Friday, September 10, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Back for the burning
Okay, fine. Vacation, slump, or whatever you may want to call it is over. Patriot X is posting again.
It seems that a Florida minister's idea to host a "burn the Koran Day", is attracting some intense scrutiny and criticism. General Petraeus, Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and even the Vatican are trying to use this pastor's crazy idea to paint themselves as enlightened moderates. To be fair, at first glance, this is a bad idea. It causes some theological dissonance even in those that aren't religious, and it attracted my attention as well... but, for the most politically incorrect reasons.
Please hear me on this, I think this guy is wrong. However, his constitutional right to burn a Koran, a flag, a cross, a Bible, or an image is protected in some part by me - and hopefully, by all of us. I think the talking heads in our culture are missing the point on this one. Sure, this is in bad taste. It is disrespectful, provocative, and mean-spirited, but geez people, doesn't that describe the behavior of a whole lot of Americans? This guy is not going to torch a mosque or attack a place of worship. He is not calling for violence against Muslims. (No, liberal over-reachers, he is not). He is calling for the public destruction of a written text that is holy to many people. Unfortunately, most Americans have been bullied into thinking that we have to play by the rules of Islam, but wait... no one has to play be the rules of America, or even worse, Christianity. They can build a mosque here with foreign money, but we could not build a church or a temple in the middle east. They can burn Bibles and pictures of our leaders, but if we razz them at all, they threaten us with death and dismemberment. Hmmmm. Maybe we should be defending Rev. Jones instead of those threatening to kill him and increase attacks on our troops because he is exercising his rights to free speech. Here is a statement I would like to see from our government officials:
"Recently, rumors of an American citizen planning to burn the Koran, have elicited great concern. Our Constitution protects speech such as this. While most Americans disagree with the actions described, it is necessary to avoid the impulse to sublimate our own liberty in order to avoid offending those who threaten violence in order to silence opposition. Those that would suggest that this man's actions are reason enough to launch attacks on our troops or even attack Americans on U.S. soil are unequivocally the enemies of our nation. They are enemies of freedom, and they would not hesitate to dismantle every other right found in our exemplary constitution in order to elevate the laws of Islam in place of our laws. I ask all Americans to join together and do the right thing, but above all, be ready to defend each other's right to speak or demonstrate their beliefs, for if we do not we squander the expensive gift of liberty."
Imagine if some pastor in the 1930's had said, "Germans are pigs." I doubt our government officials would be throwing themselves in the direction of any available microphone to mitigate the offense that the Nazi's might find in this statement. No, for better or worse, Britney Spears or Terry Jones, Americans can say what they want and should expect to find the rest of us ready to defend their right to do it.
Thoughts?
It seems that a Florida minister's idea to host a "burn the Koran Day", is attracting some intense scrutiny and criticism. General Petraeus, Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and even the Vatican are trying to use this pastor's crazy idea to paint themselves as enlightened moderates. To be fair, at first glance, this is a bad idea. It causes some theological dissonance even in those that aren't religious, and it attracted my attention as well... but, for the most politically incorrect reasons.
Please hear me on this, I think this guy is wrong. However, his constitutional right to burn a Koran, a flag, a cross, a Bible, or an image is protected in some part by me - and hopefully, by all of us. I think the talking heads in our culture are missing the point on this one. Sure, this is in bad taste. It is disrespectful, provocative, and mean-spirited, but geez people, doesn't that describe the behavior of a whole lot of Americans? This guy is not going to torch a mosque or attack a place of worship. He is not calling for violence against Muslims. (No, liberal over-reachers, he is not). He is calling for the public destruction of a written text that is holy to many people. Unfortunately, most Americans have been bullied into thinking that we have to play by the rules of Islam, but wait... no one has to play be the rules of America, or even worse, Christianity. They can build a mosque here with foreign money, but we could not build a church or a temple in the middle east. They can burn Bibles and pictures of our leaders, but if we razz them at all, they threaten us with death and dismemberment. Hmmmm. Maybe we should be defending Rev. Jones instead of those threatening to kill him and increase attacks on our troops because he is exercising his rights to free speech. Here is a statement I would like to see from our government officials:
"Recently, rumors of an American citizen planning to burn the Koran, have elicited great concern. Our Constitution protects speech such as this. While most Americans disagree with the actions described, it is necessary to avoid the impulse to sublimate our own liberty in order to avoid offending those who threaten violence in order to silence opposition. Those that would suggest that this man's actions are reason enough to launch attacks on our troops or even attack Americans on U.S. soil are unequivocally the enemies of our nation. They are enemies of freedom, and they would not hesitate to dismantle every other right found in our exemplary constitution in order to elevate the laws of Islam in place of our laws. I ask all Americans to join together and do the right thing, but above all, be ready to defend each other's right to speak or demonstrate their beliefs, for if we do not we squander the expensive gift of liberty."
