Time for a change. A time change, that is.

Tomorrow morning, Nov. 5, at 2:00 a.m., America will revert back to Standard time and move the hands on the clock back one hour. This will (supposedly) give everyone an extra hour of sleep, although in my case, it will not matter. I go to sleep when I am tired and get up when I wake up–a pattern which is not driven by the clock.

For some history on the subject and “justification” for the practice, see here, here, and here.

For the next few months, Standard time will be the norm until Daylight Saving Time is resurrected again in the spring. The ritual is repeated over and over again, year after year, with some attempts made to end it and no real expectation that it will be. This is nonsense and foolishness on a grand scale as there is no good and compelling reason for its continuation. In fact, there is only bureaucratic inertia, as Federal regulations forbid individual states to maintain Daylight Saving Time (DST) year-round, and everyone knows (or should) that when a regulation is entered into the Federal Register, it never comes out.

Sort of like the Hotel California. “You can grumble and complain all you like, but you can never leave.”

The main problem with making the shift to a uniform time, regular or DST, is that when anything is proposed, some special interest group will squawk and ramp up their efforts to persuade the politicians according to their own “lights”. Pardon the pun. Such is life under democracy, but ultimately, this shifts the power of decision-making to the bureaucracy which will never, ever rock the boat until and unless overwhelming power and influence is brought against them. Career bureaucrats simply do not change unless forced, therefore, the way we measure time will not change either.

My personal preference is that DST is maintained year-round, giving us more daylight in the evening. Of course, this means that I would have to drive to work during the winter months in darkened conditions, often wet and/or icy, with whitetail deer crossing the road in total disregard of oncoming traffic. (It is my observation that mule deer are not prone to this suicidal habit, only the whitetails, but I am not a Scientist and, therefore, have not done any “controlled, replicable experiments” on the theory. That has no bearing on the subject. I just threw it in as a bonus. Value added, you know.)

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has introduced legislation numerous times to make DST permanent…and failed every time. While I disagree with the man on many, many, many issues, in this he and I are in lockstep.

“This ritual of changing time twice a year is stupid. Locking the clock has overwhelming bipartisan and popular support. This Congress, I hope that we can finally get this done,” Rubio said in a press release on March 2.

https://time.com/6261629/daylight-savings-time-2023/

There are multiple arguments put forth in favor of DST and just as many against it. I will not elaborate here. You can easily find them online. However, I have a theory which, as far as I know, has never been mentioned by anyone else. This is not to say that I am the originator, but I have never heard it from another source. Perhaps you have and can send me a link. Perhaps I am just being overly suspicious.

My theory is that the government, all-powerful in its own eyes, simply cannot resist the temptation to tinker with and control time. Considering that DST in America began with Woodrow Wilson, that despicable progressive piece of humanity, and considering that DST has now become a Fixture of American Life, it is not far-fetched to think that there are those in power who actually believe they have the authority to change time itself. Obviously, they cannot change the way the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening, but they can alter the means we use to measure the amount of daylight we experience.

One thing will not change, however. Midnight and midday, those natural occurrences which designate the points halfway between sunrise and sunset will never be altered. No matter how much we, in our perceived arrogance, seek to obfuscate and confuse the issue, midnight and midday will always be with us…exactly as they have been from the very beginning. Considering my obstinate insistence on accuracy, probably I will have to change my own attitude and start advocating for reality, otherwise known as Not Daylight Saving Time.

It really will not matter to me whichever way it goes. I just want to have one set time and stop having to make the requisite bi-annual adjustments on my clocks.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to the, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 1:26-28 (NKJV)

This article was sparked out of a difference of opinion. I follow a blog, Bionic Mosquito, and comment often on the topics written about, as do others. One of these others made a statement which I took exception to.

“Man WAS made in the image of God, but lost that image when he sinned against God. Man by procreation is created in the image of man (Genesis 5:5) for now all men die.”

The Preacher

BTW, the scripture reference should be Genesis 5:3, not 5:5. I must be honest here. I had never seen nor heard that Man WAS made in God’s image, but is not now, so I wrote this reply–“I do not agree with this. Man was, and still is, made in the Image of God. That image, though tarnished and corrupted by the effects of sin, is still there and will always be evident to anyone who wants to see it.”

Here are two different, contradictory, incompatible opinions. They cannot both be right. Either Man WAS and still IS made in the image of God or he IS NOT, implying that he is made in the image of something else—himself. You can read the entire conversation here. Scroll down to the comments. See also the links below for reference. 

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/family-qa/what-it-means-to-be-made-in-the-image-of-god/

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/image-of-god-meaning-imago-dei-in-the-bible.html

https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-does-it-mean-to-be-made-in-gods-image

https://biologos.org/articles/what-does-image-of-god-mean

I am not interested here in defining the meaning of the term, ‘image of God’. It seems to me that this can never be completely and fully explained since we will never know exhaustively what it really means. The best we can hope for is an approximation in the same manner as the six blind men of Hindustan, who tried to explain what an elephant was, each by feeling a unique feature of the beast. The consensus was that an elephant is like a tree, a rope, a snake, a wall, a fan, or a spear. This only confirmed the truth that, while they may have been accurate from their own perspective, none had an overall view of the whole animal. Deciphering the image of God is like that. Besides, there have been innumerable other people, smarter & better educated than me, who have tried to sort this out over the centuries and still are found wanting.

Instead, I will address the question of whether sinful man has lost that image or still carries the imprint even though it is impure and imperfect. Put in simple terms, The Preacher argues that Man (humanity at the beginning, Adam and Eve) were created in the image of God, but that due to the sin of “eating the apple”, that image was removed from them. All their descendants through the ages no longer bear the “mark”, but image another entity, sinful man, who is “created” through the natural act of sex, conception, pregnancy, and birth. The foundation for this argument is seen in Genesis 5:3, which reads,

            “And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.”

