Tear Down the Facades!

I had an interesting conversation with an old friend recently about American culture. I've never looked at it so holistically, but I have in parts. America's current day culture is based on presenting a false image. It's completely fake, like a movie set. We promote synthetic music from "artists" who can't sing, save help from a computer program. We search for new stars on TV when these people have never put in the work to earn it. The inevitable following train-wreck is hardly an isolated story.

New building developments are often covered by a facade that hides the real building, creating fake little communities of shopping centers. What we really need is to concern ourselves with the building behind. That's reality. That's where real life happens. Instead we are consumed with Dancing With the Stars, American Idol, and ESPN. That's our reality, a house based on shifting sand.

I think that's why our churches are empty. I believe that if people saw something real, they would run to it. Every Sunday we, like those buildings, put up the facade and put on the good show. We say the right things and sing the right songs. Our sanctuaries look just right. Unfortunately, that's all we have to offer. When someone leaves church on a Sunday, does it carry over to Monday? Church done right is God's people, doing God's works, out in the community.

When we pray for the broken on Sunday, what's next? Do the broken feel comfortable around us? They should... because we're ALL broken! We should be coming alongside the hurting and stick with them. We should be helping people foster their gifts. If you feel threatened by the exercising of someone else's gifts, then you had better check your motives. The church is no place for an exercise of power, unless it's God's power to heal and restore.

I've been in places where I've had ideas and had them swept under the rug. God has a plan for each of us, and we need to help people get in touch with this purpose instead of hinder them. This is why there are so many that claim to love God and hate The Church. This should be impossible, but we hate whatever looks different. If it doesn't match the facade of our perfect little church, we reject it. We ostracize those people.

It's time to get back to what's real. We must tear down the facades and allow things to operate outside of our comfort zones, so long as we don't endorse things that are contrary to scripture. We must change our ways before we lose an entire generation.

"Happy"- Jason Bradley acoustic video

Here's an oldie, but a goodie!

Talking to Transportation part 2

Here is part 2 of my transportation discussion with Andrew Richter and Dennis Holman.

Transit-Oriented Development

Part one of my rant on Transit-Oriented Development.

Sorry 'Sconny

I recently appeared on the Andrew Richter Show to discuss a wide array of issues. Among them, we discussed the demonstrations in Wisconsin. This may not be popular with a lot of people, but we are a constitutional republic. That means that we use the democratic process to elect leaders to make our decisions for us. I love the first amendment, and the right to petition government is among our most essential rights. To mob the capitol building, however, in an attempt to shut the government down and coerce the politicians into changing their position is antithetical to the foundational values America was founded upon. Do not be fooled. We are not a democracy. Democracy quickly transitions to anarchy. Then you get some form of tyranny, when the leadership void can no longer remain unfilled. A lot of these "organic" revolutions are started by groups that are prepared to step into power when this void occurs. Be very watchful who you join sides with.

Come...find Sanctuary

Will attempt to live stream tonight's "" event at www.livestream.com/paperlanternsintl. Tune in around 7pm!

Six Symptoms of an Ailing Church

If, indeed, people are leaving the Church, and America is slowly becoming unchurched, we have to figure out why we are less effective. We can listen to the complaints of those that have a bone to pick with us. Some of those complaints are valid, and some we must consider and take with a grain of salt. What causes these feelings? How can we regain the influence we once had in our communities? The linked article is a pretty good indication of some of those symptoms. What else is weakening the Church and how can we fix these issues?

http://charismamag.com/index.php/news/29762-six-megathemes-emerge-from-barna-group-research-in-2010-

Is Christianity Dead?

I read this article today from The Christian Post: http://www.christianpost.com/article/20110112/few-millenials-interested-in-religion-study-finds/

This is a sad trend, but one that we must be willing to take an honest look at ourselves and ask what we can do to fix it. If we do nothing, the American Church will continue to shrink, and will become irrelevant (much like Europe's). We cannot allow this to happen, or we will have no shot at restoring our country to the ideals that have kept us going for 200+ years. The answer is inside each one of us. We must do the hard work now, before we pass the point of no return. Read and ponder, my friends...

Is Libertarianism a Christian Ideal?

Is Libertarianism a Christian Ideal?

Recently, I read an article by Jim Wallis called, “How Christian is Tea Party Libertarianism?” (http://blog.sojo.net/2010/05/27/how-christian-is-tea-party-libertarianism/). I normally don’t give credence to articles like this. I write it off as a lone crack pot spouting off a skewed version of Christianity that most people will see through. Jim Wallis, however, is a spiritual advisor to our president. His views have gained traction in some of our country’s seminaries, and among some of our denominations. Jim is also a self-avowed Marxist.

