Why Wage War On A Way Of Life...?

Plentiful and inexpensive food and energy are two of the factors that separate our country from Europe and the rest of the world.  Alexis de Toqueville marveled at the bounty enjoyed by even the poorest in America when compared with the starving huddled masses of Europe in the 1800s who slaved for monarchs and aristocrats.  The same is true today.  A "poor" American is far better off than so many living in other parts of the world.

So,  the Bureau of Land Management is working - and ready to kill human beings - in order to move cows that have grazed for 100 or more years off of 600,000 acres of range land in Nevada. 

More than 200 law enforcement officers, armed with handguns, shotguns, assault rifles and sniper rifles have established a perimeter and are keeping a Nevada rancher and his family from entering their land.  Meanwhile they are rounding up his cattle and moving them.

Why?

To make way for a desert tortoise.  That has coexisted with these cows.  For more than 100 years. 

In the meantime, the price of beef in the US has gone up 19% this past year.

Combine that with ever-increasing EPA, USDA, FDA and DOE regulations and it is easy to understand why government inflation figures omit the cost increases in fuel and food.

The Left must STOP WAGING WAR ON THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE!

Thug-ocracy...

Yesterday, US Attorney General Eric Holder was being questioned by Representative Louie Gohmert in a House hearing about the DOJ's lack of response to requests by Congress to provide documents related to terrorism funding.

Mr. Gohmert suggests that Mr. Holder's lack of response shows his contempt for Congress' oversight authority.  To which, Mr. Holder replies in a threatening tone, "Oh, you don't want to go there, Buddy.  You don't want to go there."

That's a schoolyard bully's threat.  That's a street thug's threat. 

That's a very real threat, too, given the amount of data that has been collected by the executive branch of this government in the past 13 years, given the existence of secret courts, given the practice of indefinite detention.  This administration could put together a story just plausible enough for the MSNBC crowd to swallow and destroy virtually any person they wanted to. 

I don't recognize my country...

30 years ago - hell, 5 years ago - any political appointee like the attorney general who pulled a stunt like that would have been forced to resign.  The media would be playing that sound bite over and over; parsing it; analyzing it; reading meaning into it that may or may not have been there.  Americans would have been whipped into a frenzy over the threat of thuggery made by the most powerful law enforcement agent in the country.

Today?  A collective yawn...



 

Terrorism: It's Not Always A Bomb...

"The Gulag Archipelago" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is a disturbing history of political imprisonment in the Soviet Union from the October Revolution to the 1970s.  Solzhenitsyn was himself a prisoner of the system for many years and his account of the deprivations, depravations, and despotism political dissidents suffered in prison under the Stalin and later regimes is sickening.

As disturbing is the willingness of the Soviet people to simultaneously accept and deny the existence of the agencies, courts and prisons that tortured and killed tens of millions of Soviet citizens in the name of the Revolution.  In the name of national security.

I'm not saying here that FEMA is building concentration camps, etc.  I'll leave that to the Alex Jones types.

What I want to discuss is the idea of terrorism and torture.  Some have called the Obama Administration, the Holder Department of Justice and the Lerner Internal Revenue Service "terrorist" organizations.  The statists, the progressives and much of the left and right in the country have scoffed at that.  I'm not convinced that the description is entirely without merit.

In the Gulag, prisoners were frequently left alone all night long.  No glaring lights, no jailor's key in the lock, no interrogation, no torture.  But from down the prison hall the screams of other prisoners being tortured and interrogated could be heard incessantly.  The prisoner knew all the while that the next time someone came for him, it could mean torture and pain; and when all that came was a bowl of thin soup instead, the psychological effect was profound.  But inevitably the interrogators did come for him; and the pain was just as severe as it had been for that unknown individual nights before.  And because of the psychological preparation he'd received the effects of the torture were even more severe.

Prisoners sentenced to death were treated similarly.  Sometimes they were held in cells so long, and treated with such friendliness that they began to believe that their day of execution would never come.  Sometimes they were kept in a constant state of terror by being dragged out of their cell - sometimes several times a night - bound, gagged, made to face a firing squad with rifles raised, only at the last minute to be snatched up and thrown back into their cell.  A momentary reprieve that was in truth no reprieve at all.  Just think of the frustration and pain you've felt sitting on the tarmac waiting for your plane to take off, and then pulling back into the gate for some maintenance item...

