Jesus Is An Historical Figure

We do not need the Bible to prove Jesus was and is an historical figure. Jesus is just as much a documented historical figure as Julius Caesar. Do you believe Alexander the Great lived? You can believe Jesus lived. We do not need any more faith to believe the historical facts contained in the Bible than we need to believe the Encyclopedia or a Dictionary. Why do you believe what you read in an Encyclopedia or Dictionary? Does the Encyclopedia make history or does it report history? Does a dictionary define words or does it report definitions? Does being in the Bible make what is written true or is what is written, in the Bible, because it is true? A major difference between the Bible and other books of History is the Bible’s authors were inspired and as a result, the Bible contains the most reliable letters and books ever written. We have a tendency to consider secular history and Biblical history as if they are different. The Bible is the most accurate history ever recorded. All other history has been written by the King or by the winner.

Have you ever considered why the Israelites preserved the writings as they did? The descendants of Abraham were responsible for preserving the scriptures that repeatedly rebuked them for their idolatrous backsliding from God. They could have altered and preserved writings more flattering of them. Many of the nations surrounding Israel often chose to embellish their history, intentionally excluding derogatory remarks or events concerning themselves.

The descendants of Abraham believed God inspired the writers and that they described the coming Messiah, who according to these Scriptures, is not only destined to save the nation of Israel, but the entire world. The Old Testament writings describe and predict the coming Messiah. The New Testament documents the fulfillment of those predictions.

Since “secular” history verifies “Biblical” history on like topics it appears, we would be wise to heed what the Bible has to say concerning subjects not addressed in secular history.

Jesus is a real person and is as historical and just as real as any of the people we read about in history books.

The Historical Jesus, Fact or Fiction?

Tacitus, (A.D. 56 to 117), was a member of the Roman provincial upper class with a formal education who held several high positions under different emperors such as Nerva and Trajan. Tacitus' works contain a wealth of information about his world, but details on his own life are scarce. His most famous work, which was also his last work, Annals, was a history of Rome written approximately A.D. 115. The Annals covered the period from the death of Augustus Caesar in the year 14 A.D. up to Nero’s death in June 68 A.D and filled at least sixteen books. In the Annals Tacitus told of a Great Fire of Rome, which occurred in A.D. 64, Nero, the Roman emperor in office at the time, was suspected by many of having ordered the city set on fire. Tacitus wrote:

”Nero fabricated scapegoats---and punished with every refinement the notoriously depraved Christians (as they were popularly called). The governor of Judea, Pontius Pilatus, had executed their originator, Christ, in Tiberius’ reign. But in spite of this temporary setback, the deadly superstition had broken afresh, not only in Judea (where the mischief had started) but also even in Rome.”

Tacitus hated both Christians and Christ. He would have nothing positive to say about what he referred to as a “deadly superstition.” His testimony establishes beyond any reasonable doubt that the Christian religion not only was relevant historically, but that Christ, its originator, was a verifiable historical figure of such prominence that He even attracted the attention of the Roman emperor himself!

Suetonius, who wrote around A.D. 120, had access to the Imperial and Senatorial archives and to a collection of memoirs and public documents, and lived nearly 30 years under the Caesars. Much of his information about Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero comes from eyewitness of the events he described.
Suetonius wrote:

“Because the Jews at Rome caused continuous disturbance at the instigation of Chrestus, he (Claudius) expelled them from the city.”

Luke mentioned the expulsion.

Acts 18:2
And he (Paul) found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. …

Chrestus is thought to be a misspelling of Christos, the Greek word that translates Messiah.

In (A.D.49) when Claudius issued his decree forbidding Jewish worship in Rome, Christians fell under this ban for they were still considered a Jewish sect. There had been rioting in the city over one "Chrestos" presumably provoked by a disagreement between Rome's Jews and Christians over Jesus.

Suetonius further noted:

“Punishments were also inflicted on the Christians, a sect professing a new and mischievous religious belief.”

Suetonius as well as the Roman government hated the band of rebels.

Pliny the Younger was sent by the Roman emperor Trajan to govern the affairs of the region of Bithynia. From this region, Pliny wrote to the emperor concerning a problem he viewed as quite serious. He wrote:

“Having never been present at any trials of the Christians, I am unacquainted with the method and limits to be observed in either examining or punishing them. In the meanwhile, the method I have observed towards those who have been denounced to me as Christians is this: I interrogated them whether they were Christians; if they confessed it I repeated the question twice again, adding the threat of capital punishment; if they still persevered, I ordered them executed.”

Pliny’s use of the term Christians corroborates it as a generally accepted term, recognized by both the Roman Empire as well as its emperor. Pliny used the term Christ to refer to the originator of the “sect.” He noted that those who professed Christianity

“Affirmed, however, the whole of their guilt, or their error was that they were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to do any wicked deeds…”

Christians, with Christ as their founder, had multiplied in such a way as to draw the attention of the emperor and his magistrates by the time of Pliny’s letter to Trajan. As a result, it cannot be denied that Jesus Christ existed and was recognized by the highest officials within the Roman government as an actual historical person.

Hostile Roman witnesses who bore testimony of Jesus never depicted Jesus as the Son of God nor as the Savior of the world. They described Jesus as a man. Yet even though they missed the mark regarding the truth of Who He was, they documented that He was.

Josephus is an important Jewish witness. He was born into a Jewish upper class priestly family around A.D. 37. His education in biblical law and history was the best of his day. Josephus wrote Antiquities of the Jews between September 93 and September 94. In Antiquities, Josephus wrote:

“So he assembled the Sanhedrim of the judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James and some other companions and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned;”

This well-educated, Jewish historian wrote about a man name Jesus Who actually existed in the first century.

Even if we did not have the New Testament or other Christian writings, we would be able to conclude from such non-Christian writings as Josephus, the Talmud, Pliny the Younger and others that:

• Jesus was a Jewish teacher;
• Many people believed that he performed healings and exorcisms;
• He was rejected by the Jewish leaders;
• He was crucified under Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius;
• Despite this shameful death, his followers, who believed that he was still alive, spread beyond Palestine so that there were multitudes of them in Rome by 64 A. D.;

All kinds of people from the cities and countryside---men and women, slave and free---worshiped him as God by the beginning of the second century.

Another group of writers that make up a significant group of witnesses to the existence of Christ is the group of men who wrote from the end of the first century to the eighth century A.D. Their writings are Christian in their orientation, the early date of many of the writings provide evidence that Christ was a genuine historical person.

Polycarp and early Christian who lived approximately 69-155 A.D. wrote several letters, including one titled The Epistle to the Phillipians. In it he explains that Jesus “suffered even unto death,” and quotes several commandments and remarks from Jesus.

Iraneus, who lived from approximately 120-202 A.D. notes several things about Polycarp:

For I have a more vivid recollection of what occurred at that time of recent events…so that I can even describe the place where the blessed Polycarp used to sit and discourse—his going out, too and his coming in—his general mode of life and personal appearance, together with the discourse which he delivered to the people; also how he would speak of his familiar conversations with John, and with the rest of those who had seen the Lord; and how he would call their words to remembrance. Whatsoever things he had heard from them respecting the Lord, both with regard to His miracles and His teaching, Polycarp having thus received [information] from the eye witnesses of the Word of Life, would recount them all in harmony with the Scriptures.

Several other early church writers can be documented and referenced along similar lines. Origen lived from 185-253 A.D., Justin Martyr from 100-165, Tertullian from 160-215, and Clement of Alexandria from 150-215. Each of these men, and others from comparable time periods, wrote extensively about Jesus

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John provide more information about Jesus than any other sources. But can these books be considered historical evidence or are they writings whose reliability and objectivity are in question? How well do the records of these four men compare with historical documents? They do not claim to be merely history books but they do claim the historical facts they relate are accurate with no errors.

Acts 1:1-3
In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, [2] until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. [3] To them he presented himself alive after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

Pontius Pilate: All four gospel accounts refer to Pontius Pilate. His inquisition of Jesus at the insistence of the Jewish mob is one of the most memorable events in the life of Jesus. Three times, he explained to the mob that he found no fault with Jesus

John 18:38
Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, "I find no guilt in him.

John 19:4
Pilate went out again and said to them, "See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him."

John 19:6
When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him."

Wanting not to upset the mob even more than it already was Pilate ceremonially washed his hands, symbolically absolving himself of any responsibility and then gave Jesus to be scourged and crucified.

For most of the 2000 years since this event, the only references to Pilate were by Josephus and Tacitus. The record of his life showed he was the Roman ruler over Judea from 26-36 A.D. The records show he was a very rash and violent man.

Luke 13:1
There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

Pilate had people killed while the people were making sacrifices.

Besides an occasional reference to Pilate in various records, there were no inscriptions or monuments that documented the life of Pontius Pilate. That is until 1961.

