Healing Doesn't Begin With Putting God Back In The White House....

.... It begins with bringing Him back to the CHURCH HOUSE.

Standing Rock...

We are hearing about the protests going on in N. Dakota regarding the Dakota Access Pipeline.  The latest development is the coming of representatives of the UN to insure that everything is being done in accordance with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, a declaration the US never signed.

The argument is being made that construction of the pipeline is somehow a violation of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, a treaty that expanded the boundaries of the Sioux reservation established by the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851.  The argument is being made that the terms of the treaty protect certain sacred and burial sites, protections ignored by the pipeline company.  A reading of both treaties will find that such areas were never even addressed under the terms of the treaties.  They are available to be read here:

Treaty of 1851, http://digital.library.okstate.edu/kappler/Vol2/treaties/sio0594.htm#mn12;
Treaty of 1868, https://ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=42&page=transcript.

There are some problems with claiming protections under the 1868 treaty, which has been the main defense of the protestors.

First, the main concerns of the treaty were to A) establish boundaries of the Sioux reservation; B) elicit certain promises that settlers, railroads, etc., would not be attacked by members of the tribes; C) elicit promises to end wars; D) establish payments to be made to the tribes by the US government; E) codify certain promises by the US government to "improve" conditions for the tribes.  Sacred and burial sites were never even mentioned by the treaty, neither were commitments to consult with the tribes before any development would take place.  The latter commitment is part of the UN Declaration we never signed.

Second, the specific area of concern to the Standing Rock band wasn't part of the territory established by the treaty.  The following map illustrates the extent of the original reservation (outlined in purple), as well as the territory now included in the Standing Rock reservation (north of the purple line, outlined in brown).  The specific area of concern was not part of the reservation until 1875, added to the reservation by an executive order.

In fact, if that area had not been added,  the pipeline would be 40 miles distant from the reservation at that point.

Which brings us to this consideration: as the following map demonstrates, the area where the protests are taking place is outside of the reservation.

In fact, the protest is taking place on privately owned/held property, off the reservation.  While the protestors are demanding that THEIR property, traditions, and rights be respected, they are disrespecting the property and rights of others.

I am cognizant of the fact that our country has not acted honorably toward our indigenous peoples.  Over the years, the US legislature has enacted legislation that significantly reduced the territory ceded to the Sioux under treaty.  But we need to be aware of what is happening and how the situation is being manipulated.

The Attack On Vets Continues - Collecting Enlistment Bonuses...

They say no good deed goes unpunished, and this is just the latest example.

Ten years ago, California (as was true of many other states as well) was having difficulty filling the ranks of the California National Guard.  So they tried did something to make service more attractive: they offered large enlistment bonuses.  It was effective, and many enlisted as a result.

Ten years later, Pentagon auditors determined that the bonuses paid to enlistees exceeded Pentagon guidelines, so in typical bureaucratic fashion, instead of going after the state of California to recoup their funds, they are pursuing collection actions against veterans, men and women who enlisted in good faith, who served their country in Afghanistan and Iraq, who honored their commitment and their contract. And they are literally driving some into insolvency.

This is both immoral and unethical, and this latest attack on our veterans must stop.

The following link will take you to a petition asking the Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter, to rein in the Pentagon, to order them to cease and desist their collection activities against our veterans and to make whole those who have suffered harm because of it, and to direct their collection activities against the parties that truly bear responsibility - the State of California and the California National Guard:

Stop Forced Veteran Enlistment Repayments!

"Behold, We Did Not Know This:" A Response To Normalization Of Relations With Cuba

“How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?

Selah

Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.  Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked,” Psalm 82:2-4, ESV.

"Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless," Isaiah 10:1-2, ESV.

Pres. Obama chose to normalize relations with Cuba despite their history of oppression against the Church.  His actions have not brought about a change for the better in the Cuban government, rather, they have ENCOURAGED a Godless and despotic regime to continue in their oppression. 

THIS is the responsibility given to our leaders by God; pay close attention to the warning He includes:

"Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.  If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?  Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, AND WILL HE NOT REPAY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS WORK," Proverbs 24:11-12, ESV, emphasis added.

Pres. Obama and former SecState Hillary Clinton cannot claim ignorance.  They may never answer to the courts of man, but God says the day is coming when they will answer to HIM.

Crackdown on Christians in Cuba

When Fire Favors The Wealthy...

So a new Grand Rapids, MI, open burn ordinance has been announced that "allows" some people to have a recreational fire on their own property.  Minimum lot size is 5,000 sq. ft, so that eliminates about 85% of all properties in the city.  My own property is 3,750 sq. ft.  The property owner must pay an additional tax of $50/yr (the cost of the annual permit they must purchase), the fire pit must be "...at least 20 feet away from any structure or fence and must be contained in a pit or chimenea. No fires are allowed on high risk fire days or Ozone Action Days.

Fires must be extinguished by 10 p.m. and residents need permission from their neighbors on either side."

SERIOUSLY?!

My neighbors who use powerful fireworks before, during, and after the allowed holidays throughout the year don't have to ask my permission before lighting them off until 1:00 or 2:00 am, they don't have to worry that the smoke in our neighborhood is thick enough to cut with a chainsaw or that the average lot size is closer to 50' x 50' (2500 sq ft), and they don't have to purchase a permit to light off their completely unconfined fireworks.  This new ordinance, which is being tested for 2 years and will be reconsidered in 2018, favors large property owners - with a few exceptions, the wealthiest citizens of the city. This is a garbage ordinance that, once again, tramples private property rights - especially those of the less-than-wealthy.

