Author: kingsjester

64 year old Christian Conservative husband, father, and grandfather who has been writing since April 2010.

Obama Lauds Negotiation “Victory” Over Iran…Goes on Hawaiian Christmas Vacation…American Pastor Remains in Iranian Jail.

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics3 Comments

PastorSaeedAs President Barack Hussein Obama and his family enjoy their $4,000,000 Hawaiian Christmas Vacation, ON OUR DIME, an American Pastor sits, abandoned to die, in Iran’s most horrible prison, ignored by an Administration who would rather proclaim “victory” after negotiations with those same barbarians, which ended with Obama and his Administration making Former British PM Neville Chamberlain look like Gen. George S. Patton, in comparison.

Fox News reports that…

Naghmeh Abedini, whose husband, Saeed Abedini, is serving an eight-year prison term in Iran after being arrested more than a year ago while visiting his homeland, told FoxNews.com she felt betrayed when she later learned U.S. diplomats were negotiating a nuclear agreement with Iran even while claiming nothing could be done for her husband.

“Initially, when I went to the U.S. government, they said we don’t have a direct relationship with Iran,” Naghmeh Abdeini said, moments after telling a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee her husband’s health is failing in prison. “Here we were sitting across table from Iran. It was our best leverage. It should have been a precondition.”

The Boise, Idaho, mother of two said her husband’s relatives in Iran have been able to meet with him sporadically, and have given her grim news about his condition. She said the imprisoned American’s father saw Abedini 10 days ago and reported that has internal bleeding from repeated beatings at the hands of guards and fellow inmates and was covered with lice.

Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who chairs the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, said “time is running out” for Abedini, who experts believe would be unlikely to survive eight years in Iran’s brutal prison system. Smith said Abedini and two other Americans being held in Iran should have been the first order of business when U.S. and Iranian diplomats sat down for talks, sometime earlier this year.

“You begin every conversation with it; it should be center of every conversation and every conversation should end with it,” Smith told FoxNews.com. “How can we have a discussion with any regime when they are torturing our citizens?”

Earlier, lawmakers on the panel heard the distraught wife detail her fears for her husband and the heartbreak she and their two children feel due to his absence.

“His condition has worsened and the kids and I fear his life,” she said, before holding up a photograph of her children on their first day of school. “Tears were streaming down my face as I got the kids ready for school with their father missing.”

Abedini “went to Iran to build an orphanage for Iranian children last year” and “remains in an absolute hell-hole prison,” Smith told the committee.

A U.S. State Department official.

“We continue to have serious concerns about the fate of a dual national U.S.-Iranian detained in Iran Saeed Abedini,” the official said. “As we noted previously, President Obama raised Mr. Abedini’s case in his Sept. 27 phone call with President [Hassan] Rouhani and we continue to urge the Iranian government to release Mr. Abedini so that he may be reunited with his family.

“We have been repeatedly clear that we are calling on Iran to release all detained U.S. citizens and we will continue our efforts until Saeed Abedini, Amir Hekmati, and Robert Levinson all return home,” the official added.

On the night of November 24th. President Barack Hussein Obama spoke to the nation concerning the fabulous, toothless deal which he and the Haughty One, Sec. of State John Kerry had acquiesced to with the Mad Mullahs of Iran….

On our side, the United States and our friends and allies have agreed to provide Iran with modest relief, while continuing to apply our toughest sanctions. We will refrain from imposing new sanctions, and we will allow the Iranian government access to a portion of the revenue that they have been denied through sanctions. But the broader architecture of sanctions will remain in place and we will continue to enforce them vigorously. And if Iran does not fully meet its commitments during this six-month phase, we will turn off the relief and ratchet up the pressure.

Over the next six months, we will work to negotiate a comprehensive solution. We approach these negotiations with a basic understanding: Iran, like any nation, should be able to access peaceful nuclear energy. But because of its record of violating its obligations, Iran must accept strict limitations on its nuclear program that make it impossible to develop a nuclear weapon.

In these negotiations, nothing will be agreed to unless everything is agreed to. The burden is on Iran to prove to the world that its nuclear program will be exclusively for peaceful purposes.

… The world is united in support of our determination to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Iran must know that security and prosperity will never come through the pursuit of nuclear weapons — it must be reached through fully verifiable agreements that make Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons impossible.

As we go forward, the resolve of the United States will remain firm, as will our commitments to our friends and allies –- particularly Israel and our Gulf partners, who have good reason to be skeptical about Iran’s intentions.

Ultimately, only diplomacy can bring about a durable solution to the challenge posed by Iran’s nuclear program. As President and Commander-in-Chief, I will do what is necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. But I have a profound responsibility to try to resolve our differences peacefully, rather than rush towards conflict. Today, we have a real opportunity to achieve a comprehensive, peaceful settlement, and I believe we must test it.

Negotiations? More like surrendering to the enemy. Where has the State Departments vaunted “Smart Power!” been concerning Saeed Abedini?

Pastor Abedini converted from Islam to Christianity over 10 years ago, and was previously sanctioned for evangelizing in Iran. However, according to the 34-year-old father of two, he had only returned to Iran to help establish an orphanage when authorities yanked him off a bus in August of 2012 and tossed him into the notorious Evin prison in Tehran.

They got around to a “trial”, eventually, and sentenced him to eight years. He has since been moved to Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj, a prison that houses Iran’s most violent criminals. His supporters report that he has been beaten and tortured in the prison. It is reported that Rajai Shahr Prison was built to accommodate 5,000 inmates, but at present houses about 22,000. This over-population has led to severe overcrowding and inhumane conditions.

Evidently, President Barack Hussein Obama values sucking up to a Radical Muslim Country which supports Terrorism, and is working on a Nuclear Bomb, with which to destroy “The Great Satan” (America), more than he does securing the freedom of a Christian American Pastor, being held in barbaric conditions, by Obama’s “new friends”.

Actions speak louder than words.

Priorities…priorities.

Until He Comes,

KJ

The Celebration of the Greatest Gift of All: Christmas 2013

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity1 Comment

Luke 2: 8-14 (ASV)

8 And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock.

9 And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people:

11 for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.

12 And this is the sign unto you: Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and 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 among men in whom he is well pleased.

In 1912, C.P.J. Mooney worked as  the editor for the Commercial Appeal in Memphis, TN.  He wrote an editorial that has become a yearly tradition, not only in Memphis, but around the world.  Here it is, as my Christmas Gift to you, my much appreciated readers.

Jesus, The Perfect Man

There is no other character in history like that of Jesus.