In 1961, Pilate moved from a figure known only from ancient literature to a figure attested to by archaeology. The Roman officials who controlled Judea during Jesus’ time, are thought to have made their headquarters in the ancient town of Caesarea as indicated by two references by Josephus to Pilate’s military and political activity in that city. Located in Caesarea was a large Roman theater that a group of Italian-sponsored archaeologists began to excavate in 1959. Two years later, in 1961, researchers found a two-foot by three-foot slab of rock that had been used “in the construction of a landing between flights of steps in a tier of seats reserved for guests of honor.” The Latin inscription on the stone proved that originally it was not meant to be used as a building block in the theater. On the stone, the researchers found what was left of an inscription bearing the name of Pontius Pilate. The entire inscription is not legible, but one researcher commented, “The name Pontius Pilate is quite unmistakable, and is of much importance as the first epigraphical documentation concerning Pontius Pilate, who governed Judea A. D. 26-36. What the complete inscription once said is not definitely known, but there is general agreement that originally the stone may have come from a temple or shrine dedicated to the Roman emperor Tiberius.” It would be difficult to find a stronger piece of evidence for the New Testament’s accuracy. Now known as “The Pilate Inscription,” this stone slab documents that Pilate was the Roman official governing Judea, and even uses his more complete name of Pontius Pilate, as found in

Luke 3:1
In the fifteenth year of
the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,

One last example:

Sergius Paulus the Proconsul of Cyprus

Throughout Paul’s missionary journeys. He and his fellow travelers came in contact with numerous prestigious people—including Roman rulers of the area in which Paul and his friends were preaching. If Luke had been fabricating these travels, he could have made vague references to Roman rulers without giving specific names and titles. But that is not what he did. In Acts, it seems Luke went out of his way to document specific cities, places, names and titles.

One is found in Acts 13.

Acts 13:4-7
So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. [5] When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in he synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. [6] When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus (aka Elymas). [7] He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.

This permits a student of archaeology two areas to verify or prove false. First, did a proconsul rule the area of Cyprus and Paphos during the time of Paul’s work there? Second, was there ever a Sergius Paulus?

For many years, those who doubted Luke’s accuracy claimed the area around Cyprus would not have been ruled by a proconsul but by a propraetor.

Proconsul is a deputy or governor appointed and controlled by the Roman Senate. He was the highest ranking official on the island.

Propraetor is a elected official similar to our mayor or judge.

When Cyprus was annexed from Egypt in 58 B.C. in was considered an imperial province and would have been put under a “propraetor” not a proconsul. In 22 B.C., Augustus transferred it to the Roman Senate. Once given to the Senate, proconsuls would have ruled Cyprus, just as in the other senatorial provinces.

In addition to Cyprus becoming a senatorial province, archaeologists have found copper coins from the region that refer to other proconsuls who were not much removed from the time pf Paul. One coin called “a copper procousulare coin of Cyprus,” pictures the head of Claudius Caesar, and contains the title of Arminius Proclus Proconsul…of the Cyprians.

As impressive as Luke having accurately recorded the specific title is the fact that evidence has become known that supports that the proconsul’s name, Sergius Paulus is as accurate. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia records three ancient inscriptions that could be possible matches. First, on the north coast of Cyprus, an inscription was uncovered that mentioned Paulus, who was a proconsul. Another Latin inscription was discovered that refers to a Lucius Sergius Paulus who was “one of the curators of the Banks of the Tiber during the reign of Claudius.” Finally, a fragment of a Greek inscription from a coin discovered in northern Cyprus refers to a Quintus Sergius Paulus as proconsul during the reign of Claudius. Regardless of which of these inscriptions actually connects to Acts 13, there were at least two men name Paulus who were proconsuls in Cyprus and at least two men named Sergius Paulus were officials during Claudius’ reign. Luke’s accuracy is confirmed again.

When someone asks “Is the life of Jesus Christ a historic event?,” he or she must remember that “if we maintain that the life of Jesus is not a historical event, we have to give up ancient history and deny that there ever was such an event as the assassination of Julius Caesar”. And we will have to deny the historical reliability of the New Testament documents.

Certain facts about Jesus are supported by at least as much reliable evidence as are a number of other historical facts known to us from the ancient world that we take for granted.

Faced with overwhelming evidence that Jesus lived on this earth is a fact that cannot be denied successfully. Critics do not like having to admit it, but they cannot deny that Jesus has had a greater impact on the world than any single life before or after. Nor can they deny that Jesus died at the hands of Pontius Pilate. The simple fact of the matter is that Jesus did exist and he lived among men just as recorded in the Bible.
Early Christians welcomed a full examination of the credentials of the message that they preached.

While Paul was on trial before King Agrippa, he said to Festus:

Acts 26:26
For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner.

Author, Norman Anderson, wrote:

“It is impossible to say that no one has the right to be an agnostic. But no one has the right to be an agnostic till he has thus dealt with the question, and faced this fact with an open mind. After that, he may be an agnostic—if he can.”

Acts 9:22

But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.

Acts 17:3

explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ."

There are two issues,

• To understand the Messiah predicted in the Old Testament has come;
• To understand that Jesus is the Messiah.

Do you ever wonder how Paul proved Jesus was the Christ? Well, that is for another time.

We know Jesus lived. We can trust the Bible is true. We know Paul proved it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead and we know Paul was able to prove Jesus was the Messiah. We need to know the Bible.

Richard Carrier wrote on his website about the resurrection that:

“No amount of argument can convince me to trust a 2000-year-old second-hand report over what I see, myself, directly, here and now, with my own eyes. … I see no one returning to life after their brain has completely died from lack of oxygen. I have had no conversations with spirits of the dead. How can what this 2000-year-old second-hand tale … command more respect than my own eyes? It cannot.”

Although such an argument at first appears to be perfectly plausible, it encounters two major difficulties. First, there are things that took place in the past that no one alive today has seen or ever will see, yet they are still accepted as fact. The origin of life on this planet provides a good example. Regardless of whether a person believes in creation or evolution, they must admit that some things happened in the past that are still not occurring today…

Second, it is true that a dead person rising from the dead would be an amazing and astonishing event. People do not normally rise from the dead in the everyday scheme of things. Yet, wasn’t the specific point the apostles and other witnesses of the resurrection were trying to get people to understand? If Jesus truly rose from the grave never to die again—thereby accomplishing something that no mortal man had ever accomplished—wouldn’t that be enough to prove He was the Son of God as he had claimed? He had predicted that He would be raised from the dead. And He was!


While we do not need faith to believe the historical facts recorded in the Bible, it is a bold leap of faith to accept the Scriptures as the inspired revelation of God. Jimmy Jividen wrote; the inspiration of the scriptures is accepted, not by proving a proposition or witnessing a paranormal event that claims to be a miracle, but from choosing to believe the testimonies of qualified witnesses. John wrote:

John 21:24
This is the
disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

1 John 1:1-3
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— [2] the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— [3] that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

That is all I have to say so…………

Tennessee Walking Horses, What Is Soring?

Horses that are shown for cash prizes, trophies and ribbons are "trained" in various ways. Some are subjected to one form of abuse or other in the name of such "training" and for the glory and monetary gain in their value.

The Gaited Horse breeds are victims of Chemical and/or Mechanical "Soring".

Some of the Chemicals of choice by the Sorers include Mustard Oil, fuel oil and other petroleum products, Collodian and Salicylic acid. These chemicals cause terrible burning pain, death, occasionally, and inevitable scarring.

When the USDA/APHIS recognized this, they created the NO SCAR rule which in turn drove the Sorers to the use of Salicylic Acid which is applied liberally to the scarred areas and literally "burns off" the scarred skin while the horses lie in excruciating pain without the benefit of anesthetic.

If the horse survives, this "new" skin is scar free but thickened and sparsely haired.

Many horses, after this "treatment" have open lesions and/or "scurfing" on their pasterns but are "passed" as "clean" by the Sored-Horse Inspection Organizations when the USDA/APHIS is not present at their shows. The USDA/APHIS can afford to attend only 10% of the Horse Shows.

Mechanical Soring can be just as hideous and just as painful for the horses. Stacks (up to 5" high and sometimes filled with wet sand for weight) and chains are affixed to the front hooves (mostly after the horse has been Chemically sored) causing the horse to snatch his painful front hooves up off the ground and throw his weight onto the back of the spine, hips and rear legs causing the "knee up the nose, butt dragging" image of the Big Lick Show Horse.

Pressure Shoeing causes extreme pain and some of the Sored-Horse Trainers stop short of this practice, though many do not.

Road Foundering is a common practice before showing causing exactly the amount of pain you would expect with "acute founder".

Heavy Plantation Shoes ("manhole covers" up to 60 oz. in weight) accompanied by a Chemical "touch-up" and chains on already painful areas, also produce the sought after but bastardized "gait".