Common Sense…?

Isn't it amazing what constitutes "commonsense"? 

Today the US Supreme Court struck down a portion of the Texas law (similar to Michigan's law, which I helped write) that requires abortion clinics to meet the same basic requirements as are expected of outpatient surgical centers. The Supreme Court said this places an undue burden on abortion providers and women seeking abortions  

"Commonsense" in the abortion industry would be sterile rooms, with sterile equipment, with licensed doctors meeting the same basic standards as any outpatient operating facility.   This, however, is considered to be an undue burden on abortion providers. 

"Commonsense" when it comes to firearms is any regulation that limits access to firearms purchases, carry or transfer by legally qualified individuals, while failing to address criminal elements that seek to circumvent those laws.  That is considered to be acceptable.

Restrictions are considered to be "commonsense" with relation to firearms, but an undue burden with relation to the abortion industry, which has accounted for the deaths of over FIFTY MILLION babies since being legalized.

BRITAIN SECEDES!!!

To the People of Britain: we, the People of the United States, stand with you - even if our globalist president does not.

BULLY FOR BRITAIN!!!

M.A.S.H. Comes To Life….

The president has declared that the Orlando shooting had nothing to do with islam, despite the shooter calling 9-11 to pledge his allegiance to ISIS.  The USAG has said they are still trying to determine the shooter's "true motivation" for his actions, but reiterates that it had nothing to do with islam despite the shooter's own words.

We are watching an episode of M.A.S.H. come to life before our eyes.  This is from the episode, The Novocaine Mutiny, in which Frank Burns tries to get Hawkeye courtmartialed:

Frank -  It has come to my attention that Sergeant Zale lost $300.

Hawkeye - Yeah.  So?

Frank - So that means that there's a thief around here.  Maybe more than one.

Hawkeye - Frank, Zale lost it gambling.

Frank - I beg your pardon?

BJ - Gambling, Frank.  He was playing poker with us.

Frank - Impossible. Gambling's prohibited.  There is no gambling in this unit.  Therefore the money was stolen.

BJ - Can't argue with that logic.

Hawkeye - I certainly wouldn't try.  My mother always said, "Never argue with crazy people and wear clean underwear in case you get run over by a tank and go to the hospital.

BJ - Wise woman.

Frank - Okay, you two clever Dicks.  I'm gonna conduct a search as only I can, and the culprit or culprits will be punished.

BJ - Frank, your sanity's sprung a leak.

Frank - We'll see.  When I find that money, you'll be laughing out the other side of your sleeve.

So here's how this plays out in today's news:

President - It has come to my attention that there was a shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando.

Public - Yeah, that's what the news said.

President - Well, that means there's a shooter around there.  Certainly not part of a larger conspiracy.

Public - Mr. President, the shooter was a self-proclaimed muslim and pledged allegiance to ISIS.

President - I beg your pardon?

Public - Muslim, Mr. President.  The shooter said he was Muslim.

President - Impossible.  I have declared that there are no such things as muslim terrorists.  Muslim terrorists do not exist,  therefore, the shooter must have had some other motivation.

Public - Can't argue with that logic, won't even try.  My mother always quoted Proverbs 29:9, "If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest."  She was a wise woman.

President - Okay, you racist, intolerant right wingers.  I and my administration are gonna conduct a search as only we can, and the scapegoats we "discover" will be punished.

Public - Mr. President, your agenda is showing.

President - We'll see.  When I find my scapegoat, you'll be laughing out the other side of your sleeve.

"If It Saves Just ONE Life…."

It's interesting to me how the "if it saves one life, it will be worth it" argument only seems to work when BANNING something (like the president always says when calling for more gun control).

Interpol Sec. General Ron Noble advocates for INCREASING civilian defensive firearms carry as a response to terrorist events (like the one in Orlando), http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/exclusive-westgate-interpol-chief-ponders-armed-citizenry/story?id=20637341. 

Ohio approved concealed carry for license holders in bars in 2011, and N. Carolina approved similar legislation in 2013; neither state has experienced an upswing in drunken shootings. 

Chief Craig of Detroit urged Detroiters to begin carrying in self defense because of the increase in crime and the decrease in law enforcement presence; the first year saw a 25% reduction in crime, particularly violent crime, and overall has seen about a 12% reduction in crime in the last three years or so since he urged them to begin carrying. 

INCREASE defensive carry, particularly in areas now designated as "gun free" (you know, like the night club was). If it saves just ONE LIFE, it will be worth it!

Enough Is Enough….

Tom Brokaw, professing "firearms owner," said in an interview after the Orlando night club shooting that "it's time for people to come together and say 'enough.'"

He is absolutely right - although not in the way he intended.

It is time for the American people to come together and say, enough gun control. Enough apologizing to those who hold an ideology that has declared war on us. Enough shifting blame from terrorists to the US for their attacks on us and our allies. Enough "gun free" zones. Enough surveillance and security procedures that criminalize innocent citizens while allowing potential enemies to slip through in order to say we don't profile. It is time to begin acting once again like we are the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. It is time to protect our citizens, secure our borders, and defend our Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

It's time. 

Enough is enough.