When Good Men are Silent

I wrote this post some time ago while the health care debate was still raging in the Senate. I hesitated to publish it out of concern that I would offend my friend, however, after a good deal of thought I came to the conclusion that he and others who share his outlook need to read it. To my friend I say this: Please don't take offense and read this essay with an open mind.


I had a conversation with a gentleman I know well yesterday. First, it is necessary to admit that in the course of this conversation I lost my cool and proceeded to verbally prod him to the point of exasperation. That said, we were discussing health care reform. Now I respect this individual greatly, which is one of the reasons I was so shocked when he seemed to not be overly concerned about the issue. I prodded a little with the statement, “If they enact government run health care, I won’t be a part of it. In fact, I don’t think I’ll help pay for it either!” His response was, “You can’t do that! You’ll go to jail!” A simple statement of fact, but it bellied an underlying admission of defeat. In retrospect, I am almost insulted that my friend will apparently blindly and quietly accept whatever comes down the pike from Washington.

The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that an attitude like that will be the largest contributing factor in what may be an inevitable decline of our society. All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to remain silent and in remaining silent become complicit to acts they would not otherwise condone. How do you defeat something as insidious as state run health care when good, honest men refuse to think about it, much less take a stand? That conversation with my fiend illustrated for me everything I see wrong with the baby-boomer generation. They have not faced a situation that required concerted effort on their part to maintain a stable, free society. They inherited an America from their parents that had been forged into a superpower by the greatest generation’s sacrifices in World War II. They have been coasting ever since. They have always had a country that was free, and they make the faulty assumption that it will always remain so. They refuse to believe that people in power would do anything that would threaten the free society that we enjoy. They are blind to the internal dangers this nation faces because they inherited safe and stable society rather than building and defending a free society themselves. If that large voting block doesn’t wake up soon, they will have lost all that our ancestors fought to gain.

Another thing that struck me during that conversation, and I believe one of the reasons I lost my composure, was that his statement of “You can’t do that! You’ll go to jail!” insulted my intelligence. It was a statement of the obvious consequences of a proposed action. Of course such an action would result in the authorities leveling charges, confiscating money, and bringing the court system to bear upon the offending party. I knew that!! What I would have preferred was a reasoned statement of why such an action would be morally wrong. I would view such an action as an act of self defense against an overreaching, and therefore illegitimate authority. His view appears to be that such an action would be a violation of fiat law and therefore something to be avoided for that reason alone. However, since I know my friend well, I know that on regular occasions he has violated laws that he felt no moral obligation to obey. Perhaps he has done so out of ignorance, however I doubt very much that that is the case. No, sadly I must conclude that either my friend is apathetic, or that he has never asked himself why he holds the beliefs and values that he purports to follow. I want to believe that the latter is true. I am also forced to conclude that my friend has never asked himself what he would to do defend his beliefs. I doubt very much that he has ever asked himself “What would I do if the governing authority took actions that I find morally reprehensible?” I doubt he has ever wondered what he would do if the institutions that he has trusted to defend and protect his way of life betrayed him. I fear if he and others like him don’t honestly ask those hard questions and diligently seek answers that the way of life they have known will perish. All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to remain silent, and in remaining silent they become complicit in acts they would not otherwise condone!!

Freedom and liberty, the birthright of every human ever born, the right of self-determination: these are only possible when each and every generation jealously guards them. If one generation fails in this task, rather than passing on an inheritance of freedom, they will leave their children with the shackles of tyranny. I challenge my friend and anyone else who has never examined the underlying principles that their world view is built on, to examine their beliefs and ask themselves if they have a consistent philosophy. I challenge them to search their hearts and ask themselves what the logical outcomes of their belief systems are. I challenge them to ask, “What would I do to defend that which I hold dear? How much can I compromise? What actions of others are acceptable in my world view? What would I do to stop that which I believe is wrong?”

For me, this is an on-going process. As I continue to learn and grow, I continually reassess my belief system and the logical conclusions that it leads to. For me, this starts with a belief in an Almighty God and an inerrancy of the Holy Bible. Every other belief and value is measured by that standard. I am constantly trying to bring my whole character into conformity with my first principles. I am continually exploring the logical conclusions of those beliefs. I am continually trying to speak and act in accordance with what I believe to be the truth. I urge you to do the same. Be curious. Ask “Why?” Seek the truth, and when you find it explore all the repercussions it has when practically applied to life. In doing so you will learn what is and is not acceptable, what is good and what is evil, and what in the grand scheme of life doesn’t really matter. With this anchor of truth you will be able to make a stand on principle and not be a victim of those who prey on ignorance.

