On the House side of Congress there’s the whiny Barney Frank, who cried about being unable to control the Bush administration’s theft of $700 billion that Frank wrote into the bailout bill. As the House Finance Committee chair, Frank allowed half of the bailout cash to be squirreled away weeks prior to the Bush administration’s departure. And then after crying on the shoulder of 60 Minutes’ Leslie Stahl about his inability to control what happens with the cash, he hands over the second half of the bailout monies just as Bush and company were exiting stage right.

And if you think that’s bad, then check out this video I put together to show the depth of the corruption in Congress, in cahoots with the Federal Reserve and Treasury.

There’s a lot of crap that passes for news in America today, as well as a lot of important news that passes the desks of editors without ever making it to the news page or Web site.

For example, when the Federal Reserve squirrels away more than $2 TRILLION worth of U.S. taxpayer securities and thumbs its nose at the only media with the testicles to go after them in court, and editors across the country (like the guy running the New York Post) fail to make a big deal out of a big deal, Americans ought to be very concerned.

Did you hear or read about that major news story? I’m sure you heard there’s been some sort of economic crisis, but maybe you didn’t know the Federal Reserve was being hunted down by at least one probing media organization to disclose what it was doing with YOUR money!

In December, while you and I were all wondering if Barack Obama would make it alive to inauguration day, The Fed told Bloomsberg to take a long walk off a short pier. And nobody breathed a word — not mainstream media, Congress, nor any of its three members heading for the White House (Obama, Biden and Clinton).

Forget the phantom terrorist that exists in the minds of Hollywood screenwriters, the Pentagon and friends of the Bush family. Think about why the New York Post (and most other media) would see fit to ignore the fact that Bloomsberg Media spent the better part of 2008 fighting a court battle trying to get the Fed to release documents revealing the whereabouts of more taxpayer wealth than both current federal bailouts combined, and then toss offensive garbage, like this cartoon by Sean Delonas, onto its pages — a cartoon that any editor would have known would raise the roof across America!

Who is this guy running the New York Post? Well, I found him working as a fry cook at a fast food restaurant before he got his gig as the top dog at an avant-garde mag.

Check out his quote defending the cartoon and then check him out in the video. You won’t believe it.

According to The Associated Press:

Col Allan, editor-in-chief of the Post, defended the work.

“The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut ,” Allan said in a statement. “It broadly mocks Washington ’s efforts to revive the economy.

WARNING! The video is highly offensive and profane. By the way, the video is a clear parody of Col Allan, who happens to be the focus of a current news event.

Panetta’s rationale is plausible. However, that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

Why we love the CIA: James Bond

The history of the CIA is filled with egregious acts of deception, propaganda, kidnappings, secret assassinations, covert wars, etc. In other words, the agency has a license to kill at will.

Americans enjoy reading spy novels that contain lots of intrigue, suspense and adventure. We display equal interest in movies that offer such imaginative distractions from everyday life. Yet, the underlying theme in each of the plots is that the U.S. stands for good and everyone else is evil. We are the good guys. They 9whoever they are) are the bad guys.

And because we have been conditioned to accept and believe such nonsense, the Good Guys have been given a license to do whatever they want, especially to the Bad Guys.

America is good, rest of world is bad

It’s no coincidence that our leaders remind us often of who the Bad Guys are. They are “Muslim extremists,” Islamofascists,” “terrorists,” “communists,” and whoever else our nation is targeting under the guise of a psuedonym. Simply point at an imaginary target, apply the right label and make a demonstrative statement. Voila! Instant support from Christians who claim to love peace and follow the teaching of Jesus Christ, who I assume never offered exceptions to rules for secret organizations created by secular governments.

So the question we must ask ourselves as Americans, is what is our policy? Not what is the policy of the Obama administration, but rather, what is OUR policy?

Americans OK with immorality?

Are we comfortable with 16 secret organizations operating under the power of the Executive Branch, all with a license to do whatever the Executive Branch deems worthy and necessary? Are we OK with outgoing presidential administrations that are responsible for murder and mayhem to not only have zero accountability but to also be held aloft, with multi-million dollar monuments erected in their honor?

Who are we, America?

The men appointed to operate secret agencies within our government conduct operations that defy our sense of right and wrong. They break laws you and I must adhere to. They ignore what we consider moral and absolute. They scoff at the notion that we ought not intervene in the affairs of other nations or undermine foreign governments. These men and women, whoever they are, do not think like you and me. They apparently believe they are doing bad things for right reasons or simply just following orders and getting paid and honored for their work.

You and I disagreed with the Bush administration deliberately deceiving us. You and I disagreed with Bush, Cheney and company initiating another ground war in Iraq. And you and I did nothing to stop it.

Where is accountability?

You and I still do nothing to stop the secret terror agencies that are secretly funded and conduct secret agendas. Congress is the power upon which we rely to intervene when the Commander in Chief and his Executive Branch tilts the balance of power. The Legislative branch is our only option, given that we neither control nor influence the Judicial and Executive branches of government. Yet, 90 percent of Congress is re-seated time and again. And there are no other houses in America filled with more corruption than those two under the dome of Congress.

The American media has failed miserably to educate the American public on the outrageous acts of Congress and its construct the Federal Reserve. The Executive Branch gets a pass in the media as well. When Bush was under fire by a few brave legislators who sought to impeach him, media laughed at the effort, explaining it away as partisan politics and much ado about nothing.

That turned out to be the case, since Bush escaped two years of efforts by folks like Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who was undermined by his own political party, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Judiciary Chair John Conyers.

The death of the effort to impeach Bush ought to have been front page news. The moment Pelosi stated she would not seek impeachment, the nation ought to have been put on notice. Instead, it was all fodder for folks like me, while much of the nation went unaware.

CIA: Lawless agency

Today, we now have yet another top official stating unequivocally that nothing will be done in the wake of crimes committed by this nation’s secretive institutions.

No, I don’t suggest punishing those folks who were following orders. That’s what we do to military personnel in order to promote propaganda to the people when the military gets caught in one of its “thousands of mistakes.” But when secret agencies are outed, we turn the other way and excuse the behavior as merely following orders.

Yes, those folks who have kidnapped, operated secret prisons, killed innocent people and participated in covert battles are all just following orders. So, when will we prosecute those who gave the orders? When will we hold accountable those who made the decisions? When will we stand up as a nation and declare that we will not support the evil perpetrated in our name?

We can only hope for change. That change starts in the church.

Roe v. Wade is arguably one of the most embattled public issues of our lifetime. But, of all the issues in our society where Christians are needed to take a stand, the issue of abortion is one of the most profound time-wasters for Christ’s church.

The irony of it all is that Satan has befuddled American believers in Jesus to the point that the so-called terrorists we have come to fear in the aftermath of 9/11 have no ability or intention of creating the carnage that we, ourselves have committed upon our own. Each and every year, American women decide to kill their own children as a convenient method of quickly resuming the ungodly lifestyles that led to such a demonic dilemma. They never realized, that to their own children, they were the terrorists. And in choosing to disobey God by engaging in demonic bastardizations of God’s sanctified blessed unions, they became God’s enemy, embracing a lifestyle of intimate relations that appeased their own sexual urgings and propelled them down a path of natural and unnatural consequences far from the protective presence of a holy God.

The result? More than one million children each year are sentenced to death by more than one million women, most of whom are professing Christians.That’s what is occurring right here in America today.

You are likely already aware of the monumental impact of the problem. And you seek to remedy it. But take note of how the problem has grown and manifested itself in many other ways in our society, like a virus that mutates to the point where there is no cure. Every dose of medication shows little positive results. Every slight downward trend raises hope that it will continue its downward trajectory. But every approach to eliminating the abortion issue soon becomes obsolete.

Why? 36 years after Roe v Wade and abortion is still the major focus of battle for Christians seeking to save the children impacted by it.

Christians fighting wrong battle

The answer to the problem of abortion is simple. Christians engaged in the abortion debate have lost sight of the problem and moved forward to engage in a fight against demonic powers without God.

That’s the reason why the battle rages on. And with each slight reduction in the abortion numbers, we hear cheers of hope erupt from a lost people and a lost cause. Satan understands the war and recognizes that conceding a battle or two gives an enemy hope and keeps the enemy engaged. We are that enemy.

Of course, there are those who will maintain that God does not approve of the deaths of innocents. And I agree. But God also did not approve of King Herod’s massacre of innocent children in the aftermath of the birth of Christ. God didn’t approve of the Babylonians kidnapping Daniel and others. God didn’t approve of the Crusades. And we could keep up this exercise of naming the things that God did not approve of endlessly.

How shall we live?

The abortion debate is centered around the main issue of how God wants those of us who believe in Him to live. And the reality of the abortion debate becomes quite evident when we begin to ask questions of ourselves, not of society. When we ask important questions within the church family, targeting that body of believers in Jesus Christ, the answers to societal problems are revealed, since our society is a reflection of us.

I could not say this about every society. But in those areas where Christians comprise the majority of the peoples, there you will see society as a mirror image of the influence and impact of the majority of the people. The United States is such a place.

Our nation’s boastful ways (”We are the greatest nation on Earth”) are prevalent throughout the church.

Our aggressive and destructive ways (inside our own country as well as targeting others) are fueled by strong support from the church.

