In Hoc Anno Domini

(This editorial was written in 1949 by the late Vermont Royster and has been published annually in the Wall Street Journal since.)

So the Light came into the world...

When Saul of Tarsus set out on his journey to Damascus the whole of the known world lay in bondage. There was one state, and it was Rome. There was one master for it all, and he was Tiberius Caesar.

Everywhere there was civil order, for the arm of the Roman law was long. Everywhere there was stability, in government and in society, for the centurions saw that it was so.

But everywhere there was something else, too. There was oppression—for those who were not the friends of Tiberius Caesar. There was the tax gatherer to take the grain from the fields and the flax from the spindle to feed the legions or to fill the hungry treasury from which divine Caesar gave largess to the people. There was the impressor to find recruits for the circuses. There were executioners to quiet those whom the Emperor proscribed. What was a man for but to serve Caesar?

There was the persecution of men who dared think differently, who heard strange voices or read strange manuscripts. There was enslavement of men whose tribes came not from Rome, disdain for those who did not have the familiar visage. And most of all, there was everywhere a contempt for human life. What, to the strong, was one man more or less in a crowded world?

Then, of a sudden, there was a light in the world, and a man from Galilee saying, Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's.

And the voice from Galilee, which would defy Caesar, offered a new Kingdom in which each man could walk upright and bow to none but his God. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. And he sent this gospel of the Kingdom of Man into the uttermost ends of the earth.

So the light came into the world and the men who lived in darkness were afraid, and they tried to lower a curtain so that man would still believe salvation lay with the leaders.

But it came to pass for a while in divers places that the truth did set man free, although the men of darkness were offended and they tried to put out the light. The voice said, Haste ye. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you, for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

Along the road to Damascus the light shone brightly. But afterward Paul of Tarsus, too, was sore afraid. He feared that other Caesars, other prophets, might one day persuade men that man was nothing save a servant unto them, that men might yield up their birthright from God for pottage and walk no more in freedom.

Then might it come to pass that darkness would settle again over the lands and there would be a burning of books and men would think only of what they should eat and what they should wear, and would give heed only to new Caesars and to false prophets. Then might it come to pass that men would not look upward to see even a winter's star in the East, and once more, there would be no light at all in the darkness.

And so Paul, the apostle of the Son of Man, spoke to his brethren, the Galatians, the words he would have us remember afterward in each of the years of his Lord:

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

[May we never forget the Reason for the season and the true Freedom He brings to us all...Merry Christmas is a reminder of Emanuel's coming to our earth and a forerunner of His Cross and Resurrection, our salvation incarnate. May His Peace rest upon you and yours and may His Freedom grower deeper in you this coming year. Maranatha - Ryan]

One Full Life

About a month ago, April 14th to be exact, my 84 year old Granny left this earth for home. I had the privilege of being asked to honor her memory with an eulogy at the graveside. I thought I would share what I said as a way of catharsis for me and in honor again of her.

For those of you who knew her and loved her, hopefully this will resonate. For those of you who did not know her, hopefully this will give a brief portrait of her life. It is good to share those you love with the others you love.

ONE FULL LIFE
Dorotha Deene (Brown) Packer
Our Mom, Granny, Granny Great, Dot

It isn’t easy to stand here today, to stand here and speak about my Granny, to speak about her and know that she is no longer here with us. It is not easy to look at all of these faces of family and friends, many of whom knew Granny better than I did, had a longer history with her, spent day in and day out with her as Mom, or even knew her as Dorotha, a friend and confidant, not just as a family member. I am not sure I am really the best to do the speaking or if Granny would even want me to do it. But here I am…

“It’s not easy” is really a phrase that could be used to describe much of Granny’s life (honestly, most of our lives). Born into a time of great turmoil, a child of the Depression in many ways, Granny saw a life of toughness and difficulty early on. Her father and mother, Carl & Lou, struggled to make ends meet and did whatever it took to keep the family going and to keep it together. Digging ditches & graves, working multiples jobs and saving everything they could muster was not only common for the Brown Family but for nearly every family in this great generation. But they had each other through think & thin. Granny and her only sibling & older brother Carl, Jr., were close and I am sure it was so tough for her to see him go into the service for WWII. Then it wasn’t easy for Granny to suffer the loss of her life, her beloved mother, Granny only 16 years young and devastated for life. But, Granny persevered while her dad remarried to a family friend Ruth, and Junior returned from the war alive. Again, it wasn’t an easy life but they had each other and they made it work.

