Turning Our Heads Away so We Don’t See

Roger Mitchell3 Comments

“How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn’t see?”—Bob Dylan, “Blowin’ in the Wind”

I’m starting this blog post exactly the same way that John and Nisha Whitehead started theirs a few days ago because I wonder about the same thing which Bob Dylan did, and I simply cannot comprehend the amount of stretching of neck muscles and blinking of eyelids which must accompany that. But, then, this is nothing new. People see what they want to see and close their eyes to the rest.

We live in a time when moral boundaries have been distorted to the point of near-total erasure, recalled only when it is to one’s benefit to remember them. The Whitehead article focused on the hypocrisy of those who completely abhor the destruction of unborn children in the wombs of their mothers, but applaud and encourage the murder of those who have managed to live beyond the first nine months of life IF it is politically convenient. On the other hand, there are those who think nothing at all about destroying infants before they are born (and even call it empowering), yet are aghast that innocent children are blown apart by bombs because they live in the wrong part of the world.

Human life, if it is to be honored and held sacred, should be and must be equally recognized regardless of age and/or development and/or decline. To do otherwise is to play games with God which cannot be won. This phenomenon, this aspect of human nature, however, encompasses all of life. Evil is everywhere rampant today, yet how many are there who will call it out wherever it shows its face, regardless of its composition and character.

Let’s call a spade a spade, shall we? As Christians, believers in Jesus Christ as “…the way, the truth, and the life…” are required to “…be innocent of evil…” and many of us pride ourselves on keeping ourselves squeaky clean in that respect. “We don’t smoke, drink, or chew, and we don’t go out with girls that do.” Yet, as Bob Dylan wrote, we turn our heads away from rampant, vile evil and pretend that we see nothing at all.1 More importantly, if we do notice, we ignore it by pretending that it doesn’t exist, at least in our circles and neighborhoods. Furthermore, if it did occur close to home, we would find some reason, some excuse, to do nothing at all to counter it, usually, at least in Christian circles along the lines of, “It’s the end of the world. Jesus is coming to rescue us out of the mess we have created. Besides, Donald Trump is working on our behalf to set things right.” Kind of like financial “experts and leaders” kicking the can down the road hoping that the sure reckoning can be postponed at least until they are safely ensconced in a fat pension-supported retirement.

Shades of King Hezekiah!2

The thing is, we know that procrastination on fiscal matters will eventually come to an end, yet prefer to “turn our heads and pretend not to see.” We know that making threats of violence and war against other countries will eventually result in wars with disastrous consequences, yet we turn our heads. We know that continual decline of morality will eventually destroy our society from within, yet we pretend not to see. We know that killing unborn children is wrong, yet applaud when fishermen on small boats, who are doing nothing more than trying to provide for their families, are blown out of the water. We vigorously protest the slaughter of Gazan women and children as an abominable crime, yet celebrate when our political opponents are the ones led to the guillotine. We know, oh, yes, we know, but it is easier to pretend than it is to act on the information.

We are hypocrites. Shameful hypocrites. And we say nothing, nothing at all, as if the evil among us does not exist. As if, by keeping quiet, the evil will go away.

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak, not to act is to act.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” — Albert Einstein

“The problem in defense is how far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without.” –Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view, is silence about truth” – Aldous Huxley

“It is an eternal truth that those who practice genuine faith in the presence of the cowardice and derisive fatalism of the mob will be persecuted for their temerity rather than merely ignored. This is part of the pattern of destruction of the ideal characteristic of the descendants of Cain. None of this excuses failure to stand up and be counted when the time comes.” — Jordan Peterson, We Who Wrestle With God, page 433. (Emphasis mine.)

  1. Remember the story of the Good Samaritan, in which the Pharisee who was squeaky clean with respect to The Law nevertheless went around the badly wounded man on the road and did not stop to help him so as to keep his clothes and hands untainted. It is also likely that he didn’t want to tarnish his reputation. ↩︎
  2. 2 Kings 20:19. “Well, that’s not so bad, really. At least it won’t happen in my lifetime.” ↩︎

Shout Louder! So He Can Hear You!!

Roger MitchellLeave a comment

“Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ He said, ‘Lord that I may receive my sight.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.” — Luke 18: 35-41

There are a few things about this passage of Scripture which need to be mentioned.

  1. If you are blind, you cannot receive your sight unless you ask for it. If you aren’t willing to make the effort, you won’t get it. No one is going to make you see against your will.
  2. Sometimes, in order to get what you want, you have to be loud, louder than the crowd, and much, much louder than those around you who are trying to shut you up.

Obviously, this story is about one physically blind beggar man who refused to keep his voice down, an individual person who understood that something about his situation was wrong and took the necessary step to correct it. Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to work? Well, as long as the problem stays at the individual level and all of us are blind to the truth about it, that might be a good way to read it. However, America’s community is made up of individuals, many of them nothing more than dirt-poor beggars who are blind as bats and who couldn’t see the light of day if it shined directly into their eyes. And, to accompany them, there are multitudes of others who are well above the paygrade of dirt-poor beggary, but who are just as blind. In fact, this blindness extends to many, many people across all levels of society, most of whom don’t even realize that they can’t see farther than the end of their nose, that their vision isn’t worth a tinker’s damn. All of which means that the community they are a part of is also blind. Not physically blind, but spiritually, which is by far the worst of the two.

Now, just suppose that Jesus comes strolling into our neighborhood with the attendant bevy of noisy, jostling supporters, hangers-on, and groupies who are filling the air with an atmosphere of anticipation and expectation, at least according to their line of sight. What would happen if the blind beggars and the higher-ups who can’t see would suddenly hear the approaching din and begin to cry out, “Jesus, Son of God! Have mercy on us!” And, then again, louder and louder, in spite of all the remonstrances from the oh-so-righteous among us, OR the frenzied, shrieking of those ridden by demon-spirits, OR the rich, powerful elites who want to control everything. “Keep quiet, you’re embarrassing us.” “Shut up, you stupid dirt-ball, or we’ll put a sock in your mouth!” “Oh, you want to escape our clutches, do you? Well, how about a bag over your head, tied around your neck, so no one can hear you scream, and a two-by-four slapped across your noggin to reinforce the message?”

“You do get the message, don’t you? Just be quiet and be a good boy. It’s OK.”

And, so we do. Obey. Comply. Silence ourselves as we hear the procession moving further and further away, around the corner and over the next hill. Gone. Out of sight forever. But wait! No! No! NO! NO! NOOO! “Jesus, Son of God! Have mercy on us!” Louder. “Jesus! Son of God!! Have mercy on us!!!” Louder, yet. “JESUS!! SON OF GOD!!!! HAVE MERCY ON US!!!!!!” Until He stops and asks us what we want, at which point we ask to have our sight restored, the sight which our community needs, the sight which each and every one of us must have to be able to live, work, and worship together without trying to kill each other.

What would happen in America (and the rest of the world) if this happened? But, then, you might question why we should or what would be the reason for doing so. After all, we’re rich, live comfortable lives, get along with our neighbors (at least most of the time until they have something we want or say something we don’t like), celebrate with the Super Bowl winners even though we didn’t approve of the half-time show, and on and on and on and on. Like I said, blind. Spiritually blind. We have everything except what we need to be spiritually aware, awake, and seeing.

“If the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.” — Matthew 15:14

America, as community, is blind. Americans, as individuals, are blind. The situation doesn’t seem to be getter any better and will not ever be resolved as long as blind people are leading other blind people. Or, to put it another way, as long as blind people follow other blind people, nothing will change for the better. Both the leaders and the followers are blind, spiritually blind, and no one seems to know the way out of the situation, but desperate times call for desperate measures, such as, getting on our feet and calling out for help. Not to the government power brokers, the financial and “smart-set” elites, the so-called religious leaders, political parties, particular ideologies which advocate the use of force to gain their ends, or any others who claim to know it all. No, we need to be, as individuals and community, raising our voices, louder and louder, to Jesus the Christ, the only one among us who can set us free from the blindness which shackles and binds us in our misery.

An Abortion Argument: Does a Woman Own her Body?

Roger Mitchell1 Comment

[Note: I wrote this some years ago and published it on another blog which is no longer in service. I will be drawing articles from that occasionally and posting them here. R.M.]

One of the most widely used arguments to defend a woman’s “right” to kill her unborn child is that she owns her own body and can do what she wants with it. No one has any authority to impose restrictions on her behavior, so long as she is not harming any other person.

It is not my intention to discuss the personhood of an unborn fetus in this article. Rather, I want to explore the moral and philosophical question of the ownership of the human body—irrespective of sex. Male or female is irrelevant. To whom do I belong? That is the question everyone must answer.

“…how can we defend the mother’s right to kill the fetus?

Simple. She owns her own body, and the unwanted fetus growing within it is in effect a trespasser or parasite. This may sound harsh, but when the property rights in question are thoroughly analyzed, it is the only possible conclusion that may be reached.”[i]—Walter Block and Roy Whitehead

If I was asked (I wasn’t) to paraphrase and rewrite the above quote, this is the way it would turn out.

“We can defend a woman’s (mothers don’t act that way) right to kill her unborn child because she owns her body and the unwanted fetus is a trespasser and a parasite. Dastardly things, anyway! Besides, property rights are sacrosanct[ii] so we can reach no other conclusion.”

All I can say about this manner of thinking is that it is abominable and despicable. When “property rights” are the only thing in question, then the end justifies the means and any moral rectitude simply flies out the window.

Who am I? Why am I here? What will happen to me when I die? These are questions which have vexed and perplexed philosophers since people started thinking about things other than how to get and keep their next meal. There are probably just about as many answers as there are philosophers. We ought to also be asking one other question: To whom or to what do I belong? This is a valid question and there are only two possible answers: we belong to ourselves or we belong to someone/something outside of and beyond ourselves.

If we conclude that a woman belongs to herself, then she also owns herself, every part of herself, including her body and everything in it, over which she exercises full and complete control. No one and nothing can dictate to her what she may or may not do with her body. If a woman owns her body, then there should be no restraints placed on her, so long as she does not initiate aggression against other people who also own their bodies[iii]. If this is true, then the whole argument about abortion is moot, null, void, and utterly useless, deserving to be scrapped. It is a waste of time, energy, and resources–if this is true!

But, is it? Or is there another way of looking at the question? Michael Rozeff puts it this way[iv].

” 3. Property is what belongs to you. It’s circular to say that a person belongs to himself or owns himself. You only seem to become property when you become a slave, partly or wholly, and belong to someone else. Even in that case, they have property in your body, in the product of your labor, but not in YOU. In other words, to resolve this problem of definition and starting point philosophically or religiously, we need to specify what a human being or person IS. What IS this “I”? What is the BEING that “I” am, and that you are? That BEING exists outside the domain of human notions of property. That’s my unprovable assumption or postulate about life and existence.”

I brought this up to make the point that no one owns themselves. No one owns their own body. No man, no woman, no exceptions. With nothing more than pure logic, I can make my case using a common libertarian argument.

You and your family live in a nice house on a piece of land which you own. You borrowed money to pay for it, scrimped and saved, did without, and worked side jobs to pay the mortgage, eventually receiving the deed free and clear. It is yours. At least that’s what you think.

One day, while in a discussion with your friend, he points out that you really don’t own the property, you only rent it. He explains that if you don’t pay the taxes which the county determines you should, you will find out within the space of a few years who the real owner is. You will be looking for another place to live and all the effort you have put into this property will accrue to someone else’s benefit.

You will lose your property if you don’t pay the declared property tax, but the fact of the matter is, you can live in the house and control the property, even profit from it, without (much) interference from the county–so long as you pay the tax! Libertarians everywhere understand this argument immediately.

In the case of a woman’s (or man’s) body, however, there will come a time when your “property” will be taken away from you. There will be no grace period, no time to pay the back taxes, plus costs, plus interest. There will be no extension. Begging, refusing to consent, getting angry, making deals (Daniel Webster[v], where are you?) will not help. As the rock band Kansas[vi] put it, “…all your money won’t another minute buy.” When the Grim Reaper crooks his finger, you will go, with or without warning. Willing or unwilling, it doesn’t matter. Off you go. You are going to die.

If we grasp the point that we don’t own our real estate because it CAN be taken away from us, then why shouldn’t we also understand that we don’t own our bodies because they WILL be taken away. In fact, ownership of real property is a far more feasible concept than ownership of body because the rules concerning taxation can always be changed for the better. At least it’s theoretically possible to change them. People may someday live in a society in which there are no property taxes. About the end of life, however, there is nothing to do except to understand that it is coming and to prepare for it.

We are conceived, we live, we die. Everything that we accumulate in this world will belong to someone else after our death. “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life.” (Job 1:21) “We didn’t bring anything into this world, and we won’t take anything with us when we leave.” (1 Timothy 6:7)

If immortality becomes practicable in this world, I will have to eat my words. Until then, they stand. This side of Heaven (or whatever you believe lies on the other side of death), everyone will die. That is an absolute certainty.

Since you are going to die and your body is going to be taken away from you, then you do not own it. If you do not own the body you live in, then it belongs to someone or something else: God, a higher power, the Great Spirit, cosmic truth, weird space aliens who seeded our planet, et al, any one of which might actually have something to say about the way that we are abusing, destroying, and killing those “properties” entrusted, but not belonging, to us.[vii]

Let’s bring Michael Rozeff[viii] back into the conversation.

“I contend that libertarian theory is too narrow. I make the following statements of where I stand.
1. Property is too narrow a basis to build an entire law and society on. The moral principle of no physical aggression is too narrow a basis. They are good as far as they go, but taken too far, they run into problems by ignoring the non-physical. Libertarianism has an impoverished social theory by this restriction to property and physical aggression. It gains by definiteness, but it loses by restrictiveness. In some cases, as in defamation, it leads to conclusions that go against thousands of years of law and history. “

Rozeff is correct. Libertarianism with a fixated view on property rights will not work. It needs to incorporate what he calls “the non-physical”, which I have no problem referring to as spiritual and moral. When spirituality (the understanding that we are more than just body) enters the picture, it brings with it a sense of morality: what is right and what is wrong. When right and wrong come into play, it becomes evident that a monstrous wrong has been perpetrated on the weakest, most vulnerable members of our society for a long, long time.

Women do NOT own their bodies and they certainly do not own the unborn children who are temporarily residing within them. Any law which allows a woman to kill her unborn child, based on her ownership claims, is simply building a house on shifting sand[ix]. Eventually it will crumble and collapse.

[i] Block, Walter E. and Roy Whitehead. 2005. “Compromising the Uncompromisable: A Private Property Rights Approach to Resolving the Abortion Controversy,” Appalachian Law Review, 4 (2) 1-45

[ii] It seems to me that, in some quarters, property rights have taken on the attributes of religion, complete with high priests, a “gospel” message, worship services, and dedicated followers who will die before they change their beliefs.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sacrosanct

[iii] Excluding unborn children, of course.

[iv] https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/harm-to-the-person/

[v] Just one of the stories I read a long, long time ago and have never forgotten. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil_and_Daniel_Webster

[vi] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH2w6Oxx0kQ

[vii] An example of this can be seen in the Holy Bible, Psalms, Chapter 2.

[viii] https://mises.org/profile/michael-s-rozeff

[ix] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Wise_and_the_Foolish_Builders

Target on my Back? In the Crosshairs? Perhaps.

Roger MitchellLeave a comment

A very odd thing happened on this blog in the last few days. Read on.

