Friday, July 29, 2016

Benghazi: Leave No Man Behind

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about Benghazi. This follows this post about the deficit. For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.

MP3 Audio (7.73 MB)
The Marine Corps’ motto to leave no man behind on the battlefield packs a powerful lesson in brotherhood, loyalty and courage. For a Christian this thought was first laid down in the question: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer is yes, we are. We do have an obligation toward each other. That obligation presents challenges that will test our character and can determine a lot about who we are.
Two recent movies treat this theme with two different outcomes. I recently had opportunity to watch both. I can highly recommend them.
We are our brother’s keeper. We cannot, under any circumstances, leave anyone behind.
The first was the movie  The Martian.  This is a science fiction story set in the year 2035. A manned mission to Mars is interrupted by a severe dust storm forcing the crew to an emergency evacuation on the planet. One astronaut is downed by flying debris, knocked unconscious and presumed to be dead when no life signs can be monitored, as telemetry for his life signs was knocked out. The remaining crew enter their ship and leave him behind and depart for earth. But he is not dead, only wounded and knocked unconscious. He recovers and returns to the base station and determines through several ingenious methods how he can stay alive until the next planned mission to Mars occurs—at least two years. Meanwhile his fellow astronauts are on their home ship returning to earth and unaware that he lives. NASA has made contact but decides not to tell the returning crew they left behind a live comrade. [If you haven’t seen the movie, skip the next paragraph as it contains some plot spoilers.]
The story turns into a rescue mission when the crew learns that their mate lives and they are faced with the decision of whether they will return to Mars and attempt to save the abandoned astronaut’s life. This moment is really the best in the movie. The group of four, safe and on their way home after a long stay in space, unanimously decide to return and make the effort to save their friend. They decide to “leave no man behind.” Here the movie speaks to perhaps the highest and noblest qualities of courage and loyalty. To turn from safety and risk one’s life for another comes the closest on our level to what Christ did when He came in the flesh to rescue man from sin and give the opportunity for eternal life.
The second movie I saw is more controversial. It, too, tells a real life story of courage. But since it deals with real events in the real world, the lines of truth are not as clearly defined. It is also a story still debated in the headlines as Congressional committees, journalists and victims of the dead still seek to understand what happened and who is responsible. It is the story of the September 2012 massacre of United Sates Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three CIA operatives in Benghazi, Libya. The tragedy has now been made into a movie just released a few days ago called 13 Hours.  The film’s director claims to have made careful effort to tell the truth of what happened when Islamic terrorists stormed the ambassador’s compound on the 11th anniversary of 9/11. The screenplay is based on a book written by surviving CIA soldiers who were members of the Global Response Staff (GRS) working at a secret CIA installation one mile from the Ambassador’s poorly secured compound.
This story was investigated and gone over in countless news reports and Congressional inquiries. Hillary Clinton, who was then Secretary of State and now a contender for the presidency, was called to answer questions about what she knew and did or did not do during the attack. The movie makes clear that officials at the highest level, including the president, were briefed and made aware of the unfolding events that fateful night in Libya. It also makes clear that additional backup support from the GRS soldiers a mile away was delayed in arriving to help the ambassador’s ill-prepared team. The CIA station chief would not give the order for backup. The additional soldiers had to defy orders to make a run to the compound to save two State Department staff. The ambassador and one staff member were killed in the attack. The CIA soldiers would not leave anyone behind. They went toward the danger, seeking to save their fellow Americans.
The courage of those real life soldiers who ran toward the fire in Benghazi and the science fiction tale of rescue in space are two standout stories. We live in a sterile world where risk is minimized, failure is insured and accountability and responsibility are not always taught in the public arena. We need to be reminded that when things go wrong, when danger rises and when our brother is in trouble, something has to be done. Someone has to step up.
We are our brother’s keeper. We cannot, under any circumstances, leave anyone behind.

You might also be interested in...

