Frankly, I don't know if they will survive.

     About two years ago I pretty much quit blogging. I also quit watching the news and quit following anything political.

I noticed something changing and was uncertain as to how or why and how to react to it. During that last presidential election it became clear that something was changing. I even wrote about it in January 2016  ("The Inevitable end of the American "Democracy."). It was clear that some long held paradigms were shifting. Not only in the USA but worldwide. I wrote that " The concepts of conservative, Republican, liberal, Democrat, socialist, left wing, right wing, and even establishment, etc are all starting to blur a bit. Frankly, I don't know if they will survive."
      And I believe the process is still changing things...though not complete. 
     
     But, in my time away I have reformed some thoughts and am beginning to look at all of it differently. The good news is that whatever happens or doesn't happen God remains in charge and complete control and it is that future I embrace. So, regardless of how the winds blow I hope to remain steadfast to that end. Politics is mostly a flesh and blood fight and not worth anything real in the end. It can produce some changes on the surface but it doesn't do it with or really for humanity. It does it in spite of (good or bad) because unless it touches the heart of a man it has not created anything that really lasts. That does not mean I am saying do not get involved or vote or something like that. If that is your calling than do it good and hit it hard. My activist days are pretty much behind me. I did my time in the trenches. No I'm going to do what I think I do best: observe.  
     

Why Manufacture Rage When You have an "Off" Switch??

In 2018 America, if someone on the radio says something to offend you we are now living in a culture which, through its actions, says the best response is to take away their livelihood...., their income..their jobs.... by getting them fired or getting their advertisers to no longer advertise with them. Do they realize that some of these "jobs" may support a family or a host of other things a person uses their income to support?.......but that is seldom considered as if the "offending" person was not really a human being at all anymore....just a target of hatred and anger. 

We can also use social media to manufacture rage at someone or something...not because we may have such strong beliefs for or against it...but just because we can. We are beginning to forget that one of the basic tenets of our Constitutional freedom is the the right to free speech. There is NO Constitutional protection to keep me from hearing something that will offend me....and nor do I want such protection. Though I do read and listen to news from the far left all the way to the far right.....if I am offended then the "OFF" switch works just fine.

MSDem & MSGOP Chairman OK w/Moving Prmary to Super Tuesday - OK, But CLOSE Primaries Also

--[c]Zorek Richards

WAPT reports:

• Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann led last year’s measure to move the primary up arguing that the state is losing millions in advertising dollars. It passed in the House, but failed in the Senate. Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves’ office said a lot of senators were worried that the state would be overlooked by presidential candidates if it were grouped with other states in Super Tuesday.

and

•  Joe Nosef, chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party, said he is open to moving the primary date.
  “It may get moved up. I think there are good arguments on both sides,” Nosef said.
  “Why not leave it where it is?” 16 WAPT’s Scott Simmons asked.
  “Some believe it is better to leave us more isolated, where more people may pay attention to us,” Nosef said.
  Mississippi Democratic Party chairman Rickey Cole said the early the better, in terms of more influence.
  “Our primary is March 8, which is still among the earliest. There are a lot more states later than we are,” Cole said.

Personally, I guess it doesn't matter to me. I can see the arguments from pro and con sides. What I think is a more important issue is to do away with Mississippi's open primary system.   I personally think an Open Primary should be unconstitutional. Republicans should be the only who pick their candidates and the same with Democrats. If Democrats vote in the Republican primary then have Republicans really actually picked their candidate? And vice versa. 

There are, of course, those who would want to keep them open. Those, for the most part, are those who have and/or are using the open primary for their personal purposes. One way would be to help elect a weak candidate because they know their actual candidate of choice could beat them. 

If we want every vote to count...let's also try and keep them honest and close all the loopholes that  could lead to a dishonest end. Closing primaries would be a good way to start that.   

Donald Trump: God Has Endorsed Me For President

[c]Zorek Richards 
Rated S for satire

Donald Trump has announced that God has endorsed his run for president. 

"I am very excited to announce that God has endorsed me. I've never met the man but have been a fan ever since I saw "Jesus Christ Superstar" on Broadway. He even has a book written about him which I have read a verse from in a couple of my speeches. This is huge because the evangelicals and the Jews and the Pentecostals, and the Seven Day Dentists already love me a whole lot.....like the Latinos...and the women. Because I built a big business and I only spend my own money...."

Yesterday Trump had reported that Sen Tom Coburn had dissed Trump's opponent Ted Cruz. Later Coburn announced that He had never said any such thing about Cruz. 

"I take that as an endorsement," Trump replied when asked about the event.

  A reporter pushed back, "How do you take that as an endorsement if Coburn stated he never said it?"

"Coburn needed to say it. So I fixed it. See, I fix things? But I know that people who are not as smart as I am make mistakes. Any time anyone says anything negative about another candidate what it translates to is an endorsement for me." and he quickly added "and me making America great again with big walls and Trumpcare."

When asked about recent statements he has made about Common Core, Trump replied, "I said I liked Common Core yesterday, so today I have to say I am against Common Core. So if you don't like that..just come back tomorrow. I say “I like Common Core on the even days. Did I already say the Latinos really really love me?" 

Reverting back to God's endorsement, a reporter asked if God had contacted him. 

"Well, no, not personally. But I read it on Twitter. But also,  God never said anything bad about me, so it's like a confirmation. . I mean, why wouldn’t God want to endorse me? I went to church in Iowa. God should be very very happy with me. God is a very big man in the sky and he knows everything which really puts me and him in the same social class. I mean, God is next in line to be Pope, so that's pretty big."

