The Southern Avenger @ Taki’s Magazine
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Tag: Constitutionalists
While I can sympathize with my Christian Brethren, they are wrong…
Full Disclosure: I am a Christian, if you’ll read my “about me” section on here, you will see here I stand doctrinally. To be clear, I am not active in a Church anywhere at the moment. But I still believe.
An Interesting quote from the Christian Newswire, by a Robert Peters who the President of Morality in Media, commenting on passage on the Gay Marriage Iowa and the shootings in New York:
“Having lived in New York City for more than 30 years, I am all too aware of the harm that firearms in the hands of criminals can cause. Having grown up in a small town in Illinois, where citizens owned guns without misusing them, I am also aware that guns aren’t the underlying problem. I am not an opponent of gun regulation; I am an opponent of making guns the scapegoat for mass murder.
“The underlying problem is that increasingly we live in a ‘post-Christian’ society, where Judeo-Christian faith and values have less and less influence. Among other things, Judaism and Christianity taught that murder was wrong and that included murder motivated by anger, hatred and revenge. Both religions also taught that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves and to forgive others.
“For many citizens, what has replaced Judeo-Christian faith and values is the secular value system that is reflected in films, rap/music lyrics, and videogames and on TV and now the Internet, where the taking of human life for just about any reason is commonplace and is often portrayed in an appealing manner and in realistic detail. Murder motivated by hatred and revenge is also justified.
“This secular value system is also reflected in the ‘sexual revolution,’ which is the driving force behind the push for ‘gay marriage;’ and the Iowa Supreme Court decision is another indication that despite all the damage this revolution has caused to children, adults, family life and society (think abortion, divorce, pornography, rape, sexual abuse of children, sexually transmitted diseases, trafficking in women and children, unwed teen mothers and more), it continues to advance relentlessly.
“It most certainly is not my intention to blame the epidemic of mass murders on the gay rights movement! It is my intention to point out that the success of the sexual revolution is inversely proportional to the decline in morality; and it is the decline of morality (and the faith that so often under girds it) that is the underlying cause of our modern day epidemic of mass murders.
“I would add that if conservative media’s irresponsible talk of revolution can ‘poison weak minds,’ the liberal entertainment media’s irresponsible portrayal of mayhem can also poison weak minds.”
Also, Pastor Eric Schumacher comments over at Baptist Press also comments as to how Christians should handle the situation as well; and I must admit, I agree with his way of doing things as well. Let me just say that these arguments may work in the realm of Christianity and in the Church World, these arguments, unfortunately, fall flat in the secular society that we live in today. Donald Douglas over at American power weighs in on this:
While I agree with the main points of the religious morality angle, I don’t think that argument will prevail amid the growing hegemony of secularism Peters decries. A powerful secular case can be made against same-sex marriage, based in the logic of biological reproduction and the regeneration of societies. The gay marriage extremists can do little to change the logic of social reproduction and the facts of biological procreation. To win the argument, gay radicals have to argue in denial of the fact that social institutions are normatively substantiated in such terms. The left has yet to do so, of course, which is why the notion of “same-sex marriage” remains a fantastic radical progressive ideological construct.
I hate to say it, but I do agree. (Mark your calendars, this does not happen often at all.) The reason all this is happening is because the Religious right made the gay marriage thing a “Hot button” topic years ago. One of the worst things, I believe, that happened was the melting together of Religion and Conservative politics, this happened in the 1980’s with the whole “God and Country” movement. I remember it well, as I was a young lad that grew up in that era. Before this, Christianity and Conservative politics were two very different worlds. President Ronald Reagan and his whole “Reagan Revolution” changed all that, some say for the worse.
Let me give you an example of why I believe this is so very wrong. You see, years ago, Christians did not want to be have a voice in Government. This quote is from a book called “The Trail of Blood”
, which was written by Dr. James Milton Carroll, in 1931; it is taken from the fifth lecture in the book:
24. Some serious questions have many times been asked concerning the Baptists: Would they, as a denomination, have accepted from any nation or state an offer of “establishment” if such nation or state had freely made them such an offer? And would they in case they had accepted such an offer, have become persecutors of others like Catholics or Episcopals, or Lutherans or Presbyterians, or Congregationalists? Probably a little consideration of such questions now would not be amiss. Have the Baptists, as a fact, ever had such an opportunity?
