Fear Not for the Prince of Peace has come

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Tomorrow is Christmas.  It can be a time of great stress and fatigue with last minute packages to buy and wrap, food to buy and prepare, and if you happen to be hosting friends and family, a time of getting the house ready for guests.  There is also unrest in our society with riots, especially in Ferguson that have disrupted what should be a joyous season for people.  Many also remain out of work or are relegated to having to work part-time. 

I especially encourage everyone to remember the families of the two police officers in New York that were brutally assassinated this past Saturday just because they wear the uniform.  These families no doubt had plans for a joyous celebration with family and friends tomorrow but now have to plan a funeral for their lost loved one.  I pray that they find peace that can only come from the Prince of Peace in the middle of this tremendous loss.

It is the birth of the Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, and Savior that is the true meaning for Christmas.  I want to take this opportunity to wish all of my readers a Merry Christmas.  I also urge you to take a brief pause from the busyness of the season and read the account of the first Christmas as written in the Gospel of Luke.

1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them,"Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

14 "Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"  

15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.  

(Luke 2:1-20, NKJV)

Merry Christmas everyone and may the peace that can only come from the Prince of Peace rein in your life.  

A Quasi Fairness Doctrine

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Mark 7:35

Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.

NKJV

During Jesus’ ministry on earth, he healed the sick, opened blind eyes, cast out demons, and even raised the dead.  Jesus also healed the speech impediment of the man mentioned in Mark 7.  Jesus understood the importance of the ability for someone to speak.  However, the Bible also reminds us that the tongue is a powerful tool that can do good as well as evil (James 3:8). 

The authors of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution did not believe government had the duty to distinguish evil speech from good speech and authored the First Amendment to insure the free expression of ideas through speech.  This left the duty of differentiation between good and evil speech up to the listener who could judge speech against a moral standard such as the Bible.  However, the recent data breach at Sony and the subsequent revelation that the motivation behind the breach was to stop the release of a movie represents a threat to free speech. 

When I first heard of the data breach at Sony, I did not give it much attention equating it with the data breaches at Target and Home Depot.  However, as the story unfolded and we discovered the data breach originated in North Korea in retaliation to a movie, (1) I have determined that what occurred to Sony is something we all need to give our attention.  Besides the obvious data breach and potential identity theft, we have the fact that a foreign country was able to restrict free speech by preventing the production of what they viewed as a controversial movie.  (2)   Failure to respond to this data breach as a threat to constitutionally protected free speech and an act of war against the United States is tantamount to a foreign country initiating a fairness doctrine on the United States. 

To understand why the attack on Sony is a form of fairness doctrine we must first understand what the fairness doctrine is.  The policy, initiated in 1949 by the predecessor to the FCC, the Federal Radio Commission was a casualty of Reagan administration deregulation.  The FCC initiated the policy in an interest to insure balanced coverage of controversial issues.  (3) 

The main benefactors to the reversal of the Fairness Doctrine are political talk radio.  (4)   This is because a radio host no longer is required to present both sides of an issue and instead can present his or her side and let the public decide what is right.  Some believe the fairness doctrine should be reinstated (5) but when we investigate the motivation behind their wanting to reinstate the doctrine, we most likely find that they are not able to have their opinions heard in the arena of the media and want to silence opposition voices by reinstating the Fairness Doctrine.  (6)

I believe the authors of the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution would be against the fairness doctrine.  The reason behind their desire for free speech was not that everyone involved in public discourse be required to present both sides of an issue but that each person be free to present his or her opinion.  The First Amendment authors believed in the ability of the public to form their own opinions based upon what they heard from people on both sides of an issue. 

What, however, does the fairness doctrine have to do with the data breach at Sony?  The answer is that whereas the Fairness Doctrine amounted to the U.S. Government restricting free speech by media outlets in the United States, the pulling of the movie “The Interview” by Sony due to a data breach from North Korea constitutes implementation of a fairness doctrine by North Korea against Sony.  In addition, the failure of the U.S. Government to respond to this breach as a threat to the Constitution and national security is disturbing.  This data breach constitutes a threat by a foreign enemy and we must treat it as an act of war.  I am not calling for the sending of troops to North Korea but we should implement additional sanctions and protections to insure a breach such as this does not occur again. 

There is now a dangerous precedent in place that not only restricts free speech but also inhibits the ability of citizens to be properly informed on issues.  The Interview is a comedy movie depicting an attempted assignation attempt on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.  (7)   The movie is a comedy and made strictly for entertainment purposes.  However, comedy is a great vehicle for the expression of opinion for as people are being entertained and their guard is down, they are open to learning.  (8)   We must speculate that the reason behind the data breach was to stop the movies production out of fear that people who normally pay little attention to global politics would learn of the evils of the regime in North Korea.  The precedent now in place means that movie studios may hesitate to produce controversial movies about evil world leaders (7) out of fear of some data breach thus depriving many who pay little attention to world events of the opportunity to learn the truth about these evil leaders. 