As a preacher, as a doer of things, and as a philosopher, no man ever had the sweep and the vision of Jesus.

A human analysis of the human actions of Jesus brings to view a rule of life that is amazing in its perfect detail.

The system of ethics Jesus taught during His earthly sojourn 2,000 years ago was true then, has been true in every century since and will be true forever.

Plato was a great thinker and learned in his age, but his teachings did not stand the test of time. In big things and in little things time and human experience have shown that he erred.

Marcus Aurelius touched the reflective mind of the world, but he was as cold and austere as brown marble. …

Thomas a Kempis’ ”Imitation of Christ” is a thing of rare beauty and sympathy, but it is, as its name indicates, only an imitation.

Sir Thomas More’s ”Utopia” is yet a dream that cannot be realized.

Lord Bacon writing on chemistry and medicine under the glasses of the man working in a 20th century laboratory is puerile.

The world’s most learned doctors until 150 years ago gave dragon’s blood and ground tails of lizards and shells of eggs for certain ailments. The great surgeons a hundred years ago bled a man if he were wounded.

Napoleon had the world at his feet for four years, and when he died the world was going on its way as if he had never lived.

JESUS TAUGHT little as to property because He knew there were things of more importance than property. He measured property and life, the body and soul, at their exact relative value. He taught much more as to character, because character is of more importance than dollars.

Other men taught us to develop systems of government. Jesus taught so as to perfect the minds of men. Jesus looked to the soul, while other men dwelled on material things.

After the experience of 2,000 years no man can find a flaw in the governmental system outlined by Jesus.

Czar and kaiser, president and Socialist, give to its complete merit their admiration.

No man today, no matter whether he follows the doctrine of Mill, Marx or George as to property, can find a false principle in Jesus’ theory of property.

In the duty of a man to his fellow no sociologist has ever approximated the perfection of the doctrine laid down by Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount.

Not all the investigations of chemists, not all the discoveries of explorers, not all the experiences of rulers, not all the historical facts that go to make up the sum of human knowledge on this day in 1912 are in contradiction to one word uttered or one principle laid down by Jesus.

The human experiences of 2,000 years show that Jesus never made a mistake. Jesus never uttered a doctrine that was true at that time and then became obsolete.

Jesus spoke the truth, and the truth is eternal.

History has no record of any other man leading a perfect life or doing everything in logical order. Jesus is the only person whose every action and whose every utterance strike a true note in the heart and mind of every man born of woman. He never said a foolish thing, never did a foolish act and never dissembled.

No poet, no dreamer, no philosopher loved humanity with all the love that Jesus bore toward all men.

WHO, THEN, was Jesus?

He could not have been merely a man, for there never was a man who had two consecutive thoughts absolute in truthful perfection.

Jesus must have been what Christendom proclaims Him to be — a divine being — or He could not have been what He was. No mind but an infinite mind could have left behind those things which Jesus gave the world as a heritage.

So, on this Christmas Day, as you spend time with family and friends, remember that we have an Advocate in Jesus Christ the Righteous…and Rejoice!  For unto us a child is born…unto us a Son is given.  Hallelujah!

I know I posted this one yesterday, but, hey…I like it! God Bless you all…and Merry Christmas!

From the Innkeeper’s Point of View

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity2 Comments

Luke 2:  1-7 (ASV):

 1 Now it came to pass in those days, there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be enrolled.

2 This was the first enrolment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

3 And all went to enrol themselves, every one to his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David;

5 to enrol himself with Mary, who was betrothed to him, being great with child.

6 And it came to pass, while they were there, the days were fulfilled that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

I remember it like it was yesterday.  Caesar Augustus had come up with the bright idea that a census should be taken of the whole Roman Empire, in order to more effectively tax the stew out of all of us.

It especially hurt small businessmen like me.  You see, I’m nothing but a lowly innkeeper, barely keeping my head above water, working 16 hour days.  Oy!  I could continue to gripe, but who would listen?

Anyway, like I said, Caesar decreed that everyone should get themselves registered for the Census.  In terms of business, that actually turned out to be a good thing.

I was about to lock up for the night, when a young man and  woman came to the door.  He was a strong, rugged-looking young man.  I think he was a carpenter.  She was a beautiful, pregnant little thing.  Bless her heart, she looked like she would deliver at any moment.  Their names were Joseph and Mary.

My inn was packed, for once, and I had no rooms available.  But, some part of my heart told me that I just couldn’t send them away, so I offered them my stable, which would at least offer some protection from the elements.

What happened that night was wondrous.  Men are still talking about it to this day.  A precious little baby boy was born that night and the most miraculous things happened.  People said that animals actually spoke!  And the local shepherds said that angels came to them and told them about this baby.  They sang His praises and told the shepherds that they needed to come to my stable to see and worship that little baby.

Three wise men, sent by Herod, showed up later, bearing gifts for that special infant.  They were overcome by that little one and decided that they would not report back to Herod, but, instead, would return to their homes.

It was quite a remarkable time.  As the years went by, I heard stories about that child.  They named Him Jesus.  He grew in knowledge and stature.  At 12, his parents lost Him.  They found Him in the synagogue, teaching the old men that should have been teaching Him!  Can you imagine?

He grew up working beside His father in his carpentry business and when He was 30, I heard that He was baptized by that wild man, John The Baptist.  According to witnesses the heavens parted, and they heard the voice of God saying:

This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.

For three years, He traveled with a group of twelve disciples, performing miracles, preaching and teaching about God’s love and His plan for mankind.

And, now I’ve heard that just yesterday, they nailed Him to a cross, executing Him as they would a common criminal.

So sad.  But, you know, there is a still, small voice inside of me that’s telling me that His story is not over, yet.

I truly hope that you enjoyed this post today.  I originally wrote the preceding story 4 years ago today in honor of this special night.

Tonight, we celebrate the birth of Our Savior Jesus Christ.  In closing, I want to share two videos with you.  The first is a video entitled, “That’s my King!”, as read by Dr. S.M. Lockridge.  The second video is a song that I’ve had the privilege of performing many times, “The Hallelujah Chorus”, which has become a favorite of Believers everywhere.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!  And may God bless us, everyone!

Sunday in America: Cracker Barrel Apologizes, Puts Duck Dynasty Merchandise Back. Commander Phil Leads Bible Class.

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics1 Comment

duck dynasty 2Yesterday, as American Christians attended the church of their choice, the power of faith was in full display.

ChristianPost.com has the story…

After removing select ‘Duck Dynasty’ products from their stores out of concern the products might offend some customers Friday, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store backtracked and returned the products to their stores Sunday after Christians peppered them with protest and threats of a boycott.