MP3 Audio (7.73 MB)
The Marine Corps’ motto to leave no man behind on the battlefield packs a powerful lesson in brotherhood, loyalty and courage. For a Christian this thought was first laid down in the question: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer is yes, we are. We do have an obligation toward each other. That obligation presents challenges that will test our character and can determine a lot about who we are.
Two recent movies treat this theme with two different outcomes. I recently had opportunity to watch both. I can highly recommend them.
We are our brother’s keeper. We cannot, under any circumstances, leave anyone behind.
The first was the movie  The Martian.  This is a science fiction story set in the year 2035. A manned mission to Mars is interrupted by a severe dust storm forcing the crew to an emergency evacuation on the planet. One astronaut is downed by flying debris, knocked unconscious and presumed to be dead when no life signs can be monitored, as telemetry for his life signs was knocked out. The remaining crew enter their ship and leave him behind and depart for earth. But he is not dead, only wounded and knocked unconscious. He recovers and returns to the base station and determines through several ingenious methods how he can stay alive until the next planned mission to Mars occurs—at least two years. Meanwhile his fellow astronauts are on their home ship returning to earth and unaware that he lives. NASA has made contact but decides not to tell the returning crew they left behind a live comrade. [If you haven’t seen the movie, skip the next paragraph as it contains some plot spoilers.]
The story turns into a rescue mission when the crew learns that their mate lives and they are faced with the decision of whether they will return to Mars and attempt to save the abandoned astronaut’s life. This moment is really the best in the movie. The group of four, safe and on their way home after a long stay in space, unanimously decide to return and make the effort to save their friend. They decide to “leave no man behind.” Here the movie speaks to perhaps the highest and noblest qualities of courage and loyalty. To turn from safety and risk one’s life for another comes the closest on our level to what Christ did when He came in the flesh to rescue man from sin and give the opportunity for eternal life.
The second movie I saw is more controversial. It, too, tells a real life story of courage. But since it deals with real events in the real world, the lines of truth are not as clearly defined. It is also a story still debated in the headlines as Congressional committees, journalists and victims of the dead still seek to understand what happened and who is responsible. It is the story of the September 2012 massacre of United Sates Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three CIA operatives in Benghazi, Libya. The tragedy has now been made into a movie just released a few days ago called 13 Hours.  The film’s director claims to have made careful effort to tell the truth of what happened when Islamic terrorists stormed the ambassador’s compound on the 11th anniversary of 9/11. The screenplay is based on a book written by surviving CIA soldiers who were members of the Global Response Staff (GRS) working at a secret CIA installation one mile from the Ambassador’s poorly secured compound.
This story was investigated and gone over in countless news reports and Congressional inquiries. Hillary Clinton, who was then Secretary of State and now a contender for the presidency, was called to answer questions about what she knew and did or did not do during the attack. The movie makes clear that officials at the highest level, including the president, were briefed and made aware of the unfolding events that fateful night in Libya. It also makes clear that additional backup support from the GRS soldiers a mile away was delayed in arriving to help the ambassador’s ill-prepared team. The CIA station chief would not give the order for backup. The additional soldiers had to defy orders to make a run to the compound to save two State Department staff. The ambassador and one staff member were killed in the attack. The CIA soldiers would not leave anyone behind. They went toward the danger, seeking to save their fellow Americans.
The courage of those real life soldiers who ran toward the fire in Benghazi and the science fiction tale of rescue in space are two standout stories. We live in a sterile world where risk is minimized, failure is insured and accountability and responsibility are not always taught in the public arena. We need to be reminded that when things go wrong, when danger rises and when our brother is in trouble, something has to be done. Someone has to step up.
We are our brother’s keeper. We cannot, under any circumstances, leave anyone behind.

You might also be interested in...

Tim Kaine, Shmegegge: Speech of the VP-Wannabe of Mexico Was a Total Bomb & How Exciting Was Hillary Clinton’s Speech?

A timely post from http://www.debbieschlussel.com about VP candidate Kaine and http://www.hughhewitt.com about Candidate Clinton . This follows this post about criminals. This follows this post about rap songs referencing Donald Trump.
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Tim Kaine, Shmegegge: Speech of the VP-Wannabe of Mexico Was a Total Bomb