Then at the age of 19, Granny fell in love with a childhood friend, a boy, and yes I mean a boy, 17 to be exact, who stole her heart. Or maybe better put, she stole his heart because his was just so big. John B. Packer came onto the scene of Dorotha’s life and they were happily wed on August 20th, 1945 in Columbus, KS. Granddad, Dad, Pop, Johnny as we all know him differently and just the same, was a gigantic-softhearted, small statured military man, a young military man who had faked his age to get in the service and faked it once again so that he could marry his beautiful bride. Granny & Granddad started a life together then that could also be classified as “not easy”, but it was a long love affair with many ups & downs, many twists & turns, and most importantly a whole lot of unwavering support & love along the way. They lived all over the country due to Granddad’s military commission, from California to Seattle to Virginia to Camp Crowder and eventually Webb City. And along those travels much happened and much occurred, but one thing was constant, they loved each other through thick and thin.

Oh, and also along the way, Granny & Granddad started building a family. First, came the firstborn – naturally – Loudeene. She was their beautiful daughter who shared their hearts with no one for awhile, who helped hold down the fort with Granny while Granddad was overseas, and who walked the longest with them on this journey, sometimes even acting as a second mom to the others. This, by the way, was truly Granny & Granddad’s gift − having daughters − because in what probably felt like a few short years, they next brought Debbi into the world. Debbi was a hand full of energy, often running the neighborhood naked as a baby, and quick & independent from the start. Then, Gail came into their lives. She was an outwardly shy one who could steal your heart with her smile and played mischievously even from the beginning of her life. And while Granddad pined away for a little boy, they were surprised with their youngest, Johnna (my mom), finally named after Granddad because he & Gran knew that having girls was all they did. She was definitely the baby of the family, a beautiful baby of golden curls, a smart girl with deep compassion and an iron will of her own. And these girls, all four of them, through different eras, in different ways, and on different levels became the focus of Granny & Granddad’s life. And, it wasn’t easy…have you ever met these four sisters or spent a long night with them together, Dr. Pepper as their fuel? Trust me, it isn’t easy though it is often very funny. Then again, when is family life and raising kids while striving to stay true and strong for one another ever “easy”?

Through all of this life with Granddad & the girls, Granny was not only making a life as a wife and a mom, but she was also continuing to express herself as Dorotha. She was a tough and steadfast woman, and she was awfully creative as well. She constantly created, sewing dresses for the girls and herself, selling and painting with Artex for years, writing short stories and poems, and eventually baking & decorating cakes. The cake creating became a business, as she ran Cakes By Dorotha out of their home for years. Granny was also what you might call a wee bit competitive. She loved playing games and even a few sports. Gran played softball, bowled regularly, and played so many games and card games, no one on earth could record the hours she spent generally beating the pants off of Granddad, her girls, and their friends. Granny was full of life in these areas of creation & competition, and her life was full because of them.

Another part of life that changed was the introduction of grandkids…yea!! First came Misty via Debbi, a little girl that would later in life become one of Granny’s closet friends and confidants, in some ways a mirror of Granny, a woman that Granny really and truly loved & respected, and who with beloved husband Jeff gifted Granny with her first great-grandchildren, Michael & Page, christening a new title for Gran, Granny Great. Then came Brandy, via Loudeene − apparently the “girls only” motto was contagious even with the daughters − another little girl who Granny constantly bragged about, consistently declared as so beautiful and smart, who’s talents Granny took great pride in, and who she worried over & prayed for constantly though she lived far away and traveled the world over. Next in line was me, Ryan via Johnna, the first boy to enter this whole girlie mess (Granddad finally had an ally and a namesake!). And though I only have my own perspective to draw from, Granny seemed pretty proud of me, (especially of my choice of Ashley and my little daughter, Ellie, both of whom she loved dearly), and she and I spent a ton of time together as I was the only one that lived only fifteen minutes away my entire childhood. And finally the family was quickly rounded off by surprisingly, another boy, Corey via Gail, a boy who would be Granny’s late-in-life roommate, shared countless hours with her playing cards, eating “feesh”, sharing, and arguing, but who I know Granny was so proud of and who’s singing she cherished deeply in her heart. In every way, Granny had a full family of kids and grandkids, even great grandkids, that she loved so much, each in different ways and for different reasons. It wasn’t easy to keep track of them all, but somehow she did it.