Karl Marx was an atheist. He wrote the Communist Manifesto. He said, “Religion is the opiate of the masses.” He also said, "The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness." Does this sound like someone whose beliefs should be incorporated in any Christian’s world view? Can someone whose views on religion were so destructive, have formed the foundation of an economic/political philosophy based on Christian ideals? Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Castro, and Guevara are leaders that have espoused some form of Marxism in their versions of communism/fascism. Millions upon millions of people were killed at the hands of these brutal monsters, yet we allow someone like Jim Wallis to lecture our churches on what is a proper exercise of faith, and what is a lie straight from the enemy. It is this same faction of theologians that bring us theories like “America is a post-Christian nation”, and the “Bible is not the actual word of God for His people, just a good book that helps us understand the spiritual part of our lives.” They have used these statements to justify sin in The Church, and to bring in government as head of The Church.

In his article, Jim asserts that libertarians believe, “Just leave me alone and don’t spend my money”. This is only a half-truth. A more accurate statement would be, “Just leave me alone and don’t spend my money, because I can do it better”. Nowhere is it a tenet of libertarianism to pocket and hoard all the cash we can get our hands on. It’s no secret that government spending is rife with waste and abuse. If we are charged by Christ to be good stewards of what we have been given, why would we champion that kind of irresponsibility with our hard-earned money? Sure, there are libertarians that will choose to hold on to their money. There are libertarian atheists that don’t espouse all of the causes that Christians support. Despite all of that, Americans have given more in private charity than anywhere else in the world for decades on end. The less of our money the Government leaves us, the less we’re likely to give to charitable causes, because we still need to be able to meet the basic needs of our families.

His first point on libertarian ideals is that “The Libertarian enshrinement of individual choice is not the pre-eminent Christian virtue. Emphasizing individual rights at the expense of others violates the common good, a central Christian teaching and tradition. The Christian answer to the question ‘Are we our brother’s keeper?’ is decidedly ‘Yes.’” This is fundamentally flawed, as evidenced by one of the first Bible stories we ever learn as children. God tells Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Does God dig a moat around the tree? Does He build a fence? Does He put it on the face of a cliff, where no man could reach it? No, He placed it in the middle of the Garden of Eden, and left the choice in our hands. God didn’t build the ark for Noah. He could have decided to disobey God and die in the flood. Moses was not forced into going back to Egypt to rescue his people. In fact, God allowed Moses to argue with Him about it! David decided to commit adultery and have Bathsheba’s husband murdered because of it. He also decided to pursue God’s heart, and received a line of kings that will extend forever, through Jesus.

In fact, I challenge Jim to show me a single example in the Bible where God charged a government with coercing a people into anything that didn’t end in slavery. We are indeed our brother’s keeper, but as individuals, not a collective. Let’s look at collective attempts to take care of others in scripture. In the midst of a severe famine, Jacob brought his entire family to Egypt for aid at the request of his son Joseph. This aid program started with the best of intentions. It eventually ended in the slavery of an entire nation. Where Josiah was praised in Jeremiah 22:16 for “defending the cause of the poor and needy”, it was not for giving economic aid to anyone having difficulties. In fact, the infirm were often forced to live outside of the city, because they were considered unclean. Josiah provided a safety net for the widows and orphans. That is what the Bible calls “pure and faultless religion” (James 1:27). The same verse also lists pure and faultless religion as keeping oneself polluted from the world. Yet, the denominations that side with Jim Wallace have embraced culturally current ideals that are in opposition to scriptural teaching and millennia of theology.

Jim’s second point is that “an anti-government ideology just isn’t biblical.” Then he goes on to quote Romans 13. Statists love to quote Romans 13:1, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” It has been used to coerce the church into fear of standing for what is right since Paul wrote it. This passage was written in a time when kings and dictators ruled every nation. Here’s what everyone seems to forget, we have a form of government unlike any other in the history of this planet. The governing authority of the United States of America is the Federal Constitution. Every elected official swears an oath to uphold and protect it. Laws enacted within the bounds of the constitution are right and good. We must follow them wholeheartedly. The majority of the text of our constitution was taken out of Deuteronomy or from other authors that were quoting the Bible. Romans 13:2 says, “Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” For our leaders that are trying to remake the constitution in their own vision by continually finding ways to get around it are rebelling against the authority of this land.

