Memorial Day

This is Memorial Day Weekend. Our Congress is bickering over how much money to send to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and trying to send as little as possible or at least attach wasteful earmarks onto Defense Spending Bills. In the meantime, our soldiers are trudging away. Fighting for the freedom of others and fighting to preserve our freedoms here in America. They don't have all of the tools they need, but they fight anyway. They don't have all of the equipment that they need, but they fight anyway. They aren't always able to contact their loved ones, but they fight anyway. To ensure we have freedom here.

Our media will undoubtedly tell us how many soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and truly I wish there were less killed than have been killed. But there were more killed in many of the battles of the Civil War and World War II than have been killed in 6+ years in Afghanistan and 5+years in Iraq.

The war dead of some of the major conflicts in US History. (Source http://www.militaryfactory.com/american_war_deaths.asp )

Revolutionary War 25000

War of 1812 20000

Mexican-American War 13283

Civil War 623026

Spanish-American War 2446

Philippine War 4196

World War I 116708

World War II 407316

Korean War 36914

Vietnam War 58169

Gulf War 269

Afghanistan 482*

Iraq War 3975*

Ongoing conflicts. This data is probably not current up to the time of this post. It is 2008 data however.

While everyone of these men and women is valuable, and while it is unfortunate that they had to pay the ultimate sacrifice for their nation, they did not die in vain. They died for freedom. Freedom for America and freedom for others. I hope that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be over quickly with those nations able to defend themselves against aggressors and with a democratic government which supports freedom for its people. When Iraq and Afghanistan can stand on their own two feet, our men and women can come home. But, if we leave before those nations can defend themselves, it is likely that we will have to go back later with many more dead in the future. So please, this Memorial Day, pray for our troops, and pray for the President and Congress. Pray that our nations leaders will make good decisions. Think of the troops who have died in the past, and those currently in harms way. Remember their sacrifice, and the freedom their sacrifice has paid for.

More Bumper Stickers

I saw a vehicle with 2 bumper stickers today. One said "Obama '08". The other one said, "When Bush took office gas was $1.46"


It's the second one that made me scratch my head. While it may be true that gas has gone up while Bush has been in office, it has skyrocketed in the last year and a half under San Fran Nan's Democrat controlled, 'Most Ethical Congress'. In Bush's first 6 years gas went up about 75 cents. Since the Democrats have been running Congress, gas has gone up well over a dollar. The reason gas is so expensive is simply supply and demand.

China and India have massively increased the demand on oil, and the supply hasn't increased to keep up. We have somewhere between 6 and 16 billion barrels of oil in the ANWR. Billions and billions more on the Pacific and Gulf Coasts and an estimated 1 trillion barrels of shale oil in the Rockies. Tapping these oil resources, increasing the use of nuclear energy, clean coal and other sources of energy would lower gas prices and buy us time to find real alternative fuels without having to rely on Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Venezuela and other nations for our oil. We could and should get most of our energy from here in America, not get it from countries who hate (or at least dislike) us.

The bottom line is, if you don't like gas prices (which no one does, except maybe the Democrat leadership) the blame doesn't lie with Bush. It lies with the Congress which has consistently blocked the creation of new refineries and has stopped all expansion of drilling for oil here in America, while still blaming George Bush, the Republicans, and 'Big Oil'. My challenge to Democrats and liberals (and conservatives as well) who don't like the price of oil, tell your Speaker, Congressman/woman and Senators that you want exploration and drilling to begin in America so that in 5 to 10 years we can begin to cut ourselves free of foreign oil.

California, RINO's and the Demise of Democracy

Linda mentioned this, and while I considered posting about it, I wasn't sure. Honestly, part of me didn't want to touch this subject which is why most conservatives probably stayed away from it. The only conservative talk show host that I know touched on it was Michael Savage, though others might have commented on this subject. I had another post in my head a few days ago, but since my internet was down for a few days, I never did post on it. Anyway, I don't have anything else, so I'll post on this.

Secular Commentary:

In California, where liberalism is alive and well, the supreme court overturned a ballot initiative which defined marriage as between a man and a woman. This initiative had been passed by 61%. Not 51-49, but 61-39 a fairly large margin, especially in a liberal state like California. The voters of California said resoundingly that marriage should be between a man and a woman, and I wholeheartedly agree. Now before the leftists label me a cold-hearted hate-monger, let me say that I do believe that in the United States, the free nation that it is, there should be allowances made that provide for EQUAL protection under the law. Meaning that there should be recognition of relationships as a legal contract between two individuals if they so choose. Two men or two women who have committed themselves to each other for life should be allowed to give powers of attorney, medical decisions, life insurance etc. to each other. Every American should have the freedom to designate another person of their choosing as their 'significant other'. However, having civil unions is not the same as marriage. I truly believe that marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman.

Religious Commentary:

There is significant religious and historical precedent for marriage being a union between a man and a woman. I don't know of any major world religion which would sanction marriage between two persons of the same sex. It could be argued that there are 'Christian' churches which are doing this, but they are spitting on God if they are sanctioning these 'marriages' and claiming to be 'Christian'. If they claim to follow the bible, they need to rip out a few scriptures; Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, and probably others that I can't think of right now.