By Debbie Schlussel
timkainedrsmith







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Spanish, Spanish, Spanish, Bad Trump Imitation, Spanish, Spanish Lesson, Spanish, Bad Trump, Spanish Lesson, Bad Joke, Spanish.
That’s my summary of Vice-President-Wannabe Tim Kaine’s boring, disjointed, silly speech last night at the Democratic National Convention a/k/a DemComicCon in Philly. It was a BOMB.
Like many of you, I already know of Kaine’s history of Islamo-pandering (which dates back to his days as a Catholic missionary, his earlier career as a “civil rights lawyer,” and the beginnings of his Social Justice Warriorhood). But his eyebrows and his look reminded me of the late great Jonathan Harris’ “Dr. Zachary Smith” on the vintage TV series “Lost In Space.” And I could hear the robot shouting, “Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!” Danger, America! Danger!
Then, there was the speech, about half of which was in Spanish. I mean, is this guy running for Veep of the U.S. or El-Veep of Mexico? If you heard the speech, you’d assume the latter. I speak several languages, none of which is Spanish, so I hadn’t a clue what this putz was saying. This is America, chump. SPEAK ENGLISH. A guy who speaks in Spanish (and I include George W. Bush in this category) is a guy who wants to practice identity politics, engage in multi-culturalist double-speak, and further divide America. We used to have things that united us all–TV shows, shared experiences, and the same language: English. If we don’t share that, then what do we share? I’m not sure there is anything common to Americans anymore. There is nothing that unites us . . . because dumbasses speak in Spanish while running for office in the United States of America. Pretty soon, many of them will speak Arabic while doing so . . . as they already do in Dearbornistan, Dearbornistan Heights, and Hamtramckstan, Michigan.
By the way, if Kaine was gonna speak any Spanish, he needed to tell us, “Yo Soy Moron.”
[DS: “Punim” is Hebrew and Yiddish for “face.”]
In addition to mucho Spanish–and several failed Spanish lessons–this guy, Kaine, did several very bad, epic fail Donald Trump imitations. They bombed. Who the heck told this guy he does a good Trump impression? My friend’s 10-year-old son does a better Melania imitation. You could tell this person, Kaine, has a lot of yes-men (and yes-women) surrounding him–that they let him do that failed Trump imitation on the stage, not just once, but several times. It was like watching a bad cattle call for Last Comic Standing.
And all of the Spanish and the bad Trump impressions were distracting. I can’t remember most of what this guy said–that of it I could understand. All I remember was that he mostly attacked Trump and embraced liberal tripe. But it just wasn’t memorable at all. Because this guy isn’t memorable.
The main thing that I noted was what a lightweight this guy is. A total empty suit. A complete nothingburger. Not in the least bit impressive. Not even close. He reminds me of a bland doctor or accountant droning on and on. Or maybe the neighbor mowing the lawn.
Every single other person who was on Hillary’s short list heard this speech and was saying to him-and-herself, “I lost out to this chump?!” The guy is a nothing, a putz, a shlemiel (the guy who spills the soup) and shlemazel (the guy on which the shlemiel spills the soup) at the same time, and the very walking definition of shmegegge. Not that I intended to give you a Yiddish lesson, but this guy embodies a ton of common Yiddish nouns, none of ’em good.
Mike Pence is gonna blow this guy away in the VP debates. I can’t wait.
Whatta putz that guy, Tim Kaine, is. What a nothing. A total zero.
Gotta say it: this guy makes me miss Creepy, Crazy Uncle Joe (Biden) already. At least he gave us non-stop comedy gold for nearly eight years.


Thursday, July 28, 2016

In Brief... World News Review Should Biggest Debtor Nation Be Worried?

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about the deficit. This follows this post about spirituality. This follows this post about crime. For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.

“If the United States was a small or less-developed country, financial alarm bells would already be ringing. The U.S. current account deficit is well above the 5%-of-GDP standard the IMF and others use to pronounce economies in the developing world vulnerable to financial crisis” (John Miller, Dollars and Sense, January/February 2005). For the first three quarters of 2006, the current account deficit totaled $655.9 billion, putting it on track to reach $874.5 billion for the entire year. The current account deficit “essentially measures the nation’s debt with the rest of the world, which must be financed by loans from abroad or asset sales to foreigners. “Some economists are worried that foreign investors will lose their appetite for US assets, causing the dollar to fall sharply and forcing interest rates higher to attract the needed investment” (“US Q3 Current Account Deficit Grows to 225.6 bln usd, Equals 6.8 pct of GDP,” Forbes.com, Dec. 18, 2006). Not only is the United States the biggest debtor nation in the world, now “foreigners hold more than 50% of our debt, which makes them majority owners,” says Todd Harrison (MarketWatch.com, Dec. 20, 2006). The United States has been the largest economy in the world, and the U.S. dollar has served as the world’s reserve currency for decades, since the British currency lost that advantage after World War II. Britain had gone from the world’s biggest creditor in 1913 to become a net debtor after two costly world wars. With the United States now as the biggest debtor, can its dollar still continue to be in demand? Will other nations keep accepting the flood of dollars and buying the billions in American treasury bonds necessary to keep it afloat? The Bible warns, “The borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7). And in a prophecy of the results of not obeying God, the Bible says that the foreigner “shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him” (Deuteronomy 28:44). The handwriting is on the wall.