I started writing here in 2012 and have posted nearly 300 articles since then. There were a few years when I was going through some tough emotional times and didn’t publish much, but I stuck with it and the pace has been picking up recently. I don’t advertise this blog and don’t publish anywhere else–Facebook, X, Instagram, etc.–so my audience is quite small, generally less than 10 visitors in any given day, with a few of them reading more than one article in the same sitting. It is gradually growing, but nothing to write home about, let’s put it that way.

Nevertheless, on December 1, 2025, my stats recorded 100 visitors and 100 views, both numbers completely out of character. Not more, not less, but exactly 100. I laid this to a glitch at WordPress and didn’t pay it much attention. Yesterday, however, that same number popped up as the sum total for the day, but this time there were only 56 visitors, which means that some of them had read multiple pages which is good. Right? I would say so. Maybe my message is starting to pick up some momentum.

On closer examination, I found that there was one person in the United States and one person in Israel reading the same articles. On the same day. In sync. At random. There didn’t appear to be any system to the posts they chose to read, but between the two of them, US and Israel, they hit 23 pages, as if they were collaborating in the exercise. This happened again today, early in the morning, with 12 pages read in the same way. Between the two days, at least 35 posts. This seems to be a coordinated effort. I’m quite sure it’s not a coincidence.

I get a lot of hits from the US, as seems natural. The rest are spread around the world, but never concentrated in any one particular country, until yesterday when Israel showed up, which has got me wondering. Why was there so much attention on so many varied posts in such a short time between these two readers, whoever they might be? The questions are coming fast and furious. What the heck is going on? Am I under observation by the surveillance State? Why would Mossad and the CIA be looking at me? Am I seeing monsters where there aren’t any? Were there simply two private citizens, keenly interested in reading my work and sharing it with each other? Is it a completely innocent event or should I be concerned? And, if I should be concerned, what have I written which drew attention?

I’ll admit it. I’ve been hard on Trump (here and here), but then I didn’t cut Biden and Obama any slack either, and the revulsion I have for George W. Bush has oozed out of my quill pen on occasion. I hammered the Covid issue repeatedly and forcefully, especially the lack of courage shown by the Church. I haven’t written much about the issue of Israel in Gaza, but anytime it was mentioned was always negatively. I strongly opposed the forced sale of TikTok to a controlled consortium as a matter of “free speech” and condemned the extra-judicial murders of the Venezuelan fishermen. I dared to compare Renee Good to Vicki Weaver, which ought to have enraged both the Right and the Left if they were consistent in their hypocrisy. And, in the article just prior to this one, I noticed the similarity between Asimov’s Multivac and AI, our own modern version of digital control. Oh, and I called Anthony Fauci out as the Mouth of the Beast at a time when he was riding high in the saddle. I consider myself to be an equal-opportunity gadfly.

But, wait, as any good marketer would say, there’s more.

I also write about the slow, gradual, continual progression of my relationship with Jesus the Christ and the subsequent surrender to the leadings of the Holy Spirit. A few months back, I wrote about the spiritual turmoil I was experiencing in releasing the control of my life to God, understanding that complete trust would be required if I went down that path. Two weeks ago, I had a dream which seemed to confirm a definite shift in that direction. This raises the possibility that God, in His own inscrutable way, might be setting me up to see how far I will actually go in my faith. A real-world case, if you will, and I don’t intend to disappoint Him.

I am 67 years old. My sense of smell is completely gone. My hearing is quite bad and I have to rely on ear buds quite often to make out what others are saying. My eyesight, which used to be 99.9% perfect, now needs “cheaters” as a regular assistant, although, I still manage with only 1.5x. Slightly overweight, high blood pressure, beginning stages of prostate enlargement. You know, all the usual things which grow on an old man. I know that I am approaching the Grim Reaper, one day at a time, and there is nothing I can do about it. When that will happen is anyone’s guess.

In addition, I don’t have much piled up in the way of material possessions and have to rely on the piddling amount of Social Security I receive every month to keep body and soul together, along with any extra cash I can conjure up. I rent living quarters. My pickup is the most valuable piece of equipment I have. When I die, there won’t be much to move around and the executor will probably not even have to break a sweat to administer the estate.

This is brought out to say that my faith in God is the only real asset I possess which can be counted and relied on, and I intend to make it grow and prosper. Everything else is simply here until it’s gone, and then it’s gone.

With that said, let it be known that my work here will continue as it has been until I can no longer produce. Whether that cessation comes from death, physical or mental incapacity, or brute force visited on me is not important. What does matter is that the rest of my time on this Earth is spent, to the best of my ability, speaking His words after Him, speaking the truth, speaking out against the evil so pervasive in society, refusing to live in fear, making a difference for good whenever and wherever I can. I will not stop nor back down, no matter who is listening or watching.

“No man, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” — Luke 9:62

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” — Ecclesiastes 9:10

“There’s no stopping a man who knows he’s right and keeps a’coming.” — Louis L’Amour

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” — Jim Elliot

And the ultimate promise by Jesus Christ.

“Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” — Matthew 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24

Damn straight! I’ve only just begun to live.

All the Troubles of the World 

Roger Mitchell3 Comments

“…somewhere those words were being whirled into the most complex structure ever conceived by man; that a trillion facts would blend and coordinate into a whole, and that from that whole, Multivac would abstract its best help.”

This statement comes from a short story, All the Troubles of the World1, by Isaac Asimov, first published in a magazine, Super Science Fiction, in 1958. Multivac is an immense computer, centralized in Washington, DC, with terminals, tendrils, and connections to anything and everywhere in the world. It had started, like everything else of human origin, as an idea which had grown from concept to actual reality, finally leading to Multivac which was tasked with taking in all the facts and information known to man, both collectively and individually, from which it would determine the best course of action for humanity. All humans were required to participate in the collection of knowledge, inputting even their most private thoughts into the system on a regular basis. Eventually, Multivac became competent enough to predict future crimes, enabling authorities to arrest those named before they had taken action to commit them. It was not even necessary to think about committing the crimes anymore as Multivac could apparently predict, with some certainty, what an individual would consider prior to the thought even entering his mind and take pre-emptive action to prevent it from happening. The movie, Minority Report, starring Tom Cruise, drew heavily on this concept.

In short, the ultimate electronic nanny. I hate them. I really do. They are everywhere, from nagging beeps to remind you to “buckle up”. Road signs which flash red warnings at you that you are driving too fast and order you to slow down. “Slow down!” “Slow down!” Increasingly, they are taking shape as health-related monitors which are synced with your ever-ready companion “smart” phone. How long will it be before we are told to gaze into a retina scanner in order to start our car or become unable to drive it because the reader in the dashboard has determined that an inappropriate level of alcohol on our breath has been detected?

Asimov, one of my childhood favorite authors, who was extremely prescient, died in 1992, well before the age of AI and the ubiquitous adoption of the program. My guess, understanding his bent toward individual freedom, is that he would not have welcomed its advent, even though he predicted it with clarity. I am constantly amazed at his ability to project events and developments many years into the future.

Let me rephrase this statement and bring it up to date.

“…somewhere those words were being whirled into the most complex structure ever conceived by man; that a trillion facts would blend and coordinate into a whole, and that from that whole, AI would abstract its best answer.“

Really, now. Isn’t this the way that technology is moving, spending gazillions of dollars on data centers, quantum computers, and communication devices, hoovering up any and all specks or truckloads of information it can. Legal or not doesn’t matter. Privacy be damned! You have it, we want it. Give it over. (BTW, make sure you read all the fine print in the Consumer Disclosure of the Terms of Service before you click the Agreement button, and we’ll make sure it’s so long and so complicated that you will just automatically click the button–so that you can experience the thrill and pleasure of our product without wading through all the legal terminology of your rights and responsibilities…and ours.) Applying for a job or a driver’s license? Have an appointment with a doctor, dentist, or shrink? Looking to buy beer at your local grocery store? Papers, please! Written anything and published it online or in print recently or within your lifetime? Know for sure that the entire world probably has access to it and whatever you said can and may will be used against you2…at some future time, even if you are long since dead and gone.

And on, and on, and on, scooping up the “facts” in an increasingly efficient manner and storing them somewhere, in an ethereal, amorphous, nebulous place which no one has ever seen but which has become an immense piggy bank for some few, well-connected persons and their governments. Asimov’s Multivac, which today we call The Cloud.

The man said, “Good afternoon, swearers and guests. I am Randolph T. Hoch, in charge of the Baltimore ceremonies this year. The swearers3 met me several times now during the progress of the physical and neurological portions of this examination. Most of the task is done, but the most important matter is left. The swearer himself, his personality, must go into Multivac’s records.”

“Each year, this requires some explanation to the young people reaching adulthood. Until now…you have not been adult, you have not been individuals in the eyes of Multivac, except where you were especially singled out as such by your parents or your government.”

“Until now, when the time for the yearly up-dating of information came, it was your parents who filled in the necessary data on you. Now the time has come for you to take over that duty yourself. It is a great honor, a great responsibility. Your parents have told us what schooling you’ve had, what diseases, what habits, a great many things. But now you must tell us a great deal more; your innermost thoughts, your most secret deeds.”

“This is hard to do the first time, embarrassing even, but it must be done. Once it is done, Multivac will have a complete analysis of all of you in files. It will understand your actions and reactions. It will even be able to guess with fair accuracy at your future actions and reactions.”

“In this way, Multivac will protect you. If you are in danger of accident, it will know. If someone plans harm to you, it will know. If you plan harm, it will know and you will be stopped in time so that it will not be necessary to punish you…for the good of all.” (Ibid. Bolded emphasis mine.)

It will know. It will know. It will know. The repetitious monotone sounds so machine-like that it brings back memories of an episode of Dr. Who, from a long time ago before the show went woke. At the very end of it, a portal opened in a wall and short, squat robots started pouring out, each one chanting over and over, “Exterminate. Exterminate. Exterminate.”

Will this be the logical end of AI? Can we look forward to a time when everything about us, our thoughts, our passions, our habits, our goals, dreams, and visions will be known to the Machine which is being built out? Will it pass the point of no return where Man no longer has control of it, but becomes subservient to its dictates? Will it develop, as some predict, into Skynet, declaring war on humanity wherever humanity can be found? Will it become, in effect, the all-seeing eye of Sauron?

As los Mexicanos say, ¿Quien sabes?

In the meantime, I will maintain and build my faith in Jesus, the Christ, Who owns the future. I’m not going to lose any sleep worrying about it.

  1. Doubleday, 1990, ©Nightfall, Inc. ↩︎
  2. The infamous Miranda warning which police are supposed to recite when arresting criminals. Unless they kill them first, as happened to Alex Pretti recently. Incidentally, one of my cousins was shot numerous times in the back and killed while walking away from the heavily armed goons. Suicide by cop, they called it. ↩︎
  3. Swearers were those young people who transferred from child status to adults at the age of 18. Every year, in every city, a ceremony was held to welcome them into the world of Multivac. ↩︎

Renee Good. Ashli Babbitt. Vicki Weaver. Alex Pretti.

Roger Mitchell1 Comment

Kent State. Ashli Babbitt. Renee Good. Waco. Alex Pretti. Vicki Weaver.

And more. Many, many more.

Bear in mind that the links provided here are only starting points, may be (probably are) biased1 and should not be taken as “gospel truth”. However, all the people referenced have one thing in common: they were killed while at odds with specific policies and practices of the presiding government of the land. They were killed, not because they were bad people or criminals who had been pronounced guilty in a legal setting, but because they got in the way of the System which held power and which acted against them.

There will be no blame against any of them coming from my direction. I will not take sides as to their politics, their motives, or their religions. Instead, I keep asking this question: They are all dead, killed violently, and, for why? Why? And the only answer I can come up with is the same as it ever was: power, power for the sake of power, power to control people and circumstances for the benefit of the System. And this is always the way of the world, as it has been from the very beginning2, when you can’t get what you want because someone else appears to be at fault or in your way, kill them3.

In today’s world, it does not matter what side of the aisle you live on, what political affiliation you hold to, what your social status is, whether you are completely innocent or a complicit participant, what you believe religiously, how much money you have (or don’t), IF you get caught in the path of the system of overpowering control, you stand a good chance of being mowed down without mercy.

Any one of us could be next.

Unfortunately, because people tend to take sides and associate only with those they agree with, this breaks down into a sort of tribal mentality–my side against your side–and the loss suffered by those we are opposed to is seen as a victory. Of course, the same is true for “them”, who celebrate any loss which is received by “our” side. In the end, we all suffer.

In stark contrast to this pattern, the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches a different way, a better way. Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Forgive those who hurt you. Do not seek vengeance for yourself. As much as you can, live peaceably with everyone. Why? Is it not because the message of the gospel is to learn to live the way God intended for us? A life of unselfishness, one in which we seek the betterment of others, one in which our neighbor’s welfare becomes at least as important as our own. Incidentally, this is The Order from on High, whether we like it or not.

Generally speaking, however, people don’t want to hear this and usually produce excuses and rationale as to why they simply cannot or will not comply. Trumptards! Communists! Bidenistas! Pentecostals! Catholics! Jews! Muslims! Bigots! Racists! Homophobes! Transgenders! Rapists! Illegal immigrants! Terrorists! Drug runners! Do you have any idea what that person did to me? Do you have any idea what those people will do to us if we let them?

Predictably, out of all the chaos, churn, and dissension comes a forceful response by an organized entity, government, which relies on superior firepower and resources to shepherd everyone into line, supposedly to provide protection and sustenance to the population which tolerates its abusive behavior. Except that government inevitably accrues more and more power to itself, casting wider and wider nets, enmeshing more and more people and territory into its grasp, until eventually there is only one option left: Submit or die. And the abusive behavior becomes more and more personal, as all those mentioned at the beginning found out at the cost of their lives and, for which, there is not, nor will be, any particular form of accountability nor admission of wrong. Instead, it will go on and on, until the end of time when the system collapses and another form of violent coercion rises up to take its place.

James Nelson, a former Montana Supreme Court judge, has hit the nail on the head in a recent article in which he decried the shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis by an armed member of ICE. His liberal bias shows through but, if you can overlook that, the truth of the matter is exposed for all to see. When the rights inherent in every human being are trampled on by government force without any regard for those rights and there is no accountability for those abuses, then all of us are in trouble and at risk.

In short, when government agents violate constitutional rights without consequence—when accountability is absent and misconduct is met with institutional silence or even tacit approval—public safety and the rule of law are placed in jeopardy. When those entrusted with authority operate beyond meaningful oversight, every one of us is at risk.

What few of us will risk speaking out, marching, or engaging in peaceful protest when doing so carries the possibility of being seriously harmed—or even killed—by an inadequately supervised government agent acting with undue aggression, and with little fear of facing consequences. The mere perception that such force may be used without accountability is enough to silence many who would otherwise exercise their constitutional rights.

This is a problem. What is the solution? Is there a solution? Well, yes, there is, but it’s one that most people don’t want to consider or practice: Stop. Just stop. The fact is that if you engage in any of the power-seeking, power-broking attitudes and actions that constitute today’s society, then you are part of the problem, even if you do nothing more than support and vote for any particular person who promises to give you what you want…at someone else’s expense. Someone you don’t even know and never hear about until their name shows up on the evening newscast.

The only way to win is to not play the game. Just stop.