As Granny grew older and life changed all around her, it didn’t all become roses. In fact, in a couple of heart-wrenching ways it became much more difficult. On December 28th, 1993, Granddad, Dad, her husband, her Johnny left this world suddenly. It was a devastating blow for us all, but most deeply felt by Granny. For years, they had struggled and loved their way through the war that is life. They argued, they hugged, they nagged, and they cared for. Granny had taken care of Granddad for so long with his health problems, and she was so very disappointed that they didn’t quite make the fifty year anniversary mark. For the family, we obviously lost a loving, big-hearted father, a doting joyful grandfather, and a caring Great-Granddad. We would all miss his snoring in his chair, Granny’s grinding plea “John B. go to bed!” (my apologies to Corey who imitates that better than anyone), and his ever-open arms for hugging. But none of us missed him more than Granny. She had lost her partner, her lover, her friend, her husband. And for a time, she seemed a bit lost. It wasn’t easy to set on this side of eternity while John had gone on without her. But in her normal way, Dorotha found her feet. She rebounded and her life continued, though she mourned Granddad’s passing every year, to the day.

Granny’s health changed not long after his departure as well. She had the first of several strokes to plague her later years, but before you lose heart too much, this did not stop Dorotha Deene. In fact, Granny’s life continued fabulously. After finally retiring from cake decorating, Granny found a new passion – greeting cards. She made them for everyone and every occasion. She collected and purchased more stamps & supplies for making cards than any one woman should be allowed. And she spent countless hours making cards for everyone she could think of. She had an elaborate set-up and an ironclad memory of who to make cards for and when. But most of all, Granny had found a new way to show her love. At times in life, I think Granny struggled with showing her love for one reason or another. I mean, we all knew she loved us, but showing it wasn’t always her strongest suit. Yet, as she aged and Granddad passed, the loving, caring side of Granny began to blossom even further. These cards were in specific ways an extension of that new love. She put thought into each card, she put sweat into each card, and she put her whole heart in each card. If you were fortunate enough to receive one, you know what I am talking about, and you had better cherish it. Granny meant what she said in those cards, even if it was a joke or silly saying. Who knew? In some ways, Granny’s cards may be more cherished in my heart and others than even her cakes were enjoyed.

And while I’m speaking about Granny’s love, I would be remiss to mention this: Granny’s life wasn’t easy, no doubt about it, but she never stopped having time for people who had a rough go of it as well. She befriended people who had troubles from early on in her life. To hear her daughters speak about it, Granny was always reaching out to the bedraggled and beat down. And, she had real friends, too. Close friends, not just play around friends but confidants and life-sharers, some of whom simply knew her as Dot. Ruby, Esther, Carol Jane, Barb, so many I can’t mention them all. She even had a close friend that really became more than a friend, really an honorary daughter, an adopted child, Shelia Ray. She did everything with these friends, she relied on these friends, and I think they relied on her, too. Also, I can’t forget her “sons”. From John “Denny” to Rick to Steve G. to Steve B. and even Greg – Granny loved them all like her own. I only really know my dad, Steve G’s relationship with her, but from that bond I know Granny treated him as her own and he loved her the same. They all did. From friends to friends of daughters to adopted daughters to son-in-law’s, there were strong bonds present that Granny loved and appreciated; and, the objects of her affections loved her right back.

As we all aged and Granny aged, after Granddad went home and Gran’s health changed drastically, I began to notice some changes, changes that really lasted until her final weeks. Granny’s physical life became difficult, definitely not easy. It isn’t easy when your lungs and your heart betray you. It isn’t easy when your once fiercely independent spirit is dampened by the onslaught of time. But as always, Granny made a way of it. She did it with a lot more help this time around, but she carried on. And as I have said I observed her love became more outwardly expressive and evident these last years, I also noticed that her reliance on others became more evident as well. Nowhere was that open reliance more evident to me than her relationship with the Father Above. Granny consistently stated her love of God and her reliance on prayer, Christ’s compassion for her life. She said things frequently to me on the phone about how she was thankful God had given her more time. She mentioned that it was His Strength that brought her through many of these tough times. And she constantly relayed that she was praying for me. She thought of us all often, and I began to notice more and more that her thoughts turned to prayer. She was relying on her Father to take her burdens more and the burdens of her loved ones. I know because she did this for me.

As I went through a difficult time of anxiety & panic attacks, Granny called me. In fact, I talked to her several times during that period. She called me to check on me, just to see how I was doing. She was worried. She cared. She loved me. And her answer was not “tough it out” or “you’ll be fine, it will pass” – her answer was something new, “I’m praying for you Ryan. I know it’s hard. Turn to God. Rely on Jesus.” Those were her words on a hushed phone call one evening, not mine. And she followed it up with a simple gift of encouragement that I hold dear to this day. Every devotional I use has the same bookmark now with this simple scripture card that quotes Philippians 4:4-7: “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer & petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Granny underlined “Do not be anxious for anything” and she signed the back “Love You!! Granny, 2007”. Granny had changed lately, and it was a change for the better. Despite all of the difficulties of her health and the mileage of painful years, Granny began to truly find her home in the Everlasting Arms of Jesus. She began to relax a little more in Him. Don’t get me wrong – she was still a firebrand of independence even in the hospital these last few weeks, but her heart had changed. I think she had a real face-to-face with the Grace of Christ and the Peace of His Presence.