Any enemy of the United States, or any other country for that matter, now knows they can stop the expression of the truth concerning their evil activities by hacking a movie studio’s computers and threatening violence against theaters showing the movie believing the studio will stop production and the government will not treat the hack as an act of war.  In essence, we now have a quasi-global fairness doctrine threatening free speech and hampering the exposure of truth. 

Jesus came to bear witness to the truth (John 18:37) and scripture also tells us truth will set us free (John 8:32).  However, without free speech, tyrannical leaders that will suffer removal from power if truth is revealed easily suppress truth.  Government’s main duty is the protection of its citizens, which includes companies doing business in that country.  The First Amendment of the Constitution protects movie companies doing business in the United States and the government has a duty to do whatever is necessary to protect that right. 

It is only a matter of time until someone hacks a TV network, book publisher, or even a web host such as Google, which hosts this blog.  Will they respond to a hack of their data by stopping the TV show, book, or blog that offended the country’s leader who originated the hack, or will they take a stand for their first amendment right to allow the free expression of opinions through their media.  We must also ask if the government will do whatever is necessary to deal with the source of the breach or just allow a foreign enemy to restrict free speech through a form of quasi fairness doctrine.  We can only hope those hacked and the government will stand up and defend their First Amendment right to free speech. 

1. Chabrow, Eric. FBI Attributes Sony Hack to North Korea. www.bankinfosecurity.com. [Online] Bank Info Security, December 19, 2014. [Cited: December 19, 2014.] http://www.bankinfosecurity.com/fbi-attributes-sony-hack-to-north-korea-a-7703/op-1.

2. Steinberg, Joseph. Massive Security Breach At Sony -- Here's What You Need To Know. www.forbes.com. [Online] Forbes, December 11, 2014. [Cited: December 19, 2014.] http://www.forbes.com/sites/josephsteinberg/2014/12/11/massive-security-breach-at-sony-heres-what-you-need-to-know/.

3. Gill, Kathy. What is the Fairness Doctrine. uspolitics.about.com. [Online] About News. [Cited: December 19, 2014.] http://uspolitics.about.com/od/electionissues/a/fcc_fairness.htm.

4. Sobel, Robert. Repeal of fairness: How Ronald Reagan gave us Fox News and other bias sources. www.muscletak.co.uk. [Online] Examiner, March 24, 2014. [Cited: December 20, 2014.] http://www.muscletak.co.uk/article/repeal-of-fairness-how-ronald-reagan-gave-us-fox-news-and-other-bias-sources.

5. AARP. It is time to reinstate the "Fairness Doctrine". community.aarp.org. [Online] AARP, March 3, 2012. [Cited: December 20, 2014.] http://community.aarp.org/t5/Politics-Current-Events/It-is-time-to-reinstate-the-quot-Fairness-Doctrine-quot/td-p/459767.

6. Limbaugh, Rush. Rush Limbaugh and Liberalism’s Fatal Flaw. www.freerepublic.com. [Online] Free Republic, May 15, 2006. [Cited: December 20, 2014.] http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1632393/posts.

7. Bahr, Lindsey. 'The Interview' Jeopardizes Overseas Movie Villains. abcnews.go.com. [Online] ABC News, December 18, 2014. [Cited: December 20, 2014.] http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/interview-jeopardizes-overseas-movie-villains-27704760.

8. Atkins, Amy. "Comedy is The Last Great Expression of Free Speech" . www.boiseweekly.com. [Online] Boise Weekly, December 27, 2006. [Cited: December 20, 2014.] http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/comedy-is-the-last-great-expression-of-free-speech/Content?oid=930561.

Reigniting the Fading Fire of Liberty

By:  Dale Weckbacher

2 Corinthians 3:17

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

NKJV

Next Thursday we will celebrate Christmas.  In addition, today is the beginning of Chanukah.  Both of these holidays have much in common.  Christians and Jews who both worship the God of Israel and the Bible celebrate the holidays.  Both holidays also celebrate a miracle of light. 

Chanukah celebrates two things,

1)      The 2nd century BCE victory of a small, greatly outnumbered and out-armed army of Jews, known as the “Maccabees,” over the mighty Greek army that occupied the Holy Land.  The rebellion was in response to the Greek attempt to force a Hellenistic G‑dless lifestyle on the Jewish inhabitants of Israel.

2)      The kindling of a seven-branched Menorah (candelabra) was an important component of the daily service in the Holy Temple.  When the Maccabees liberated the Temple from the hands of the Greek invaders, they found only a small cruse of pure and undefiled olive oil fit for fueling the Menorah.  The problem was, it was sufficient to light the Menorah only for one day, and it would take eight days to produce new pure oil.  Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days and nights.  (1)

For Christians, the celebration of Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ who came to bring salvation to lost mankind (Acts 4:8-12).  Jesus may have been humbly born in a manger but his birth was anything but normal.  Jesus birth was momentous for an announcement of angels and a great light accompanied it (Luke 2:8-12).  The gift of Jesus, given by God the Father on the first Christmas made it possible for the light of the Spirit of God to enter peoples’ lives.  All anyone has to do is believe and they will receive eternal life (John 3:16). 