So what are we to do about laws that infringe upon the constitution? Deuteronomy 13:5, 17:7, 17:12, 19:19, 21:21, 22:21, 22:22, 22:24, and 24:27, all say “You must purge the evil from you.” Is rebelling against God (as Romans 13:2 states) evil? Yes. In fact, 2 Samuel 22:22 says, “For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not done evil by turning from my God.” Throughout the account of the Kings of Israel and Judah we see the rebellious kings as kings that “did evil in the sight of the Lord”. As Christians, we are to be dedicated to fighting evil. We are not designed to blindly follow the government, but to uphold that which is right and purge that which is evil. That is why free will and liberty are so important! It allows us to dissent to stand for righteousness. Why are the acts of a government that steps outside the bounds of the constitution on behalf of common good evil? Because the funds obtained for these purposes are obtained by theft. It is theft, because it is outside the bounds of the constitution that we pay taxes to cover abortion, send money to foreign banks, prop up private business, or provide healthcare. I think few would argue that paying taxes to fund the military and other constitutionally provided functions of government are necessary. I believe that most would be happy to pay those taxes, if the proper limits around scope of government funded activities were enforced.

Jim’s third point is that the free market is evil, because man is evil. We need government intrusion and regulation so as to be safe. We need to be policed. Benjamin Franklin said, “They who can give up a little essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Do we want to be protected, or free? That’s the question. What is God’s intent? Look at the original state of man. Adam and Eve were designed to fellowship directly with God. Abraham never lived under the rule of a king. He followed God. There was no king over Israel until they demanded one. Moses, Joshua, Sampson, Gideon, Deborah, and all of the other judges rose up to lead the people in their moments of greatest need. The people were the ones that wanted a king. God was angry with them for demanding a man over them, rather than being led directly by God. We have always been meant to be free. That was why we were given free will. We’re free to sin, but sin brings punishment.

The market doesn’t work? We haven’t had a true free market in a hundred years. Ever since the Federal Reserve starting tinkering with the economy in 1913, the Federal Government starting meddling in how business is transacted. Jim brings up Chinese companies putting lead in toys. Just how long do you think a company like that would stay in business? No parent in their right mind would knowingly buy poisonous toys for their children. No business that wants to keep their doors open and turn a profit would purposely do something harmful to its customers. Liquor stores selling booze to minors? Those regulations are imposed by the individual states (small “s”), not the Federal Government (per the tenth amendment of the constitution).

He creates straw man arguments to scare people into believing the government needs to keep us safe. That kind of “security” always leads us into the Soviet Union, 1940’s Germany, or the Coliseum in Rome. Look at Europe. Communism and Fascism are both on the rise again. Think it can’t happen here? Both the Woodrow Wilson and FDR administrations imprisoned political adversaries. The Japanese and Germans were put into camps. That doesn’t sound like any kind of Christianity I’ve ever heard of. We have adequate laws on the books, but the abuse of the legal system by special interest groups and activist judges keep us from enforcing these rules evenly and fairly.

His fourth point is full of assumptions and inaccuracies. Libertarian philosophy does allow that someone may choose to keep every cent earned. As a responsible Christian, however, it is our duty to help the poor and disadvantaged. The scriptures he quotes are directed at individual charity. It implies a generosity of the heart. God does not override our free will, why would he approve of a government that does that? When he asserts that there is not enough private charity to address all of the need, he is directing his accusations at an over-burdened, over-taxed people. Freeing that money up would produce more time and money in charitable ventures by individuals. Psalm 128:2 says, “You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.” There is a difference between poverty born of helplessness and that of laziness. Proverbs 12:24 says that, “Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor.” It is passages like this that make some uncomfortable, which results in the disqualifying of scripture as the Spirit-breathed word of God.

The last point Mr. Wallace makes is nothing more than an opinion, trying to bully people into agreeing with him for fear of being linked with something negative, like a racist or bigot. These are words that mean something to decent human beings, and they don’t just throw those words around without any proof. Progressives, however, have used the “bully tactic” since their inception. If they can tie the opposing viewpoint to a negative connotation, they win. Good people backed off, for fear of being linked with those words. Now, we are starting to see some that are saying “enough” and allowing themselves to be slandered that the cause goes forward. We cannot back away from living out God’s will. The Apostles endured far more than words in their defense of the gospel. As to whether libertarianism has ever been a multi-cultural ideal, there are many examples of blacks (i.e. Lemuel Haynes, Crispus Attucks, Peter Salem, Prince Whipple, etc.), women (i.e. Molly Pitcher, Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, etc.), and others that fought for our freedom. The entire emancipation movement was birthed in libertarian philosophy. This lie has been perpetuated by history revisionists over the last one hundred years.

Many modern day theologians and “religious leaders” like Jim Wallace believe that they are smarter than Moses, David, Solomon, Peter, John, and Paul. They state that the Bible, while filled with good ideals, is not applicable today. By separating us from the true meaning of scripture, they believe that they can move us from a Christian point of view to a “Post-Christian” point of view. This is one where religious leaders and government work together to retain power for themselves at the demise of the people. They don’t believe that God is big enough to work miracles here and now, and that He is some watchmaker up in the sky that set things in motion, and has backed off to let us solve our own problems without Him. The only way we can regain a just society is to center ourselves, again, on Biblical principles. We are flawed people with little understanding, compared to God’s ways. Belief in ourselves over God’s eternal truths are not only denying the power of God, but making themselves gods above Him. We need to make our stand here and now, before all is lost beyond the point of no return. We must be willing to face ridicule, jail, and even death, rather than give up another inch of ground to those that would see Christianity, as we have known it, buried with us.

