Remember Mississippi

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Ephesians 6:12-13

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

NKJV

When someone makes a decision to give their lives to Christ, they enter into a spiritual battle.  This is because prior to deciding to follow Christ, an individual is no threat to the prince of this world, Satan.  However, when we change sides and are filled with the Holy Spirit of God, we immediately become a threat to Satan and he will do everything in his power to stop us.

Fortunately, Jesus completely defeated Satan by his death on the Cross and will crush him under our feet when he returns (Romans 16:20) so we have nothing to fear.  While we are here on earth, God has also provided us weapons with which to fight this spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:13-20).

The defeat of Tea Party conservative Chris McDaniel by establishment Republican Thad Cochran in Mississippi demonstrates that conservatives face a battle on four fronts one of which is on the spiritual front.  This is why we must continue to pray and use the spiritual weapons God has provided in order to fight the battle for what is constitutional, moral, and right for our nation.  I believe that winning this spiritual battle is foundational to winning the fight to restore our nation back to the Godly principles it was founded upon as per our founding documents. 

Tea Party conservatives also face opposition from Liberal progressive Democrats and the mainstream media.  Conservatives expect opposition on these fronts for the Democrat Party platform has traditionally been contrary to the values of conservatives and is something the mainstream media touts as compassionate and fair.  The first election I remember following was the one in 1972 pitting George McGovern against Richard Nixon.  Even though Richard Nixon was not totally conservative, after all he did give us the EPS and OSHA, (1) George McGovern ran on an extreme liberal agenda.  I remember he promised every man, man, woman, and child in the country $1,000 if he was elected (2) and the media today would be praising his compassion.  It does not get any more liberal and progressive than that. 

The problem with Tuesday’s primary election in Mississippi was that it was a Republican Primary so opposition from Democrats was not expected.  However, in one of the sleaziest campaign tricks I can remember, The Cochran campaign solicited votes from democrats, many of whom may have voted in the Republican primary illegally, pushing him over the top.  (3) (4)  Even though this sleazy strategy may have helped Senator Cochran win his primary challenge, he is now faced with what I believe is an unsurmountable task for now he must convince these Democrats to vote for him over the Democrat running against him in the general election.  (5)  He also has to convince Tea Party conservatives, the very same people that he called racist and accused of wanting to starve the poor by taking away their benefits, to vote for him in the general election.  (6)   I am a lifelong Republican and know I would not vote for him if I were living in Mississippi. 

Cochran’s tactics in this election are no different than those typically used by Democrats each election and something that took Tea Party Republicans by surprise.  However, I want to serve notice on the GOP establishment, you may have surprised us once, but not again for our rallying cry now is “REMEMBER MISSISSIPPI.”

I now hold the GOP establishment with the same contempt I hold Democrats and the liberal media.  We have suspected for some time that the leadership of the Republican Party held conservatives with contempt but what happened in Mississippi blatantly demonstrated their total hatred for conservatives forgetting, of course, that they would still be in the minority with little chance of winning anything if not for the Tea Party movement in 2010. 

Am I calling for the formation of a third party?  Not yet.  However, I am placing the Republican Party on notice that if they do not change their ways, I will use this blog, twitter, and Facebook to convince Republicans to leave the party and form a third party.  I understand that this will mean Democrat control of Congress and the White House for several years but I believe that there are enough of us to begin winning enough seats in Congress and the Senate to insure neither the Democrats nor Republicans has a majority.  This will mean that both parties will need to solicit support from the third party members of congress in order to pass any legislation, giving conservatives effective control of Congress. 

We also have the article 5 process in the US constitution to bring about change.  If a third party can take control of a significant number of state legislatures and governorships, we can begin this process and force Washington to get its act together. 

However, while on probation, the GOP leadership has an opportunity to remember it is the people, and not lobbyists that elect them so if they want to avoid the tea party initiating the electoral nuclear option of forming a third party.  It is time for them to get their act together for we indeed do “REMEMBER MISSISSIPPI.”

1. Encyclopedia Britanica Profiles. Nixon, Richard. www.britanica.com. [Online] Encyclopedia Bfitanica. [Cited: June 27, 2014.] http://www.britannica.com/presidents/article-214055.

2. Bluhm, Jeremy S. Are You Kidding, George? $1000 a Person? www.thecrimson.com. [Online] The Harvard Crimson, June 14, 1973. [Cited: June 27, 2014.] http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1973/6/14/are-you-kidding-george-1000-a/.

3. Holt, Jim. BREAKING: 25,000-35,000 Democratic Voters Carried Thad Cochran to Victory. www.thegatewaypundit.com. [Online] Gateway Pundit, June 25, 2014. [Cited: June 27, 2014.] http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/06/establishment-gop-finds-35k-dems-to-carry-cochran/.

4. Breitbart TV. CHRIS MCDANIEL: WE'VE FOUND 1,000 EXAMPLES OF INELIGIBLE VOTERS IN ONE COUNTY. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart New, June 26, 2014. [Cited: June 27, 2014.] http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2014/06/27/Chris-McDaniel-Weve-Found-1000-Examples-of-Ineligible-Voters-in-One-County.

5. Palmer, Anna. The Democrats' best shot in Mississippi. www.politico.com. [Online] Politico, June 26, 2014. [Cited: June 27, 2014.] http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/travis-childers-thad-cochran-mississippi-108342.html?hp=r1.

6. Fund, John. The Flier That Got Thad Cochran Elected? m.nationalreview.com. [Online] National Review Online, June 25, 2014. [Cited: June 27, 2014.] http://m.nationalreview.com/corner/381187/flier-got-thad-cochran-elected-john-fund.

Dehumanizing the Nation

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

NKJV

Even though we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s high standard, God still holds us with high value.  Our value to God is so high that he offered the life of his only Son so we could live eternally in the presence of God (John 3:16).  All one has to do is believe, we do not have to pay anything for our salvation, for the price has already been paid. 

