Abortion Debate Will Be Settled By One Court Only ... J. D. Longstreet

Abortion Debate Will Be Settled By One Court Only  
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
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"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" ... Hebrews 9:27 (The Bible) 

I sometimes think man is the stupidest creature God ever created.  In fact, God, Himself, repented that he made man and wiped everyone out -- save for Noah and his family -- in the Biblical story of the Great Flood. 

As I look  about me, at the awful mess we have made of everything, I have to wonder why God didn't just knock a hole in the bottom of the Ark and finish the job.

It is said that even the angels are puzzled over God's love for mere mortals.   They, too, were created by the same God, and created before man. But even with their seniority, they fall into second place, behind man, in God's favor.  They MUST be frustrated.

Man is most certainly the most arrogant of all God's creations, bar none!   Since shortly after our creation, we have been trying every way we an think of to deny the existence of our Creator.  It doesn't work, of course. It just makes us look even more stupid -- devoid of good sense OR judgment. 

We have tried to elevate ourselves to "godhood" with only minimal effect.  We can actually get people to worship us IF those people are even more stupid they we.  Not to mention, those worshipers have a tendency to murder a would-be god when they discover the wannabe god is, in fact, NOT a god, at all.

Human beings worshiped by other human beings only leads to trouble -- BIG trouble.

Right about here, I suspect I ought to present by bona fides.  I am a believer of the Christian variety.  So what, EXACTLY, do I believe?  Fair question.  Here is the answer:

1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:

2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:

3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:

4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:

5. The third day he rose again from the dead:

6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:

7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead:

8. I believe in the Holy Ghost:

9. I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints:

10. The forgiveness of sins:

1l. The resurrection of the body:

12. And the life everlasting. Amen.

Many of you will recognize the above as The Apostle's Creed:  "The Symbolum Apostolorum" was developed between the second and ninth centuries. It is the most popular creed used in worship by Western Christians. Its central doctrines are those of the Trinity and God the Creator. It has been called the "Creed of Creeds."  SOURCE:  http://www.creeds.net/ancient/apostles.htm 
 
Our belief is FAITH and faith is the belief in things not seen.   Nowhere in the creed a above does it say: "I KNOW."  It says: "I BELIEVE."

As long as there are believers there will be non-believers.   Man is a free agent.  God granted us the right to be stupid and reject his offer of beneficence.

I am under no illusion that my scribbling here will change any minds.  That is not my intention.  I am a commentator.  I comment on the passing scene and, most often, it is the  passing scene in which I am caught up.

I mentioned man's inherent stupidity above.   All the evidence one needs to support my accusation of man's inferior intellect is the continuing quarrel amongst us over abortion.

I believe abortion is wrong, quite likely a sin, and unquestionably homicide.   My position is based on my faith. 

I can accept abortion in cases of rape, incest, and in cases where the life of the mother is at risk.  Even  then,  I feel a heavy guilt that the life of a child is required to spare the life of an adult, or to make amends for a cruel act imposed on one adult by another.  There is something intrinsically wrong about all those choices.  I cannot escape my conscience. 

Look.  There is no way to approach the issue in the public forum without pain.  It simply cannot be done.  In my opinion, abortion should never have been introduced into the public forum, and most certainly not in the aggressive manner some abortion supporting organizations have chosen. 

To demand that a person of faith pay for the commission of what they believe is a sin by another person is itself the highest form of sin there is.  It is forcing a person to commit sin by supporting another in the commission of a sin. I am given to understand there is a special place in the afterlife for those who indulge in such fist-shaking in the face of God.

If one believes, as I do, that life begins at the moment of conception, then there is no point in the pregnancy cycle when that child can be considered anything less than a living human being.    

Ultimately, a decision to end the life of a child should be between the parents of that child and their God.  Yes, I intentionally used the plural of "parent."  The father has equal responsibility for that new life and should, I believe,  share the responsibility in any decision to end that life.  

Any impartial analysis must admit there will not be an answer to this question nor a cessation of the debate.  Once the debate/discussion/argument/quarrel was introduced into the public forum it was akin to opening the mythical Pandora's Box.   The genie cannot be returned to the bottle.  It is, I believe,  a part of man's curse for demanding the knowledge of good and evil.