Is it not recorded in history, that on one occasion, the King of the Netherlands (the Netherlands at that time embracing Norway and Sweden, Belgium, Holland, and Denmark) had under serious consideration the question of having an established religion? Their kingdom at that period was surrounded on almost all sides by nations or governments with established religions, religions supported by the Civil Government.
It is stated that the King of Holland appointed a committee to examine into the claims of all existing churches or denominations to see which had the best claim to be the New Testament Church. The committee reported back that the Baptists were the best representatives of New Testament teachings. Then the King offered to make the Baptist “the established” church or denomination of his kingdom. The Baptists kindly thanked him but declined, stating that it was contrary to their fundamental convictions and principles.
But this was not the only opportunity they ever had of having their denomination the established religion of a people. They certainly had that opportunity when Rhode Island Colony was founded. And to have persecuted others, that would have been an impossibility if they were to continue being Baptists. They were the original advocates of “Religious Liberty.” That really is one of the fundamental articles of their religious faith. They believed in the absolute separation of church and state.
This is what Christians should believe in. Christians never should have ever attempted to meddle in the affairs of the Government, as Christians are supposed to be about “The Father’s Business”. (Luke 2:49, 1 Thess 4:11) While I believe it is important to be aware of what is happening in our Government, the idea that Baptists and Christians alike are to try and sway Government into a theocracy is totally wrong, and goes against what Christians and yes, even Baptists of old practiced.
I hate to say, but the Christianity community seriously messed up in the 1980’s with the whole Reagan revolution, and we are going to pay a dreadful price for it. The sick and sad part is, George W. Bush and his Neo-Conservative friends, harvested and took full advantage of that crop during his tenure in the White House, and because of this, the Republican Party and Conservatism as a whole will pay for that.
It is going to be a bleak, long four years in a America. 🙁
Another Police Shooting in Pittsburgh, Man Paranoid about Obama, Liberal Bloggers Blame Conservative Media
This is sad. 🙁
Pittsburgh police say a man wearing a bulletproof vest opened fire on officers during a domestic disturbance call, killing three of them.
Police chief Nate Harper says the motive for Saturday’s shooting isn’t clear.
Friends say the gunman recently had been upset about losing his job and that he feared the Obama administration was poised to ban guns.
The three dead officers are Eric Kelly, Stephen Mayhle and Paul Sciullo III. Kelly had been on the force for 14 years and the other two only two years each.
Another officer was shot in the hand and a fifth broke his leg on a fence.
The gunman, 23-year-old Richard Poplawski, was arrested after a four-hour standoff.
It’s sad, but it is also sick; it seems now that some Liberal Bloggers are now blaming the Conservative media for this shooting. Which I think is a bunch of bull crap. As much as I know that it ticks off the left, but the truth of the matter is this. If someone is going to grab a gun and kill someone, they are going to do it regardless if they listen to Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Randi Rhoads or Stephanie Miller.
The point here is this, this dude and the dude in New York had issues, seriously bad mental issues. The sad part is, that he had access to firearms. The State of Michigan and I assume the State of New York and Pennsylvania have very good gun laws that keep people from getting guns that have diagnosed mental illnesses. However, it cannot stop people who have issues that are not diagnosed. I mean, the Government is not a mind reader. The sad part is, that Liberals are going to use this as some sort of sick excuse to rally for more Governmental regulation and stripping of our Gun rights. I am afraid that is this simply not the answer.
The truth of the matter is that there are mentally ill people out there and they are going to do stuff like this, it is just a fact of life. I just do not buy the idiotic notion that the Conservative media, Glenn Back, Sean Hannity or any of the rest of them are to blame. There are millions of sane, rational people that listen to these programs on a daily basis and they have never done anything stupid like this.