When government applies or enforces laws inconsistently and inequitably, this is what they are doing to the entire population. And yet there are so many of us who say, "Oh, yes, but it is for the greater good."  "Oh, yes, but we all must sacrifice."  "Oh, yes, but they know better than we."  "Oh, yes, but it is a complicated issue."  "Oh, yes, but I haven't been hurt."  "Oh, yes, but it has been good for me."

Anxiety.  Uncertainty.  Frustration.  Terror.

How many immigrants - legal or otherwise - live in constant uncertainty of their future?  They came here under one set of laws that were predictable in their unenforced state.  Now there is constant commotion and perpetual change.  Comprehensive immigration reform?  They are anxious and uncertain.

How many people accepted employment with one of the considerations being the healthcare benefits their employer offered?  Now, with the on-again, off-again implementation of the Affordable Care Act they cannot know what to expect.  Patient protection?  They are frustrated and anxious.

How many entrepreneurs put all of their human and financial capital into their dreams?  Now they don't know what will be required of them by the State and if they will be able to meet those requirements or be required to close up shop.  The land of opportunity?  They are uncertain and frustrated.

How many of us, depending on the guarantee of freedom of conscience, speech and privacy have spoken our minds?  Now, with the IRS free to audit and harass on the basis of politics, the DOJ free to hunt and entrap dissidents as extremist elements, and the NSA recording every bit of data for use in some future trial we can know exactly what to expect unless we can reduce the power and reach of government to some reasonable level.  The land of the free?

We are terrorized.

Hugging The 3rd Rail...

I know by writing this that I am touching the proverbial "third rail," and I still feel the need to bring clarity to the issue.  I would begin with the assertion that one person's personal beliefs and values are as valid as another's.  I would also ask you to embrace the notion that if you have a right to express your views, I do as well.  Let me list my assumptions:  1) There is a God who loves us; 2) there are absolutes - absolute right and absolute wrong; and, 3) the words "sin" and "sinner" are not aspersions, but simply describe all of us in our fallen state.

I do not pretend to know the mind of God.  I cannot answer "why" for Him.  I am confident, however, that at the end of this life He will be more than willing to sit with each of us for a LONG time and answer any questions we have for Him.  And I know that He will answer many of our questions before we die if we will ask Him sincerely and with a real will to know, understand and do.  Nothing I write here is done in a spirit of hate or fear or condemnation.  I hope that you will feel my love, my sincerity, and my concern in what I say.

For years I have struggled to pinpoint the reason I feel so strongly in defense of what we have come to call "traditional marriage."  A recent conversation in which I was unable to express my thoughts adequately prompted me to ponder deeply and to seek my "why."  I know and love and enjoy the company of many homosexual people - out and closeted, practicing and celibate, decided and confused.  And it troubles me that they find themselves in an awkward (to say the least) place in society.    So...

Here goes.

I have found by personal experience that when I do what I know is wrong - when I sin - I find myself separated from God and the influence of His Spirit.  I find myself alone, without His guidance and without His blessing.

If I should refuse to repent - change, come back - and instead to embrace sin and make it a part of the fabric of who I am, then I would so alienate myself from God's Goodness that I would be vulnerable to a very real physical and spiritual destruction.

Let's look at gluttony.  Overeating once can make me feel sick.  A lifestyle of gluttonous living will lead me to obesity, chronic illness, pain and an early death.

Now let's look at "gay marriage." 

While I am aware of and have listened to the ideas of sophists and apologists, still I am not convinced that the act of gay sex does not go against God's will for our behavior.  (If and when God were to tell me differently, then I would be willing to change my views.)

I do not believe that it's a sin to "be gay."  I believe it is a cross to be borne much like any other that is common to mortality.  I do believe that homosexual acts are sinful and that they hurt the sinner.  Why does God allow each of His children to go through this world with crosses on us?  I don't know for sure.  I do believe that He loves each one of us, though.  And when we humble ourselves in His sight enough to understand our own state of weakness and vulnerability, then lay that burden at the feet of Jesus, God gives us strength in Him.