  1. Technically speaking, there can never be an unbiased account of anything. All of us have our own little quirks and tweaks of belief and understanding which have been developed due to circumstances and training. However, this does not preclude fairly good and well-balanced interpretations of the “facts” on the ground. It just means they are flavored. ↩︎
  2. The story of Cain and Abel, Book of Genesis, chapter 4. ↩︎
  3. The greatest example of this currently is, of course, the Israeli slaughter and genocide of the Palestinian people. But, that’s another story. ↩︎

Not All Who Wander are Lost: Some Come Home

Roger MitchellLeave a comment

“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.” — T.S. Eliot

The end of exploring, for the truly broken, born-again believer in the Christian realm, is to return to his roots and his (Father’s) home, in a spirit of humility because he has tried everything else and it has been found wanting. From that point, he begins again, but with a different attitude and understanding.

Such is the essence of the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), who despised what his father could give him and knew, absolutely knew, that he could do better on his own, without the restraining influence of older wisdom. In the end, after wasting everything he had been given, there was nothing left but to admit he had been wrong, to confess his failings, to beg forgiveness, and to ask for nothing except the chance to start over again, this time from the very bottom.

When you’re in a hole, stop digging. If you hit bedrock before you quit, there’s only one direction to go–up. Well, I suppose you could go sideways to avoid climbing out. But that would be really stupid, now, wouldn’t it? Been there, done that.

“The most radical idea today is not rebellion but humility.” — Mark Keenan

Jordan Peterson addresses the flip side of this in his book, We Who Wrestle with God1, while discussing the issue of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4:

“Cain wishes most devoutly for God to take responsibility for the pain and disappointment attendant on human existence. God upbraids him in a manner precisely opposite to what he most longs to hear. Cain’s request is therefore not only rejected: God turns the tables on him. This makes Cain even more unhappy and vengeful. It is one terrible thing to have your sacrifices rejected, and to fail. A whole new level of existential misery emerges, however, when you are informed in some incontrovertible manner by exactly what or who your are accusing that your own conduct is fully and completely to blame for your failure and misery; that you have made everything much worse than it had to be by your refusal to do even what you know to be right. This is a very damning judgment…” (emphasis mine)

There are multitudes of people in this world who act like Cain, blaming anyone and everyone, except themselves, for their troubles and, because of their irresponsibility to own up to their failed actions, the situation only gets worse. The Prodigal Son, on the other hand, while foolish and irresponsible at first, eventually wised up, admitting that he was the only one who could be blamed for his predicament. He was the only one who had gotten himself into trouble. He willingly opened himself up to the judgment and potential penalty imposed, should his father decide to exact one, but because he honestly stated his sin in a humble and contrite manner to his father, forgiveness was granted and he was welcomed home with open arms and the best the house could provide.

My God! Why did it take so long? And where do I go from here? Well, for starters, I have to admit that I am the only one who can take the blame for the mess I’ve made of my life. When I die (not terribly far off now) and face God in His courtroom, I will be alone, totally alone, and there will be no excuses made, no blame cast, no attempts at escape. I daresay, however, if the parable of the Prodigal Son is true in its meaning, then God will simply say, “My boy! You’ve been away a long time. Come on in!”

And all of the past will be forgotten. Forever.

  1. Jordan Peterson, 2024, Penguin Random House, 3rd printing ↩︎

The Suicidal Nature of Abortion

Roger Mitchell5 Comments

January 22, 2026, fifty three years after the Supreme Court of the United States decided that a woman’s “right” to kill her unborn child (abortion) was a constitutional privilege and could not be denied her. For any reason. By anyone, including the father of the child. See Roe v. Wade.

I wrote this article in 20191, almost six years ago, and decided to repost it here as a memorial to all those who have been slaughtered for the sake of convenience and selfishness. You are not forgotten.

Abortion, as it is practiced today, is a suicide machine.2 No apologies to Bruce Springsteen. His politics speak for him.

We are told from the very beginning that humans are part of the animal kingdom, that there’s really no difference at all between humans and chimpanzees or cockroaches, for that matter. We are all a product of evolution, a result of nature constantly weeding out the weak, inefficient, and hapless. Oh, and there is one other matter which distinguishes us—humans know the difference between right and wrong, that is, we understand a moral code, while all the other animals operate from a position of instinct.

What’s really interesting about this is that other animals, operating instinctively, do not deliberately kill their unborn children. Women, on the other hand, who are supposed to have risen to the very top of the pyramid of knowledge and understanding, will and do. Animal mothers will do anything and everything they instinctively know how to do to perpetuate their lineage, yet human mothers will do anything and everything they can, legally or otherwise, to destroy their offspring.

If there is one difference between animals and humans, it is this. Animals struggle to continue their lineage, humans act to destroy theirs.

Evolution, it is said, is a process by which the best of the best pass on their genes and characteristics to ensuing generations, thereby ensuring that the strongest and the most fit of the species survives and prospers. The weaker, less fit ones die out. As a whole, the entire species becomes better and more adapted to its environment. Well, then, consider this.

If the above statement is true, then women who abort their unborn children are not passing on their characteristics to the future generations, instead they’re removing them from the gene pool. This is in contrast to those women who deliver children and raise them up to become productive members of the human race, including the reproduction of children of their own through untold generations.

From an evolutionary viewpoint, over the long run, it is evident that women who abort their children will eventually die out, while those who don’t will continue the species. This leads to the conclusion that women who abort are the weaker members of the species and, since we are only animals anyway, they should and will be weeded out. For the benefit of humanity as a whole, you understand. And you should also understand that this is a tongue-in-cheek comment and is not meant to degrade any woman at all.

Coupled with this is the moral understanding that human beings should not kill each other, that there are negative consequences of these acts, and that humanity suffers when lethal violence is perpetrated against one member of society by another. Any society which practices or condones the widespread killing of its citizens, born or unborn, is participating in the demise of its future, dooming it to extinction.

It appears then, that abortion proponents and women who practice abortions are actually committing suicide, genetically speaking. As time goes on, the proportion of women who choose to give life to their unborn children will grow in relation to those who choose to kill theirs. Eventually, the numbers will become so lopsided that even the politicians will take note of it. Whether the suicidal members of society do or not is a different story. If they are consistent in their evolution and their beliefs, they will remain so to the very end, until they are all gone, when there are no more members of the human race who are willing to destroy their own children for their own selfish ends and survival of the fittest will be proven correct once again.

On this issue, evolution and morals appear to have collaborated. Abortion is not only morally wrong and detrimental to human relations, but also immensely destructive to the survival of the human species. Those who practice it will be eliminated—one way or another. As an evolutionary practice, abortion leads to death (extinction). As a moral practice, abortion leads to death (extinction). Abortion, quite simply, is suicidal. It is not beneficial nor wise.

“All those who hate me [wisdom], love death.” (Proverbs 8:36)

 

  1. At the time, I was posting to a blog which was dedicated to the abortion issue, but when Covid hit in early 2020, I couldn’t keep up with everything and let this one expire. I have all the articles posted on it and may air them here from time to time. ↩︎
  2. A term used in Bruce Springsteen’s 1975 hit song, “Born to Run”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3t9SfrfDZM ↩︎

Eight Lane Highway to Hell: Exit Ahead

Roger Mitchell1 Comment

The following quote grabbed my attention as soon as I read it. It comes from an article on ZeroHedge which seeks to explain why the politically driven gender divide between men and women has been growing increasingly wider in the last two decades. It does not take any political stand, neither left nor right, liberal nor conservative, on the issues, but rather tries to unravel the reasons for the movement in a fairly rational and balanced manner.

“I think this is why you see so little defection. Not because the ideology is true, but because the psychological cost of leaving is higher than the cost of staying. Easier to double down. Easier to believe the problem is that society hasn’t changed enough yet.”

I tend to agree with the conclusion reached and believe this trend will probably continue until the entire modern culture is destroyed and something completely different with a fundamentally opposing attitude takes its place. It is not likely that the society world-wide is going to make a corrective course change voluntarily, instead, it will be driven by necessity and reality.

Now, without taking up with one side or the other, I found this to be revealing of a truth far, far older than the idiotic, senseless, lies which pass for solid bedrock today, namely,

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” — Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV)

If, and I stress if, the argument in the article cited is accurate, then it correlates strongly with this passage of Scripture, because the paragraph cited lays it out quite plainly. It is harder to leave the dominant mode of thinking and change one’s way of life than it is to continue with the prevailing mindset. It is extremely difficult for someone who has believed a certain philosophy and lived with that as the guiding principle for a lifetime to admit they were wrong. It is less radical to blend in with the herd, to go with the flow, than to move against it.

It is easier to stay on the plantation than to escape from it.

Keep in mind that this fits regardless of the male/female distinction. In whatever societal circles men find themselves, the pressure to conform and fit in is just as strong and compelling as in the female side, but it takes a different form. The passage of Scripture, which is a direct quote from Jesus Christ, does not discriminate between men and women. There is no blame cast here, no finger pointing. Instead, this pattern should be seen as an admonition to everyone that “going along with the crowd” leads to disaster and destruction, sometimes in the short run, always in the long run.

It is interesting that the very next verse in Matthew warns about listening to voices which are false and misleading.

“Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”

This is a succinct summary of the situation we find ourselves in today. Everywhere, at all levels of society, there are people who are deliberately trying to massage the message and sway the masses for a purpose, usually related to the accumulation of power and wealth. This phenomenon encompasses all strata of society but the result is the same: the masses of people, both men and women, are being swallowed up in a sinkhole of eternal consequence which has nothing at its base except lies, lies which are driven by a hatred of the truth.

  • He who dies with the most toys wins.
  • Do whatever feels good.
  • You can have it all.
  • Express your inner self and grab for your own desires.
  • Someone else is always at fault. You never are.
  • Someone else will correct your situation. You are not responsible.
  • The only one worth living for is yourself.
  • Don’t make waves. Blend in.
  • The end always justifies the means.

Etc., etc., etc., Forever and ever.

The destruction of the modern way of life is upon us and can be seen everywhere if you only care to look and are willing to face the facts. There is only one remedy and it cannot be imposed from without by slavish devotion to an algorithmic feed nor ideological training, but must spring from the personal admission of wrong (confession of sin) and a radical departure (repentance) from the predominant thought which grips entire cultures. This is a spiritual endeavor which, if genuine and heart-felt, will lead to the emancipation of your individual soul and spirit. It can only come from trusting in the wisdom which comes from above, which is love–love for God and love for your neighbor as if he were you, and placing your faith in Jesus the Christ, who shows us the way.

Few there be that find it.

America loves war. Just admit it.

Roger Mitchell2 Comments

“The Constitution gives Congress the sole power to declare war. Congress, representing the weakest of the three branches of government, has refused to follow its obligation since WWII. The Senate has shown a bit of backbone here, with the Democrats (and five Republicans) voting on a War Powers resolution to limit what Trump can do in Venezuela. Trump will undoubtedly veto it. Congress loves war as much as the people who keep voting them back in office do.” — https://donaldjeffries.substack.com/p/the-gangsters-of-manifest-destiny

Hoo, boy! Isn’t that the truth? But, just to make sure everyone understands the statement clearly, let me rephrase it.

The people who keep voting the politicians into office love war as much as Congress does!

Ahhhhh! Now we’re getting somewhere. And there is no better example of that assertion than the continual and long-standing re-election of uber-hawk Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, who has never seen heard about a war he didn’t love, especially those which wreak havoc, death, and destruction on people and societies which are, supposedly, the “enemies” of the self-righteous, so-called Christian community of the state he hails from and the “national interests of the US. Whatever that means.

Compassion for the poor, down-trodden, hungry masses of foreign peoples outside the “respectable” circles of the Pharisaical confines of the most-segregated community in America today, the Christian church1, is not considered. What is more important is the constant and constantly increasing flow of “blessings”, read dollars, to the industries and services which are a large part of the economy of South Carolina (and every other state as well), from the bellicose machine known as MICIMATT, of which the US Department of War is its very public face, and for which the president (Donald Trump being the latest example) is the main cheerleader.

Hip, hip, hooray! Let’s go kill some despicables today! Kill them over there so we don’t have to kill them over here! Yeah, you know, because we’re a Christian nation and they’re not, except for Venezuela, of course, which is also Christian, but just happens to be full of oil which it was selling to “our” adversary, China. Thank God that “our” modern-day Herculean hero, Mr. Donald John Trump, was given power to put a stop to that bullshit. If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read this in English, thank the President!

War is the health of the State, Randolph Bourne told us a century ago, and that is no less true today than it was when he penned the words.

“…the nation in war-time attains a uniformity of feeling, a hierarchy of values, culminated at the undisputed apex of the State ideal, which could not possibly be produced through any other agency than war. Other values such [as] artistic creation, knowledge, reason, beauty, the enhancement of life, are instantly and almost unanimously sacrificed and the significant classes who have constituted themselves the amateur agents of the State are engaged not only in sacrificing these values for themselves but in coercing all other persons into sacrificing them.” — https://www.panarchy.org/bourne/state.1918.html

Sadly, this prevailing attitude is directly opposed to the teachings of another famous person, who may or may have never written anything down for posterity to read, but who fundamentally changed the world–Jesus Christ.

  1. “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you.” — Luke 6:27
  2. “Blessed are the peacemakers2, for they shall be called the sons of God.” — Matthew 5:9
  3. “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” — Matthew 26:52
  4. “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.” — Luke 23:34

Etc., among many others, and there is also this order from the Ten Commandments, which bears repeating: “Thou shalt not steal.” — Exodus 20:15. Stealing, of course, is an involuntary taking of something, anything, from someone else which belongs to them, whether by force, fraud, or law. Taking the life of someone else would fall into this category.

Donald Trump, at the very least, is honest with his principles. He has stated that he is NOT a Christian, which can be seen in his actions,3 which he makes no excuses for, and which he does not try to hide. (Except for anything which might be exposed in the full and complete release of the Epstein files, if there’s anything there.) Not so for the millions upon millions of skin-deep Christians who claim to worship the Prince of Peace as the King of Kings, but who harbor a deep reverence and love toward the militant State which constantly practices deceit, theft, and murder on a world-wide scale.

“There is a moral order. Beware of unintended consequences when it it violated.”4

    1. Segregation of churches according to skin color is a prominent part of Christianity in the Christian church today, especially in the South. This is a dirty shame and may be a reason why the Church in America has no power today. ↩︎
    2. Peacekeepers, as commonly understood today, are not identical to peacemakers. Peacekeepers use the threat of violent force to maintain an artificial truce between warring factions while they discuss and negotiate the methods by which they might live in a state without overt war. On the other hand, peacemaking is the process by which war itself, is completely eliminated from the community of individuals/nations and is accomplished by voluntarily submitting to the will of the Prince of Peace Himself and loving your neighbor (enemy) as you love yourself. ↩︎
    3. “By their works you will know them.” — Matthew 7:16 ↩︎
    4. Jordan Peterson, We Who Wrestle with God, Penguin Random House, 2024, chapter 3.8. ↩︎

    Honesty, Finally. For the Whole World to See.

    Roger Mitchell2 Comments

    “…there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.” — Jesus Christ, Luke 10:26

    In a bitterly ironic way, Trump’s reckless arrogance is to be welcomed. Because he is inadvertently exposing the Western system for what it is – a criminal imperialist regime with absolutely no respect for international law, human life, and peaceful coexistence. He has discarded the Western mask of duplicity and pretense, which at least makes it clear what the Western system is all about. What we see is something barbaric and ugly, like the fascism of former times. — https://strategic-culture.su/news/2026/01/09/trump-turbo-charged-rogue-regime-exposes-pathetic-european-vassals/

    Donald Trump has spilled the beans, knowingly or not. America has finally gone rogue without any trappings of respectability or any effort made to preserve its so-called “sanctity” built up over the decades and centuries about democracy, the rule of law, justice, and liberty. No, that carefully constructed and long maintained edifice artifice has just been exposed for the whole world to see and “our” man in the White House has been very direct and open in proclaiming the message. Frank Zappa’s long-standing prediction has arrived.