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Illegal Aliens, The Democrat National Convention, And High-IQ Readers

An interesting article from http://www.vdare.com about indictment for harboring illegal aliens. This follows this post about homicide. Remember, “Amnesty” means ANY non-enforcement of existing immigration laws! This follows this comment and this post about how to Report Illegal Immigrants! Also, you can read two very interesting books HERE.
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Illegal alien and Democratic Convention speaker Astrid SilvaIllegal alien and Democratic Convention speaker Astrid Silva

Illegal Aliens, The Democrat National Convention, And VDARE.com’s High-IQ Readers


Kudos to the perspicacious VDARE.com reader and letter writer Paul Streitz, a representative example of the high intelligence of patriotic Americans.  Streitz points out the flagrant and criminal assistance the Democrat National Convention (DNC) and the Democrat Party are giving to illegal aliens.  Streitz requests comment on Title 8 United States Code (USC) Section 1324, Bringing In and Harboring Certain Aliens.  At his request and the instance of Editor Peter Brimelow, this writer will discuss Title 8, its importance in immigration enforcement, and future uses against the Democrat Party, the DNC, its employees and agents, DHS head Jeh Johnson, and Barack Hussein Obama.
VDARE.com was on the case early, pointing out that illegal aliens are part of the current Democrat plan to hold the Presidency, and they have no compunction about opening advocating illegal activity.
As a result, Democrats are rolling out the red carpet for “our nation’s brave undocumented youth” and adults. One Bolivian illegal is serving on the credentials committee — who says Democrats don’t have a sense of the absurd? [Trump’s Convention Featured Victims Of Illegals, Hillary’s Will Feature The Illegals Themselves, by Brenda Walker, VDARE.com, July 24, 2016]
From the Reuters report quoted by Walker:
The selections are legal because of a “deferred action program” adopted by President Barack Obama’s administration, which postpones deportations and provides work authorization for some immigrants brought to the United States as children. The Supreme Court blocked efforts to expand those protections last month…
Hareth Andrade, 23, an undocumented immigrant from Bolivia who was approved under a deferred action program, was picked for the credentials committee. The convention will also feature at least two undocumented immigrant speakers, Astrid Silva and Francisca Ortiz.
So, it appears that the Democrat Party is hedging its bets, but as we shall see, to no avail.  These illegals are not really illegals, so the story goes, they are beneficiaries of the so-called Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. However, even according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the DACA program does not convey legal status on the alien beneficiaries, so these illegal aliens remain illegal aliens.  And for the record, that is the correct term, see Title 8 USC Section 1365.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is quite clear, illegal aliens have no legal status.
However, deferred action does not confer lawful status upon an individual, nor does it excuse any previous or subsequent periods of unlawful presence.
[Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Process, USCIS]
So, Reuters is incorrect.  No legal status means the illegal aliens remain illegal aliens.  The DNC is hiding behind the now-illegal DACA program.  Illegal because the rationale for DACA, the same as the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA), was that the Obama Regime had the authority to change immigration law administratively.  The DNC thought it was covered, but it is not.  It is now clear that the illegal aliens who served in DNC positions, whether paid or not, are illegal aliens, and covered by 8 USC 1324(a)(1)(A)(iv).
Now 8 USC 1324 is the statute that Congress passed and the President signed that made bringing in, transporting, concealing, or encourages an illegal alien to remain in the United States  a violation of a criminal statute—in this case a felony.  Bringing in, transporting, and concealing are covered by subsections (a)(1)(A) (i-iii), while encouraging is covered by the subsection (iv).
encourages or induces an alien to come to, enter, or reside in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such coming to, entry, or residence is or will be in violation of law;
While 8 USC 1324a separately prohibits unlawful employment, don’t confuse it with 8 USC 1324(a).