Another thing that highly annoys me is this; is how the Media is trying to engage in the profiling of the shooter in New York. He is being described is a quiet type, who harbored some hatred towards America. Well, let me be the first to say that, I am, in fact, a quiet type. I’m not a Fred Flintstone type. I keep to myself, I’m not very outgoing at all. Hey, I am unemployed, except for this Blog. I don’t drive around wasting gas, it is called being smart and frugal. I feel like people with personalities like mine are simply unfairly being singled out. There’s nothing wrong with being an introvert. We quiet people tend to be thinkers. I also, the portrait being painted about those who value their gun rights is totally unfair. I believe in the second amendment, if I were living along, I would own a gun, I would register it; as I believe in complying with the law.
I just do not understand why the Left Wing Media and the Liberal Bloggers are using two major tragedies like these to try and further an anti-gun agenda and a Conservative Media hysteria agenda. It does sort of remind me of the Jewish hysteria agenda that Hitler started in Germany.
Update: Flopping Aces makes a very valid point, in reaction to this here:
I’m sorry, didn’t hear that kind of statement when this happened.
Update #2: There is now a facebook page with a petition to get the shooting in PA; Richard Poplawski charged with Capital Murder. I’ve signed it, I suggest you do as well. No matter what political stripe you are, this guy commited murder. He should be punished with such.
Iowa Supreme Court rules gays can marry
I know you all are expecting me to give a horrible comment on this one:
The Iowa Supreme Court this morning unanimously upheld gays’ right to marry.
“The Iowa statute limiting civil marriage to a union between a man and a woman violates the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution,” the justices said in a summary of their decision.
The court rules that gay marriage would be legal in three weeks, starting April 24.
The court affirmed a Polk County District Court decision that would allow six gay couples to marry.
The ruling is viewed as a victory for the gay rights movement in Iowa and elsewhere, and a setback for social conservatives who wanted to protect traditional families
via Unanimous ruling: Iowa marriage no longer limited to one man, one woman – The Des Moines Register.
Well, Surprise. I have zero negative to say about “Gay Marriage”…..and Here’s why; I believe that morally, Homosexuality is wrong, the Bible speaks against it. If you got a problem with that, take it up with God. I’m just a messenger. However on a Constitutionality viewpoint; because I am a federalist, I believe that ALL moral issues, like Gay Marriage, Abortion, and all the rest of those “Hot Button” issues should be decided at a State level and never, ever at a Federal level.
I’m a libertarian, when it comes to this sort of stuff. Barry Goldwater said it best, when he said, “You cannot legislate morality.” I personally believe that the WORST thing that ever happened to the Republican Party, was when the social Conservatives AKA the Conservative Christians or as Goldwater called them, the “goody two-shoes” took control of the party in 1980 under Reagan.
Do not misunderstand me here, I believe that there is a “Gay Agenda”, that is being by radical gays to change the shape of the Government. However, I also am aware of the radical “Theocratic” movement in this country as well. Both are equally as dangerous. If it were left to the far rabid right in this country, Homosexuals would be shot dead in the streets, atheists would be hung publicly in the streets, witches would be burned at the stake, and so on. Here’s the problem with that sort of thinking; that is exactly what is happening in Iran right now. Well, maybe not the witches part, but Homosexuals are being hung in Iran. If you ever speak out against the Koran in Iran, you could be killed.
Where am I going with all this? Here’s where; The United States of America is a tolerant nation, any sort of radicalism should not be tolerated, at all. If any of these radical fringe groups got their way, the United States of America would become just like Iran. Gay Marriage, like all issues of this sort, should decided at the state level, that is the way our Government was set up. If someone wants to become a Homosexual or wants to live that sort of a lifestyle; fine, let them. But keep the federal government out of it, please. The less centralized Government in my life, the better.
The Southern Avenger on "Steadfast Sanford"
When hundreds of protesters showed up at the South Carolina statehouse to protest Gov. Mark Sanford’s refusal to accept $700 million in federal stimulus, it was worth noting how Sanford doesn’t represent economic disaster – but perhaps the only chance we’ve got.
The Article referenced in this Video is found here
Ann Coulter and the Conservative Christian right at Odds?!?!?!