All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to remain silent, and in remaining silent they become complicit in acts they would not otherwise condone.

The Reason for the Season

First off, Merry Christmas!! It’s now that wonderful season where we celebrate Christ’s birth and memorialize that event through the giving of gifts to one another, just as God gave us the gift of Christ Jesus. Oh Crap!! What a politically incorrect thing to say! Like it or not, the celebration of Christmas (or Hanukkah for that matter) is inexorably tied to religion. It is impossible to separate the two, although our society has engaged in a Herculean effort to disassociate Christmas with Christianity. Much to the chagrin of atheists and secular humanists such an effort will never be completely successful because Christmas is a fundamentally Christian Holliday and as long as inquiring minds exist to ask “Why do we celebrate Christmas?” their efforts to eradicate Christ from Christmas will never be completely successful.

In light of the season (CHRISTmas), and in the spirit of giving (like GOD did), I have a suggestion for a new holiday (a modern word derived from HOLY DAY) that atheists may celebrate without fear of violating their core principles. I give you “FESTIVESS”!! (Thank you Gerry Seinfeld). Since we are creating a new day of celebration (careful, don’t use the word holiday) we can celebrate it anytime we desire. I suggest the date of Chuck Darwin’s birth but feel free to pick your own meaningful day of the year. During the celebration of Festivess families (defined as two or more people of any sex that love each other and who may or may not live together) and/or close friends can gather together and have a large meal. This will foster a sense of closeness and trust that will be very important in surviving the next phase of celebration. At the conclusion of the meal participants can then engage in an “Airing of the grievances” during which they can air out all the dirty laundry and bad feelings that have accumulated during the previous year. This will foster a sense of openness and honesty among participants as well as provide an opportunity for conflict resolution leading to a stronger community. Upon conclusion of the Airing of the Grievances partiers can then transition into the final phase of celebration, which is quite naturally the “Feats of Strength”. The Feats of Strength portion of the evening is the ULTIMATE in conflict resolution. Both males and females may participate, however, if males and females wish to compete against one another it is suggested that the physically larger party be handicapped with several stiff drinks to stymie their coordination and balance thereby allowing the smaller party an equal chance at successful conflict resolution. Actually, upon further reflection, this handicap should be extended to include all parties because admitting any difference in the sexes might offend militant feminists, bisexuals, and other attendees. At the conclusion of the celebration revelers should feel a deeper sense of community and be excitedly anticipating next year’s Festivess Celebration.

In all seriousness, Merry Christmas and may God bless you richly in the upcoming year. If you find that offensive, Merry Christmas anyway and I still hope that God blesses you richly in the upcoming year. Jesus is still the reason for the season and Jesus Christ came to seek and to save the lost. This is why we celebrate Christmas. It is a day set aside to mark the ultimate gift from God to humanity; redemption, salvation, forgiveness, and life.

Ft. Hood Tragedy

I am sure you are all aware of the horrific act of terrorism that occurred earlier this week at Ft. Hood, Texas. My thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and the families of the fallen. I’ve have been most appalled at our President’s reaction and the reaction and coverage of the mainstream news media.

When are these fools going to recognize the threat posed by militant Islam? How many 9-11’s, embassy bombings, and Ft. Hood massacres must occur before the politically correct left in this country pull their collective head out of a dark, smelly orifice? The simple fact is that Islamic extremists are in no way interested in dialogue, compromise, or peace!! In fact, as I understand their brand of Islam, to bury the hatched anywhere other than an infidel’s head is displeasing to allah (no Microsoft word, I will NOT capitalize the name of a god that demands the blood of the innocent!!). Not all Muslims are killers, in fact most are reasonable people that simply want to live their lives in peace. Unfortunately there exists a sinister brand of Islam that calls for the conversion or destruction of all unbelievers by whatever means necessary. Failure to recognize and react to this threat in the vain hope that it will resolve itself is childish, unrealistic, and frankly pure foolishness. The only way to stop an enemy who will not negotiate or agree to peaceful coexistence is to ruthlessly exterminate them. (What a politically incorrect thing to think, much less say!!) Like it or not we are locked in a death match with a minority of the Muslim population that have whole heartedly embraced a belief system that calls for the conversion or eradication of ALL who do not believe as they do. Main stream Muslims are foolish to believe that when the extremists are done with us that they will be spared.

