Opus 2020-007: Toddlers and Wise Men

Today is Epiphany.  It is the day that celebrates the coming of the wise men.  The Eastern churches celebrate Christmas on this day.  I believe it marks the end of the Advent season.

There is some indication that Jesus could have been two years old when the wise men finally showed up.  This is arrived at based on two passages of scripture.  The first is the way in which King Herod questioned them and what he wanted to know.

(Mat 2:7 KJV) Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

Then, when they left without filling him in we see his attempt to get rid of the competition.

(Mat 2:16 KJV) Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

Evidently the wise men had shared something about two years.

So the wise men could have been treated to a toddler instead of an infant.  That gets me because I am blessed with a toddling granddaughter in the house.  I can just picture Jesus getting into all of their luggage, wanting to pet their camels and crawling under their robes.  Can you picture one of this wise men from the east having a baby slobber on them?

The unconsidered glories of Christmas.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-006: New Habit Developing

I am finding that I need a new pattern in the morning.  I need to check Babylon Bee before I go to any news or comment sites.  I am finding that many of the believable articles that are being quoted are really posts from the Christian satire site.  It might also help to check The People’s Cube.

I have no problem with them quoting but I wish they would be more clear in their source.  If I am going to read the article I would rather give the traffic to the original creator.

Mornings are getting ever more complex.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-005: Backlash

One of the mantras I keep hearing in the Progressive (sic) Media is that the killing of two Iranian terror producers will just cause a backlash from the Iranians.  That is the kind of response that Iran wants.  They want us to be cowering under our beds hoping that the bad people won’t get mad at us.  It is standard behavior for bullies.

It was the position of Jimmy Carter when the Iranian mob stormed the embassy.  It was the position of Barak Obama in the Benghazi slaughter.  How did those work out?  It was not the response that Donald Trump dished out. 

Will there be more violence?  Probably, but there would have been more violence anyway.  The difference is that now they know we will hit back and so they will be a little slower to up the ante.  They will think twice.  They will flinch.  Eventually they will show a bit of respect for strength.

We need to understand one major difference between a culture steeped in Christian values and one based on the Koran.  Basically Christianity grew out of weakness.  It first spread among the lower classes and helpless.  It was 300 years before there was a Christian army.  It lead to attempts to eradicate slavery and establish literacy.  Islam started with the sword and continues with the sword.  It has the attitude that turning the other cheek is a sign of weakness and worthy of contempt.  Slavery still thrives in Islamic countries.

I was 10 years old before I learned that bullies are cowards.  I think Trump was born understanding that.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-004: Headline: Hillary as Chancellor

Evidently Hillary Clinton is going to be a Chancellor at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland.  When I first saw this I assumed it was Babylon Bee or The People’s Cube.  Evidently not.  She actually has been awarded this position.  I wonder if she will wear her orange pantsuit.

The link I followed took me to Fox news.  It will be interesting to find out if they got trolled by BB.

Sometimes life is the best satire.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-003: Headlines: A Twofer

It seems like an American drone took out several leading Iranian killers.  How do we respond?

We could have sympathy for their families and loved ones.  We could keep in mind that even brutal killers can have children and wives that care about them. 

We could also rejoice with the many families that will not lose loved ones now that these are gone.  Of course we will never know who those would have been so maybe we can all rejoice that we are a little bit safer today.

Was this drone attack wrong?  For you or me on our own, possibly.  For the government of the United States, no. 

(Rom 13:3-4 KJV) 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.

Note that one of the legitimate roles of governments is to deal with evil people.  I understand that often depends on your point of view but to any objective observer the United States is much closer to being the good guy than Iran.  Of course if you are an America hater, which includes most of the Democrat leadership and elites, then it doesn’t matter what the facts are, Orange Man bad.

If Iran wants to reciprocate then they will have my blessing is they will identify and eliminate the people in the deep state who feel it is righteous to murder witnesses and manipulate the population for their own personal power.  That way they could go after the real Great Satan and make the world better for everyone.

It is starting to look like a good year.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-002: New Laws: An Electoral High School

We need to establish something along the lines of the Electoral College in regard to state government.  What brings this to my mind is the takeover of the Virginia state government my the left.  It is an example of what happens when the example of California is followed by another state. 

We see how a few large cities can rob the rest of the citizens of the liberty they have always known.  In California you have the population of the Los Angeles metropolitan area that makes up almost half the states population.  Add the other large cities and most of the state has nothing to say about what goes on.  In New York once you get outside of the NYC area everything gets conservative.

The Founders understood this potential problem.  In fact the debates leading up to the Constitution reflected this concern as the populous states wanted a congress based on population while the smaller states wanted it to be equal between states.  This led to the compromise of a two house legislature.  Each one was based on the concerns of one type of state and the checks and balances were maintained.  States should be forced to adopt the same pattern for their state legislatures so that rural people would not be overwhelmed by the tyranny of the cities.

The electoral college is the means of applying this to the executive branch. 

I would suggest that states adopt a form of the Electoral College bicameral checks and balance like we have in congress.  Maybe we could call it the Electoral High School.  The purpose of the checks and balances were to protect the minority from dominance by the majority.  Let’s extend it to the state level.  In Virginia around 90% of the counties have joined a Sanctuary County movement in regard to the threats to gun ownership from the statehouse.  If one of the houses of the state legislature were made up of equal representation by the counties this would not be happening.  I am not sure how it would effect the governorship.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-001: Give Arbitrary Some Meaning

Three red letter days are special to all of us and totally arbitrary.  There is no reason why they could not be celebrated on a different date, but here we are. 

The first was Thanksgiving, a time for looking back and realizing how blessed we are.  If you are an American you know the best that the physical world has to offer.  If you are an American you know the most liberty and opportunity that history has to offer.  If you add to that a belief that Jesus died for you and you have it all. 

Then comes Christmas, a time for looking up and into the face of eternity, at least for Christians.  Even non-Christians celebrate the season with its atmosphere of hope and joy. 

Now we contemplate the future and speculate.  What will the new year bring?  There is no way of knowing.  Much is out of our hands.  We can look at the big world and feel totally helpless.  Will the traitors and coup leaders pay for their crimes?  Will the economy stay strong?  Will it all come apart and descend into civil war and insurrection? 

It is much more important to look at what we can do something about.  We think of this as an election year but we need to understand that every year is an election year in a free society.  We will be voting on school boards and county offices.  We will be electing mayors and sheriffs.  Our votes and influence can make a difference in those areas.  Do you live in an HOA?  Do you do your best to ignore it?  Why not get elected to it and make a difference in your neighborhood.

We can do something about our families and our personal lives.  More time in the right places and a careful use of the word “no” could make a big difference.  Maybe your kids don’t need to be on the soccer team but instead need to work in the yard with dad.  Maybe instead of ballet they could get involved with some of the shut-ins in your church. 

In spite of all the problems we see, we live in the best time of history.  We have dental anesthesia.  We have hot and cold running water.  We can travel across the country without every local power broker stopping us and saying, “Papers please.”  We have choices in the type of bread we buy and only stand in line when we check out.  We can worship without the government telling our children they can’t go to college. 

So today have a happy new year and tomorrow start on a blessed year long.

homo unius libri