Jim Wallis gives a wildly inaccurate editorial, supported by a couple of Bible verses that he plucked out of context to support his views. We need to look at the evidence in the entire Biblical account. We were created in God’s image. There are historical accounts of freedom intersecting with God’s will that run all throughout the Bible. God wants us to freely choose to live rightly and help one another. Government forcing us to do so robs us of the opportunity to show that our hearts are aligned with God’s. Proverbs 28:9 says, “If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable.” I suggest that you really do your research to make sure you are on the right side.

Real Strength

"And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. The heart also of the rash shall understand, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly."- Isaiah 32:2-4.

Where are the men of integrity? I know they are here. Where are they? It is difficult to be strong and virtuous when men are ridiculed and belittled. Not much is expected of us. Many times when virtue is exercised, we are scolded for sticking out our neck. In these days, morality, goodness, and virtue are not popular. Putting your family first shows weakness to a world that demands you put yourself first. Serving the weak without expecting accolades and praise seems foolish to those who live to get a leg up. Everything leads back to "What do I get out it?" We don't understand the above passage in current times. We can't comprehend real strength. A man should come to the rescue of all in need without expecting anything out of it. We should be able to be counted on in times of trouble. Being counted on means that we have a track record. We are trusted, because we have shown over and over that we are trustworthy. Yet, so many of us never keep our word to our friends, our spouse, our children, or our neighbors and can't understand why they give up on us over time. How many times can we burn those around us and expect to keep our good standing. Truth is, we won't.

When Gotham City shines the Bat Signal, Batman shows. If he didn't, they would quickly look for another who could address their crime problem. That's the thing, people are looking for heroes in times of trouble. It's scary to go through dark times alone. Sure, being a superhero seems unrealistic. Nonetheless, it is our duty, as men of principle, to be dependable. That means that we are there like clockwork- everytime. It means that we do what we say we are going to do, not do what we say we won't, be where we say we will, and always do our best job to help our neighbor. We will not begin to really see, hear, understand, or speak this love until we become steadfast and dependable. When we force ourselves to start doing what is good and right, we will begin to see the value we provide to others, and finally our eyes, ears, mind, and tongue will be freed to finally know the importance of this kind of life.

We can never hope to do something great with our lives, if we don't push ourselves to greatness. Again, greatness is not for personal gain, but to serve as an example to our children and to those around us of what real freedom is, making a positive difference in the world based on the good we did while we were here. A legacy is our testament to the world to what is possible when we are men of strength and principle, reliable in all we do. When we die, no one will care about the money we made, the position we attained in our carreer, or how much stuff we had. If that is how we live life, we are missing the mark, and are destined to feel empty.

There is more need than what we know what to do with. Because we have retreated, rather than ran to assist in the world's problems, government has stepped in to fill the void. They have done it poorly and ineffectually. Where are those men of integrity again? Start with those around you. Be there when they need you. Build your reputation again on being rock solid. As you do, you will be given more to do. God's gift to us is our abilities to help and heal the people around us; to build the world back toward the perfection of the garden. That can not be done if we are living for ourselves. Determine that you will change the direction we are headed in, even if you are the only one.

We are the World?

I’m sick and tired of being made to feel embarrassed about being an American! Foreign interests, environuts, special interests, and certain politicians have been trying to convince us that we are a bunch of backwards thinking, closed minded fools. They pull this “I’m so much more civilized than you” attitude. We are made to feel that any affection towards the U.S.A. is a disgusting, jingoistic, display of intolerance. It is “in” to consider oneself a responsible world citizen. The deliberate erosion of national identity has caught on.

I am not, and never will be embarrassed to be called an American. I’m proud of the origins of our country. We were tired of being over-taxed and pushed around by Britain, and told them to get out! We bought our freedom with many lives. We haven’t done everything perfectly. What happened to Native Americans and slaves was awful. We didn’t treat the Irish well either. But you know, that didn’t negate what this country was founded on. We had to learn as we went. We’re still not perfect, but we’ve worked a lot of that stuff out. Unfortunately, we’re starting to over compensate and go the way of stripping America of its identity and rich history. I love reading about the Revolution, the Wild West, and how our veterans have kept us safe by risking their lives overseas.

I am a free speech loving, gun toting, red-blooded American. I am unapologetic about that. I will not be intimidated into feeling bad. America has a long history of standing up to bullies. Where we went wrong is when we became identified as equals with our government. They are there to serve us.