For the purpose of the DNC, the Democrat Party, Jeh Johnson, and Barack Hussein Obama, the relevant offenses will be 8 USC 1324(a)(1)(A)(iv) and 8 USC 1324a.  Subsection (iv) is important because for the most part, unless the DNC paid for their travel, is the most material to the offense, to wit, the DNC and the Party were “encourag[ing] or induc[ing] an alien to…reside in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such…residence is…in violation of law.”
The DNC and Party are well aware of those aliens are in the United States in violation of the law—that was the whole point of their presence, to use their illegal status for political benefit, as Brenda Walker so correctly pointed out.  So, for the purpose of the law, we have established both knowledge and intent.
Now, who at the DNC and the Party are responsible?  Well, anyone involved in the selection of speakers, including very likely, Hillary Clinton, as all the speakers at the DNC were approved by her. I am certain there is an email chain with her or someone acting on her behalf approving the speakers.
The members of the DNC committee are also legally responsible, as well as the chairman or chairwoman of the DNC.  And since the DNC is nothing more than an arm of the Democrat Party, the Party Chairman or Chairwoman, is legally responsible as well.
But the criminal statute does not need an individual to prosecute. An organization, like a corporation, can be criminally prosecuted for violation of 8 USC 1324 or 1324a.  This is, or was, quite a common experience when immigration laws were being enforced some 8 years ago.  But prosecution of a corporate entity, non-profit, or other legal entity does not preclude prosecution of responsible officials of that legal entity. So Debbie Wasserman-Schultz has more problems than just fixing the selection of Hillary Clinton: she and other Party and DNC officials have individual criminal liability.
Furthermore, both Jeh Johnson and Barack Hussein Obama have personal legal liability for these violations as well.  Not because there were illegal aliens at the DNC, but because those and other illegal aliens falsely and fraudulently obtained immigration documents, to wit, an Employment Authorization Document, EAD, Form I-756, at the order and instruction of Johnson and Obama. That means that President Trump can have Janet Napolitano, Johnson, and Obama criminally prosecuted for their official malfeasance in office with regard to assisting illegal aliens to remain in the United States.
Similarly, the Democrat Party, the DNC, and their officials are legally liable for criminal prosecution under 8 USC 1324(a)(1)(A)(iv).
All it will take is the will to prosecute as the principle of the legal responsibility of corporate officials is settled law, something this writer blogged on back in 2009 at the start of my blogging career, in the case of Yamoto Engine Specialists of Bellingham, WA.
Two Corporate Directors of Yamato Engine Specialists in Bellingham, Washington pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to aiding and abetting the use of a false statement on immigration forms. The pair, SHAFIQUE AMIRALI DHANANI, 46, and his sister, SHIRIN DHANANI MAKALAI, 52, each pleaded guilty to a federal felony, admitting that they knew workers at their family-owned company submitted false names and social security numbers on federal I-9 forms used to verify workers’ status in the United States. Under the terms of the plea agreement, both defendants must be sentenced to a probationary sentence or they can withdraw from the plea agreement. According to the language in the plea agreement, the third defendant, the corporation, YAMATO ENGINE SPECIALISTS 1990, LTD, is expected to pay a significant fine in connection with the case. YAMATO has not yet entered a plea, and is charged by information with encouraging and inducing illegal aliens to reside in the United States. Sentencing of DHANANI and MAKALAI, will be scheduled before U.S. District Judge James L. Robart on a later date.
[Officers Of Bellingham Engine Company Plead Guilty To Felony Immigration Violations, Press Release, Department of Justice, August 18, 2009.]
So, Donald J. Trump has it within his power to put Hillary Clinton, Barack Hussein Obama, Jeh Johnson, Janet Napolitano, and dozens of Democrat Party officials away in prison for many years, as each alien who received DACA is a separate offense, as well as effectively abolish the Democrat Party as a criminal organization.
The time to act will come soon. The only question is whether Trump has the will.