There are numerous definitions of the meaning of the word “image”, but for our purposes, Merriam-Webster offers this:

4a: exact likeness : SEMBLANCE

God created man in his own image—Genesis 1:27 (Revised Standard Version)

4b: a person strikingly like another person

she is the image of her mother

A person strikingly like another person. This easily corresponds to Genesis 5:3, in which it is recorded that Adam “begot a son in his own image, after his likeness,…” It does not take a great deal of imagination to see this as saying that Seth resembled his father, Adam. Semblance, according to the same source, means an actual or apparent resemblance. (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semblance)

Now, I confess that I have never read the Bible through from start to finish in a determined, time-constricted manner. I have never studied it systematically nor rigorously. I have never been to seminary nor even received any formal Biblical education other than years of church attendance, beginning at a very early age, i.e., within days after my birth, and on and off over the rest of my lifetime. Therefore, when I make the following statement, it should be considered as springing out of ignorance and lack of knowledge, rather than a dogmatic, obtuse point of view. If The Preacher (or anyone else) can show me where I am wrong about this, then I will admit my mistake and change my course. Until then, I will hold to my belief.

This idea, that Man is now created in the image of Man rather than the image of God stems from the above-mentioned verse and ONLY from that verse. I will go so far as to say unequivocally from that verse alone. There is absolutely nothing else in Scripture which could be construed as implying that humanity is created in anything other than the image of God. The doctrine is drawn from one isolated verse and is simply not supported scripturally.

In my research, pitifully small as it was and quite reliant on Google, I found nothing which identified any other single verse of Scripture which expounded on the term “image of Man”. (I asked The Preacher to give me links to information which bolstered his case, but got no answer.) In fact, when I typed in the search term, “image of man”, I found, literally, nothing relating to Scripture. Oh, there are plenty of sites linked, but they are not scriptural and usually have to do with photographic images of “men”, some of which are probably pornographic in nature. I do not know because I did not click on them. However, as a means of exploring this issue scripturally and philosophically, there is an absolute silence on Google.

On the other hand, typing in the search term, ‘image of God’, immediately brings up a vast array of links, with many references to scriptures throughout the Bible which uphold the idea that Man is created in and contains the Image of God. Many of these have links to other sites and articles which proclaim the same message that Man is indeed made in God’s Image. In fact, there are so many rabbit trails one could explore that it would be easy to lose sight of the original mission.

If you are skeptical of my claim, check it out for yourself using the search terms I have given. The weight of Scriptural evidence in favor of man being created in God’s Image simply overwhelms any opposing assertion. For instance, among others, 

• “This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.” — Genesis 5:1
• “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed. For in the image of God, He made man.” — Genesis 9:6
• “With it [tongue] we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.” — James 3:9
• “For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God…” – 1 Corinthians 11:7
• “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands. You have put all things under his feet.” – Psalms 8:4-6

It is a real stretch to assume that Man no longer bears the image of God in the light of these verses. In fact, it is impossible to read anything in them except that Man was (and is still being) created in God’s image.

I have some questions for The Preacher.

First, how does he explain Enoch? “And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” (Genesis 5:24) Very clearly, this verse says, without equivocation or waffling that Enoch had a close relationship with God. Yet, in The Preacher’s comments, he says that this is impossible.

“After the fall of man (read Genesis 3), he cannot have access to the Father, his flesh will die, because the Spirit of God left him and now his soul, body and spirit are “on their own””

“The answer to eternal life is to regain that image that was lost by believing that God himself as a man came to redeem us from our sins, being a propitiation for them and that we embrace and put our faith in that truth, God will restore that image by the Holy Ghost (as the Comforter) and since “Christ is in you”, then you have eternal life.”

In other words, Enoch, who was born thousands of years before Christ, was a “dead man walking”. He was on his own. He did not have access to the Father. However, Genesis 5:24 and the Book of Enoch tell a different story entirely. I do not put much stock in the Book of Enoch (although it is interesting reading) and it is understandable why the Christian church does not recognize it as Scripture, but it vigorously opposes the idea that sinful man does not have access to God. On its own merits, Genesis 5:24 plainly puts the lie to The Preacher’s bald-faced assertion.

Second, what about Noah? “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:8, 9) Not only that, but Noah had sufficient access to God so that he received ample warning of the flood to come and was able to build a way out following God’s direction. Doesn’t sound to me like he lost connection.

Third, how does he explain the prophets? Samuel, who literally spoke with and heard from God, Elijah, who could call down fire from Heaven, or Elisha, who could show the armies of Heaven to his servant on a moment’s notice, and many others of the same ilk.

---

If Man no longer bears the image of God, then why is there so much ruckus made over the abortion issue? Are unborn children human beings made in God’s image? Are they simply “products of conception” or as The Preacher might be inclined to say, “products of procreation”? If unborn children and all other unwanted people are only images of sinful man, then why should we care? Why not adopt the attitude and policy of “kill them all and let God sort them out”? In fact, why are there any restrictions on the murderous behavior of Man anywhere? Does this not play into the hands of the tyrannical, evil version of Hell on Earth (Utopia) in which many must die so that some, a few, can live well? After all, what is Man that we should be mindful of him?

Does God inject the “spark of life” into the fusion of a sperm and egg cell at conception? Who does the “creating”? Is Man now entrusted with that task himself? Has life now become a random chance event? Since The Preacher mentioned procreation as the means of creation (see the quote above), can this be taken as saying that God no longer directly is involved with it but has removed Himself from the process? This sounds suspiciously like the doctrine of Deism on an intimately personal level. God originally created Man, including the process by which Man would populate the Earth (procreation), but then removed Himself and is now allowing it to simply play out by itself automatically. God does NOT intervene in the affairs of Man anymore and is relegated to wringing His hands, waiting and hoping that Man, sovereign Man, will come to his senses eventually.

If Man creates himself and God is absent from that manufacture, then what is the use of God at all? Does He not become irrelevant to Man and, if so, can He not be safely and completely isolated and removed from the affairs of men? This recalls Nietschze’s famous quote that,

            “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?” https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/22827-god-is-dead-god-remains-dead-and-we-have-killed

Indeed! Now that Man can create himself and now that God can be shoved aside as an afterthought, Man can now become God in his own right. Because Man is worthy of it. Who can argue with that? Who would want to revert back to the “good old days” of Paradise. Practically everyone, but we want to do it on our own terms, not those of God.