“When we made the decision to remove and evaluate certain Duck Dynasty items, we offended many of our loyal customers. Our intent was to avoid offending, but that’s just what we’ve done,” noted the company in a post on its Facebook page Sunday.

“You told us we made a mistake. And, you weren’t shy about it. You wrote, you called and you took to social media to express your thoughts and feelings. You flat out told us we were wrong. We listened,” the company continued then announced that Duck Dynasty products will be returned to its stores while apologizing for offending the shows conservative fans.

“Today, we are putting all our Duck Dynasty products back in our stores. And, we apologize for offending you. We respect all individuals right to express their beliefs. We certainly did not mean to have anyone think different. We sincerely hope you will continue to be part of our Cracker Barrel family,” ended the post.

Some Christians reacted by applauding the company for admitting the error in their judgement.

“I don’t give a rip about Duck Dynasty, but I am definitely impressed by a corporation that can simply admit a mistake. Very refreshing. If only our president could follow your example,” wrote Dean Dyer.

“Thank You Cracker Barrel Glad to see ya listen to your customers & care about their feelings. It’s a shame more business don’t do this,” wrote Delores Storms.

Others like Patti Linker, however, said the company opened up a can of worms that makes it difficult to see the company in the same light.

“Cracker Barrel. Was it the almighty dollar that changed your mind? Because now that you opened this can of worms, most Christians want to know exactly where you stand on the issue of homosexuality,” wrote Linker.

“You really should not have done anything to begin with and you wouldn’t be in this mess. I truly enjoy shopping and eating in your store, but will probably not be back. I don’t really respect corporate fence riders. You either believe something or you don’t, and we didn’t really feel it was our personal business to know those beliefs until you brought it [to] the forefront. I think you have just made your business a wee bit smaller,” she ended.

The man who caused Christians to stand up on their hind legs and show their support for him was busy, yesterday. He was leading a small Bible study group in his home town church in West Monroe, Louisiana.

According to the London Daily Mail, Commander Phil said…

…I love all men and women. I am a lover of humanity, not a hater

…I didn’t think much of it at all, but it seems a lot of other people did.

At the end of the less, Commander Phil prayed…

…‘I will not give or back off from my path because you conquered death, Father, so we are not worried about all the repercussions.’

Earlier he stood in front of the small class, at White’s Ferry Road Church wearing his full camouflage suit and addressed the group for around 45 minutes.

He said: ‘I have been immoral, drunk, high. I ran with the wicked people for 28 years and I have run with the Jesus people since and the contrast is astounding.

‘I tell people, “You are a sinner, we all are. Do you want to hear my story before I give you the bottom line on your story?”

‘We murder each other and we steal from one another, sex and immorality goes ballistic. All the diseases that just so happen to follow sexual mischief… boy there are some microbes running around now.

‘Sexual sins are numerous and many, I have a few myself. So what is your safest course of action? If you’re a man, find yourself a woman, marry them and keep your sex right there.

‘You can have fun, but one thing is for sure, as long as you are both healthy in the first place, you are not going to catch some debilitating illness, there is safety there.

‘Commonsense says we are not going to procreate the human race unless we have a man and a woman. From the beginning Jesus said, “It is a man and a woman.” Adam was made and Eve was made for this reason. They left their fathers and mothers and be united to become one flesh, that’s what marriage is all about.

‘But we looked at it and said it was an outdated stereotype. When you look back at the human race, the sins have always been the same: We get high, we get drunk, we get laid, we steal and kill.

‘Has this changed at all from the time God burnt up whole cities because their every thought was evil?’

Then reading from the Bible he said, ‘The acts of the sinful nature are obvious. Sexual immorality, is number one on the list. How many ways can we sin sexually? My goodness. You open up that can of worms and people will be mad at you over it.

‘I am just reading what was written over 2000 years ago. Those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom. All I did was quote from the scriptures, but they just didn’t know it. Whether I said it, or they read it, what’s the difference? The sins are the same, humans haven’t changed.

‘If you give them the bad news, they’ll start kicking and screaming. But you love them more than you fear them, so you tell them.

‘A lot of times they don’t even wait for you to finish and say, ‘But there’s a way out, do you want to hear the rest of the story or what?

‘Jesus will take sins away, if you’re a homosexual he’ll take it away, if you’re an adulterer, if you’re a liar, what’s the difference? If you break one sin you may as well break them all.

‘If we lose our morality, we will lose our country. It will happen. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all walk around without stealing from each other and killing each other?

‘Why don’t we just love each other enough that we wouldn’t want to do these things to each other?’

“Duck Commander” Phil Robertson  awakened a sleeping giant. Just when Christian Americans were beginning to believe that the Liberal Pundits and the Liberal Beltway Power Brokers represented theMajority Moral/Political Viewpoint in this country, we found out that we were mistaken. Conservative American Christians are still living and thriving in America’s Heartland, regardless of what those who control the Main Street Media…and the White House…will tell you.

If you don’t believe me, ask Cracker Barrel. They found out the hard way.

On a more serious note, we have all heard the old maxim, “Faith can move mountains”.

Well, in the case of Commander Phil Robertson, one man’s faith has moved a nation.

Until He Comes,

KJ

The War Against Christianity: God Bless You, Please, Mr. Robertson

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics4 Comments

Phil RobertsonOn this Sabbath day, before we celebrate the birth of the Savior, a country founded by Christians seeking to escape persecution for their religious beliefs, is witnessing and responding to the persecution of a Christian man

Unless you live under a rock, like those guys in the old Geico Commercial, by now you have heard about the suspension of Patriarch Phil Robertson from the cable television mega-hit “Duck Dynasty”, currently seen on the Arts & Entertainment Channel.

The  original report of the story, as detailed by Hollywood Reporter reads this way:

A&E has placed Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson on indefinite hiatus following anti-gay remarks he made in a recent profile in GQ.

“We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson’s comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series Duck Dynasty,” A&E said in a statement. “His personal views in no way reflect those of A+E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community. The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming indefinitely.”

The news comes after Robertson compared homosexuality to bestiality in an interview with the magazine. He’ll likely appear in season four, which bows Jan. 15, since production is largely wrapped.

“It seems like, to me, a vagina — as a man — would be more desirable than a man’s anus,” Robertson says in the January issue of the men’s magazine. “That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.”

During a discussion about repentance and God, Robertson is asked what he finds sinful.

“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there,” he says. “Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men.”

He goes on to paraphrase Corinthians: “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers — they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”

GLAAD on Wednesday condemned his remarks as “some of the vilest and most extreme statements uttered against LGBT people in a mainstream publication” and said “his quote was littered with outdated stereotypes and blatant misinformation.”

“Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil’s lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe,” GLAAD spokesperson Wilson Cruz said. “He clearly knows nothing about gay people or the majority of Louisianans — and Americans — who support legal recognition for loving and committed gay and lesbian couples. Phil’s decision to push vile and extreme stereotypes is a stain on A&E and his sponsors, who now need to re-examine their ties to someone with such public disdain for LGBT people and families.”

Since then, Liberals have come to the defense of A & E, while the other 75% of Americans have swarmed their friendly neighborhood Walmarts, buying all the Duck Dynasty Products off the shelf, leaving them bare in their wake, in an unprecedented show of support for Phil Robertson and his family.

Meanwhile, Liberals Pundits have tried their best to attack Phil and the Robertson Clan as a bunch of “Inbred Southern Rednecks”. Of course, they leave out the fact that Phil is a self-made millionaire with a Master’s Degree from Louisiana Tech University. That little bit of information would not fit in with the stereotypical image of Conservative American Christians from the South, which they are attempting to reinforce through their unsubstantiated accusations of bigotry.

The other night, Pastor Rick Warren, author of “The Purpose-Drive Life” and “The Purpose-Driven Church” appeared on the Poster Boy from Liberal Idiots, Piers Morgan’s, Program on CNN. What his limited viewing audience witnessed was a total rebuke of the clueless talk show host, as shown in this transcript, courtesy of eaglerising.com…

MORGAN: You and I, we’ve debated this before about gay rights, gay marriage. Clearly, it’s a movement in America as it is around the world…

WARREN: Right.

MORGAN: … towards to a much more tolerant attitude to this. Have you in the last two years since I last I think debated this particular point with you — have you moved at all now? Are you recognizing that there is this seemingly unstoppable movement?

WARREN: Well, I don’t get to change what God says is right and what God says is wrong. And I think God is real clear that all sex outside of marriage is wrong. But the issue here is the issue of respect. While I may disagree with you on your views on sexuality, it does not give me a right to demean you, to demoralize you, to defame you, to turn you into a demon.

See tolerance, Piers, it used to mean we treat each other with mutual respect even if we have major disagreements. Today, tolerance has been changed to mean, all ideas are equally valid. Well, that’s non sense. OK? All ideas are not equally valid.

I mean, you could say the moon is made of cheese or I could say the moon is made of beans and so many ask me it mean wrong.

RickandPiersMORGAN: But do you believe in equality for all as your heart right? This is where I think I took issue with you before and I will again — how can you really as a Christian man…

WARREN: Yes.

MORGAN: … a great man — how can you espouse genuine equality…

WARREN: Yes.

MORGAN: … if you don’t allow gay people the same rights to get married…

WARREN: Yes.

MORGAN: … as straight people? That’s a question that many I think would love to hear the answer.

WARREN: I’d like to reposition it this way. I’m more against the redefinition of the term marriage than anything else. I don’t think other groups get an opportunity to redefine a term. For instance, if a Muslim says this is a term we use and also I’ll take that term and mean it for me. What? That’s not right.

And I think, historically around the world, the vast majority of people would say, “Marriage means one man and one woman in a commitment.” Don’t take a term and make it something different.

Well, we’ll talk about double speak where words mean the exact opposite of what they use to mean. I’m going — OK. In first place, it’s not against the law for you to love anybody, a man or a woman OK? It’s not criminal — at least shouldn’t be but when you start taking a term, then why are taking that term?

MORGAN: Do you think you’ll change? I mean, can you see — you’re a man on a — he has this incredible library, Rick Warren — literally, one of the great libraries I’ve ever seen in my life, kept beautifully. You have all these books by all these great scholars.

Many, many of them would have evolved their thought processes over things depending on how they see if the — can you see a time, when not just you but other Christian preachers…

… and indeed the Catholic church and others say, “You know, what actually real equality means everyone has the same right to get married — gay or right.”

WARREN: I cannot see that happening in my life. I fear the disapproval of God more than I fear your disapproval or the disapproval of society. And so, I can’t change what I think God has said. Now, I believe in the infallibility of Scripture. I do not believe in the infallibility of my interpretations. So, interpretations can be wrong — we know that that as true but I believe that what Scripture says is that sex is for a man and a woman in marriage

Americans my age and, perhaps younger, recognize that the title of today’s blog is a take-off from a mega-hit in the 1960s by Simon & Garfunkel. The song, “Mrs. Robinson” from the hit movie “the Graduate” was a not-so-gentle poke at America’s middle class “hang-ups” concerning the Birth Control Pill and the Sexual Revolution.

Just as that song was written by Paul Simon, a Liberal, to poke fun at average Conservative Americans, so was Duck Dynasty created by A&E, to poke fun at  the Robertsons, whom the Liberals who run that network viewed as “The Beverly Hillbillies” of our time…i.e., a bunch of Inbred Southerners who, like Jed Clampett,  just stumbled upon their wealth.

Soon after Duck Dynasty became a hit,  A&E found out that not only were the Robertsons’ steadfast and unyielding in the exercise of their Christian Faith, but they were also loved by Americans, who laughed with them, instead of at them. It was then that A&E realized that they had a problem…the joke was on them.

So, they started to try to figure out how to get out of their contract. 

While the GQ Interview was taking place, you had better believe that a representative from A&E was there. A& E knew about this interview when it happened. This was a set-up.

But, what man meant for evil, God has, once again, turned into something good. There has been a overwhelming groundswell of support for Commander Phil and his family and a backlash against A&E, GLADD, and their Liberal Supporters.

The next target of this backlash will be the Cracker Barrel Restaurant Chain, which has taken Duck Dynasty Merchandise out of their Company Stores. Unfortunately for Cracker Barrel, the majority of their clients are average Christian Americans, living in the Heartland, who believe as Phil Robertson does.

Therefore, Cracker Barrel has just done great damage to their revenue stream. Not a very smart business move.

All of the paid and unpaid Liberal Pundits, who believe that they are Biblical Scholars, and have attempted to debunk what Commander Phil said, should not be surprised at this huge backlash by the American people.

If they had actually read the Bible, they would have found the following words of warning in Isaiah 54:17 (KJV):

No weapon formed against you shall prosper,

And every tongue which rises against you in judgment

You shall condemn.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,

And their righteousness is from Me,”

Says the Lord.

The A&E Executives, GLAAD, and the misguided Liberal Pundits never stood a chance in this battle.

Commander Phil Robertson takes his orders from a Higher Authority.