Failure to believe and obey God

Christians (at least professing Christians) comprise the majority of the United States. And the problems that exist in this nation are primarily consequences resulting from a failure of the church to obey God.

The church has failed to set itself apart from the enemies of God and therefore finds that families within the church body have become more akin to families outside the church. In other words, there is little difference between “the world” and “the church.”

World vs Christian view

When we speak of a “World view” and a “Christian view,” in the case of the abortion issue in particular, there is little difference. And that has led to much confusion and division within the church.

If we drop the labels of “World” and “Christian” views and use the correct terms of “Jesus” and “Satan,” the reality of the abortion issue becomes crystal clear. But we first have to get over our own aversion to using the name of Jesus and stop pretending that Satan and his demons don’t exist. There is no way to reconcile belief in Jesus if one doesn’t also believe in the reality of demons. Jesus knew demons existed. So why don’t we?

World doesn’t believe in Satan, demons

Followers of Jesus ought to know well that demons seek to influence our children long before they reach the age of adulthood. Demons seek to cause rebellion and the seeking of self-centered desires. Demons influence our children to corrupt the natural sexual desires God gave us, which are to be a blessing in sacred marital unions. Demons seek to offer counterfeits to God creations, especially marriage.

And followers of Jesus have failed to stand up and expose such counterfeits. And that has left our children vulnerable to the lies of the “world,” which are really the lies of “Satan.” And one of Satan’s biggest lies is evident in the issue of abortion. Long before anyone gets to the moral dilemma of life over death for an unborn child, the choice of death was made by two people who chose for themselves a sinful act. And believers in Jesus are aware that without salvation through Jesus, the result of choosing sin is death.

Choosing death

Therefore, by the time a young girl or adult women discovers she is pregnant with a child conceived out of wedlock, she already made a decision for her own life … and she chose death. The same is true for the boy or man with whom she committed the sin. And where was the church to help these lost souls? Where was the church to lead them back to the path of life? Where was the church to persuade these two to beg Jesus for forgiveness and grace? And where was the church to point out the folly of Satan’s plan to capture them both in an evil web of deceit that looked good, felt good and yet pulled them into the grave?

The church was asleep. Mothers and fathers were tending to their own affairs while the children announced loud and clear their intentions the moment they uttered the words, “boyfriend” and girlfriend.”

Christian boyfriends and girlfriends

There is no such thing as a “boyfriend” or “girlfriend” in a church headed by Jesus. These terms, which are placed upon intimate relations between both youth and adults, are conducted outside of the boundaries of marriage. No such relationships are condoned by Jesus.

Why does the church accept such terminology or relationships?

The elimination of the acceptance of the terms “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” is a step in the right direction: a path leading back toward the boundaries God initially set for relations between men and women.

Those are not simply terms used by the “World,” but rather terms that are prevalent inside the church. How can Christians not understand what a 15-year-old is saying when she tells her mother that she has a “boyfriend?”

And how could a Christian mother proudly parade her pregnant teenage daughter around America, along with her daughter’s “boyfriend,” without Christians pointing out the obvious? Forget the obvious point of two underage teens willfully breaking the sexual laws of the land. What about the willful ignoring of God’s law, which was designed to protect their hearts, minds, bodies and souls, in addition to any other souls born of their sexual union? Such sinful lifestyles are in desperate need of repentance and God’s grace, rather than crowds of cheering Christians oblivious to the hypocrisy being celebrated.

So where is the church when young and old alike are “hooking up” under the guise of legitimacy through counterfeit relationships? The church is embroiled in a political battle over court processes and decisions related to abortion procedures. The church is busy trying to remove Satan’s solution.

Satan’s Problem, and Solution

Even Satan recognizes there are inherent problems in the counterfeit relationship of “boyfriend” and “girlfriend.” Satan can see the natural consequence of conception of new life, for which sexual relations were established. That interferes in Satan’s plan to focus our attention on the pleasure we receive from sex. God intends for sexual relations to be enjoyable. It is God’s desire that married men and women desire one another and seek to engage in sexual activities. The result, of course, is new life.

Satan elevates the idea of pleasure to the highest priority and causes us to see conception as a problem that undermines our pursuit of selfish desires. After all, conception brings another life into the equation and interferes in our fanciful pleasure. The birth of a child is burdensome in Satan’s view. And such natural consequences of sex must somehow be reduced, if not altogether eliminated.

When we begin to think like that, we are adopting Satan’s view. But the church fails to teach that lesson.

Satan’s protection

Satan recognizes that once we adopt the all-out pursuit of sexual gratification, we will engage in sexual relations with a variety of partners. After all, the gratification of one’s own sexual desires can mean wild pursuits of sexual fantasies with multiple partners at one time or multiple partners one at a time spread out over time. In either case, the end result is multiple partners. And out of such arrangements comes the natural consequence of the spread of sexual disease. Satan realizes that the spread of sexual disease is yet another problem that interferes in the plan to corrupt the process of sacred sexual union. There had to be a way to mitigate the risks of sexual disease and continue the pursuit of sexual desires outside of the marriage contract.

Satan protects our heart

Satan’s approach to sex is fraught with numerous problems, not the least of which is the emptiness we feel when we have given away our most inner selves to someone who discarded our misguided affections along with the memory of our sexual interludes and engagements. Heartache is the one thing Satan hasn’t found a way around. It reveals to us in a very strong profound way that what we experienced didn’t stem from God.

Satan protects our bodies

Satan has offered us condoms to lower the risk of sexually transmitted diseases (though the lie fails to inform us about HPV, which causes cervical cancer and could care less if a condom is in the equation), pills to prevent pregnancy, morning after pills in case we forget the daily pill, and abortions in case all else fails.

The church battles Satan

The church ignores the spiritual battle and chooses to blame the government. The church then seeks to overturn secular laws that support the option of abortion.

Imagine that? The body of believers in Jesus Christ willingly engages in a battle against Satanic secular forces that hold no reverence for Jesus, YHWH, Yeshua or any other name we hold aloft. We engage in this battle devoid of Christ’s leadership and seek to eliminate the temptations offered by Satan to Christian men and women who have already gone astray from God’s Word.

In other words, the church ignores the fact that the lamb is lost and blames the power luring the lamb away for doing what that power has done since Eve first disobeyed God. Then, the church leaves the protection of Christ to engage in full-on battle against the evil force by seeking to persuade that force to change man-made laws.

Victims of the battle

The church has forgotten that its role is behind Jesus, not in front. Now take a look at who the victims of Satan’s influences are: Christian men and women … and their offspring. Here’s a look at the decimation the battle has caused in Black America alone.

40% of the 1 million abortions in America each year are attributed to decisions made by some women of African American descent. The entirety of all African American women comprise less than 5% of this nation’s population. And no one is saying that all African American women are having abortions. Therefore the tiny percentage of those that are comprise a HUGE portion of the total of all abortions in America annually. That number rises above 60% when one adds in Hispanic women.

So why focus on such demographics? Because the overwhelming majority of the men and women in these small demographics are Christians. Followers of Jesus Christ. And the impact of Satan’s false promises of sexual pleasures without consequences have taken a tremendous toll on these tiny populations within the family of God. That isn’t to dismiss the enormous impact of such lies on the majority of this population, but rather to demonstrate significantly how the adoption of Satan’s view can utterly destroy the framework of the family within small segments of our society. imagine the carnage caused in the majority populace!

The result of that destruction?

Destruction of Black America

Rising out-of-wedlock birth rates as a result of pursuit of sexual relations outside of marriage. That means more children born in poverty. More children vulnerable to the influences of demons while single parents seek ways to survive economically.

Rising abortion rates (still steady or rising among African Americans) as a result of women deciding to mitigate circumstances that would interfere in their individual sexual relationships. That carries with it the cyclical rates of daughters, many of whose mothers had abortions, having abortions.

Rising rates of sexual diseases, as evidence by the epidemic rates of STDs and AIDs in Black America. That means more men and women dying due to disease. That also means children impacted as a result of being born from a diseased parent and/or losing parents to disease.

Rising rates of violence and drugs, as evidence by the rates of homicides, incarcerations and drug addiction (narcotics, alcohol, cigarettes) in Black America. It is obvious how this impacts children and disrupts the family. Demonic influence makes a profound impact upon children whose parents are influenced by demons.

Lowered rates of marriage, as evidenced by the sinking marital rate in Black America, which speaks of numerous problems for future generations as Black America whittles away at itself.

Impact upon America

These problems are not just limited to Black America. As a black American, i am sensitive to what is going on regarding this particular demographic. But the reality is that we can remove the word “black” and use the word American and the point would remain the same. We can remove the word American and use the word Christian and the point would be driven home.

Most Black Americans are Christians. And what is occurring in Black America is occurring around this country to Christians of every race.

Identifying the real problem

Abortion isn’t the problem in Black America, though a percentage of black women represent the largest percentage of abortions related to a single demographic. And abortion isn’t the problem in America as a whole. It is a symptom.

Ask any doctor what happens if you remove a symptom of a disease. You allow the disease to work without knowing the impact.

Abortion reveals the impact of a terrible disease that is plaguing followers of Christ. That disease is telling us we are dying. And we seek remedy in the removal of a single symptom. And the power we beseech to remove the abortion element is the same power that placed it as an option and a distraction.