The Video:
The Story via Fox Business Channel:
American Right To Life today releases a YouTube video, The Ann Coulter Hang-Ups and its associated website, www.AnnCoulterApology.com, documenting the growing rift between the right-wing pundit and popular Christian pro-family leaders. This cross-country sampling of conservative talk show hosts from Florida, Iowa, Colorado and California confronts the best-selling author on her repeated defense of those implementing homosexual marriage and tax-funded abortion.
More than just the title of her new best-seller, Guilty, may also describe Ann Coulter herself, according to American RTL president and Columbine dad Brian Rohrbough. “If she wants him elected, Ann Coulter will try to cover up a politician’s aggressive attacks on children and the family, it seems the only prerequisite is an R after his name.”
“Coulter can answer soft-ball criticism from the left,” says ARTL vice president and former Colorado Republican party chairman Steve Curtis, “but she always has ‘to run’ when Christian journalists document her misinformation and ask for a correction?” The Ann Coulter Hang-Ups shows Coulter repeatedly punting and ending interviews instead of answering valid questions.
Man, When Conservatives are turning against you. That’s pretty bad.
American Right to Life Website
(H/T to AllahPundit on Twitter)
Update: Of course, I must confess, this is MY favorite video of Ann here: (Language Warning)
The Southern Avenger on "9/11 Truths"
How “911 Truth” conspiracy theorists who believe the U.S. government orchestrated 911, aren’t any more “crazy” than those who believe Saddam Hussein did.
Is the Obama Administration letting G.M.'s New C.E.O. do it's dirty work for them?
Full Disclosure: My Father is a Retired General Motors Worker and U.A.W. Member.
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It sure as heck looks that way to me here.
The reason I ask this question is because a new report from CNBC that the new C.E.O. of GM is essentially saying that bankruptcy is the only option:
General Motors’s new chief executive told CNBC that filing for Bankruptcy may be the best option for the struggling automaker.
In a taped interview to be aired tonight on NBC Nightly News, Fritz Henderson said that because of greater demands from the Obama administration to restructure, GM is considering the bankruptcy option. The auto giant previously had ruled out such a move, saying it would discourage people from buying GM cars.
Henderson’s comments came after President Obama bluntly rejected turnaround plans by GM and Chrysler and demanded that both companies make fresh concessions in order to get more federal aid.
Henderson, who was GM’s president and chief operating officer, was named the new CEO after the government forced the resignation of CEO Rick Wagoner on Sunday. GM’s board is also being restructured.
Henderson told reporters that the company would still prefer to restructure outside of court, but the level of support Washington is offering would help the company quickly restructure through bankruptcy.
Henderson says GM needs to work faster and go deeper to get more concessions from bondholders and the United Auto Workers union. President Obama has demanded that GM come up with a better restructuring plan in 60 days in order to qualify for more government aid.
I find it very interesting that President Obama, instead of doing the dirty deed himself, ousted the CEO of G.M. and basically has let the new G.M. head honcho be his fall guy for basically screwing the bond holders and also the unions. This way, Barry comes off clean. It is a strategy that is quite slick, quite risky; but none the less slick.
The Wall Street Journal has more:
Inside a windowless, ornate room Thursday just across from the Oval Office, President Barack Obama and a group of senior economic advisers began the job of remaking the American automobile industry.
The first order of business: Oust General Motors Corp. Chief Executive Rick Wagoner.
It “wasn’t the hardest decision,” said one government official.
Steven Rattner, a former investment banker who is heading the administration’s auto restructuring; chief economic adviser Lawrence Summers; and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner were among those gathered around the polished wood table of the Roosevelt Room in the White House’s West Wing. They were there to decide under what conditions the government would continue to prop up once-powerful Detroit car companies GM and Chrysler LLC.
In the post-World War II boom, they were at the pinnacle of a quintessentially American industry. At Thursday’s meeting, once the Obama administration concluded the pair were running out of money, their effective dismantling began.
Beyond seeking Mr. Wagoner’s resignation, the officials also gave failing grades to GM and Chrysler for the restructuring plans they submitted to the government Feb. 17. They also set a deadline — one month for Chrysler, two months for GM — after which the government might force a bankruptcy restructuring of both companies and break up two of America’s business icons.