From Kennedy and The Bay of Pigs through Bush in the Middle East, our government has been ruining our image in the world. There is a time to raise a fuss and a time to let people live. We had no business messing around in Iran in the 50’s. They were a modern nation, unlike the stone aged leadership we see today. Mozadek had to go, because they wanted to nationalize their oil industry. Well, that wasn’t because of the communist scare our leaders put into everybody. It was because they wanted to reclaim their oil from American oil companies over there with our government’s blessing. Now look what we’ve got to deal with. Good job.

Maybe we should be urging China to stop killing Christians and Falun Gong members for their organs. Maybe we should tell Uganda to take care of its problem with the Lord’s Resistance Army, so that innocent children are no longer put through the torture that Joseph Kony has brought upon them. There are real humanitarian crises around the world that we could be helping to solve. Children from Nepal and India are daily being sold into slavery and the sex trade. Have we heard anything about this? No, we’re too busy fighting the Taliban and Al Qeda, which we happened to equip and train to beat the Soviets in Afghanistan during the Cold War. Again, good job.

It’s up to us to claim America’s good name back. Only we can give the humanitarian aid the world needs. We cannot and should not wait for the government to do it. They always screw everything up. How much of your money do you keep? If they take so much and still have ruined education, health care, social security, and countless other programs, shouldn’t that be an indicator? Something has gone very, very, wrong.

Crime here is reaching uncontrollable heights because we are told that as law-abiding citizens, we have no right to protect ourselves. If we do, we can go to jail. We are taught that crime is a sign of poverty and being disadvantaged. Could it be that it’s a sign of bad parenting in a violent culture? Could it come from under-achieving? Instead, we do what we always do. We throw money at it, pat their heads, and tell them that it’s okay that they terrorize other people. Criminals are the problem, as are those that coddle them! All of the writings from Jefferson and Madison indicate that the second amendment is for us to protect ourselves from criminals and from the government. Jesus instructed his disciples to sell a cloak to buy a sworg if they didn't have one in the book of Luke.

We are told that if we don’t accept immigrants who come here illegally that we are bigots. The word “bigot” has become another scare tactic word, used to bully good people around. America has a rich tradition of immigration. My ancestors came here from England and Sweden. They came here legally, and worked hard to improve their lives. Places like San Francisco and New York City don’t allow for illegals to be prosecuted for crimes, because deporting them would break their sanctuary city statutes. Yet, thousands upon thousands of people with a dream of a better life follow the correct channels to come here legally, and sit and wait. Although many illegals come here with good intentions, many come here to commit crimes, bring unchecked disease, and bring down wages for American workers. Yet, we are supposed to look the other way and keep our mouths shut.

Then there are my friends in the environmental movement. This group of people is single-handedly increasing the costs of fuel, food, and energy. They are making us switch to sub-par $5 light bulbs. They want to control our water, air, and land use. They want taxes on carbon emissions. Trees breathe CO2! It is not a poisonous gas! We get our oxygen, because trees release it after taking in carbon dioxide. These mandates are coming down from international bodies that want to take the wealth of America, and distribute it how they see fit. All hail the new religion! Everybody repeat the mantra!

These fake environmentalists just go around making life miserable for everybody else. A true environmentalist picks up trash, plants trees, helps to control animal populations through hunting and fishing, supports clean air and clean water, and recycles most of the time. The fakes follow you around at the LPGA U.S. Open in Edina harassing you about what bin you throw trash in.

Yes, I am unashamed to be an American! Americans must not be afraid to celebrate their heritage. We must reclaim our country. I’m no hypocrite here. I believe that every country should be free to celebrate its culture. That, to me, is the beauty of the world. I love to experience and study the different flavors that the world has to offer, from the dress, food, architecture of one country to another. I want to see the world, but not a homogenized version where we’ve been stripped of all our differences. I believe in each country to hold on to what makes it special. That includes the United States of America. I am proud to be an American. I will not allow myself to be pushed into giving up any ground to anybody that wants to strip us of our uniqueness!

So, take some time to think about America’s ideals and what makes it special! Decide to be proud of your country! Resolve to defend American culture! Do not give in to the accusations sent your way. You can do good for the world without giving up what makes America special. Send the “World Citizen” proprietors packing. It’s not too late to take this country back!