Removing the abortion option will not remove the influence that tells us we can corrupt our bodies, minds, spirits and relationships without consequence. Satan is the unidentified influence behind abortion and every other man-made idea that seeks to reduce or remove the natural consequences of disobeying God.

The Solution

But if we choose to repent of our sinful acts and forego the pursuits of sexual relations outside of marriage, God will heal us … and our land. There is no other method available to us.

Satan is far more powerful than we are. And the spiritual battle is God’s to fight, not ours. But Satan has already lost this battle. He seeks to drag us all down when he finally receives the punishment he deserves. And so he roams the Earth like a lion seeking to devour those who trust in his lies.

The church must abandon this political pursuit and pay close attention to the millions of hurting men and women who are deeply embroiled in their own self-centeredness, ignoring the truth they know and explaining away the consequences they endure. They need help. Let’s use the energy and efforts (and monetary resources) currently devoted to a futile political war to overturn a secular court decision. Let’s direct those efforts toward better use in reaching lost souls who believe in Lord Jesus but have fallen to the power of demonic influences.

Our nation is filled with people who have chosen death for themselves long before they chose death for their children. When the church wakes up and realizes that repentance from the lifestyles we lead is the first step toward getting God’s attention and forgiveness, then our land and peoples will begin to experience the grace of God’s healing touch.

Such healing begins with God’s people turning from our search for government solutions and returning to trust and faith in God.

And Satan can continue to offer abortions across America. None of God’s people will be interested.

Well, top scientists have come to our rescue yet again. Ever since Al Gore began spewing gas about the planet being in peril, top scientists have pushed the fight against global warming to the top of the priority list for politicians and media alike. These white-coated clipboard-holding smart guys (and girls) have maintained a consistent fear report about the coming doom for mankind, to which they add ever-evolving outlandish ideas of how to stave it off or avert it altogether.

The most consistent message is we’re all to fight global warming (a.k.a climate change) by changing our habits. We can car pool, cut off our lights, recycle and buy more fuel efficient cars. We can turn down our heaters and wrap in warm blankets in the winter and run around naked in the summer.

There’s lots we can do, top scientists, politicians and media claim. But today’s report from Australia’s top environmental scientist, Professer Ross Garnaut takes the prize for most ingenuity.

Apparently, Garnaut and his consortium of Top Scientists agree that we should eat camels and kangaroos to help fight global warming. Mmmm … tasty.

By slaughtering the hump-backed creatures and reducing the numbers of those wild Australian over-sized rabbits (a.k.a. kangaroos), we can fill our bellies and fight global warming at the same time, Top Scientists say.

Who can argue with Top Scientists?

Farm Feast: A gassy enterprise

Top Scientists also add that we need to reduce farm animals, like cows and sheep by the millions because all they do all day long is toot and burp (fart and belch for those of you who prefer the crude version). By eating those crude creatures, we will substantially reduce the tooting and burping on the planet (since most of us toot and burp less than these animals, presumably). Of course, that would help to resolve the world hunger problem too. We can herd up loads of camels, kangaroos, cows and sheep and ship them to places where folks are starving. The money we spend to transport the beasts can be perceived as an investment in saving the planet.

Military Munitions

Now, I’m no Top Scientist. Still, I can’t help but wonder if dropping hundred of thousands of tons of munitions (a.k.a. bio hazards) on top of people poses a problem in the fight against global warming? Does launching missiles by the thousands have any adverse impact on the environment? I can’t really know since I’m not an expert, and apparently the experts are far more concerned that I try kangaroo on a stick.

I wonder about all of the millions of miles traveled by our military through the air, on land and at sea  … and if all that traveling might use fossil fuels, though I’m not in every tank, plane or ship so I can’t produce the data. But my guess is that the average person with a grasp of elementary arithmetic might conclude that all of the SUVs on the road combined fail to produce as much damage to the environment in a year than the military does in a week.

Yet, not one politician, including Mr. Gore himself, has ever suggested that we stop building and flying massive warplanes, stop dropping massive bombs and basically eliminate the enormous negative impact our military is making on the environment (um, not to mention the carnage caused to people whose top priority is eliminating heat-seeking missiles rather than gradually increasing global temperatures). Top Scientists have failed to warn us of the enormous contributions our military makes each day to the load of greenhouse gases they insist are the cause of the rapidly heating Earth.

Top Scientists

If only Top Scientists were Top Reporters, there might be at least one journalist willing to produce a report that provided insight into which industries produce the most greenhouse gases. If Top Scientists were Top Politicians, maybe one would get elected president and recognize that starting wars based upon false pretenses, deceit and ulterior motives could cause damage to the environment. (It’s obvious that no one cares that such decisions create orphans and widows by the thousands … and corpses).

I wonder if Top Scientists know about the enormous amount of fossil fuels the military uses and the resulting greenhouse gases it expels each year? Top Scientists sure seem to be worried that I consume more camel and kangaroo to save the Earth. Of course, if I do my part, then Top Scientists might turn their attention to lower priorities on their list … like asking the military to try and cut back on the bomb-dropping by 10 percent over the next 10 years.

If we got really creative, we could just feed our military service members all the camel and kangaroo meat they could eat! Now, that’s killing two animals with one idea (from a Top Scientist, of course).

Stop Traveling and Save Mother Earthball!

Like the military, the transportation industry gets a pass too from Top Scientists, Top Politicians and Top Reporters. And while the transportation industry, oil, utility companies and military all together contribute more greenhouse gases in a single year than you, me and everyone we know will ever contribute in our lifetimes, the focus is on us changing the way we live while the military can continue to contaminate water, land and air resources at will. The transportation industry, NASA and the oil and utility companies can all just keep doing their thing while you and me huddle under blankets to save the planet.

I shouldn’t be too cynical, though. By refusing to ride planes, train or automobiles anywhere, we could all grind the entire transportation industry to a halt. Truckers could tell corporate agriculture farmers to sell their wares locally and that would eliminate a ton of trucks running across the nation.

And by killing our transportation industry, we can help save the planet. Brilliant!

But I haven’t heard the Top Politicians and Top Scientists calling for the elimination of airlines, trains, trucks and the travel industry. Isn’t that an obvious choice over asking me to buy an over-priced hybrid after I lose my house to government mortgage fraud and get laid off by a massive down-sizing of all industries? I suppose with lots of time on my hands I could join the military and be assured of three square meals a day … with as much camel and kangaroo meat I can stomach.

Of course, if the military continues to kill people, who will be around to eat all the camels and kangaroos that are being served up by Top Scientists?

Ultimate Solution: Declare War on Global Warming

Perhaps if we just declared war on global warming and made it a phantom terrorist, we could narrow down all those folks who weren’t complying with the war on global warming and cut off their electricity, take away their SUVs (replace them with tricycles) and force-feed them camel burgers until they puke.

We have to be sure that everyone has their priorities straight, right? After all, who can argue with Top Scientists, Top Politicians and Top Media fear mongers?

Not me.

It is incredible that tens of millions of Christians in America remain clueless to the massive carnage created in their name. But when the Christian church fails to remain vigilant of the power of evil, it sacrifices its flock upon an altar of political ignorance, praying that secular media organizations will be enough to provide truth to the masses.

The Dec. 2008 edition of NEWSWEEK featured an article by Jonathan Tepperman entitled, “The Noose Tightens.” The article is an expose on the legal machinations that are pressuring high-level Bush administration officials (like former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld) for their roles in the operation of secret prisons and the kidnapping and torture of targeted individuals.

Evil acts with impunity

The issue of holding leaders accountable for most anything in America is often dismissed by most people, including media and average citizens. The list of charges against the Bush administration, as brought by noble leaders like Congressman Dennis Kucinich and others, have been buried in technicalities and political minutiae. The media has never found any of it worthy of a front page spotlight, much less an investigative probe. Fortunately, a number of credible authors ranging from top journalists to the nation’s premier prosecutor have made legitimate and credible cases against this administration in detail.

Unfortunately, the mountain of evidence, clear admissions of guilt and devastating consequences of the decisions and deceit deliberately caused by George Bush, Dick Cheney and a host of below-the-radar power brokers will remain little more than a footnote in American history since the most powerful force for truth in America is apparently ruled by lies and compromises: the Christian church.

Glimmer of light

According to the article above, which appeared in NEWSWEEK’s December 19 online issue:

“A growing group of advocates are now instead calling for a South African-style truth and reconciliation commission. Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, says that although ‘we know what went on, knowledge and a change in practices are not sufficient: there must be acknowledgment and repudiation as well.’”

The problem with creating a so-called “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” is that we, the American people, already have the power to impeach and remove top leaders, including the president. The commission would merely be redundant minus the constitutional legal authority that empowers us already. Millions of Americans have called for the exercise of such power.

Evil prevails when good people do nothing

And by millions, I omit the names of the most powerful church leaders in this nation. Those Americans have remained silent.

Meanwhile, the leaders on both sides of the aisle, in particular House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and John Conyers (Chair of the House Judiciary Committee) have successfully defeated all efforts to impeach President Bush over the past two years. No coalition of powers in the House of Representatives have exhausted resources capable of bringing this issue to the forefront of U.S. politics and debate. The impeachment of a president would have brought all eyes and attention to the scurrilous secrecy and demonic decisions imposed by this administration.