So, today we say goodbye to Dorotha, Dot, Granny, Granny Great, Mom. Today we pay our respects and we express our love. And it isn’t easy. It isn’t easy to let go, especially from someone we all want to hold so tightly to. But it is life − and that is the point. This IS LIFE. It isn’t easy. It stinks at points, it hurts often, it devastates you sometimes, and it grinds you under foot frequently. BUT it is also a life worth the living, really living. It’s worth it because of the love, the love that is shared in Christ’s Grace, in the embrace of a parent, the joy of a friend, the kiss of a spouse, and the group hug that is family. And, guess what? Though it wasn’t easy for Granny from cradle to grave, it was a life FULL of all of these things. ALL OF THESE THINGS. She had a great life, a long life, a GRAND life. And now her life has continued to an even better place. The morning of her passing, I had a wonderful vision in my mind of her spreading her arms in a field of purple flowers, taking a huge breath, a great breath that no longer hurt, that was full, and that was filled her with air that you and I could only dream. You see, Granny had a life…it wasn’t easy, but it was FULL of love. And she was thankful always to the Father of Life, just listen to this poem she wrote years ago:

THANKS GOD
Saying Thank You God
Seems so little to say
For all the things
We have today.

Our homes and cars
Trains and planes
All our new and modern things.

Thank You God
For the Peace you hold,
Without your love
Our world would fold.

Thank You God
For my husband dear.
And four lovely daughters
That I can hold near.

Thanks for the rain
The absence of pain,
The sun at day
And moon at night
Leaving the world so wonderfully bright.

Thank you God
For all my friends
And thank you for
Your love You send.

My small thanks will
Always ring
So I Thank You God
For everything.

I’ll miss you Granny, we all will…but thanks for letting me share in your life and for being a huge part of mine. Until we meet again, give Granddad hugs & kisses from us all.

A Red State of Mind

“It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once.”

- David Hume -

So, I was nosing around the internet the other day looking at historic records of the national political philosophies in recent decades and came across this list. I have heard it mentioned before, but never actually read it. In fact, I didn’t really know if it existed. But, it is real. And, it is utterly dumbfounding. In fact, so scary and prophetic, I couldn't hold back my thoughts nor my posting it to my blog. Yes, I haven't written in a while and I planned to write on something different, but this jumped up and grabbed me. I can't help but post it.

Read this and be aware. Read this and be very wary of your government and our current culture. There is an undercurrent that this document reveals that is quite directed and scary. I am not saying that all of these changes and aspects of our culture were perpetrated by actual Communists or even one particular party. I am not assigning blame, though I believe we are all guilty of at least ignorance and neglect. I am not saying that our nation is doomed to fail or paralyzed. I am not trying to be a prophet of the apocalypse. I don’t want to incite fear or claim special knowledge. But, what I am saying is that these things have happened. And they are fearfully real. They seem to be getting worse, deepening our hole even farther. They are all moving us farther and farther from the truth of our founding and the Truth of our Maker.

These are trying times we live in, trying times indeed.

Current Communist Goals, 1963

Congressional Record--Appendix, pp. A34-A35

January 10, 1963

Entered into the congressional record by

Albert Herlong, Jr., a Floridian who served in Congress from 1949-69

(all commentary in italics are mine)

1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war. “We must allow them to just have their crazy dictators and their dangerous nuclear weapons in the hands of wackos with no intervention. We just have to tolerate it. Only negotiations are moral. It’s only fair. We must coexist.”

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war. Look at the seeming willingness of the President and administration to disarm or simply “negotiate” rather than act to end tyranny or a national/international security threat.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength. Take a peek at the recent comments & UN speech of President Obama that he wishes to have a nuclear free world; his motivation is a world of “peace”, seen as a moral obligation. All opponents are seen as war-mongers and insensitive enemies of love.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war. Watch out for the upcoming trade agreement with Cuba, or the current status with nations like the People’s Republic of China and Chavez’s Venezuela. Why even engage these radical states?

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites. We continue to give loans to former Soviet states, Russia, China, and the new neo-fascist Islamic states of the Middle East.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination. (See note for # 5.)