Imagine if some pastor in the 1930's had said, "Germans are pigs." I doubt our government officials would be throwing themselves in the direction of any available microphone to mitigate the offense that the Nazi's might find in this statement. No, for better or worse, Britney Spears or Terry Jones, Americans can say what they want and should expect to find the rest of us ready to defend their right to do it.
Thoughts?
Friday, July 3, 2009
Sarah Palin Is A Free Agent
Breaking news...
Okay, I am a conservative guy and I do have a picture of Sarah Palin in my locker. Still, I have my concerns. One, I hope that everything is okay at home for her and her family, and that this announcement has purely political functions. Two, if this is a move toward the presidential race in '12, I am really going to have to think about this. She is better than any liberal candidate could be because she operates from a worldview that is far more consistent with reality (economics, foreign policy, etc...). However, I will continue to scan the horizon for a conservative with more experience. That said, I would rather have someone in charge who gets it right in the first year than touts a lifelong history of getting it wrong.
In Biblical times, when the men failed at their leadership role, there were women who stepped up and saved the game. Could be time for that again. As always, time will tell.
Okay, I am a conservative guy and I do have a picture of Sarah Palin in my locker. Still, I have my concerns. One, I hope that everything is okay at home for her and her family, and that this announcement has purely political functions. Two, if this is a move toward the presidential race in '12, I am really going to have to think about this. She is better than any liberal candidate could be because she operates from a worldview that is far more consistent with reality (economics, foreign policy, etc...). However, I will continue to scan the horizon for a conservative with more experience. That said, I would rather have someone in charge who gets it right in the first year than touts a lifelong history of getting it wrong.
In Biblical times, when the men failed at their leadership role, there were women who stepped up and saved the game. Could be time for that again. As always, time will tell.
One Man's Coup is Another Man's Revolution
Obama sides with the dictator in Honduras and plays slow pitch with Iran's brutal crackdown on protesters. In fact, he shows no love for those struggling for freedom. His reticence, or inability, to act in favor of democratic movements may reveal his moral relativism more than his straight up support for these evil regimes. I hope. Let's work from the theory that, in fact, it is his postmodern inclinations toward ethical ambiguity that allow him to leave so many freedom lovers out in the cold.
For our current administration, this is a real quandry. On the one hand, they know that Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and others have some real bad apples at the helm. However, it seems kind of dangerous to condone overthrowing the government. That's a slippery slope, you know. What prevents a populace from remaking their government whenever they want? According to America's founders, one simple, profound, elegant, brilliant thing... the transcendent idea of liberty preserved by the democratic rule of law. Translation: Rulers are subject to a predetermined set of guidelines that, if not followed to the letter, provide the moral justification for throwing the bums out. It can happen every week if necessary.
Tyrants will try to protest the end of their fat-cat, parasitic existence with decent-sounding excuses, but in the end, they are just trying to hang onto power.
The justification is there. The question now is, are American citizens educated enough about their own political DNA to recognize that they have a president who does not know where his authority comes from.
For our current administration, this is a real quandry. On the one hand, they know that Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and others have some real bad apples at the helm. However, it seems kind of dangerous to condone overthrowing the government. That's a slippery slope, you know. What prevents a populace from remaking their government whenever they want? According to America's founders, one simple, profound, elegant, brilliant thing... the transcendent idea of liberty preserved by the democratic rule of law. Translation: Rulers are subject to a predetermined set of guidelines that, if not followed to the letter, provide the moral justification for throwing the bums out. It can happen every week if necessary.
Tyrants will try to protest the end of their fat-cat, parasitic existence with decent-sounding excuses, but in the end, they are just trying to hang onto power.
The justification is there. The question now is, are American citizens educated enough about their own political DNA to recognize that they have a president who does not know where his authority comes from.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
All This Second American Revolution Talk
If you follow Worldnet Daily or The Pearcey Report or the Drudge Report or American Thinker or American Spectator or... well, you get the idea, you will notice that the discussions of where this country is headed have increased in frequency and intensity. This past year, some duly elected officials have even talked of secession. With Obama's incredibly fast power grabs of the banks, the car companies, and the impending health care takeover, it makes one think. The media suckers who helped get the Big O (yes, I did) elected are even starting to worry about his ego, his plans, and his foreign maneuvers. The bottom line is that more and more people are concerned that America may have left the Tocquevillian rails.
Here's the deal. I agree. However, I beleive that we are far from loading the muskets and taking down tyrannical stormtroopers - and for one reason. We have a whole lot of work to do first. This is my list of things that will help get America back on track. God help us.
1. The church has to clean house and become the source of model behavior and well-articulated discussion about transcendent ideas.