The founding of the United States of America lit the torch of liberty.  The Statue of Liberty was given to the Nation by the people of France in recognition of the friendship established between the two nations during the American Revolution.  (2)  Thousands of immigrants that came to the United States from Europe saw Miss Liberty and many no doubt understood that they were coming to start a new life in the land of liberty.  However, through the years, the fire of the torch of liberty has begun to grow dim but the embers of liberty are still hot in our country, which means we still have an opportunity to reignite the fire of liberty in the United States. 

To reignite the fire of liberty we must,

1)      Return to the Godly principles of the Bible – The Bible is the inerrant Word of God.  It is God speaking to us and provides the guideline with which we should live.  Unfortunately, the United States has drifted from following these principles and replaced it with the ungodly philosophy of post-modernism.  One of the most surprising movies to come out recently is the movie God’s not Dead.  I do not want to spoil it for those that have not had an opportunity to see the movie and would encourage everyone reading this to secure a copy and watch it.  The movie presents a contrast between God, and His Word, and secular philosophies like post-modernism.  The movie also shows how easily young minds can be deceived but also demonstrates the power of one individual taking a stand for what is right. 

2)      Realize the true source of the rights of citizens – The Declaration of Independence tells us that citizens are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights.  (3)  Rights are inalienable or irrevocable and their source is our creator, not the government.  Governments’ role as outlined in the U.S. Constitution is the protection of the citizens God given rights.  Unfortunately, for many years in the United States, citizens have turned away from the principle of God as the purveyor of rights and instead, look to government as the purveyor of their rights.  Of course, there is always some opportunistic politician ready to take advantage of this power and develop some government program that supposedly provides a right for some group of citizens.  These opportunistic politicians use their power to continue winning election by telling voters their opposition wants to deprive them of their rights.  As voters continue to look to government for the provision of their rights, the light of liberty for the nation keeps growing dimmer and dimmer. 

To reignite the flame of liberty in our nation we must as individuals learn to live according to Godly principles.  In these times of uncertainty, many are seeking answers.  They continue to turn to government only to be continually disappointed.  This causes the spirit or flame to dim in our lives.  It is only the light of the Holy Spirit that can reignite the spirit within and give us individual liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17).

We then must return to the role of government as the protector of individual rights and not the purveyor of these rights.  Unfortunately, secular philosophies have indoctrinated several generations to look to government as the solution to their problems.  This is where each of us that are believers in Jesus Christ comes in.  Jesus parting words to His followers was to share the gospel with every creature.  Jesus understood that the only way to reignite the flame of liberty for a nation was to reignite the spirit of mankind by being born again through the power of the Gospel. 

I want to challenge everyone reading this to join me and begin sharing the Gospel in both our words and deeds.  If you are unsure how to share the gospel, you can point people to www.dalewsr34.wix.com/needanswers.  This website contains a presentation of the Gospel, access to an affordable print and free online Bible, a church finder, access to services online, and additional reading to encourage them to grow in their walk with the Lord. 

As the light of the Spirit of God begins to shine in the hearts of men and women, I believe they will begin to realize the true source of their rights and provision and begin to rely less and less on government and more on God. 

1. www.chabad.org. Chanukah FAQ's. www.chabad.org. [Online] Chabad.org. [Cited: December 16, 2014.] http://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/article_cdo/aid/605036/jewish/Chanukah-FAQs.htm.

2. Skillings, Pamela. Statue of Liberty. manhattan.about.com. [Online] About Travel. [Cited: December 16, 2014.] http://manhattan.about.com/od/historyandlandmarks/a/statueofliberty.htm.

3. ushistory.org. The Declaration of Independence. www.ushistory.org. [Online] [Cited: December 16, 2014.] http://www.ushistory.org/Declaration/document/.

The Power of Truth

By:  Dale Weckbacher   

John 8:31-32

"If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

NKJV

Truth has a liberating effect on us for when we indeed know the truth, we will not fall for lies and deception.  In John 8:31-32 Jesus is speaking to Jews that have chosen to believe Him.  He is telling them to abide in His word and since Jesus is the Word become flesh (John 1:14), Jesus is teaching these Jewish believers that abiding, or studying and living according to the Word of God will set them free. 

In another instance, Jesus was speaking to his disciples at the last supper and told them He was the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).  After the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus' believers would have realized that Jesus was the truth, the truth that set them free from the power of sin over their lives.  In fact, when confronted by Pilate at His trial, Pilate asked Jesus if He was a king, Jesus replied by saying,

"You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

(John 18:37 NKJV)

The truth Jesus bore witness to is that all men and women are sinners (Romans 3:23) and the penalty for their sins is death (Romans 6:23).  However, Jesus, God in the flesh, came to the world, died, was buried, and rose from the dead making it possible for all of us to be saved from the death penalty of our sins (Romans 10:9-10, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4).  All Jesus asks of us is to believe (John 3:16).  This is the power of truth, the truth that sets us free and gives us eternal life.  However, what would happen if there were no absolute standard for truth?