The Senate Intelligence Committee concluded its five-year investigation of the Bush administration’s approach to initiating a second ground invasion of Iraq (the first was initiated by Bush’s dad in 1991) and declared that Bush deliberately deceived the nation. One would think that ought to be enough to immediately dismiss the Commander in Chief and put him and his cohorts on trial for the massive mayhem they caused. But the most powerful voices in the Senate, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Joseph Biden were all silent. The other 96 Senators kept their mouths shut as well.

Of course, I can understand (although not agree) politicians placing their own pursuit of power above truth, since it is the way of a secular society — but I cannot accept that the church would do the same.

Top church leaders join in rampant deceit

When Rick Warren hosted an event for Barack Obama and John McCain at his Saddleback Church, he failed miserably to address any of the immediate issues of life, death, environmental destruction and continuing secrecy and expansion of power ongoing as he pushed his own political agenda. To date, powerful voices for the Christian church (Warren, James Dobson, Pat Robertson and others) have failed to gather together their resources and convene a Truth and Reconciliation Commission of their own.

Can you imagine how powerful a message would be if the church conducted its own investigation (as did the Senate) and sought information from the government? Isn’t the church obligated to exposing truth to the masses, especially in light of a concerted government effort to deceive us all while sacrificing our sons and daughters upon altars of political ignorance and allegiance?

Christians fed to lions

How silly do we look running from one political party to the other while both conspire to protect one another and keep us in political servitude?

The sad part of it all is that the decisions by liars like Bush and his administration leaders, as well as Congress, impacts Christian families. Our sons and daughters believe the lies and become pawns to be used by the liars. The failure of the church to mitigate the deceit that is pervasive in this country compels me to take a look at church leaders themselves.

Where is the church?

When media organizations finally do shine a light of truth into the darkness of deceit, my first question is “Where was the church?”

When the masquerades of political leaders are exposed, I ask again, “Where was the church?”

The question has become an ingrained part of my psyche to the point that I am compelled to stop asking the question and begin investigating the church itself. And one doesn’t have to delve far into the vacuum that ought to be filled with passion for truth to find a tremendous void. That void is telling. The absence of truth is a signal that something has replaced it. That something is sinful, evil and demonic.

Jesus said that Satan is the father of all lies.

And when leaders of the Christian church are complicit in compromising the truth, as they watch American politicians deceive America’s Christians, it is a telling sign about the leadership of the church.

Charging the church with compromise, complicity

For many Christians, it may feel irritating to hear charges that the church is being led by Satan or demonic influences. But the sad truth is that the church places no pressure on America’s leaders to be truthful. It fails miserably to gather information that is readily available and ignores the secrecy that is pervasive in our government. The church readily accepts government proclamations that eventually prove to be false. And the church aligns itself with political parties and leaders to promote political ideals.

Meanwhile, America kills her so-called enemies with impunity and stands idly by when its allies do the same. These actions are not indicative of followers of Christ. Jesus never taught such measures of living or dealing with troubles. So where is the church to stand up and say such things are wrong? Where is the church to expose the lies of political leaders before those lies infect the nation of believers in Christ with the disease of sinful silence?

Useless prayers

As America builds its forces in Afghanistan and pushes to maintain its forces in Iraq, I ask again, “Where is the church?” These are mostly Christian men and women who are deployed to do the bidding of a lying secular government. The truth is nowhere to be found because the church, in which these Christians place their trust, simply bows its head and prays for our political leaders. We read in several places in the bible where the prayers of men can be impeded by sin. It is difficult to imagine God hears the prayers of people who possess the power to stop the death and destruction caused by a government it willingly supports.

There is no need to pray for Satan. His punishment is cemented. The church could better spend its time exposing the lies proliferated by political demons and shed the light of truth on issues that otherwise would sway the average Christian into believing the deceptions.

I ask again, WHERE IS THE CHURCH?

So, where is the church?

It has been nowhere to be seen or heard over the past several months during more than 35 attacks on Pakistan by U.S. forces. It was nowhere to be seen or heard during the controversy over an Iraqi tossing his shoes at President Bush (an insult that dates back to biblical times). The reason those shoes were tossed? Because of the thousands of deaths caused by Bush, which left hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions of widows and orphans.

And where was the church?

In a nation that prides itself on having the freedom to practice religion, it is ironic that the most widespread religion of all, Christianity, plays no role and has no impact on this society.

And when one asks, “Where is the church? ” all we hear is silence.

The silence tells me all I need to know.

Each year, I am astounded by the magnitude and beauty of Christmas celebrations and the immersion of American society into a tradition that is cemented into the psyche of this nation. But, Christmas truly presents an external benevolence that masks a deep dark secret.

Many Christian churches, of varying denominations, often seek to “put Christ back into Christmas” or “make Christmas meaningful.” Both efforts would be commendable if they were legitimate.

Certainly, putting a spotlight on Christ is laudable. And teaching the true meanings of traditions in order to maintain the purity, sanctity and holiness of such worship is core to the development of Christian children, as well as all followers of Christ.

Unfortunately, not only is there no Christ in Christmas, one may interview most any Christmas-loving Christian and find a severe lack of knowledge of what Christmas celebrations are and the abomination they represent to God.

That isn’t to say that Christians who celebrate Christmas do so with the intent of committing an act of abomination. Many of us who profess to love Jesus participate in a tradition that is an abomination to God because we believe it is something other than than what it truly is. We do not recognize Satan — a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

The tradition of Christmas is filled with lies and distortions of truth, but millions of Christians are ignorant of these things because we have never been taught to ask critical truth-seeking questions. Instead, we follow tradition blindly.

But if we knew the truth, would we discard the Christmas tradition? Would we immediately trash everything connected to this embedded cultural norm? Unfortunately, I DON’T think we would.

We have a similar damaging addiction to television and all its influences. Music, fashion and media all have similar impacts, coaxing us to embrace the world and its evolving ideas and ethics … and put our own desires first. Such things make us feel good and we are loathe to part with them.

If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

Matthew 18:8-9

Is it time to give up Christmas?

Sometimes it’s tough to give up things that we have become accustomed to being involved in, even when we discover that what we thought was OK to do actually is frowned upon by our Father in heaven. Consider how Jesus responded to the Pharisees who admonished Him for allowing His disciples to eat with unwashed hands.

The act of washing our hands is more than a tradition, it is also beneficial for health reasons. To this day, the washing of hands is ingrained in our society and we teach the act to our children. Nothing is wrong with that. Still traditions can become so sacrosanct that adherence to the tradition itself becomes so powerful that anyone who doesn’t adhere to tradition can become targets of criticism by the church. Consider how Jesus responded to Jewish leaders when they sought to hold Him accountable for allowing His disciples to eat without washing their hands.

Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?

Matthew 15:3

Jesus turned the tables on them before He addressed their concern. He suggested they were being hypocritical by even bringing up the issue as a point of contention. He offered a specific tradition the Jewish leaders had created that ignored the command God had given them. Jesus then quoted Isaiah:

“You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.’”

Matthew 15:7-9

The meek and mild Jesus was quite irritated with the notion that Jewish leaders would so closely identify with traditions of men that they failed to even recognize the Son of God was walking in their midst. Could the same be said of Christmas? Are we so caught up in tradition that we’ve failed to recognize the important things while we focus on the frivolous?

Addicted to Tradition

Could we be so caught up in the “reason for the season” and “Happy Birthday Jesus” and the “Spirit of giving” rhetoric that we have failed to recognize that none of this was created, commanded or participated in by Jesus or any of His disciples or apostles? Could we be so entranced by the “good” feelings and the “good will” rhetoric of Christmas that we have no need to understand the truth behind our traditions today?

And what would Jesus think of our celebrations of His birth?

We all can agree that no one knows exactly when Jesus was born. But we also can agree that the consensus among all theologians is that Jesus was not born on December 25.

And the sad fact is that while some may argue the date doesn’t really matter, the reality is that we know Jesus WAS born on a date that is bypassed in obscurity while a pagan tradition is adopted by Jesus’ followers, who then also adopt the pagan date that holds a reverence for another god.

Jealous YHWH

The followers of Jesus do not have to look far to realize just how such a symbolic act is perceived by God. Twice in the book of Exodus and five times in the book of Deuteronomy we are told that our God is a jealous God. And there are references in other books of the bible that attest to that fact as well.

Would YHWH be happy with those of us who believe in Jesus and His atoning sacrifice when we dishonor Jesus by arbitrarily adopting a birth date for Jesus that used by pagans to honor their gods long before Jesus was born?

Would YHWH be content watching His Son go through the hellish torture He suffered and the willing sacrifice of His own life to save ours, only to then sit and watch us put decorative trees in our homes, hang wreaths, exchange gifts and sing silly songs about flying reindeer and dancing snowmen? Would a jealous YHWH accept the excuse, “We didn’t know”?

Convincing kids of Christmas is a crime

Consider what Jesus might say about us teaching our children the lies of Christmas, including the myth of Satan Claus:

“And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neckand to be drowned in the depths of the sea.  Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!”