Until He Comes,

KJ

The Rise of the Gay Mafia: Judicial Activism Vs. The Will of the American People

On By kingsjesterIn Politics1 Comment

judicial activismFollowing on the heels of an Activist Judge’s Ruling, forcing a Christian Baker in Phoenix to bake a “Wedding Cake” for a Lesbian Couple, who could have gone to another baker, but, who were Gay Activists making a political point, once again, Activist Judges have circumvented the will of the American people, declaring as “unconstitutional”, laws against “gay marriage”, passed by the citizens of New Mexico and Utah.

According to the judges in the New Mexico Ruling, the law violated the Equal Protection Law, in their State Constitution,as Fox News reports…

“We hold that the State of New Mexico is constitutionally required to allow same-gender couples to marry and must extend to them the rights, protections and responsibilities that derive from civil marriage under New Mexico law,” Justice Edward L. Chavez wrote.

With that ruling, New Mexico joined 16 other states and the District of Columbia in allowing gay marriage either through legislation, court rulings or voter referendums in a trend that has dramatically shifted in just a few years nationally.

“At first, I never thought I’d see this in my lifetime,” Rand said. “But over the last few years you began noticing a change in public opinion and I thought…maybe.”

Before the ruling, eight of New Mexico’s 33 counties had already started issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

County officials asked the high court to clarify the law and establish a uniform state policy on gay marriage. Historically, county clerks have denied marriage licenses to same-sex couples because state statutes include a marriage license application with sections for male and female applicants.

The Democratic-controlled Legislature repeatedly has turned down proposals for domestic partnerships for same-sex couples and a constitutional amendment that would have allowed voters to decide whether to legalize gay marriage. Measures to ban same-sex marriage also have failed.

Advocacy groups and supporters hailed the decision.

“I can’t get past happy, happy, happy at the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision that rules in favor of freedom and equality for everyone to marry the person they love,” Santa Fe Mayor David Coss said in a statement.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the National Center for Lesbian Rights represented same-sex couples in the Supreme Court case. They contended gay marriage must be allowed because of constitutional guarantees of equal protection under the law and a state constitutional prohibition against discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Meanwhile groups like the Flora Vista-based Voices for Family Values vowed to fight on. The group said its members already are gathering signatures for petitions to present to lawmakers during the upcoming session in January.

“The Catholic Church respects and loves the gay and lesbian members of our community,” the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a statement. “We will continue to promote Catholic teaching of the Biblical definition of marriage to be that of one man and one woman.”

Under the ruling, clergy who disagree with same-sex marriage can decline to perform wedding ceremonies for gay and lesbian couples.

Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican and who has opposed same-sex marriage, said she would have preferred voters deciding the issue rather than the courts. But she urged New Mexicans to “respect one another in their discourse” and turn their focus onto other issues facing the state.

“As we move forward, I am hopeful that we will not be divided, as we must come together to tackle very pressing issues, like reforming education and growing our economy, in the weeks and months ahead,” Martinez said.

In the case of the Utah Ruling, it was a Federal Judge who struck down the law passed by the citizens of Utah. Per Fox News,

A federal judge struck down Utah’s same-sex marriage ban Friday in a decision that brings an increasing nationwide shift toward allowing gay marriage to a conservative state where the Mormon church has long been against it.

U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby issued a 53-page ruling saying Utah’s law passed by voters in 2004 violates gay and lesbian couples’ rights to due process and equal protection under the 14th Amendment.

Shelby said the state failed to show that allowing same-sex marriages would affect opposite-sex marriages in any way.

“In the absence of such evidence, the State’s unsupported fears and speculations are insufficient to justify the State’s refusal to dignify the family relationships of its gay and lesbian citizens,” Shelby wrote.

Late Friday, the state filed both a notice of appeal of the ruling and a request for an emergency stay that would stop marriage licenses from being issued to same-sex couples. It’s unknown when the judge will make a decision on whether to grant the stay.

“It will probably take a little bit of time to get everything in place,” said Ryan Bruckman, a spokesman for the attorney general’s office. He said the judge told the attorney general’s office it would be a couple of days before any request for an emergency stay would be reviewed.

Gov. Gary Herbert vowed to “defend traditional marriage” in light of the ruling.

“I am very disappointed an activist federal judge is attempting to override the will of the people of Utah,” Herbert said in a statement. “I am working with my legal counsel and the acting attorney general to determine the best course to defend traditional marriage within the borders of Utah.”

The Salt Lake County clerk’s office started issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Deputy Clerk Dahnelle Burton-Lee said the district attorney authorized her office to begin issuing the licenses but she couldn’t immediately say how many have been issued so far.

Utah’s lawsuit was brought by three gay and lesbian couples. One of the couples was legally married in Iowa and just wants that license recognized in Utah.

Regardless of what weighted polls, and opinion-makers in the Northeast and the Left Coast try to put forward as fact, the majority of Americans, living in America’s Heartland, oppose “gay marriage”.

Just look  at a map denoting the states who allow “gay marriage” and those who have voted against it.

And, in a related issue, ask Walmart if they have any Duck Dynasty Merchandise left on their shelves. Just sayin’…

The truth is, Gay Activists could not get their way by going to the American people, so now, they, and the Liberals who walk the Halls of Power in Washington, DC, are usurping the will of the people by using Activist Judges, on both the State and Federal level, to attempt to force a change in the cultural mores or America.

The brilliant Economist and Conservative Pundit, Dr. Thomas Sowell, wrote the following about Judicial Activism:

The ultimate issue between judicial activism and judicial restraint is the institutional locus of discretion, and no amount of insistence on the desirability of change or morality answers the question as to who is to decide what specific changes or what specific morality is needed. The institutional security of federal judges, appointed for life, may provide temptations for assuming this prerogative, without providing either moral or pragmatic justification. If no authorization is needed for judges to introduce “change,” neither is it needed for generals and admirals to do the same– as in fact happens in a number of countries. Judges can conduct limited coups d’etat surreptitiously, while a military coup is usually overt and sweeping. Nevertheless, the dangers to constitutional government are no less real in the long run from judicial activism– both because of the cumulative effect of small usurpations and because small usurpations both generate pressures and provide the precedents for larger usurpations by others with different social visions.