Unfortunately, large bureaucracies tend to dehumanize people.  The worst bureaucracy of all is the United States Government where politicians promise to meet every need of voters and most often fail to deliver.  The current debate over immigration and amnesty is a prime example. 

Democrats and Republicans are both in a hurry to pass some sort of immigration reform and most of these proposals contain some sort of amnesty or path to citizenship for those in our country illegally.  Both parties are putting on a good front that appears to be extending a compassionate hand to illegal aliens who they claim are only here seeking a better life as our ancestors did, ignoring the fact that most of our ancestors, like mine, came here legally. 

Potential GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush even went so far as to claim that illegally coming into the country is an act of love.  (1)  Only a politician could justify breaking the law and call it an act of love.   Even though it may appear humane on the surface to open up the borders and let anyone come in and find a better life.  That is not why politicians and bureaucrats want amnesty and their agenda is not humane but actually dehumanizes everyone involved. 

Politicians need votes to keep their jobs.  Many, especially those that have held office for many years, have learned to buy votes by offering goodies to people.  When they look at someone in our country illegally, they see a poor needy person that they can help and turn into a voter for their party.  By offering these people amnesty they are opening up the opportunities our nation has to offer.  However, since most of these individuals have few skills and education, they will be stuck in a low paying job.  However, do not fear for once they receive amnesty, they will also have access to our nation’s entitlement programs.  Of course, they will also be encouraged to vote for politicians promising to expand these entitlement programs along with raising the minimum wage.  In other words, many politicians do not see illegals as humans but voters that will help them win on Election Day.

Business owners see the expansion of their bottom lines because of the cheap labor these people offer.  To these business owners, illegals are not people but cheap labor they can use to enhance their bottom line.  Now, I am not against making a profit but I believe these business owners dreams of profits are short sighted and fail to look at the bigger picture. 

Granted, cheaper labor may initially expand the bottom line but since these people’s low skills and lack of education force them into low paying jobs, they have no choice but to take advantage of government programs.  Opportunistic politicians, seeing them as future voters are more than happy to grant them access to these taxpayer funded programs.  In fact, the cheap labor these individuals offer may be short lived if politicians increase the minimum wage to $15 as recently happened in Seattle.  (2)  Not only will an increased minimum wage eat up any profit but eventually politicians will need to increase taxes on these businesses to pay for an ever-expanding entitlement system.  (3)  The bottom line of these businesses may initially grow but these advances will be short lived due to increases in minimum wage and taxes.  Eventually these people viewed as an asset to the business that will increase their bottom line will become a liability.

We must also consider the hard working Americans that are still employed.  These individuals still represent a majority in our country and they are the backbone of our economy.  These people get up every day, fight traffic, put in a hard and productive day at their jobs and are the ones making delivering, and selling the goods and services we as consumers use.  However, all this talk of amnesty means they too will experience an increase in their taxes.  They are also negatively impacted by depressed wages due to the influx of cheap labor into our country. 

These individuals are feeling the pinch of higher prices, lower wages, and higher taxes.  As one of these individuals, I often feel like politicians view me as their ATM machine where they can go whenever they need more money to buy votes.  I am fortunate to work for a small company that still treats people as humans but I know many who work for employers that view employees as a liability because they know there is a potential pool of cheap labor available to replace them. 

However, not all is lost for we the people have an opportunity to speak up each election.  We also have an opportunity to make changes through our state legislatures using article 5 of the Constitution should the Federal Government continue to turn a deaf ear. 

I therefore encourage everyone to seek out candidates this election that views us as individuals and not some voting block they can buy to retain their job.  God values each individual so is it too much to ask our leaders to treat us with value as well?

1. Breitbart TV. JEB BUSH: CROSSING THE BORDER ILLEGALLY AN 'ACT OF LOVE'. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, April 6, 2014. [Cited: June 24, 2014.] http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2014/04/06/Jeb-Bush-Crossing-The-Border-Illegally-Is-An-Act-Of-Love.

2. McGreal, Chris. Seattle minimum wage: $15 figure represents 'historic victory' for workers. www.theguardian.com. [Online] The Guardian, June 3, 2014. [Cited: June 24, 2014.] http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/02/seattle-plan-minimum-wage-hike-workers.

3. Robert Rector and Jason Richwaine, Ph.D. The Fiscal Cost of Unlawful Immigrants and Amnesty to the U.S. Taxpayer. www.heritage.org. [Online] The Heritage Foundation, May 6, 2013. [Cited: June 24, 2014.] http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/05/the-fiscal-cost-of-unlawful-immigrants-and-amnesty-to-the-us-taxpayer.

Gross Dereliction of Duty Leaving the Nation Insecure:

By Dale Weckbacher

Matthew 6:31-34

31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. 

NKJV

The above passage of scripture tells us where we as individuals are to place our security.  It reminds us that our Heavenly Father knows we have need of food, drink, and clothing and we need not worry about where these things will come from as long as we seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness.  We seek the kingdom of God first by seeking salvation from our sins that separate us from God the Father.  The only way to find salvation is by accepting the gift of God’s Son sent to die for our sins.  Once we receive God’s gift of salvation we not only have assurance of eternal life (John 3:16), but we also have according to Matthew 6:33 assurance of our basic needs being met. 