What it's Gonna Take

I'm tired. Maybe it was the constant rain, or the global warming (insert heavy cynicism here), but I'm feeling a bit more cranky than usual. I had been waiting to bask in the warmth of the summer sun for months, and rarely had we seen more than 65 degrees Fahrenheit into June. It's rather depressing. As if that weren't enough, I have to sit and listen to the continual calls to do something about our global warming problem. The same global warming problem that brought snow to Baghdad, the coldest winter to China in 100 years, and an increase in the polar bear population that these Enviroterrorists seem to care so dearly about. Every time I hear about how I’ve got to "Go Green" and reduce my carbon footprint, I turn red. The media has done such an effective job of shutting out the thousands of scientists that are not on the UN payroll and have done their best to debunk the junk science that is the new environmental religion. Al Gore won't even have a proper debate. He just claims that there is a consensus, and blindly acts like there’s nothing more to be said. If his theory is so air tight, what is he afraid of? The truth is that we are being set up for one of the biggest money making scams of all time. Al Gore has been quoted that he would like to see both a global carbon tax and Cap and Trade system. The enlightened Envirobrains running England are talking about instituting a carbon ration card, complete with top-ups for the "extremely wasteful". I’m tired of the rules being made by those who will never have to live under them.
Romans 13 tells the Christian to respect the authorities placed above them. The authority of the United States is the Constitution. Everyone from the President to the local police take an oath to uphold and protect the Constitution. The Constitution IS the law of the land. It is our authority. Those that violate the Constitution are the ones in the wrong! Our nation is being sold down the river by an elite group of people that have no concern for the people they are supposed to serve. It doesn't matter if we get John McCain or Barack Obama as president. They are both beholden to the central banks and the multi-national corporations. Obama's policy is being formed by Zbignew Brezinsky, a major globalist. McCain is in league with Henry Kissinger. McCain and Michelle Obama have been active with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) for years; the same CFR that has called for a one-world currency and a North American Community. Think I'm full of garbage? Visit www.councilonforeignrelations.org. Look up what CFR president Richard Haas and fellow member Robert Pastor have written- http://www.cfr.org/publication/7912/creating_a_north_american_community.html.
The time has come to be attentive! You see, good people often get screwed over because they just want to live their lives and be left alone. It is those with a lust for more power that sit and scheme towards our enslavement. They think the greatest good is in Government correcting the ills of the world. I believe that the greatest good is in people working to correct the ills of the world, and Government doing little to nothing to interfere in our daily lives. They have come to believe that they have got to protect us from ourselves. I tell them here and now that they have grossly overstepped their bounds. What will it take for good men to take a stand and defend the rights given us by God himself? The time has come to speak out to friends and family! Get passionate and never let up!

Fourth Amendment Suspended In Minnesota City

Fourth Amendment Suspended In Minnesota City

http://www.ci.crystal.mn.us/vertical/Sites/{4335EAE6-DE23-4C0D-8A7C-FED379590A1D}/uploads/{C8747DA6-6FDA-4713-9160-3 E82590AA969}.PDF

Crystal, MN- The fourth amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America states, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Unfortunately, the City of Crystal, MN does not think the Constitution carries much weight. The latest city newsletter proposes the following program to gain control over its residents: "The City Water Utility and Engineering Departments have finished the development of a program to replace all the water meters in the City with an automated meter reading (AMR) system. The final plans and ad for bids were approved by the City Council in December. Many existing water meters are original with nearly 70% being over 40 years old. Older meters typically give a consumption reading lower than actual usage. The new meters will be equipped with a small radio transmitter to automatically send the reading to a utility vehicle as it drives through the neighborhood, or to strategically placed 'collector' antennas."

Under a free market system, the entity that collects for water payments (even if it is an oppressive monopoly) should have the ability to decide the cost of its product and the way it is measured. They do not, however, have the right to "deputize" the contractors to look for other issues while in your home. The article continues as such, "In addition to meter replacement, the City (via the meter contractor) will be conducting an inspection for illegal sump pump or footing drain connections to the sanitary sewer. These illegal connections are often done via a floor drain or wash tub. It is against city and state code to discharge footing drain, sump pump, or surface runoff water into the sanitary sewer. The metropolitan sewage treatment utility is imposing large fines on cities that do not enforce the illegal discharge provisions of the law." Illegal sump pumps or footing drain connections may be against city and state code, but that does not give a city the right to send a contractor into your home in the name of upgrading a meter in order to search for violations. This is in violation of the fourth amendment to be secure in your home from unreasonable searches.

The City has made sure to put pressure on its residents to force compliance to this illegal search. The newsletter states: "Failure to allow inspection and comply with the findings will result in a $100-per-month fine." The City of Crystal is trying to strong arm dissent by imposing a fine almost nobody in that city would be able to pay. This is why it is important to be aware of what is going on in your city, and to be involved in the governmental process. These things are not just happening in America's ten biggest cities. Tyranny has come to our door step, and it is up to us to take back the ground we lost.

Our Brave New World

How many of you have ever read Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World”? This book was released in 1939, yet Aldous had the foresight to see what direction society would be headed in. Sure, his knowledge is limited in some ways by the level of technology that was available. Sure, he’s writing a science fiction book about the future. But you know what? The concepts are there. The ideas have been around for a long time, even if shrouded in the cloak of a science fiction story. How would Aldous Huxley know about the trend towards world government, the social and intellectual dumbing down of the majority of the world’s population, and a plan for world population control? He’s just a writer. Right?