    “The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it’s profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater.”

    This is not entirely a bad thing. There are no longer any reasons for anyone to make excuses for his actions, just call them for what they are–naked, raw power manifestations. No one, except those who are willfully blind, can justify what is happening according to an ethical moral code unless they also share in Trump’s desire for power over others, for the power to determine what is right and wrong, for the power to create their own “values” and to say, with Trump, “We can do whatever we wish.” Jordan Peterson has addressed the motivation this way.

    “This is the elevation of narrow self-will to the highest conceivable place, in the guise of ultimate freedom. (“I can abide by whatever values I choose”–something that almost immediately deteriorates into “I can do whatever I want” or, more accurately, “Whatever impulse grips me rules.”) This is simultaneously the presumption of subjective omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence. (“I have the capacity to determine the very definition of right and wrong, valuable and contemptible, good and evil.”)1

    Trump has explicitly stated this before (see here), his sycophantic staff and advisors parrot the same line (see here), and the authority has even been expanded to the police who can now “do whatever the hell they want”. Somewhere, somehow, the man has gotten the idea that because he was elected selected to hold down the cushy chair in the Oval Office, there are no limits on his behavior and that no one can tell him to “stand down”. There are millions of Americans, many of them so-called Christians who ought to know better, who cheer him on and virtually worship him as, if not God Himself, then as representing God because they have themselves embraced a violent religion of power and control. They are subject to the idol they have raised up.

    Unfortunately, this attitude does not guarantee righteous success, but instead drives the already low moral status of the United States even lower. If the President can do anything he wants and get away with it, then, as one of his subjects, I can also act that way and, hopefully, escape any judgment and punishment myself. When Trump acts in an immoral manner as the representative of the people, it does not mean that he is immune to consequences, instead it shows that the moral character of the populace at large is degraded and rotten. These points (“I’m the President. I can do whatever I want.”) and (“If the president is free to act any way he wants, then so am I.”) are symbiotic and feed off each other, making excuses for all sorts of behavior, refusing to take responsibility, and blaming others for the fallout.

    What is to be done by the average person in the US who is appalled by the goings-on?

    1. Recognize that you cannot change Donald Trump nor the way he thinks. This is God’s prerogative, however, you can ask God to work a miracle.
    2. Recognize that you may have such tendencies within yourself and, if so, confess them, ask forgiveness, cleansing, and healing, then change the way you think and act.
    3. Recognize that you do not have the authority nor the power to determine what is right or wrong. That was fixed a long time ago and is immutable. It cannot be changed, adapted, amended, added to, or altered. It can only be obeyed and adhered to, or disobeyed and ignored at your own risk and those who follow after you.
    4. Make a difference for righteousness in your own sphere of influence, your family, church, neighborhood, community.2
    5. Refuse to support the evil which is pervasive throughout this society. Call it out whenever it appears, beginning within your own soul. Eliminate every evil! If this means you have to change your politics to fit your belief structure, then…well? Do I need to draw you a picture?3
    6. Prepare yourself for what is coming4. Other nations have been here before. Where are they now? Why should we expect to receive different treatment?

    As average, everyday Americans, we do not have much influence, hardly any at all, over the machinations of the powers-that-be who own and run the government. That does not let us off the hook. When the shit hits the fan full force, as it will, we are going to be held responsible for the part we played in the shaping of our society. It does no good to claim ignorance nor to say that we are blameless.

    “And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him will they ask the more.” — Luke 12: 47-48

    As the common saying in jurisprudence says, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.” Whether we acted deliberately or ignorantly, we are going to be beaten. Truly, a day of reckoning is due America and, as the society which has been given more than any other in history, the stripes will be proportionate.

    Live not by lies! It may save your skin.

    1. Jordan B. Peterson, We Who Wrestle with God, Penguin Random House, 2024, chapter 2.5 ↩︎
    2. Glen Campbell put it this way. We need to take the message to heart. ↩︎
    3. One of my father’s favorite questions. ↩︎
    4. See Psalms 2. If you listen closely, you can almost hear God laughing uproariously. Or, maybe He has done and is wiping the tears out of His eyes. Either way, not good for our future. ↩︎

    Is Trump Trying to Start a War? Why Would He?

    Roger Mitchell3 Comments

    Remember the Epstein files? How much have you heard about them recently? Where are the millions of “recently discovered” documents which the government has always had in its possession, yet only now acknowledged. What is in them which has not been revealed? Will it be revealed or will we be treated to more of the same old, same old? “Move on. Nothing to see here.” And to make sure that nothing is seen, will they be redacted so heavily that there really is nothing of any importance shown?

    Donald Trump is like a zucchini plant in late summer–the gift which keeps on giving. Those who have experience with zucchinis, whether growing them or having neighbors who grow them, will understand. If you don’t, then I recommend you familiarize yourself and, perhaps, even try your hand at growing some yourself. They are an amazingly prolific vegetable which can outproduce the appetite anyone might have for them. Check out this website for a tip which I was not aware of but plan to implement this spring.

    But…back to Donald. The man is truly an intensely productive machine, a hyper-active over-achiever in many senses who excels at getting things done which he wants done. With respect to that, he has my respect.1 I trail far behind. However, he does so many things that I do not like nor approve of that I cannot keep up with all of them. They simply are ignored, overlooked, forgotten, or put on the back burner until later, which means that they are ignored, overlooked, and forgotten.

    Nevertheless, the big news gets my attention and the big news of the moment is that the US Coast Guard has recently boarded and commandeered an oil tanker in the North Sea between Iceland and England–far, far away from the coast of the US. Ummmm, isn’t the Coast Guard supposed to patrol the American coast and leave the “enforcement of US Law” on the internationally recognized, deep blue high seas to the Navy?

    This comes less than a week after the invasion of Venezuela and the kidnapping of Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a lightening fast raid on Caracas on January 3, 2026. He has since been transported to a federal court in New York City and indicted on numerous charges, most of them totally ridiculous, but virtually all of which will be upheld, and by which he will be found guilty, flogged in the public square, thrown into prison with Manuel Noriega, tortured until he confesses his sins, and eventually executed by a bullet to the back of the head2, after which his body will be drawn and quartered, then burned to ashes which will be consigned to Davy Jones’ locker alongside the remains of Osama bin Laden, who was officially “buried at sea”, never to be heard from again. [For those who are gullible enough to believe everything they read, know that this prediction is pure sarcastic satire and is meant only to draw attention to the ridiculous claims which the State has made about these, and other, matters.]

    Not to mention that Trump is breathing heavy threats against the Danish “claim” that Greenland belongs to them and that it would be better for everyone all around if the US simply took it over (militarily, if necessary) and made it the 52nd, 53rd, or 54th state, depending on how you count. (Canada, of course, is the 51st.) Or, maybe, he will have compassion on the entire population there by giving them a cool million dollars each of your hard-earned, easily inflated money, so long as they agree to sell the land-locked iceberg to him.3

    It makes my head spin. As Lenin is supposed to have said, “There are decades where nothing happens and there are weeks when decades happen.” Or, if you prefer to beat up on Christopher Columbus as the spark which ignited all the wrongs visited on the New World,

    “There are centuries in which nothing happens and years in which centuries pass. Fourteen ninety-two is a year of centuries,”4

    Hoo, boy! What is next? Who the heck knows?

    The more important questions to ask, however, is these. Why is Trump doing all this now? Is he deliberately trying to start a “serious” war? And, probably most important of all, what is he trying to hide by distracting the populace with grandiose, Fourth of July style events? Would his efforts possibly have something to do with the fact that America, the Empire, is on its last legs? The fact that the country is financially broken beyond redemption? The fact that the rest of the world is moving in its own direction which does not coincide with his Israel America First vision? The fact that his poll numbers are plunging deeply and that many of his die-hard followers are starting to question his tactics, policies, promises, and maybe even his sanity? Or, perhaps most importantly, would it have to do with the “soon-to-be released” heavily-redacted files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, which will not die a normal death, and, like the zucchini plant, just keeps on giving. And giving. And giving.

    What is Trump trying to hide and will we ever learn the truth about it?

    In times like these, there is only one place to go for reassurance–the Word of God, specifically Luke 10:26, in the words of Jesus Christ himself.

    “Therefore, do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.”

    We have a choice. See what is happening around us and be afraid because we cannot see what is going on behind the curtain OR to trust that the dark places, the hidden things, will have the light of truth shone upon them and will be exposed for what they are. This is about as plain as I can make it.

    “Therefore, do not fear them.” Words worth repeating.

    1. Credit where credit is due. Even Adolf Hitler loved his dog. BM, add this to your list. ↩︎
    2. Or given enough rope to hang himself in the manner of Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide in spite of guards sleeping next to his cell, video cameras which malfunctioned at the “most inopportune time”, and a slew of other fantastic coincidences which are almost too unbelievable to be believed, but that’s what we’ve been told to believe. [Note: I don’t watch much TV, but I did see this on the Internet, so I know that it’s true.] ↩︎
    3. In mentioning this, Trump has made it clear that he has no compassion for the heavily-burdened citizens of the United States. They are only a cash-cow to be milked for his benefit. ↩︎
    4. Attributed to Mexican poet Homero Aridjis. https://www.csmonitor.com/1991/1011/11101.html ↩︎

    Ok, Mr. Trump. What’s Next? Who’s Next?

    Roger MitchellLeave a comment

    It’s been a few days since the United States attacked Venezuela in the middle of the night and captured kidnapped President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, packing them out, and sending them in handcuffs to New York City where they will be charged with, well, something which has a high probability of winning in a court packed with team players. You know, narco-terrorism, gang activity, gun-running, theft of American property, and perhaps even unauthorized intent to interfere in the 2028 presidential election, among others yet to be thought of. But, you know, “justice” has to be and will be served. Criminals simply cannot be allowed to run around loose like that, you know.

    “The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.” — Melian Dialogue

    I’ve read a lot of widely varying viewpoints on this affair and I still don’t know what is the truth. Probably never will for sure, but that isn’t going to stop me from forming my own opinion. Neither should it prevent you because we can only take what we know, including the obviously blatant lies and propaganda, and make the best decision we can with that information. Since we never have the complete truth, we have to make do with what we have. So, here’s mine.

    I’m increasingly convinced that the whole affair was a staged act of theater, designed to make it appear that America was back, riding high in the saddle after getting bucked off in Iraq and Afghanistan.1 Yeah, we can do whatever we want because we are the only country in the world who could do such a thing! Braggadocio! Bravado! Pump that fist to pump up the standing of those who are calling the shots and not doing really well at solving anything. Not to mention that this episode is a great distraction from the ongoing fracas known as Total Release of the Complete and Minimally Redacted Set of the Epstein Files. Yeah, how much have you heard about that in the last few days and when will it reassert itself as front-page news? If America gets bogged down in a Viet Nam-style war in Venezuela, will we ever hear anything more about it?

    Popular blogger, Simplicius, has fronted the possibility that Trump and Putin actually worked out a deal between them in which the US would agree to withdraw from Ukraine and Putin would look the other way on Venezuela. Whether this is accurate doesn’t matter as much as it adds to the suspicions that the whole thing is about large, muscular states overriding and destroying the sovereignty of smaller weaker ones without any qualms, without any concern as to who gets hurt in the process.

    “As the US was so concerned about the Monroe Doctrine and its own backyard, perhaps the US might also be concerned about developments in Russia’s backyard, as in Ukraine, making it very obvious that they were trying to set ip [sic] some kind of let’s just say: You stay out of Ukraine or you move out of Ukraine, and, you know, we’ll rethink where we are with Venezuela.” – Fiona Hill to Congress, October 14, 2019

    This seems to me to be a good case of strong arm bullying on the cheap without having to sink huge amounts of men, material, and money into the operation. If that is the case AND if it pans out well for Trump, then he has succeeded spectacularly. However, we cannot discount the idea that it will not play the way it was designed and that the aftermath might just be too much to bear. It is almost certain that the real reason for this was to regain control of the massive amounts of crude oil buried there, not to punish small time drug dealers or gang leaders. The question remains as to how the “campesinos” in Venezuela react to the taking of Maduro and the subsequent seizure of property which they might consider their own. If Trump attempts to impose a puppet government for the purpose of streamlining the transfer of that oil to large multinational companies against the popular will of the people, he may find that he has jumped from the frying pan into the fire.

    There are, of course, those niggling, nagging, little things called consequences, many of them as yet unseen.

    • 1. The “international rules-based order” so loudly trumpeted by the West as a defense of its policies and actions, and a denunciation of other nations which refused to “follow the rules”, is dead. Kaput. Rigor mortis setting in. There is no more system, only raw, naked power which is used by those who have the means to exercise it against those who cannot defend themselves.2 This applies as well to the much-vaunted “rule of law” proclaimed proudly as the basis of the supposed republic which Ben Franklin warned would have to be kept or it would disappear. Gone. Gone forever. It will never return in its previous form. From here on out, it is the law of the jungle–“Kill or be killed.”
    • The capture kidnapping and arrest of Nicolas Maduro on specious charges follows the same pattern as set by that in the case of Manuel Noriega in 1989, and will be argued according to the legal doctrine developed at that time. Since the US government never admits wrong-doing and will continue the practice whenever it wants, a precedent has been set which will probably be followed by other nations whenever they can, up to and including the assassination of high government officials, possibly likely even presidents.
    • The US and China have only recently “resolved” their differences over the production and distribution of rare earth elements (REE) which are required in the manufacture of many modern items which we can’t live without–smart phones, hi-tech missiles, data centers, satellites, etc. Will China respond to the loss of oil purchased from Venezuela by clamping down even harder on the REE issue?
    • Will China issue its own National Security Strategy declaring that the entire east coast of Asia is now to be considered as their sphere of influence and woe to the foreign power which might dare to meddle in the sovereign affairs of the nations within it? What if Xi Jin Ping decided one day to change the name of the Taiwan Strait to the China Strait and forbade adversarial powers to enter therein, all while making threatening noises about what would happen if they did?
    • Will foreign backed “terrorist”3 cells be activated within the US? Is that tactic to be reserved until Iran is attacked again? What is to be the defense against those?
    • And, of course, the rock-hard reality that we simply cannot afford another long, drawn-out war even if it is in our own backyard.

    And on, and on, and on…

    This whole thing may blow over with very little damage to show for it, but I have to admit the forebodings I experienced during the Noriega crisis are amplified today. For one thing, at that time, the USSR was on the cusp of collapsing, the vision of America as the only superpower was becoming reality, and the Panama Canal was still widely considered American property. Today? Well, the US is broke, deeply indebted, universally hated, arrogant beyond belief, and led by people who are trying to reclaim her former “glory”4 by repeating the mistakes of the past. There is also the fact that in 1989, the US still had some semblance of respectability around the world, while today it is in ragged tatters.

    At any rate, regardless what happens in the next few months or years, the probability that life, liberty, and happiness will be jeopardized for the average person in America and around the world has just been increased. Our situation is not getting better and this sort of Rambo-type machismo will not make it any better.