Matthew 18:5-7

It appears that YHWH and Jesus are both quite serious about the things we do. Even our traditions and the things we teach our children to do are important to God. We don’t need to invent traditions. We don’t need to create celebrations to honor God. He has specified what He desires through written testimony by prophets, disciples and apostles. Anything more than that steps into the realm of risk. And when we consider the consequences of sinning against God because we thought He might enjoy our creativity, well, that’s a major gamble. Sin is a crime against God. Such a criminal offense carries with it the penalty of death of the soul. The executioner: God.

Certainly, we can understand why such seriousness is warranted. There is a war going on. And, as in every war, there is a battle over propaganda. Satan is the “father of all lies,” as Jesus proclaimed to the Pharisees (John 8:44). The Christmas celebrations today and throughout history have all been based upon lies. Why waste time and energy seeking to modify it? Why hold onto it at all? The disciples, apostles and early church never celebrated Christmas in any way. There is no mention of it in the bible or any related texts. Even the Puritans who came to the New World seeking freedom from religious persecution outlawed celebrations of Christmas.

Mass of Christ

Christmas (originally invented by the Catholic Church as the Mass of Christ), is a tradition created by church forefathers in Catholicism as a counter to the pagan traditions of Solstice, Saturnalia and other seasonal celebrations that often included the worship of nature and “created things” that followers of Christ are specifically told not to worship. Note: Easter is yet another abomination to God, adopted by believers in Jesus and merged with the reverent act of Communion, which Jesus requested His disciples perform each time they participated in the Passover meal, which was Jesus’ “last supper.”

Thus, Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection have been defiled by traditions of men — traditions that seek to wash away the truthful understandings of those events from the minds of children. And the consequence has been that generations of followers of Jesus have inadvertently (or deliberately) adopted pagan rituals, excused them as “good” and well-meaning and continued to spread them to this day. And today, the children of many well-meaning Christians are loathe to let go of pagan traditions. Today, December 25 means something in the minds of every Christian child, while the actual date of Jesus’ birth is meaningless and passes by each year without so much as a simple acknowledgment.

Of course, we are not commanded to celebrate the birth of Jesus or commemorate it in any way. In fact, two centuries passed after Jesus’ birth before the subject of the date of His birth was even touched in recorded history. Is today’s festive red and green myth-filled celebrations of Christmas preferable to the acts of the early church, disciples and apostles who allowed the birth of Christ to disappear into obscurity?

Some might argue that at least we have adopted day that we honor Jesus’ birth.

But, is the adoption of one day better than none at all?  Jesus Himself could likely counter with the fact that we do not know Him and thus worship Him in vain. Jesus fully intends intends to reject some of us (on the Day of Judgment) who fervently believe we are doing the right thing. Could Christmas celebrations cause us to be among those who think we know Christ yet continue to dishonor Him?

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

Matthew 7:21-23

Killing Christmas

Wouldn’t it be wiser to completely trash the entire Christmas thing altogether?

After all, Christmas doesn’t originate from Jesus, whom we claim to be honoring. We compromise the integrity of any such celebration by merging it with pagan traditions, whether we recognize that fact or not. We focus the attention on ourselves and then pretend that doing good things and saying good things to one another one day out of the year is sufficient. And there is that tiny little fact to consider: WE MADE IT ALL UP!

The entire Christmas tradition is a joke — a seasonal slap in the face of Almighty God. Christmas isn’t just commercialized, it is a complete immersion into self-centeredness, stress, worry, materialism, blind tradition, pagan rituals and an abomination to God. And might I remind us all … a jealous God.

Furthermore, Christmas is celebrated by Christians who claim to be worshiping the King of the Universe even as many of us proclaim dutiful servitude and allegiance under the direction of a secular power that sends our sons and daughters to kill our neighbors, whom Jesus said we should love. How does one reconcile such devotion to “country” and devotion to Jesus when the two oppose one another consistently? One cannot serve two masters, Jesus said.

Truth of Christ = Freedom

Even as we look to our own government for salvation in the midst of an economic crisis, we forget the words of Jesus:

“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:31-32

Jesus went on to say how we are slaves to sin. His remedy for freedom wasn’t to trust in government, bomb whoever Bush says is a terrorist and hate Muslims because they don’t believe Jesus was the Son of God. Jesus specifically said that if we hold to His teachings, we are His disciples. And it is by being His disciples that we can know truth, and the truth will set us free from the bondage of sin.

But what if we do not hold to Jesus’ teachings?

What if we enjoy our country and our traditions so much that all that stuff Jesus said about loving our neighbor, not judging one another, settling disagreements, selflessness and sacrifice for one another is set aside and replaced with patriotism, pride and “God Bless USA”?

What if we exalt ourselves over others (America is the greatest nation on earth) and trust that our leaders are looking out for our best interests while simultaneously treating others according to the teachings of Jesus Christ? Can we be held accountable for believing our leaders are doing the right thing on our behalf?

What if we stopped holding men accountable to truth and we stopped telling our children the truth … and we even stopped asking FOR truth?

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”

John 4:23

We can see lies all around us. We can see the lack of accountability of our leaders in war, in financial dealings and in leadership. And these lies ought to be quite evident to us, especially since the moral foundations upon which the leadership powers of America stand resolute are in direct opposition to the moral foundation and truth espoused by Jesus Christ. Should we hold our leaders accountable to such truth or should we continue to support our leaders regardless of the paths they choose?

Somewhere along the line, many within the body of believers in America decided that exposing truth and adhering to truth creates carnage, unravels institutions and disrupts the organized direction and power that has been established. Thus truth has been abandoned and compromise combined with complacency has co-opted many Christians. This is the methodology quite evident when many Christians (not all) are faced with choosing Christ or Christmas.

Christmas Claus

We can quickly see the fallacy in Christmas. We see the continuing degradation of the presumed celebration of the birth of Christ. We see the distortions and even carefully orchestrated lies surrounding Satan Claus and all of the so-called “magic of the season.” It’s all beautiful. It’s all wonderful. It makes us feel good.

A jolly guy from the North Pole brings presents to all good boys and girls, setting them carefully under a decorated tree. Children write letters to this phantom creation. Commercial marketers advance the lie while most everyone, from educators and media to political and religious leaders, prop up the propaganda.

And so goes the traditional influence of sin. It looks good, feels good and often tastes good … for a while. But if we look carefully, we can see it requires that we look away from the teachings of Jesus. Sin requires that we set aside our questioning, probing, determined investigative gaze that constantly seeks truth … and instead focus on self gratification.

Spiritual warfare

Sin requires that we forget we are children of a King who is at war with Satan.

If we truly believed that we are in the midst of a terrible war, why would we not protect our children from the enemy that seeks to destroy them?

If we lived in a war-torn country, wouldn’t we be wary of signs of trouble? Wouldn’t we teach our children to recognize such signs? Wouldn’t we be careful to shield our children from the dead bodies and teach them who they could and could not trust? If we believed there is a very real spiritual war, why would we not feel the fear, recognize the carnage around us and teach our children explicitly how to do the same?

Instead, many of us act as though we cannot see how our children are being influenced by the evil that surrounds us. And so many of us act as foot-soldiers for the enemy in the spiritual war, inviting the demons of evil influences into our homes and empowering them to devour our innocent children.

Sin requires that we open and accept, for it cannot force its way into our hearts. But once inside, it closes the door slowly to Jesus, as we are so busy having a good time we can’t even hear the gentle knocking anymore.

Sin diverts us from the things that truly matter. And those things aren’t in this world. Even our own family can sometimes become impediments to serving Jesus. That fact is one of many that Christ addressed directly.

We often hear of the soft, tender and compassionate Jesus. And certainly those qualities are part and parcel of a King who would leave heaven and subject Himself to an undeserved death penalty on our behalf. But Jesus also said he came to bring truth into the world. That truth is a sword that divides families. Jesus said:

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn
‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law -
a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’”

Matthew 10:34-36

Just in case someone should try to soften the words of Jesus to more politically correct terms that are acceptable for today’s society, which is unaccustomed to the realities of the decisions we must make daily, consider Jesus’ followup statement:

“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;”

Matthew 10:37-38

The truth is that Jesus Christ was born as a sacrifice by the Father to atone for our sins — sins that sentenced us to death. The truth is that Satan is on Death Row with us but has no repentance in his heart. Satan would like nothing more than to drag us all to the same punishment he will receive from God.

Gift of life

Jesus sacrificed His life so that our penalty would be upon Him. He paid the price for our sins so that we may live. His innocent blood shed for our guilty blood has opened a portal through which we all could be saved from a fate worse than death.

The life Jesus gave to us as a gift is one beyond the grave. It is a gift that we cannot earn and did not earn. The alternative to that gift is to accept the penalty reserved for Satan and his demons. That penalty is also reserved for us beyond the grave.

What lies beyond the grave is a world that Hollywood cannot envision. The consequences of defying God are so severe that God Himself has given us a way out of it … if only we believe in what Jesus did on our behalf and the magnitude of that act.

Magic of Christmas

The frivolity of Christmas is a distraction from the war and the carnage that is taking place in the spiritual realm.

Christmas fails to educate our children about the evil of this world and the ugliness of our sinful nature. Instead, Christmas nurtures our sinful nature and intoxicates us with an elixir so powerful that it influences us to lie to our own children.