Let me shed a little light on history for a moment, if you’ll allow me that opportunity. History holds the answers to the future. You must know history to understand how things got to be how they are. Thomas Henry Huxley (Aldous’ grandfather) was a good friend of someone else you’ve probably heard of… Charles Darwin. After Charles Darwin printed his evolutionary theory in “The Origin Of Species”, it really didn’t catch on. It was the passion and cunning plan from Thomas Henry Huxley that swayed the minds of scientists to leave their belief in God’s creation of the universe for Darwin’s unproven evolutionary theory. That’s connection number one.

Connection number two is his brother, Sir Julian Huxley. Julian Huxley was the first Director General of the of United Nations’ UNESCO. (Google “UNESCO Eugenics and look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics). Julian was quoted as such, “Even though it is quite true that any radical eugenic policy will be for many years politically and psychologically impossible, it will be important for UNESCO to see that the eugenic problem is examined with the greatest care, and that the public mind is informed of the issues at stake so that much that now is unthinkable may at least become thinkable”. As you can see Aldous was rather well connected with those that have shaped public thinking for a century. The question we need to ask, is if this book is just a story, or an allegory that sheds light on some of these folks most sinister plans?

It’s fun to speculate. As I’ve read this book, I see so many parallels with today’s society, or at least the path that we’re on. Let me show you a place in the book where I think he got it right on. In “Brave New World” the world’s population is genetically engineered into worker classes from alpha to epsilon. All of their hard held beliefs come from years of strict conditioning. Enter John, brought back as an experiment from a native reservation in New Mexico to London. The reservation has not been affected by the practices of “civilization”. In this part of the book, he is talking with the head guy for his area of the world (The Controller). They are having a discourse about the way society is, and was, and John finds out that The Controller knows what life was like, and how dangerous it is to keeping control of everybody.

“Othello’s good, Othello’s better than those feelies.”

“Of course it is,” The Controller agreed. “But that’s the price we have to pay for stability. You’ve got to choose between happiness and what people used to call high art. We’ve sacrificed the high art. We have the feelies and the scent organ instead.”

“But they don’t mean anything.”

“They mean themselves; they mean a lot of agreeable sensations to the audience.”

“But they’re… they’re told by an idiot.”

The Controller laughed. “You’re not being very polite to your friend, Mr. Watson. One of our most distinguished Emotional Engineers…”

“But he’s right,” said Helmholtz gloomily. “Because it is idiotic. Writing when there’s nothing to say…”

“Precisely. But that require the most enormous ingenuity. You’re making flivvers out of the absolute minimum of steel—works of art out of practically nothing but pure sensation.”

The Savage shook his head. “It all seems to me quite horrible.”

“Of course it does. Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn’t nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand.”

This is an amazing passage of literature. The popular music of today is all about moving your body for sensation. The message takes a back seat. We can’t have people thinking, now, can we? That would ruin everything. An informed public is a public not ready to give up their liberty. We have to be “drugged” into a state of not caring about what is going on around us. We wrap ourselves up in entertainment that feels good. Music used to be the language of the counter-culture. Now, it’s the language of shake ya booty, cash money, and oooo baby. Clubs are packed with young people wanting to move with the music. Cars drive around on “dubs”, with the bangin’ stereo, but play the soundtrack to vapidness, instead of projecting the sounds of free humanity. The celebrity culture and pop music are empty… bankrupt.

We need to get back to things that mean something. I’m finding more and more, however, that people don’t care. They don’t see a problem. They don’t want to rock the boat. We’re comfortable. We took the drugs they fed us. Their entertainment makes us feel good. Not that entertainment is bad, but it has become a crutch, a way to deal with the unpleasantness of the corporate culture and reducing civility in the world.

1 John 3:16 states this, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” I used to think that this passage meant that we should be willing to die for the sake of those we love. On it’s surface, it does. I also believe that it digs much deeper. I believe that it means that the things we hold onto in this life, which create our lifestyle, need to be laid down if they ever come in the way of protecting and helping those that God asked us to protect and help. There’s no end to the need in this world. There’s nothing wrong with watching a movie, going jet skiing, or playing Guitar Hero. If those things, however, consume a great deal of your time, then you need to be willing to put those things down in order to keep our priorities straight.

Whether it be our job, desire for material goods, or desire to escape that hinders our desire to help, we need to be willing to lose our current life, and create one in which we can be a positive influence in this world. I challenge you to challenge others. I challenge you to take John’s words to heart. You can do the things you enjoy, without getting caught up in the “feelies”. You can choose to submerge yourself in things that matter. Listen to music and watch movies that make you think and make you feel. Comfort = inaction. Don’t be afraid to get uncomfortable. Study history and current events. The people of the world are counting on you.