This, however, does not excuse nations from providing security for their citizens for even though all security is traced back to an all-powerful God protecting His people, He does at times choose to provide that security through a nations army.  Unfortunately, events over the last couple of weeks demonstrate the failures of the United States to provide security for its people.  For Example:

1)      An invasion of Illegals crossing the border (1)  – The recent incursion of people, especially children crossing our southern border demonstrates that anyone can cross our border unchecked.  I mean if a small child can cross our border, an adult can also cross, and many do.  For those that believe this is only a problem for Border States, in Maryland authorities arrested four members of the MS-13 gang.  (2)

Since our border is wide open, we have no idea who is coming across the border.  We have no way to know if these people are part of one of the drug cartels.  We have no way of knowing if these people are involved in human trafficking.  We have no idea if they are the next terrorists planning on killing thousands of innocent citizens, as the 19 terrorists did on 9/11. 

However, our illustrious leader wants us to grant these people amnesty claiming they are the future of our nation.  (3)  Since we have no idea who these individuals are, I hope he did not mean that we have a future of potential violence and terrorism. 

2)      Surrendering in Iraq – Several thousand of our brave men and women surrendered their lives or became permanently disabled helping the people of Iraq gain their independence.  Although many believe our mission in Iraq was finding weapons of mass destruction, the real purpose was to prevent terrorists from using Iraq as a base for operations and to rescue the people of Iraq from the oppressive regime of Sadam Hussein.  However, with our premature exit from a war we had won, we have provided terrorists with a base from which to plan their next terrorist attack on our nation.  In fact, President Bush predicted precisely what is occurring in Iraq today.  (4)

Some may argue that if we had not deposed Hussein, terrorists may not have been able to move into the country.  However, one could also argue that the oil rich country of Iraq under the leadership of Hussein could have also funded terrorism around the world.  However, both arguments are a moog point now for it appears terrorists will soon have a home base in Iraq from which to launch their next terrorist attacks. 

3)      Intruding on individuals private property rights – Without the security of private property ownership, no citizen, or organization has assurance of economic security.  The recent taking of the trademark rights of the NFL’s Washington Redskins, (5) in the interest of political correctness, demonstrates the total disregard of our government for the private property rights of businesses and individuals in the nation.  Even though a trademark is not a tangible asset like a building, car, or piece of equipment, it does have value for the organization or individual owning it. 

For the Washington Redskins the value is in the team’s ability to sell merchandise with the logo on it.  In fact, since every team shares the revenue from the sales of merchandise, the loss of the trademark rights for this logo will affect the revenue and value of every team in the league, except for the Dallas Cowboys who have chosen not to share their revenue.  (6)

Each individual’s ultimate security is in the Lord.  However, this does not mean we can be careless about our security and must exercise responsibility to help secure our persons and property.  Governments have a responsibility to help assure the security of their citizens and their property.  Unfortunately, our government has been lax in their duty by leaving the border wide open and surrendering to proven enemies of our country by leaving the war on terror before winning the war.  They have also been lax in the protection of personal property for in the interest of political correctness, the government now sees no problem with taking private property rights of individuals and organizations in essence stealing these individuals and organizations ability to profit from their property.

It is imperative that we begin electing leaders committed to the security of the nation and the Constitution they swear to protect.  As we face another election this year and in 2016, let us not forget to support candidates committed to our security. 

1. Wood, Chip. The Illegal Immigration INNVASION. www.thenewamerican.com. [Online] The New American, June 19, 2014. [Cited: June 19, 2014.] http://www.thenewamerican.com/reviews/opinion/item/18524-the-illegal-immigration-invasion.

2. Picket, Kerry. AS ILLEGALS FLOW ACROSS BORDER, MS-13 MEMBERS IN MD CHARGED WITH VIOLENT CRIMES. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, June 19, 2014. [Cited: June 19, 2014.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/06/18/As-More-Illegals-Flow-In-MS-13-Members-in-MD-Charged-With-Violent-Crimes.

3. Gehrke, Joel. Obama: ‘Our Future Rests’ On The Success Of DREAM Kids. www.nationalreview.com. [Online] National Review Online, June 11, 2014. [Cited: June 19, 2014.] http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/380193/obama-our-future-rests-success-dream-kids-joel-gehrke.

4. Card, Andy. Andy Card: This Is What Bush Predicted Would Happen if We Left Iraq Early. www.theminorityreportblog.com. [Online] The Minority Report, June 17, 2014. [Cited: June 19, 2014.] http://www.theminorityreportblog.com/2014/06/17/andy-card-this-is-what-bush-predicted-would-happen-if-we-left-iraq-early/.

5. Florio, Mike. U.S. Patent and Trademark office cancels protection of Washington team name. profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. [Online] NBC Sports, June 18, 2014. [Cited: June 19, 2014.] http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/06/18/u-s-patent-and-trademark-office-cancels-washington-team-name/.

6. FlorCruz, Michelle. Redskins Name Trademark Canceled: The Whole NFL Could Lose Millions. www.ibtimes.com. [Online] International Business Times, June 18, 2014. [Cited: June 19, 2014.] http://www.ibtimes.com/redskins-name-trademark-canceled-whole-nfl-could-lose-millions-1605022.

Another Suspicious Loss of Potentially Incriminating Information

By: Dale Weckbacher

Numbers 32:23

But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the LORD, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.

NLT

As we look out over history, we see many parallels.  It really does seem that history repeats itself with only the characters and locations of events changing.  Perhaps this is why the Lord asks his people pause to remember things that happen such as frequently remembering the death and resurrection of Christ through the observance of communion.  This allows us to learn lessons from the past insuring we do not repeat the mistakes made in the past. 

This week the IRS revealed that it had lost, or supposedly lost, two years of emails off Lois Lerner’s computer due to a hard drive crash.  (1)  This loss of data seems to parallel the lost 18 ½ minutes from the Nixon tapes during the Watergate investigation.  (2)  Once again, history seems to be repeating itself as a presidential administration is involved in a scandal involving the loss of potentially incriminating information. 