Horses that are "chemically sored" not only suffer instant pain but can also be subject to Nervous System Disorders, sterility, genetic mutations, spontaneous abortions, intestinal tumors etc. and most die from Colic.

Mechanical Soring, aside from the instantly produced pain, causes irreparable damage in young horses to the tendons, knees, cerebral spine, hips, tendons and hocks of the rear legs. Show horses are subjected to this torture from as young as 14 mos. of age. The Show Careers of these unfortunate horses are short lived and these horses have the highest mortality rates and the lowest insurable ages-up to 12 years!

Steve Irwin

The death of Steve Irwin is regrettable. I never knew him but to read that someone you have watched on television has died is usually a bit unsettling. But I suggest there is a very important lesson to be learned.

I do not like reality TV and a lot of Steve Irwin's shows were just that. I see little difference with watching a man dodge a crocodile and watching a person eat bugs or watching a NASCAR wreck. People say Steve had a way of exciting people but so do terrorist attacks or car wrecks or natural disasters. Reality TV plays to the lowest of the inclinations of human beings. When I came across Steve provoking a crocodile or snake I changed channels. I realize if he or the animal was harmed it would have been edited out. This is supported by the video of his death not being aired. I imagine the longer that tape is around the more likely it will appear on the Internet. I encourage those who possess it to destroy it.

Steve made a living doing the very thing National Park Rangers are attempting to get tourists to NOT do and that is to intervene with an animal in their natural habitat.

Steve was reckless and he finally was caught and that is sad. He appeared to be a nice man but he had no respect for the animals. He thought he was faster or quicker or stronger or whatever and he was wrong. How close do you have to get to a stingray to have a nice picture? How long was the stingray's tail? I have no idea but it is only logical as you stay away from a crocodile's mouth or a bear's paws or a snake's fangs you stay away from a stingray's tail unless you believe you are faster or stronger or quicker etc. We have a CD of children's bear tunes and one track is on facts about bears. One fact the fellow gives is a bear can out run a horse so he tells the kids "no one and I mean no one can out run a bear." We have tourists here in Great Smoky Mountains National Park approaching bears feeding in a meadow. Sometimes there are cubs in the area but they don't deter the tourists. The tourists see them as cuddly and Steve Irwin encouraged such beliefs. He may have told the people to not do what he did but who do you believe listens to that admonition?

It would be nice if Steve's death served a purpose to make people wake up that animals are dangerous but nothing will change. Remember that young man and his girlfriend who were killed and eaten by a grizzly? They also had lost respect for the animals and lost Their experience did not deter Steve because he knew he was quicker, faster, etc. and he also was wrong. Feeding animals makes them see humans as a source of or as food.

Animals are dangerous and should be given lots of room.

Poof Goes Pluto

It's official--Pluto's out

The International Astronomical Union has voted to remove Pluto from the solar system--as a planet, that is.

Meeting in Prague over the past week, IAU members rejected a proposal to increase the number of planets to 12 by including Ceres, the largest known asteroid, which orbits between Mars and Jupiter; Charon, which has been considered Pluto's moon; and 2003 UB313, an object nicknamed "Xena" that was discovered in 2005 orbiting far beyond Pluto.

Pluto is now considered a "dwarf planet" because it has an oblong orbit that overlaps with Neptune's orbit.

A Show Worth Watching

Sadaam is on trial for killing some Kurds. Sadaam killing citizens of his own country, of which he is President and ultimate authority is unacceptable but the United States invading a sovereign country killing its citizens, disbanding the government and imprisoning the legally elected President is acceptable? Of course we may not like the elections but in Iraq it was a legal election.

President Clinton signed a UN agreement obligating the United States to abide by it, making it permissible for either the UN or World Court to hold accountable leaders of countries responsible for their actions against other countries. One of these days a smart Islamic Lawyer, educated in the United States of course, is going to test that agreement and come for our President via the World Court. Imagine Bush or another of our leaders showing up on television from the Hague. Won't that be a show worth watching....

Enunciate, Enunciate, Enunciate

There is a factory in Northern Minnesota which makes the Tickle Me Elmo toys. The toy laughs when you tickle it under the arms. Well, Lena is hired at The Tickle Me Elmo factory and she reports for her first day promptly at 8:00 AM. The next day at 8:45 AM there is a knock at the Personnel Manager's door. The Foreman throws open the door and begins to rant about the new employee. He complains that she is incredibly slow and the whole line is backing up, putting the entire production line behind schedule. The Personnel Manager decides he should see this for himself, so the 2 men march down to the factory floor. When they get there the line is so backed up that there are Tickle Me Elmo's all over the factory floor and they're really beginning to pile up. At the end of the line stands Lena surrounded by mountains of Tickle Me Elmo’s. She has a roll of plush red fabric and a huge bag of small marbles. The 2 men watch in amazement as she cuts a little piece of fabric, wraps it around two marbles and begins to carefully sew the little package between Elmo's legs. The Personnel Manager bursts into laughter. After several minutes of hysterics he pulls himself together and approaches Lena. "I'm sorry," he says to her, barely able to keep a straight face, "but I think you misunderstood the instructions I gave you yesterday..." "Your job is to give Elmo two test tickles.

Nothing Changes in the Middle East

Until the common folk in the middle east countries accept responsibility for their governments they can get along the best they can on their own. They hate us and they blame us. Let them stew in their own juices for a while. The moronic leader of Hezbollah saying if he had known Israel would react the way they did he would not have ordered those Israeli soldiers captured. I wonder why, because he said he had won. If the Lebanese people don't throw him out they deserve him and whatever suffering he brings upon them.

Those that hold to the Islamic religion say their's is a peaceful religion. That is a crock. With the 72 virgins their religion is based on 72 ejaculations and then E. D. Have you ever wondered what the women get while their men are screwing those virgins? Do we have any idea of what religion those virgins are members? They believe they are descendants of Abraham and Hagar. Abraham was a Chaldean and Hagar an Egyptian. This means Ishmael was 1/2 Chaldean and 1/2 Egyptian. Ishmael married an Egyptian woman so his direct children were 1/4 Chaldean and 3/4 Egyptian. The Bible records

"He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone's
hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen."

Appears to have described the whole group doesn't it. What makes anyone think anything is going to change with those people?

The Origins of Labor Day. Jim Lehrer, NewsHour

The observance of Labor Day began over 100 years ago. Conceived by America's labor unions as a testament to their cause, the legislation sanctioning the holiday was shepherded through Congress amid labor unrest and signed by President Grover Cleveland as a reluctant election-year compromise.

Pullman, Illinois was a company town, founded in 1880 by George Pullman, president of the railroad sleeping car company. Pullman designed and built the town to stand as a utopian workers' community insulated from the moral (and political) seductions of nearby Chicago.

The town was strictly, almost feudally, organized: row houses for the assembly and craft workers; modest Victorians for the managers; and a luxurious hotel where Pullman himself lived and where visiting customers, suppliers, and salesman would lodge while in town.

Its residents all worked for the Pullman company, their paychecks drawn from Pullman bank, and their rent, set by Pullman, deducted automatically from their weekly paychecks. The town, and the company, operated smoothly and successfully for more than a decade.

But in 1893, the Pullman company was caught in the nationwide economic depression. Orders for railroad sleeping cars declined, and George Pullman was forced to lay off hundreds of employees. Those who remained, endured wage cuts, even while rents in Pullman remained consistent. Take-home paychecks plummeted.

And so the employees walked out, demanding lower rents and higher pay. The American Railway Union, led by a young Eugene V. Debs, came to the cause of the striking workers, and railroad workers across the nation boycotted trains carrying Pullman cars. Rioting, pillaging, and burning of railroad cars soon ensued; mobs of non-union workers joined in.

The strike instantly became a national issue. President Grover Cleveland, faced with nervous railroad executives and interrupted mail trains, declared the strike a federal crime and deployed 12,000 troops to break the strike. Violence erupted, and two men were killed when U.S. deputy marshals fired on protesters in Kensington, near Chicago, but the strike was doomed.

On August 3, 1894, the strike was declared over. Debs went to prison, his ARU was disbanded, and Pullman employees henceforth signed a pledge that they would never again unionize. Aside from the already existing American Federation of Labor and the various railroad brotherhoods, industrial workers' unions were effectively stamped out and remained so until the Great Depression.

It was not the last time Debs would find himself behind bars, either. Campaigning from his jail cell, Debs would later win almost a million votes for the Socialist ticket in the 1920 presidential race.

In an attempt to appease the nation's workers,
Labor Day is born

The movement for a national Labor Day had been growing for some time. In September 1892, union workers in New York City took an unpaid day off and marched around Union Square in support of the holiday. But now, protests against President Cleveland's harsh methods made the appeasement of the nation's workers a top political priority. In the immediate wake of the strike, legislation was rushed unanimously through both houses of Congress, and the bill arrived on President Cleveland's desk just six days after his troops had broken the Pullman strike.