Having abortion laws interwoven into the fabric of America's code of justice only insures it will continue to divide Americans. It will bring shame to some. It will enrage others.   Some will be genuinely perplexed -- but only a few.

The issue of whether abortion is right or wrong, moral or immoral, a sin or not, has now been graven on our collective conscience, and on our hearts.  It is indelible.   Such is the power of any debate relating to the life and death of a child. 

The moment we chose to impose government mandated payment for abortions a part of America's heart was ripped open.  We have only now begun to realize there is more than one way to "pay" for abortions.  We are paying as a nation and we will continue to pay as our national pain grows more intense.

There simply is no justification for taking the lives of millions of babies.  Their blood stains us all with stains that cannot be cleansed and will not fade.  Such is the value of a single child's life, let alone the lives of millions of children not allowed to live and love among us.

This is NOT any easy topic on which to comment precisely because it is such a painful subject.  But I have chosen to make these remarks because a friend and fellow commentator once wisely -- and bluntly --  told me: "Somebody HAS to say these things."

© J. D. Longstreet

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Christmas 2012 ... J. D. Longstreet

Christmas 2012
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
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This is the time each year we wish for peace on earth and good will to men.  Yet, we seem, each Christmas, to find ourselves lacking that Peace and the Good Will.

This Christmas, again, we find that American troops are far from home, very near the birthplace of the baby who gave his name to the day we call Christmas.  Families will open presents and gather for a family meal and rejoice over the birth of the Christ child, and yet, we cannot bring ourselves to follow the teachings of that baby and stop fighting with each other.  Christ, himself recognized that, a couple of thousand years ago, and said:  “Men will cry peace, peace, but there will be no peace!”

Americans have found themselves in the unenviable position of being the policemen of the world… by default.  It was thrust upon us.  We did not seek it, we did not want it, but we learned, much to our chagrin, that we had no choice.  When the “evil-doers” attacked us on our soil, we were instantly committed.  We have been at war now since September 11th, 2001.  No end is in sight, no matter what we may have been told.

Back in the mid 1800’s America found herself in another war, much worse that the one we fight currently.  It was a war among brothers.  A war, which was being waged here, on our shores, and the carnage, was biblical in proportion.  Families were torn apart by the war and entire families displaced as the war raged up and down the Middle Atlantic States and even out west, across the Mississippi River.  700,000 Americans lives were loss as a result of that war.  Many of the scars can still be seen today in our buildings and landscapes. Many scars are less obvious, but are there, nevertheless.

I am a Veteran, and I’m a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and as such, I am acutely acquainted with the scars -- seen and unseen -- of war.   The entire reason for the existence of the SCV is to prevent the memory of what those men did from fading, or being redacted, from the memory of this nation.  We feel that by holding the historically correct (as opposed to politically correct) reasons for that war up to public scrutiny we can learn from it and never allow such a thing to happen on these shores again.

The South was the recipient of more suffering and carnage than were our brothers to the north.  It was a sad, disheartening, time.

Here is a small part of the text of a letter, written to his family, by a Confederate soldier on Christmas Eve of 1863:

" This morning battalion guard mounting began for the three batteries. It is Christmas Eve. I am sitting in my little cabin and my thoughts carry me away to Helena where I see my good wife before the hearth with three children around her; the eldest a girl standing and looking earnestly into her mother’s face; the second a boy, five years old, sitting in a small chair looking into the fire; and the youngest a girl about four, leaning on her mother’s lap--all listening attentively to what their intelligent mother is relating in regard to the visits of Santa Claus having visited them on former Christmas Eves with presents of toys, their curiosity is at its height to know if he will come tonight and fill their stockings. Ah, will not these little innocents be disappointed? Their father has not seen them for twenty months, and is now far away battling for home and liberty, and has no means by which he can convey them toys or money to purchase them. Whether their mother has the means to spare in procuring Christmas presents for them is unknown to me, but I pray heaven to provide her with the necessaries of life, and to bless and cheer the young and innocent hearts of my children during the Christmas holidays. Happy Christmas to my wife and children!"  [From The Campaign Diaries of Thomas J. Kay, CSA and Robert J. Campbell, edited by Wirt Armistead Cate, 1938; entry for December 24th (1863).]