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Teens Pursue Spirituality, But Without God?

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about spirituality. This follows this post about crime. For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.

She was about 16, walking with a male companion of similar age, when I saw her in a department store recently. Her carefully crafted outfit caught my eye. Definitely a “style,” it couldn't be called “stylish.” Her black pullover top matched her baggy, military-style pants, as did her cumbersome, heavy boots. The look she cultivated was “accented” by jewelry pierced through curiously creative locations about her face and head. The pièce de résistance was the pair of men's flannel boxer shorts she was wearing, carefully arranged to extend 3 or 4 inches above her belt-line.
Although garbed in paramilitary dress and similarly decorated with metal studs about his face and head, her male companion did not manage to match her “fashion statement” for garishness.
Are they typical of the 22 million teenagers in the United States? No, thankfully, according to Sharon Begley, whose article about teens, “A World of Their Own,” appeared in the May 8, 2000, issue of Newsweek. Psychologist William Damon of Stanford University told Begley, “today's teens may have less in common with each other than those in generations past.” Teens cannot and should not be lumped into a single category or judged by fringe extremists like those described above. Millions exhibit individuality, strong ambition and genuine values.
Despite the fact that the 22 million American teenagers cannot be depicted by a single stereotype, the purpose of the Newsweek article was to address the emerging “portrait of the millennial generation.” There are encouraging signs-and some discouraging ones.
“They are spiritual”
One of the current trends highlighted in Newsweek's polling grabbed my attention. “They're spiritual…” begins the drophead of the above article by Sharon Begley. She writes in the body of the article that the present generation of teens is more spiritual than their parents are. A companion article in the same issue, “Searching for a Holy Spirit,” by John Leland, reports that, “Young people are openly passionate about religion….” A Newsweek poll of teenagers found that religion was important to 78 percent of them.
Is this a positive trend or a negative one? Let's take a more in-depth look at what is taking place in this area.
There is a definite trend among teens toward personalizing existing religions to suit their individual convictions or literally creating their own “faith.” They look for or seek to create a philosophy with which they can be comfortable. Bits and pieces of ideology are drawn from various faiths to produce a unique composite, pulling from such diverse religions as Judaism, Catholicism, Buddhism and Islam. As in so many areas of life, the Internet plays a major role in the faith of teens, providing them with what Leland calls “spiritual supermarkets.” Teens are shopping for religion the same way they shop for music, entertainment and career information-online. Christian researcher George Barna predicts that “cyberchurches” will account for 10 to 20 percent of all organized worship within the next decade (ibid., Leland).
Leland called the developing religious orientation of today's teens a “religious smorgasbord” and says that they devise “whatever mixture appeals at the time.” Sharon Begley writes that many “put together their own religious canon as they would a salad from a salad bar.”
On the positive side of the ledger, this interest in religion has motivated teens to donate a lot of time to community service. Leland reports that as many as 60 percent do some kind of community service. That's wonderful.
Equally positive is the fact that teens with strong religious convictions “are less likely to take drugs, have early sex, or engage in delinquent behavior”-a phenomenon that sociologists and educators call “the faith factor” (ibid., Leland).
More power to them. But, is “the faith factor” producing the desired results? Jesus put it quite pragmatically: “Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.… Therefore by their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:17, 20). What are the “fruits” or results of the way of life teens are choosing? According to William Damon, “a significant number are drifting or worse.”
A majority or significant minorities are still practicing destructive personal habits. CDC statistics show that 48 percent of high-school students have had sexual intercourse, 36 percent are smoking and 51 percent are drinking alcoholic beverages. The figures on sexual promiscuity represent a slight downward trend, the number of smokers is on the increase and the number of drinkers is relatively the same as it has been in recent years. All of these behaviors portend relationship and health problems, bearing a phenomenal price tag for those who are soon to be the adults of the next generation.
On the subject of “power” and religion, it's tempting to reach for the lexicon of prophetic scriptures and pull out some of Paul's words to Timothy: “But know this, that in the last days perilous times [times of stress] will come…. [For people will have] a form of godliness but [deny] its power” (2 Timothy 3:1, 5).
A pastor at Wheaton Bible Church in the Chicago area related to John Leland what he had discovered by asking troubled teens, “Who do you think God is?” One teen echoed the thoughts of all with the opinion that whatever you really believe is all right. “God is whatever works for you,” summarized the teens' perspective, according to the pastor.
Looking for a religion without God