For those reading this that may not have been alive during Watergate or those not living in the United States, Let me fill you in on the history of the Nixon tapes.  On June 17, 1972, authorities arrested five men for bugging and burglarizing the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate building complex in Washington DC.  Three days later, Nixon, who was secretly recording all conversations taking place in the oval office met with his aide H. R. Haldeman to discuss various affairs including the break-in.  (3) 

While reviewing some of the tapes, Nixon’s personal secretary claims she was interrupted and intended to press the stop button on the recorder and instead pressed the record button thus erasing 18 ½ minutes of the conversation with Haldeman.  We may never know if the erasure was an error as the secretary stated or intentional in order to destroy potentially incriminating evidence.  Experts have attempted to recover the lost minutes on the tape but have proven to be unsuccessful (4) so we may never know the truth.   

In the digital age loss of data, including emails containing proprietary information can be devastating.  For this reason, organizations take precautions to set up firewalls and backup their data to an offsite server.  With the resources available to the IRS and the fact that they possess sensitive data on every taxpayer, it is difficult and alarming to believe that a hard drive crash on one person’s computer could result in a loss of two years of emails. 

In an interview with the Blaze, Norman Cillo, an army veteran who worked in intelligence and a former program manager at Microsoft said that the IRS claim that they lost two years of Lois Lerner’s emails is simply not feasible.  (5)  Mr. Cillo claims that:

1)      I believe the government uses Microsoft Exchange for their email servers. They have built-in exchange mail database redundancy. So, unless they did not follow Microsofts recommendations they are telling a falsehood.

2)       Every IT organization that I know of has hotswappable disk drives. Every server built since 2000 has them. Meaning that if a single disk goes bad it’s easy to replace.

3)       All Servers use some form of RAID technology. The only way that data can be totally lost (Meaning difficult to bring back) is if more than a single disk goes before the first bad disk is replaced.

4)       If the server crashed (Hardware failure other than disks), then the disks that contain the DATA for the Exchange database is still available because the server hardware and disks are exchangeable. Meaning that if I have another server with the same hardware in it, I can put the disks in and everything should boot right up.

5)      All email servers in a professional organization use TAPE backup. Meaning if all the above fails, you can restore the server using the TAPE backups.

6)      If they are talking about her local PC, then it’s a simple matter of going to the servers which have the email and getting them from the servers. If the servers have removed the data you can still get them by using the backups of the servers to recover the emails.  (5)

Digital technology has allowed us to install safeguards that allow us to recover data lost erroneously or due to some natural disaster or power outage.  However, if the destruction of data were intentional, also known as fraud, it could be possible, all be it difficult, for someone to devise an elaborate scheme to destroy all data and backups thus insuring the complete destruction of all incriminating information. 

Just as there is still suspicion about the missing minutes on the Nixon tapes, unless we are able to recover the missing emails, we will always remain suspicious about what these emails may contain.  However, with all the safeguards in place today to protect data, the total loss of data and backups is highly suspicious and points to fraud. 

For this reason, it is imperative that Congress call for a special counsel to investigate the IRS scandal.  This special counsel should hire the best IT professionals and forensic auditors to find out what happened to the missing data and attempt to recover it so we can erase any suspicions. 

History does seem to repeat itself.  The Nixon tapes demonstrated how recorded data could easily be lost either intentionally or by mistake simply by pushing the wrong button.  Digital data can also be lost intentionally or mistakenly by hitting the delete button or some kind of hard drive crash.  However, we have learned by experience and now put safeguards in place allowing us to recover lost data.  With these safeguards in place, there is no need for us to go through history not knowing what these emails contain we just need to take the initiative to recover the missing data. 

1. Nagy, Mandy. IRS says it has lost over two years of Lerner emails. legalinsurrection.com. [Online] Legal Insurrection, June 13, 2014. [Cited: June 17, 2014.] http://legalinsurrection.com/2014/06/irs-says-it-has-lost-over-two-years-of-lerner-emails/.

2. Investors Business Daily. Lost Lerner Emails Mirror Nixon's 18 1/2 Minute Gap. news.investors.com. [Online] Investors Business Daily, June 16, 2014. [Cited: June 17, 2014.] http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/061614-704897-irs-loses-key-lois-lerner-emails.htm.

3. Trivia Library.com. Mystery in History Missing Portion of the Nixon Watergate Tape. www.trivia-library.com. [Online] Trivia-Library.com. [Cited: June 17, 2014.] http://www.trivia-library.com/b/mystery-in-history-missing-portion-of-the-nixon-watergate-tape.htm.

4. Rein, Lisa. Missing 18 minutes of Watergate tapes? Sorry. www.washingtonpost.com. [Online] The Washington Post, June 16, 2011. [Cited: June 17, 2014.] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/missing-18-minutes-of-watergate-tapes-sorry/2011/03/23/AGfIZpXH_blog.html.

5. Howerton, Jason. Veteran IT Professional Gives Six Reasons Why the IRS’ Claim That It ‘Lost’ Two Years of Lois Lerner’s Emails Is ‘Simply Not Feasible’. www.theblaze.com. [Online] The Blaze, June 13, 2014. [Cited: June 17, 2014.] http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/06/13/veteran-it-professional-gives-six-reasons-why-the-irs-claim-that-it-lost-two-years-of-lois-lerners-emails-is-simply-not-feasible/.

Dave Brat’s Path to Victory is a Model for Conservatives to Follow:

By:  Dale Weckbacher   

Matthew 19:26

But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." 

NKJV

Much as we would like to think we could figure everything out in life, there are always things we see as impossible.  Thankfully, with God all things are possible so we can go forward with confidence as long as we are following God’s will in our lives. 

As we look at what has happened in our country since 2009, we are often tempted to just throw up our hands and give up.  Our great nation, founded upon the principles of individual liberty and small government has made a sharp left turn and now embraces socialism.  No longer do people seem to desire turning to their own individual abilities in solving their problems and instead turn to government seeking some new program to deal with their problems. 