1894 was an election year. President Cleveland seized the chance at conciliation, and Labor Day was born. He was not reelected.

In 1898, Samuel Gompers, head of the American Federation of Labor, called it "the day for which the toilers in past centuries looked forward, when their rights and their wrongs would be discussed...that the workers of our day may not only lay down their tools of labor for a holiday, but upon which they may touch shoulders in marching phalanx and feel the stronger for it."

Labor Day: a good-bye to summer

Almost a century since Gompers spoke those words, though, Labor Day is seen as the last long weekend of summer rather than a day for political organizing. In 1995, less than 15 percent of American workers belonged to unions, down from a high in the 1950's of nearly 50 percent, though nearly all have benefited from the victories of the Labor movement.

And everyone who can takes a vacation on the first Monday of September. Friends and families gather, and clog the highways, and the picnic grounds, and their own backyards -- and bid farewell to summer.

Little League World Series and Saudi Arabia?

What is it with Saudi Arabia don't they do anything for themselves? They hire people from other countries to do their work because apparently, native born Saudis are unable to perform any useful tasks but does that include sports, too? The team from Saudi Arabia playing in the Little League World Series does not contain one native born Saudi. The players are all children of foreigners working in Saudi Arabia, their managers are some of those foreign workers. American citizens representing the Middle East against American teams. Especially in this day that is disgusting. If those Americans like the Middle East so much let them stay there.

Individuals playing for a country should be required to have been, born in that country and be a citizen of that country for five years. It the LLWS does not adopt such a rule one day Saudi Arabia will pay the parents of talented baseball players millions of dollars to move to Saudi Arabia just long enough to allow those players to represent Saudi Arabia in the Little League World Series. Much like the New York Yankees does today.

Two Faith Systems: Intelligent Design vs Evolution

InProcess. Last Updated September 02, 2006

Why do we permit our educators to teach one faith system while rejecting another faith system

On the subject of Intelligent Design versus Evolution, an individual may select from two alternatives.

1. The heavens and the earth just happened.
2. The heavens and the earth were created.

Alternative 1: Over an unknown period, an unknown number of events spontaneously occurred resulting in nothing becoming matter. Then, over another unknown period, that matter evolved into some material that evolved into the universe and all forms of life. The reason and cause of the spontaneous actions are not addressed.

Alternative 2: Someone created matter from nothing. Then the matter was molded into the universe and all forms of life. Cause and why are addressed in the only literature that claims to know, The Bible.

Either our universe is the result of Intelligent Design or it just happened.

If the first alternative is correct then we are all accidents with accidental thoughts and emotions.

In efforts to prove the universe just happened various theories have been developed.

A “Theory” is:

A hypothesis that has been tested by experiments, and to which exceptions have been found. A theory can be used to predict phenomena;
a working hypothesis that is considered probable based on experimental evidence or factual or conceptual analysis and is accepted as a basis for experimentation

A “Hypothesis” is:

A tentative explanation of observed facts. A hypothesis is assumed tenable for the purposes of investigation. Every theory or law in science begins as a hypothesis can e confirmed by experiments, which are observations under controlled conditions. When observations or experimental data do not support the hypothesis, it must be changed or discarded.

Two of these theories are The Big Bang Theory and The Steady State Theory.

The Big Bang Theory
George Gamow (1904-68)

The universe began when a single point of infinitely dense and infinitely hot matter exploded spontaneously. The debris of this explosion began to fly away from the explosion point and is still flying and will keep on flying indefinitely. All the galaxies, stars, and planets were formed from this debris.

Time begins at the Big Bang, which happened about 12 billion years ago or 20 billion years ago. .

In 1927 the Belgian astronomer Georges Lemaite (1894-1966) suggested that at some time in the remote past all the matter in the universe was concentrated at one point. The universe began when this “primeval atom” exploded. Gamow, who showed that as the universe began from a “fireball”; leftover warmth from this primeval fireball still filled the universe, further developed this idea. This leftover radiation should now have a temperature of 3 Kelvin, or -454 degrees Fahrenheit.

Will the universe expand forever? There are two opposing views: the expansion may continue forever, or some day it may collapse back into the “primeval atom.” It is known as the Big Crunch. The name Big Bang was given by Fred Hoyle, who believed in the opposing steady state theory. It was meant to be a put-down when he first used it scornfully in a radio talk in 1950.

Steady State Theory
Herman Bondi (UKL b. 1919) Thomas Gold (US 1920-2004)
Fred Hoyle (UK 1915-2001

The universe has no beginning and will have no end. It is constantly producing matter and is expanding.

This theory is now considered flawed and the big bang theory is widely accepted.

The steady state theory includes the idea of spontaneous creation of matter. On the other hand, the big bang theory assumes that all matter that now exists also existed in the past. New matter is not being created. The steady state theory agrees with the big bang theory on one point: the universe is expanding.

The big bang theory holds that the universe had a beginning and will someday have an end. “The old problem of the beginning and end of the universe does not arise at all in the steady state theory, for the universe did not have a beginning and will not have an end, “ according to Fred Hoyle. “ Every cluster of galaxies, every star, and every atom had a beginning but the universe itself did not.”

Observational and experimental data favor the big bang theory and it is now considered the standard theory of the origin, structure, and future of the universe. Hoyle was a staunch supporter of the steady state theory and never gave up his belief in it.

Any theory that does not address the beginning of matter misses the point of the theory, to explain creation of the universe.

The disbelief in the existence of God is Atheism, defined as the disbelief in the existence of God or other deity, the doctrine that there is neither God nor any other deity. What facts support their disbeliefs? Atheism requires Alternative 1.

Those who believe, that God exists and is the power in Intelligent Design have faith that God is and that the Bible is the best way to know Him.

Those who disbelieve in the existence of God and consider the Bible to be not relevant also have faith. The Big Bang Theory depends on a single point of infinitely dense and infinitely hot matter but does not address its origin. From where did the matter come? Did nothing become this matter, how? How was it hot? The Theory makes major assumptions.

Looking at the second alternative, someone made the universe but who and how and when? If someone exists with the ability to make the universe et al, would it not be prudent to attempt to understand all we can about that someone and if that someone requires something of us?

The Bible is the only literature claiming to address the subject.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Writers of the Bible consider the existence of God to be a fact. Contrast this with the developers of every alternative only claim “a theory.”

As to how the universe came into existence. Learned educators teach “Theories” as fact something even science does not do. To accept the “theories” requires “faith.”

Without the Bible, we have no documentation of the events that resulted in humankind’s origin. Without the Bible, we have nowhere to go to find out whom, how, and when. We are left with no hope of ever answering the questions.

We have two alternatives:

We can live with our ignorance continuing to search but with no hope of answering our questions.

Or

We can use the Bible to answer our questions.

Human beings do not accept ignorance well and will continue to search for answers.

Accepting the Bible requires faith as does rejecting the Bible. Faith to reject the Bible leads to ignorance and hopelessness. Faith to accept the Bible leads to knowledge and hope. Which is better? Is ignorance or knowledge to be sought? Is hopelessness or hope better to be sought?

God’s will is found in His word. Knowing God’s will is not about being smart. Knowing God’s will stems from a hunger and thirst to discover who He is and to develop a relationship with Him. The best way to know the Father is to read what He has to say in the Bible. There are as many opinions as there are people; however, our opinions about spiritual matters have little substance if they are not rooted in the Scriptures.

Romans 12:1-2 describes knowing God’s will through a lifestyle of living sacrifices. Growing in faith and living appropriately are tied together. The more mature spiritually, the more naturally our lifestyle will reflect it. When our behavior is according to biblical moral standards, our faith grows as we realize that our decorum is rewarding and makes sense. God fills us with spiritual blessings and knowledge of His will so that we can walk with Him and continue to grow closer to Him. As Moses said, "If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.”

Why would anyone intentionally remain ignorant of a Being powerful enough to create the Universe and all that lives both visible and invisible?

Do you ever wonder if we have any policies that make sense?

The NY Times reported in a news conference this morning ''The United States will do our part,'' Bush said. While the U.S. does not plan to contribute troops, it will provide logistical support, command and control assistance and intelligence.

He said it was ''the most effective contribution we can make at this time.''

Bush also said his administration was pledging an additional $230 million to help the Lebanese rebuild their homes and return to their towns and communities.

Hezbollah has already given each family,whose house was destroyed, $12,000 which somebody said was more than the peons make in a year and much more than the cost to replace the houses and furniture destroyed. We must not forget it is our friend, Israel, who we sell weapons to and support who have destroyed those houses. These people hate us and now we are going to give their government money and how much of that money do you think Hezbollah will enjoy? Surely Hillary or McCain will not do worse, do you suppose? If what we are doing is sanity I vote for a little insanity at least for a while.

Can You Explain The Logic?