The answer is possibly what we are seeing in our world and society today for the philosophy of post-modernism now dominates our culture.  The epistemology of postmodernism brings into question previous approaches to knowing, including the Bible.  Its approach is to deconstruct previous sources of power and authority and attempts to set up a less hierarchical approach.  To put it more simply, it abolishes any belief in a supreme source of truth and accepts all things as truths.  (1)

This philosophy dominates institutions of higher learning (2) from which many of our business and political leaders come today.  (3)  This would explain why we now have a President of the United States that won election promising the fundamental transform of the United States and then once in office proceeded to ignore the rule of law of the nation to further his personal vision for the country.  As a person indoctrinated in the philosophy of post-modernism, he would see no problem with ignoring the U.S. Constitution, the supreme rule of law of the land.  After all, who are we to believe that the Constitution should be the only standard of law with which we judge what is right or wrong for the United States. 

It is also why the U.S. Congress continually fails to meet its budgetary deadline each year (4) and instead waits until the last minute to pass a temporary spending bill to keep the government from shutting down.  Of course, this last minute drafting of a spending bill means representatives and senators vote on these bills without having a chance to read them.  Meeting a deadline for passing a budget of course would mean congress could no longer hide the lard in their spending of taxpayer money.  (5)  I guess Nancy Pelosi is not the only one that can say we have to vote for the bill before we can find out what is in it.  (6)

Post-modernism also dominates the business world.  No longer is it the goal of many businesses to profit by providing a product or service in demand by the public and instead companies seek government handouts for products that purport to solve some manufactured problem like global warming  (7)  or a failed healthcare system.  (8)  Since government produces nothing, they fund these crony capitalists by taking money from the producers in the economy, you know those that actually provide a product or service consumers demand, and redistribute it to these crony capitalists.  (9)   Is it any wonder that U.S. debt now exceeds $18 trillion (10) and the rich crony capitalists continue to get richer while the middleclass continues to shrink.  (11) (12)

It is time that we as a nation once again adopt a standard of truth from which to govern the nation.  We must

1)      Get back to the Godly principles this nation was founded on as seen in its founding documents. (13) (14)

2)      Demand government operate within the limits placed upon it in the Constitution.  Belief that one man or group of men is somehow able to rule a nation is a failed belief.  History is full of tyrannical leaders that failed (15) so, what makes us think things have changed today.  This is precisely why the authors of the U.S. Constitution formulated a form of government with a separation of powers and a system of checks and balances.  (16)  Even though the Constitution is imperfect for failed men too authored it, it has stood the test of time as the best form of government for protecting the rights and liberties of citizens. 

Truth is all-powerful and liberating but we cannot have truth without some higher supreme standard from which to judge what truth is.  The Bible, the Word of God stands as the supreme standard for living our lives and is the standard we must live by.  The U.S. Constitution stands as a proven successful standard of governing that protects the rights and liberties of citizens.  The liberating power of truth exists in our learning to live and govern according to these standards. 

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

2. Post Modern Psychology. Postmodernism and the Academic Disciplines. www.postmodernpsychology.com. [Online] [Cited: December 12, 2014.] http://www.postmodernpsychology.com/main_topics/PM_and_academic_disciplines.htm.

3. Penfold, Michael J. Postmodernism. www.webtruth.org. [Online] WebTruth. [Cited: December 12, 2014.] http://www.webtruth.org/articles/cultural-issues-26/postmodernism-35.html.

4. Baumann, David. Budget Deadlines: Made To Be Missed. uspolitics.about.com. [Online] About News. [Cited: December 12, 2014.] http://uspolitics.about.com/od/thefederalbudget/a/Budget-Deadlines-Made-To-Be-Missed.htm.

5. Taylor, Andrew. $1.1 Trillion Spending Bill Would Bury Budget Battles. www.huffiungtonpost.com. [Online] The Huffington Post, January 14, 2014. [Cited: December 12, 2014.] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/13/spending-bill-budget-battle_n_4592524.html.

6. You Tube. Pelosi: "We Have to Pass the Bill So That You Can Find Out What Is In It". www.youtube.com. [Online] You Tube, March 9, 2010. [Cited: December 12, 2014.] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hV-05TLiiLU.

7. Toback, Steve. The Myth of Global Warming. www.foxbusiness.com. [Online] Fox Business, May 31, 2013. [Cited: December 13, 2014.] http://www.foxbusiness.com/business-leaders/2013/05/31/myth-global-warming/.

8. Asness, Clifford. Health Care Mythology. www.realclearpolitics.com. [Online] Real Clear Politics, July 23, 2009. [Cited: December 13, 2014.] http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/07/23/health_care_mythology_97552.html.

9. Intellectual Takeout. Free Market Capitalism vs. Crony Capitalism. www.intellectualtakeout.org. [Online] Intellectual Takeout. [Cited: December 13, 2014.] http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/library/business-and-economics/free-market-capitalism-vs-crony-capitalism.

