Always A Critic, with No Solutions: well, here is one:

Don’t you just love the ex-POTUS’ and disgruntled ex-employees like “W” and Gen Mattis putting in their unsolicited 2 cents on POTUS Trump’s performance? It is right in line with Mitt Romney’s embarrassing public speech against Trump in 2016 and more recently in Feb. Don’t these men have jobs or hobbies? “W’ is still mad that his daddy didn’t win re-election. Romney is still mad he didn’t get elected at all (to the POTUS), and Mattis is still mad over Trump’s withdrawal from Syria. So let’s focus on Mattis, who is the only one of the three I have an ounce of respect for. He knew when he took the job that Trump does not like US troops to be deployed and prefers other strategy to fight wars. It was no surprise that Trump wanted our troops pulled out asap…and Mattis should not have signed up for the job if he knew ahead that his Commander In Chief had a radically different philosophy than his. But he gladly took the job and relished the limelight and enjoyed the power…like all of these clowns do. Now, let’s see if Mattis is right about Trump dividing a country and threatening the Constitution……

Our country has been divided since the beginning of its history and likely will always be. It is why we have different political parties, it is what caused the Civil War, it is why the reaction to the Vietnam war was so polarized. We are free thinkers. Perhaps we have gotten more polarized over the decades. There has been a general degradation in the way people dress to go out in public, taking prayer and reflection out of public schools, allowing life in the womb to be aborted at will. This is no President’s fault. We were pretty divided under Obama and were considered racist if we didn’t vote for him, when for me at least–his race had nothing to do with it. I was actually happy to finally see some color in the office, but I had a fundamental difference in how I viewed America than he did. If Hillary R Clinton had been elected do you thing we would be more unified? With her calling Trump supporters ‘deplorable??? It is not division which is our problem…it is our allowing moral standards to decline. As far as the Constitution: the idea of martial law would be completely contrary to it and completely against my views. But when protests go to the point of violence and destruction of businesses and private property…..if the police cannot or will not stop it, what is left? To bring in the military. You could say that Trump might bring in the military to enforce the Constitutional rights of those who are trying to hang on to their property and citizen rights.

The police are part of the problem in a very big way and this is where I put a lot of the blame: there may well be a systemic race issue among white police officers. And there is an attempt to dummy down the police force into community relations personnel. This is not the role of police. The police need to treat everyone the same regardless of skin color and they need to respect and enforce the laws and ordinances where they work. And they need to be allowed to enforce those laws. And above all, they need to protect the rights of our citizens according to the Constitution. All laws and ordinances which are Constitutional must be upheld. And if Executive Orders are put in place which are unConstitutional, they need to protect the rights of the citizens they swore to protect and the Constitution they swore to defend. If the police did their job correctly and properly, many of our non-peaceful protest and rioting issues would disappear. The police do not need to be our pals and buddies. They need to be police and we need to respect them. Where they abuse their power and show blatant racism, we need to condemn and punish that..but not by violating the Constitutional rights of others.

 

Memorial Day Lamentations

Did those who served in the American Forces during wars who made the ultimate sacrifice do so for us to shelter in pace? No, they did not. Did our Founding Fathers establish the separation of Church and State so that we would close our churches the nano second the US Government told us to do so? No they did not.  What a slam to those who fought to defend freedom and our Constitution  thrown by governing authorities and the sheeple who submitted fully. And for weeks on end. We have let them down. We need to protect the vulnerable at all times while simultaneously exercising our liberty. We need to protect our economy. We need to protect our religious liberty, though it may now be too late. We need to remember those who fought and died for these liberties and we ought to feel pretty weak and ashamed of ourselves in the process.  We have become the fearful, timid Mask-wearers and glove donners.  Are you willing to sacrifice something for freedom? I am.   I tore a cartilage in my knee on April 24, running down Governor Murphy’s street, with my arms raised in the air and fists clinched yelling “Take Back New Jersey” and lead a caravan of cars through a barricade. A bit too much jumping and sprinting for a senior citizen. I wear this injury like a badge of honor. Go ahead and be a submitter…but I will not be one.