Surely, there were similar letters written by soldiers on the federal side of the lines that Christmas.

So, as we tear open the Christmas presents, feast at the table piled high with God’s bounty, lets us find time, somewhere during the hectic day, to remember what the child, whose birthday we celebrate, taught us.  Even if we cannot find it within ourselves to put his teachings into practice, we are, I believe, obligated to try.  In the effort, we might just find that peace so often mentioned at this time of year
.
Let us remember our troops, so far from home, in constant danger, because so much of the world cannot bring itself to fight tyranny… of any kind.  Let us pray that those misled peoples will, somehow, find the courage to stand up, like men, and fight the enemies of freedom as our brave men and women are doing.  Let us pray that they come to understand that the brave American soldier, who dies on a foreign battlefield, has given his life for them as well as for his own American family.

And, finally, let us pray that next Christmas will find America, and the world, in a less contentious state than this Christmas.


May God richly bless you and your family this Christmas and in the New Year to come.

Merry Christmas, everyone, and please accept my sincerest gratitude for your past (and continued) support of my feeble efforts at expressing and sharing opinions on those things that matter and affect us all.
  
J. D. Longstreet

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America's King

"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and morality are indispensable supports.  ...reason and experience both forbid us to expect that National morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." --George Washington in his Farewell Address

After America gained its independence from Britain, many people called on the hero of the American Revolution, George Washington, to be their king.  He refused, instead accepting the honor of becoming the nation's first President.  Whether consciously or subconsciously, Washington probably knew that the majority of the American people already had a king--the Eternal King--Jesus Christ.  No man, not even George Washington, could ever sit in His place.

The Declaration of Independence and Constitution do not refer specifically to the God of the Bible, however upon close examination and study it is clear that our nation's founding was based on His Word.  For example our founders referred to the Creator in several places--a Creator that is not Allah, or Buddha, or some pagan god, but clearly the Christian God.  Because the majority of Americans acknowledged God as their Creator and Jesus Christ as their Savior, our form of government can function properly as designed.

The United States government as described in our Constitution can be viewed as a caretaker government until the King returns.  That government is designed to be run by humans to manage normal human affairs and to protect the nation from external threats while giving maximum freedom to the general population to choose their own ends and for most to follow the direction of their King, Christ.  Without faith in God, personal ends have a greater potential to become evil.  George Washington appreciated this fact as evidenced by this portion of his Farewell Speech:

"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and morality are indispensable supports.  ...reason and experience both forbid us to expect that National morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."

We must acknowledge that none of us are perfect nor can be...Christians included.  But if we as a nation keep our eyes on our Savior, our point of aim, then we are headed in the right direction in spite of our error and sin.  But if we were to remove our gaze from that point of light and instead rely exclusively on ourselves or other men to determine our ends and how we get there, then we have a serious problem and our form of government will no longer be effective.  It will be undermined by those who seek another path, and the threat they pose to the People will only increase as more and more eyes are turned away from Christ.

At its creation our nation gave deference to Jesus Christ as the King of the people.  During our time, there have been louder and louder calls for Him to abdicate His throne.  Let it be known that Christ will never abdicate His throne.  However we as a people can choose to reject Him as our King and guiding star for the ship of state.  Evil forces in America are laboring to make this happen, and have achieved much success.  Unless something is done to reverse this trend, such as a national Christian revival, we as a nation are on a pathway to bondage and doom.

For without Christ as the King of our people, we will seek another to replace Him, and it will be found in our human government and its human leadership.  God help us when that day comes (is it already here?).

As for me, Christ will be the King of my life, my family, and my house.

This Christmas season I ask you: In whom do you place your faith and trust?  Is it yourself?  Is it the government?  Or is it God?