    Success breeds confidence which generates hubris which causes overreach which creates mistakes which have consequences which result in disaster which end in downfall.

    1. This brings back memory of the comment George H.W. Bush made after the First Iraq War which he engineered–“It’s a proud day for America. And, by God, we’ve kicked the Vietnam syndrome once and for all.” ↩︎
    2. Boiled down to its most basic meaning, this is no different than the argument used by those who champion and practice abortion on demand. It is an aggression committed against the least powerful, most defenseless persons among us by those who refuse to act responsibly. ↩︎
    3. One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. It all depends on your perspective. However, all terrorists operate according to one principle: the use of violence and force to attain a political end, which means every single government is a terrorist group. ↩︎
    4. I have encapsulated “glory” in quotation marks as a matter of ridicule and contempt. Glory belongs to God alone and He shares with no one. (Isaiah 42:8) Remember this the next time you hear the American flag referred to as “Old Glory”. ↩︎

    Donald Trump: Guilty on All Counts

    Roger Mitchell4 Comments

    The president of the United States is not above the law. He only thinks that he is.

    TITLE 18, U.S.C., SECTION 242

    Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, willfully subjects any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States, … shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if bodily injury results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.

    News has just broken that the United States has attacked Venezuela by bombing its capital, Caracas, and captured kidnapped both President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, and now have them in custody. This unconstitutional action follows the months-long killing spree on fishermen off the coast of Venezuela, among others, without any attempt made to interdict, board, and search the boats. It was just alleged that they were carrying drugs and, as such, were a threat to the “national interests” of the US.

    Whether or not Maduro was captured kidnapped remains to be seen, but it is quite evident that the actions of Donald Trump and his administration go against the clear meaning of the above-cited section of criminal law and could potentially open them up to prosecution should the Democrats gain control of the Congress in 2026. If the “war”1 is speedily concluded and Trump’s regime change gambit works as planned, then there is no danger of that, but if he has committed the country to another “forever” war which cannot be won, then all bets are off concerning the mid-term election.

    1. Whoever…willfully subjects… Can there be any question that Trump has not willfully acted? After all, he has boasted that, as president, he can do whatever he wants and has constantly said what he wanted to do with Venezuela and Maduro.
    2. …Any person… It is difficult to claim that this does not include even fishermen in small boats.
    3. …in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District…Ah, here we get into the legal mumbo-jumbo of the text. It can and will be claimed that Venezuela is NOT a state, territory, commonwealth, or district of the US and, therefore, this does not apply. However, it was only a few months ago that the White House released its National Security Strategy which openly declared that the entire western hemisphere was the second incarnation of the Monroe Doctrine which assumed sovereignty over the entire area of North, Central, and South America, to the exclusion of any foreign power. Interpreted this way, Venezuela IS a territory and possession of the US Government.
    4. …if bodily injury results… No question about this. See the afore-mentioned fishermen blown out of the water and deliberately murdered. [Update: Up to 40 people on the ground in Venezuela might have been killed. This number will probably fluctuate for some time and may settle at a higher number.]
    5. …if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire… Again, without doubt.
    6. …if death results from the acts committed… See Item #4 above.
    7. …if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap… Trump himself has stated that Nicolas Maduro and his wife were both captured kidnapped and are in the custody of the US.2
    8. …shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death. This does not have to be explained.

    It used to be that presidents, while perhaps condoning or committing criminal acts in secret, would attempt to maintain a squeaky-clean, public image. Those days are also gone. Today, they are out in the open for the whole world to see, hear, and experience. I’m pretty hard on Trump, but I will give him credit for one thing–he says the quiet things out loud. This may be due to his propensity to open his mouth before engaging his brain, but it is a fact that he does not hesitate to proclaim his doings.

    Venezuela has been a major, big-league, supplier of oil to China. What will happen if, all at once, that supply is shut off and denied? The implications of this are almost too frightening to think about, but it is imperative that we (when I say we, I mean you) do think about them because they will have some sort of effect on all of us.

    It’s the end of the world as we know it. But, then, history shows that this is the way it’s always been and people have survived through it all. This time is no different, except for the fact that the “dogs of war” are coming closer and closer to home.

    God help us!

    1. Technically, this is NOT a war as the Congress is the only entity which has the constitutional authority to declare war. Since Congress has NOT declared war against Venezuela (Korea, Viet Nam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Panama, Grenada, Iran, etc.), then military adventures of this type become merely “police work” to enforce the will of the president. In the current situation, Congress is, at least, as guilty as the administration because it failed to rein him in during a recent vote. ↩︎
    2. Together with the alleged Ukrainian attempt to assassinate Russian president, Vladimir Putin, this precedent could easily become a slippery slope which puts any single official, regardless of his or her office, at risk of becoming “collateral damage, terminated”. Years ago, protocol demanded that high government officials were not to be physically harmed, but those days are gone. ↩︎

    Looking Ahead to the New Year: Viva 2026!

    Roger Mitchell1 Comment

    Today is January 1, 2026, the beginning of a new year, and the possibility of any number of good things happening. After all, we just finished the season of wishing others a “Merry Christmas”, which connotes peace and good will toward others in a spirit of love, even toward our enemies. Or maybe, just not hating our enemies quite as much as we normally do.

    Or perhaps, even more likely, since Christmas is over for another year and we can put those warm, fuzzy feelings behind us, the next year will be one of Hell breaking out on Planet Earth. There is ample evidence for this extrapolation.

    1. The Ukraine/Russian war which is threatening to engulf all of Europe.
    2. The ongoing Israeli massacre of the Palestinians in Gaza and the destruction of the Middle East.
    3. The next chapter of the Israeli/Iranian war, which might destroy the Middle East.
    4. The potential of the US attacking Venezuela in an effort to force a regime change, so that “we” can get “our” oil back.
    5. The strong suspicion that China is about to assault Taiwan.
    6. The rise of BRICS in opposition to the “international rule of law” as interpreted by the West.
    7. Financial turmoil on a scale never seen before and the recent nearly vertical rise in the price of gold and silver.
    8. The increasing belief that the Day of the Dollar is just about over and that a new system, the Great Reset is imminent.
    9. CBDC’s, digital surveillance, and social conditioning are about to destroy any residual semblance of privacy and freedom, all with the assistance of AI controlled data centers which are going to suck up every last available bit of electricity and fresh water.
    10. COVID. Climate change. The whole Woke monstrosity.
    11. Etc., etc., etc.,…

    Oh, yes, there is good reason to believe that 2026 will not be all sugar, spice, and an extended vacation in a tropical paradise. Why, it’s almost enough to make me want to go to bed, cover my head with a pillow, and never come out again. And yet, and yet…

    “In the world, you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33

    For those who have put their hope and faith in Jesus Christ, the Word, and His word, the troubles we face here can be met with courage and fearlessness because we understand that He is watching over His creation, His Church, with the ultimate intention being that it will reflect all the glory which is God’s alone. No matter what happens to us, it is done with His permission and/or blessing. There is nothing which can touch us unless He allows it and even the “bad things” are meant to steer us toward greater humility and trust.

    There are only three ways we can respond to the troubles around us:

    1. Returning evil for evil as the world does. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. What’s in it for me. I’m looking out for #1. Kill them all, let God sort them out. Money, money, money. He who dies with the most toys, wins. Eat, drink, and be merry, because tomorrow we die.
    2. Self-control. Love your neighbor as you love yourself, including your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Do not retaliate, but forgive. Seek peace with all. Beat your swords into plowshares. Make a positive difference in your own world because you believe in the future.
    3. Disengage. Distance yourself completely from society. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, but especially do nothing to restrain evil. In essence, admit defeat and commit suicide. Because it’s hopeless.

    In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl wrote these timeless words.

    “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms–to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way…The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity–even under the most difficult circumstances–to add a deeper meaning to his life. It may remain brave, dignified, and unselfish. Or in the bitter fight for self-preservation he may forget his human dignity and become no more than an animal. Here lies the chance for a man either to make use of or to forgo the opportunities of attaining the moral values that a difficult situation may afford him. And this decides whether he is worthy of his sufferings or not.”

    In everything we experience this next year, we have a choice. Go through it as a willing ambassador of Christ, knowing we are His, or go through it as an animal, forgetting or refusing to admit that we are made in His Image.

    “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord…” — 2 Timothy 1:7-8a

    As Christians, we have the power and ability to influence our world for the better. We ought not squander the opportunity. Be blessed as you go out and have a Happy New Year in His Name.

    The Source of Our Beliefs

    Roger Mitchell1 Comment

     “What he wished to believe, that is what each man believes” — Demosthenes

    On multiple occasions in the past, and always in response to some person stating that he (or she, usually a he) has no religion, no god, and is, therefore, fully and sovereignly in control of his life, I have said that everyone has a god, a religion, whether they acknowledge it or not. What is the one thing, the value, the idea which you hold in highest regard, which is most important to you, and which reigns supreme over everything else in your life? Regardless of its nature or being, that is your god and the pursuit of it is your religion. You place your faith and your belief in it and you worship it. No one is exempt. No one can rise above this fact nor escape its certainty.

    I have been vindicated. In his book, We Who Wrestle with God, Jordan Peterson, yes, that Jordan Peterson, writes this, barely a few pages into the foreword.

    “We elevate what we most highly regard to the utmost place of supremacy or sovereignty. We aim at the upward target we deem central, however momentarily. We bring our consciousness itself to bear on what we define as worthy of the expenditure of our attention and the efforts of our action. We begin our continual journey forward by positing a good–a good that is at least better than our point of departure. This is an act of faith as well as one of sacrifice: faith, because the good could be elsewhere; sacrifice, because in the pursuit of any particular good we determine to forgo all others.”1

    Nature abhors a vacuum, it is said, and those who state that there is no god and that religion is for fools literally create their own spiritual vacuum which must be filled with something. That something is usually themselves. “God does not exist, therefore, in the absence of God, I become God.” This is commonly known as atheistic humanism and its most basic tenet is that Man can determine truth for himself without any “help” from outside. The major problem with this line of thinking is that it is impossible to prove that God does or does not exist. Instead, the concept must be taken on faith, which is an aspect of a religious belief.

    Some “believers” in the non-existence of God become nihilists, believers in nothing, who work toward the destruction of anything good and positive so that something else can be built in its place, subsequently to be destroyed. (See here for a good description of nihilism.)

    “Let us put our trust in the eternal spirit which destroys and annihilates only because it is the unsearchable and eternally creative source of all life–the passion for destruction is also a creative passion!” — Mikhael Bakunin

    This is perpetual, unending destruction for the sake of destruction, until Utopia is reached. Somehow, Utopia will be attained. The devil is in the details.

    “Deeper down, at the core of our dilemma, is a self-perpetuating crisis of thought. In a sense the difficulty is a very simple one, adequately captured in the story of Adam and Eve. Mankind, tired of dependency on its creator, seeks to strike out alone.” — John Waters

    Yes, mankind seeks to strike out alone, to chart his own course, to become his own arbiter of truth. This is exactly what happened in the Garden of Eden, metaphorically or literally, and mankind is still suffering from the action taken. Mankind also suffers from the actions taken today because we have never recovered from The Lie that we could be like God, equal with Him in the determination of what constitutes and defines good and evil. We see it everywhere throughout society. It is in the forefront of the news constantly, as evidenced currently by Israel’s ongoing slaughter of her weaker neighbors, countenanced by the assertion that this is, somehow, God’s desire and, therefore, to be supported without reservation.

    “The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.” — from the Melian Dialogue

    Yet, in spite of this, in the midst of all the chaos, din, and confusion, there is that still small voice which whispers quietly to us, which we cannot drown out or silence, no matter how hard we try: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

    What is God? Who is God? Who shall declare himself as God? There is only one answer and it is seen in the immediate quote above. Even this, though, is subject to interpretation because if Man is God, then however Man loves his neighbor is right and proper, as in, “Do to your neighbor, but do it to him first”, which is pure aggression, or “Love your neighbor, but more especially his wife”, because in all probability, your neighbor is “loving” your wife, even as we speak.

    This whole conversation thus reverts back to the beginning: what is truth, and who will define it. Shall I submit to a higher authority and align my life with its (His) decrees or shall I make the vain attempt to go my own way and declare myself God, regardless of the cost?

    Does it really matter who or what we worship as God? Does it really matter whose word becomes law? The difference is stark. “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”, and its total opposite, “I am the president. I can do whatever I want.”

    Well, yes, Mr. Trump, you can, but there are always consequences which follow.

    1. We Who Wrestle With God, Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, Penguin Random House, 2024, page xxvii.
      ↩︎

    The End of Oppression: O Holy Night

    Roger Mitchell4 Comments

    December 25, 2025. Christmas Day.

    “Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother and in His Name, all oppression shall cease…” — from the Christmas hymn, “O, Holy Night”

    One year ago, I posted an article here which began with these same words, except that the year is 2024. I considered reposting it again but then decided to write a new article building off the same base, following the same format, and taking the argument I made last year into a new direction.

    This song, O Holy Night, is without doubt, hands down, my absolute Christmas favorite and the main reason for that is the message it conveys. It is worth repeating.

    “Truly He taught us to love one another. His law is love and His Gospel is Peace. Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother and in His Name all oppression shall cease.”

    I cannot imagine a better way of describing the Gospel in three short sentences.

    Undoubtedly, the breaking of the chains which bind us begin with the spiritual freedom which comes as a result of confessing faith in Jesus Christ and submission to His Lordship over our lives, but this is only the first step. From there, it progresses to the liberation of the soul, our emotions and feelings, and can even spill over into physical healing regardless the condition. Moreover, as time goes on and I make progress in my relationship with God, the more I realize that since I am a person made in His Image, that I am no longer bound by the rule of Man, but am a sovereign being in my own right. The chain which seeks to bind me to the tyranny of others has been broken and cannot be used to subjugate me to their will. In Christ, I am truly free.

    Of course, this should not be read to say that I can do whatever I want, that I am completely independent of anyone and anything. I am, as one of His disciples, under His authority and rule, and as a consequence, must live the way I am commanded. The distinction between these two is that, while Man’s rule enslaves in a spirit of power-seeking for one’s own benefit, His law is love, which empties itself for the good and betterment of those it touches.

    “Chains shall He break…”

    He breaks the chains. All we have to do is to watch and then act in unison, cooperation, and gratefulness. The important thing is that we recognize that the chains have been broken and that we are now freed from the manacles, freed to walk out of the prison cell, freed to become what we were created to be.

    What is just as important is the promise this phrase makes, i.e., that the breaking of the chains is guaranteed and, while we may not see it as of yet, it will happen. This is where faith comes in. Our part is simply to believe and be patient, yet ready to move when the moment occurs.

    This is true liberation. Political liberation, as proclaimed so avidly by winners of elections and wars, cannot begin to compare.

    Christian Health Care–Courtesy of the State

    Roger Mitchell3 Comments

    Or, should it be Statist Health Care, Courtesy of the Church?

    “From the beginning of Christianity, love for one’s neighbor and the example of Jesus’ concern for the sick have compelled Christians to care for the ill and dying. As a result, the Catholic Church has been involved in health care for centuries. In the first hospitals, which were in monasteries, monks and nuns provided care for the sick and dying, especially the poor. The wealthy were taken care of at home.”

    https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/christianity-compels-us-provide-health-care-poor-politicians-must-do-their-part

    Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest, published this article less than two weeks ago at National Catholic Reporter. I found it by chance and I thought the above paragraph consistent with history and Scripture. Unfortunately, it was thrown, as an orphaned poor step-sister, into his argument, which started out with this contradictory title: Christianity compels us to provide health care for the poor. Politicians must do their part.