As a conservative believing in the founding principles of our nation, it often seems impossible for our nation to return to its position of greatness.  However, just when it seems there is no hope, the impossible becomes possible and we begin to see light at the end of the dark tunnel this nation appears to be going down.  That is exactly what occurred this past Tuesday in Virginia.  (1)

If we could measure election results on the Richter scale, the political earthquake of Tuesday June 10 in Virginia would be a 10 or maybe even an 11 if that were possible.  Prior to this victory, political pundits were claiming the Tea Party was dead.  In fact, on March 18, 2014, Josh Kraushaar wrote the Tea Party's eulogy.  (2)  If the Tea party had died, the victory of this past Tuesday must have been a resurrection. 

The reason what happened Tuesday is a huge political earthquake is that the Tea Party was able to defeat one of the leaders of the Republican establishment that has vowed to destroy them.  (3)  Let us now look at how the Tea Party was able to resurrect itself from apparent death and how they can move forward to victory in 2014 and 2016 using the model of Dave Brat’s victory. 

The victory by Dave Brat is a classic David versus Goliath story.  Canto ran a sophisticated well-funded campaign against a relatively unknown economics professor from Randolph-Macon College.  Brat’s staff consisted of two paid people running the campaign from a flip phone.  (4)  Using conventional wisdom, it would have appeared there was little chance Brat could win over an established political icon like Eric Cantor.  However, just as David was able to do the impossible, with God’s help, and slay Goliath, Brat was able to defeat Cantor. 

Even Dave Brat admitted that his victory was a miracle from God.  (5)  I believe divine intervention is critical in any political victory but I believe Brat’s victory also demonstrates what Conservatives must do not only to win elections, but also to take over control of the Republican Party.  These are the lessons I see from Brat’s victory.

1)      Brat directly confronted Cantor on the issue of immigration – Even though many believe that Brat won solely because he opposes amnesty for illegals, this stance has not led to victory in other primaries (i.e. Renee Ellmers who supports amnesty won in North Carolina by nearly 18 points).  (6) Conservative commentator Erick Erickson weighed in on Cantor’s defeat claiming immigration reform was not responsible but that the media will spin it that way.  (7)

2)      Grossly underfunded when compared to his opponent, Brat developed a strong grassroots effort that turned out in great numbers – With only two paid staffers, the Brat campaign required volunteers and a solid grassroots effort.  Pundits claiming the death of the Tea Party underestimated the grassroots enthusiasm that formed the Tea Party movement in the first place.  Brat’s victory demonstrates that this enthusiasm is still alive in spite of attacks by the IRS, moderate republicans, and the media.  The Tea Party movement is an issue driven movement and as long as the DC establishment ignores the public’s views on these issues, movements like the Tea Party will continue to enthusiastically take a stand at the ballot box.  (8)  Brat’s campaign proves that an enthusiastic issue driven campaign that is in touch with the grassroots wins.

3)      Brat and his people ignored polls and pundits and worked to turn out the vote right up to election day – In a poll conducted on June 2, Cantor held on to a 13 point lead.  (9)  Granted, this is not a huge lead for an incumbent in a primary but if Brat’s staff and volunteers had been paying attention to the polls, they could have become discouraged and given up on their chances to win.  The only poll that matters is the official one on Election Day.  In the upcoming primaries, and the general election in November, it is imperative for people working on elections to keep working to turn out the vote and ignore the polls.

4)      Brat was unafraid to run for office as a conservative – Eric Cantor tried to paint Dave Brat as a liberal college professor but in reality Dave Brat is an Ayn Rand proselytizer who received a $500,000 grant from BB&T bank to bring Ayn Rand’s principles to college students at Randolph-Macon College.  (10)  His fearless sticking to the issue of border security and opposition to amnesty when others had lost their primaries sticking to the same issues demonstrates his fearless desire to stick to conservative issues. 

Dave Brat’s victory was not totally due to his stance against immigration.  He won as a conservative that even though he was out spent, was able to overcome this funding inequality through a strong grassroots and volunteer effort.  This is our model for success in the upcoming  elections. 

1. Heine, Debra. Brat Wins in Virginia - Cantor Goes Down! www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, June 10, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://www.breitbart.com/InstaBlog/2014/06/10/Brat-Wins-in-Virginia-Cantor-Goes-Down.

2. Kraushaar, Josh. The Tea Party's Over. www.nationaljournal.com. [Online] The National Journal, March 18, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://www.nationaljournal.com/against-the-grain/the-tea-party-s-over-20140318.

3. Chumley, Cheryl K. Mitch McConnell on beating tea party: ‘We are going to crush them’. www.washingtontimes.com. [Online] The Washington Times, March 10, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/10/mitch-mcconnell-beating-tea-party-we-are-going-cru/.

4. Isenstadt, Jake Sherman and Alex. How David Brat won. www.politico.com. [Online] Politico, June 11, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/2014-virginia-primary-david-brat-107700.html.

5. CBS DC. Brat: ‘This Is A Miracle From God’. washington.cbslocal.com. [Online] CBS DC, June 11, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://washington.cbslocal.com/2014/06/11/brat-this-is-a-miracle-from-god/.

6. Deng, Boer. The Real Reason Immigration Got Cantor in Trouble. www.slate.com. [Online] Slate, June 11, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2014/06/11/david_brat_painted_eric_cantor_as_pro_amnesty_to_illustrate_a_deeper_disconnect.html.

7. Lee, Esther Yu-Hsi. The Real Reason Eric Cantor Lost. thinkprogress.org. [Online] ThinkProgress, June 10, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://thinkprogress.org/immigration/2014/06/10/3447419/eric-cantor-david-brat-immigration/.