Sadaam is on trial for killing some Kurds. Sadaam killing citizens of his own country, of which he is President and ultimate authority is, unacceptable but the United States invading a sovereign country killing its citizens, disbanding the government and imprisoning the legally elected President is acceptable? Of course we may not like the elections but in Iraq it was a legal election.

Clinton signed a UN agreement obligating the United States to abide by it, making it permissible for either the UN or World Court to hold accountable leaders of countries responsible for their actions against other countries. One of these days a smart Islamic Lawyer, educated in the United States of course, is going to test that agreement and come for our President via the World Court. Imagine Bush or another of our leaders showing up on television from the Hague. Won't that be a show worth watching....

Performance Enhancing Substances

It seems that each week brings new reports of a sports figure being accused of using performance enhancement substances. These are not athletes and it is not sport. An athlete would never take illegal substances because that would be to admit they are not good enough to compete. These are business people trying to get an edge on the competition by cheating so they can get the big contract. It may be competition but not sport. Microsoft competing with Google is not sport it is business. Ken Lay cheating was not sport it was illegal and he was going to jail. Cheaters should be banned for life on one offense. Until they are, we know the governing bodies approve of the use of performance enhancers to increase ratings. Until only athletes are competing records are even more meaningless than usual.

Testing

In War There Are No NonCombatants.

The definition of the term civilian is one not in the armed services or the police force. The definition of the term combatant is a person engaged in fighting. The definition of combat is armed conflict, battle; struggle, contest.

In war, there are no noncombatants. Anyone, providing support of any form including moral, weapons, ammunition, transportation, medical, food, etc is engaged in the conflict. Killing people behind the battle lines works. The United States proved that in WWII when we dropped the atomic bombs on Japan. Do we believe our carpet-bombing in Germany and in Viet Nam was selective? We killed men, women, children, pets, farm animals, and destroyed buildings, houses, roads, bridges anything within range of the bombs.

In Viet Nam, the enemy would leave babies in the sun by the roadside booby trapped with hand grenades. If our soldiers attempted to show compassion, they died. Eight-year-old girls can kill as easily as a twenty-five year old man can. No one is exempt. Until we are willing to wage war like our enemy, we cannot win. Until we are willing to kill hundreds of people just to get to one, we cannot win.

In Lebanon, anyone providing support of any form involves himself or herself in the combat and is therefore legitimate targets. The Lebanese people made Hezbollah part of their government therefore as part of the Lebanese government anything Hezbollah does; they do as representatives of the Lebanese people. With Hezbollah acting for the Lebanese people all Lebanese people living within the borders of Lebanon are legitimate targets. Since the government of Israel is synonymous with the Jewish religion, all Israelis, within the borders of Israel, are legitimate targets.

Anyone providing support to the United States' troops in Iraq or Afghanistan or "on terror" are legitimate targets. All citizens of the United States are legitimate targets. As in a knife fight, there are no rules in war. We should understand that and act accordingly. Anyone apprehended within the borders of the United States who has intentions to do harm to the United States or its people is a spy and should be treated as such forthwith. Any citizen of the United States, who attempts to betray their nation by waging war or attempting to wage war is guilty of treason and should be punished as the Constitution allows as quickly as possible.

The people of the United States should understand that war is armed hostility between nations and that includes every citizen of each country. War is not something we send our military off to do while we live on as if nothing is different. The purpose of war is to kill, destroy, maim, injure, WIN. Torture should not be used, not for reasons of humanity, but because it does not produce results that are reliable. War is not to be taken lightly.

For the past 50 or so years, we have permitted our government to engage in conflicts around the world; Korea, Viet Nam through Iraq without following the Constitution. We have allowed our presidents to make war on people around the world. If we would follow the Constitution and require the President to ask the Congress to Declare War our military would be a lot less active and we would be safer and the world more friendly. In cases where congress did declare war, it would not be a republican war or democratic war it would be a United States war. Since WWII, we have not engaged in wars to protect our freedom but to force our will on others and now most, if not all, the world hates us and rightly so. We have allowed our Presidents to sacrifice the lives use our military. It is not the responsibility of the United States to free the people of the world. We are not and should not be nation builders.

War is a terrible responsibility and the citizens of the United States have failed in their responsibilities. And because of that failure, the world is a much more dangerous place.

Abraham Lincoln's Suspension of Civil Liberties and Our Holier Than Thou Attitude

You cannot give people democracy. They must want it and be willing to fight for it and to die for it. We look around the world and see governments doing things with which we disagree. We forget our past and we fail to recognize sometimes the people are not right. Remember Abraham Lincoln:

During Lincoln's presidency, he was criticized for taking what were considered "extra-constitutional measures." But in the end, the verdict of history is that Lincoln's use of power did not constitute abuse since historians rank Lincoln as number one among the great presidents.

Far harsher would have been his denunciation if the whole American experiment of a democratic Union had failed--as seemed possible given the circumstances. If such a disaster occurred, what benefit would have been gained by adhering to a fallen Constitution? It was a classic example of the age-old conflict in a democracy: how to balance individual rights with security for a nation.

Between Abraham Lincoln's April 1861 call for troops--the beginning of the Civil War--and the official convening of Congress in special session on July 4, 1861, Lincoln performed a whole series of important acts by sheer assumption of presidential power. Lincoln, without congressional approval, called forth the militia to "suppress said combinations," which he ordered "to disperse and retire peacefully" to their homes. He increased the size of the Army and Navy, expended funds for the purchase of weapons, instituted a blockade--an act of war--and suspended the precious writ of habeas corpus, all without congressional approval.

Lincoln termed these actions not the declaration of "civil war," but rather the suppression of rebellion. Congress is constitutionally empowered to declare war, but suppression of rebellion has been recognized as an executive function, for which the prerogative of setting aside civil procedures has been placed in the President's hands.

Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus, a procedural method by which one who is imprisoned can be immediately released if his imprisonment is found not to conform to law. With suspension of the writ, this immediate judicial review of detention becomes unavailable. This suspension triggered the most heated and serious constitutional disputes of the Lincoln Administration.

In April 1861 John Merryman spoke out against the Union and in favor of the South and recruited a company of soldiers for the Confederate Army. He not only exercised his constitutional right to disagree with what the government was doing, but engaged in raising an armed group to attack and attempt to destroy the government.

On May 25, Merryman was arrested by the military for treason. His counsel sought a writ of habeas corpus from Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, alleging that Merryman was being illegally held. Taney issued a writ to fort commander George Cadwalader directing him to produce Merryman before the Court the next day at 11:00 a.m. Cadwalader respectfully refused on the ground that President Lincoln had authorized the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus.

Taney immediately issued an attachment for Cadwalader for contempt. The marshal could not enter the fort to serve the attachment, so the old justice, recognizing the impossibility of enforcing his order, settled back and produced the now-famous opinion, Ex parte Merryman. The Chief Justice defended the power of Congress alone to suspend the writ of habeas corpus.

The Constitution permits the suspension of the writ in "cases of rebellion and when the public safety" requires it. But it is unclear who has the power, Congress or the President.

Taney relied on the fact that the right to suspend the writ was in Article I, section 9 of the Constitution, the section describing congressional duties. Dean of Lincoln historians Richard Nelson Current believes that it was put in this article because the Committee on Style could find no other place for it.

Taney failed to acknowledge that a rebellion was in progress and that the fate of the nation was, in fact, at stake. Taney missed the crucial point made in the draft of Lincoln's report to Congress on July 4:

[T]he whole of the laws which I was sworn to [execute] were being resisted...in nearly one-third of the states. Must I have allowed them to finally fail of execution?... Are all the laws but one [the right to habeas corpus] to go unexecuted, and the government itself...go to pieces, lest that one be violated?

Two years later, Congress resolved the ambiguity in the Constitution and permitted the President the right to suspend the writ while the rebellion continued. Imagine the reaction of our fellow American citizens today if an anti-war demonstrator was treated as Merryman was in 1861 or if the writ of habeas corpus was suspended.

Blogs and Elections

Blogs should make future elections interesting. With no way to controll them, governments will have no way of restricting them as they restrict 527s and other election tools.


As there are no controlls, accuracy and truthfulness will not be limiting factors. As studies routinely show, when there is no accountability people's behavior is unreliable.

Once, it was advocated that a million monkeys banging on a million keyboards would eventually produce the complete works of William Shakespear but thanks to the Internet we now know that is not correct.

But imagine what a million monkeys banging on a million keyboards will do to future elections.