    Yes, absolutely, even the non-Christian politicians and bureaucrats must be harnessed to the task. Separation of Church and State be damned!

    Reese made pretty short work of the concept that love for one’s neighbor and the example of Jesus should dictate how we approach the issue of health care for the poor among us. Instead, almost from the beginning, he pivoted to the idea that the State should be doing the heavy lifting:

    “A single-payer system would reduce administrative costs and give the government the power to negotiate lower prices with drug companies, doctors and hospitals. Hospitals and doctors could be required to post their fee schedules online to encourage competition.”

    “The government could also be more generous in forgiving student loans of doctors and nurses who serve the poor. It should also fund research and public health that reduce health care costs. Eliminating vaccines and fluoride, which some of our national health leaders seek to do, will simply raise health care costs as preventable illnesses and dental problems could increase.” 

    “As a nation, we need to move toward Medicare for All, a tax-funded health care system that includes all medically necessary care. We can start by allowing employers and individuals to buy into Medicare even if they are under 65. We should also start by providing Medicare for All to anyone under 18 years of age, including children in the womb.”

    This is about as political as it gets, but then he adds this gem.

    “Such programs will cost the government money, but the current system is both costly and wasteful.”

    About which, I ask, who built the current government run system and if it is costly and wasteful now, then why does he think that giving the government more power to manipulate, regulate, and control will make it any better?

    All this is beside the point, however, as Reese’s first mistake is to conflate the Church with the State. As individual Christians, we have an obligation to care for the sick and poor, therefore, the political system we live in and under MUST also care for the sick and poor in order to produce the results which are expected from the followers of Jesus. This is a false equation as there is a vast difference between the mission of the Church which is to heal and comfort out of a genuine love for those it ministers to, and the mission of government which is to gain power regardless of the harm it does to those it seeks to subjugate and use.

    There is no place in the Scriptures where it records that Jesus told His disciples to take over the political system so that the hungry could be fed and the bed-ridden raised up healthy. In fact, He constantly had to disabuse them of this notion. Instead, He encouraged them to voluntarily give of their own substance to those who were less fortunate and, as a result, the early Church developed a system of community in which they took care of their own and outsiders as they were able–all without the “assistance” of an external entity which operated on theft, force, and violence.

    How does Reese expect the government to afford what he proposes? There are only two ways that government can raise revenue: either by borrowing money which has to be repaid with interest out of the second method of revenue enhancement, which has many various versions but is known by one name–theft, e.g., taxes, inflation, outright confiscation, penalties, etc. Government does not own anything which it has not previously taken from someone else. If government spends more on healthcare tomorrow than it does today, it must run larger deficits (borrowing) or take more from productive society (theft). Both these versions are roundly condemned in the Scriptures as either unwise and/or criminal.

    Conversely, the Bible promises that the Church gains materially as it gives spiritually. As individual Christians become more like Christ, they are blessed by God and made richer (emotionally, spiritually, physically) for one purpose: that they will give even more to benefit more people. Note that we are not only considering material wealth here, but everything which we are blessed with. Since the Church (and every organization which has two or more persons in it) is made up of individual members, if the individuals, as individuals, become wealthier, the Church, as a collective, will also and this accumulated wealth can then be spread around to needy persons as seen fit by those who control the flow.

    One major distinction to make is that everything governmental involves force, sometimes brute, violent, and lethal force. People are made to submit and comply on pain of punishment if they don’t. The message of government can be summed up in just a few short words, “You will, dammit, or else.” The mandated position of the Church could not be further from this, as Jesus taught that anyone (everyone) could participate in His life-giving freedom if they wanted to, but that participation was completely voluntary and had to come from one’s heart without compulsion. There is nothing forced about salvation or true Christianity and for anyone, especially a recognized minister of the gospel, to claim that the gospel must be practiced by taking from those who have to give to those who don’t is a sacrilege and does dishonor to the message of Christ Himself.

    Reese begins to wind up his screed with this reminder.

    “As Christianity compels us, we need to put aside our arrogance and partisanship on health care and do what is best for the nation and its people.”

    Well, yes, we do, but arrogance and partisanship are integral parts of government and to expect those to be extirpated on behalf of the nation and its people is unrealistic and delusional. Besides, as a formally recognized leader in the Catholic Church, he ought to be the first to do so.

    Finally, in his last gasp at trying to force the issue, he writes:

    “And, if Congress is incapable of reforming the health care system, we should take away their generous health care plan and put them on Medicaid. That should wake them up.”

    In other words, to put it bluntly, repay evil with evil, a practice which is strictly forbidden by the Word of God.

    The fact is that Congress is incapable of reforming the system, partly because its individual members benefit greatly from the system itself, but also because most Americans, the vast majority of them, from the very top of the heap to the lowest dregs on a trash-ridden slum, demand that the government gives them what they want, at someone else’s expense, and Congress is only too happy to oblige them. They are all, all of them, part and parcel of an evil, unchristian way of life and the only way to change that is to change oneself. Changing the system for the better is not possible. Changing yourself is, provided that the Spirit of God is given permission to operate, no pun intended.

    “Vengeance is Mine, I Will Make You Pay”, says Donald Trump

    Roger MitchellLeave a comment

    “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. That way the whole world will be blind and toothless.” — Tevye, from Fiddler on the Roof

    “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” — Romans 12:17-19 NKJV

    Contrast those sentiments with the words coming out of the mouth of the one who thinks he can do anything because he is the president of the United States.

    “They’ve [Venezuela] treated us badly. I guess now we’re not treating them so good.” — Donald Trump

    https://twitter.com/i/status/1999565449093169515, at about 51 seconds in.

    During the entire history of Christianity from the very beginning 2000 years ago, one of the points of the message has been that retaliatory vengeance, the repaying of evil with evil, is not to be tolerated. Instead, God claims vengeful authority for Himself alone, and any instance where Man is allowed to exercise power in that area of the realm is by designated permission which is constrained by clearly marked parameters and boundaries. In fact, the legal basis for restraining one from taking vengeance goes all the way back to the early days of the Hebrew nation, e.g., among others,

    • Deuteronomy 32:35 “Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.”
    • Leviticus 19:18 “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”

    The amount of ink spilled onto paper concerning the so-called Christian roots of America is voluminous and even today there are those who call America a Christian nation (or at the very least, call for America to return to its Christian beginning). Yet, in all of this, where are the voices of prominent Christians who tell Donald Trump to change his course, to cool down his rhetoric, to take it easy where it concerns his belligerent words and actions?

    Chuck Baldwin comes readily to mind, but there are not a lot of others that I know of.

    I am not surprised by Trump. He is promoting his own religion, one of unilateral power, wealth-gathering, and self-importance which incorporates many aspects of religious worship but cannot rightly be called Christian. The ones I am constantly in amazement of are those who call themselves disciples of Jesus Christ, but who flock to Trump’s banner and idolize him as the modern, visible incarnation of the anointed messiah, despite the clear commands of Scripture. In many circles within American society today, criticizing the man about anything he might have said or done is swiftly met with vituperative condemnation.

    The questions before us are the same as those posed by the prophet Elijah to the people of Israel at Mount Carmel in his head-to-head confrontation with the prophets of Baal. Who is the god you will worship? Whose word is true? What are you going to believe? These, and others like them, have to be answered in the hearts and minds of all of us and it would be best to settle them, once and for all, before fire rains down from heaven…again. This time, it could be nuclear.

    Beating Swords into Plowshares, Montana Style

    Roger MitchellLeave a comment

    A few days ago, I posted a short article about a bill, HR 6508, introduced into the House of Representatives by Thomas Massie (R-KY), which if passed into law would require the White House to begin proceedings to remove the US from the organization known as NATO. A companion bill, S 2103 has been introduced into the Senate by Mike Lee, R-UT. In addition, the White House has released its National Security Strategy which basically calls for a moderated withdrawal from a hegemonic attempt to control the world into a more manageable position of ruling the Western Hemisphere with an iron fist. Conversely, it could be an admission that the US cannot rule the world due to the rise of significant resistance and must pull in its horns somewhat. It’s all relative, depending on your viewpoint.

    These events, even if they take twenty or thirty years to accomplish, can be seen as positive steps toward a better future for the world, like the first faint glimmer of light breaking through the darkness after a long, dark night. We should be aware, though, that nothing is guaranteed and that international tensions could continue to escalate as modern-day society breaks down into uncontrolled chaos, with the ever-present specter of full-blown nuclear war still only a heartbeat away.

    [Note: I wrote this at the request of an editor at Western Montana News who asked how it could relate to the local area in the case that events of this sort did unfold.]

    I am extremely skeptical about anything which comes out of Washington, regardless of its source (Thomas Massie, excepted) and understand that evil, like the multi-headed hydra of Greek literature, will not be easily dispatched. These things take time to mature and we should not expect to see an immediate end to hostilities even as we hope and believe that world-wide peace will be the eventual result.

    Putting aside our disbeliefs and assuming the best, let’s take a look at what might be long-term effects for Montana and the surrounding regions if, and I stress if, NATO is disbanded and the US does pull back from its long-standing policy of never-ending wars to fill the coffers of the military-industrial complex which Eisenhower warned about long ago. Keep in mind that this is only an exercise of hopeful possibility, not a prediction. Your guess is as good as mine.

    1. NATO is abandoned and disappears. The US and Russia come to an understanding of peaceful co-existence. The European Union, a supra-national organization, disintegrates and reverts once more into a continent of national states, each of which is beset with its own peculiar problems, none of which is capable of exercising massive power outside its borders. In such a scenario, it is possible that the number of nuclear warheads which the US and Russian states control and use as threats against each other might be negotiated down from an insane level to one where the Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) policy does not cause nightmares in fearful people. If that were to happen, would the missile silos at Malmstrom Air Force Base eventually be decommissioned and filled with concrete? It is, according to the premise of this article, at least theoretically possible. If that was the only development which came out of this, it would be a good thing.
    2. Trillion dollar “defense” budgets would become a thing of the past. Without an existential threat constantly looming over our heads, there would be no need to break the bank any longer for the ostensible purpose of keeping the “barbarians” at bay, fighting them over there so we don’t have to fight them over here. Instead of pouring that money into weapons systems to kill and destroy, some of it could be used to rebuild Montana’s deteriorating infrastructure–roads and bridges, schools, hospitals, e.g., among others.
    3. Peace is deflationary. Inflation is necessary to drive the financial engine which waging war requires. Without the “need” to destroy the dollar to protect “national interests”, the printing presses which lubricate the political machine in Washington could be wound down to a more moderate level at the very least. The wages which local Montanans earn would go further and purchase more, enabling a general rise in the standard of living.
    4. Massive numbers of young men and women would no longer be needed to fill the ranks of “cannon fodder” in wars which America has no business involving itself or occupying military bases in foreign countries where they are not needed. Instead, they could become highly productive citizens here, raising future generations in an era where soldiers dying in combat might be an anomaly instead of a fixture.

    I could go on but you get my point. Western Montana (and the world) has much to gain from the cessation of wars, especially those in which the threat of nuclear annihilation always looms just ahead.

    In conclusion, I point to Isaiah 2:4, which says,

    “He [Word of God] shall judge between the nations and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.“

    If this prophecy is true, then it is inevitable that war will cease to exist. All of us should be working toward that goal whether it comes to pass in our lifetimes or not until far into the future.

    The bronze sculpture “Let Us Beat Our Swords into Ploughshares,” was created by Soviet artist Evgeny Vuchetich, and presented to the United Nations on 4 December 1959 by the Government of the USSR. The sculpture, depicting the figure of a man holding a hammer aloft in one hand and a sword in the other, which he is making into a ploughshare, is meant to symbolize man’s desire to put an end to war, and to convert the means of destruction into creative tools for the benefit of mankind. It is located in the North Garden of the United Nations Headquarters. 1/Oct/2001. UN Photo/Andrea Brizzi. http://www.unmultimedia.org/photo/

    The Narrative is Shifting: Foreign Policy Course Corrections Ahead

    Roger Mitchell3 Comments

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/regenerative-farming-just-went-mainstream-heres-why-it-matters

    Whether you are a “farmer” growing food or not is not important. The underlying message in this article is that significant changes which become known do not usually happen overnight but occur as a result of hard work over a long period of time by dedicated individuals. The author explains the process quite well.

    This can be favorably related to Thomas Massie’s (R-KY) recent bill introduced into the House to require the US to withdraw from NATO. A companion bill, S2152, by Mike Lee (R-UT) can also be seen in this light. Slow, gradual progress is the order of the day, eventually producing enough weight and momentum to push the idea forward to success.

    A society, large or small, rarely changes direction dramatically and sharply as a discontinuous event. Instead, like a supertanker or aircraft carrier, the change of course begins with the unseen turning of a rudder, overlooked by nearly everyone until the new direction becomes obvious.

    The very fact that these two bills, along with the recent release of the National Security Strategy (NSS) by the White House detailing foreign policy changes show that there is some significant movement underway which most people will not see nor recognize until it bursts onto the scene, perhaps in a cataclysmic manner, akin to a dam bursting and the subsequent release of a large amount of water resulting in the destruction of everything downstream caught in its path.

    The system we have lived with and under for decades is giving way and a new one is about to be implemented. It is important to keep in mind that neither of these above-referenced bills are guaranteed passage, however, both add to the weight and pressure building on the existing structure which is trying to maintain the status quo.

    Do not discount the significance of Massie’s bill.

    Taking the Next Step…and Terrified to Do It

    Roger Mitchell3 Comments

    This is a confession of sorts. I’m trying to sort something out.

    For weeks now, my wife has been binge watching the long-running TV series, The Waltons, which detail the life of a family in the mountains of western Virginia during the Depression years of the 20th century. Just before I started writing this post, I walked by and saw Jason tell his older sister, Mary Ellen, that he didn’t know whether he could ever kill another human being, even for his country. It is important to know that Jason voluntarily signed up (against the express wishes of his mother) to serve in the National Guard at the beginning of WW2 and had been having qualms about what he was being told and taught to do should he ever have to defend himself or his comrades.

    A number of years ago, I purchased a book by John Roth, “Choosing Against War”1, and have read through it numerous times, in fact, so many that it is beginning to fall apart. I recently finished reading it again and the message resonates as loudly now (probably louder) as it did the first time I read it. Like Jason Walton, I am questioning my response should I ever be in a situation which might require the use of violent force, even the killing of another human being, to save my life and/or that of those close to and around me, especially my wife.

    Roth teaches non-violent resistance to criminal aggression as a means of defending oneself and others, answering in detail many of the arguments raised by those who do not live in his “camp”. I find his position compelling and while I don’t agree with everything he writes, nevertheless, the issue is working on me quite persistently. I just cannot stop thinking about it.

    There are two things which have shouldered their way to the front of my mind:

    1. As a stated believer in the doctrine of Jesus Christ, the ultimate peacemaker, can I claim to be His disciple in all truth, yet still cling to the idea that someone else’s life is dispensable should I decide to pull the trigger? How do I love my neighbor (definition of neighbor notwithstanding) as Jesus commands if his life is at my disposal and I choose to end it?
    2. As a stated believer who claims to trust God to take care of me, regardless of the situation, would I be overstepping that boundary if I actually did pull the trigger? Can it be said that I have faith and trust in God’s protection, except for the times when that protection is not working out the way that I think it should?