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N. Happened years ago, and as their economic prowess increases, so too does their influence in the UN.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N. Thankfully, this did not happen, mainly due to the efforts of President Reagan and PM Margaret Thatcher.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress. Seems eerily similar to the present administration’s willingness to “negotiate” with rogue, terrorist states (N. Korea, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, etc.) while they continue to arm as we disarm.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N. Thankfully, the USSR fell apart, though Russia still looms.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.) This last statement is unbelievably PROPHECTIC. The U.N. now controls ALL international negotiations and demands to be involved in all once sovereign state foreign policy decision-making. The world wants the U.N. to dictate what America does and Obama is granting it permission.

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party. Can we really outlaw the Democratic Party of today??

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths. Of course, do not promote loyalty or honesty. These reflect morals and truth, which cannot be tolerated. Why can it not be tolerated? It removes the emphasis of the State as the essential being in the universe.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office. (I know nothing on this one.)

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States. Hmmmm, we all know the Democratic donkey has gone the way of the Marxist, but I believe the Republican elephant is dangerously teetering as well, just look at the moderates like McCain & Snow.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights. Say, institutions like heterosexual marriage, the celebration of Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc., the idea of freedom of speech (constantly attacked by the language police)? There are so many more under this goal, I have to stop writing.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks. Not only is higher education controlled by Leftist, Marxist principles, but now secondary & primary schools have been infiltrated. More importantly, curriculums have been HUGELY slanted to bias these philosophies. Get them while their young! (And, the young voters will get you elected – Obama.)

18. Gain control of all student newspapers. Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Princeton…should I go on?

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack. See the college riots of the 1960’s, the Black Panthers, gays rights activists in California last year, feminists of ‘90’s, the newest and most violent, environmentalists, etc.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions. Wow. Maybe the MOST successful strategy of the list. Mark Levin’s Liberty & Tyranny sells over 1 million copies and Glenn Beck’s Arguing With Idiots, #1 in the nation, not to mention Michelle Malkin’s bestseller, and still no reviews from the New York Times or any other national, mainstream paper. MSNBC, CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN are all now state-run media, and actual journalism is dead in most quadrants as true stories are ignored (ACORN, global warming) and tossed out out-of-hand.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures. This is the only rival to the high-success implementation of #20. Have you watched the hype of Hollywood personalities supporting the leftist policies of Obama and the Democrats? Have you seen the “I Pledge” Video atrocity for Obama? Have you watched a movie or TV recently that has not had a gay, a stupid man, a broken home, a greedy businessman, a dirty priest, or a close-minded conservative? Success!!

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms." Have you ever heard of modern art? Or ever tried to understand it? (It’s not all bad, but most of it degrades traditional society or simply rejects natural forms.)

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art." See #22.

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press. They are trying. And, at the same time they are INCREASING censorship through the language police and the politically incorrect squad. You can cuss on SNL, but you can’t tell the truth about the violent nature & origin of Islam or the invalidity of global warming theory.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV. Normalization of aberrant behavior - see MTV, HBO, pornography on the shelves of every major bookstore & video rental shop, and continually expanding acceptance in primetime TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy." I watched with my own eyes as MTV normalized pornography and homosexuality through the 90’s and 00’s. Now, even this week, Harvey Milk was given a state holiday in California, because he was solely, a gay” hero”. Our national safe school czar is a militant homosexual. Safe sex is promoted heavily, while multiple partner sex is a given fact. Abstinence, life-long monogamy, and traditional marriage are seen as archaic, unrealistic. Mission accomplished.

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch." Take a look at the current Social Gospel at work nationwide. There spirituality gives more emphasis on helping the poor and human rights issues than the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. See also the devastating effects of liberation theology within the black community since the 60’s. “ Victimology” is prevalent everywhere and leads to unyielding dependence on government & community leaders (Obama, Sharpton, Jackson, etc.) The Bible is under fire by people like Bart Ehrman and some leaders are teaching intolerant tolerance and multiple paths to God. This is the MOST deadly assault on America, for if it were properly being taught and lived out the Truth, all of the other things on this list would be recognized as failed and untrue. ALL goals on this list and the list of the current Left lead to this goal – remove God from man and man from God.

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state." In 1963, Bible recitation and prayer were banned in public schools. It’s Happy Holidays now instead of Christmas; Thanksgiving is Fall Break; Easter is Spring Break; the Ten Commandments are banned.

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis. Have you heard our current President’s diatribe on how the Constitution was inadequate and needs to be re-imagined? How the Founding Fathers didn’t do enough to re-distribute wealth in the document? (Yes, he said it on the air of a local Chicago radio show – the audio is all over the net.)

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man." Have you seen how our schools now often emphasize the criminality (in modern eyes) of our Founders, being slave-owners and such? Again, Obama says they didn’t do enough to re-distribute wealth to the “poor”, the “common man”. He was trained well.