A reporter then asked,"Yesterday you tweeted that you would have been able to stop 911 from happening. How would you do that?"

"I would have built a great big beautiful wall around the twin towers and put a great big beautiful door in it so the planes could fly through but they would not hit the buildings. And the Muslims love me .......and the Latinos. They come up to me every day and tell me.  And I greet them very warmly and tell them "I am self funded." 

Since God has endorsed you do you have any new policies which will protect religious freedom?” Trump was asked. 

“Yes,” Trump replied, “and I can tell you that it’s gonna be the yuuugest protection of religious freedom America has ever seen. I’m going to protect God, and protect churches, and protect Christians better then anyone has ever protected them before. “

“Can you expand on that with some details?” he was asked.

“Yes, but that’s rather direct question aimed at me. Who do you work for any way,” Trump responded, “Because you’re doing a terrible job as a reporter and I already just now tweeted nasty things about you on Twitter. Because the answer is very simple “It’s going to be the yuuuuuugest protection that religion has ever seen because I am self funded and nobody knows how to do yuuuuge things like me. “

With that the presser ended and Trump invited a few of the reporters to stand in the middle of 5th avenue so he could get a picture of them.

Cheap Seat Report: Democrat Debate Edition

[c]Zorek Richards

"I want to tackle those barriers that stand in the way of too many Americans right now." - Hillary.
 If it wasn't for Obama she would have no opening statement. Not so sure I understand why there's so many problems that she needs to fix when her personal hero, Barack Obama, has been President for over 7 years now.

Hmm, always wondered what a real "clash" would look like.

Then there's Bernie Sanders , who has been in the US Senate since Woodrow Wilson and is considered  the "anti-establishment" candidate?

 "We should not let "the Trumps of the world divide us" " --Sanders.
Nightmares are made of there being another Trump somewhere.

 Before it was called Obamacare, it was called Hillarycare." -Hillary
So even the two of them together couldn't do it right. And Trump wants to call it Trumpcare.

"Every proposal that I have introduced has been paid for." -Bernie Sanders, still living in denial. National debt is $18,991,325,677,268.42. But Bernie thinks everything he's introduced is paid for

 Hillary said she has spent her whole life fighting for women. And fighting against all of Bill's women. And there have been many.

Hillary still thinks Planned Parenthood is a "women's health organization." But so does Donald Trump.

 Hillary says she is concerned about criminal justice reform. I'll believe Hillary is concerned about criminal justice reform when she turns herself in to authorities.

Hillary has only blamed the Republican politicians in Michigan for Flint water crisis.. But there really are plenty of Democrats there

 PBS moderators asked  asked about white people. Do Democrats even believe in white people?

 "....women are empowered to make their own choices, even if that choice is not to vote for me." --Hillary. There's a clip for a Sanders ad. Madeleine Albright said this week that there is a place in hell for women who don't vote for Hillary.

Democrats make it clear they  don't want to seal the border. They want to decorate it with welcome & "Free Healthcare" signs. At some point they need to be asked if the free unicorns and rainbows will be given to immigrants also.

When Bernie Sanders  brings out the finger, you know he's really, really, really,, a little bit kind of serious. For the record, Bernie's suit was given to him by Franklin D Roosevelt in person :-)

Meanwhile, Hillary keeps her eye on the pointy fingered old guy...

It's hard for Hillary to diss Wall Street when they've been so financially profitable for her

 "Let's not insult the intelligence of the American people."--Sanders
Great idea!!! So they are going to both suspend their campaigns??

 Then there's always a segment in a Democrat Debate about the free stuff. When it comes to giving free stuff, Bernie's free stuff is much more free then Hillary's free stuff

Then it's time to get tough on the issue of  ISIS:
 "We have to take on ISIS online." -Hillary.
Hear that ISIS? you're about to be hashtagged.
Well, not tough, but Democrat tough. (which is basically "not tough")  "We could overthrow Assad tomorrow if we wanted to" (Sanders)  except we don't know what their Twitter ID is.

When I try to compare them, they just look like this

Hillary is bothered by Donald Trump's call to ban Muslims. I'm not so concerned about Trumps Muslim comments as I am about him telling CNN that China should "take out" Kim Jong-un. (Chinese take out?)

 Hillary says shes qualified to be President because Obama trusted her to be Secretary of State.
Ahhhhh, how sweet that she thinks someone trusts her...
.Hillary's only accomplishments seem to be that she is proud of what Obama did. The R for Hillary's middle name actually stands for RPanderer. The R is silent because it goes without saying that Hillary are a panderer. Hillary's safe word is "Obama." When she feels pressured she says the word and it takes her to a place of rainbows & unicorns.

 Suddenly Bernie erupted: "Madame Secretary, that is a low blow."
That pretty much describes everything Hillary has ever done in politics.

I'll take "One of us ran against Barack Obama" for $100, Alec

Sanders says he'd be better on race relations than Obama . Yeah, well, Obama has not set that bar very high.

They ended the debate without voting anyone off. And in the Next hour, CNN will show Dem Debate highlights. Don't know what they'll do for the other 59 minutes

 Great moment at the ‪#‎DemDebate‬ was when Bernie said "Woodrow Wilson was a friend of mine. You, Hillary, are no Woodrow Wilson."

Scott Walker tweeted a response to an answer Hillary made in the debate

------------------------------------

MEME REPORT:
HILLARY THE PANDERER

The Inevitable end of the American "Democracy."

I recollect it has been about 30 years since I first heard someone define "Democracy" as simply "mob rule." I thought it clever and could see why it could easily be that.