A big deal was made about a US soldier shooting a Koran recently. It made me think of something that I will eventually use as an illustration for a bible study one day. My wife told me about a campus bible talk she attended where the brother leading the talk started ripping pages out of one of his older bibles. Some people were aghast, but really if you are not following the bible, it is just another book, like the Koran, or Aesop's Fables, you might as well rip out the pages you don't like. It has no meaning if you don't put it into practice. When 'Christians' sanction marriage that is in direct opposition to the bible, they are saying that the bible is not the Word of God, but merely a book with 'some good principles'. I believe that the bible is the inspired Word of God (2 Tim 3:16) which is living and active. (Hebrews 4:12) This being the case, I have to say that as a Christian, I am against same-sex marriage. This is not in a holier-than-thou sense because I recognize that I am a sinner. Homosexuality is not a sin I struggle with, but I do struggle with other sins. As a sinner, I have compassion on others who are in sin and instead of passing judgment as most Christians do, (even those I'd call real Christians) I'd like to say to those who struggle with the sin of homosexuality; "Let me show you God's way, let me help you to repent."

Getting back to the secular part of my post, I'd say that activist judges need to be stopped and Arnold Schwarzenegger needs to be recalled the way Gray Davis was. The 'Governator' has done a worse job managing the state of California (if that is possible) and has driven it further to the left. Now the 'Republican appointed' Supreme Court has told the citizens of California, 'Screw You! We'll do what we want (and what the far-left extremists tell us to do). Activist judges are the reason for this ruling, for Roe v. Wade, for rulings against illegal immigration etc. The courts are destroying America, and have overstepped their mandate as outlined in the Constitution. But then again, the Legislative and Executive branches have as well. Maybe someday we'll get our country back.

Faith

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)

It's interesting how Satan attacks us right after we have a 'mountaintop experience'. When Elijah was raining fire (really God, through Elijah) on the prophets of Baal, he was experiencing an amazing amount of God's power. Yet, right after that he was running for his life from Jezebel, hiding in a cave. Yesterday, Carmen and I shared for communion at church. I'm not sure how well it went, even though Carmen and I had lots of compliments, but I'll listen to it in the next few days. But I felt really good about how it went. My prayer was that it would be encouraging, and go well with the rest of the service. It actually fit very well with the service. No one told us what to share, but God gives us the direction. Carmen talked about her life up until studying the Bible and becoming a Christian, and I shared about our baptism, and the peace I felt afterward. It was a good experience, and I felt good afterward and in the days leading up to it as I was preparing my thoughts.

But Satan had other plans. Those 'mountaintop experiences' are when he likes to attack. He sees us doing well, and he can't have that. The bottom line is that I had a terrible day today, one of the worst I've had in a long time. It followed a week where I was feeling so in step with the Spirit, and I could see God's blessings right in front of me. God takes care of those who love Him, and I know this. We have had a challenging last 3 or 4 months. We have been in a tough financial situation which has forced me to put school on hold. I have been waiting for a response from the Army as I am planning on going back onto Active Duty. I believe wholeheartedly that this is God's plan for our family, but it is taking too long for my liking. We have continued to get by (barely), but we have received a lot of help. While I have been struggling, God put the ultimate signature on His assistance this week. I was riding high and thinking even though this is a tough situation, God is right here with me. Well, I had a big helping of Satan slapping me in the face today, and it took most of the day to get over it.

But I have to go back to my faith in God. Satan tried to shake my faith, but I know what God's promises are, and God does not disappoint, no matter how much Satan tries to convince us otherwise. I have to go back to the Bible to straighten my head out, and here are some scriptures that usually encourage me in times of trouble.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. " (Ephesians 6:11-18)

"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." (Revelation 19:11-16)

Bumper Stickers

It's been my observation that when someone has 4 or more bumper stickers on their vehicle, there is usually some contradiction going on. On the way home from the park yesterday we saw this, and I just had to post it. It is a Clif Bar pick up truck that runs on BioDiesel. I know this because it proudly says running on BioDiesel all over the truck. It also has a bumper sticker which says 'No Farms No Food.'

Maybe I'm the only one who finds this funny, but running a vehicle on fuel that essentially gets rid of farms and having a bumper sticker that says 'No Farms No Food' is pretty darn humorous. Maybe they only want to take away the farms that fuel their truck. Or, (conspiracy theory here) maybe Clif wants to destroy our regular food supply so that we will have to subsist on nothing but Clif Bars. ;) The only farms left will be used to make their lovely bars. (I'm partial to the Oatmeal Raisin one) Now I understand that they could possibly be running this vehicle simply on waste oil from McDonalds. (Or any other restaurant) However, widespread use of biodiesel would cause further food shortages such as is being seen due to the increase in ethanol usage. It seems like a good idea, until you start having riots in third world countries and you have food and fuel prices skyrocketing here in America.