Similarly, as a society, we will sometimes make mistakes that hurt people and that result in a need for societal repentance.  Slavery is one glaring example that comes to mind. As a result, we collectively disqualify ourselves for the blessings of God until society repents and applies the gift and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

And, as a society, when we embrace "sin" in the form of gambling, prostitution, infidelity and homosexual behavior, then we weave it into the fabric of who we are as a people.  And we collectively turn our backs on God and willfully disqualify ourselves from His blessings.

While gay people should be allowed to love whom they will, at the same time, we should not make homosexual behavior part of our national fabric.  The United States of America needs God's blessings, guidance and protection now, perhaps more than she ever has. 

Killed For Her Cross...

Please follow the link below to an article about a horrific crime.

I want to emphasize that this is not a purely religious thing, either.  Any ideology from Islamism to Environmentalism can be used in the extreme to justify mob violence or terrorism like this.  But when a society or government turns a "blind eye" to it, or by its silence tacitly endorses the behavior, things get out of control quickly.

This kind of thing can happen when extreme ideologies control governments or society.  It's not just Muslims.  Communists did it during the Cultural Revolution in China.  White supremacists did it during "Jim Crow" in the US.  The difference I see is that, in the US, the people decided that this was unacceptable and changed the law.  In China and in many Islamic countries public dissent is against the law.

Really?  I think this is what we will get if we keep talking in slogans instead of ideas.

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/patrick-goodenough/egyptian-islamists-murder-young-christian-after-dragging-her-car

MH370 - An Example Of What Not To Do...

I copied this from NBCNews.com on 31 March 2014.  Sorry I couldn't find a clean link.  Read the last 2 sentences and ask yourself why the multiple stories coming from the Benghazi investigation, the IRS investigation, and the BATFE/DOJ Fast and Furious investigations haven't made this much news...

Officials Release New Last Words for Missing Malaysia Flight

   

Officials have revised the account of the last words that came from the cockpit of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 — the latest about-face in the ever-shifting investigation into the jet's disappearance.

The Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation said Monday that the last communication with the air traffic controller was "Good night, Malaysian three seven zero."     

Weeks earlier, officials reported the last words were: "Alright, good night."

The cause of the discrepancy was unclear.

Authorities also said they are still conducting a forensic investigation to determine who was talking — even though the airline's chief executive said two weeks ago that it appeared the co-pilot was the speaker.

Since the flight vanished March 8 en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpu with 239 people on board, the investigation into what happened has been beset by false leads and conflicting information.

“This investigation is an example of what not to do,” James Hall, a former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board told NBC News last week. “Everything they do, they change.”

Putting The Genie Back In The Bottle...

I know I've said this before, but PLEASE! I'm begging you - conservative or liberal - to see things as they really are!  Step away from the specific issues just long enough to gain the perspective of principle, then go back into the debate.

Progressives?  True progressives - patient communists, and neo-fascists - I don't hold much hope for you to change.  But there is that old parable of the Prodigal Son, right?  Perhaps a better man than I would hold out hope...

Those who value individual liberty and those who value freedom of conscience, those who value the fruits of their labors and those who respect the fruits of others' labors, those who want to save their family and those who want to save the world?  We have to work together now.

Start by reading the Constitution.  You on the Left who just tuned out, please tune back in!  Read the Bill of Rights.  There's nothing in there that you and I can't agree on.  Read the Constitution itself.  The separation of powers isn't controversial.  It's good sense.

The problem that liberals and conservatives have is the impact of extra-constitutional laws, statutes and usurpations that have been enacted in the years between 1789 and today.  Beginning with the Alien and Sedition Acts, and culminating in the Patriot Act, the Financial Services Reform Act and the Affordable Care Act, individuals who see themselves as more enlightened than others, who think that they will be doing some great good, or who are greedy for power and who want to control others while carving out fortunes for their cronies have sought to subvert the rights and liberties guaranteed to all people by the Constitution.