2. Americans must stop thinking the government is the "go to" solution for every problem.
3. All Americans must be educated about the deceptive and corrosive tactics of Saul Alinsky.
4. Public schools must approach every subject from a Tocquevillian paradigm, not a Dewey, Darwin, Freud, Gramsci, Steinam, cluster----.
Let's get started. I think I'll speak more about each item on the list in the days ahead.
Here's the deal. I agree. However, I beleive that we are far from loading the muskets and taking down tyrannical stormtroopers - and for one reason. We have a whole lot of work to do first. This is my list of things that will help get America back on track. God help us.
1. The church has to clean house and become the source of model behavior and well-articulated discussion about transcendent ideas.
2. Americans must stop thinking the government is the "go to" solution for every problem.
3. All Americans must be educated about the deceptive and corrosive tactics of Saul Alinsky.
4. Public schools must approach every subject from a Tocquevillian paradigm, not a Dewey, Darwin, Freud, Gramsci, Steinam, cluster----.
Let's get started. I think I'll speak more about each item on the list in the days ahead.
Getting Jammed by Our Enemies
In his book, The Marketing of Evil, David Kupelian reveals some of the intentional tactics behind the liberal movement to destabilize America. One of these techniques is called Jamming. Essentially, it is the process of shouting down your enemy and firing off a host of potentially embarrassing accusations - true or not. The aim is to distract all patries and witnesses from any actual debate. It also serves as a low brow way to deconstruct a person's credibility. Interstingly, liberals and foreign dictators seem especially adept at this art.
What if Hitler had accused us of trying to undermine his legitimate social goals. We would have said, "Sorry, those aren't legitimate social goals, and we have made our decision about what you are." The moral relativism of liberals means that Hitler and Obama must be listened to equally. It means that America has no more right to nuclear weapons than North Korea. It means that America's treatment of its homeless is as evil as the warlords' treatment of villagers in Sudan.
The scary part is that even as it appears that engaging cruel and deceptive dictators in "respectful dialogue" is proving to be a bit optimistic, Obama is supporting enemies of democracy anyway. Either he is one of them, or he is too stupid or stubborn to let go of his arrogant claim that he can talk anyone down.
Time will tell. In the meantime, evil dictators are having a field day with our new savior.
What if Hitler had accused us of trying to undermine his legitimate social goals. We would have said, "Sorry, those aren't legitimate social goals, and we have made our decision about what you are." The moral relativism of liberals means that Hitler and Obama must be listened to equally. It means that America has no more right to nuclear weapons than North Korea. It means that America's treatment of its homeless is as evil as the warlords' treatment of villagers in Sudan.
The scary part is that even as it appears that engaging cruel and deceptive dictators in "respectful dialogue" is proving to be a bit optimistic, Obama is supporting enemies of democracy anyway. Either he is one of them, or he is too stupid or stubborn to let go of his arrogant claim that he can talk anyone down.
Time will tell. In the meantime, evil dictators are having a field day with our new savior.
"Getting" Christianity
It's just how these things work. The other day I ran across the article highlighted in my last post on the Summit Ministries page. In it, the faltering state of Christian education is addressed, along with some diagnostic ruminations. That same night, my brother shared his notes from a speech by a representative from International Justice Missions, a Christian organization that rescues women from the illegal sex trade. Guess what? Both the article and this speaker concluded that a profound detachment from "the Fall" is what drives the increasing apathy towards faith. In the speaker's words, Americans have gotten very good at managing or masking the effects of the Fall.
I agree to a point. Although Americans do not witness much of the carnage and strife that the rest of the world does, we are suffering from a great spiritual depression. Depression and violence rates among our youth seem to be skyrocketing in eerie proportion to data showing a decrease in Biblbical Christianity.
I do not believe that we need more pain in America, or even a return to fire and brimstone sermons, we just need more honesty. There is plenty of pain just below the shiny surface. Let's be honest first, and the need for a deeper solution will follow.
The truth hurts, but it is the truth that will set you free. It is no small coincidence that Jesus says he is the way, THE TRUTH, and the life.
Next blog... 'how to explain it to people today' in a further effor to help people "get it"
I agree to a point. Although Americans do not witness much of the carnage and strife that the rest of the world does, we are suffering from a great spiritual depression. Depression and violence rates among our youth seem to be skyrocketing in eerie proportion to data showing a decrease in Biblbical Christianity.
I do not believe that we need more pain in America, or even a return to fire and brimstone sermons, we just need more honesty. There is plenty of pain just below the shiny surface. Let's be honest first, and the need for a deeper solution will follow.
The truth hurts, but it is the truth that will set you free. It is no small coincidence that Jesus says he is the way, THE TRUTH, and the life.
Next blog... 'how to explain it to people today' in a further effor to help people "get it"
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