Their view is wrong. God is a real Being, and He offers invaluable guidance that is not discernible unless we come to know Him personally and listen to what He has to say. The ancient prophet's message speaks clearly, “Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.… 'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the LORD. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts'” (Isaiah 55:6, 8-9)
The direction our heavenly Father provides is as specific as what parents should say to guide their children. Therein lies the problem-parents haven't been fulfilling that responsibility.
In too many cases, they aren't a real presence in the lives of their children. Teens spend 20 percent of their waking hours alone and 9 percent of their time outside school with friends, according to data from the 1999 Alfred P. Sloan Study of Youth and Social Development (ibid., Begley). You do the math. Little time is spent communicating with or even in the presence of parents.
As noble and as wonderful as it is that teenagers are “spiritual,” it's sad and sobering that they do not want to know God or too many specifics of what He has to say about how they should conduct themselves.
Leland quotes a teen who says, “I believe there is a higher power at work in my life, but I do not have a name for it. When I pray I do not ask a god [sic] to make everything all right. Instead I ask myself to be strong” (ibid.).
Wow, what an incredible contradiction in thought!
Turned off by what they know of religion, many are looking for spirituality without God. I applaud those who've perceived the paucity of most organized religions, but for them to seek spirituality without seeking God is like trying to breathe without oxygen.
I can appreciate the frustration and disillusionment that drives the teens' search for a different religion, but they're courting disaster, not the Divine. The book of Proverbs, written to guide young people, counsels, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). Remember the prayer recorded above, in which the teen looks to himself instead of to God.
Are these teens “denying the power of godliness”? Yes, I believe that they are. They have chosen the right objective, but not the right course to it. But I do not fault them. We must ask why teens are directed and motivated the way that they are. In many cases, it's because the present generation of leaders-public figures and parents alike-have denied the power of godliness.
Teens creating their “salad bar” religious philosophies are offended by and reject what they have witnessed in the present adult generation. Many teens are plainly fed up with not being fed or led in spiritual matters. William Strauss, coauthor of The Fourth Turning, reported that “teens had harsher opinions about the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal than any other group” (ibid., Begley). Disillusioned equally with the behavior of their leaders and the inability of their parents and other adult mentors to declare wrong to be wrong, teens have chosen to be more moral than their adults are. They have sought to develop a sharper definition of right and wrong than today's adults have.
It's today's adults who have denied God
Whose fault is it that teens are creating a flawed spirituality? Don't today's adults, including many parents, share culpability? Any adults willing to take leadership positions, but unwilling or unable to be role models for life, share responsibility for the fact that the up-and-coming generation is creating a nonspecific, “salad bar” spirituality that actually hinders itself from knowing the true God.
Compare the entire generation to a teen in a troubled home. It's commendable that a young person growing up in the home of an alcoholic parent or parents sets his/her will to exercise self-control and never abuse alcohol. Similarly, it's commendable that young people growing up in this morally skewed society set their wills to choose a moral and spiritually-based lifestyle. But it is infinitely preferable that young people are reared, guided, loved and nurtured in a home by fathers and mothers who are excellent role models. And similarly, it is infinitely preferable that the future generation of parents and leaders would be able to follow a healthy pattern of behavior and moral values demonstrated by the lives of today's parents and leaders.
“Do as I do” is better parenting than the implied message for today's teens: “Whatever you do, don't do what we have done.”
Should we be positive about the future generation? As Sharon Begley concludes her article, “Every generation has a chance at greatness. Let this one take its shot.” I'm all for them and pleased that there are so many positive examples! But are we saying that hope for the future generation is based solely upon its rejecting and rising above the failings of the present one?
What a sad commentary that is on today's leaders and parents.
A moving prophecy in the 18th chapter of the book of Ezekiel speaks to the hope that today's teens have for the future. Dealing with a debate about whether children must pay for their parents' sins, God assures them that a son (or daughter) can look at the lousy example set by a parent and determine not to repeat it. God promises to honor such a mature sense of duty, and says that He does not hold children responsible for their parents' errors.
Again, more power to those teens who set their mind to know and obey the true God.
What will become of leaders and parents in today's adult generation? Everyone will answer for his or her behavior. “The soul who sins [and does not turn from it] shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4).
The message of the prophecy is not to condemn, but rather to urge those who sin to turn from it. “But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed…he shall surely live; he shall not die” (verse 21).
So, we find in this prophecy a strong message of hope-for adults and teens alike…depending upon what each chooses to do. WNP