We won't go into the issue of slavery here.  Suffice it to say that ending slavery was a "deal breaker" for slave states and the pragmatist in each of the Founders allowed them to kick that can "down the road" for later generations to handle.  And handle it, they did.

The idea of easy access to abortion is no less offensive to half the country than is the idea of homosexuals being unable to marry each other.  I don't want to argue the merits of either here; I just want to acknowledge that we all have deep reactions to really big issues.  And the Founders did not envision that the federal government would involve itself in those things.

The Constitution was a contract between the sovereign states and the federal government.  It outlined the limits of performances and set expectations.  The states recognized that separately they would be easy pickings for imperial powers like Spain, France and England; and at the same time they understood that the interests of a Virginian could be different from those of a New Yorker.  And so, the states ratified a Constitution that provided for their common defense and required mutual aid in the case of foreign aggression.  They ratified a Constitution that protected the rights and interests of ALL the states in the arena of interstate commerce, protecting against interstate tariffs and embargoes.  In exchange for allowing the federal government so much power, the states insisted on retaining the right of self-governance in virtually all other aspects of law.

The Bill of Rights, as the Supreme Law of The Land, was designed to ensure that no government - state or otherwise - would ever infringe upon this very specific, but by no means exclusive, list of natural rights belonging to all mankind.

A full one-fifth of the Bill of Rights is spent in securing first to individuals and second to the states the opportunity and responsibility to regulate EVERYTHING not outlined in the Constitution, and prohibiting any federal government operation outside the confines of that document.

We must work together to put this "genie" that is the federal leviathan back in its bottle.  The framers of the Constitution included in Article 5, a provision for amending the Constitution.  It may be accomplished in one of two ways.  First, Congress can pass amendments and the States can ratify them.  Meaningful reform is not likely to come from a body as corrupt and intellectually dishonest as our Congress.  It would be indeed biting the hand that feeds it.  Second, the state legislatures may convene a meeting for the purpose of proposing amendments to the Constitution.  The amendments proposed must then again be ratified by the states.

So, when we talk about a "balanced budget amendment" or imposition of term limits, or a review by the states of significant legislation we aren't likely to see Congress too willing to move in that direction.  It would diminish their power and influence over the 330,000,000 serfs they've worked so hard to create these past 100 years or more.  It would mean a return to government of and by and for the People.

I would ask you to look into this, and to ask your STATE LEGISLATOR to support the convening of this meeting.  It will be a long road, but it is one we had better start on before we go much further down the path to subjection.

This Is How I Know There Is A God...

This is on my heart tonight, and as we head into the Sabbath Day tomorrow with Passover and Easter just ahead...

May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you and those you love, this day and always.

Isaiah Chapter 53

1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Say What You Will About Courage...

Before my friends on the Left become too indignant, I ask them to please consider this woman - an elected official to be sure - in the light of the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s.

In those days, federal judges whose prejudice blinded them issued opinions supporting racial segregation in America.  Discrimination was in fact institutionalized in entire regions of the country.  And emboldened by those laws and rulings, miscreants and ignorants whose hatred and prejudice allowed them to justify despicable acts intimidated and even terrorized the children and grandchildren of former American slaves.

Please take a quick minute to read the article below, and then consider this woman's actions in the light of civil disobedience and freedom of conscience.  I'll be interested to know your thoughts.

Carroll County Commissioner ‘Willing To Go To Jail’ Opening Meeting With Prayer Despite Judge’s Ruling « CBS DC

Why We Need The "Rule of Law"...

As we watch President Obama struggling to implement - and serially delaying - the ironically named Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), it is plain to see two things that ought to inform all of our decisions relating to laws in the future.

First, a law must be easily understood and simple to enforce.  It must not be overly broad and must not seek to exempt or include special groups, companies, industries or classes of citizens.  In fact, what is good for the goose ought surely be applied to the gander, too.

Second, because laws are intended to provide safety and predictability in human and societal relations, they must be applied equally and enforced in ways that are predictable.  For example, if one is driving 4 miles per hour over the speed limit on virtually any freeway in America, he runs almost no risk of a speeding ticket.  And similarly, if one is driving 4 miles per hour too fast through a school zone, there is virtual certainty that a citation will follow.  Most drivers understand this and drive accordingly.