If we adopt the idea that Man is created in his own image, then we must accept that there is nothing Man cannot do. Of course, the people at the Tower of Babel found out differently, but we have not yet learned that lesson. Even those who ought to know better fall prey to the temptation.

---

“The imago Dei is not a quality possessed by man; it is a condition in which man lives, a condition of confrontation established and maintained by the Creator. Thus in no sense can we speak of man losing this image. “What man does not possess he can neither bequeath nor forfeit.””29 ^{— https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-image-of-god}

Man is, always has been, and always will be, created in the image of God. That image defines us. It is our condition. It cannot be lost. It is what separates us from every other part of Creation. Without it, we are no longer human.

Within the last two days, Lew Rockwell has published two articles (See Ron Unz and James Howard Kunstler.) on the controversy over the Covid-19 mRNA injections so widely pushed by the Establishment and its lapdog media, and so cravenly accepted and submitted to by a genuflecting public.

These articles are contradictory. Unz promotes the view that obesity and its deleterious effects on individual health, more than anything else including the mRNA shots, caused a spike in death rates in 2020 due to the so-called Covid-19 virus, which plucked the low-hanging fruit before the “vaxxine” came into widespread use. He cites studies which review statistics from numerous countries around the world to bolster his case. Statistical analysis, which Unz is very good at, becomes the base of his argument, which is heavily linked.

On the other hand, Kunstler takes a more populist approach. Kunstler claims, without citing a single outside source, that is indeed the mRNA product which is killing so many people unnaturally. He offers no scientific reference as proof that his statements are true and only engages the reader with rhetoric. He develops the argument that by caving in to the Covid authoritarian regime and orders, the medical establishment has lost its trust with the general public. That trust, destroyed due to the abandonment of medicine’s first principles and the surprising lack of interest in exploring the issue, will be only regained, if ever, by a long process of restoring the idea that a doctor’s first order of business is the health of his patient, not submission to a dictatorial bureaucracy.

Only one of these two can be true. Neither may be, but it is plain that both cannot be. Either the Shot Foisted Round the World is killing people or it is not.

My take on the matter is this. Ron Unz makes a very good case and his statements might be proven correct, scientifically and statistically, in the long run. However, we are not living in the long run, but in a time of emotional upheaval and turmoil in which everything about the present system is questioned and under fire. It is at moments like these that people like James Howard Kunstler can rise to the top of the froth, influencing large amounts of public thought for good or for ill.

I do not know which of these two men, if either, is correct. Certainly though, if Unz is right, then the medical establishment carries the primary burden of not working toward a healthy, disease-resistant population through teaching people to take their own health seriously, preferring instead to simply prescribe pharmaceutical solutions to the ills so many suffer as they become more obese, more sedentary, and less physically and mentally healthy. Over many decades, medicine has travelled down the road of increasing corporate profits at the expense of the general health of the patient and, in this, Kunstler is absolutely right. Because of its neglect and disinterest, the cartel of modern medicine has wrecked what used to be a sacred trust–“First do no harm” in the pursuit of profit and power.

Due to the deteriorating situation we find ourselves in, voices like Kunstler’s are going to become louder and more prevalent. People will gravitate toward demagogues rather than dry, rational arguments. When trust is lost, it does not matter how truthful or compelling an argument is. In times of intense turmoil, logic cannot compete with emotion.

In the short term, my money is on the Kunstler types. In the long term, I hope that I am still alive after what promises to be a wild ride.

Yesterday I tuned into the football game between Buffalo and New England and tuned out nearly everything else for the next three hours. It was a fine spectacle of sportsmanship, athleticism, strength, durability, and skill, as all professional games usually are. In the wake of the tragedy suffered by Damar Hamlin just a few days previously, the win by Buffalo showed that the team could perform on a high level in spite of the situation and they deserved everything they won.

Thinking about it later, I was reminded of the movie, Seabiscuit, in which the jockey, Red, was severely crippled just before the all-important match race and had to listen from a hospital bed as his horse cruised to victory under the guidance of another rider. I am sure that Damar Hamlin celebrated in his own way just as much as Red did. I wish Hamlin the very best in his recovery.

There was, however, an episode which happened just before the game started to which I took vehement exception and still fills me with distaste. In the game preview, the announcers were discussing what had happened to Hamlin and its effect on the team. During the conversation, at least four times in the first few minutes, the word “guilt” was used. It sounded as if they were saying that the rest of the team had to overcome the guilt they felt before they could play successfully. Guilt? For what? That Damar Hamlin was in hospital fighting for his life and they weren’t? That they could play and he couldn’t? In a very real way, this attitude is no different than feeling guilty because you were involved in an auto accident caused by another driver in which your wife was killed while you walked away without a scratch. Or maybe during a shooting war because one of your best friends was grievously wounded and severely crippled for the rest of his life. None of this was your fault and you could not have done anything to prevent it, yet you feel guilty because someone else was hurt and you weren’t?

Sorrow? Grief? Compassion? Yes, absolutely! I can understand that, but guilt? Why?

There is something much deeper here and everyone knows it, yet they will not talk about it. Neither Jim Nantz nor Tony Romo, both of whom appeared to me to be visibly distraught and not their usual selves, mentioned it. It is the elephant in the room which everyone tiptoes around, knowing that it is there and acting as if it is not. Due to extreme pressure from the government, the NFL, and society, most of the players and staff had been jabbed with the Covid-19 mRNA injection. Probably both Nantz and Romo, along with the support staff who make the broadcast work, were also participants in this life-and-death experiment. It is a credible assertion that at least half, probably more, of the fans in the seats had also been inoculated with the “safe and effective treatment” at least once, many on multiple occasions. This is arguably the case over the entire playing field of the NFL in America.

They know it. They will not talk about it.