    It seems to me that these two questions are inextricably linked with the first flowing from the second. Can I even love my neighbor as Christ orders without first placing my trust in God? Ultimately, at least it seems so to me, this boils down to one thing: in order to fully embrace the policy of non-violent living, I must first open myself up to the highly vulnerable position of trusting God to perform as He has promised. Ultimately, what it means is that I have to give up the “right” to decide for myself in everything I do and surrender completely to His will, whether it results in my good or to my detriment.

    I have not come to this place easily. I know all the arguments against such a position and have made many of them myself and, to further confess my sins, in my past have even entertained the thought of shooting someone simply to know what it felt like and to have the satisfaction of doing so. Of course, that has not happened and today, if the temptation pops up, I put it out of my mind as quickly as possible because I will not succumb to it in any way, shape, or form. So help me, God!

    This is my dilemma and speaking only for myself, it is a question of whose will is going to reign supreme in my life. Do I trust God enough to surrender that power in my pursuit of becoming like Christ, because there can be no doubt on this issue. If I do not trust God completely in this manner, then I will never give it up, but will always hold that as my prerogative. Do I trust God or do I act as my own man? In essence, the decision I have to make is equivalent (is that the right word?) to the decision Jesus made in the Garden of Gethsemane just before his arrest and crucifixion.

    “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not my will, but Yours, be done.” — Luke 22:42

    I do not want advice or argument. Rather, I ask only one thing from you, if you are on speaking terms with the Almighty, say a prayer on my behalf. And, since there is strength in numbers, repost this to anyone you think would be open to it.

    1. 2002, Goodbooks, Intercourse, PA, 17534 ↩︎

    The Value of Value

    Roger Mitchell1 Comment

    “When we forget the cost of something, we stop valuing it. And when we stop valuing it, we stop protecting it.”–Molly Engelhardt, https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/age-forgotten-infrastructure

    “The man who does not value himself cannot value anything or anyone.” — Ayn Rand

    Can it be said that the President of the United States and his Minister of War, i.e, Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth, respectively, have forgotten the cost of human life and, as a consequence, do not value it? For certain, it is sure that they do not value the lives of Caribbean fishermen and have been prone to simply blowing them out of the water because they have decided that those men have no value. With respect to Ayn Rand’s statement, what does this say about both Trump and Hegseth?

    Christianity, the teaching and application of the teachings of Jesus Christ, proclaims something different. All human beings have value in the eyes of God, regardless as to who they are or their position in society. It does not matter how much (or how little) wealth they possess. Whether they are the cream of the crop, the top echelon, the elite, or the dregs at the bottom of the filter, the homeless, the addicts, the prostitutes. All have value for only one reason: they have been created in His image, after His likeness. All are equal simply because they are, because each contains the spark of what was implanted in Adam and Eve at the very beginning, i.e., that Man (individual and collective) has been created in the Image of God Himself, and that this cannot be, cannot be, dismissed casually and without effect.

    But, isn’t this exactly what Trump and Hegseth are saying and doing when they blow fishermen’s boats out of the water with Hellfire missiles from afar? They are nothing. Their lives mean nothing. They do not deserve any consideration because we have determined that they are a threat to our way of life. Isn’t it ironic that both Trump and Hegseth consider a single boat plying its way across the water is an existential threat to the American way of life, which has at its base, the absolute right of every human being to make decisions which might, or might not, actually benefit him? The right to decide for himself what is best for himself?

    No, by Government! Certainly not! You do not understand and because of that misunderstanding, we will decide what is best for you. Of course, the fact that it will affect our own bank account positively and will make us wealthy beyond belief has absolutely nothing to do with it. We are concerned only with your welfare and you ought to trust us completely, no matter how it seems.

    What’s the matter with you, you peasant?

    Yeah, well, I cannot (and will not ever) blend in with the “cream of the crop” at the top of the social spectrum. In fact, I live within the lowest spectrum of the income scale, that is, the bottom 90% of the wage earners, the peons, so to speak. I will never be rich by worldly standards, will never attain to the status of those who assume that they are something, yet, despite the lack of wealth and influence that I might have, from God’s perspective, I have immense value, more value than that of the entire universe because He gave everything to show that my life is important. I am, because He has declared that I am, and that is all that is necessary. I have value because He had decreed it and there is nothing that the State of Man can bring against me which will contravene that truth.

    Show me the truth!

    Either we believe in the message that human life is subservient to power or we believe that each person, regardless of his stature or caste, has value and that value ought to be defended, no matter how small or insignificant it is.

    If we forget that human life, no matter how small, has value and is only fit to be used to further our own goals (wealth, power, etc.), then we run afoul of the concept that all, that is, ALL, men have been created in the the Image of God. In doing so, aren’t we actually setting ourselves up against the One Who has determined the way it is?

    A word to the wise is sufficient.

    Utopia and Personal Responsibility

    Roger Mitchell7 Comments

    There are only two laws which I recognize as the basis of what is legitimate and lawful. Both can be found in Matthew 22: 37-40.

    “Jesus said to him [the lawyer who asked the question in v. 36], ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.'”

    Notice that Jesus did not say that the first commandment was the greatest and that everything else falls short of it. This is the FIRST…and the SECOND is its equivalent. Nothing else matters. Nothing else matters. Everything hinges on these two orders, which are identical. In fact, the apostle Paul verified this distinction and went even further in his letter to the Galatians, ch. 5, v. 14.

    “For ALL (emphasis mine) the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

    Let me rephrase that to make it more personal. You shall love your neighbor as if he were you. How do you love yourself?

    “The man who does not value himself cannot value anything or anyone.” — Ayn Rand

    How do you want to be treated by your neighbor? Well, then, doggone it, treat him the same way. Further, since you proclaim yourself as “Christian”, then treat him that way first, before you ever see any reward for your action. Without ever knowing that you will receive any reward at all, but acting only on faith and believing that your action WILL have some benevolent effect on your neighbor. Someday. Perhaps. You know, “Do unto others…”, which is known as the Golden Rule, although not a lot of people regularly bank on it.

    Love God. Love your neighbor. The first is easy, the second somewhat more difficult and sometimes near impossible. My recommendation: quit trying to love God. God can take care of Himself and there is nothing, absolutely nothing, which you can do about that. Instead, love your neighbor, your f***ing neighbor, whom you know, whom you cannot get along with, who may be caught in the grip of sin which you have been miraculously set free from. If you have been redeemed by the grace of God and set free from that, then, what excuse do you have for NOT loving your neighbor who has not yet attained to that understanding? This is your duty and it is the only way you have to show your love for God. In loving your neighbor, you are loving God.

    Let me repeat that. Loving your neighbor as if he were you is the ONLY way you have to show your love for God. Of course, this raises the question, “Who is my neighbor?”, but if you need an answer for that, then you don’t understand the order in the first place.

    “How can you hate your brother whom you have seen, yet still claim that you love God, Whom you have not seen”? — 1 John 4:20, paraphrased quite loosely.

    “Hating your brother, whom you have seen, is incompatible with claiming to love God, whom you have not seen, because genuine love for God must be reflected in love for others, especially fellow believers. The Apostle John states that if someone claims to love God but hates their brother, they are a liar, as one who does not love their visible brother cannot genuinely love the invisible God. This principle underscores that love for God is demonstrated through tangible actions toward others, making it impossible to truly love God while harboring hatred toward a fellow human being.” — from a Brave search.

    Let’s change direction. In the first post of this series, my argument was conditional, an if-then statement and I think it is worth repeating. If, and I put a considerable amount of weight on the word if, citizens restrain themselves, tolerate disagreement, act with integrity, and recognize right from wrong, then what need is there for laws? If people voluntarily behave themselves the way that they should, according to the Great Commandments (Matthew 22: 35-40), then doesn’t that obviate the necessity of laws which attempt to force people to live in a certain manner? If. If. If. If these conditions are met, then…

    “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will know peace.” — Jimi Hendrix

    The problem is (and always has been) is that people do not (will not) live under the absurd, tyrannical, autocratic, and extremely difficult rules system laid down in Jesus’ message. Instead, rather than controlling themselves and loving their neighbors as they are instructed, they prefer to live under an absurd, tyrannical, autocratic, and extremely difficult rules system laid on them by other people who are determined to exercise power and control for their own sake, regardless who has to suffer for it, including poverty-stricken wives and children of fishermen who are killed because they ventured out into the Caribbean Sea to feed their wives and children, running the risk of being executed because someone more powerful said, without any provable evidence, that they were bringing drugs into the United States, and were, therefore, without value and dispensable.

    Without value. Dispensable. Kill them all. Let God sort them out.

    Let that sink into your soul for a moment and then ask yourself this question. How much further do we have to go before I get the point?

    Extreme? You betcha!

    Part 2: Utopia, Reality, and the Future

    Roger Mitchell1 Comment

    “If we can’t learn how to peacefully interact with those that we disagree with, we are going to be in big trouble.” — Michael Snyder, https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/how-to-survive-thanksgiving/

    I think it is important to clarify one thing about my previous post here, Utopia? Or the Truth Working its Power?, as it can easily be misconstrued to read that I am advocating doing away with all laws and simply relying on redeemed human nature to live with others the way we should. Well, in a sense, I guess I am, but that does not mean that I am blind to present reality. I do recognize that most of the world, perhaps virtually everyone, is not ready for this and could not live under such a protocol or regime. People are selfish, unloving, afraid, and do not control themselves, therefore, to live in a semblance of peace with each other, they pass laws which offer (seem to offer) some form of protection against others who live the same way they do. This is human nature.

    It would be easy to simply write me off as a lunatic, someone who is completely out of touch with reality, and I have no doubt that many have this opinion. However, I have done nothing more than noticed the transforming power of the gospel, in myself and those around me, extrapolating and projecting it further and further into the future, and logically coming to the end conclusion, which I happen to believe can be verified through Scripture.

    “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” — Habakkuk 2:14

    They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” — Isaiah 11:9

    “He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.” — Psalm 33:5

    “…I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” — Matthew 16:18b

    Please note that none of these scriptures nor many others like them claim that the physical presence of Jesus on Earth is required for these scenarios to be fulfilled. It is not my intention to get into a pushing, shoving match between the various factions of Christian eschatology who can’t get along with each other. Rather, I see these as hope for the future, knowing and believing that truth and righteousness will overcome evil in society, even as it works its way through individual human hearts. Whether Jesus returns before you finish reading this post or does not appear until you are long dead and forgotten is totally irrelevant to the subject. The Scripture promises that this will happen and, if you believe it, then there is no good reason not to live that way now. IF you believe this, there is no good reason not to live that way now.

    “No excuse, Sir!”

    My vision is not meant to be seen as an immediate cure-all, but as a life-long goal to be achieved, to be lived for, to be realized individually on a daily basis as we conform ourselves to the Image of Jesus Christ and His perfection. This is nothing different than the way that Christians are expected to live. We all understand this. No one is automatically made perfect at the time he walks down a sawdust trail at a local tent meeting, but it is presumed that, if he is sincere and honest, spiritual growth will eventually appear and bear fruit. Over time and with enough participation, these changes work their way through and into society in such a manner that the entire culture is transformed for the better. Jesus even mentioned this.

    “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.” — Matthew 13:33

    During his earthly ministry, Jesus constantly was pestered and harassed by people (including his own disciples) who wanted him to use his power to overthrow the Roman rule and establish his own kingdom. To every one of those petitions he had the same answer. “No, that’s not the way it works. I will teach you a different way. Be patient and learn.” It was not until after his death and resurrection that many of the disciples caught on and even today, 2000 years later, there is still a great deal of confusion about this. People then thought in terms of political power. People today do the same thing without ever realizing that they are repeating the same mistake over and over again, trying to contort the Gospel of Peace into an agglomeration of rules enforced by violent power, to which He Who sits on the throne has the same refrain–“No, that’s not the way it works. I will teach you a different way. Be patient and learn.”

    Selah! Pause. Consider.

    Utopia? Or the Truth Working Its Power?

    Roger Mitchell7 Comments

    “A free republic requires citizens who can restrain themselves, tolerate disagreement, act with integrity, and recognize right from wrong. Without that, laws become hollow and institutions brittle.” — https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/americas-real-crisis-collapse-citizen

    This quote was taken from an article cautioning us to not put our full trust in AI as a means of solving our problems. It is good as far as it goes, but I am going to rip it entirely out of context and address the deeper philosophical meaning buried in these two sentences. A free republic allows this and no one can complain that I did not recognize the author because you can click on the link and read it for yourself. If you want to.

    Consider.

    Isn’t the first part of this question a paraphrase of the Great Commandment and the one which is its equal?

    “Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second one is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.'” — Matthew 22:35-40 (NKJV)

    If citizens restrain themselves, tolerate disagreement, act with integrity, and recognize right from wrong, then what need is there for laws, especially laws which are intended to control and regulate behavior according to what someone else thinks? Literally, every single law that has ever been promulgated has been enacted for one purpose–to control someone’s behavior in some way, yet Jesus says that the structure and foundation of these laws throughout history, myriads of myriads, is encapsulated in two short sentences: Love God with everything you have. Love your neighbor as if he were you.

    So, I ask again, if citizens restrain themselves, tolerate disagreement, act with integrity, and recognize right from wrong, what need is there for laws? What need is there for governments which do not make people free by their rules, but seek to enslave them by constantly passing more laws which restrict human liberty?

    Of course, some will say that this is only a theoretical exercise and people will push back declaring that I am trying to create an unworkable Utopian future, yet the fact remains that I, personally, do not need laws to tell me how to restrain myself, to tolerate disagreement, to act with integrity, to recognize right and wrong. I do not personally need government to order my life, to keep me under control, to keep my neighbor “safe” from my depredations and aggressions against him. Further, I do not need government nor laws to protect me from my neighbor who also keeps himself under control and recognizes right from wrong. Neither do you.

    Let me ask you a question. Do you have need to be told how to live, how to restrain yourself, how to discern what is right, how to be known as a person of integrity, how to disagree with others? Well, do you? The point I am trying to make is that if you and I can live according to the Two Great Commands, then so can anyone. Everyone has the potential for doing so.

    But, but, but…I can hear the sputtering now. We might be able to live that way with God’s help, but others won’t and they are the ones who need to be controlled and ordered. Imagine what the world would look like if criminals and wrongdoers were allowed to run amok without any fear of punishment or retribution, to which I would respond, like the world we live in today? And, of course, we could go back and forth in this argument forever without ever coming to some agreement, so I will just leave it there and move on.

    What would be the condition of the world in 100 years (or 1000, the length of time doesn’t matter) if those who understand what the first sentence of this article really means AND spent their time, effort, and resources developing those traits and characteristics in themselves instead of working to pass laws to control someone else? Instead of trying to keep others down, what would happen if we actually lived the life as described in Jesus’ answer to the lawyer? Didn’t Jesus also say that, “You shall know the truth and the truth will make you free.”? And, isn’t it true that one of the things we are set free from is fear–fear of the unknown, the future, our fellow man, our own sinful nature, inclinations, and actions? If we truly wanted to be free, wouldn’t we work harder on ourselves to conform to His Image and less on a political party or ideology that we support and believe in? Isn’t it likely that the more we become like Jesus, the less we will conform to the world system, perhaps eventually abandoning it altogether?

