugitive Slave Acts are repeating themselves today. 

Where will it all end up?  Stay tuned as we learn what The Living Constitution is going to mean when the elites get through with it. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-116: Cornerstone Considerations: CUSA, Suspending Habeas Corpus, Part 2 of 3

It makes sense that in a time of extreme emergency, when delay can mean disaster, you have a means of streamlining the process of law enforcement.  The Roman Republic had the provision to appoint an absolute dictator for one year when a crisis threatened.  Power was absolute but the time was limited.  Eventually this was perverted and manipulated.  Julius Caesar was murdered because he wanted to become dictator for life.  They took their laws seriously in those day.

That is why it is listed in Article I of the Constitution.  Emergencies happen.  Even in the Bill of Rights, designed to limit government power, we see this in Amendment V.

“No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous, crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service, in time of war, or public danger;...”

The specific phrase “suspension of habeas corpus” is only in Article I of the Constitution.  That Article lists the powers of congress, not the president.  Lincoln was aware of this and went through channels.  He had the authorization of Congress

“Whereas a rebellion was existing on the third day of March, 1863, which rebellion is still existing; and: Whereas by a statute which was approved on that day it was enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress assembled that during the present insurrection the President of the United States, whenever in his judgment the public safety may require, is authorized to suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in any case throughout the United States or any part thereof;...”  Lincoln, Abraham.  The Writings of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 6: 1862-1863, Amazon Free Edition, Loc. 4431-51.

Why would this worry me today?  We live in a nation based on Common Law.  This comes from England.  In this system the law means what the judges say it means, not what it says.  The result is that precedent is king.  When we look at justification to reach beyond what has been understood by the masses we look for old rulings.  As in decisions by our Supreme Court, the application is in the reasoning and precedent rather than the exact action taken.  It is when you read Lincoln’s other writings that you find reason to worry.  In a letter dated June 12, 1863 to Erastus Corning and Others he explains his reasoning.

“By the third resolution the meeting indicate their opinion that military arrests may be constitutional in localities where rebellion actually exists, but that such arrests are unconstitutional in localities where rebellion or insurrection does not actually exist. They insist that such arrests shall not be made ‘outside of the lines of necessary military occupation and the scenes of insurrection.’ Inasmuch, however, as the Constitution itself makes no such distinction, I am unable to believe that there is any such constitutional distinction. I concede that the class of arrests complained of can be constitutional only when, in cases of rebellion or invasion, the public safety may require them; and I insist that in such cases - they are constitutional wherever the public safety does require them, as well in places to which they may prevent the rebellion extending, as in those where it may be already prevailing; as well where they may restrain mischievous interference with the raising and supplying of armies to suppress the rebellion as where the rebellion may actually be;...”  Lincoln, Abraham.  The Writings of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 6: 1862-1863, Amazon Free Edition, Loc. 3529-36.

Common law means that the Judiciary can ignore the words and intent of the law.  This gives the president, not just the judges, the justification to ignore the will of congress and the people.  That means the future is murky indeed. 

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-115: Cornerstone Considerations: CUSA, Suspending Habeas Corpus, Part 1 of 3

Most people will put Abraham Lincoln at or near the top when they make a list of the great presidents of the United States.  If there is anything that makes some hesitate it involves actions like the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus.  The writ of habeas corpus is a right that has come down to us in the evolution of democracy in England.

In the battle between the plow and the crown, the rulers had all the cards.  The deck was stacked.  It was hard for a peasant with a pitchfork made of iron to stand up against a knight clad in chain mail, swinging a steel sword and riding a huge horse.  Add to that the jails belonged to the king.  If they did not like you all they had to do was kill you or lock you up until you died.

The response to this began to develop with the writ of habeas corpus.  We know it was part of the Magna Carta of 1215.  I have heard different translations of the phrase but they come out to something like “produce the body.”  In application it meant that the accuser or law enforcer was required to bring the prisoner out on demand and explain why he was being locked up.  If this was not done in a timely manner, the prisoner was to be set free.  If an impartial judge thought the evidence was flaky, the prisoner was to be set free.  It was designed to protect against the flagrant abuses of a culture based on muscles and swords.

The protections and rights of this concept are expanded in our Bill of Rights, Amendments IV, V and VI.  This involves warrants, due process, probable cause, jury of our peers and so forth.   It is the foundation of much of our liberty because it protects us from an aggressive government that wants to lock us up and throw away the key just because they don’t like us.  It is a bulwark against tyranny.

The Constitution gives an exception to this protection.

Article I, Section 9, “The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety require it.”

This is the only place in the Constitution that we find the term.  It was the source of Lincoln’s action.

To be continued...

homo unius libri