10. Sargent, Michael. Since Obama Took Office, the Federal Debt Has Increased by Almost 70 Percent. dailysignal.com. [Online] The Daily Signal, December 3, 2014. [Cited: December 6, 2014.] http://dailysignal.com/2014/12/03/since-obama-took-office-federal-debt-increased-almost-70-percent/.

11. Schwartz, Nelson D. The Middle Class Is Steadily Eroding. Just Ask the Business World. www.nytimes.com. [Online] The New York Times, February 2, 2014. [Cited: December 12, 2014.] http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/03/business/the-middle-class-is-steadily-eroding-just-ask-the-business-world.html.

12. Tavernise, Sabrina. Middle-Class Areas Shrink as Income Gap Grows, New Report Finds. www.nytimes.com. [Online] The New York Times, November 15, 2011. [Cited: December 12, 2014.] http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/us/middle-class-areas-shrink-as-income-gap-grows-report-finds.html.

13. age-or-the-sage.org. The Declaration of Independence. www.age-of-the-sage.org. [Online] [Cited: July 2, 2013.] http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/philosophy/declaration_of_independence.html.

14. The U.S. National Archives & Records Administration. The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription. www.archives.gov. [Online] [Cited: August 6, 2013.] http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/print_friendly.html?page=constitution_transcript_content.html&title=The%20Constitution%20of%20the%20United%20States%3A%20A%20Transcription.

15. elistmania.com. 10 Most Notorious Leaders In History. elistmania.com. [Online] December 9, 2008. [Cited: December 12, 2014.] http://elistmania.com/juice/10_most_notorious_leaders_in_history/.

16. National Center for Constitutional Studies. Checks And Balances: The Constitutional Structure For Limited and Balanced Government. www.nccs.net. [Online] National Center for Constitutional Studies. [Cited: December 12, 2014.] http://www.nccs.net/checks-balances-limited-and-balanced-government.php.

The Vietnamisation of Law Enforcement:

By:  Dale Weckbacher

John 15:13

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.

NKJV

Jesus made this statement while walking with eleven of his disciples.  They were on their way, after eating the Passover meal, to the Garden of Gethsemane.  The reason there were only eleven disciples with Jesus is that Judas was in the process of betraying Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:47).  Jesus knew that He was about to demonstrate the greatest expression of love possible and not just for these eleven disciples but also for everyone past, present, and future in the world.  The United States and most other nations on earth also have men and women that love their nation and its people so much that they too are willing to lay down their lives for them. 

This past Sunday we honored those that were lost during the vicious attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1942.  President Roosevelt stated in his address to a joint session of Congress the next day that the day would be remembered as a day of infamy.  (1)  Unfortunately, as time has passed, December 7 also passes each year with fewer and fewer people taking time to honor the fallen heroes that died that day. 

In the days after President Roosevelt’s address, the U.S. Military confronted the axes powers of Japan, Germany, and Italy with one goal in mind, winning the war and defeating the enemy.  Unfortunately, since that time, wars have become political and the thought of total victory has gone away.  I remember growing up during the Vietnam War era.  Every evening during the evening news, viewers saw a scorecard showing how many of our brave heroes had died.  Instead of fighting to win, soldiers, and their commanders were concerned about the image portrayed by the media and not offending the enemy or the citizens at home with the brutalities of war.  This politicization of the war led to the United States pulling out of the War in Vietnam before achieving victory, leading to the fall of South Vietnam on April 30, 1975.  (2)

Instead of staying in the fight until achieving victory, which in this instance would have been the surrender of North Vietnam, President Nixon embarked on a policy of Vietnamisation.  This policy involved the gradual replacement of US military personnel with Vietnamese military.  However, since the enemy, North Vietnam remained, they were able to overrun the South Vietnamese army using 180,000 NVA troops armed with massive Russian material support.  (3)

The main reason for our early exit from Vietnam was the media’s ability to use real time reporting, something not possible during previous wars, to bring the horrors of warfare into the living rooms of people each evening on the 6 O’clock news.  The nightly barrage of war footage caused the nation to become war weary, demanding we pull out.  Media real time coverage of wars has changed how wars are fought.  (4)  Wars are no longer fought to achieve victory but are fought to make political points.  When there are no more political points to gain, we pull out without achieving victory, placing our brave soldiers, and citizens they swore to protect at risk. 

The real time coverage of the riots in Ferguson Missouri is having a similar effect on how many in the public view law enforcement.  There was a time when a majority of people respected law enforcement officers in uniform.  Granted, there have always been bad cops just as there are bad people in all professions.  However, in no other profession are we asked to throw all people in that profession under the bus, as we are expected to do with all police officers and members of the military who daily risk their lives to keep us safe.  Now, every time an officer is required to use his or her weapon to defend themselves and the public, he or she has to face the very real possibility of causing a riot or losing their job.  This is especially true if the officer is white and shoots a minority giving race baiters ammunition to advance their racist agenda.