Many of GM’s problems didn’t start during Mr. Wagoner’s term, and most predate the economic downturn that sent car sales slumping, such as union contracts and the costs of paying for retiree health care. GM made a bad situation worse with huge bets on trucks and SUVs that piled up on dealer lots amid soaring gas prices last year.
While I will be the first to tell you, that General Motors has had its own share of issues. What Barack Obama did to G.M. and by proxy to the Union members and Employees of the company; was just flat out cowardly. Instead of forcing General Motors into bankruptcy himself. Obama is allowing the new head honcho of the company and his Auto Czar; do it for him. This way Obama does not burn through his political capital as quickly and more or less comes out looking like the hero. Of course, President TelePrompter will say that he inherited this mess, and by rights he did. But to pass off the basic executing of a company and it’s people to someone else, is quite the cowardly move in my book.
Hey Barry, If you ever happen to read this; Grow some freaking Gonads,will ya? I mean, come on. If you going to screw the American worker; why not do it yourself? Instead of letting your damned patsies do it for you. Just a thought.
The Southern Avenger on "AIG Bonuses are a Ruse"
How the controversy over the AIG bonuses imbedded in the stimulus obfuscate the root problem of spending in general.
Follow up! Guest Voice – Chuck Baldwin: MISSOURI SCRAPS M.I.A.C. REPORT
Please note: The Opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the political or personal opinions of owner of this Blog.
However, I am very pleased by the news presented in this piece.
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Well, there is still hope for liberty after all! After multiple thousands of phone calls, emails, faxes, and other communications from outraged citizens, the State of Missouri has rescinded its controversial “militia” report. This proves the point I made in this column recently that the most effective way to fight an ever-encroaching federal leviathan is to focus on our individual states.
Let me review the events of the last few weeks so as to help readers familiarize themselves with this historic–and I do mean historic–episode.
On February 20, 2009, the State of Missouri, via its Department of Public Safety, issued what was called “MIAC Strategic Report: The Modern Militia Movement.” In this report, people who supported Presidential candidates Ron Paul, Bob Barr, and yours truly were referenced as being connected to potentially dangerous “militia members.” But the inference did not stop there. People of conservative ideology were also identified in the State Police report as being potentially dangerous. People who held political opinions opposing abortion, illegal immigration, the New World Order, the North American Union, the Income Tax, the U.N., etc., were profiled in the MIAC report.
Interestingly enough, no left-leaning political ideologies were identified. No Islamic extremists. No environmental extremists. Only people holding “conservative” or “right-wing” philosophies were identified in the MIAC report.
The MIAC report was categorized as “Unclassified/Law Enforcement Sensitive,” meaning the report was intended for law enforcement personnel only. Fortunately, an unidentified (for obvious reasons) Missouri law enforcement officer, who was extremely disturbed by this report, sent a copy to nationally syndicated radio talk show host Alex Jones. Of course, Jones immediately “blew the whistle” on the story. This was on March 11.
On March 14, the Columbia (Missouri) Daily Tribune ran a story on the subject, and on March 17, I wrote my first column about it. From that point, the story went viral.
Internet sites, radio talk show hosts, and bloggers all over America picked up the story, and thousands of outraged citizens began bombarding the appropriate officials in Missouri with protests. Even Fox News Channel talk show host Glenn Beck ran a feature on the story on Friday, March 20, and again on Monday, March 23. The Constitution Party issued a “Travel Advisory” for the State of Missouri, warning tourists and residents about the possibility of being profiled by State Police for such things as having bumper stickers with political statements on their vehicles, etc. All of this commotion was not lost on several Missouri State legislators and executive officers, either.
Missouri Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder called on Governor Jay Nixon (who had previously stood by and defended the MIAC report) to place Department of Public Safety Director John Britt on administrative leave pending an investigation into the report. In addition, several Missouri State legislators said they would introduce an amendment to the Department of Public Safety’s budget barring the agency from using “state or federal funds for political profiling.”
On March 23, DPS Director John Britt sent an apology letter to Ron Paul, Bob Barr, and me stating, “I have ordered that the offending report be edited so as to excise all reference to Ron Paul, Bob Barr or Chuck Baldwin and to any third-party political organizations.”