 As I grasped for concepts of what was right vs what was popular, it was clear that just because  a majority wanted something did not make it right or moral. That, in itself, is probably the main failure of Democracy. Though the concept of "Democracy" can take many forms and variations the basic premise of a Democracy is pretty much doomed to failure should it be carried to it's furthermost limit. That is where I believe we are.

Now I don't think we're there because America has been around for over 200 years. We are there because America was not founded as a Democracy. It was a Republic by definition and by it's Constitution. "Democracy" certainly began trickling in by the 19th Century..... but it really took off in the 20th Century. In fact, most people now will always refer to America as a Democracy and don't know what you mean if you say it was founded as a Republic. I, personally,  do not remember being taught in school that America is a Republic. It was always referred to as a Democracy. Wrapped tightly in that foundation is the idea that government leaders exercise power according to the rule of law. The foundation of the rule of law was to be the Constitution. Somewhere along the way someone declared that the Constitution is some kind of "living" document which in such a fluid form can be reinterpreted for each generation. However, it is the rule of law which brings life, not the reinterpretation. Redefining law can't really happen. Once it is done it is a new law. It may have a slight tint of the original, but it is not the original law.

The Constitution, especially in the last century, has been moved from it's original foundation and is hardly recognizable as "The Constitution." Some of the procedural stuff are still utilized from the Constitution..like candidate requirements and political offices ...but the actual Constitution is largely been reinterpreted to mean various things over the years by various members of the Supreme Court and other officials who probably shouldn't be doing any interpretation of anything "legal" to begin with. Court members are chosen now out of the rubble of partisan politics as opposed to any ability to either interpret the law from the Constitution or even have any interest in doing so. Once upon a time when an issue went before the Supreme Court, it did so because it was vague in it's application in light of the Constitutional foundation of American law. Now, issues go before the court in hopes that it will swing left or right on an issue.

 This was NEVER intended to be the way the Court or Constitution was to be used, nor even designed for. 

Many crazy things have happened in the last decade and, in particular, from the pivot point of the events of Sept 11, 2001, where suddenly Americans woke up to the fact that we are not impenetrable.  Currently, the surge of Donald Trump is probably one of the more dominant issues...but was preceded by several years of the Obama presidency which shook the foundations of racism in America to levels unheard of before. Suddenly if you disagreed with something, it wasn't just because you were from another party or an ideologue of another color. It was because you were a hateful racist. The problems of racism have NOT made any progress under the Obama administration. If anything, it took 3 steps back from where it was when he became president. We have also seen numerous examples of addressing the issue of mass murder by a lone gunman by banning a flag and then southern history itself. The fact that none of that will stop a mass murder by a lone gunman was/is irrelevant.

Those are just a few examples. Some of many issues -  from the way the economy is dealt with -  to issues with foreign policy. As one who certainly leans right...I could certainly point left to lay blame...but that would then stray from my point. Those who lean left will say the same thing.  The problem is there is a major paradigm shift going on right now on planet earth as a whole. And "Democracy," as volatile as it is anyway, is going to inevitably fail.

An issue, as I mentioned earlier, is that the push for Donald Trump to most seasoned culture watchers is mostly bizarre when weighed with the way things have been. I mean, since when does conservatism attach itself to populism? And anyone who defines Donald Trump as a conservative based on previously held views of what it means to be a conservative are simply deluding themselves.

That, however, is one of the first issues to identify:

Peter Roff, editor at US News and World Report wrote in a recent column on the surge of Donald Trump:

•  People have lost faith in the system so they have placed it in a single man because they are tired of waiting for the change they want. They want to win, and now, and no longer particularly care how. His campaign is a populist uprising against a party leadership and a partisan culture that stopped listening to the voters some time ago.

It may be tainted with revenge but I don't think it's that as much as it is just being tired of the same old same old. It cant be weighed like it has been. The concepts of conservative, Republican, liberal, Democrat, socialist, left wing, right wing, and even establishment, etc are all starting to blur a bit. Frankly, I don't know if they will survive. Right now all Republicans claim to be conservative,  but in reality all Republicans are not conservative.  "All Republicans should be conservative" may not even be a true statement since the Republican Party no longer has any foundation platform on which it rests. They do as the Democrat Party does and just wing it as it goes along. It's not a matter of conviction...it's a matter of striking a chord with voters. (Part of the mob rule mentality...or part of the "Noisemakers Mentality" when it comes to main stream media).  Where this will end is anybody's guess...but I can guarantee it will not be the same as it is. And in light of the search for the magic voter "chord," populism also makes sense. Those of us who lived through the last twenty some years of American Democracy will need to realize that we cannot go home. That is gone. Prepare for what is new.

"Mob rule" has been displaced somewhat simply by "The Noisemakers Rule."  At least with a mob the parameters and size were clearer. Noisemakers can come from anywhere at any time. They can suddenly claim, for example, that the Academy Awards is racist because not enough black people get nominations. And if a few say it loud enough...they become the "Noisemakers" who will affect some kind of change even if they are actually in the minority when it comes to actual counting. But the results will affect everyone. In this case, one could wish the Academy Awards had a flag that could be banned if it would just stop the whining. 

The idea of "Taking America Back" is a futile plea. Back to what? You would have to literally destroy at least 100 years of jurisprudence and legislation in order to even get close to "Taking America Back." It is truly that entrenched. At the same time..America is not an island in this plight. Similarities are going on in countries across the world with just the names and players being changed.