Perhaps the greatest danger however in politicizing the actions of law enforcement is that it may cause officers to hesitate for a split second when finding themselves in danger.  This moment of hesitation gives criminals additional time to harm the officer and escape, leaving a dangerous criminal on the streets seeking out additional victims.  If you are reading this and believe this is not going to happen I want to refer you to the recent attack on a border patrol agent near the Ajo Station of the Tucson Sector on the U.S. Mexico border.  (5) 

The agent suffered multiple head fractures from Carlos Manuel Pena-Nieblas as he bashed the officer’s head in with a rock.  The agent, perhaps apprehensive about using his firearm instead deployed intermediate weapons, which include pepper spray and his baton.  These weapons were ineffective and caused what could have been fatal injuries to the agent while allowing the perpetrator to escape.  (5)  Let us pray more law enforcement officers do not become apprehensive in using deadly force when endangered and instead continue to perform their duties of protecting the citizens they swore to serve. 

The only way for Jesus to save mankind was to lay down His life for our sins.  Law enforcement officers and first responders can find themselves in a situation where the only way to save the citizens they swore to protect is to also lay down their lives.  However, this should not be the norm.  So let us insure they have the resources and are allowed to carry out their sworn duties without having to fear political ramifications for their actions. 

1. Tube, You. Franklin Delano Roosevelt - Pearl Harbor Address. www.youtube.com. [Online] You Tube. [Cited: December 9, 2014.] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VqQAf74fsE.

2. History Learning Site. The Fall of Saigon. www.historylearningsite.co.uk. [Online] History Learning Site. [Cited: December 9, 2014.] http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/fall_saigon.htm.

3. History, Alpha. The fall of South Vietnam. alphahistory.com. [Online] Alpha History. [Cited: December 9, 2014.] http://alphahistory.com/vietnam/fall-of-south-vietnam/.

4. Dunn, J.R. The Media Have Changed War. www.americanthinker.com. [Online] American Thinker, January 29, 2007. [Cited: September 25, 2014.] http://www.americanthinker.com/2007/01/the_media_have_changed_war.html.

5. Darby, Brandon. UPDATED: ILLEGAL ALIEN BASHES BORDER PATROL AGENT IN HEAD WITH ROCK, AGENT SEVERELY INJURED. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, December 6, 2014. [Cited: December 9, 2014.] http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-Texas/2014/12/06/BREAKING-Illegal-Alien-Bashes-Border-Patrol-Agent-in-Head-With-Rock-Agent-Severely-Injured.

Throw Omnibus Under the Bus

By:  Dale Weckbacher

1 Timothy 6:10

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

NKJV

Once again, we face the end of another year and the government is out of money and faces a shutdown.  If we listen to political leaders, we would believe that the apocalypse was looming.  The only thing according to these wizards of smart is to pass a deficit increasing debt creating omnibus spending bill. 

As an adjective, Omnibus means an item comprising several items.  (1)  A government-spending bill containing several items is a spending bill with a massive price tag.  With the United States debt now exceeding $18 trillion, (2) an omnibus spending bill with a massive price tag is the last thing the nation needs.  It is time to stop this insanity and throw omnibus under the bus. 

The voters in the United States spoke loud and clear this past November especially on the issues of taxes and spending.  (3)   They are tired of an out of control government spending the nation into financial bankruptcy.  They fired the Democrat controlled Senate leadership, replacing it with what they believe will be a more fiscally responsible Republican leadership.  However, if we allow the current lame duck Congress and Senate to strap the incoming congress with their fiscally irresponsible spending until September 30, 2015, we will lose a year, a year in which we could begin reversing the dangerous ballooning of the national debt. 

Republicans control the House of Representatives in the current lame duck Congress and since all spending bills originate in the House, have the power to spend a temporary spending bill funding the government at current levels into 2015 and then giving the incoming Republican controlled House and Senate the power to pass their own fiscally responsible spending bill.  Unfortunately, however, the House leadership fears being blamed for an apocalyptic government shutdown.

We heard the same thing when the government was briefly, and partially, shut down in 2013.  (4)  Republicans feared losing the House and Senate.  However, these fears proved to be unfounded as the Republicans not only increased their majority in the House of Representatives but also gained a majority in the Senate.  The Republican leadership fails to comprehend that the voter is intelligent and understands that they were not the cause of the 2013 shutdown but that it was the result of liberals like Harry Reid and Barack Obama not being willing to compromise on their profligate spending. 

To prevent us from having to spend our Christmas holiday with an ominous cloud of a government shutdown looming over the nations head we must:

1)      Pass a budget – The budgetary deadline for funding the Federal Government each fiscal year is October 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year.  For several years, the United States government has failed to pass a budget and instead functions off temporary spending resolutions.  The reason for this is that budgets reveal spending plans for government programs each fiscal year.  Failure to pass a budget means government can hide their out of control spending from voters through the passage of temporary spending resolutions and omnibus spending bills.  However, they may be able to hide but the ballooning deficits and debt reveal the irresponsibility of government spending.

2)      Change the Fiscal Year – Congress, and a new President take office in the United States in January.  However, with the end of the fiscal year being in September, an incoming Congress and President have to live the first nine months of their terms working with the budget of their predecessors.  I believe we should move the end of the fiscal year to the end of February, giving an incoming Congress and President the power to construct a budget based on what they ran for election on. 