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over. Granted we don’t emphasize Russia, but we sure do love Europeans and their socialism. In addition, we belittle the role of faith in America, the role of capitalism in America’s success and the world’s welfare, the role of compassion in the history of America & American business, etc. Also, we can’t just emphasize America for that is ethnocentric or too nationalistic. I was even told that once that my concerns for national security and the end of international tyrannical rule was indeed “selfish” and “egotistical”.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture, education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc. Health care, nationalization of corporate ownership, the Department of Education, Medicare, and GLOBAL WARMING policies & implementations all fit the bill. But, the real list is far too long to list.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus. (Probably too dense for me to understand – so I won’t try.)

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities. That happened, no question. I would like to start it up again; problem: there would be so few Congressmen left we couldn’t govern and we couldn’t make movies or TV shows any more either.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI. Again, the Obama administration is trying as they seek to incriminate intelligence agents and try to stop the workings of the general intelligence community by claiming their activities are criminal.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions. Well, the unions got Obama elected. The SEIU and ACORN are large parts of his political army. The AFL/CIO are definitely in his pocket. And, he is trying to grow more unions with the end of the anonymous ballot in employment issues and the health care bill (yes, if the privately owned hospitals end, nurses, doctors, and all health care employees will become members of UNIONS.) Everything Obama does is in some way associated with the unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business. The government has already bought out the car companies and banks – and, they are trying for much, much more with the health care and the global warming tax.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat]. First part, Obama mentioned a new civil defense group. “We need it.” Second part, notice the increase of diagnosis of diseases and mental problems (AD/HD, broad spectrum autism, constant depression, etc.). There is a pill for every condition and a diagnosis for every action.

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals. Who knows what will happen with State-run health care?

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce. Divorce is definitely easy now dayst. Promiscuity is assumed. The family model is never modeled publically or in pop culture. The homosexual militants discourage the family as well. The family’s disintegration means the disintegration of faith and all values.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents. Who does more education now, the State-run schools or the home? Who says they know best, the State educators or the parents? Do kids spend more time in the school and day care or with a parent at home? Don’t be fooled – this is part of the idea with year-round school terms as well: why do kids need to be home, ever?

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use "united force" to solve economic, political or social problems. The most militant and active, violent groups in America today are environmentalists and gay rights militants. There are race-bigots who are as well. And, for all, it is their “right” – unless of course, they are a conservative talk show.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government. See Africa or some Asian nations. They are trying to push us out of Afghanistan and Iraq before they are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal. President Carter did this, and Russian ships (even military ships) were allowed through the canal recently. Chavez, the Venezuelan Communist, loves the Russians and he is close to the canal, providing them a convenient nuclear trade route (not to mention Cuba).

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction [over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction] over nations and individuals alike. Obama’s current administration is full of “international law” proponents that seek to submit the United States to international laws of different nations, rather than the sovereign rights of our nation. Some even see value in endorsing Islamic shar’ia law throughout America. Notice the value being given to international laws regarding battlefield combatants and criminal detainees (see Guantonimo Bay, etc.) And what’s the biggest vehicle for this type of law and submission of America’s sovereign rights to a global power/court? GLOBAL WARMING legislation and restriction. ALL LIES.

Keep This In Mind At All Times

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satisfied; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."

God In The Dock: Essays On Theology & Ethics
1970-71
C. S. Lewis

I have nothing more to add...just listen to the wisdom of a master and apply where necessary.

Risky Business

The Storm On The Sea Of Galilee

Rembrandt, 1633

The haunt of risk is ever present. It is the specter that shadows our living days. Yet if we will but accept this ghost, then our life shall be rich with life indeed.

Risk is indeed what rules our life. Everything we do involves it, everything we think dwells on it. We consider the cost at every turn. When we love, when we hate, when we play sports as out of shape old men, when we sign up to fly half way across the world to watch international soccer in South Africa, when we drive to the store, when we love, when we lose a job and search for a new one, when we dare to enter into a relationship with the Father of the Universe. Oh, did I mention, when we love? All is fraught with danger. And yet that danger, that risk, is what makes life worth the living. Isn’t it?

The payoff of risk is prosperity and life or poverty and death. And oddly, each of these options can be both good and bad in turn. Start with an obvious example of risk. If you risk your money on the stock market (called “investing” by those wanting your money) and end up with millions over many years, you have a cushy life and a secure future. All is well and some of the worries of life are alleviated with cash. But what if those riches make you a monster, a godless man with no direction, no love, no joy. To quote P. Diddy or Puff or Sean Jean or whatever the crap that no-talent hip-hopper calls himself now, “Mo money, mo problems.” Greed and avarice are old vices that have never left the human condition and never will. Money and riches can be wonderful though, especially in the hands of one who is humble and generous. And, still it can destroy even the best of people if they serve it and lust after it and put all of their life’s blood into it. That’s risk – an easy example we all know.