Should the Lord tarry...and though I am tempted to go that route in closing and paint the picture of the final days of planet earth...I cannot adamantly say that we are there yet. Naturally, that's up to God and He may very well see things here as worse then I do or maybe not as bad. So..you should always be ready...but.....should the Lord tarry....it's time to be prepared for the United States of America to change. Mob rule [aka, Democracy] is going to run it's course.
[c]Zorek Richards 01.21.16

One Note About One Quote: Bernie "Terminating Pregnancy" Sanders Edition

Bernie Sanders

“Republicans should stop politicizing the right of women in this country to control their own bodies. The decision to end a pregnancy should be made in consultation with a doctor without interference or judgment from politicians.” --Bernie Sanders 09.22.15

Zorek Richards

Z-Note:  By definition, Pregnancy is: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body; the condition or period of being pregnant; The period from conception to birth. So by using his language he is admitting rather callously that when an abortion occurs, a pregnancy is ended.......or, simply, a life which began at conception is ended before it's given a chance to experience birth. And Sanders is OK with that. 

--------------------------------------------

MEME REPORT:
BOBBY JINDAL ANSWERS THE "MUSLIM" QUESTION

 

The "gay mafia" does not believe you are allowed to have an opinion that is different to theirs.

Z Richards

The "gay mafia" does not believe you are allowed to have an opinion that is different to theirs. Though it was building before, the SCOTUS decision on same-sex marriage has emboldened them to previously unheld limits. They will not just say they disagree with you, they will seek to get you fired, banned, censored...or whatever else they can do. The case of the Kentucky clerk is only the beginning. The "gay mafia" narrative is being endorsed and accepted by much of the main stream media as they go out of their way to show how wonderful they are by interviewing a transgender, or show how enlightened they are by working with a gay/lesbian person, create a show that has at least one hay character on it (even if the character is usually comic fodder and looks or acts like a buffoon (ie, Modern family, etc).

In the case of the Kentucky clerk, she was totally trashed by the media and every pro-gay activist that was/is available. One takeaway I noticed even clearer on this issue was that the gay mafia seems to believe that if you ever made a mistake in your entire life, you are automatically disqualified from having any opinion about anything in the future. (The rule does not apply to them, of course, because though we are all equal under the law when it comes to marriage rights, they believe their rights are just more equal).

The clerks argument was reported as her making a choice between "heaven and hell." I don't know if that's an accurate quote or if that was just how the lefty-press reported it. I don't have a theological argument or Bible verse to quote which would imply that God would send her to hell for having her name on a same-sex marriage license. A lot of theological arguments can be made, though, but all of them would not minimize the conviction that this clerk (Kim Davis) holds and has now gone to jail for. Lots of people have strongly held convictions. The number of convictions held decreases when jail is introduced. One of the promises that people usually omit when they are listing the promises that God has laid out for them is that He promised (He guaranteed) that there would be persecution.

When I first started going to church I remember hearing about 'persecution" and being told that it really doesn't happen like it did back then in Bible times..and especially not in America.  Maybe it wasn't to that extreme at that time, but when we have Christians being jailed and beheaded on an almost daily basis somewhere in the world.....it certainly is a reality now. Just not here (yet).

End time persecution will not be just a bunch of evil and nasty bad people randomly targeting Christians. It will more than likely start with a foundation of being done "for the greater good." Like, for example, if the greater good of society wants to embrace gay-marriage as a normal rite (and right), then the dissenters need to be minimized or maybe retrained, etc, Could it happen? Absolutely. It's already started. .

In Georgia, Freedom from Religion Foundation Continues to Attack Religious Freedom

A Georgia school district is investigating whether any laws were broken after a Southern Baptist church posted online video showing football players being immersed in a makeshift baptistery before practice on a high school football field.

Television stations in Macon, Ga., aired video Sept. 1 showing excerpts of video reportedly taken Aug. 17 of a mass baptism posted on YouTube by First Baptist Church of Villa Rica, an 1,100-member congregation affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, Georgia Baptist Convention and Carrollton Baptist Association.

Reports say a full four-minute video, since taken down, showed 18 players and one coach being submerged in a tub of water in a symbolic act professing their faith in Jesus Christ.

The video carried the caption: "We had the privilege of baptizing a bunch of football players and a coach on the field of Villa Rica High School! We did this right before practice! Take a look and see how God is STILL in our schools!"

The Freedom from Religion Foundation wrote the Carroll County School District Sept. 1 describing the baptism video as “an egregious constitutional violation.”

“We request that the District immediately investigate and take action to ensure there will be no further illegal religious events, including team baptisms and prayer, during school-sponsored activities,” the letter complained. “Coaches and school staff should be instructed that they cannot participate in religious activities with students while acting in their official capacity.”
More at Baptist News Global

The media needs to get over itself (RE: Trump, Kelly, Ramos and CNN)

My criticism of the "debate" which was moderated by Fox News has not changed since the so-called debate started.

  It started with these two posts to Face Book within minutes after the start of the debate:

Followed by this, the next day:

• I'm still mulling information so I can't name a personal winner (yet), but I think the loser was Fox News..and, in particular Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace. It was hardly a "debate," and any debating that went on happened in spite of the Fox News set up and not because of it. Fox ran it like a press conference and Wallace and Kelly ran it like it was THEIR own show in stead of a supposed debate.

Now, I am not endorsing Donald Trumps twitter war against Megyn Kelly, but I am defending his right to do it. And if you're offended, get over yourself. Free speech is free speech. If I only defend speech I agree with am I really embracing the concept of free speech or just my own self absorbed vanity?  