The claim that judicial activism is necessary to rescue us from bondage to the past– from having the writers of the Constitution “rule us from the grave”– defies both logic and history. There is no contest between the living and the dead. The contest is between those living individuals who wish to see control of change in judicial hands and those who wish to see it in other hands. There has been no argument that either statutory or constitutional laws are not to change. The only meaningful question is: Who is to change them? The reiterated emphasis on change, like the reiterated emphasis on morality, argues what is not at issue and glides over what is crucially at issue: Why are judges the authorized instrument? The original cognitive meaning of laws– constitutional or statutory– is important, not out of deference to the dead, but because that is the agreed‑upon meaning among the living, until they choose to make an open and explicit change– not have one foisted on them by the verbal sleight-of‑hand of judges.

Existing social philosophies and political alignments cannot be presupposed in discussions of long-run questions, such as constitutional interpretation. Even within the judiciary, differences in “substantive values” have been drastic over time, and by no means negligible even at a given time. The belief that a constitutional structure can be maintained while jurists with radically different visions make “substantive choices” within it seems dangerously similar to a belief that one can slide half-way down a slippery slope. The argument for judicial activism must stand or fall in general and enduring terms, not simply on whether some current political or social creed is considered so superior to competing creeds as to justify judges’ decisions in its favor. It is ultimately not a question of the relative merits of particular political or social creeds but of the long-run consequences of opening the floodgates to the generic principle of constitutional decisions based on “substantive values.” Once you have opened the floodgates, you cannot tell the water where to go.

It’s those “long-run consequences” that’ll get you every time.

Just ask the citizens of the Roman Empire.

Until He Comes,

KJ

Duck Dynasty, Pajama Boy, and America’s Self-Righteous Liberal Elite: The New Pharisees

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics3 Comments

PhilandpajamaboyYesterday, America’s Cultural War, which the Liberals walking the Halls of Power in DC, have been insisting does not exist, burst forth in brilliant Technicolor and stark reality as the Arts & Entertainment Channel “indefinitely suspended” Commander Phil Robertson, the Patriarch of their biggest program, Duck Dynasty, a favorite of 14 million American viewers.

To say that something hit the rotary oscillator would be putting it mildly. Facebook literally exploded, with pages in support of Commander receiving hundreds of thousands of likes.

Radio and Television News Talk Shows led with the story, with Liberal Pundits feverishly trying to come up with ways to demean and insult Commander Phil, who dared to disagree with their Cult of Ambivalent Morality and Situational Ethics, standing up instead for his Christian Faith.

The Liberals appeared positively apoplectic because he paraphrased the Holy Bible, recalling scripture from 1 Corinthians 6: 9-10.

If A &E was pompous enough to believe that they could keep the rest of the Robertson Clan in line and under their thumb, after “suspending” Commander Phil, they received a reality check, as Thursday was drawing to a close.

Last night, the Robertson Family released the following statement:

We want to thank all of you for your prayers and support. The family has spent much time in prayer since learning of A&E’s decision. We want you to know that first and foremost we are a family rooted in our faith in God and our belief that the Bible is His word. While some of Phil’s unfiltered comments to the reporter were coarse, his beliefs are grounded in the teachings of the Bible. Phil is a Godly man who follows what the Bible says are the greatest commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Phil would never incite or encourage hate.We are disappointed that Phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right.We have had a successful working relationship with A&E but, as a family, we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm. We are in discussions with A&E to see what that means for the future of Duck Dynasty. Again, thank you for your continued support of our family.

A & E now faces a choice: realize that they jumped the shark and plead with the Robertsons to stay, or lose their highest-rated program because they were too pompous to think beyond their own narrow Liberal Belief System and recognize their over-estimation of their own piousness and intelligence.

For example…

By now, everyone in America has heard of “Pajama Boy”, an apparent 20-something Liberal wuss, clad in his pajama “onesies”, cradling what can only be a cup of Hot Cocoa his Mommy made for him, in an ad, created by Organizing For America, designed to convince the young and dumb to purchase overpriced Health Insurance through the Obamacare Exchanges.

Well, we found out yesterday that this metrosexual is named Ethan Krupp, and, of course, he is a member of Obama’s Propaganda Arm, the before-mentioned Organizing For America.

The Ad, which the Liberal Brain Trust thought was so “cool” and “with it” has turned out to be a laughingstock…water cooler fodder…and the object of unprecedented Twitter ridicule, by the same target audience Obama and his supporters were trying to reach.

During his program yesterday, Rush Limbaugh made the following observation, regarding “Pajama Boy” and Liberal thought processes in general. What he said, applies to the Duck Dynasty Story as well:

This ad, the Julia cartoon ad, and the Pajama Boy ad, you have to understand, that is who the Regime is. This administration is filled with guys who used to be Pajama Boy. They think they are America. Snerdley, not one of them has worked in the private sector, not one of them. They’re all academicians, theorists, professors. They’re all people that congregated at the academy. They sit around and theorize, and they’re filled with resentment for everybody that actually does something.

They’re smarter than everybody else. If only they had a chance to run it, they would show everybody. They could do health care better than the people doing it. They can run the car companies better than the people doing it, run energy better than the people in the oil business. They could run drugs better. They could do everything better! They’re smarter than everybody, but nobody would ever hire ’em ’cause they’ve never done anything.

So they congregate in universities and the faculty lounge and they end up getting to know each other, and they have all these networks where they congregate and become like-minded people. I guarantee you they run that ad, and they think they are mass marketing. They are arrogant enough to believe that they are America. I mean, there should be no question about it. When somebody in the media goes to Texas or anywhere in flyover country, they look out of place. They don’t understand.

By now, you are probably wondering why I would call America’s Liberal Elite “Pharisees”. 

Any American who attended Sunday School or Vacation Bible School as a child, knows who the Pharisees were. During the days when Jesus Christ walked the Earth as one of us, the Pharisees, a party of self-proclaimed, pious “religious leaders”, showed themselves to be bitter and persistent enemies of Christ. They could not bear his doctrines, and they sought by every means to destroy his influence among the people.

Their belief in themselves as “the smartest people in the room” and the belief in their own infallible righteousness, blinded them to the Son of God’s message of Perfect Peace and Unconditional Love through personal repentance of sin  and individual salvation, received through the Grace of God.

Sound familiar?

Until He Comes,

KJ

Duck Dynasty, A & E, and Liberal Hypocrisy

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics3 Comments

duck dynastyThe Leader of the hottest Reality Show in America, a self-made millionaire, has been, at least temporarily, taken off of the show he helped build into a ratings Dynamo. His crime?He identified homosexuality as a sin.

The Hollywood Reporter has the story:

A&E has placed Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson on indefinite hiatus following anti-gay remarks he made in a recent profile in GQ.

“We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson’s comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series Duck Dynasty,” A&E said in a statement. “His personal views in no way reflect those of A+E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community. The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming indefinitely.”