Now, I am not a medical doctor, practitioner, nor expert in any way. I have nothing more than minor field experience in the most rudimentary ways about first aid or response to a medical crisis. I do not know whether Damar Hamlin took The Jab or not. I do not know what caused him to collapse on the field after he took a shot to the chest. I do not know whether he experienced a case of commotio cordis. I do not know whether it was due to some other natural unexplained cause. I do not know and will not speculate, although many others have, including virtually all establishment figures who are pushing the narrative that he did suffer from commotio cordis, even though they have not examined him and also do not know.

[Not that it matters, but I know what it means to take a serious hit to the chest. When I was about twenty years old, I was kicked by a horse squarely in the middle of my chest. It laid me on the ground for quite a few minutes, but as far as I know, I have not suffered any other adversity due to it. I did not seek any medical treatment and never told my parents. I am extremely grateful that I survived.]

This event has all the makings of a conspiracy theory approaching the level of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, although I doubt that the revelation of the truth about Hamlin will drag on anywhere near as long as that has. In fact, considering the sheer number of young, healthy, and extremely fit athletes in the prime of their lives who are dropping dead for no apparent reason, I expect that it will only be a few years before we see and hear the raw, naked truth of the matter. Did Hamlin get the shot? That can be easily proven. Did it cause his heart to fail on the playing field in Cincinnati? That is still being debated and may never be known, but the powers-that-be do not have what it takes this time around to control the narrative as they have since Kennedy was shot. There are too many people, including myself, who suspect the worst and will not be silenced. The truth will come out about this. I believe it will be soon.

They know it. They will not talk about it because they are afraid to admit that they could be next. This might explain why Tony Romo mentioned guilt so many times. However, it is not guilt that he (or anyone else) feels, but fear. Raw, naked fear.

Of this I am certain.

Just about a year ago, I posted an article in which I listed numerous predictions which I thought would (or could) occur in 2022. Looking back on those, it is plain that I was spot on with some of them (The Good: #1, The Bad: #1, 7, 8), but face-planted in the mud right out of the starting gate on others (The Good: #2, 4, 5, The Bad: #3, 9, 10). Many could show some measure of success on a sliding scale (The Good: #3, The Bad: #4, 5). All that proves is that I am no “prophet” at predicting the future and, due to that fact, no one has to be afraid of what I say.

One event which has considerable importance in the world’s economic climate actually played out very nearly to what I had stated, namely, that the Nasdaq would fall 40% from its high at the beginning of the year 2022. See here for evidence. In fact, the Nasdaq started 2022 valued at 15, 832.80 and finished the year at 10, 466.48, or a decline of 33.5%, only slightly lower than my “official” prediction. This says nothing about my ability to forecast the stock market, but does show that I can look at current events and make a lucky guess…sometimes. (Full Disclosure: I do not trade stocks in any way, shape, or form, and did not profit from the yearlong slide of the Nasdaq. Perhaps I should have.)

Nevertheless, enough of the gloating and groaning. It is time to move on. 2022 is past, 2023 is well underway, and with that introduction, here is my list of predictions for the next year. Short, snappy, and easily proven right. Or wrong. As always, these are only guesses and do not mean anything more than what I expect could happen. Use your own good judgement.

---

1. The unraveling of the C.O.V.I.D. narrative which became evident in 2022, will continue. The “officially unexplainable and puzzling” deaths from “Died Suddenly” syndrome will increase dramatically and become too prevalent to ignore or cover up. Pfizer’s CEO, Albert Bourla, will become the man America loves to hate.
2. Due in part to the heavy-handed attempts to jab everyone with the mRNA witches-brew, resistance to the long-standing childhood vaccination protocol will also surge. More and more parents will question the wisdom of inoculating their young children with unknown chemicals which may be detrimental to their health and well-being. The link between multiple vaccinations and autism will become more firmly fixed in the minds of millions who have lost their trust in official incantations of medical science.
3. Home schooling will be adopted by millions of suddenly awakened American parents who decide that their children are more important than the boat in their driveway.
4. An end to the war in Ukraine will suddenly be negotiated after Clown Prince Zelensky is assassinated.
5. The “woke” movement which reached its apogee in 2022 will begin to decline precipitously (falling off a cliff?) in 2023. Corporations will fall all over themselves trying to create distance. “Get Woke, Go Broke” will manifest itself as the Mantra of the Year. Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion proves itself to be true once again, in spite of the efforts made to try to prove it false.
6. China will not invade Taiwan due to chaos at home. North Korea, following China’s lead, will not invade South Korea, but will continue provocative missile launches. Serbia will invade Kosovo, inflaming nationalist sentiments within the EU and sparking secessionist movements throughout Europe.
7. Donald Trump will suffer a debilitating stroke, causing him to withdraw from politics. His die-hard supporters will be forced to look for salvation from another direction. Ron de Santis will immediately move into the vacuum. Mitch McConnell will suffer a fatal heart attack while speaking to reporters outside the Capitol Building. Anthony Fauci will die mysteriously in his sleep, giving rise to a “conspiracy theory” that he was “Epsteined”.
8. The FED will hold the line on interest rates. Joe Biden will order FED chair Jay Powell to end quantitative tightening and return to a policy of easy money. Congress will be unable to find anything to eliminate in the Federal budget for FY 2024, declaring that “painful cuts” are just simply not possible.
9. A bill will be introduced into the Texas legislature to begin formally considering secession from the US. It will die in committee. No other states pick up the baton.
10. And last, but not least, my favorite. Against long odds, the Jacksonville Jaguars will win the Super Bowl, creating an instant tsunami of “dedicated” fans.

“My fellow Americans – I am honored and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice President-elect Harris. In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America. With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation. It’s time for America to unite. And to heal. We are the United States of America. And there’s nothing we can’t do, if we do it together.”

This is from a statement made by Joe Biden, the presumptive winner of the American presidential election. Notice the last line. Notice the assertion that unity of purpose in anything means success at whatever we attempt. Compare this attitude with that of the story of a civilization long lost in the dust of antiquity and mythology–the Tower of Babel, found in Genesis 11. Verse 6 is the link between then and now.