When a broad and complex law is written (I think that it should have to fit on a single sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 paper) and the complexities of the law are then applied capriciously, then society loses its ability to rely on safe and predictable relationships.

When that "rule of law" is shown to be unreliable, then the people become subject to the "rule of the sovereign."  This is what our forefathers noticed and ultimately cast off in the American Revolution.

I suggest that we similarly embrace the rule of law.  That means a lot of work for all of us; a lot of responsibility.  Funny how freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. 

Otherwise we will ultimately be subjects of a tyrant who may have a (D) after his or her name, and may have an (R), but it is certain we will be no longer free citizens of a nation.

In Favor Of Personal Liberty And Responsibility...

"Freedom and reason make us men; take these away, what are we then?  Mere animals...."  So wrote an anonymous poet in Boston in 1805.

What is it to be human?  If we believe the creationists, mankind was placed on the earth to be its husband, caretaker and sovereign, accountable to God for the wellbeing of all His creatures.  If we believe the Darwinists, mankind is the pinnacle of evolution, a superior and supreme product of nature's unforgiving winnowing process.  Either way, it is impossible to argue that mankind is not superior by design to all other forms of life on earth.

And where superior good is enjoyed, superior goodness is required.  As human beings we are obliged to respect and nurture all of nature and to protect it in its natural state as much as we possibly can.  If we are to use or consume parts of nature, then it is incumbent on us to do so as sparingly and as responsibly as possible, and not to abuse anyone or anything.

The natural state of all creation is liberty (Don't Fence Me In), freedom (Free To Be You And Me), and responsibility for its actions.  This is certainly the case for mankind, too.  Governments have a duty to protect the liberty of the individual and encourage the wellbeing of society.  Any move toward restricting the freedoms of citizens or interfering with their responsibility - the consequences of enjoying freedoms - is a move toward reducing them from humanity to brutishness.  And once reduced to an animal, men need to be herded, driven, penned and like cattle are prone to slaughter.

As the American frontier philosopher observed in 1839, "We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion." 

There is an element of extremism - overzealousness - in many ideologies.  Some fight wars - destroy people - to spread their brand of oppression in the name freedom or democracy.  Some injure others to prevent injury to lesser creatures in the name of nature.  Some would infringe on the natural and free state of others in the interest of imposing their values in the name of compassion. 

And so, very often, the Crusader and the humanist, the Puritan and the hedonist find themselves in violation of the fundamental principle that freedom and reason make all of us men.  When we take those away from even the most misguided or impotent creature, we are on the wrong side of nature. 

And as both the creationist and the Darwinist will tell you, in the long run Nature will always win!

Racist Opposes Obama Court Nominees...

For a long time I believed those who said that their disagreement and criticism of President Obama were philosophical and not racial.  After all, I tend to project myself onto others and believe that they have the same values and intentions as I.

Now that's starting to change.

I'm more and more convinced that those who claim that the President is incompetent, deceptive or even malicious are just what we've been hearing for years: racist.  They're bigots, conspiracy nuts, KKK wannabes, and all the other names Keith Olberman and Chris Mathews call them.

Here's one radical member of the House of Representatives from Georgia who clearly wants the Old South to "rise again."  I'll bet he can't even read, thinks the earth is flat, and denies the sacrament of Global Warming.  He goes so far as to say that the White House has been "dishonest" in nominating judges to positions in federal courts.

He and Joe Wilson ("You lie!") probably drink moonshine and dream of Jim Crow together on the weekends they aren't watching NASCAR.

I just need to know why DAVID SCOTT hates black people, brown people and those who want to take their driver test in Hmong.  Admit your problem and RESIGN, Mr. Scott!

http://thehill.com/video/house/199504-dem-lawmaker-white-house-is-being-dishonest

What do you mean, he's a Democrat?  And he's black?

Why I Oppose A Gun Registry (and other lists, too)...

Last month, in Hortonville, Wisconsin two high school girls were suspended because they had created a list of 60 students' names.