The Stockdale Paradox

Admiral Jim Stockdale was the highest-ranking United States military officer in the “Hanoi Hilton” prisoner-of-war camp during the height of the Vietnam War. Tortured over twenty times during his eight-year imprisonment from 1965 to 1973, he lived out the war without any prisoner’s rights, no set release date, and no certainty as to whether he would even survive to see his family again. He shouldered the burden of command; doing everything he could to create conditions that would increase the number of prisoners who would survive unbroken, while fighting an internal war against his captors and their attempts to use the prisoners for propaganda. At one point, he beat himself with a stool and cut himself with a razor, deliberately disfiguring himself, so that he could not be put on videotape as an example of a “well-treated prisoner.” He exchanged secret intelligence information with his wife through their letters, knowing that discovery would mean more torture and perhaps death. He instituted rules that would help people to deal with torture (no one can resist torture indefinitely, so he created a stepwise system --- after x minutes, you can say certain things --- that gave the men milestones to survive toward). He instituted an elaborate internal communications system to reduce the sense of isolation that their captors tried to create which used a five-by-five matrix of tap codes for alpha characters. (Tap-tap equals the letter a, tap-pause-tap-tap equals the letter b, tap-tap-pause-tap equals the letter f, and so forth for twenty-five letters, c doubling for k.) At one point during an imposed silence, the prisoners mopped and swept the central yard using the code, swish-swashing out “We love you” to Stockdale, on the third anniversary of his being shot down. After his release, he became the first three-star officer in the history of the navy to wear both aviator wings and the Congressional Medal of Honor.

“I never lost faith in the end of the story,” he said, when I asked him. “I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade.”

I asked, “Who didn’t make it out?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” he said, “the optimists. The optimists were the ones who said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas’. And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they would say, ‘We’re going to be out of here by Easter. And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart.”

“This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end---which you can never afford to lose---with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

To this day, I carry a mental image of Stockdale admonishing the optimists: “We’re not getting out by Christmas; deal with it!”

The Stockdale Paradox

Retain faith, that you will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties.

AND AT THE SAME TIME

Confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.

Acceptance of Church Family Disagreements

People mumble about how difficult it is to find a "right" church to meet with.

It is disappointing when one finds that a church is doing things they believe to be wrong or makes them uncomfortable but is it worth leaving the assembly? Do you sin by association? As messed up as some of the churches, addressed in Revelation were, Jesus never told those he commended to leave those he was criticizing.

Is the assembly a worship event or hs man decided it is worship?. In Acts the church assembled to remember Jesus, to "break bread." In Hebrews the church assembled to encourage each other to love and good works. No place do we read the church met to worship. Paul encouraged the individuals of the church in Rome to each present their body a living sacrifice which is their reasonable service or worship.

With the recent activities surrounding the "unity" of the Church of Christ with the Christian Church you can almost forget that the a cappella churches have divided over pre-millennialism, pacifism, congregational cooperation, Bible classes, the use of multiple communion cups, the construction of kitchens and bathrooms in church buildings, the indwelling of the holy Spirit, charismatic gifts, hermeneutics, women in public leadership, choruses, and worship teams, cell groups, prayer partners, over/under discipling, and the nature of total commitment, etc.

Our local congregation receives calls from people looking for a "good" church and many times we are found wanting and the caller does not want to assemble with us. Why? We have a kitchen. We have bathrooms. We use individual cups during communion. We have a Youth Minister. We have Bible Classes. For some, those are as or more important than instruments. Human families have disagreements but they are always family. Spiritual families have disagreements and they hate each other and refuse to associate.

Based on Jesus' prayer, recorded by John, the world is not going to believe that the Father has sent Him and that will be because of our actions. The church needs to rethink our responsibilities. Our actions show we would rather let the world enter eternity with no hope than to find ways to get along with our brothers and sisters. And we should make no mistake, anyone who has obeyed the Bible's teaching on what they must do to be saved are brothers and sisters. Is it any wonder the church is not effective?

No Morals, No Laws

In the Declaration of Independance, our founders asserted that the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle the people to exist equal among the Powers of the Earth. That the people’s Creator endows them with certain unalienable Rights among which are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness and with the firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, the signers pledged their Lives, Fortunes and sacred Honor. When the people deny or fail to acknowledge God they undermine the very basis on which the existence of their country depends.

The Rights of the people come from God, not from man. What man gives, man can take away. What God gives, no man can take away. If there is no God, man’s authority controls the people. Religion and morality are essential to the existence of the United States. National morality cannot exist without religious principle. Without morals, laws cannot exist. Nothing is wrong. Anything and everything is permissible. As an example, those who advocate abortion on demand, same-sex marriage, birth control and its active distribution, and divorce for any reason, have as their goal society’s permission to have sex with anyone, anytime, anywhere with no responsibility no accountability. The practice of morality is necessary for the well-being of Society.

The framers of the Constitution never conceived of government being allowed to interfere with the free exercise of the Christian religion in public life. They expected the longstanding religious heritage would remain as the foundation of the Republic the existence of which depends on the public institutions of religion, Christian religion.

For the past fifty years or so individuals with the assistance of the Judicial System have steadily worked to be free from authority and restraint and to rewrite law and make lawlessness legal!

Christian religion, in its purity, is the source of all genuine freedom in government. No government can exist and be durable without the principles of Christian religion. This July 4th I encourage everyone to read the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. The people go into exile for lack of knowledge.

Sevier County and Highway 66 Expansion

TDOT has decided not to purchase right aways for Sevier County's Highway 66 expansion project. I wrote the following letter to the Editor of The MountainPress.

As far as the expansion of highway 66 is concerned I am with TDOT and their disdain for the Highway 66 Expansion Project. As a taxpayer I want TDOT to steward my tax dollars and that does not include giving those dollars to greedy, land owners in Sevier County or any other county. Sevier County developers claiming the price of land has increased greatly is not reason enough for TDOT to give them my tax dollars. If, as The Mountain Press says “An expansion of Highway 66 is needed sooner rather than later,” let Sevier County expand it. Why should people in middle and west Tennessee or even in Knox County care how bad the traffic is in Sevier County? Why should I care when fixing the problem will make millionaires out of some good-ole-boys? Remember the “responsible” stewardship of tax dollars Pigeon Forge exhibited when they gave $17.5 million of those tax dollars for 35 acres leaving the developers with a cool 275% profit? This purchase left those developers with 75 acres at a remaining cost to them of $2.5 million dollars. An auction had set the market price of the land at a little less than $182,000 per acre but PF decided it was worth $500,000 an acre. If TDOT over pays like that, I hope someone is arrested and goes to jail. I encourage TDOT to drop the allocation of dollars for the purchase of land in Sevier County until the various governmental bodies in Sevier County begin to show some responsibility.

Original purchase was 110 acres for $20,000,000 for an average per acre cost or $181,818.

Pigeon Forge purchased 35 acres for $17,500,000 for an average cost of $500,000.

Leaving the owners with 75 acres at a remaining cost to them of $2,500,000 for an average of $33,333 per acre.















Reference your Editorial, TDOT doesn’t play nice with Sevier, Thursday June 22, 2006.

Civility is always in style, but as we all know some local politicians do not understand that as The Mountain Press addressed in your Editorial a few weeks or months back. As far as the expansion of highway 66 is concerned I am with TDOT and their disdain for the Highway 66 Expansion Project. As a taxpayer I want TDOT to steward my tax dollars and that does not include giving those dollars to greedy, land owners in Sevier County or any other county. Sevier County developers claiming the price of land has increased greatly is not reason enough for TDOT to give them my tax dollars. If, as The Mountain Press says “An expansion of Highway 66 is needed sooner rather than later,” let Sevier County expand it. Why should people in middle and west Tennessee or even in Knox County care how bad the traffic is in Sevier County? Why should I care when fixing the problem will make millionaires out of some good-ole-boys? Remember the “responsible” stewardship of tax dollars Pigeon Forge exhibited when they gave $17.5 million of those tax dollars for 35 acres leaving the developers with a cool 275% profit? This purchase left those developers with 75 acres at a remaining cost to them of $2.5 million dollars. An auction had set the market price of the land at a little less than $182,000 per acre but PF decided it was worth $500,000 an acre. If TDOT over pays like that, I hope someone is arrested and goes to jail. I encourage TDOT to drop the allocation of dollars for the purchase of land in Sevier County until the various governmental bodies in Sevier County begin to show some responsibility.

110
$20,000,000
$181,818




35
$17,500,000
$500,000
32%
88%
275%

75
$2,500,000
$33,333
68%
13%
18%

Stress on Preachers Wives

The concept of a congregation hiring a preacher and paying him to preach to the saved, teach classes, publish a bulletin, visit the sick, etc is not found in the Bible, making it non-biblical. A congregation hiring a preacher to preach to the unsaved is a biblical concept. Being big on commands, examples, and necessary inferences why does the church follow the non-biblical and generally reject the biblical?

It is unreasonable for a congregation to bring a stranger into their midst and isolate his wife, requiring her to be perfect and if she develops close friends, accuse her of favoritism. It is permissible for local ladies to elect not to teach a childrens class or a ladies class but for a preachers wife to make the same decision is not to be tolerated


Walk a mile in the wife's shoes and then let those without sin cast the first stone.