    Theory. All theory, you say. Pie in the sky by and by and completely impossible in this world. Yet, that is the way I am living now and, as time goes on and my life becomes more in tune with His Spirit, I fully expect to become more and more consistent with what I am promoting. Whether anyone joins me or not is irrelevant. I know my path and I will travel it unafraid, alone if necessary, and without any need or desire to exercise power and control over anyone else. But, then, I do not have to walk alone because the Spirit of God walks with me.

    This is not to say I have arrived at sinless perfection because I haven’t. I won’t as long as I am alive. There will always be corrections to make, sins to overcome, hard places to smooth out, transgressions to be repented of and forgiven. However, I have put my trust and faith in the Word, which rules supreme over all law and I refuse to believe in the actions and institutions of Man.

    “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such, there is no law.” — Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)

    I repeat, against such, there is no law.

    Final answer.

    The Ghost of Jeffrey Epstein Lives!

    Roger Mitchell2 Comments

    When I got up from my late-afternoon nap a little while ago, I pulled up ZeroHedge to see what was going on in the world and was shocked, shocked, absolutely stunned, I tell you to see this article pronouncing that both the House (expected) and the Senate (completely out of character) had approved the release of the Epstein Files, and sent it on to The Donald for his long, drawn-out signature. What really blew my mind, however, were the margins in the votes, 427-1 (House) and unanimous (Senate).

    Naturally, being the sort of person I am, I immediately started ruminating on the meaning of these lop-sided decisions and, being the suspicious, skeptical sort of person I am, latched onto the idea that one of two things had just happened:

    1. The Federal Government, as exemplified in its two august bodies, had just had a “coming to Jesus” moment and, henceforth, would be working for truth, righteousness, and the American Way.
    2. The American people were just snowed…again.

    I have to hand it to Thomas Massie, a republican representative from Kentucky, who along with Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, has been pushing and pushing for months to get this “list” published. Massie, for his efforts, has been subjected to serious “trouble” from the White House, but has emerged victorious. I think. Maybe. We’ll see. No telling what this will lead to. Nevertheless, take your victory lap, Mr. Massie. You have earned it.

    On July 10, 2025, I posted an article, https://poorrogersalmanac.com/2025/07/10/officially-confirmed-epstein-didnt-kill-himself/, which included the paragraphs below.

    “There is one other similarity between JFK and Epstein. The case is closed. Closed. Officially closed. There will be no more investigation, no more fact-finding ventures, no more questioning, no more publicity, no more “conspiracy theorizing”. The administration of Donald Trump and Co. has issued its last report and there will be no release of any files pertaining to the matter. In due time, it will all be forgotten….Except that it won’t be. There is simply too much about this that doesn’t pass the smell test. Anyone with a sense of reason, common sense, and a nose for the truth can discern that we have been lied to…again, this time with vehemence, bigly, as Trump would say.”

    Which, once more, brings up the question: Are we being snowed again? Suspicious minds want to know.

    • While on the campaign trail, Trump vigorously promoted the promise that the files would be released as soon as he became president.
    • In February, 2025, barely a month after Trump took office, his AG Pam Bondi, declared that the “list” was on her desk, impatiently waiting for her review and release.
    • In July, 2025, barely four months later, the White House held their famous (infamous?) press conference during which it was averred, avowed, and aggressively asserted that “there was no there, there”. The List had somehow vanished, the evidence had been mysteriously flushed down the toilet, there were no witnesses to the alleged crimes, the whole thing was a hoax (a Democrat hoax to get Trump, mind you), and on, and on, and on…
    • In July, Massie and Khanna introduced their resolution named the Epstein Files Transparency Act, seeking to gain 218 co-signers which would force the House to take up the measure. Around that time, Trump declared war on Massie, vowing to “primary” him in 2026 with someone more “suitable” and unleashing a virtual river of vicious invective against him.
    • In early August, Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s girl Friday, was transferred from a high-security prison in Tallahassee, FL, to a low-security Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas, where she has received preferential treatment. Around the same time, it was revealed that Donald Trump had never, ever, done anything wrong with Epstein. Not even once.
    • Initially, Mike Johnson, the Republican Speaker of the House, resisted the EFTA resolution and refused to bring it up for a vote until it became apparent that it was going to happen, at which time he allowed it. It is noteworthy that Johnson also kept the House in a state of recess for months so as to avoid seating Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who was elected in a special election in August and who had sworn to sign on as the last needed co-sponsor.
    • Claiming “we have nothing to hide”, Trump caved in on Nov. 17 and gave his “blessing” to the vote, which was apparently the last straw on the camel’s back.

    Something here is not right. It stinks to high heaven. Either there was nothing there to begin with OR there is something which TPTB are desperately trying to cover up. Considering that Trump and Team have been bouncing back and forth between two opinions, depending on who they are trying to please, it is not hard to believe that some VERY SERIOUS SHENANIGANS did actually happen, that Epstein had something to do with them, and that it will cause some extreme embarrassment on the part of some VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE should the truth about the whole sordid affair come out. Larry Summers is only the first one to fall.

    Final Answer: Let the truth be told and the chips fall where they will.

    Random Thoughts

    Roger Mitchell1 Comment

    Reading Lew Rockwell this morning.

    “I have written a number of articles for which I have received little response about the horrible mistake humanity has made by entering into the digital revolution and the AI it spawned.  These disastrous developments are now being institutionalized in all societies.  They bring the end of human autonomy, independence, control, objective truth, freedom, and awareness of reality.” — https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/11/paul-craig-roberts/the-destruction-of-reality/

    I have great respect for the insights promoted by Paul Craig Roberts, but no sympathy for the fact that he has received “little response” to his offerings. The fact of the matter is that, virtually wherever I have seen his postings, there has been absolutely no possibility to respond–no email address, no comments allowed, etc. It’s almost as if he is talking to the wall and then gets miffed when the wall just sits there. My advice to him: open up the channels of communication and you will be surprised at the response you get.

    ————————————————————

    “If people can’t make enough money to get by then they should get better-paying jobs. If people don’t like getting kicked around by an abusive status quo then they should climb their way into a socioeconomic strata that isn’t getting kicked around as much. If someone doesn’t like being the nail then they should become the hammer.” — https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/11/no_author/in-capitalism-they-tell-you-to-become-the-hammer-if-you-dont-like-being-the-nail/

    I respect Caitlin Johnstone for her tenacity. She sees things which are wrong and goes after them full-force, most especially the morally disastrous catastrophe happening in Gaza. Yet, I simply cannot align myself with her viewpoint on capitalism, which she routinely and often maligns without ever getting to the root of the problem. It is easy to blame “capitalism”, however, in our own way, every single one of us is a capitalist.

     “The fundamental premise of capitalism is that all exchanges of property between economic actors are voluntary. No one is forced to make an exchange against their will; and no one is forcibly prohibited from making an exchange with another willing actor. Freedom of association and freedom of contract are inherent to capitalism. Without them, whatever system is operating is not capitalism, whether supported by private business owners or not.” — https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/11/tom-mullen/jim-crow-laws-were-anti-capitalist-and-the-free-market-killed-them-long-before-the-government-showed-up/

    Capitalism, at its root, is the everyday acting out of every single individual using what he has at his disposal to make his own life better, whether financially, socially, emotionally, or spiritually. What Johnstone decries, yet does not distinguish, is that when power (force, violence) is brought to bear on society, there is no longer free capitalism, freedom of choice, but a contrived system in which individuals are no longer able to decide for themselves, but must submit to the will of others.

    What is capitalism, indeed, if not the ability of one person deciding where and how to “invest” his own capital, regardless as to the amount, so that he reaps a reward at some indeterminate time in the future? Did not Jesus extol this practice, as seen in The Parable of the Talents, i.e, putting the money which has been entrusted to you to profitable use? (Matthew 25:14-30)

    ————————————————————

    “We tell ourselves that violence is like a coat that you can put on and take off when you choose, but that’s a tragically mistaken way of thinking. Violence works its way into your body, even into your soul. Then it festers there, eating away at your capacity for being human — your longing for loving, honest relationships; your care for yourself and others; and your deep connection to other living beings. Even worse, in a culture that glorifies violence and has made it into something sacred, such dynamics are excruciatingly hard for us to see clearly.” — https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/11/no_author/military-moral-injury-violence-and-the-parable-of-the-guinea-worm/

    An honest, soul-searching inquest into the repercussions of organized violence and our acceptance of it. 11/11 used to be known as Armistice Day, the celebration of the end of war, but it has transmogrified into the celebration of the worship of violence and those who practice it, without ever recognizing the consequences which follow such action, i.e., the destruction of our own souls.

    The Stones are Crying Out. Can You Hear Them?

    Roger Mitchell1 Comment

    It has been reported that the toll from Donald Trump’s self-declared “war” on Caribbean fishing boats has now reached a total of 18 attacks, with at least 70 persons losing their lives because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even though some (that is, a few) members of Congress are demanding that the attacks end (that is, until Congress itself can declare them official), there is no sign that Trump and his gung-ho henchmen (Rubio, Hegseth, etc.) will stop voluntarily. It is more than likely that the killings will escalate and multiply until the end goal of the neo-con White House and its puppet-masters is reached: a full-blown war against near or distant “enemies” who are unable to stand up against the military might of the US Department of War (that is, the highly profitable business model known as the “military-industrial complex).

    In my lifetime, I have read a few books which have left a lasting impact, which I cannot forget, overlook, or ignore: Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago, Roth’s Choosing Against War, Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, et al. There are pamphlets, essays, polemics, articles too numerous to mention, which have shaped my thinking in so many ways, bringing me to the point I am at today. When it comes to Trump’s “Fisherman’s War”, however, one stands out as extremely relevant and sounds a clear warning. The excerpt below is taken from it.

    “Today, the stones still cry out. Every story of victims—whether nonviolent prisoners like those Steve Bannon met in jail, or casualties of wars we fuel in Israel-Gaza or Ukraine-Russia—haunts our collective conscience. Jesus tied the stones’ cries to Jerusalem’s fall in 70 AD, when Israel’s zeal for violence mirrored Rome’s and left both exposed as complicit in the same sin. America stands at a similar crossroads. Our politics, like Caiaphas’, justifies flesh-and-blood victims for “national security” or “progress.” We cheer Barabbas-types—leaders promising strength through exclusion or war—while ignoring the Lamb who redefines polis not as the victors’ club but as the refuge for the least of these.” — https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/04/david-gornoski/the-stones-still-cry-out-holy-weeks-political-reckoning/

    Caiaphas-type politics which demand that someone die. Barabbas-type leaders who prey on weak, insignificant countries, societies, and persons. Pilate-type rulers who could stop the carnage but are politically inclined to “go along to get along” and, therefore, impotent and useless. And, of course, there are the “huddled masses” which obediently provide the necessary background noise and support for such actions, all in the delusion that somehow blowing boats out of the water without just cause will make America safe and their own lives personally better and more prosperous. Oh, yes, the collective zeal for violence at the mainstream level does mirror that in Washington and, like the crowd which screamed out, “Crucify him, crucify him!”, urge and hector our own Caesar-like “leaders” to increase the tempo and pressure because all would be lost if we relented for even a moment. Whether our collective conscience haunts us or not is debatable.

    And still, the stones cry out!

    Well, yes, this is an obvious reference to the devastation and killing fields in Gaza, not the waters off the coast of Venezuela, but everything I have described above applies to this as well. This ought to raise the question which everyone has heard at some time or another: WWJD? What would Jesus do, indeed, about the situations in both locations where the powerful and mighty rain down violence, death, and destruction on the poor and helpless? Actually moving from theory to consequence, probably negative, is to rephrase the question. What will Jesus do? What will be Heaven’s response to these not-so-isolated instances of theft, murder, and injustice, all of which are occurring on our watch and often with our complicity and consent, both vocal and silent.

    Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.” — Psalm 2:1-3

    And, the answer.

    He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure… — Psalm 2: 4-5

    My belief, informed by history and the warnings (both implicit and explicit) laid out in the Holy Bible, is that it will not be pretty nor comfortable. Many of us will probably express regret that we allowed the stones to cry out because it was easier than to raise a fuss ourselves.

    Suffering, Endurance, and the Prize of Life

    Roger Mitchell2 Comments

    A little bit of background.

    I read Bionic Mosquito. His posts, whether I understand them fully (sometimes I don’t), whether I agree with them or not (usually I do), are always worth the time it takes to read and think about. Recently, he has been posting a series of articles on the book of Job, from the Old Testament, which have helped me to see Job’s suffering (and his insufferable “friends”) in a different light.

    At about the time this series started, I also began reading (again) Viktor Frankl’s book, Man’s Search for Meaning, and I recognized that the struggle Job went through is also the same thing which Frankl describes, namely that, unavoidable suffering is to be endured and that, by enduring it instead of becoming bitter or hopeless1, the individual actually becomes stronger, more spiritually satisfied, and fulfilled. This, of course, is not meant to say that suffering is inevitable, but if or when it does happen, it does not have to be the end of the world. In fact, the apostle Paul alluded to this when he wrote to the Philippian church that,

    “…for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content; I know how to be abased, and I know how to about. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” — Philippians 4:11-12

    The understanding I am gaining is that no matter what happens to me, it does not have to destroy me, but if I choose to allow it, can propel me to a higher level of understanding, bringing me closer to the ideal of Christ, Who endured all things, including the cross, because He understood that the glory set before Him was worth the temporary pain which the suffering brought about.

    Why should I be any different than that? Or exempt from it? Suffering, in and of itself, does not result in godliness or holiness, but if responded to in the correct manner, can bring about a level of spiritual peace and power which cannot be attained in any other way.

    The key here is that the suffering which cannot be avoided simply cannot be avoided. If Job had known what was about to happen to him, he might have been able to take steps to evade it. If we knew what the future holds for us, we would do whatever we could to mitigate the resultant pain. The ancient Irish saying goes, “If I knew where I was going to die, Begorra, I’d never go near the place.” Or, as Frankl says, in reference to suffering,

    “…If it is avoidable, the meaningful thing to do is to remove its cause, for unnecessary suffering is masochistic rather than heroic.” — ibid

    If you suffer because you cannot control your spending habits, always spending more than you earn and take in, then the thing to do is to change the way you live, to bring your lifestyle into alignment with your earnings capacity (and perhaps even slightly below that). For many people, however, it is easier to play the victim, to take advantage of someone else’s compassion and pity, but this is not the way to endure to the end nor the way to conquer a bad habit. Obviously, this is a simplistic example, but the principle holds regardless of the circumstance. If you can avoid unnecessary suffering by changing, then it is better to change, no matter how much it costs in the short run.

    How should we respond, though, if we are hit with a bout of suffering which we can do nothing about, over which we have no control? Reading the book of Job, it is evident from the beginning that he could do nothing to alter or alleviate his situation, and was compelled to endure through it to the very end when his righteousness would be proven. Frankl has mentioned that being arrested and thrown into a concentration camp against your will may be nothing you can avoid or alter, but you always have the option to determine the way you will respond to it.

    “…[E]verything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms–to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” — ibid

    Isn’t this what we should be aiming at?

    1. Job’s wife? Bitter and hopeless? Curse God, and die! Over the millennia, she has been held up as an example of a bitter, hopeless woman, yet I can’t condemn her. After all, she experienced nearly all the suffering that Job did, loss of wealth, children, etc., and probably a great deal of emotional health, which would be an enormous load for any woman to carry. I wonder, how would I respond if I had to walk a mile in her shoes? ↩︎