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The Next American Civil War ... J. D. Longstreet

The Next American Civil War
A Commentary by J. D.Longstreet
*******************

“Tyrants preserve themselves by sowing fear and mistrust among the citizens by means of spies, by distracting them with foreign wars, by eliminating men of spirit who might lead a revolution, by humbling the people, and making them incapable of decisive action…” ... Aristotle

You'd think ole "Ari" might have been peering through some sort of cosmic window into modern day America some 2300 years ago with comments such as those above. 

There's another way to look at it, as well.  One can grudgingly admit that the Greeks, of 2300 years ago, were smarter than modern Americans.  In my estimation -- you'd be right.  So, I tend to go with the latter explanation.

See, America is building a head of steam preparing to go to war with itself a second time at this very moment.  This is not unusual -- not in America.  We have already had two revolutions.  You may recall the American Revolution against Great Britain and the second -- the War for Southern Independence, often erroneously referred to as the American Civil War, or the War Between the States.

Tensions are running high all across the country as citizens are rushing to arm themselves with the closest thing resembling combat weaponry they can possible find. Ammunition of all calibers is disappearing for the shelves of gun shops and back orders at the manufacturing plants are piled high. 

Americans are preparing to dig-in.  In other words they are preparing for a fight.  They are preparing for the day when the words run out, as they surely will.  They will then have no other alternative than to turn -- as their forefathers have done since the country was founded -- to the gun. 

Look.  Nobody really knows how many guns are in the hands of private citizens in America.  Many have multiple weapons.  A few are even registered, but, my guess is -- the vast majority are not registered anywhere for exactly the reason Americans feel they are being driven, herded, as it were,  to armed resistance.   Of the weapons known to be in the hands of private civilian Americans there are enough, according to some reports, to arm every man woman and child in America today -- well over three hundred million. 

That's a lot of guns, but not nearly as many as there will be in 2013.  Manufacturers are finding it impossible to keep up with demand for their guns.

The old expression:  "Fools rush in"  is as apropos a word, or phrase, as I can conger to describe the actions of the so-called "gun grabbers" in America in recent days.  Their propagandists and boosters in the press and the Mainstream Media added to the mental light weights already liberally salted throughout the US Congress and White House are mindlessly fanning the flames of a conflagration that threatens to consume the country in another American war over the rights guaranteed by the US Constitution -- including the Bill of Rights.  These are rights sacred to Americans.   These are the rights for which they have been willing to valiantly lay down their lives to protect since the birth of the nation. They are no less ready to put their lives on the line once again.  I do not think our current "masters" fully understand that.

Look.  Those who would disarm America seem oblivious to the buzz saw into which they are mindlessly running.  Their naivete is monumental, off the scale. When describing weapons they want banned, their description of such weapons makes it clear they haven't the foggiest notion what they are talking about.  It is also clear they are operating from pure emotion with no reason mixed in.  They often describe weapons they want banned.  They don't seem to know that those weapons have already been banned since the 1930's in America. They use the term "assault weapon" when there is actually no such weapon, only a political term to describe a weapon that is, well,  scary looking.

In their ignorance, they cannot grasp that even if a gun ban were successful, a black market in guns and ammunition will spring up, almost overnight, and will make Prohibition resemble a Sunday school picnic.   Gun owners and those familiar with guns know, already, that guns are fairly simple to make, many with off the shelf, readily available, parts. 

The very first firefight between government agents and American private citizens will be the ignition point of an all consuming maelstrom that will inundate the nation and render null and void any chance that America might reconstitute itself into its former image afterwards.  

To the folks on the left, the gun grabbers, if there is any doubt in your minds that Americans will defend their constitutional rights to the death, simply drive across the Lincoln Bridge and take a long look at row after row of white grave markers at Arlington National Cemetery.  As you gaze upon that place of honor, remember, we are the sons, grandsons, and great-grand sons of the men lying there.  We are no less inspired than they to defend the constitution against all enemies -- domestic and foreign. 

For those of you who purportedly serve the public in your position within the Congress, understand that we are taking careful note of your maneuvering to deny us our constitutional rights and we will be working tirelessly to see that your political career is ended when next you stand for election.  That is a promise.