“And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.”

Almost literally word for word. “There’s nothing we can’t do.” “There’s nothing they won’t be able to do.”

https://poorrogersalmanac.com/2020/11/08/the-tower-of-babel-american-version/

Immediately after the election of 2020, I compared Joe Biden’s statement with the Biblical narrative of the Tower of Babel. Now, two years later, John Whitehead has joined the chorus. For those who are not familiar with Whitehead, he is constantly churning out articles which detail the abuses of the burgeoning, increasingly aggressive Deep State, otherwise known as the US government.

In a recent article published at the Rutherford Institute, commentators John and Nisha Whitehead detailed a litany of grievances against the situation in which we find ourselves today, where totalitarian, aggressive government is now riding roughshod over our “rights” as free, individual Americans. They conclude that,

---

“Unfortunately, we have done this to ourselves.

“We allowed ourselves to be seduced by the false siren song of politicians promising safety in exchange for relinquished freedom. We placed our trust in political saviors and failed to ask questions to hold our representatives accountable to abiding by the Constitution. We looked the other way and made excuses while the government amassed an amazing amount of power over us, and backed up that power-grab with a terrifying amount of military might and weaponry, and got the courts to sanction their actions every step of the way. We chose to let partisan politics divide us and turn us into easy targets for the government’s oppression…

“We” may have contributed to our downfall through our inaction and gullibility, but we are also the only hope for a free future.

After all, the Constitution begins with those three beautiful words, “We the people.” Those three words were intended as a reminder to future generations that there is no government without us—our sheer numbers, our muscle, our economy, our physical presence in this land…

Remember, there is power in numbers.

There are 332 million of us in this country. Imagine what we could accomplish if we actually worked together, presented a united front, and spoke with one voice?“

ibid

---

Whitehead is right. We cannot blame anyone else for the situation we are in. If you want documentation of this read 1 Samuel 8. It details what happens when a people clamor for, support, endorse, and follow a tyrannical government. 

“And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.” — v. 18

Did you get that? The “king” which you have chosen for yourselves. Or, in our case, the government that we have voted and lobbied for continuously without end.

Whitehead is also wrong. “We” are not the only hope for a free future. For him to make this assertion is to confess that he has just cut God out of the picture and promoted Man to that position. There is only One Hope for mankind and it is not, most definitely not, “We, the people.”

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face AND [emphasis added] turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 

2 Chronicles 7:14

The unspoken corollary is that IF we do NOT turn from our wicked ways, then America will not be healed. A word to the wise is sufficient. 

Considering that John Whitehead is adamantly vocal about the dangers of a unified, all-powerful government, it is ironic that he should write something like this.

“There are 332 million of us in this country. Imagine what we could accomplish if we actually worked together, presented a united front, and spoke with one voice?”

Yes, imagine that! While you are at it, imagine Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and Utopia. Better yet, imagine the Tower of Babel where “they, the people” were unified and spoke with one voice. Even more so, try to imagine what is going to happen when the judgments of heaven are finally unleashed on this country because we have tried to build a “city” for ourselves from which we cannot be dislodged.

Instead of attempting to recreate a “Tower of Babel” situation, we would be far better off to “…humble ourselves, pray, and turn from our wicked ways…”, beginning with the false notion that only the State can offer us “…liberty and justice for all.”

Whitehead ought to know better.

Wednesday, December 07, 2022 2:29 PM

Recently a friend of mine who works for KLA-TV created a short (17 minute) interactive documentary about the history of Jeanette Rankin, Missoula, MT. Several people from the local area did the voiceovers and I was pleased to be able to participate as well, reading a quote from Harton W. Sumners, a Texas Congressman.

For those who are not familiar with Jeanette Rankin, she was the first female member of Congress, elected in 1916, partly due to her anti-war stance, and cast a “No” vote when Woodrow Wilson requested that Congress declare war on Germany in 1917. She then lost her seat for a number of years, but ran again in 1940, also on an anti-war platform and regained the office. She then made history by casting the only “No” vote on FDR’s request for approval following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 07, 1941.

Yes, you read that right. She stood alone against the entire mood of the country and made her position very clear.

This is a very well made video and raises considerable questions about America’s entry into both WW1 and WW2. My part begins at 13:42. Click on one of the links at the bottom of the page.

The other news. Free – independent – uncensored www.kla.tv Dienstag, 08. January 2019 Dear Subscribers! Today is the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, which caused America’s entry into World War 2. But did you know that one person voted against going to war on December 8th 1941? Get to know who that was and why she did it in this broadcast. (Click one of the links below) Why is this relevant today? Aren’t we in a very similar situation. A regional war that could be expanded into a world war at any time. Will we go along or ask the critical question: Qui bono? Will truth and peace prevail this time? It’s up to us.  Please watch and share this critical broadcast on this historical day, so that entries into war remain dark days in history that never repeat.  Yours sincerely, Daniel Goebel with the Kla.TV Team.  Kla.TV: www.kla.tv/24318  YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=z5jhXeM1kqc  Facebook: facebook.com//watch/?v=680163490161075  Telegram: t.me/s/KlaTV_EN/500

I write primarily for myself. I also write in the hope that someone, somewhere, will read what I have written, consider it, and make a shift in their opinion, small or large, in the direction I advocate. I am not paid nor do I write to build an audience, although that would be nice.

With that said, this argument is bound to be controversial and may cause some readers to write me off as insane, unpatriotic, un-American, dogmatic, and perhaps even unchristian. Nevertheless, as the battle lines between good and evil are becoming more sharply focused and redrawn, I have no problem throwing this out for inspection. There is no neutrality, no common ground between good and evil. God is my Judge.