3)      Pass a balanced budget amendment – Most states in the United States are required to pass balanced budgets.  The reason for this is obvious, they cannot print more money and therefore either have to live within the means of tax revenue they collect or borrow money, increasing the debt of their states.  Since habitually increasing debt eventually leads to bankruptcy, most states have learned to live within the means of tax revenue.  Unfortunately, the Federal Government has the ability to keep itself afloat by essentially printing more money through quantitative easing.  This is why we must pass a balanced budget amendment forcing the Federal Government to live within the means of tax revenue they collect.  In conjunction with the passage of a balanced budget amendment, we must also pass an amendment requiring a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Congress to pass any tax increase.  This is necessary to prevent the Congress from increasing taxes to cover their out of control spending. 

Unfortunately, with money comes power.  1 Timothy 6:10 at the beginning of this article tells us that to love money is the root of evil.  The Federal Government of the United States loves the taxpayers’ money and has no problem spending every dime of it and then borrowing and creating more money to pass out of control spending bills giving them more power over the people they govern.  We cannot depend on Washington to relinquish this power.  This is why the founders of our nation created the article 5 option in the Constitution.  (5)

We must:

1)      Contact Congress this week urging them not to pass any omnibus spending bill and instead pass a temporary resolution giving the incoming Congress the opportunity to pass a fiscally responsible spending bill

2)      Propose legislation or even an amendment changing the fiscal year to coincide with the swearing in of the new Congress and President

3)      Begin the process of passing a balanced budget amendment and super majority requirement for tax increases.

This is a call to action for all of my fellow political avengers.  There is a link to the right of this posting where we can contact our representatives, senators, and the White House urging them to not pass or sign an omnibus spending bill.  We then must contact our state legislatures to begin the process outlined in article five of the Constitution.  (5).  Time to light up the phone lines and email servers letting them know that we are not going to put up with irresponsible government spending anymore. 

1. google.com. Om-ni-bus. www.google.com. [Online] Google. [Cited: December 6, 2014.] https://www.google.com/search?q=definition+of+omnibus&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS440US481&oq=definition+of+omnibus&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.7076j0j8&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8.

2. Sargent, Michael. Since Obama Took Office, the Federal Debt Has Increased by Almost 70 Percent. dailysignal.com. [Online] The Daily Signal, December 3, 2014. [Cited: December 6, 2014.] http://dailysignal.com/2014/12/03/since-obama-took-office-federal-debt-increased-almost-70-percent/.

3. Tanner, Michael. The 2014 Tax Revolt. www.nationalreview.com. [Online] The National Review, November 19, 2014. [Cited: December 6, 2014.] http://www.nationalreview.com/article/392955/2014-tax-revolt-michael-tanner.

4. Giokaris, John. 2014 Midterm Elections Predictions Prove Pundits Don't Know Math. mic.com. [Online] Policy Mic, October 22, 2013. [Cited: December 6, 2014.] http://mic.com/articles/69319/2014-midterm-elections-predictions-prove-pundits-don-t-know-math.

5. Hillsdale College. The Constitution of the United States of America. [book auth.] Hillsdale College. The U.S. Constitution: A Reader. Hillsdale MI : Hillsdale College Press, 2012.

The Four Stages of Racism

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Mark 8:34

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

NKJV

The only requirement to following after Christ is to be willing to follow by denying our own interests and taking up our cross and following Jesus.  The denial of self-interests and taking up the cross is what separates the men from the boys and the women from the girls when it comes to following Christ.  It is easy to say I am a believer and follow Jesus Christ but to deny our own interests or to take up the cross of persecution and suffering is where many fall by the wayside. 

However, the interesting thing about this passage of scripture is not what it says, but what it does not say.  Nowhere in this verse do we see any mention that only people of a certain race or gender can come to Christ but all who are willing to pay the price can come regardless of their race or gender.  Jesus is the perfect example of one accepting all races of people and an example we should follow. 

There is a history of racism in the United States.  A history has gone through three phases and needs to move into the fourth phase to solve the problem.  Let us now look at the four phases of racism

1)      Racism is legal – The darkest scar on the history of the United States is its initial acceptance of slavery.  When debating the Constitution of the United States, some in attendance tried to introduce constitutional language that would have made slavery illegal.  Unfortunately, more than one-third of the states would have refused to ratify the Constitution if it contained this language and since two-thirds of the states were required for ratification, the language was left out and the Constitution was ratified.  (1) (2)   The founders believed that they could later add an amendment to the Constitution making slavery illegal.  Unfortunately, they were unable to ratify such an amendment and the debate on slavery escalated until a bloody Civil War was the only means to make the atrocious practice of slavery illegal in our nation.  Only then would enough states go along with constitutional amendments to abolish the practice of slavery. 