The idiots in the Mainstream Media still do not understand that freedom of the press , freedom of speech, is only viable so long as the right to keep and bear arms is guaranteed by the Second Amendment.  The job of the press is inextricably linked to the armed citizen. If the armed American goes, so does the independent, non-state-controlled press.  Freedom of the press, freedom of speech, will disappear. 

It is such a simple thing -- when thought through.  But that's the problem.  They aren't thinking.  They are reacting out of raw emotion -- certainly NOT reason.   It is their handlers, however, who ARE reasoning. They reason, and rightfully so, that they cannot accomplish their agenda as long as the American citizen is armed.  And so the useful idiots of the Mainstream Media are trotted out to happily make fools of themselves in service to the political left, which will grind them into so much dust once their goals are realized.

It is such idiocy as this that brings men to grapple at each other's throat.  

And here we are again, preparing to do battle with each other, brother against brother, over an issue that was settled two and a half centuries ago.

At first glance it appears to be lunacy of the highest order -- and yet -- here we are on the cusp of violence to defend something the political left, an authoritarian cabal itself,  cannot abide, AT ALL:  personal freedom, individual freedom.

Remember that Aristotle said: "Tyrants preserve themselves by ...  by eliminating men of spirit who might lead a revolution, by humbling the people, and making them incapable of decisive action… .”  Could this be why over a dozen of the US's highest military officers have been hounded from service in recent months? Is it why this financial crises has dragged on and on ... to keep us humble and incapable of decisive action? 

And now they intend to disarm us.

Look.  There is so much pent-up anger in America today that if this argument over gun control ever gets beyond the talking stage it is reasonable to believe there will be violence on a scale not seen since the 1860's in this country. 

I would ask the political left if they understand that this is only a temporary argument over gun control?  Do they understand it will quickly become an argument over whether or not the country continues to exist as a single fifty state entity or breaks up into separate countries?  I don't think they do.  Indeed, I don't think most Americans understand that once this fight begins, in earnest, there will be no turning back and when it is ended -- there will be no going back, either. 

I don't want a war in my homeland, either.  But, dear reader, THIS is exactly how they begin.

© J. D. Longstreet  

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Obama Now A Religion ... J. D. Longstreet

Obama Now A Religion
The Cult of Obama
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
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"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.…For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie." (2 Thessalonians 2:3,4,7-11).

Does that not describe America today?  Americans believed -- and bought into -- a lie.

Many Americans remain in stunned disbelief at the reelection of Obama.  To them, myself included, he is "The Great Lie."  Yet like a great horror novel of the apocalypse, millions of Americans flock to his side --  even though he offers only destruction.

Obama is now officially a cult figure. He is offering the poisoned kool-aid and Americans are gulping it down by the multi-gallons. 

This, dear reader, is out and out worship.  And it is not just wrong -- it is blasphemy!

Recently, on national television, an Oscar-winning black actor said the following:  "First of all, give an honor to God and our lord and savior Barack Obama."  (Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2012/11/26/jamie-foxx-calls-obama-our-lord-and-savior#ixzz2DLkwBfhe  )

How can such a thing happen among "enlightened" people?  Moral relativism is how.

America is now a country soaked in moral relativism, or as most know it, "political correctness."   Moral relativism, simply put, is defined as a state in which there is no right and wrong, no black and white, no absolutes.  Everything is, well, relative.  "Relative to what?," you may ask.  Relative to how YOU feel about it.  You may recall from the 1960's the expression:  "If it FEELS good -- do it!" The implication is that the onus (burden) is on YOU -- as is the emphasis.   

We Americans have finally created god in our own image -- and he is Obama!  All Hail!

Like the ancient Romans we have managed to transform our emperors into gods.  The decline and fall of the Roman Empire  is a well established historical fact.  Unfortunately, for a people who don't believe in history -- save for that period of time from the moment of their birth to the current hour, events occurring prior to their birth have no relevance, whatsoever.  the semi-literate mass of Americans learn nothing from the mistakes of those who have trod the same path many times -- well before them. 

Had our untethered masses learned their history lessons they would have learned that .  every time a people have tried this -- if has failed, utterly, and brought those people down to complete and utter destruction along with their nation.