From what I can learn, it appears that the soldier responsible for this act of treachery and murder was a practicing Muslim. It also appears that he displayed several warning signs of potential violent action. Finally, there are witness accounts that seconds before he started shooting he yelled “Allah Akbar!!” which is Arabic for “God is Great!!” Now if it swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is probably a duck. If a murderer worships like a terrorist and talks like a terrorist, and finally acts like a terrorist, then he is probably a terrorist and should be labeled as such!!

I have one final observation. Bullets stopped this act of mass murder. Think about that for a minute. This killer was stopped with hot lead. His victims were unarmed and incapable of neutralizing the threat that faced them. If just one of the soldiers in that room had been armed there might not be a body count to report. Law enforcement responded in a very timely manner (they were on the scene and engaging the terrorist in about 4 minutes) but in that short time he was able to end the lives of all too many people. Guns in responsible hands saved lives. If there had been more guns in responsible hands there might not have been any lives lost! Victims cease to be victims when they have the capability to defend themselves. Contrary to the picture the left in this country paints, guns can and do save lives! This may be the saddest, best argument for the right to keep and bear arms that I have ever seen.

And so we are betrayed....

With the passage of the health care bill by the house the democrats in congress have made it absolutely clear what it is that they seek. The seek nothing short of absolute control of each and every American life. I have read as much of that travesty of a bill as my limited time would allow and from my reading and what I have gathered in the media about the bill it is NOT going to positively affect the health care of a majority of Americans. That leads me to one disturbing conclusion. Many of our leaders are seeking the swiftest way to gain as much control over our lives as possible. Nearly every facet of your life can be construed as to have an effect on your health. If the government is paying the bills for your health care you can be DAMN SURE that they are going to be peering into every nook and cranny of your life to insure that you are living in the healthiest manner possible so as to keep their costs down. They will do all of this while loudly proclaiming that they only have your well being at heart. What happened to rugged individualism and self reliance?? What happened to being master of your own destiny? WHAT HAPPENED TO PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY?!?!! If they truly wanted increased competition to drive down costs they would have torn down the artificial barriers that keep health insurance companies from selling their products across state lines. If they had done this one thing it would have radically increased competition and not cost the tax payers a dime.

No, this can only be about power. Power over your personal choices, over your possessions, over your life. We can only hope that the Senate will find the will to do the right thing and deny the House and President the current legislation.

Frankly, if this legislation does become the law of the land and you voted for Obama and all his stooges in Congress, don't you dare come crying to me when you get sick and the uncaring, unwieldy bureaucracy can't react fast enough to get you the care and treatment you need to recover. Don't you ever complain about taxes, waiting to see a doctor, or you grandma dying to me. As you have sown, so shall you reap. My only regret and fear is that I and my family will be taken down with your ship. When you cead the responsibility of managing your own affairs to others, don't whine to me when they don't give them the same priority and attention that you would. In a government run system you are a number, not a person. You become something less than human when you allow others control over your life. I am so angry and saddened that it is almost a palpable emotion. Don't complain to me or any of the millions of others who warned of the dire consequences of this legislation.

I hope and pray that we can stop this before it is too late, however my hopes aren't high. The democrats in the Senate are perhaps even less receptive to public outcry that their counterparts in the House.

Don't worry, I won't give up the fight. To quote John Paul Jones, "I have not yet begun to fight!!" I will write and call and campaign to stop this and failing that I will write and call and educate and campaign to roll it back!!! If you haven't yet made your voice heard, NOW IS THE TIME!! We nearly defeated this in the House, let us see if we can't beat this piece of socialism back in the Senate. DO NOT GIVE UP!! I feel like I've been kicked in the gut and I'm not going to quit!! You shouldn't either!!

EVIL FLOURISHES WHEN GOOD MEN REMAIN SILENT, AND IN REMAINING SILENT THEY BECOME COMPLICIT IN ACTS THEY WOULD NOT OTHERWISE CONDONE!!

DO NOT BE SILENT!!!

Updates

I apologize for not adding any new posts lately. I work in the ag industry and fall is our busiest time of the year. I also purchased a house in September that requires extensive remodeling, so between work and working on my new home, time has been in short supply. I have a new post in the works, however it needs a little tweaking before its worthy to be published.

I would be remiss if I didn't urge you to call your congressmen and tell them to vote "no" on the current health care reform bills. I'm currently wading through the 1900+ pages of the house bill and taking notes on it, however, I don't think I'll make it all the way through that sorry excuse of a bill before the House votes. 72 hours simply isn't enough time for the average working person to read what is essentially a 2000 page bill.

Finally, I leave you with this: All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to remain silent, and in remaining silent they become complicit in acts they would not otherwise condone.