There was, according to police who investigated the matter, no plan to harm anyone, no threats, no specifics outlining places, times or methods.  It was just a list.  Further, upon questioning, the girls admitted that making the list had been a joke.

But school officials and police took the matter very seriously.  As they probably should have.

And now I think about the fact that this - even as I type it - is being recorded in the NSA data center closer than 10 miles from my home. 

They're just making a list.  There's no specific plan to hurt anyone.  It's just a piece of paper - or in this case, a bunch of 1s and 0s.  And that list will sit there at the data center until someone decides to use it.

Lists make us nervous.  And they should.  Firearms registries have been used to create criminals over night in both Europe and in Connecticut.  Entire ethnic groups have disappeared in Asia and in Africa because of lists.  And I have personal friends whose names were on a list of California residents who donated money to support the state's Proposition 8, and who were very truly terrorized when that list was made public to vicious individuals. 

Lists are one of the most basic ways that governments have of violating the Natural right that every person has to privacy in his person, papers and effects. Who believes this?  Who attends those meetings?  Who sits in which church?  Who gave money to what political cause?   Who voted which way?

No, I have nothing to hide.  But that does not mean that I welcome people into my personal life just to satisfy their voyeuristic fetish, or to prove that I'm not hiding anything. 

None of us, liberal or conservative, should support the making of lists for the sake of list-making.  It seems to me that this is an issue on which we can all agree.

Silent No More...

As I watch the United States of America become increasingly less able to remain the "last best hope for humanity" in the world, I cannot be silent any longer.

Personal responsibility and liberty are symbiotic principles.  One cannot exist without the other; yet we see daily steps to eradicate both in our country.  Frequently the two ideas are played against each other.

We are taught that we should have the liberty behave with wanton abandon in our sex lives; and at the same time we should be able to avoid the responsibility of consequent child birth and rearing by abortion.  We are taught that we should have the liberty to behave asocially showing respect to no one and for no thing; and at the same time we should be able to avoid the responsibility of being impossible to respect.  We are taught that we should have the liberty to speak our mind; and at the same time we should expect none to take offense.

In addition to playing the ideas against each other, we are taught with stunning inconsistency.

We should value all life; and we should embrace abortion.  We should be tolerant of all ideas; and we should not tolerate intolerance.  We should not question the evidence of science; and we should reject the evidence of religion.  We should decrease our personal standard of living when money is scarce; and we should expand our government's spending when money is scarce.  It is unpatriotic and irresponsible to accumulate $4 trillion in debt; and it is generous and compassionate to accumulate $8 trillion in debt.  We should love our enemies; and we should hate our friends. 

I will briefly try to outline my thoughts on these issues.

First, there is a God who created the universe and mankind.  His creation was deliberate and purposeful.  His purpose is to provide experiences and learning that will bring happiness to us, his children.  Key to his plan for our happiness is his son, Jesus Christ.  Jesus suffered the pains that come into our lives in consequence of our mistakes, our sins, and those of others.  Through faith in him we can be relieved of the painful burdens of this life.  Jesus died and was resurrected, that is to say, his eternal spirit took up his mortal body and the two were united immortally and will remain so forever.  And he gave that gift of resurrection to all of God's children. 

Second, there is absolute morality.  There is absolute right and absolute wrong.  There is good and evil.  These principles and forces have always been and will always be.  Absolute good and right can be found in the teachings of Jesus Christ and his prophets through all time.  The great commandment is to love God with all that we are.  The second commandment is to love our fellowman as we should love ourselves.  All of the other commandments are not less important.  All of the other prophetic teachings are not less significant.  They all are rooted in these first two.

Third, choice and accountability are individual and eternal rights upon which God will not, and man should not, attempt to infringe.  The individual is and should remain sovereign in affairs both spiritual and temporal.  No man, no group, no sovereign and no state has the right to interfere with freedom of conscience or with rights to property.  As such, I believe that Thomas Jefferson was correct in advocating for a continual referendum on the laws of the land.  Not that they should be changed frequently or for trivial reasons, but that each generation should have the obligation and the right to willingly submit to them or to cast them off when they found them too oppressive.

I will not be silent anymore.