---

So many Christians in America today deplore the state of the country, claiming that it must be experiencing the Judgment of God a la Romans 1, beginning in verse 18. Part of this “condition” is because these people look at the blatant immorality which is widespread and increasingly openly defiant, and make the conclusion that America is under judgment for its sins. One major problem with this attitude is that God, not only is, but has always been judging this country (and the world), and will continue to do so…forever. Judgment is not something which is simply switched on or off like a light bulb. There is no time at all when God is not making assessments about behavior and issuing either positive rewards or negative punishments which are appropriate to the behavior. America’s judgment did not begin with the election of Barack Obama and it was not deferred for four years with the election of Donald Trump. In fact, it has been ongoing since the very founding of the nation and it will continue until America itself enters the dusty confines of the ashcan of history.

That being said, it is easy to point fingers. Homosexuality is now mainstream and accepted as normal. Abortion is killing our future. Transgenderism is at odds with reality. Schools are teaching CRT to clueless children. Homelessness is a blight on local economies. Rampant drug use is out of control. Violent predators are targeting our neighborhoods. And on, and on, and on. Ad infinitum. The cause for all these circumstances, we are told, is because we have simply NOT elected the right leaders to enact the right laws which will usher America into its bright future. Oh, and by the way, the first step we ought to take to restore OUR country to its former glory is to reinstate prayer back into the school curriculum from which it was ousted by a Supreme Court ruling decades ago.

Yeah, that ought to fix it.

Speaking of prayer…

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Contrast that with my own version.

“I pledge allegiance to the Cross of Jesus Christ, and to His Kingdom for which it stands, one Holy Nation, under God, incorruptible, with liberty, justice, and love for all.”

Allegiance. People all over the country recite this pledge monotonously, as a matter of course without ever thinking about what they are saying. What is allegiance, anyway? What does it mean to pledge allegiance? Why is this an issue of importance, especially to those who have also “given” their lives to Christ, promising to follow His steps and way, renouncing their “connection” with the worldly pattern? Here are a few definitions, slightly paraphrased solely for ease of reading.

The act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action

The loyalty that citizens owe to their country (or subjects to their sovereign)

https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/allegiance

The obligation of a feudal vassal to his liege lord

The fidelity owed by a subject or citizen to a sovereign or government

Devotion or loyalty to a person, group, or cause

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

Binding. Loyalty. Obligation. Fidelity. Devotion. Regardless as to which dictionary definition is used, these words or others like them are going to be present. Boiled down to its basic elements, allegiance is swearing to submit and adhere to any certain philosophy, action, cause, government, authority figure, and/or belief, among others. It always requires commitment and sacrifice on the part of the individual to an entity, establishment, institution, idea, or another person who is on the receiving end. It is an oath, a solemn promise, which is not lightly broken.

In the Pledge of Allegiance, this oath of commitment is given to an emblem, a symbol of the nation known as the United States of America AND to the system of power which rules the nation. Government, in other words. Call it a republic, if you wish. Or democracy. It does not matter. It is impossible to separate the flag from the form of government which holds power. It does no good to claim that one’s allegiance is given to the ideal of the founding principles of America and not to its present day form. This is a package deal. Either you buy into it or you don’t.

For those who self-consciously call themselves Christian, this is a major problem. It is a contradiction of their supposed spiritual beliefs. By virtue of voluntarily submitting their lives to the rule of Christ, they are automatically brought under and implicitly (maybe explicitly) swear allegiance to that rule. This is publicly shown in the act of baptism, in which the believer acknowledges that he has “died” to one way of life and been “reborn” into another to which he now is obligated. His allegiance is now owed to the Kingdom of Heaven and its rule is supreme over his life.

Can any person have allegiance, devotion, fidelity, or loyalty to two or more opposing, contradictory viewpoints, philosophies, or governments? Is it even possible to have TRUE allegiance to more than one at a time? My position is that it is not and that anyone who asserts they can is deluded. One or the other will reign and those who try to play both sides will find inconsistency in their position. This push/pull dichotomy is inherent to our sinful nature and will never be completely conquered this side of death. Unfortunately, many Christians refuse to acknowledge the issue and prefer to ignore the contradiction for one reason or another.

Is it any wonder that the Church of Jesus Christ today is impotent?

When an earthly government orders its citizens to do anything, anything at all, which is diametrically opposed to what the Christian faith demands, which allegiance is going to prevail? How committed are you and where do you draw the line? If you swear allegiance to the United States and that government orders you to do something which is at odds with your Christian beliefs, will you go along with it even though it causes “cognitive dissonance” within your soul? If you are a Christian, whenever evil is present in government, how can you support that evil without first abandoning your commitment to righteousness? The short answer is that you cannot. You must choose which course to follow.

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

Jesus Christ, Matthew 6:24

Is it extreme to say that standing, taking one’s hat off, placing a hand over one’s heart, and reverently reciting an oath of allegiance to a flag, an emblem of a political entity, is an act of idol worship? Probably, and in the minds of many self-professing Christians is cause for disagreement. After all, they will say, I do not really worship the flag. However, is not the Gospel of Jesus the Christ also extreme in its message? And does not the Gospel demand that a person forsake everything, that is, everything, for the sake of the truth? And, considering what passes for American politics these days, why should anyone cling to the flag as if it was the arbiter of truth or going to save them from their distress? Furthermore, politics divides people and turns them against each other, whereas the goal of Christianity is to unite them in purpose, truth, and love. The practice of politics is antithetical and antagonistic to Christianity and ought to be abandoned as a means of bringing peace to a troubled world.

Will this happen? En masse, not likely. It is a lonely path. Most Christians in America today have too much to lose by renouncing their slavish devotion to the political State. Remember that it was only 2-1/2 years ago that churches everywhere shuttered their doors because the State “strongly encouraged” them to do so as a result of the Corona virus appearing on the scene and frightening everyone nearly to death. How many churches would go “out of business” if their 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status was revoked? How many Christians are enamored of the belief that America is “good” regardless of the evidence to the contrary and will not listen to anything else? How many are prepared to die for their country, but will not sacrifice their comfortable, middle-class life for their Sovereign?