The twitter war was reignited a couple nights ago when Trump again took to twitter to attack Megyn Kelly. It prompted Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes to issue the following:

• Donald Trump’s surprise and unprovoked attack on Megyn Kelly during her show last night is as unacceptable as it is disturbing. Megyn Kelly represents the very best of American journalism and all of us at FOX News Channel reject the crude and irresponsible attempts to suggest otherwise. I could not be more proud of Megyn for her professionalism and class in the face of all of Mr. Trump’s verbal assaults. Her questioning of Mr. Trump at the debate was tough but fair, and I fully support her as she continues to ask the probing and challenging questions that all presidential candidates may find difficult to answer. Donald Trump rarely apologizes, although in this case, he should. We have never been deterred by politicians or anyone else attacking us for doing our job, much less allowed ourselves to be bullied by anyone and we’re certainly not going to start now. All of our journalists will continue to report in the fair and balanced way that has made FOX News Channel the number one news network in the industry.

I understand the need to defend one of your employees, and perhaps Ailes should be applauded for doing that. But the letter makes it clear that Ailes doesn't know what a  debate is either. So, I guess when it comes to Brett Baier, Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace's performance that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. The so-called attempt at a "debate" was nothing more than a Fox News presser. Kelly's questions would have fit on her TV show, but it added nothing to anything resembling what a debate should look like. 

On a semi-related note, Trump held a news conference yesterday in which he had Univision's Jorge Ramos escorted from his event because Jorge was being rude and talking out of turn. Though Trump took questions (and even eventually from Ramos), the only thing CNN considered news worthy was the clash between Trump and Ramos. CNN pundits, like other media, are quite absorbed with their own self worth. It's a display which best exemplifies the arrogance of the media. The media LOVES to make themselves part of the news maybe even more than reporting the news itself. 

The media needs to get over itself. I think the tides are turning and are vented through people like Donald Trump who challenge the stagnation of American politics and political correctness gone rabid. The target that gets less coverage but is all still the same gone stagnant because of its self-absorbed bloviating is the media itself. But why would the ones being reported negatively report themselves as being reported negative?

The Failure of Self-Evident Truths Undermines the US Constitution

The document which was designed as foundation for the formation of the United States of America is, without a doubt, the Constitution. It was created to be a foundation for laws which might be encouraged as offering freedom or to halt those things which might abridge freedom. Two important words were added very early in the Constitution's and is part of the sentence which reads:

• We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights

Removing two words  from the sentence will change its meaning significantly. Though most people will quickly think I am going to say "their Creator" is a problem, I am not. The two words are "Self-Evident." Granted, if you removed the words "their Creator" then who or what created man equal would be in doubt, but there's always some delusional "man of science" who will offer  some abstract answer to creation based on nothing more than a desire to prove that there is no God. Of course the fool has said in his heart there is no God and  is even more of a fool when he creates some "theory." It is usually abstract and has a lot of loose ends and fantastic assertions in order to even seem a little bit non-delusional. Stamp the words "Scientific Truth" on it and "rational" atheists will flock to it like moths to a porch light.

America, the way I see it, has been at a cross roads for a long time. It's been at kind of a "make it" or "die" cross roads. I lean toward believing America has crossed that line and it doesn't appear it will end well. At least not as the founders had hoped. When Ben Franklin was asked what we had and replied "A Republic if you can keep it" would suggest he must have had some insight into the possibilities that could happen. I presume that the founders spent a great deal of time discussing the ramifications of any proposals to be placed in the Constitution and in the end settled on what they thought was the best possibility. So, as Franklin's comments suggested they must have weighed where each idea might take the country. It held up fairly well for almost a couple centuries.

The cross roads and the Constitution depended on the two words which make or break it: self-evident. If I was to lay blame at something I could make a case and  claim it is the "church" itself that has lead the way. "Americanized" Christianity, especially in the last century has been just devastating. For the most part it followed all the trends of the world and shared greatly in the generations known as the "we" and even the "me" generation. It got its marching orders from the world...and Jesus was sometimes contacted as a consultant. By doing that, they aided and abetted the move toward man becoming less self-evident of a creator...even to the point where people were not sure if God even existed, but they just needed to have "faith" that He did. Without gong in to the apologetics and theology issues that arise out of such shallow thinking, let me just say that the foundation problem of such a hypothesis is that neither God nor Jesus Christ ever suggest man should have "faith" that He exists. You cant have "faith" in something that you aren't even sure is there.

By doing so, man cannot hold any "self-evident" beliefs that there is a Creator, which would put considerable question in the idea of this same Creator creating "all men equal." The authors of the Constitution assumed God as common knowledge. It is the same thing, for example, that the entire Bible does beginning with the book of Genesis. "In the beginning God created" is the way the Bible begins. It makes no declaration of who, where, what, or why about God. It is a natural fact that he is there and he created the heavens and the earth.  To take it a step further, any good physiology teacher or scientist can make all kinds of declarations about the design of the human body...and if you follow the dots...there is only room for a Creator as a logical answer. "Chance" can't create or even replicate anything like the design of the human body. This same body which is an important part of who we are and our ability to even be self-evident about anything.

 Most men will reject any suggestion that we need to "get back" to the foundation of our country if the suggestion is that God was involved in any way. The re-writers of American history have been busily furthering their agenda with hopes that we forget history, and even go so far as to ban it, censor it, and destroy it. And if they cannot do that then they simply rewrite it and make it so that it can be used to further their agenda. Most prominent on this issue has been the gay rights movement. They have for many many years been re-writing history and suggesting certain historic people were likely gay. I recollect when I was still in high school that some rumors were being floated about the FBI's J Edgar Hoover. He was already dead, of course, and could not defend himself (they never can) but at the time it seemed kind of silly. I had no idea at that time what was going on. I read it in a news paper, so, back then, I assumed there had to be some merit to it.  That is how far back this gay agenda has been being pushed. Though once rejected, it slowly  became a part of culture, especially through the TV and media.