Imagine the futility of a society filled with lies and built upon lies that then asks God to bless it!

In return for such requested blessings, we dress up each year in red and white suits, create fantasies about magical seasons and the spirit of giving and urge one another to get “just the right gift” for our loved ones. We congratulate each other on having a “Merry Christmas.”

We ask with curious minds and hearts, “What did you get for Christmas?”

We also seek to “make Christmas” this thing or that thing. Next year we want to “make Christmas” more meaningful, we say. And we feel sorry for those who “didn’t get to have Christmas” … whatever that means.

Casting Christmas aside

I am asking followers of Christ to jettison Christmas and all of its trappings. I am asking the Christian church to trash the tradition or defend its reasons for maintaining the facade and distortions of truth.

I’d like to hear the rationale. But I’m not interested in hearing church leaders report from the safety of a vacuum. I’d like to be able to hear strong defenses against the legitimate charges that question the wisdom of Christian churches engaging in pagan traditions and planting seeds from the enemy within the mission fields of the Christian church.

And I ask these things based upon the urgings that emanate deep within my heart … brought on by the Holy Spirit.

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

John 14:26

Today, House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank, the guy who wrote the $700 billion bailout bill, is now asserting himself on the second-half of the bailout by proclaiming new measures to be instituted prior to President-elect Barack Obama taking office. Barney blames Bush for failing to heed the current measure which contains pretty much the exact same demands as the ones Barney is announcing will be contained in the second. The rationale Barney uses is beyond comprehension.

George Bush, the victor

The president is a man who has fought Congress and won on most every issue he has wanted. Congress has no power to hold the president or any of his executive branch accountable for anything. The list of flagrant dismissals of Congress by the executive branch is so long it is a waste of time to repeat them here. Suffice to say that Congress has no power over the executive branch that it wishes to exercise.

In short, the American people have no power over the executive branch.

What does that mean?

The reality of an executive revolution

The people have failed on all counts to hold the leadership accountable. From allowing nepotism to take strong root in Congress and the executive and judicial branches, to refusing to impeach and remove executives in either Congress or the White House … to failing to hold anyone accountable for anything, the people have long ago lost control of what they believed was their “free” country.

The “free” part is key when one mentions freedom. That is what those who control it paid for it … nothing. And yet, today, the people find themselves the victims of a quiet incremental revolution, that continued even as conspiracy theorists screamed their heads off to no avail. Now, it is too late. The revolution has taken root. Only one major step needs to be taken and there is nothing anything can do about it. When will that step be taken? I don’t know. but I can see the smaller onces that have been taken already.

What does that mean?

It means our nation goes to war without the permission and support of the people.

It means the lies and manipulations of media and Congress go unpunished.

It means the American people are bilked out of hundreds of billions of dollars (over and over) and no one is held accountable.

It means Congress is powerless to demand and receive cooperation from the executive branch when it issues subpoenas, conducts investigations, requires documents or testimonies, etc.

It means that the people’s representatives in Congress are beholden to corporate interests in the marketplace and political interests in the executive branch.

And also it means that Congress turns over the budget of the American people to the president, who then hands it over to the Federal Reserve banks, which in turn, tell the people we have no authority to know what the banks will do with our money. The Federal Reserve itself, which is a construct of Congress, has turned up its nose at Bloomberg media’s Freedom of Information Act request (commonly known as FOIA) which sought information through the courts to discover what the Fed did with $1 trillion of U.S. securities.

The next time you feel the need to say this is the land of the free, give me a few minutes to break out my mile-long list of so-called “freedoms” people presume to possess despite reality.

Hope and Trust in 3 Losers?

There is a LOT we don’t know about our government, even when it comes to life and death, law and economic accountability. It’s funny how three senators (Obama, Biden and Clinton) have nothing to say when it comes holding the president, the Treasury and the Federal Reserve accountable for shoving media aside, clamping down on information and telling Congress to simply shove it.

We can’t know. We won’t know. And Congress is powerless to do anything about it. Meanwhile, we’re placing HOPE in three members of Congress to CHANGE a situation that none have opened their mouths about? We’re trusting that these three will hold a president accountable who has beaten these same three for years?

Blame Game

Now, Barney blames the president for the inability of Congress to ensure the White House, Treasury and Federal Reserve follow the directives in the bill that are designed to address the mortgage crisis and help save more than 1 million of our homes. Barney blames the same Republican president that his Democratic Party protected from impeachment! That’s the same president who told Congress to hand over the cash and then told them (virtually in the same breath) there would be NO ACCOUNTABILITY.

Now, Barney wants to hand over more of the $700 billion … but with tighter restrictions, he says.

Are you kidding me, Barney? You have no power. You are getting whacked around by a lame duck. You, Barney Frank, are the lame duck. When is your term finished, since it is apparent you have decided to no longer exercise the power of the people?

People Power

Might I remind all of Congress that there is a little matter of impeachment still wallowing in the dungeon of the House Judiciary Committee, where John Conyers stands guard to ensure it never sees the light of day.

What has to happen for people to wake up and smell the need for a people’s revolution?

The president isn’t the problem. We already know he is no friend of the people. It is Congress, where the power of the people lies. That is our problem. It is time to clear out both houses of Congress. Way past time.

If that same institution created beneath its authority lesser financial institutions that would rule over most other even lesser financial institutions and invite those lower institutions to be creative in swindling and defrauding the public, one might be persuaded to dismantle the higher institution and all of its lower minions. And to add injury to insult (because this part of the con game has the potential to result in war), some of the higher financial institutions would re-package the swindles made by the lower institutions and sell them to other nations that did not know those packages were wheelbarrows filled with America’s most worthless financial trash. Additionally, the banks providing loans to individual Americans (and our businesses) are basing their interest rates upon rates that are sometimes fraudulent  — imposed upon them by a foreign entity.

What financial institution would stand as the all-seeing, all-knowing authority over such a massive fraud of the citizens of the United States and those of other nations?

America’s WORST financial institution

That financial authority isn’t merely one that stands in authority over the nation’s financial dealings, it is one that makes laws affecting the entire country. That institution is Congress, the absolute worst financial authority in America.

Consider that Congress rewards financial leaders for failure, looks the other way while fraud is perpetrated, plugs its ears and covers its eyes when ALL 50 STATES band together to fight the fraud pushed upon the residents of each state by members of the Federal Reserve, and then hands an untrustworthy White House executive the biggest check this nation has ever written. Then Congress laments the fact that the check it gave to the executive branch with no accountability is being used for purposes other than the reason it was written.

Congress has 535 executives, all of whom claim no responsibility for the fraud perpetrated by the Federal Reserve, which Congress created. None of the 535 elected representatives claim any responsibility for the decades of fraud perpetrated by congressional creations Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. And now, to add insult to the injury Congress has allowed citizens of the United States to endure, the chair of the House Financial Services Committee admits that he has no authority or power to compel the Treasury (which operates at the pleasure of the President of the United States), to comply with specific congressional requirements of the $700 billion loan package it literally gave to the executive branch.

What is A-C-C-O-U-N-T-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y?

In response, the president has demanded that Congress also write a check for $25 billion for the poor executives in the auto industry, which Congress eventually declined to do. Of course, the president simply dipped into the $700 billion he bullied Congress into providing and apportioned $17.4 billion to Chrysler and GM. Ford decided to take a pass on it, though reminding everyone that if it goes under, so will the other two … even with their bailout “loan.”

No one knows what the auto executives will do with the money. But then again, no one knew what the executive branch would do with the money Congress gave it. In retrospect, one wonders if Congress would’ve still given the money if it knew the executive branch would walk away from the requirements written into the loan by Congress. The answer is likely yes.

If I knew it was all a fraud, don’t you think Congress had some idea?

You don’t deserve to know anything!

The Federal Reserve, which is a construct of Congress, flatly told the financial media giant Bloomberg on Dec. 12 that it would not reveal what it did with more than $1 trillion of U.S. Treasury securities. This, again, is a financial institution created by Congress, which is an elected body of the people. Bloomberg had sought information from the Federal Reserve in March of this year. It took a lawsuit against the financial institution to just crack open the door long enough for the Fed to say, tough luck. A reminder: The Federal Reserve is a creation of Congress and answers to Congress … but apparently not to the media.

To put it bluntly, the monster created by the people now defrauds the people and dismisses their inquiries. The peoples’ representatives in Congress stand by and do nothing.

In short, the people have no control over the financial institutions of this nation.

Defrauding the citizenry

The massive $50 billion swindle that Bernard L. Madoff orchestrated over decades while building the NASDAQ financial institution upon a foundation of con games and philosophy of lies and deceit, pales in comparison to the stupefying fraud that Congress perpetrated in a few weeks when it handed over the purse strings to America’s future to President George W. Bush. The gravity of such a decision becomes clear when one takes into consideration that in June the same Congress concluded that the same president wasn’t trustworthy — after a five-year investigation revealed that Bush had deliberately misled this country into an unnecessary war … a decision that cost hundreds of billions of dollars on the front end, likely more than a trillion dollars in the long run and impacted millions of families connected to thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of wounded people. The impact to the environment has yet to even be calculated.