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Democrats never mentioned ISIS, jihad, or terrorism

A timely post about from www.jihadwatch.org about appeasement towards terrorism. This follows this post about Pokemon Go. This follows this article about American energy independence and preventing money from going to hostile countries. For more, you can read two very interesting books HERE.You can follow me here.

Democrats never mentioned ISIS, jihad, or terrorism on Day One of DNC

Politifact is not really a fact-checking site; it’s just another propaganda arm of the far-Left. So if even they are saying this, the problem is acute and clear. For the Democrats, jihad terror is just not a priority. The fact that there was no mention of it whatsoever on the first day of their convention is abundant illustration of that, whatever they might say on the second or third day. They’re much more interested in climate change and pandering to their various interest groups. Meanwhile, Germany and France are on fire, and because of policies still endorsed by the Democrats and numerous influential Republicans, that fire is coming here.
Michelle Obama DNC
“Politifact: Democrats never mentioned terrorism on Day One of DNC,” by Tyler Pager, Politico, July 26, 2016:
Republicans’ claim that Democrats did not mention terrorism or ISIL on the first night of the Democratic National Convention is correct, Politifact said Tuesday morning.
Following Monday night’s speeches, Republicans blasted the Democrats for a lack of focus on terrorism from the 61 speakers.
“Based on our searches of C-SPAN closed-captioning text, Congressional Quarterly transcripts and other video archiving services, we couldn’t find any speaker who mentioned “ISIS,” “Islamic” “terror,” “terrorist,” or “terrorism” during the first day of the convention,” Politifact wrote.
The fact-checking website did add the caveat that the Democrats still have three days to discuss terrorism at the convention and the first day of the convention was not meant to focus on foreign policy. Additionally, Hillary Clinton on Monday called for action against ISIL at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“We need to lead other countries in stopping ISIS, Al Qaeda, and other radical jihadist groups,” she said. “We shouldn’t leave that to the rest of the world to figure out on their own. That won’t keep us safe.”
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Tuesday, July 26, 2016

The Mothers of the Movement–Hillary And The DNC Go All In For Dead Thugs

A timely post from http://www.vdare.com about criminals. This follows this post about victims of immigrant crime. This follows this post about the murder of police officers and the denial of due process to them.T his follows this post about rap songs referencing Donald Trump.
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The Mothers of the Movement–Hillary And The DNC Go All In For Dead Thugs


Here’s NPR on What To Expect At The Democratic Convention .[by Daniel Kurtzleben, July 15, 2016]
Tuesday will feature the roll call vote and how Hillary Clinton has spent her entire career working to make a difference for children, families and our country. The Mothers of the Movement participating include Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner; Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin; Maria Hamilton, mother of Dontré Hamilton; Lucia McBath, mother of Jordan Davis; Lezley McSpadden, mother of Michael Brown; Cleopatra Pendleton-Cowley, mother of Hadiya Pendleton; Geneva Reed-Veal, mother of Sandra Bland.
The “Mothers of the Movement” hadn’t  really registered with me, but I know all those names.
  • garnerresistGwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner—who was a massively overweight thug who died of exertion while trying to fight half a dozen police trying to wrestle him into handcuffs for selling illegal cigarettes to teenagers.
  • Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin— who was a teenage thug (suspended from school for possession of stolen property) who died during his assault on neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman. His next-to-last words, as he tried to grab Zimmerman’s gun were “You’re gonna die tonight, mother—er.”(His last words were “You got me.”)
  • Maria Hamilton, mother of Dontré Hamilton— who was a maniac (literally: paranoid schizophrenic) who grabbed an officer’s baton and tried to beat him to death with it.
  • Lucia McBath, mother of Jordan Davis—who was a teenager, who cursed and uttered racist insults at a white man (civilian Michael Dunn) when Dunn asked him not to blast rap music from his car. Dunn shot Davis, claiming self-defense, on the grounds that he’d seen Davis point a shotgun at him. However, since police failed to find a shotgun, and Davis’s companions swore there wasn’t one, Dunn was sentenced to life without parole.
  • rightrobLezley McSpadden, mother of Michael Brown— who was the Ferguson thug who assaulted and robbed a storekeeper, and when stopped by police officer Darren Wilson smashed Wilson in the face and tried to take his gun.
  • Cleopatra Pendleton-Cowley, mother of Hadiya Pendleton who was a teenage girl in Chicago. An outlier on this list, 15-year old Hadiya was innocent of anything but standing around in a Chicago  park when she was shot for no particular reason by (allegedly)  these two guys.
theyrenotwhitecops
The Narrative on the Hadiya Pendleton shooting is that it was “gun violence.”
  • Geneva Reed-Veal, mother of Sandra Bland—another outlier, since Bland wasn’t killed by anyone at all, but hanged herself in her cell when none of her relatives (including her mother) would bail her out. She’d been arrested for kicking a police officer who stopped her car—an act apparently motivated by the racial resentment all blacks seem to feel when pulled over by the police, no matter how bad their driving is.
With the exception of Hadiya–whose mother, if she wants justice, should be looking to Trump and the Republicans–these are people that only a mother could love.
How hard does Hillary think she can push this BLM stuff without alienating all the remaining white Democrats?