The news comes after Robertson compared homosexuality to bestiality in an interview with the magazine. He’ll likely appear in season four, which bows Jan. 15, since production is largely wrapped.

“It seems like, to me, a vagina — as a man — would be more desirable than a man’s anus,” Robertson says in the January issue of the men’s magazine. “That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.”

During a discussion about repentance and God, Robertson is asked what he finds sinful.

“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there,” he says. “Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men.”

He goes on to paraphrase Corinthians: “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers — they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”

GLAAD on Wednesday condemned his remarks as “some of the vilest and most extreme statements uttered against LGBT people in a mainstream publication” and said “his quote was littered with outdated stereotypes and blatant misinformation.”

“Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil’s lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe,” GLAAD spokesperson Wilson Cruz said. “He clearly knows nothing about gay people or the majority of Louisianans — and Americans — who support legal recognition for loving and committed gay and lesbian couples. Phil’s decision to push vile and extreme stereotypes is a stain on A&E and his sponsors, who now need to re-examine their ties to someone with such public disdain for LGBT people and families.”

Let’s examine exactly what Commander Phil said. He called homosexuality a sin…because it is.

Concerning the quote from the Bible that Commander Phil was paraphrasing, it reads the following way, in the original King James Version:

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. – 1 Corinthians 6: 9 – 10

He spoke his mind…based on the tenets of his faith.

Of course, Commander Phil’s remarks offended the always politically-correct Liberals, otherwise known as the Gay Mafia, who went whining like a bunch of little wussies to the Arts & Entertainment Channel, who then immediately decided that having Commander Phil continue to appear on his own show, would cause them to lose whatever Liberal viewers are watching “Duck Dynasty”, who are probably watching the program just to make fun of us “Inbred Southerners”.

A&E had approached Commander Phil before, concerned that the Robertsons’ Christianity, and their active Prayer Life would “offend” viewers.

They were looking for an excuse.

Evidently, these arbitrators of what is offensive to Americans have never watched “Blue Bloods”, the excellent, high-rated drama starring Conservative Tom Selleck as the New York City Police Commissioner, whose dad is a retired Police Commissioner, and whose two sons are cops and his daughter, an Assistant District Attorney. On every show, the family, including the grandchildren, gather after Mass on Sunday afternoon, for a family dinner, where, before they eat, the pray, or, as we refer to it in the Real World, here in America’s Heartland, they ” Say Grace”.

I am positive that the Liberal idiots at CBS continue to raise you-know-what about that, also.

On a related subject, it knocked me off the couch Tuesday night, when the characters said “Merry Christmas” several times during “NCIS” and “NCIS:LA”. CBS did not allow them to do that last year. They could only say “Happy Holidays”.

But, I digress…

It amazes me how completely over-run by the Liberal mantra of ambivalent morality and situational ethics the “Blue Areas” (the NE Corridor and the Left Coast) of our nation have become.

Their thought processes (and, I’m being kind) are polar opposites to those of Americans here in the Heartland, or, as they have always pompously referred to us, “Flyover Country”.

The reason Commander Phil and his family have been so overwhelmingly popular with Americans, is because they are self-made millionaires, who act like normal, everyday, Working Class Americans.

As I mentioned earlier, Liberals look down on them. I believe that A&E launched the show with the idea of the Robertsons being a “sideshow” for “the smartest people in the room” to point and laugh at.

It turned out that the joke was on them, because…

1. The Robinsons became loved, and laughed with, not at.

2. They, in fact, turned out to be “the smartest people in the room”

Oh yeah, about this “homophobia” you accuse me and other Christian American Conservatives of having…

1. We love the sinner. We hate the sin.

2. Tell that to the Liberal who described me as a “B@ll S#cking  Tea Bagger” in response to my posting of yesterday’s Blog on Ted Cruz’s Facebook Page.

A & E, like the rest of America’s Liberals, who ignore their own hypocrisy, should remember the old maxim concerning glass houses.

As demonstrated by the implosion of their fallen messiah’s Presidency, their “house” is already beginning to crumble around them.

And, this, too, shall pass…

Until He Comes,

KJ

Senate Democrats Vote to Cut Military Pensions Benefits…Keep IRS Credit for Illegal Immigrants.

On By kingsjesterIn Politics4 Comments

veterans marchIf you ask any average American, out here in the Real World, which we refer to as the Heartland of America, if they think that Pension Benefits to our Military Veterans who have defended our freedom, should be cut, in order to keep an IRS Credit for Illegal Immigrants, they would look at you as if you were wearing your underwear on top of your head and their answer to your question would not just be “no”, but H@ll, no!

Evidently, Senate Democrats prefer to protect “benefits” for those who have entered our country illegally, instead of taking care of  those who have fought to protect and defend our freedom.

Foxnews.com reports that

A final effort by Senate Republicans to halt cuts to pensions of military retirees failed late Tuesday, after Democrats blocked an amendment to the controversial budget bill.

The two-year budget agreement, which cleared a key test vote earlier in the day, was expected to get a final vote no later than Wednesday.

Ahead of the final vote, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., tried unsuccessfully to use a parliamentary tactic to force a vote on the amendment, which he wrote to undo the cuts for military retirees.

A provision in the already House-passed bill would cut retirement benefits for military retirees by $6 billion over 10 years.

Sessions wanted to instead eliminate an estimated $4.2 billion in annual spending by reining in an IRS credit that illegal immigrants have claimed.

He and fellow senators argued the bill unfairly sticks veterans and other military retirees with the cost of new spending.

“It’s not correct, and it should not happen,” Sessions said on the floor.

“By blocking my amendment, they voted to cut pensions for wounded warriors,” he said afterwards. “Senators in this chamber have many valid ideas for replacing these pension cuts, including my proposal to close the tax welfare loophole for illegal filers, and all deserved a fair and open hearing. But they were denied.”

Sessions’ office claimed the vote Tuesday to block the amendment was a vote to “cut military pensions instead of cutting welfare for illegal immigrants.”

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray, D-Wash.,who brokered the budget deal with House counterpart Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., argued the GOP effort was really an attempt to kill the entire bill.

The Republican-led House passed the bill last week in an effort to avoid another stalemate leading to a potential government shutdown, like the one in October that polls showed was largely unpopular with voters.

Where was the GOP Leadership in the Senate? You know, The Sunshine Boys, McCain and McConnell? Why weren’t they supporting Sen. Sessions?

After the House passed the Budget “Compromise” last week, Rush Limbaugh made the following astute observation:

The Republicans are scared to death to say anything critical of Obama and the Democrats. And they’ll do anything to avoid a government shutdown, including giving Obama what he wants, which we just saw.