That is just one example of many so this is not targeted to anything "gay-specific agenda.  We are at a place in time where people are claiming that the only real logical self-evident position is that there is no God. It is that same delusion that has eroded the foundation of the United States. It's been a couple decades since the late Ruth Graham said that if God does not judge America then he will need to resurrect Sodom and Gomorrah and apologize. How much more we have eroded since then?

Are we, as a nation, finished? I can't say no but neither can I say yes. I believe the authority of the Constitution rests on the two words: self-evident. Without that the Constitution becomes worthless. And we are seeing that today more and more. Very few laws, if any, are passed with the Constitution even under consideration. Some laws get challenged, some will end up at the Supreme Court, but law is not legislated based on the Constitution as much as it is legislated in light of their judges interpretations of it. Though there was some before, the Court really started to move away from simple legislating based on the rule of law back in 1962 when they claimed prayer in school was not constitutional. Since then, getting judges on the bench has been nothing that has anything to do with upholding the Constitution as much as it has been upholding a Republican or Democrat agenda.

Where do we go from here?

Though I am sure guesses are dime a dozen, I believe the answer to the future of the USA rests in the two words in the following sentence which bring the Constitution to life.

• We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights

Without it then it will likely go the way of the Confederate flag: To a museum.  How long before some very loud group of people will find the Constitution offensive and ask that it removed from the public eye? It's only a matter of time.

----------------------------------

MEME REPORT: 
CNN IS WHERE YOU WORK WHEN JOURNALISM DOESN'T MATTER

One Note About One Quote: LGBT Rob Hill Edition

From the Jackson Free Press:

 Rob Hill, director of the Human Rights Campaign—the largest LGBT advocacy group in the U.S:

"We as Americans and Mississippians should celebrate this decision, as it makes clear that once and for all that we are equal under the law," said Hill, who pastored a Methodist church in Jackson before joining HRC.

Hill said he thinks history will be the true judge for supporters of biblical marriage.

"I could predict that a similar group of people will gather on these grounds years from now and ask for forgiveness for what they've said about their LGBT neighbors," he said.

WSF NOTE: As a general rule, "Laws" do not make all people equal. Never have. Especially when they are put forth under the context of "rights." Whose "rights" trump whose "rights?" and if one set of "rights" is trumped...how can there be equality? I can accept that Hill would not understand that particularly in light of his poor analysis of Christians coming back some day and asking forgiveness. It would make sense that he is a "former" pastor since he clearly has no understanding of the Bible and what it means to be a Christian.

Raw Story has Banned Me from Commenting: It's a badge of honor from a trash tabloid web site.

Like so many of theses type web sites, they hate it when you use reason against their tabloidish smears. The one I was commenting on here had to with them blaming religion for some peoples problems.'

Random Observations From My Seat in the Peanut Gallery 07.02.15

  I listened to Apple Music before Apple Music was cool

Chris Christie promised to be tough on Iran. As for details, he said he would cross that bridge if we can get to it.....


 University of Missouri couldn't afford to pay $275,000 to get Hillary Clinton to speak, so they paid $65,000 to get Chelsea. For a blue dress and a cigar they could have got Bill.

2015 Rules for Being Offended:

1)Randomly pick something out to be offended by. If you can't find anything, just pick some random comments and claim its racist.

2) Let everyone on the internet know you are offended via Twitter, FaceBook, Google, LinkedIn..and others. When you reach MySpace" you know you have reached the end of the internet and you are done.

3) Start an online petition to ban whatever is offending you. Make sure your petition is vaguely clear. Don't use "Thee" or "Thou" more than once unless you are writing your petition in a King James version. Make it clear that once someone reads it they will know that something bad will happen to them like maybe their house will be swallowed up by a sinkhole or they will be forced to listen to all of Obama's state of the union messages consecutively.............all because they failed to sign the petition.
And just as a good PR stunt: Remind them that only they can prevent forest fires but only 4 out of 5 dentists approve of your fire fighting prevention methods.

4)Claim its your Constitutional right to ban what is offending you.If anyone questions you about this just call them a an "UnAmerican hater" and move on.

5)  If by this time you have forgotten why you are offended, then go back to step 1.

6)If the main stream media takes notice and wants an interview, always try for CNN first. They are most likely to get excited about nothing, so even if what you are offended by seems small their anchors can make nothing happening at all sound like it is the end of the world. If you get stuck with MSNBC then its best to clarify that whatever you are offended by is conservative or Republican. You have to get their legs to tingle in order to get them perpetually excited. If it's NBC News then apparently you can make up just about anything and they will report it.


 "Thou Shalt not have any Supreme Court Decisions Before Me" --God

 Any TV station that would keep Al Sharpton but dismiss someone they affiliate with because they are offended with his ILLEGAL immigration comments has exactly ZERO credibility.

 While we're banning archaic symbols of our past, where's the movement to ban Hillary Clinton?

 Dear Supreme Court,
You're not the boss of me.

 NEW RULE: If you can name more Kardashians than Supreme Court justices, you're not allowed to publicly comment on Supreme Court decisions

 Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Offer void if prohibited by the Supreme Court

 Under the guise of "rights"..religious freedom in America appears to have taken a pretty big hit today. The Constitution is quickly going the way of the Confederate Flag.

 Hillary Clinton released the following information today:
Benghazi ████ ██ █ ███ video shows ██ █████ Libya ████ ████ Syria ████ according to ████ emails █████ ████ email account

I  hate it when I listen to an Obama speech and I forget to light myself on fire

I once found a human finger in a salad at a restaurant. It was mine, and it was attached to my hand. But this is America and I still might sue...