8. Tea Party Patriots. Dave Brat Powered to Victory Over Eric Cantor by Grassroots. www.teapartypatriots.org. [Online] Tea Party Patriots, June 11, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://www.teapartypatriots.org/all-issues/news/dave-brat-power-to-victory-over-eric-cantor-by-grassroots/.

9. Leahy, Michael Patrick. POLL: CANTOR'S LEAD CUT TO 52-39 OVER DAVE BRAT IN VIRGINIA PRIMARY. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, June 7, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/06/07/New-Poll-Cantor-s-Lead-Cut-to-52-39.

10. Lachman, Samantha. So Who's The Guy Who Just Beat Eric Cantor? Meet Dave Brat. www.huffingtonpost.com. [Online] The Huffington Post, June 12, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/10/dave-brat-eric-cantor_n_5482610.html.

Unleashing our Nation’s Creative Problem Solving Ability

By: Dale Weckbacher

Joel 2:28

Then after I have poured out my rains again, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions.

NLT

In Genesis 1:26 we are told that God created man in Our image.  Interestingly it is translated Our image speaking of the Trinity and the triune nature of God.  However, when Adam sinned, a separation formed between man and God and mankind began to take on the nature of sin instead of the nature of God.  Thankfully, God created a way for the restoration of man to the Godly image for which he was created.

In Acts 2:17 Peter quotes Joel 2:28 when explaining what occurred when the Holy Spirit fell on the 120 in the Upper Room.  Peter is telling them that what they had seen was a fulfillment of what Joel prophesied, speaking of a time when mankind would once again be reconnected with his godly image.  Part of this godly image is the ability of old men to dream dreams and young men to see visions. 

This past weekend I attended Phoenix Comicon, a science fiction fantasy convention occurring annually in Phoenix Arizona.  This was the fourteenth year of the convention.  Besides the appearances of various stars involved in the science fiction industry, there are also attendees who dress as their favorite character.  Some, however, take creative liberties with their characters. 

For example, one woman dressed up as a Barbie zombie.  She was wearing a box painted to look like the box a Barbie Doll would come in except the Barbie inside has turned into a zombie.  Her creativity was amazing and original.  Other individuals were able to take ordinary things and create something extraordinary.  Like the individual that took an old timing gun used to tune up a car and turned it into a phaser gun like those seen on Star Trek.  Of course there were also those costumes that bordered on the weird.  The individuals wearing these costumes were from all ages but many, like the woman dressed up as the zombie Barbie were relatively young.  

One of the celebrities at the convention was Mark Shepherd who currently stars in the show Supernatural and many other programs.  Mr. Shepherd praised what he referred to as the creative genius of the writers of his show but also praised the creative genius of many of the convention’s attendees.  As I thought upon Mr. Shepherd’s comments, I concluded that there was indeed a great creative energy present at the convention.  I then wondered what would occur in our world if we took this amazing creative genius, and put it to use solving the many problems facing our society today. 

It was young, energetic, creative, and visionary individuals that wrote our nations Declaration of Independence.  After defeating the British in the Revolutionary War, these creative geniuses went on to create a unique republic of limited government with safeguards in place to insure this new nation did not become like the tyranny they fought against for their independence.  In other words, the creative individuals used their creative energy to solve problems and create a better world for themselves and the rest of the nation. 

Imagine if we could find a way to unleash the creative energy I observed at Phoenix Comicon and put it to work solving our nation, and world’s problems.  After all, God did create all of us with creative abilities, dreams, and visions but all too often, individuals fail to unleash these abilities.  Some of the reasons I believe this occurs are,

1)      Fear of failure – We do not believe we possess the abilities necessary to succeed and therefore, fail to even start. 

2)      Failure of our education system to give students the freedom to unleash their creative abilities – All too often, our education system is more of a cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all system, interested in achieving some outcome goal instead of teaching students to think and create. 

3)      Failure of our political system – Political correctness and groupthink dominates our current political system.  Individuals have creative liberty as long as they go along and follow the system’s established norms.  However, should an individual come up with some radical idea (i.e. scrapping the current progressive income tax in favor of a more equitable flat or value added tax or someone opposing an intrusive law like Obamacare) he or she is vilified by friends and the media (i.e. the Tea Party).  In our nation’s Bill of Rights, our founders wanted to preserve the right of individuals to develop creative ideas that go against the current groupthink of the political establishment.  However, our current politically correct system discourages this creativity because it may offend someone. 

To unleash our creative energy we need,

1)      Faith –God, the creator, created each of us in His image.  However, when Adam fell, Sin corrupted our creative energies.  In order to release the creative energy God intended us to have; we must come to God in faith believing Jesus died for our sins.  When we do so we are putting our faith in someone greater than ourselves and we gain the ability to create amazing solutions.

2)      Feed on the Word of God – Many of the problems we face today are unsolvable using our limited knowledge.  We therefore need to study God’s Word and be tap into its wisdom in order to find solutions.

3)      Fellowship with others of like mind and faith – When we begin hanging around others that have faith in God and study His Word, we become a powerful team and gain the ability to come up with amazing creative solutions.

Our nation currently faces serious problems, problems that many of the youth I observed at Comicon will have to deal with.  As our government continues to run deficits, the national debt continues to increase.  Eventually this debt will need to be paid and most likely by today’s younger generation.  These youths are also graduating college with huge student loan debt and dim job and career prospects, which mean they may be unable to repay this debt. 

If we as a nation are going to solve these problems, we must unleash the creative energy of these youth and help them channel it into finding solutions to these problems.  Granted, these individuals may come up with crazy or weird ideas that will not work but that is the risk we take as a free society.  However, I have faith and confidence that somewhere in the creative energy of people in our nation are the solutions necessary for us as a nation to solve our many problems.  The question is, will we continue to stifle this creative energy or unleash it and allow it to thrive.  

Deserters, Defectors, and Traitors: The Importance of Morale in the Military.