I’m Back! Let’s Discuss Executive Orders and the Bible!

Where the heck have I been…? Under a rock of academia and now doctored-up, graduating and ready to return to all things politics and American. But lately I’ve been actively protesting against New Jersey’s Governor Murphy and violating some of his Executive Order (EO) mandates such as using parks and beaches that are closed and not wearing a mask during jogging or walking. Why? Because our  Governor has not exercised his authority lawfully. Though I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt he is doing these things to protect us, I don’t. Here is why: the Governor backs up his EO with the false claim of ‘trying to save lives’ when he keeps abortion clinics open as essential business and while he and NJ DDOH have ignored massive complaints against NJ nursing homes for months while nearly half of the COVID-19 deaths in our state have occurred in nursing homes, veterans homes and state-run centers for the developmentally disabled.  He also admitted on air to Tucker Carlson that he did not consider the Bill of Rights, ‘its above my pay grade’ ,which may be felony misconduct while in office. From where I sit, Murphy is not trying to save lives. He wants to control lives.

Herein lies a potential problem for a Bible-believing, Christ follower: some , maybe more than some, Evangelical pastors feel that protests done peacefully are mighty fine, but breaking the rules and using a closed park is not submitting to government and could potentially be  considered a type of cosmic treason against God. I am stunned by this. Such thoughts were not in my mind when I climbed over barriers and jogged past “park closed” signs.  Bible passages found in ROmans 13 are pretty clear that there is no authority except from God and that He raised up our leaders. I understand that if I feel differently, I had better have bible verses to back me up. FOr this I head way back to the Old Testament and Genesis, Chapters 9-11: where the beginning of nations is described and the whole notion of nationhood is ordained.

In the New Testament I  understand the Bible to say that God establishes leadership in government and we are to submit to government. The exception is when any of our laws violate the word of God, we choose the Bible over law. Back in ancient times, Pharaoh, Nero and other pointed rulers were the absolute law.  The United States of America is a republic, where the law of our land is the Constitution and Bill of Rights.  Our nation  elects leaders with the expectation that they must lawfully defend and protect the Constitution, regardless of political party.  So what do we say about cases where laws do not disobey God but the person in authority disobeys the Law? This is what is happening with parts of the Murphy EO.

Closing  the state and county parks was my litmus test of submitting to government authority. It violates civil rights without merit. There are many examples of litmus tests and one might, potentially, have a submission issue with vaccines. I know many Evangelicals and Pastors who are staunch anti-vaxxers, and protest the state’s right to impose vaccines on school children.  What if the government succeeds in mandating that we all get a COVID-19 vaccine? This would become a litmus test of submission for them, would it not? I wonder if faced with a governmental vaccine mandate, if that individual refused vaccines for themselves of their children, would they also be committing cosmic treason against God? I don’t believe so.

Our Founding Fathers and early patriots were guilty of treason against King George, who was the essential law of the land and the USA was founded on civil disobedience. When a duly elected leader violates the Law of our land, I believe that we have a right to civilly disobey without God’s condemnation.

The US Attorney General Barr is starting to pay attention to unduly discriminatory, too generalized EOs in some states slow to open back up, and threatening to take legal action ,if necessary. I say, Hurray. At least one NJ legislator is drafting a bill that EOs with no end date need legislative review after 14 days. And what does the SCOTUS have to say about EOs: “Governors have emergency powers in times of war and disaster, but they must bear a rational relationship in the goal of protecting the public and their scope must not exceed the extent of the emergency”.

Our NJ EO violates all of the above points. If you believe as I do: God is at the top of the pyramid. The US Constitution and Bill of Rights are anointed by Him and sit below. Underneath both are the elected leaders. If they violate the Law of our Land, I do not feel that personal violation of their unjust rule constitutes an infraction against almighty God.  If I am wrong in my interpretation, I ask God’s forgiveness. He knows my heart and understands I did not visit parks with the intention of committing treason against Him. If this were in the Apostle Paul’s time, I would be mad as heck, but would have no choice to obey Nero, the absolute law of that time. Above all, I love my country and fear God.