Only a fool would believe the future holds anything but destruction for America.

A cult is defined as:  A system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object.  An instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers:  SOURCE:  http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cult 
   
I fear for my country.  And that is putting it mildly.

A nation can only get away with adopting the morals of Sodom and Gomorrah for a time.   That time for America, I believe, is at an end. Our  self-destructive lifestyle has had us hurtling toward doom for many decades now and our hedonistic national lifestyle has been increasing in intensity and speed for the past twenty years.

One has only to consider how the electorate looks to Obama, the Golden Calf of the American tribe, for solace and salvation rather than to the God of our fathers. 

Today, as a cult, Americans worship a false god as lord and savior.  Obama is neither the former nor the latter.  He is, however, the way that leadeth to destruction. 

Rather than continuing to shake our collective fists in the face of God, shouldn't we bombard the ramparts of heaven with fervent petitions pleading for mercy rather than justice?  Surely the stench of our national blasphemy wafting on the breezes flowing through those golden avenues has not gone unnoticed by Providence.
A message to those who insist on continuing the praise of, and admiration for, their "lord and savior," Obama: My God is greater than your god.  My fear is that He will repent having shielded this nation for two and a half centuries and withdraw his favor from us. 

J. D. Longstreet

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Hayek on Implementing the "Mandate of the People"

"Yet agreement that planning is necessary, together with the inability of democratic assemblies to produce a plan, will evoke stronger and stronger demands that the government or some single individual should be given powers to act on their own responsibility. The belief is becoming more and more widespread that, if things are to get done, the responsible authorities must be freed from the fetters of democratic procedure....  Hitler did not have to destroy democracy; he merely took advantage of the decay of democracy and at the critical moment obtained the support of many to whom, though they detested Hitler, he yet seemed the only man strong enough to get things done."  --F.A. Hayek

In this section of quotes from F.A. Hayek's "The Road to Serfdom," discusses how a true agreement on what the "mandate of the people" means is actually quite elusive, but the government will feel the need to take action regardless and take steps to centrally manage the economy to fulfill the people's "mandate."

Recall that it is not the government's job to select a common end for the people.  To be free, citizens must be allowed to select their own ends ("...within these spheres the individual’s system of ends should be supreme and not subject to any dictation by others. It is this recognition of the individual as the ultimate judge of his ends, the belief that as far as possible his own views ought to govern his actions, that forms the essence of the individualist position." -- F.A. Hayek).

--Against All Enemies

(Emphasis is mine.)

"We can rely on voluntary agreement to guide the action of the state only so long as it is confined to spheres where agreement exists. But not only when the state undertakes direct control in fields where there is no such agreement is it bound to suppress individual freedom.
[...]

The people may have agreed on adopting a system of directed economy because they have been convinced that it will produce great prosperity. In the discussions leading to the decision, the goal of planning will have been described by some such term as “common welfare,” which only conceals the absence of real agreement on the ends of planning. Agreement will in fact exist only on the mechanism to be used. But it is a mechanism which can be used only for a common end; and the question of the precise goal toward which all activity is to be directed will arise as soon as the executive power has to translate the demand for a single plan into a particular plan. Then it will appear that the agreement on the desirability of planning is not supported by agreement on the ends the plan is to serve.
[...]

The inability of democratic assemblies to carry out what seems to be a clear mandate of the people will inevitably cause dissatisfaction with democratic institutions. Parliaments come to be regarded as ineffective “talking shops,” unable or incompetent to carry out the tasks for which they have been chosen. The conviction grows that if efficient planning is to be done, the direction must be “taken out of politics” and placed in the hands of experts—permanent officials or independent autonomous bodies.
[...]

The delegation of particular technical tasks to separate bodies, while a regular feature, is yet only the first step in the process whereby a democracy which embarks on planning progressively relinquishes its powers.
[...]

Yet agreement that planning is necessary, together with the inability of democratic assemblies to produce a plan, will evoke stronger and stronger demands that the government or some single individual should be given powers to act on their own responsibility. The belief is becoming more and more widespread that, if things are to get done, the responsible authorities must be freed from the fetters of democratic procedure.
[...]