 Say what you want about Marco Rubio's driving record, but he never drove a woman off a bridge in an Oldsmobile and left her to die.

 It was a beautiful weekend in New York. This is how nice the weather was: I went outside without sunscreen for about an hour, and I was elected to run the Spokane NAACP. --Seth Meyers

 Great minds seek solutions. Small minds seek to ban flags

 Comcast's founder has died. He will be buried on Monday between 2pm and 5pm.

The Confederate Flag: For The Record

I am a southern transplant, so I have no long southern history. South Dakota is as "southern" as I can be labeled and South Dakota ain't south :-)
Because of that I have no personal attachment or sentiment attached to the Confederate Flag. In fact I think my earliest recollections of it at all was probably the car from Dukes of Hazzard or maybe seeing it in a movie or on a Lynyrd Skynyrd album.

What I have taken to heart is the recent controversy as some kind of a remedy for what happened in Charleston.  We have entered into a very weird and strange world where there are actually people who think that by getting rid of that flag that it will help in some way from such a tragedy from ever happening again. It does not even remotely address the problem and seems to be just another "shiny" thing that liberals--and now some Republicans who seem to want to maintain some sort of cultural-pop relevance--are chasing after. To me, it's like blaming someone who left their bathtub running for causing the damn to break.

There is also a free speech issue. The first amendment wasn't put there to defend only the speech we like, it was put there mainly to protect the speech we don't like. The First Amendment is our forefathers guarantee that we WILL be offended. Part of America's Constitutional crisis, however, is that things that people find offensive are being labeled "hate" and moves are being made to make anything labeled "hate" as illegal. In fact I have seen firsthand where even efforts to defend the Free Speech is labeled "hate" speech.

Should the Lord tarry..and things continue as they are...American freedoms will become less and less. And let me be clear, I mean "freedom" and I am not addressing rights. The demand for rights is usually doubled edged.  My demand for "rights" often comes at the expense of someone having to give up theirs and vice versa. So, the demand should always be for freedom.........but "rights' in the name of freedom is, to me, like cheap grace. It sounds good, but it truly doesn't help. Who gets to decide whose rights trump whose rights? Freedom accepts the fact that the forefathers of our country understood very clearly and PROMISED that we WILL be offended. Your liberty depends on how you respond to offense.:-)

Random Observations From My Seat in the Peanut Gallery 06.18.15

There's only one place in New York where those two convicts could hide without being found. Yep, they're in Hillary Clinton's email server.


 So far, the number of Republican candidates and the number of Hillary Clinton scandals that need investigated are pretty much the same. .



 Meanwhile, Elizabeth Warren is still an Indian somewhere...


 A California teacher reportedly told her students that she doesn't teach Shakespeare because he’s a dead, white man.
Come on. He may be dead. but he was the head of the London Chapter of the NAACP.

 Hillary Clinton: "My values and a lifetime of experiences has given me a different vision for America"
Why do Democrats think America needs a different vision? I mean, if they don't like it..why are they even here in the first place?


 It is with some regret and a couple "mehs" that we have to announce that Rachel Dolezal has separated from her NAACP leadership position. In the agreement, Rachel's ethnicity will remain in the custody of the NAACP. Rachel will resume her identity as a caucasian but has said that what she really meant to say was that she is a Mexican but settled for the NAACP position for fear she would be deported since she has no green card. If she is not granted amnesty she has already gone on record as stating that what she really meant to say was that she really meant to say she is a proud descendant of the Sioux Indian Nation.............Film at 11.

 Survival Tip: If you're lost in the woods, rub two mozzarella sticks together to start a pizza.


 Jeb Bush is going to make an announcement. I wonder what it will be??

 Michelle Obama must be having a fit right now since Hillary Clinton's speech was so full of sugary superlatives and hyperbole.

 Hillary said today "As your President, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Americans safe." If she means like she did as Secretary of State, then that's not a promise its a threat.

 In honor of all of Hillary Clinton's accomplishments, Face Book will be limiting the number of words in a status update to zero.

 Hillary Clinton is running against George W Bush

 ABC Family, which is owned by Disney, has a new show called "Becoming Us." Basically the show is about how a kid has to deal with his dad becoming a woman. The next generation, should the Lord tarry, is going to be one really messed up bunch of people.

 Someone mixed up all the floor numbers on the elevator buttons, and that’s just wrong on so many levels.

 Politics: Millions of people deluding themselves into believing that the world would be a better place if everyone just believed what they do.
Election Time Politics: Millions of people CERTAIN that what they believe will make the world a better place if everyone just believed what they do
Now enjoy your time on Face Book through Nov 2016

 Nancy Pelosi understood the ramifications of the Obama Trade Act and said she will vote against it. It's the Pelosi Rule of Politics: She only votes for bills that no one knows whats in them until they are passed.

 NAACP found out a white woman pretending to be black became an NAACP leader. No surprise. They still haven't found out they have a black man pretending to be the president....


 Annual Congressional Baseball Game was played today. Ted Cruz didn't play so no one will know if sliding into home base whether he would choose the American or Canadian one.

 Dogs may have caught the scent of the two escaped convicts from New York. The New York Times just got done with the dogs after they caught the scent of Dirt on Republican candidates. Now if only the dogs could find the New York Times journalistic integrity.