So today, the House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank and the rest of Congress are hiding behind Christmas vacations while media begin the arduous task of digging behind the facade of “saving the economy” rhetoric to expose the treachery behind it.

WINNERS and LOSERS

Today, another monster appeared from behind the curtain of deceit. It is the hideous $1.6 billion bailout of the top executives of financial institutions that helped create the economic crisis.

That’s right. The 116 banks that accepted taxpayer dollars from the Treasury to boost the bottom line on their ledgers (whether they requested it or not) have decided the best use of some of that money would be to hand $1.6 billion of it over to nearly 600 of the nation’s banking executives. That’s a nice gift for those who presided over the largest financial fraud in the history of this country.

LOSERS: Inept leaders and the people they lead

Of course, Congress still maintains it can’t do anything about what happens to the money it gives away to the Treasury, which answers to the president … who answers to Congress (if you’re reading the same Constitution I am). That would be the same Congress that declared it would not, under any circumstances, pursue impeachment against President Bush (if you heard Nancy Pelosi when she took over as Speaker for President Bush …er, um, I mean Speaker of the House).

As we get closer to a new year, a new administration and a new outlook for America, i wonder what exactly will be left? There is a deliberate looting taking place under our noses while Congress facilitates it. The White House is moving as fast as it can to solidify (as best it can) long-term military presence in Iraq, Afghanistan and ongoing hostilities in Pakistan (which could lead to full-scale war). The profound problem with the Kurds (which could engage the entire Middle East in protracted war) hasn’t even been addressed by media or Congress and the secret machinations of U.S. oil companies in the backdrop of U.S. military strategies in the Middle East is a conversation no one wants to have.

Corrupt to the core

The truth is that Barack Obama is taking over a monstrous amount of deceit that was built upon a foundation of permanent leadership. That leadership — a combination of two corrupt political parties — has conspired against the people of this country for generations. It has rigged election debates (Google: “Commission on Presidential Debates silences opposition”) to ensure that no other voices can be heard, it has rigged elections (do your own Google search) manipulated media (see Pentagon plants so-called experts in media to sell Iraq war), it has made sure that from presidential election to presidential election the foreign policy of the United States remains virtually consistent, regardless of which party is in office.

Such a conspiracy would take massive cooperation between the parties. It would need the cooperation of Congress. It would also need a completely clueless American public, thus requiring complicity in media. All of the aforementioned requirements have occurred and are in place. There’s just one problem that has cropped up in the past two years: technology.

Change and Hope?

Barack Obama used technology to bypass the iron curtain of influence constructed by and controlled by powers who refuse to allow the people to know the truth. Who are those powers? They are the powers who, election after election, continue to defraud the people with fraudulent voting machines and processes. They are the powers who, in spite of knowing our military was sent to kill and be killed based on false pretenses, refuse to hold accountable the people who sent them. They are the powers who willingly give over hundreds of billions of dollars of taxpayer monies to crooks, liars and thieves.  They are the powers who take money from the American people to give to foreign banks and executives. They are the powers who sit in secret and devise ways to manipulate the media and deceive the American people.

Obama’s popularity soared on the promise of two things: hope and change.

Americans of all races, creeds and political persuasions hoped we would institute change in our highest level of government. But after defeating the status quo couple represented by Hillary and former president Bill Clinton, Obama began the slow side-step toward the very position he argued against. And as Eric Holder and Caroline Kennedy were brought in from the old Clinton and Kennedy clans, it was easy to see that the fix was in.

The more things “change” …

Today, Obama’s cabinet could easily have been picked by Hillary herself. Hillary’s own reluctance and begrudging acceptance of the office of Secretary of State is a slap in the face to everyone who voted for Obama. His choice of Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, is also nod toward the Bush administration. Even Vice President Dick Cheney applauded that move. Americas are merely getting a change of current faces with faces from the past. And with the CIA remaining in charge of the military, America’s foreign policy will continue in the same direction unabated.

Although some are still hoping Obama can do something about the economy, those “Hopers” may want to pay attention to what Obama is doing right now: nothing.

Hope would spring eternal if there were responsibility and accountability occurring now for the monumental fraud that continues under the watchful eye of Congress. When Barney Frank frankly states he has no power to make the administration spend the $700 billion in the way Congress intended, it is simple to look across to the other smaller house of Congress and see Senators Obama, Biden and Clinton all sitting on their hands with their mouths shut tight.

Common sense perspective

If the power is really in their hands and there is no way to stop it, then where is the leadership that demonstrates change and hope? Where are the voices calling for accountability?

They are nowhere to be found. Why? Because Congress is as much responsible and accountable as anyone else in this financial scheme that has unraveled to put on display a bankrupt America.

That’s right. bankrupt. America has no money. No cash. Nothing.

It’s all credit. It’s all loans from nowhere to nowhere. It’s all one big gigantic Ponzi scheme that Madoff could provide a lot of insight into … if even media were interested in exposing it all. But it isn’t. Why? Because who owns media? Corporations.

And the crisis is that the curtain of deceit has been pulled aside inadvertently. The efforts are to shut the curtain and continue to act as though none of us realize we are all party to one massive fraud.

Is there Hope in Obama?

And Obama’s incoming administration isn’t doing anything to stop the hijacking of America today. Is there any hope that he will have any power to do anything about it tomorrow?

Obama has made history in many ways. But he comes form a corrupt institution called Congress. And he has brought with him, veteran liars. Congress is the most corrupt house in America. It is the most useless financial institutional authority we have. It is, indeed, the worst bank in America.

And today, it is being told by the Treasury that it has no power to stop the executive branch from doing whatever it wants with $700 billion of our money. Meanwhile, the Congress-created Federal Reserve is telling financial media investigators to take a long walk off a short pier. The people do not get to know what the Fed did with more than $1 trillion of the people’s money. And Congress hasn’t said a word!

Joining the appaling silence is our presumed president-to-be, Barack Obama, and his sidekicks Sens. Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. I could add more names to this growing list of collaborative conspirators, but what’s the use? Someone will dismiss me as a conspiracy theorist and everyone will go back to lamenting over how bad things are … and if only we could elect the right liar, all will be fine.

Isn’t it time we began to regard truth as the only valuable commodity left in America? Of course, finding it will take an incredible amount of effort … and the likely firing of a great portion of our government leaders.

The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.

He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.

Matthew 16:1-4

Economic lies, lies and more lies

Indeed, until the collapse of the U.S. economy, the most intense focus for millions of Americans, including many political leaders, was the crisis of global warming. While media and political leaders over the past decade turned our attention to debating and then finding the cause of changing weather patterns, our government was busy committing perhaps the biggest fraud in history against the people of the United States.

Financial media giant Bloomberg sought the disclosure of securities the Federal Reserve was accepting on behalf of American taxpayers as collateral in order to loan banks more than $2 trillion. Bloomberg was stonewalled from March until November 7, 2008 when it sued the Federal Reserve. On Dec. 12, the Fed responded to Bloomberg. The message: Take a long walk off a short plank. We don’t have to tell you anything … and we won’t.

It’s not easy to get the attention of an American Idolized nation. But if the Federal Reserve’s proclamation that it owns the right to do as it pleases with America’s money with total authority, zero oversight and complete impunity is correct, shouldn’t you and I have at least one eyebrow raised?

“If they told us what they held, we would know the potential losses that the government may take and that’s what they don’t want us to know,” said Carlos Mendez, a senior managing director at New York-based ICP Capital LLC, which oversees $22 billion in assets.

OK, So we don’t know what the Fed doesn’t want us to know. But there is a lot we do know. And it is all troubling.

Economic War

We now know that President George Bush, along with a complicit Federal Reserve and tacitly complicit  Congress, waged economic war against the people of the U.S. in his first year after taking office. All 50 states banned together to fight the White House and U.S. Treasury in an effort to protect each state’s residents against predatory lending practices from the Federal Reserve and its member banks. The Federal Reserve, along with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are all constructs of Congress, and therefore all come under the authority of Congress. But Congress did nothing to intervene in the battle between all of the states combined against the Bush administration and Federal Reserve. Not only did Congress do nothing, it said nothing, thus contributing to the deliberate fraud being perpetrated by the Treasury and Federal Reserve that has now become the foundation upon which the mortgage crisis house of cards was built.

NASDAQ Chairman and common thief

We now know that Bernard Madoff, the former chairman of the NASDAQ Stock Market, was a crook by his own admission, defrauding many and stealing more than $50 billion in a stupifying Ponzi scheme only eclipsed by the monumental fraudulent practices of the Federal Reserve itself. Congress, which has authority to investigate, legislate and request the Justice Department to incarcerate, did nothing over the many years Madoff was bilking investors.

Thus far, few have dared ask the question, “Is Madoff the only one?”

Congress hasn’t launched an investigation to determine how many more companies may be involved in the same setup. The Justice Department hasn’t made efforts to hold accountable all of the folks who had to know fraud was being committed. The White House isn’t seeking to bail out the folks who invested in good faith in the NASDAQ and the company Madoff presided over. And the church isn’t elevating the voices of the masses calling for truth.

The bottom line is that many leaders are hoping that one guy (or perhaps just a few) can pay the penalty for literally thousands of crooks, liars and thieves. Are those words too harsh for those who abused the trust of thousands of innocent victims who have lost everything they worked their whole lives to attain? Am i being to hard on elected and appointed leaders who frivolously abuse the wealth of this nation while leaving the most vulnerable of us all holding the bag when the schemes come crashing down?