The Cult of Obama

I was perusing the Drudge Report yesterday and I stumbled across a story that really grabbed my attention. Apparently, in a New Jersey grade school, children were taught a song praising B. Hussein Obama and then performed the song. If this isn’t brainwashing, then I’m a card carrying communist. While I find it morally reprehensible for teachers to indoctrinate students rather than teach them reading, writing, and arithmetic, what really disturbs me is the flagrant violation of liberal’s dearly held separation of church and state.

As an academic exercise, let’s compare and contrast the Bible’s claims about Jesus Christ and the media’s claims about B. Hussein Obama. The Bible claims that Christ had control over the weather and the physical world around him. The media claims that Obama will stop global warming and heal the environment. The Bible claims that Jesus came with a new message of hope and change. The media, and Obama himself, claim that he has a new message of hope and change. The Bible claims that Christ is ruler of all. The media, and the president in his recent speech to the U.N., is making the case that HE is the leading citizen of the world. The Bible says that Christ came to save people. The media claims that Obama is here to save us all. Finally, the Bible claims that following Jesus’ teachings are the only way to be saved. The media claims that following Obama’s policies are the only way to save this country and possibly the world.

Whether or not you believe the Bible is irrelevant to the fact that both Jesus Christ and Barrack Obama are entities that are portrayed in a God-like fashion. If students are not allowed to publicly praise and worship Christ in school, they certainly should not be allowed to publicly praise and worship the “deity” that is Obama. This is how cults are started and perpetuated. Impressionable minds are repeatedly assaulted with a belief, while all facts to the contrary are downplayed or out right denied. Teachers should not be complicit in perpetuating the religion of hope and change, rather they should be teaching their students that the president is a man, subject to the constitution, elected by the people of this great nation, who has ideas and opinions that we are free to agree or disagree with as we see fit. This story and the media’s continued fawning over the President is disgusting and falls in the same category of teaching and reporting that you find in third world nations run by pot-bellied, geriatric dictators!!

The Founder's View of the National Government

Thomas Jefferson – “The way to have good and safe government is not to trust it all to one, but to divide it among the many, distributing to everyone exactly the functions he is competent to. Let the national government be entrusted with the defense of the nation, and its foreign and federal relations; the state governments with the civil right, laws, police, and administration of what concerns the state generally; the counties with the local concerns of the counties; and each ward direct the interests within itself. It is by dividing and subdividing these republics from the great national one down through all its subordinations until it ends in the administration of every man’s farm by himself, by placing under everyone what his own eye may superintend, that all will be done for the best. It is not by the consolidation or concentration of powers, but by their distribution that good government is effected.”

James Madison – “ It is objected to this system, that under it there is no sovereignty left in the state governments…I should be very glad to know at what period the state governments become possessed of the supreme power. On the principle… of this Constitution…the supreme power resides in the people. If they choose to indulge a part of their sovereign power to be exercised by the state governments, they may. If they have done it, the states were right in exercising it; but if they (the people) think it no longer safe or convenient, they will resume it, or make a new distribution, more likely to be productive of that good which ought to be our constant aim. The powers both of the general government and the state governments, under this system, are acknowledged to be so many emanations of power from the people.”

Alexander Hamilton – “The great leading objects of the federal government, in which revenue is concerned, are to maintain domestic peace, and provide for the common defense. In these are comprehended the regulation of commerce, the support of armies and navies, and of the civil administration. This principle assented to, let us inquire what are the objects of the state governments. Have they to provide against foreign invasion? Have they to maintain fleets and armies? Have they any concern in the regulation of commerce, the procuring alliances, or forming treaties of peace? No. Their objects are merely civil and domestic – to support the legislative establishment, and to provide for the administration of the laws.”

James Madison – “The powers of the general (federal) government relate to external objects and are but few. But the powers in the states relate to those great objects which immediately concern the prosperity of the people.”

Alexander Hamilton – “The plan of the convention declares that the power of Congress, or, in other words, of the national legislature, shall extend to certain enumerated cases. This specification of particulars evidently excludes all pretension to a general legislative authority, because an affirmative grant of special powers would be absurd as well as useless if a general authority was intended.”

In these quotes it is quite plain that our founders intended that the federal government be primarily concerned with entities and events beyond our national borders. It is also self evident that the powers delegated to the national authority were to be quite limited and strictly defined. The grossly engorged bureaucracy we currently have in Washington contrasts sharply with our forefather’s view of what the federal government should look like. I close with the words of Thomas Jefferson:

“When all government, domestic and foreign, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated.”