My country, right or wrong! This is a common phrase among the true believers in national politics. Unfortunately, it is used as an excuse to condone the evil which emanates from society and its government. Those dedicated to the cause of Jesus Christ are not allowed to rest here. Instead, they are required, to root out evil within their own personal lives wherever they are, wherever they live, wherever they go, in His Name and sometimes this means that a separation from the mainstream is in order.

This is a lonely road. Do not take it lightly.

I have, like many others around the world, been watching the greatest fail we have seen in a long, long time. Referring, of course, to the very recent slow-moving train wreck known as the Red Wave Which Wasn’t, resulting in an abysmal showing for the Republican Party in the 2022 midterms.

Typically, in a mid-term election, the party which holds the White House loses seats in Congress that substantially shifts the balance of power from one party to the other. It does not always happen this way, but often enough that the pattern has been established and borne out for decades. This election, however, bucked the trend noticeably.

“Holding an election is one of the simpler tasks for a society. People show up, then prove they are who they claim to be and that they are eligible to vote. Rational societies limit the franchise to those who have a stake in society. That means criminals and lunatics are not allowed to vote. The votes are then counted and the results are posted. The winners cheer and the losers promise to do better next time…In America, our election system is on the cusp of collapse. States like Arizona and Nevada are now unable to count the votes. Fraud is so rampant that no honest person thinks the results are on the level. Pennsylvania supposedly voted for a brain-damaged hobo to be their senator. Joe Biden has severe dementia and we are supposed to believe he is the most popular man since Jesus.”

https://www.takimag.com/article/rise-of-the-spiteful-mutants/

The winners cheer. The losers promise to do better next time. In other words, our candidate won, which means that the world is now back on the right (correct) track and headed in the right (correct) direction. Praise be to the religious system known as democracy! Or, conversely, our candidate lost, which means that the world is going to hell in a handbasket and we really have all got to work harder to get more people to vote our way the next time around. Those dastardly rats have stolen the election, taken advantage of us…again!

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me again, shame on me.

Welcome to the Status Quo, the reigning belief that men and women (or more accurately, SOME men and women) can solve the problems we face if we simply give them the power they need to make the necessary changes which we are convinced need to be adopted. The major problem with this line of thinking is that everyone’s opinion of what changes are necessary is countered by another person’s opinion which is in opposition. In other words, a push-and-pull tug of war in the middle of a mudhole which results in no clear winner…except for those on the sidelines who are holding and directing the spray of water from the hose which is constantly enlarging the mudhole.

But why do we keep playing the game anyway? Is it not because we operate under a flawed mentality that the way we think is the only correct way and that we must work to impose our views on everyone else via the (time-tested and proven false) means of democracy and voting in every election? Do we not believe that if we only vote the correct way (our way) and get our man or woman into office, then our problems can be solved? Do we not believe that “right” government will correct all the evils which “wrong” government enacted and imposed on us against our will? In other words, we want someone, anyone, to ascend to the Pinnacle of Power who will force everyone else to behave themselves, that is, behave themselves according to our own personal way of thinking. Unfortunately, this never happens. Instead we are mired in a mudhole of delusion while reality stands separate and above.

“A forever expanding list of saviors that will right the wrongs and jump tall buildings in a single bound…The Deep State runs the country, so the actor that gets the official nod from the voters after getting the official nod from the political parties after getting the official nod from the Deep State, won’t change a damned thing. The last 50 years, at least, show that there will be no change of direction because the owners of the country like things as they are.” (Roatan Bill, see Comment #27)

https://www.unz.com/imercer/ron-desantis-delivers-first-principles-in-action/

Good on you, Roatan Bill. This is a very concise and accurate description of the process. But, then, who is Roatan Bill? Perhaps you prefer to hear from someone more famous, more influential.

“Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of a day. But a series of oppressions, pursued unalterably through every change of ministers, too plainly proves a deliberate systematic plan of reducing us to slavery.”

Thomas Jefferson

And this deliberately systematic reduction into slavery has been ongoing from the very beginning with the voluntary complicity of those who continually endorse it.

What is the root cause? What drives people to opt into a system which is designed to enslave them? I submit two things.

1. Greed. We know what we want and we want to have it…and more. Right now! We are never satisfied and bend every effort to gain more, even at the expense of others regardless as to whom they might be. And those others are also trying to live under the same attitude. Greed is what drove Adam and Eve to take a bite out of the apple in the Garden of Eden. They had everything they could ask for–except what they were told they could not have. More.
2. Fear. People are generally afraid of losing what they already possess and they will do virtually anything to prevent the loss of those possessions, even if it means that they support a tyrant who promises protection and safety with various means, while robbing them blind through other methods.

Out of these springs the desire for control. Not only control of ourselves and what we have, but also a desire to control everyone else around us because we want what they have AND because we are afraid that they will take what we already have. If this is correct, then it is evident that those who endorse the system and who vote to perpetuate it are not only concerned about what they can personally gain from it, but more truthfully, whether consciously or not, use it as a means of self-defense, to prevent someone from taking what they think is theirs.

Greed and fear walk hand-in-hand, but fear is the stronger of the two. Boil the whole thing down to its most basic element and what is left at the end is fear–the fear of loss in this life and the fear of death at the end of it. Tyranny and politics are overwhelmingly dependent on fear. Truth is that everything we have, think we have, is going to be taken away from us sooner or later, up to and including our lives. We have no rational basis for being afraid.

If the truth makes you uncomfortable, don’t blame the truth, blame the lie that made you comfortable. Fear is a liar. Live not by lies. Conquer the fear and live.

Like many other people, I was expecting at least a wave which was discernible. Heck, I even predicted that ten months ago.

“The 2022 mid-term elections will result in the Democrats being decimated and the Republicans securely ensconced as the majority party in Congress. Nancy Pelosi, reading the tea leaves, will not run for re-election expressing a desire to spend more time with her family. Joe Biden will become a first-term, lame-duck president. Kamala Harris will resign from the office of VP, either under duress or as the result of an erupting scandal. Her replacement will be groomed to take over the Presidency in early 2023 when “Joe” leaves office for one reason or another.” [1b]

https://poorrogersalmanac.com/2022/01/10/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-my-predictions-for-2022/

Of course, this prediction was based on the historical fact that usually the party of the incumbent President loses ground in the mid-terms and the (flawed) belief that people would turn against the woke Covid machine which was strongly supported and enabled by the Democrat Party. I was wrong on both counts. Maybe we really have reached both 1984 and The End of History.