Executive thieves

If you haven’t seen this eye-opening expose by the Miami Herald, you should. When you see how many previously convicted criminals are in the mortgage industry in south Florida alone, it will make your head spin. How can thousands of criminals be given direct access to the most private of personal and financial information? How can so-called good people look the other way while empowering crooks to deceive and defraud millions of dollars from the most vulnerable of citizens?

And if you think that’s bad, ask yourself how can the former Treasury Secretary, former White House spokesperson and the Senate Intelligence Committee, along with numerous journalists and authors all scream that the Bush administration deliberately misled this nation into war and actually sought ways to convince the public to allow him to invade Iraq before Sept. 11, but when that same liar screamed at Congress to hand over America’s children’s future earnings, Congress quickly complied?

We now know that the pleading White House, which said anything and everything it needed to say to convince Congress to hand over $700 billion, failed to follow through with its stated intentions and instead, has decided it will do as it pleases with the money that Congress used to mortgage the future of our grandchildren. In the 60 Minutes interview below, Barney Frank laments over how he could not force the Treasury to comply with the terms he explicitly laid out in the bailout plan. If the rest of Congress has the attitude of Congressman Frank, then there is considerable reason to clean the entirety of both houses.

Meanwhile, on Dec. 10, 2008, Frank got into a public playground quarrel with Rep. Darrell Issa of California. Issa (recently elected to head the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee), who inadvertently said into an open mic that he didn’t want to “get screwed” by Frank, who is head of the House Financial Services Committee and known for being quite confrontational. Frank responded on the floor.

In the 60 Minutes interview, Frank’s confrontational side is quite evident. Unfortunately, he seems only willing to confront congressional colleagues and veteran journalists, like Leslie Stahl. But he’s quite the pussycat when it comes to confronting the executive branch for defrauding Congress and the American people.

Economic crisis? These are relative good days with bad times ahead

We now know that the mortgage industry, propelled by authority to create and sell bad loan packages through liars, many of whom were previously convicted criminals (see Miami Herald link above), was intent on attracting as many Americans into bad debt as it could, secure in the fact that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would buy any and all bad loan packages upon default.

We now know that the subprime loan crisis is just the tip of the iceberg, as adjustable rate loans adjust upward, many with skyrocketing rates set a few years out from the origination of the loan coming due. The 60 Minutes report on this subject (at least a year late and billions of dollars short on information) disclosed that this part of the mortgage crisis is just now hitting and projected to get exponentially worse.

In short, we’ve watched how bad it was for subprime and those who got caught in loans they couldn’t afford, and now we’re preparing to watch quality loans and homeowners (along with small businesses) lose everything when the loans they could afford become unaffordable as interest rates balloon.

It’s difficult for the average person, like me and you, to understand the complexities of the economic system … we are told by the so-called experts who caused this crisis and/or participated in it. There is no truth in that statement.

The truth is that without all of the facts, it’s like we are trying to learn how to read Chinese with an English textbook. And the truth is the Federal Reserve will not provide insight by giving us information we need to understand what’s going on. The Fed placates media and the masses by claiming it is protecting trading secrets. Is that true? Since when did the Fed become the keeper of secrets from the very public it was created to serve? Since when has the Fed ever been a trusted source of truth?

Who can we hold accountable?

In the midst of this economic crisis, when everyone is seeking answers (unfortunately, not accountability), the Fed has the audacity to simply deny major media the answers it legitimately seeks from a government agency! And given the fact that the Fed was created by Congress, one would assume Congress would be just as interested in the same information that the people of this nation are seeking, right? Wrong.

Congress is protecting both the Treasury and the Federal Reserve. Why? Because Congress was in on the whole scheme. It just gave the Treasury $700 billion. It hasn’t held the Treasury accountable. It protected George Bush and Dick Cheney from two full years of efforts on behalf of some members of Congress to impeach them both and remove them from office. Then Congress hands the same untrustworthy executive branch $700 billion.

President-elect Barack Obama, who is apparently determined to bring the entire Clinton administration back to the White House, is among some of the chief suspects in why Congress refuses to hold anyone accountable in the massive bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Both Obama and Clinton were recipients of donations from Franklin Raines, the man atop the mortgage industry giants created by Congress. This former Clinton administration cronie leaves disaster in his wake wherever he goes. And as an advisor to Obama, he apparently will go far … as will his wake of disaster.

What do you think?

I’m interested in knowing how you might perceive the most corrupt financial processes in the history of this country … all committed with the implicit, complicit or simply tacit approval of virtually every elected leader in Congress and the White House in my lifetime.

And for the past three years, I have been asking over and over … where is the church?

Why do I not know anything about how my own government intentionally deceives its own citizens? Why am I allowed to trust in government, and at times, even encouraged to do so? Why is there no investigative truth-seeking media with the explicit purpose of exposing government lies? Certainly there are church-funded media (i.e. The Washington Times and Christian Science Monitor) but can I find information in either of those media or others about the 50-state economic battle over predatory lending? Can I find truth about how the Federal Reserve works and how it wheels and deals on the open market with American securities? Can I find out how many political leaders have been placed under investigation, indicted, arrested, tried and convicted each and every year in each and every state including Washington D.C.?

My friend Vikki asked me two questions that are monumentally important ones for every Christian in this nation:

1. Where can we turn to find truth about what’s happening in our country?

2. What can we do about it?

The first question is truly complex. Americans are accustomed to being spoon-fed information. Thus, whatever information they receive, they ingest and swallow whole without question, regurgitate or dismiss altogether, or accept partially with strong opinions and debate over the partial information they’ve been given.

The problem is that Americans don’t know the WHOLE truth. And without all of the facts, we are left to squabble over insignificant ideas and information that sound good and perhaps may actually have truth within them. But without all of the truth and an understanding of the big picture, we are talking ourselves in circles and taking opposing sides of the same coin.

For example: We can debate the issue of bailouts. Who should the government provide bailouts to and who should it not. But none of that matters if the government truly has no value or actual money with which it can provide anyone else value or money. So, the argument is moot without knowing whether or not the government is actually solvent. We just assume it is because the lights are on.

Is our government solvent?

To whom does our government owe any debt?

What is the relationship of our government with its debtors and do we even have the ability to pay … ever?

What is LIBOR and why does it have a significant stranglehold over our government’s ability to borrow or lend?

What is the crisis of credit?

What are derivatives and which government entity sold packages of worthless derivatives backed by mortgage securities to overseas investors?

How does the Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury remain the authorities over the nation’s finances when these two entities are central to the deliberate fraud perpetrated via predatory lending practices and re-packaged derivatives absorbed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?

How can banks receive the bulk of the $700 billion bailout given to the Treasury by Congress when the Treasury was given that money with the explicit directive to use it to bailout the mortgage industry? (See Barney Frank’s video above).

How can the American people remain silent while the entire government is involved in one tremendously huge Ponzi scheme and none of our top leaders are held accountable?

Is it possible that the American taxpayers were duped into handing over $700 billion that may also be used to bail out banks in foreign countries?

If I could see the pattern of George Bush defeating Congress on every battlefront over the years, ignoring its declarations, demands and requests for documents, dismissing Senate investigations and thumbing its nose at subpoenas, all the while making demands of its own for more cash to finance its illegal and immoral wars, do you not think at least one member of Congress may have noticed this administration could not be trusted with one red cent of America’s future, let alone $700 billion? With all due respect to Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who did notice, there doesn’t seem to be an appetite in Congress to hold anyone accountable, including itself.

There are 535 members of Congress. There are two top leaders in the Executive Branch. Will any of them be held accountable for what has occurred?

Should the church have something to say about this? Ought not the church seek to inform its members and shelter them from the deceit that devours the livelihoods of families across the fruited plains?

My friend Vikki asked, “Where can we turn for truth of what’s happening in our nation?”

The answer is in what Jesus said, “Seek and you shall find.”

We do not have a clearinghouse of information, that I know of, which helps us understand what is going on in our society. Most media reports are partial and sometimes misleading. Thus, it takes hours of research, considering all the reports from all sources one can find. Then there’s the necessary whittling down of those sources, plus perhaps some phone calls, visits to Web sites of original sources just to garner the truth about one issue.

In other words, Vikki, it takes an institution determined to sift through the minutiae daily to deliver plain-spoken truth that provides insight and understanding. That institution doesn’t exist in this country, yet.

My hope and prayer is that the church will become that institution.

Until then, news reports outside of this nation offer a lot of information you will not see here. But that cannot be simply accepted. It must be cross-checked with corroborating sources, both here and abroad.

No one has time for such research. Not even me. That’s why it takes an institution. Professionals who are good at their jobs and work full-time to bring you the truth should be employed by institutions that have the sources and ability to produce relevant daily information on topics of critical interest to the public.

My hope and prayer is that will be the church.

Truth is not relegated solely to Christians, but Christians are committed to truth. Thus, it seems that when truth cannot be found, the task of seeking it out falls to the people for whom it is most important. Individually, that could be all of us. But few institutions are in the business of delivering truth daily.

My hope and prayer is the church is such an institution.