Ever had a pet? A dog or a hamster or a bunny (no, cats don’t count – you are their pet). You love on that animal as a kid like you love on a silly stuffed bear. Tugging on it, riding it, petting it too hard. But amazing miracle of life, the little critter loves you back. They lick your face or nibble food out of your very hand. And at the end of a long day, they lay by you on the couch watching baseball, letting you stroke them and pick off their loose hair. They bark to tell you danger is near and they run the yard with you, playing games and just being goofy together. Then they get old and crotchety. The dog gets hunched and surly, and the hair gets white and stiff around their little eyes and lips. And one day they slip away with age, either induced by drugs or by God’s course of time. And yet, maybe they don’t make it that far. What if they die early, not long after you get them? You might have left the bunny in the freezing cold too long. Or, the gate was open and you didn’t know it – pup gone roaming forever, and not even potty trained. But was that short or lengthy time with that surprising gift of Father worth it? Yeah, I think so.

How about this one? You plan a trip to Brazil and have the time of your life visiting an amazing world of color and culture and life. You go to France and finally explore the European landscape you had always desired. Both, either/or, are great options. Simply vacations of your lives. But then you get on a plane and it goes down over the Atlantic for no apparent reason. Your life is now over. Ended. And, all of your family and friends are left holding the bag of grief and sorrow. You took a risk by simply traveling, getting out and seeing God’s green earth. And that risk has now come home to roost. The worst has happened and you are gone. Or, the most normal and typical alternative: you arrive home, safe and sound with hundreds of pictures on your camera and stories to last a lifetime. You risked travel and received an enriched view of the world in which we live (and some good old fashioned fun, too).

Or what about this scenario? You meet a kid in grade school, become best friends slowly over school, go to college as roommates, have him as your best man in your wedding, and consider him a life-long traveler on your road to the dead end. Then freakish tragedy strikes: he’s in a motorcycle accident or a car accident or a terminal disease strikes him or his breathing stops in the night because his weight has become a little out of control. He’s gone and it’s over. And now all of that time and love you spent on your relationship is a fatality. It is forever ended, stopped by the ceasing of a beating heart. And what are you left with? Longing, sorrow, grief, feelings of fear, emotions of being alone. Yes, you do. And that’s the risk. But there is another side to it. You have the memories, too. You have the shared-life that no one knows but you and no one can take away. You have a picture of existence that is deepened and widened because he was a friend. You have memories of soccer matches won & loss, new music discovered, good books reviewed, love discussed, and the problem of the universe debated. You have all of that, and you will never give it up…because you risked. It was worth it. No question - it was worth it, despite any temporary pain.

Good Lord in Heaven, what about children? Wow, what a risk and a trial and a blessing and a ridiculously amazing love affair. They come out of nowhere to possess your whole world and to take a stranglehold on your heart. They make you stay up terrible hours, wake you up earlier than you want to be or have to be, and take away your wife over and over again. The family dynamic is suddenly turned on its head and you get the leftovers. But oh what joyous leftovers: a little person that loves you for no other reason than you are there; a little girl that wants to spend time with you no matter what; a little angel that tugs your heart into realms you never knew existed. And when the first words “I love you” or “I’m glad you are my daddy” come your way unbidden, hold on because you just received a glimpse of the joy of heaven only Father can conceive. But all is not rosy, let no one tell you otherwise. Your kids will drive you nuts as well, to cliffs of anger and frustration that you never knew existed either. And, you never know what is going to happen with kids. They may show up with an incurable ailment. They may only live ten, twenty, thirty years on this earth. Maybe not even that long. They may lead lives of craziness, of lust, of pain, of teenage pregnancy, of stupid ideology, of total disregard for you. And they may be perfectly normal, adjusted and by your bedside. But you will never know how it will happen and how it will end. And you will also never know one of the greatest joys and graces of life if you don’t risk letting a little one come along and join your journey. I’ll take those odds – with fear and trembling.