I also predicted an outcome of the Smashing Success which still stands a chance is almost certain to happen. On this, I think I am on more solid ground since the event will not be dependent on the fickle whims of the general populace, but on the proven behavior of statist politicians regardless of which side of the aisle they sit on.

“Nothing of any substantial good will come about due to the 2022 elections in which the Republicans smash the Democrats in Congress. (See 1b above.) Totalitarian government will continue to grow without any serious effort by the “newly elected” to resist it.”

https://poorrogersalmanac.com/2022/01/10/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-my-predictions-for-2022/

I was primed to post a different sort of article IF the Republicans had scored big. In it, I would have pointed out that they were now responsible to change things for the better, to make government work for the people, and to justify the faith of all those who were certain that voting for a conservative Republican would make all the difference in our political life. IF this had happened, according to the true believers, America would have made a U-turn, repented of its sins, and started down a different track which would lead to liberty and prosperity. IF this had happened, it would have greased the skids for a 2024 Trump landslide win, which would have guaranteed the Making of America Great Again.

IF this had happened, I would have returned to those people in a year with a question–“Are you better off now than you were a year ago?”

Silence. Crickets. Not the kind you eat, either.

As it is, however, I have to change my thesis and explain that I am really quite glad that the Republicans fell flat on their collective “arses”. I couldn’t use the term “asses” because the Democrats would not sit still for copyright infringement and might decide to cancel me. Of course, with my reach, influence, and audience, that wouldn’t take a great amount of effort. One phone call to WordPress would probably do it. Maybe it would only take one text message. Nevertheless,…

Because of the dismal showing, many, many conservative Republicans all over the country are going to have to face up to the fact that their best efforts have not produced the superman who is not going to show up to save them. They are going to have to become accustomed to the idea that “politics as usual” will continue for at least another two years. They will have to console themselves until 2024 rolls around, when things will be different because Trump (or DeSantis, a kinder, gentler type of Trump) will be on the national stump and heads will roll then.

Just you wait and see. We’re playing 5G chess here.

One thing we will not see, however, is a widespread confession among Republicans that they have put their faith, hope, and trust in a man-made system which is designed to enslave them. It will not become common knowledge among them that the government (which we chose for ourselves) is a false god and ought to be abandoned in favor of the One True God, Who delivers on His promises to set us free. On the contrary, they will retreat into their caves, complaining bitterly and licking their wounds, in preparation for another sally forth in two years, with the (convinced) expectation that this time God will hear their prayers, even as they pledge allegiance to the representative idol, the flag of the false god, in pursuit of their religion, the worship of power and control over other people, even if only by proxy. They will never renounce their cherished beliefs that government is good, even as they watch it destroy them. If only the right people were elected…

Hope springs eternal. So does delusion.

Following is one of the most quoted verses in all of Christendom…and one of the least understood.

“If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, AND [emphasis mine] turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

2 Chronicles 7:14, RSV

What is the greatest sin in America today? Well, from my own low perch and observation, I would have to say that we have erected a “golden calf” to worship. We bow down to the accomplishments of man and have forgotten all about the One Who created man. We think that theft by majority vote is perfectly satisfactory in spite of the admonition, “Thou shalt not steal.” We think that it is quite right that occasionally we should pick up some “crappy little country and throw it against a wall“, just because we can. We have no problem with glorifying the law and demanding that it be followed explicitly and thoroughly, even as we neglect and ignore The Law.

Too many people, especially Christians, read the verse quoted and think that IF they just go to church once a week, get baptized, confess their sin of lust and adultery, AND vote religiously every time there is an election, THEN God will hear their prayers and heal their land. Too many people, especially Christians who are tuned into the “benefits” of state worship, will simply not hear anything at all about making an abrupt course change. Too many churches, especially Christian, which love their 501 (C) (3) tax-exempt status will never, ever voluntarily dissolve that relationship and simply trust that God, not the State, has called and endowed them to good works.

And so we will go on, staggering blindly and complacently until we fall headlong into the ditch. Or called more properly, the abyss. Then things will change.

Not necessarily for the better.

“Thou shalt not steal…except by majority vote.”

Gary North

Politics can be defined as the practice of using force, either direct or indirect, to compel or persuade people to live and act in a certain prescribed manner. It is deliberate manipulation, overt or covert, with the intention of increasing one’s power and/or wealth, always at the expense of someone else. It is using people for the benefit of other people.

“And the waitress is practicing politics as the businessmen slowly get stoned…”

Billy Joel, Piano Man

Or, as the sign below shows, an attempt to force others to be charitable, compassionate, and kind.

This sign advocates a tax (levy) on some people so that other people can be “helped”. What is the underlying message? That compassion for the less fortunate must be made mandatory? That love for those in need must be compelled under duress? That charity, which should start at home, actually begins at the ballot box, provided that a simple majority agree? That voluntary kindness toward those who need help is insufficient and must have the heavy hand of government to assist? In a nutshell, the sponsor of this sign is trying to reduce Christ-like behavior down to a formula, a tax rate. Goodness and generosity is no longer a personal virtue, but has become a matter of opening your wallet at the behest of the taxman.

The really sad thing about all this is that many will fall for it and the measure has a good chance of being enacted into law. This is a blatant example of guilt manipulation and those who believe they have a right to the wealth of others will have no problem working to make this happen. A majority vote would ostensibly take unworthy creatures and make them into virtuous human beings, all done under the force of democratic law and the threat of forceful violence.

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”

C. S. Lewis

Well, hey, at least I do not live in Missoula, so that will not affect me. Right? Right, until the same bad attitude wrapped in an attractive package comes to my own home town.