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Judges 7:7

 The LORD told Gideon, "With these three hundred men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home."

NLT

In 2008, I had the privilege of visiting Israel and one of the places I visited was the Springs of Gideon.  It is at this location where God told Gideon that with the three hundred men He had selected, He would rescue Gideon and give them victory over the Midianites.  To gain full understanding of this verse of scripture, we must place it in context. 

Gideon has selected an army but God tells Gideon that the army is too large.  One of the ways God weeded out the army’s numbers was a test at what they now call, the Springs of Gideon.  The three hundred men selected were men who bent down to drink from the springs by taking water into their hand and then raising their hand to their mouth to drink.  Either the others lapped up the water like a dog or bent down on their knees to drink scooping up the water with both hands (Judges 7:5-6).  The reason God selected these 300 men is that they remained diligent watching for the enemy even while stopping to take a drink.   

With this test, God was emphasizing the importance of discipline and diligence in an army.  Today, we do not have our soldiers tested by how they drink water but instead submit them to extensive training or boot camp, which weeds out the men and women from the boys and girls.  However, even with this extensive training, some members of the military still desert their post when the going gets rough. 

The big news this week was the swap of five Taliban generals for one prisoner of war, or alleged prisoner of war, while our nation continues to be at war with the Taliban.  (1)  Many, including myself find it disturbing that the President of the United States would believe this swap is beneficial to the troops he leads as commander in chief, and the nation he also leads.  However, when revelations began to appear showing that Bowe Bergdahl might have deserted his post and was not, in essence, a prisoner of war (2) captured by the enemy, many have become outraged.  However, the Taliban’s version of the story remains that they captured Bergdahl when he became separated from a foot patrol.  (3)

Bergdahl’s commanding officer, in an interview with CNN, stated that within days after Bergdahl’s disappearance, they intercepted radio communications stating, “The American is in Yahya Khel (a village two miles away).  He's looking for someone who speaks English so he can talk to the Taliban.  ‘I heard it straight from the interpreter's lips as he heard it over the radio,’ said Buetow.  ‘There's a lot more to this story than a soldier walking away.’  (4)  If true, this evidence disproves the Taliban story of capturing Bergdhal while on a foot patrol. 

Military leaders in the region also observed that after Bergdhal’s disappearance, the Taliban changed the tactics they used to attack our troops when they used Improvised Explosive Devices (IED).  Instead of exploding IED’s in front of trucks, they began exploding them directly under the trucks causing maximum damage.  (5)  If these allegations are true, Bergdahl may nave not only deserted his post, but also may have actually defected to our enemy and provided information our enemies have used to more effectively injure, kill, and maim our troops. 

This whole incident requires a thorough investigation for there are many unanswered questions such as,

1)      Did President Obama violate the law by negotiating a prisoner transfer without notifying Congress?  The law requires the President to give 30 days-notice before the release or transfer of Guantanamo prisoners.  President Obama claims he had been notifying Congress of the possibility of a prisoner exchange in order to secure the release of Bergdhal and needed to act quickly over concerns of Bergdhal’s health.  (6)

2)      Did Bergdhal desert his post and defect to the enemy where he committed treasonous acts against his country by aiding and abetting our nation’s enemies in a time of war. 

3)      What assurances do the troops and citizens of our nation have that the released Taliban prisoners will not go back onto the battlefield and inflict harm on our troops or worse yet, mastermind additional terrorist attacks on our nation, killing innocent civilians. 

Just as God demonstrated to Gideon the importance of maintaining discipline and diligence in our military, our military also needs to maintain discipline and diligence within its ranks.  If our president traded a deserter, defector, and possible traitor for five Taliban generals, current members in the military may question the commitment of our military to win in battle and the morale of the troops may suffer.  In addition, the release of five dangerous Taliban generals may endanger innocent civilians in our nation. 

I pray our leaders in Congress do not wimp out on this issue and conduct a thorough investigation. 

1. NBC 26. POW Bowe Bergdahl freed. www.jrn.com. [Online] [Cited: June 6, 2014.] 2014. http://www.jrn.com/nbc26/galleries/now-trending/bowe-bergdahl-freed-rtr3rusp-261570461.html.

2. Tapper, Jake. Fellow soldiers call Bowe Bergdahl a deserter, not a hero. www.cnn.com. [Online] CNN U.S., June 4, 2014. [Cited: June 6, 2014.] http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/01/us/bergdahl-deserter-or-hero/.

3. Gorka, Dr. Sebastian. SGT. BERGDAHL: WHAT WE ARE NOT BEING TOLD. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, June 1, 2014. [Cited: June 6, 2014.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2014/06/01/6-Things-We-Are-Not-Being-Told-About-Sgt-Bergdahl.

4. Benson, Guy. CNN: Intercepted Radio Chatter Indicated Bergdahl Sought Contact With Taliban. townhall.com. [Online] Town Hall, June 4, 2014. [Cited: June 6, 2014.] http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2014/06/04/cnn-radio-chatter-indicates-bergdahl-sought-contract-with-the-taliban-n1847233.

5. Sippers, Weasel. Soldiers Feared Bergdahl Was Feeding Taliban Intel: “IEDs Started Going Off Directly Under The Trucks, They Were Getting Perfect Hits Every Time”…. weaselzippers.us. [Online] CNN. [Cited: June 6, 2014.] http://weaselzippers.us/188275-soldiers-feared-bergdahl-was-feeding-taliban-intel-ieds-started-going-off-directly-under-the-trucks-they-were-getting-perfect-hits-every-time/.

6. Grier, Peter. Bowe Bergdahl swap: Did President Obama break the law? (+video). www.csmonitor.com. [Online] Christian Science Monitor, June 3, 2014. [Cited: June 6, 2014.] http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/Decoder-Buzz/2014/0603/Bowe-Bergdahl-swap-Did-President-Obama-break-the-law-video.