2)      Racism is socially acceptable – After slavery became illegal however, people still treated African-Americans as second-class citizens socially.  In essence, slavery moved from being legal to being socially acceptable in primarily the southern states of the United States.  During this period in the history of the United States, people of color were denied access to restrooms, drinking fountains, restaurants, and even seating on public transportation.  People of color were also denied employment due to their race during this period.  (3)   To stop this social practice of slavery, men like Martin Luther King Jr. rose up, practicing their right to free speech, and were able to get legislation passed to make these social practices illegal.  The election of the first black President of the United States demonstrates to the world that we have been able to abolish the social practice of slavery.

3)      Racism is profitable financially and politically – Even though slavery and the social practice of slavery are now illegal, racism has become a profitable business for many.  People like Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton profit by creating the perception that racism is rampant in our nation.  (4)  When an event like what we just witnessed in Ferguson occurs, they make people like Michael Brown icons of racism and use the issue to stir up protests that often turn into full-blown riots like those that we currently see in Ferguson.  They are then able to profit by conducting fund raising for their mission to end racism.  I find it interesting that after several years of their efforts, racism never seems to go away.  Of course, the reason for this is that that would be the end of their business.  We also see the U.S. Chamber of Commerce attempting to profit from cheap labor coming in from south of the border by pushing for amnesty, a form of slavery for Hispanics.  (5)

4)      Racism is unacceptable with all races treated equal – This state is not racism at all but a state in society with equal treatment of all races.  This was the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  (6)  this is the way Jesus sees all races and when society gets to this state people will be judged by what they do and not the color or their skin.  When we achieve this state, events, like those in Ferguson are no longer used as political icons to further the race baiting business and instead will be viewed for that they are tragic events brought on by bad choices and actions by people. 

The shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson was a tragedy.  The tragedy was that a young man with his life ahead of him made bad choices.  He chose to steal from a liquor store and assaulted the storeowner when confronted.  He then failed to stop when an officer asked him to and instead chose to slam the door on the officer as he attempted to leave his cruiser.  He then made the bad choice of trying to take the officer’s gun.  He then made what would come to be a fatal decision by charging the officer instead of surrendering and suffering the consequences of his crimes.  (7) (8)

The Grand Jury in Ferguson made their decision not on the race of Michael Brown or the officer, but on what Michael Brown and the officer did.  Michael Brown made bad choices that cost him his life whereas the officer was only trying to protect himself and the people of Ferguson he swore to protect.  The officer was operating at level four but the rioters in Ferguson are pawns used by race baiters who profit by being stuck in level three.  The best thing we could do for the rioters is arrest them for their crimes and let them think about moving up to the next level, a level where race is not the motivation for their actions.  This is the path to civility in our society. 

1. Exploring Constitutional Conflicts. The Constitutional Convention of 1787. law2.umkc.edu. [Online] [Cited: December 2, 2014.] http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/convention1787.html.

2. Truths, Confederate. The Gathering Storm; Debate Over Slavery at the Constitutional Convention August 21-22, 1787. www.confederatepastpresent.org. [Online] [Cited: December 2, 2014.] http://www.confederatepastpresent.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=100:debate-over-slavery-at-the-constitutional-convention-august-21-22-1787-&catid=41:the-gathering-storm.

3. Gale Group. Racial Segregation in the American South: Jim Crow Laws. find.galegroup.com. [Online] The Gale Group, 2007. [Cited: December 2, 2014.] http://find.galegroup.com/gic/infomark.do?&idigest=fb720fd31d9036c1ed2d1f3a0500fcc2&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodId=GIC&docId=CX2831400031&source=gale&userGroupName=itsbtrial&version=1.0.

4. Lopata, Andrew. Al Sharpton Cashing In On Ferguson Franchise By Announcing 25 New Locations To Protest. www.business2community.com. [Online] Business 2 Community, November 20, 2014. [Cited: December 2, 2014.] http://www.business2community.com/us-news/al-sharpton-cashing-ferguson-franchise-announcing-25-new-locations-protest-01074949.

5. Jr., Harry R. Jackson. The New Slavery : Illegal workers. townhall.com. [Online] Townhall.com, January 22, 2007. [Cited: December 2, 2014.] http://townhall.com/columnists/harryrjacksonjr/2007/01/22/the_new_slavery__illegal_workers/page/full.

6. Jr., Martin Luther King. I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. www.brainyquote.com. [Online] Brainy Quote. [Cited: December 2, 2014.] http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/martinluth297516.html.

7. Calamur, Eyder Peralta and Krishnadev. Ferguson Documents: How The Grand Jury Reached A Decision. www.npr.org. [Online] NPR, November 25, 2014. [Cited: November 25, 2014.] http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/11/25/366507379/ferguson-docs-how-the-grand-jury-reached-a-decision.

8. Arlenearmy. “Michael Brown made bad choices & paid the consequences for his actions…He was a thug”. arlenearmy.com. [Online] Arlenearmy's blog, November 27, 2014. [Cited: December 2, 2014.] http://arlenearmy.com/2014/11/27/michael-brown-made-bad-choices-paid-the-consequences-for-his-actions-he-was-a-thug/.