Confession: I really don't like politics

Z Richards

Though I have confessed to those closest to me over the recent years, the fact of the matter is I really don't like politics at all that much.  I find it quite often a drain on the soul. The range of people involved tend to be either overly compassionate or purposely obtuse (and EVERYTHING in between where most of us are). It might be a surprise to those who know I  spend a lot of time watching it.

When I was in my 20s, and somewhat of an activist on various issues, pushing political campaigns, and whatever the latest flavor of "religious conservatism" that was being offered at the time (after having decided I wasn't a very good Democrat and opted for Reagan's Republicanism if spurred even initially --and maybe shallowly--by the fact that the guy knew Bible verses and didnt use them out of context).... But I finally had my fill and gave it up altogether at one point and just concentrated on living. I left South Dakota and headed to Colorado with nothing more than what I could fit in my Buick and worked on my career. Some of it fueled by just a need to get away from the rut I had gotten into in South Dakota (mired in politics), but maybe somewhat fueled by a life long plague of actually being  "Bi-Polar". (I mention that here because it is an issue that has affected a large part of my life, but it's for another discussion at another time...and as "the devil is in the details," I dont have time nor would it really be on subject to relate all the details right now )

But I digress. After Colorado I went to Omaha and then Kansas City (Independence, Mo to be exact) but still my political involvement was limited to what I read in the paper and an occasional letter to the editor.
Then Sept 11, 2001 happened and I just had this awful gut feeling that things were going to change.

It was slow, but also fast, as the climates changed in the powers at large and claiming to be in charge, though I never thought for a minute that they had the final say in anything as that has belonged to God from the beginning and He will never relinquish it. The left became more left and the right became more right........and though that "religious right" I remembered from the 80s was still there, it wasn't as prominent as it was before.........but the second election of George Bush made it clear it was still there. The pollsters were so certain that John Kerry was going to win that election, but they failed to account for the "faithful" who showed up to the polls in record numbers to vote against many state amendments to oppose same sex marriage...and Bush just happened to be on the ballot also. That's my observation about that and I am sticking to it. Not that Bush wasn't OK, but he was no Reagan, and in my mind was just more conservative then his dad.......but I was glad he won, and Kerry didn't....but clearly, God decided.  But mainly I was glad that "Christian" majority was out there...if even under the radar.

Random Observations From My Seat in the Peanut Gallery 06.10.15

Obamas former press secretary, Robert Gibbs, was hired by McDonalds to help with communication. Not missing a beat, Gibbs said complaints about cold french fries or missing orders will now be blamed on the previous McDonalds administration under George Bush..

 John Kerry is telling sources that he was riding his bike just fine until he was swift-biked by some Republicans

 CNN's Erin Burnett suggested that Pamela Geller "relished the idea of being a target by Muslims." Obviously not as much as Erin Burnett relishes the idea that people think she is a credible journalist.

 Lindsey Graham has invited Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner to be a part of the Republican party. Graham will need a very strong VP candidate for him to even get close to the White House and he understands that Jenner has always been a strong runner.

 Jimmy Carter told the AARP this week that most Americans are white racists.
Carter, of course, spends his time thinking its still the 1970s, still hopes to get a second term, and is still trying to "catch them Duke Boys."

 Democratic presidential candidate Lincoln Chafee said that Hillary Clinton "is too corrupt to be president. " Chafee, of course, has no chance of winning the nomination. Not because he is so unknown, but because the Democratic Party does not nominate candidates who tell the truth.


 Hillary Clinton said last week that her candidacy will "restore faith and confidence and optimism in the future of the country we love." It's not clear which country on her donor list she was talking about.

 Truth be told, Hillary Clinton would be the best candidate the Democrats could offer. She clearly best represents everything sick, twisted, and fraudulent in the Democratic Party.

 ISIS should already be WasWas

 Why do we need guns? Because it's real hard to throw a rock 1200 feet per second.

 American Pharoah has won the Triple Crown. On Monday he will announce his 2016 candidacy for president.

Regardless of the rumors, American Pharoah does not have his own email server.

 Take notice, Tom Brady, American Pharoah won the Triple Crown without deflating any footballs.

Somewhere, Hillary Clinton is wondering how American Pharoah could have won without donations from the Clinton Foundation.

 Somewhere Karl Rove is very surprised that the Belmont Stakes wasn't won by Ohio.

The New York Times has made no effort to find any paper trail to uncover Benghazi, the IRS, or even Hilary Clintons emails. But they did find out that Marco Rubio and his wife have gotten 17 tickets. Next up: Did Ted Cruz turn in all his homework in 6th grade??..??

Liberalism is..

"Liberalism" is essentially a literacy problem. Liberals tend not to read for understanding. As a general rule they seek their pre-established narrative and don't bother to let "facts" or "reality" get in the way." --Zorek Richards 06.04.15

No Baker Has Refused to Bake a Gay Man a Cake

Z Richards

Bakers who have been accused of discrimination did not refuse to make a gay person a cake. They refused to bake a cake with a message supporting gay marriage.

That changes everything.

Has a precedent, then, been set by some select courts so an African-American baker be forced to bake a cake with a KKK on it? Or a Jewish baker be required to bake a cake with a Swastika?

But that’s ridiculous’, you say?
Yes. Yes it is.

 Just as it is ridiculous for a Christian who thinks that same-sex marriage is against the Word of God to be compelled to bake a cake with a message supporting it. There is discrimination in this case, but it is not discrimination against the gay man who brought the case (a heterosexual asking for such a cake would also have been turned down), but rather against the Christian baker who is being told he will have to close down if he is not prepared to provide cakes with messages that contradict his beliefs. To refuse to bake someone a cake because they are gay would be wrong. To refuse to decorate that cake with a message which you find offensive is your right.