The Problem is not Guns, The Media, or Drugs; it is a Void in People’s Hearts:

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Proverbs 22:6

Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it.

NLT

This verse is a go to verse for parents, especially when children go astray.  It is another source of assurance contained in God’s Word, giving comfort to parents.  Unfortunately, in our society today, the right path is often blurred. 

Our secular media and education system is based on humanism, modernism, and post-modernism which teach a philosophy of the absence of absolute truth, defining truth as whatever one wants it to be.  (1) (2) (3)  Perhaps you are reading this and have a child, or know someone with a child that was raised in a Christian home and after going off to college, returned having abandoned their Christian faith and replaced it with one of these secular philosophies.  If that is you, I want to encourage you to hang on to the assurance offered by Proverbs 22:6 and continue praying for these wayward children.  Even though it may seem impossible, with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26) Even the best efforts of the secular media and education system to remove the seeds of the Gospel planted when these children were young, it can be overcome with the help of the Holy Spirit.  The truth planted in their hearts when they were young will come out again. 

On Friday May 23, 2014, Elliot Rodger, aged 22, went on a shooting and stabbing rampage killing seven people including himself and injuring 13.  Of course, as with all such tragedies, which are becoming all to frequent, we are treated to experts, or so called experts, postulating the probable cause of these people deciding to go on their killing sprees. 

Some of these experts claim that the ability of someone to freely purchase a firearm, something by the way protected by the second amendment of our constitution, causes them to snap.  Others claim that violent movies, television shows, and video games cause these individuals to snap.  Others claim that it is over prescribing anti-depressant drugs that causes these individuals to snap. 

Even though these claims may seem logical on the surface, a deeper investigation reveals they do not address the real reason that causes these individuals to snap.  For example:

1)    Guns – Thousands, possibly millions, in the United States own firearms.  The vast majority of these individuals never use their guns to shot another human unless it is in self-defense.  Therefore, logically we cannot assume that just placing a gun, or some other weapon, in the hands of an individual turns them into some psychotic killer.

2)    Violence in the media – There is no doubt that there has been an increase in the level of violence portrayed in our media through movies, television, video games, and even the internet.  However, millions of people watch this violence on the media but only a handful become psychotic killers.  I remember when many blamed the Beatles White Album for the Charles Manson murders. In fact, Manson’s attorneys even used it as a defense for his actions.  (4)  As a Beatle fan, I have listened to this album several times and have never become a psychotic killer, or even entertained the thought of becoming one.  It is therefore not logical to believe that simply seeing a violent act in the media makes one become a psychotic killer.

3)    Anti-depressant drugs – Medical science has produced many miraculous cures for diseases.  We no longer see people dying from tuberculosis or polio due in large part to advances in medical science.  Likewise, medical science has made inroads in the science of treating mental illness.  Part of these advances involves the use of drugs.  (5)  For many these drugs mean they no longer need to be locked up in an institution and can be productive members of society living normal lives.  Of course, as with all drugs, a person must use them as their doctor instructs them to and must not stop taking them unless their doctor orders it.  Once again, since thousands use these drugs and do not become psychotic mass murders, it is not logical to conclude that everyone taking these medications will become a psychotic killer. 

So what causes individuals like Elliot Rodger to go on a mass killing spree?  Perhaps they come from broken or dysfunctional homes where they were never exposed to the right path in their lives.  We have succeeded in removing God, the Bible, and Prayer from our education system and the media continually takes shots at God and morality. 

Void of any sense of morality, these individuals turn to the secular philosophies of the media and education system that teach that truth is whatever they believe it to be.  Left without any hope, assurance, or morality, when these individuals’ lives become hopeless they have no moral compass in their lives, so some of them may justify simply killing those they believe have harmed them. 

However, even though these individuals were not raised in an atmosphere where they were taught the right path for their lives, it is not too late.  Perhaps you are reading this and know of someone going through a struggle in their lives right now.  Perhaps this person was not raised in a Godly home and may not even know anything about a God that loves them.  However, I believe God has placed them in your life for a reason. 

It you know of such a person, I encourage you to begin praying for them.  Then, in a non-threatening and non-intrusive way begin sharing the hope you have found in your life.  Perhaps just planting this seed in their hearts will give hope and some assurance in their lives.  If you believe they need professional help, help them get it. 

Jesus last words before ascending to heaven were to share the Gospel with everyone.  It is the great commission and is not just the duty of pastors and missionaries but is the duty of every believer in Christ.  In three weeks from today, I will be making my new book ‘Empowered Evangelism’ available.  The purpose of this book is to empower believers to share their faith with others and answer some of the tough questions we may encounter. 

As soon as the book is available, I will provide a link on this blog so stay tuned for further details and may God bless you. 

1. Edwards, Fred. What is Humanism. americanhyumanist.org. [Online] The American Humanist Association. [Cited: August 31, 2013.] http://americanhumanist.org/humanism/what_is_humanism.

2. MDC. History of Modernism. www.mdc.edu. [Online] [Cited: August 31, 2013.] http://www.mdc.edu/wolfson/academic/ArtsLetters/art_philosophy/Humanities/history_of_modernism.htm.

3. PhD., Louis Hoffman. Premodernism, Modernism, & Postmodernism:. www.postmodernpsychology.com. [Online] [Cited: September 7, 2013.] http://www.postmodernpsychology.com/Philosophical_Systems/Overview.htm.

4. UMKC. The Influence of the Beatles on Charles Manson. law2.umkc. [Online] [Cited: June 3, 2014.] http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/manson/mansonbeatles.html.

5. Web MD. Drugs to Treat Mental Illness. www.webmd.com. [Online] Web MD. [Cited: June 3, 2014.] http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/medications-treat-disorders.