While Ron, Bob, and I appreciated the apology and retraction from Mr. Britt, the overriding offense of the report still lingered: namely, the report, with a very broad brush, linked people holding conservative political opinions to dangerous and violence-prone “militias,” which Missouri law enforcement personnel were instructed to be on guard against. Therefore, public outcry against the MIAC report continued, Mr. Britt’s apology notwithstanding.
Then, on Wednesday, March 25, the head of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Col. James F. Keathley, ordered the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) to “permanently cease distribution” of this abysmal report. Keathley said that neither he nor Britt had read the report before it was distributed.
Keathley also noted that the report was filled with numerous spelling and grammatical errors and did not cite any sources for its broad statements about “right-wing” militias. He further said that his department would now review how the MIAC distributes intelligence reports to police officers. He said the process “needs improvement.”
Dear readers, please take a bow! Because of tens of thousands of patriotic, freedom-loving Americans–including thousands of courageous Missourians–the long arm of totalitarianism was shortened just a bit.
This sordid story is truly an embarrassment to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the State of Missouri. Governor Nixon, especially, is left with egg on his face for foolishly and stupidly standing behind the report, when he had either never read it, or, if he had, was just as guilty of political profiling as the ones who wrote the report.
Why DHS, you ask? Because the MIAC report is similar to several other reports currently circulating around various State police agencies courtesy of DHS-sponsored “Fusion Centers.” There is another side of this story that is even more sinister, however.
If we can continue to probe the details of the MIAC report, I am absolutely convinced we will find that this report actually originates with Morris Dees and his ultra-liberal Southern Poverty Law Center. And if my hunch (a very educated hunch, I might add) is correct, it means that the DHS and various State police agencies around the country are allowing a left-wing special interest group to use them to harass, intimidate, and profile people with conservative political opinions.
I would further proffer that those of us who are outraged by this event should not stop with the MIAC report being removed. While this is very good news, the fear and intimidation associated with those referenced in this report has already taken place. Are people opposed to abortion, illegal immigration, the Income Tax, the U.N., etc., now afraid to express their opinions publicly (especially in Missouri)? If so, this seems to me to be the basis for legal action, based on the abridgment of the First Amendment freedom of speech by a State (and perhaps federal) law enforcement agency.
There is yet another chilling question that must be answered: by saying Missouri State Police will “review” how MIAC distributes intelligence reports to police officers, does Col. Keathley mean that the State of Missouri’s law enforcement agencies will continue to promote similar reports, but simply make them “Classified”? In other words, will they (and other State police agencies around the country) simply employ greater secrecy when issuing such reports, but do nothing to change the content of future reports? Hopefully not, but we shall see.
With that said, here are the lessons all of us need to take to heart:
*Every police officer, deputy sheriff, and law enforcement officer in America who believes in constitutional government, individual liberty, and the Bill of Rights needs to be alert for any report that smacks of the MIAC report, and be willing to quickly “blow the whistle” on any such report they see.
*Lovers of freedom should be much encouraged to see what can happen when they are willing to stand up to their State governing officials as they see abridgements to their liberties taking place. I say again, the best way to fight these mushrooming despotic tendencies of government we seem to see everywhere is to focus on our State governments. Do you now see why I say that? Even if DHS was behind the MIAC report, it was the State of Missouri that had to implement it; and it was the State of Missouri that (under pressure) killed it.
See my column on this important subject here.
*Notice, too, that we did not need the major media to achieve this victory. We cut off this one branch of the tyranny tree without the help of ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX NEWS (with the exception of Glenn Beck), or even the Drudge Report. Victory was achieved with the weapons of talk radio, syndicated Internet columns, Internet blogging, and word of mouth.
You see, folks, we can achieve victory without the major media. But we must stay focused and actively involved in our respective State governments. “We the people” are still the power of this country. And don’t let anyone deceive you into believing anything else. Therefore, take heart in knowing that your diligence convinced the State of Missouri to rescind its atrocious MIAC report. Now, don’t let it stop there. Let’s faithfully cut off the tentacles of tyranny wherever we find them. Amen?