Chart a New Course!

Thank you for your serfdom to the Microsoft United States of America, brought to you by United Parcel Service!

I’ve had it. I’m tired of fitting in, being just another face in the crowd, and playing by the rules that society dictates. I’m not talking about law-breaking behavior. I’m talking about putting up a standard. I’m talking about not letting the large corporations make the rules.

I’m a capitalist. I believe that people should be free to earn as much money as they want. Likewise, I am a believer in and practitioner of the First Amendment. People should be able to say whatever they want. I also, however, advocate that with freedom comes responsibility. With First Amendment freedoms comes the responsibility to not speak lewdly or offensively in front of others, especially children. Although people should be able to create the kind of life they desire through their hard work, those people need to be responsible with the money they have been given. There is so much money in this world, and so much need. There is an incredible disparity between the two. In fact, these multi-billion dollar corporations hoard a great deal of this money. Their profits are larger than the GDP of some small nations. Yet, what do they do? They take their phone queues and manufacturing business out of the country to hire workers that work for pennies on the dollar. They encourage slave labor in China that no one will speak out against. They hire illegal aliens that have driven down the wages of hard-working Americans, because these companies can do business cheaper. Truck drivers, landscapers, roofers, and other blue collar jobs are paying less and less for Americans to do these jobs. The large corporations are not people. They are entities that hold money for their own purposes. Corporations care about the bottom line, not all of the children in Africa with A.I.D.S. I do not side with entities. I side with people. Unfortunately, we have enslaved ourselves to them because it’s easier to work for someone else rather than ourselves.

These corporations put their name on everything. Everything is an advertisement. Stadiums, music festivals and tours, buses and bus stops, clothes, banners on television shows, banners on web sites, etc.; everywhere we look we see advertisements. People are willing to advertise for free for these corporations. Most people have nothing. They owe more than they own. Banks have traded us the promise of money for our actual cash! The banks and companies we do business with walk away with everything, leaving us with junk and still in the hole. We’re told what’s trendy. We’re told what we need to have. We’re told what type of music to listen to …and we listen.

Music is the most accessible bridge between the physical and the spiritual. Popular music has effectively conditioned people to listen to the beat, and that music, outside of music where there are lyrics, is undesirable. The expression of music, in and of itself, has been covered up. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Eagles, and others made records their way. They made records that people would sit down and soak in the music for many hours. Friends got together and listened, paving the way for deep discussions. Bands like Sunny Day Real Estate, Coldplay, and others have tried to put the music first. Rock and Roll was about rabid independence. Now every last “star” has sold out to corporations and political platforms. Each performer is a complete cookie-cutter imprint of the preceding one (except maybe Ted Nugent). Music isn’t about advertising for multi-billion dollar corporations. Music isn’t about form, at least strict form. Music has had verses and choruses since before the madrigals of the medieval period. Now, however, it’s the same form for every song, each song clocking in around 3:00 to 3:30 in length. What happened to a long bridge or outro in which the song takes a completely different turn? How about a decent intro? The instrumental?

People got tired of the strict sonata form, and drifted toward more fluidly composed works. I believe that we’re close to a change. We are ruled by minimalistic music that says nothing, mega-corporations that turn everything and everyone into advertisements, and banks that hold our money, while we trade it for junk. The music, the junk, it’s all designed to pacify us, to keep us from thinking, condition us so that we do not put up a standard. The time has come to change direction. The time has come to let them all know that they serve at our pleasure. They do not rule our lives.

Once upon a time, I used to worry about the trends of music and how a song I wrote fit in to those trends. I’m done worrying about that kind of stuff. Each song I write, I am looking for that song’s identity. What can I do, what can the guys I am playing with bring to the table to unlock the mystery of the song? We are people of value. This is not a one-size-fits-all world! We each have individual identities! We can not all be herded into the same pen! Stand up and change direction! Look for music that makes you think, makes you feel. Read things that broaden your world, not allow you to escape to another. You can not face the injustices of this world until you look this world in the face and see it for what it really is. You can’t say you want to see starvation end, and go home after work and bury yourself in your nightly television ritual. How many times can you watch Sports Center in one night? Do you really care about South Bumblebeetuna St. vs. East Pigsknuckle U? Why watch it?!? Did last week’s Desperate Housewives do anything to make your life better? I’m sorry if I hit a nerve. But you know what? The time is now! The sleeping masses need to open up their eyes! Choose a different course! I’m here waiving large orange flags in front of your face and screaming your name. Do not avert your eyes to the reality in front of you. Soak it in, no matter how painful. It will birth a purpose inside of you. Nothing is more urgent right now, than you awake, and your purpose discovered.