It is important to remember that, for some time before 1933, Germany had reached a stage in which it had, in effect, had to be governed dictatorially....
Hitler did not have to destroy democracy; he merely took advantage of the decay of democracy and at the critical moment obtained the support of many to whom, though they detested Hitler, he yet seemed the only man strong enough to get things done."

Hayek, F. A. (2010-10-22). The Road to Serfdom (pp. 103-109). University of Chicago Press - A. Kindle Edition. 

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God Rest Ye Merry Anti-Semites

By Findalis
Monkey in the Middle

There is an old hatred returning to the Christian community.  A hatred of Jews and Judaism.  It is especially vicious this time of year.  A new call for the blood of Jews to run through out the streets of the world.  A vicious cry led by the Church of England, Roman Catholic Church, Presbyterian Church (USA) and Evangelical Lutheran Church.

A new report from NGO Monitor reveals that several Christian organizations that support the Palestinian Authority are using Christmas to attack Israel. Holiday propaganda ranged from half-truths aimed at portraying Israel as oppressive to “crude anti-Semitism” based on historic Christian accusations of Jews being prophet-killers, the group said.

The report, titled, “O Boycott All ye Faithful,” criticized groups including Christian Aid, Sabeel, Kairos Palestine, and Israel Palestine Mission Network, Presbyterian Church (USA).

The latter group has published a daily advent devotional headed by a picture in which Mary and Joseph, parents of Jesus, are trapped behind a wall styled on Israel’s security barrier between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The first entry compares Israel to the Romans who once brutally oppressed the Jewish people.

“Jesus lived when the Roman empire had recently come to his land and made it part of the empire. The Romans were very cruel to any of those who dared to resist the occupation… As we look at the complexity of the Palestine/Israel issues today, I am struck by a sense of déjà vu,” wrote Reverend Richard Toll.

His message also included a warning to “collaborators,” whom he said Christians must expose. The PA considers “collaboration” with Israel in fighting terrorism a death penalty offense.

Further writings continue the trend of extreme criticism of Israel, with some hinting that modern-day Palestinian Authority Arabs are like Jesus, while Israel is like the Romans who killed him.

The annual Christmas message from Sabeel compares Israel to the Roman Empire as well, as does a video message posted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Groups based in England and Ireland – Amos Trust, Christian Aid, and the Ireland Palestinian Solidarity Campaign – used images or writings that targeted Israel’s security barrier by comparing PA residents to figures in early Christianity. Amos Trust, for example, wrote, “If Jesus were born today in Bethlehem, the Wise Men would spend several hours queuing to enter the town.”

The security barrier was built following a brutal wave of suicide attacks targeting Israeli civilians. Jerusalem, just minutes from Bethlehem, was hit by dozens of attacks murdering hundreds of people. Several of the attackers were from Bethlehem, among them a bomber who targeted high school students on their way to school, killing and wounding several dozen.

Unsurprisingly, the issue of terrorism in Bethlehem was not mentioned by any of the organizations.

“NGOs and well-known charities are exploiting the 2012 Christmas season with anti-Israel campaigns… The repeated emphasis on Bethlehem highlights the dark theological messaging,” warned NGO monitor.

“With this abuse of holiday and religious symbols, these NGOs and charities that claim to promote moral agendas are not offering messages of peace and good cheer. Rather, their intolerant and theologically charged messages exacerbate an already polarized and violent conflict,” the group charged.

Many of the offending groups are funded by the European Union and European governments. Sabeel is funded by Sweden, and Christian Aid by the UK, Ireland, Norway and the EU.

“As funders, these governments are enablers and share the moral responsibility for the actions of the NGOs,” NGO Monitor declared.

Source

A new Christmas Carol is being taught to Christian children all over the world:

Deck the streets with the Blood of Jews,
Fa la la la la la la la la.
Tis the season to hate Jews,
Fa la la la la la la la la.
Blame them for the death of Christ,
That way the PA will let us stay,
Fa la la la la la la la la.

I wonder how long it will be until this becomes a prophecy and not a song?

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