Back on October 20th, Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin wrote these words in an Op Ed, posted on Breitbart.com. They fit what is happening, regarding the Budget Issue, perfectly:

…GOP politicians claim they’re against Obamacare and promise to repeal it. But when it came time to stand up and use the Constitutional tools they have – the power of the purse strings – to finally halt the implementation, they balked, waved the white flag, and joined the lapdog media in trashing the good guys who fought for us.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, these same politicians are covertly pushing through amnesty despite evidence that the 33 million newly legalized voters will overwhelmingly lean Democrat! Obviously this makes the likelihood of a GOP hat trick electoral victory, and hence the repeal of socialized healthcare, even more improbable.

The media wants you to believe that the partial government shutdown “fractured” the Republican machine from grassroots commonsense conservatives who go by the acronym TEA Party (that stands for “Taxed Enough Already”). No, Tea Party patriots rose up because the Republican machine “fractured” itself years ago by marginalizing its conservative base. The recent “slimdown” didn’t cause the fracture. It happened because of the fracture – because wayward Republicans have refused for years to stand up and fight for economic freedom and limited government, despite campaigning on those principles every election cycle. That’s how we got into this debt-ridden mess in the first place. They campaigned one way, but governed another.

It’s the establishment’s choice whether this fracture remains unfixed because the conservative grassroots will never give up the fight for freedom. Never. Never. Generations of our sons and daughters sent off to war to protect our freedom have paid too high a price for us to ever give up the fight.

As the Republican Establishment continues to propagate its “Live to fight another day” theme in all of its cave-ins to the wishes of Congressional Democrats, they would be wise to remember the words of the Great Communicator, Ronald Reagan, who said,

Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.

It is time for the Vichy Republicans to put down their pacifiers and MAN UP.

…If they want to keep their jobs.

Until He Comes,

KJ

NSA Wiretapping Ruled Unconstitutional. Congressional “Caine Mutiny” Hearing to Follow?

On By kingsjesterIn Politics3 Comments

obamabigbroRemember all of Obama’s Domestic Scandals, beside Obamacare? Well, regarding the one involving the NSA, it is possible that, to paraphrase Obama’s Former Pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright,

Obama’s chickennns…are coming home…to roost!

Yesterday, wsj.com reported that…

President Barack Obama, facing growing pressure from Silicon Valley, will meet Tuesday with executives from Google Inc. Facebook Inc. and other technology and telecommunications giants to discuss their concerns about America’s surveillance operations.

According to the White House, Mr. Obama will also meet with the executives to talk about progress with the troubled online federal marketplace, HealthCare.gov, and ways the government and technology industry can partner to boost economic growth.

The meeting comes a week after a group of technology companies jointly penned a letter to lash out at the Obama administration for collecting information on Americans. The companies said they wanted to see greater oversight of the government’s surveillance operations and limits on the government’s authority to compel companies to disclose data about their customers.

The letter followed a wave of disclosures about U.S. spying operations by Edward Snowden, a former government contractor now in Russia. The president will also talk about the national security concerns prompted by the leaks and their effect on the economy.

The administration has been reviewing U.S. spying operations and considering steps to protect the privacy and civil liberties of Americans. Last week, a presidential task force submitted to the White House more than 40 recommendations to overhaul the National Security Agency. Mr. Obama’s chief spokesman, Jay Carney, said the White House was reviewing the report and would make public the full report in January.

This news comes on the heels of a ruling by a Federal Court Judge that telephone surveillance of Americans that has been conducted ad infinitum by the NSA, violates the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution…

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon found that the program appears to violate the Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable searches and seizures. He also said the Justice Department had failed to demonstrate that collecting the information had helped to head off terrorist attacks.

Acting on a lawsuit brought by conservative legal activist Larry Klayman, Leon issued a preliminary injunction barring the NSA from collecting so-called metadata pertaining to the Verizon accounts of Klayman and one of his clients. However, the judge stayed the order to allow for an appeal.

“I cannot imagine a more ‘indiscriminate’ and ‘arbitrary invasion’ than this systematic and high-tech collection and retention of personal data on virtually every single citizen for purposes of querying it and analyzing it without judicial approval,” wrote Leon, an appointee of President George W. Bush.

The preliminary injunction Leon granted Monday does not require him to make a definitive ruling on the constitutional questions in the case, but does take account of which side he believes is more likely to prevail.

Leon’s 68-page opinion is the first significant legal setback for the NSA’s surveillance program since it was disclosed in June in news stories based on leaks from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. For seven years, the metadata program has been approved repeatedly by numerous judges on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and found constitutional by at least one judge sitting in a criminal case.

The very fact that the  National Security Agency (NSA) even existed, was not revealed for more than two decades after its establishment in 1952.

Of all the US intelligence services, it is has,for a long time, been the best hidden, and has prided itself on having the fewest leaks – at least until Edward Snowden came along.

When Harry Truman set up the NSA, its mission was to monitor communications abroad. However, what politicians and civil rights organizations have know, since the Senate unveiled it in 1975, is to what extent its ferocious appetite for data has encompassed American citizens.

As technology has evolved, so has the NSA’s capacity to intercept Americans’ communications. Satellites intercept calls and emails in the ether and beam the information back to earthbound receiving stations. One estimate suggests that each of these bases hoovers up roughly one billion emails, phone calls and other forms of correspondence every day, and the agency has up to 20 bases.

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution reads as follows…

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

The actions of the NSA, are, of course, nothing new. as far back as Prohibition, government authorities have tapped American’s phones, if they felt that they were involved in “suspicious activities. However, those incidences of “wiretapping” were always done under the Rule of Law, with those doing the tapping have a warrant from a judge in their hand.

What we are dealing with here is nothing less than a usurpation of power, am old Soviet Union-style spying on one’s own countrymen, by an out-of-control NSA, whose petulant, didactic Commander-in-Chief, in his zeal to wield the power of the Oval Office, has pushed our Constitutional Republic in the direction of a Socialist Police State.

Through his use of such Government Agencies such as the NSA and the IRS to intimidate and harass his political opponents, President Barack Hussein Obama has exhibited a fearful paranoia that makes President Richard Milhous Nxon’s Watergate Scandal appear as inconsequential as a deck chair on the Titanic, and Obama as unstable a leader as Captain Queeg, so brilliantly played by the late, great Humphrey Bogart in “The Caine Mutiny”.

If Obama is ever brought before Congress to testify on his scandals, his prevarication and eventual meltdown will make Captain Queeg’s unraveling pale in comparison.

Until He Comes,

KJ