The Rights of the People Come From God

With the anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence on the horizon, we should keep ever before us that in that Declaration our founders asserted that the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle the people to exist equal among the Powers of the Earth. That the people’s Creator endows them with certain unalienable Rights among which are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness and with the firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, the signers pledged their Lives, Fortunes and sacred Honor. When the people deny or fail to acknowledge God they undermine the very basis on which the existence of their country depends.

The Rights of the people come from God, not from man. What man gives, man can take away. What God gives, no man can take away. If there is no God, man’s authority controls the people. Religion and morality are essential to the existence of the United States. National morality cannot exist without religious principle. Without morals, laws cannot exist. Nothing is wrong. Anything and everything is permissible. The practice of morality is necessary for the well-being of Society.

The framers of the Constitution never conceived of government being allowed to interfere with the free exercise of the Christian religion in public life. They expected the longstanding religious heritage would remain as the foundation of the Republic the existence of which depends on the public institutions of religion, Christian religion.

For the past fifty years or so individuals with the assistance of the Judicial System have steadily worked to be free from authority and restraint and to rewrite law and make lawlessness legal!

Christian religion, in its purity, is the source of all genuine freedom in government. No government can exist and be durable without the principles of Christian religion. This July 4th I encourage everyone to read the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. The people go into exile for lack of knowledge.

The Christian Religion and Morals permit Government

The premise of our Declaration of Independence is that the people’s Creator endows them with certain unalienable Rights among which are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Anytime the people deny or fail to acknowledge God they are undermining the very basis on which the existence of their country depends. The Declaration also says the people believe the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them to exist equal among the Powers of the Earth.

The Rights of the people come from God, not from man. What man gives, man can take away. What God gives, no man can take away. If there is no God, man’s authority controls the people. Religion and morality are essential to the existence of the United States. National morality cannot exist without religious principle. Without morals, laws cannot exist. Nothing is wrong. Anything and everything is permissible. The practice of morality is necessary for the well-being of Society. God has put eternity into man’s heart. The founders of the United States of America were bound by the laws of God as the rules of their conduct and they confessed the same.

Anarchy: disorder especially political or social; Lack of government in a society:
Anarchism: a doctrine that all government and laws should be abolished;

Christian religion, in its purity, is the source of all genuine freedom in government. No government can exist and be durable without the principles of the Christian religion.

The framers of the Constitution never conceived of government being allowed to interfere with the free exercise of the Christian religion in public life. They expected the longstanding religious heritage would remain as the foundation of the Republic. Setting aside “thou shall not commit adultery” and replacing it with homosexual marriage will destroy America. The existence of the republic depends on the public institutions of religion, Christian religion.

For the forty years past individuals with the assistance of the Judicial System have steadily worked to be free from authority and restraint and to rewrite law and make lawlessness legal!

Future of America?

In his book Sexual Anarchy – The Moral Implosion of America, Dave Miller refers to the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940 and makes some claims. I looked into his claims and was able to verifiy his assertions. The disconnects between our country's laws are sometimes mind-boggling.

Anarchy is defined:

• Absence of any form of political authority;
• Political disorder and confusion; and
• Absence of any cohesive principle, such as a common standard or purpose.
  

Sorry for the convoluted wording. The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act – 1940 provides for the protection of two species of eagles by prohibiting taking, possessing, selling, purchasing, bartering, offering to sell, purchasing or bartering, transporting, exporting or importing, at any time or in any manner any bald eagle commonly known as the American eagle or any golden eagle, alive or dead, or any part, nest, or egg thereof of the foregoing eagles.

Definitions as used in this subchapter:

• ''Whoever'' includes also associations, partnerships, and corporations;
• ''Take'' includes also pursue, shoot, shoot at, poison, wound, kill, capture, trap, collect, molest or disturb;
• ‘‘Transport'' includes also ship, convey, carry, or transport by any means whatever, and deliver or receive or cause to be delivered or received for such shipment, conveyance, carriage, or transportation.

Felony convictions of the Act carry a maximum of $250,000 or two years of imprisonment (or five years under the Lace Act of 2002.

This is the point---A person may be fined $250,000 and put in prison for five years for collecting eagle eggs but Federal law permits the same person to abort an unborn human infant. Pre-born eagles have a greater value to society than pre-born humans do.

During my verification I found a couple of other articles. In a magazine article dated October 2, 2005 Dorothy Seese writes: However, just as Rome tired of its deities and began to ignore them, Americans of the late 19th and 20th centuries tired of God's absolute rules, considered them restrictive and regressive, and thus began to chip away at the foundational Christian principles of our founders' government. The Supreme Court was used/misused to end prayer in schools, approve of abortion as a woman's "constitutional right" and is now faced with whether it shall redefine marriage to include any union. Even Rome, with its rampant homosexuality and pedophilia, never attempted to redefine marriage! While marriages were often matters of money and convenience, they were always between man and woman. In that regard, the Romans were just one baby step ahead of the United States and its redefinition of marriage.

In another book ”When Nations Die” Jim Nelson asks the question: “Has America come to a similar point as Rome before it fell?” and lists 10 symptoms:

1. Increase in lawlessness
2. Loss of economic discipline
3. Rising bureaucracy
4. Decline in education
5. Weakening of cultural foundations
6. Loss of respect for traditions
7. Increase in materialism
8. Rise in immorality
9. Decay of religious belief
10. Devaluing of human life

He then adds: (Rome) slowly declined as wealth, power, and passion took first place in the Roman heart. Once again, society became preoccupied with sensuality. Moral decadence set in, involving adultery and homosexuality, thus a breakdown of the Roman family. Eventually Roman citizens lost interest in piety and dignity and focused on day-to-day "living" and instant gratification.

What process played an important role in propagating the spread of moral decay? People became addicted to the amphitheater to watch — violence, nudity and sports. Citizens worshipped the gladiators who fought in these arenas. Consequently, the Romans lost respect for human life. Originally punishable by death, abortion became common, even encouraged. Violence became epidemic. Gang violence was rampant in the large cities.

Makes you wonder if it is possible to see our future..

Immigration or Invasion?

Our border with Mexico resembles Swiss cheese and there is nothing we can do to change it.

Our politicians have turned a blind eye because the people who give them money want cheap labor. The Mexican government is corrupt so their common citizen cannot afford to pay officials to allow them to apply for a visa. Once the individual is in the United States we are not going to permit a child to die for lack of medical care or food or shelter therefore welfare will continue to support the illegals. The United States will not force a parent who is illegal to return to Mexico leaving a child who may legally be a citizen so illegals will remain.

I hear discussion of a wall. Good, grief are we nuts? Freedom loving people building a wall? Never!! Besides, the Chinese built a wall and were invaded at least three times following the construction. In each case the guards at a gate were bribed. What makes us think we would be any more successful? Who do you would be the primary applicants for such a job? you guessed it..

Native Americans had the same issues and failed. We will fail. Time is right for those of North American descent to move into reservations otherwise known as gated communities.

Bringing Corporate America into Line

In corporate America it is impossible to reward high performers because of the way performance is measured.

Each position should be rated hourly or salaried up-to and including the position of Chairman of the Board and assign dollars to the job either by the hour, week, month, etc. Each year if the incumbent passed the performance review, meaning they were not fired, they receive a cost of living raise. Based on their performance they would be given an amount of money, with no regard to percentage. The amount could be in two parts such as one for their performance and one for the performance of their group or department or the company. That would be their pay for that year.

The common way is to reward people for the rest of their work life for good jobs early in their career even if they fail to meet performance criteria and due to age or gender or other EEO points the they, in affect, have tenure.

The current way makes it impossible to catch people up to the appropriate level and is especially harmful to women who have been slighted in the past.

Dollars assigned to positions should reflect that fact that the CEO can fail if a lower paid individual fails in a critical position or time so the highest pay should not exceed a percentage of the lowest paid employee. If the lowest paid position is $15,000 per year then the CEO should not exceed "N" times, such as 100 times or $1,500,000. Position should be the only consideration and not the fact that one person is paid more than another person and you want to catch them up. If they want more money they take a different job or increase their performance rating. For new employees they might have a certain amount withheld for 6 months or so until they prove that being new does not affect performance. At the end of the six months they are paid the same base as another employee who has been there for 30 years.

Ratings for people in management or supervisory positions should consider the ratings of the people under them. For example a manager should not be rated higher than n% of the people within their area of responsibility. Of course at least two other people chosen by the HR department or someone who can be trusted should agree with the supervisors ratings of the people within their area. That goes all the way to the top.

With the current commonly accepted practices women will continue to be slighted. The basic rating system must change.