Oh, and the ultimate risk: marriage. Falling in love, giving yourself over fully to another flesh-and-blood, messed-up and flawed woman who you can’t live without or stand to let out of your head. Her beauty is astounding and she is the best friend you could ever have. A perfect match, a perfect gift of grace. But that loving is tough, too. Tough because it is risk. Rejection looms, distrust threatens, betrayal is possible, and constant discovery of new peccadilloes and character traits are challenging. Your spirit yearns for her and your heart is completely and utterly caught-up, and yet with fear and trepidation every new situation or disease or circumstance brings a possibility of strain, of even outright pain. Life is long, but with another who is your one-and-only girl, it is wonderfully comfortable and true. It is pain-filled yes, and it is even scary often – but it is great and awesome and grace-on-a-stick. But it is all risk. Cancer comes and destroys, mental disease invades and takes away memories, hearts give out, and eventually all will be taken down in one way or another by this fallen world’s curse of death. And it doesn’t always come when you are old and resting in a home; it often strikes people before they have kids, right after, or when their youngest is graduating college. The communion of marriage is the ultimate experience of life, and it is not bereft of risk. Yet, it is my favorite risk to have taken, much because my wonderful “other” loves me for no good reason and took the chance “to back a horse that’s good for glue and nothing else” nearly ten years ago. (Thanks honey.) It is one of the few endeavors that I am ultimately confident in. Bad possibilities are possible, but the good is simply too strong to fail.

And so, with all of this said, would you take any of it back or never even try it to begin with? Would you stop any of the trips, stop planning for your future, stop loving on dogs, finding friends, raising babies, and making love? I hope you say no. I do. Or more truly, I am learning to. The fear of risk, anomalous scenarios, and simply death in general terrify me. In so many scenarios they rule me. But I am learning to overcome. Funny thing is I am learning to take the risk because of another risky proposition: entering and accepting our Father’s Love & Grace. I can hear a few saying here we go again, but it is simply the truest thing I can say. Not a simple salvation message or a typical God-talk – no, something much deeper. As I further my totally open & true honesty with the Father of the universe, I find myself. I find that there is no risk in some parts of this relationship, mainly because He is so good and so not human, not me. He has no faults, no errors, no betrayals, no fears. And He is Love. Amazing, terrifying, untamable, ever-pursuant, never shocked and never surprised Love. He knows me better than me, and He still loves this beaten-down, tired old boy. He even loves who I truly am, who I want to be, who He knows I can and will be. He is the irrepressible Hound of Heaven. And I am secure in Him.

Yet other aspects of relationship with Father are indeed risky to our broken perception. This is almost entirely because we are called to die. We are called to death. I don’t like that – not one little bit. Scares me and invades my ever-present need for control. He wants me to do what – die? But what does that mean, you say and I say? Well, yes it includes things such as holiness and right living and all of that good ol’ religion stuff, but I am finding that it means a whole crap-load more. He wants me to die to the personality that enslaves me: the things that are in me as a result of living in this fallen world, having on this flesh and blood. It’s more than just sins of the flesh, it is the core of who we are that he wants us to find. For me, some of this Holy Death means giving up my fear, giving up my need to perform, ending my need to succeed, trusting (oh, trusting - the hardest part) Him with my life and my family’s life, relinquishing the pressure I put on myself to be perfect, and realizing who He truly is and what I am truly am and am not. Death in God means realizing finally that the grim reaper catches us all in the end, so why not truly live, and live fully in Him, while we have a breath left in our skin? As my friend WK asks, "Are you living with a disastrous death in mind or will you die having lived a glorious life?" We obsess about the risk of death (literally and figuratively), when in truth it will all end one day no matter. But that’s okay, because I know Who is in control. And if I will just give up now, and let Him have me, then the risk won’t be so burdensome, so entirely consuming.

That’s just it, in an odd way. It all comes back to risk. Father’s graceful call to death is a call to life. We know this, Christ said it. But, we don’t know what all it means. A lot of it means what I said above. Then again, a lot of it will be totally different for you. And even more so, a bunch of it is yet to be discovered on the Road. And the Road He calls us to? To live a life full of risk and understand that it is that very risk that gives life and a life abundantly full of Grace. You must risk to die, and you must risk to truly live. This is the paradox of life in Him. And it is in the paradox that Truth resides. Life is risk and risk is indeed life.

Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die. "He that will lose his life, the same shall save it"...This paradox is the whole principle of courage; even of quite earthly or quite brutal courage. A man cut off by the sea may save his life if he will risk it on the precipice...A soldier surrounded by enemies, if he is to cut his way out, needs to combine a strong desire for living with a strange carelessness about dying. He must not merely cling to life, for then he will be a coward, and will not escape. He must not merely wait for death, for then he will be a suicide, and will not escape. He must seek his life in a spirit of furious indifference to it; he must desire life like water and yet drink death like wine.

Orthodoxy

Chapter VI: The Paradoxes of Christianity

G.K Chesterton, 1909