Getting DUIs Under Control

In Tennessee you will find examples where there were 30 DUIs with little or no jail time. How about a few suggestions:

Insurance Companies policies should include items such as upon an arrest for DUI, even if their was no accident, the policy cost quadruples or more or cancelled whichever the insurance company preferred. In the case of an accident, the insurance company will not pay for any medical expenses nor collision claims if the Police conclude the driver was DUI. They would agree to pay a minimum liability and work with the injured parties to sue the policy holder. And the policy would be cancelled as of the date of the accident. The wording in the policy would be such that the policy owner is agreeing to these limitations not that they are being forced upon them. Of course legions of lawyers need to be involved to make sure the limitations will be enforced.

Federal , State and Local laws should require:

Upon an arrest for for DUI the automobile is confiscated, guilty person loses their driving license for 6 months and they spend 200 hours in community service, 80 contiguous hours in jail and complete a rehab program, All of those would be within the same six months during the license suspension.

Driving on a suspended license would result in 5 years of license suspension, 1 year in jail. A second violation would required 10 years of license suspension and 5 years in jail. The next violation would be 20 years of license suspension and 10 years in jail. and on and on, These would be consecutive penalties Allowances could be made for documented proof of no contact with alcohol or drugs or bars or drug dealers for 5 years. The individual would be responsible for documentation.

A DUI with an accident would mean a lifetime license suspension. If someone is hurt 10 years in jail. If someone is killed, life in prison,

All jail sentences would be without the possibility of parole.

Federal laws would prohibit insurance companies from using DUI related expenses in the numbers they use to determine their rates to be charged to the consumer. In other words insurance companies and their stock holders would have to eat those expenses.

When the Federal and State governments and insurance companies get serious we will be able to greatly reduce such situations.

Nutty or Dangerous?

Once in a while you hear of a real nut. Ingrid Newkirk, cofounder, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is such a nut.

Her quotes include:

“Six million Jews died in concentration camps, but six billion broiler chickens will die this year in slaughterhouses.”

“Even if animal research resulted in a cure for AIDS, we’d be against it.”

“There is no rational basis for saying that a human being has special rights. A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy. They’re all mammals.”

After learning of a suicide bombing in Israel, Ms Newkirk wrote a letter to Yasser Arafat --- because a donkey was used in the bombing. “We have received many calls and letters from people shocked at the bombing in Jerusalem … in which a donkey, laden with explosives, was intentionally blown up,” she wrote to Arafat. “If you have the opportunity, will you please add to your burdens my request that you appeal to all those who listen to you to leave the animals out of this conflict?”

When asked if she would try to persuade Arafat not to blow up people too, she replied. “It’s not my business to inject myself into human wars.”

When Harvard started offering a course in animal law, Ingrid is quoted, “We’re looking for good lawsuits that will establish the interests of animals as a legitimate concern in law.”

PETA has pressured corporations to stop giving to the March of Dimes because a small percentage of its resources go to organizations that do animal experimentation.

When a child dies you can wonder if PETA is a cause…….

Without Evolution Can You Explain.....

Without evolution can you explain how all of the races of people in the world today descended from Noah and his wife? What external force would affect individual's DNA as to change eye shape such as between caucasian and oriental; as to change skin pigmentation such as between negroid and oriental and caucasian?

Just wondering....

Dewey Beats Truman!

When the media wants to know what went wrong with the reporting of the mine accident in West Virginia, they need only look in the mirror. They are so intent on beating their competition that common sense and sensitivity go out the window. Before anyone knew anything one CNN reporter asked a family member "Are you still hopeful?" In other words have you come to the conclusion your husband/son/brother/uncle whatever is DEAD? Nice going CNN.

Today news is not news it is mostly speculation and what might/could/should happen. If a newspaper or network or local station reports something the rest of the media report that a certain paper or network or station is reporting "fill in the blank." Having no idea of truth or accuracy they report because someone else is reporting. That is not news. That is garbage.

The media need to return to the days of old when sources were verified and re-verified and they did the best they could to ensure accuracy and being first was not the governing principle.

When Government Attempts To Regulate Morality

Before the 19th century, most states had no specific abortion laws. Women were able to end a pregnancy prior to viability with the assistance of medical personnel.

Beginning in Connecticut and followed by New York in 1829 over the next 20 years there were a series of laws restricting abortion, punishing providers, and, in some cases, punishing the woman who was seeking the abortion.

The first US federal law on the subject of abortion came in 1873, which permitted a special agent of the postal service to open mail dealing with abortion or contraception in order to suppress the circulation of “obscene” materials.

From 1900 until the 1960s, abortions were prohibited by law. The Kinsey report noted that premarital pregnancies were electively aborted and public and physician opinion began to be shaped by reports of the increasing numbers of unsafe illegal abortions.

In 1965, 265 deaths occurred due to illegal abortions. 20% of all pregnancy-related complications in New York and California were due to abortions. A series of US Supreme Court decisions granted rights to women and ensured their right to choice in this process. In 1965 the courts recognized a constitutional right to privacy and ruled that a married couple had a constitutional right to obtain birth control from their health care provider.

Why do you believe the way you do?

Do you expect government to convince others to believe as you believe?

Is a fetus alive if unable to survive without life support?

Is an adult alive unable to survive without life support?

See what happens when government attempts to regulate morality?

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays; Origin of Christmas

Christmas is a holiday shared and celebrated by many religions. What is the meaning of Christmas? Where did the customs and traditions originate?

Most if not all of the customs of Christmas pre-date the birth of Jesus, and Christmas is a collection of traditions and practices taken from many cultures and nations.

The date of December 25th comes from Rome and was a celebration of the Italic god, Saturn, and the rebirth of the sun god.

This was done long before the birth of Jesus.

The evergreen tree was a symbol of the essence of life and was regarded as fertility symbol. Holly and mistletoe were hung in doorways of temples and homes to invoke powers of fertility in those who stood under them and kissed.

The Puritans in England, and later in Massachusetts Colony, outlawed this holiday as witchcraft.

Near the end of the nineteenth century there was a revival of the celebration of Christmas. Today, Christian churches mimic what used to be considered witchcraft.

Consider for a moment; people believing themselves to be Christian worship God by involving themselves with customs and traditions which have pagan origin. Do you suppose this is what the Israelites did when they failed to obey God's instructions to destroy the people in the lands He was giving to them?

People unnecessarily become concerned about Jesus being taken out of Christmas. He was never in it. So enjoy the Holidays....

Bye Bye Tookie

The execution of Tookie Williams has brought several issues to public discussion.

The first issue is the death penalty itself. Would Williams have been sentenced to die if he had been white? Remember the way he looked when he was younger. He looked pretty mean. He was big; he had “big hair.” He looked like he would have committed the crimes. Do you suppose he actually did?

The second issue involves the entertainment industry. Where were they 24 years ago and in the interim? They waited until after Williams had exhausted all his appeals. They failed to understand that over those 24 years Williams had failed to make his case. None of his appeals were based on the lack of evidence to convict him.

The third issue is the one where we punish people we don't like and absolve those we like. Victim impact statements are proof of that point. Punishment of the convicted should not matter how nice the victim was or how horrible a person they were; if they were a good family person or a vagrant; if they were despised by thousands or if they were loved by thousands. The punishment should fit the crime regardless.

Tookie Williams has shown all of his “little” friends that if you commit the crime you pay for it. Kill and be killed. His gang, the Crips, is much larger than Manson’s family and during the past 24 years has been responsible for hundreds if not thousands of deaths and caused many others to fear for their lives. Why not get on the bandwagon to free Manson and his cronies?

Maybe when someone is sentenced to prison or to death the judge should add the disclaimer "unless you write a book or unless the entertainment industry likes you and in the case of the death penalty if you can string out your appeals for 20 years we will let you go free."

Paul Harvey's OnAir Prayer

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, "The Rest of the Story."

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,but that is exactly what we have done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.

We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.

Amen!

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays; Why do you care?

A cursory look at the history of our country makes one aware how much the founders were of God and that He gave to all humans certain inalienable rights. Further searches into the history of our country suggest that God was a significant factor in the successful establishment of our country. If you don't accept that idea then you must accept the country was the recipient of a number of coincidental accidents, any of which would have meant the failure of the country to exist as it does today. Without the United States of America imagine how different the world would be today.

Most people considering themselves Christian, acknowledge Jesus was born at a time other than December and that the holiday known as Christmas came out of other celebrations as a matter of convenience.

Religious based celebrations fall into a category of things people do not like to see change but whether one says "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" is insignificant in light of the direction of our country as it speeds away from acknowledging God. For those of us believing the Bible is from God we accept what is written in it as true or we must accept that the Bible is nothing and therefore is to be discarded. One can find in the Bible that God establishes governments and removes governments. If the Bible is what it claims to be that statement is true. With that belief in mind as this country speeds away from God we become a candidate for being removed. We must be concerned for that.

So whether one says "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" or says nothing is trite compared to the consequences of our actions and our running away from God.