Friday, November 28, 2008

Show Me the Birth Certificate

Yes, Mr. Obama, save us all some time, tax money, (Judges and lawyers are not cheap), and troubling rumors, show me, show America, your original, undoctored birth certificate.

But perhaps even more telling, show me your passport, you know, the one you used to visit Indonesia and Pakistan as a younger adult. Because, really, that's the more telling argument isn't it? I know that our system is skewed towards making an allowance for the mistakes of parents in the case of a child's citizenship status. If your passport shows you to be a citizen of Indonesia at that point in your life, then that would mean that you had renounced your American citizenship. By the laws of our nation, that's not something you can take back. I have no interest in any current passport which you may have obtained using the same document you posted on your web-site, but I have a great deal of interest in seeing the passport you used to travel in countries that were not allowing U.S. citizens to visit at that time.

So yes, by all means, produce your real birth certificate, but I'd like to see proof that you never renounced your American citizenship as an adult too.

"Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.
But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him." ~Numbers 15:29-31

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving

Here it is, Thanksgiving already and I have so much to be thankful for.

I am thankful that God was willing to go to extraordinary lengths to assure my salvation. May I prove worthy of it.


It has been a challenging year. I am thankful for all the lessons of the past year. Every challenge has within it the opportunity for personal growth, no matter how painful it may be. Every joy should be treasured as it occurs.


I am thankful to live in a country and time that allows me to worship freely.


"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. " ~Col 3:17

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Veteran's Day

My gratitude and thanks go out today for those who have and are serving my country in the armed forces. I am thankful for your voluntary service. Other countries may have larger armies, but we are stronger for your voluntary sacrifice.

" And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;
For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
...
And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart. "~Deut 20:3 and 8

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Power of The Press

I have been thinking for some time about the power of the press. "The only security of all is in a free press. The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to. It is necessary, to keep the waters pure." --Thomas Jefferson But how may the power of the press be balanced when those controlling it begin to take it upon themselves to dictate the way information is presented to such an extent as to guarantee the outcome they favor? There are checks and balances on every branch of government, but what checks and balances are there on the press?

One can argue that the people must control the press by refusing to purchase (by viewing in the case of television) those products produced by press outlets who present biased reporting. That is unsatisfactory in my opinion, because when the media becomes as large and all encompassing as it has, there is no way for the people to find the objective truth in a timely enough manner to oppose the aims of those who have overarching control of what may be shown. That overarching control of what may be shown is also problematic. How does one even begin to present the truth(assuming one can find it) when the best outlets for the dissemination of that truth have total control over when, where and if it will be presented?

It may be argued that the internet will change all that, but the internet is already becoming a confusing morass of opinions where it is difficult to tell who is presenting the truth.

I think that those who are in control of granting interviews/coverage of newsworthy events such as presidential press conferences and etc. on a regular basis need to burden themselves further with the task of evaluating the coverage they get and then only inviting back those reporters/newspeople who present the most unbiased and factual reports.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qcjvdhV2Ok
This link will take you to a video: The Manipulative Aspect of Media (Francis Schaeffer)
Edit: that link has been removed this one contains the same video. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8qMi_VIuX4

"Our people, merely for want of intelligence which they may rely on, are become lethargic and insensible of the state they are in." --Thomas Jefferson

"Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle. The real extent of this state of misinformation is known only to those who are in situations to confront facts within their knowledge with the lies of the day." --Thomas Jefferson

"The press is impotent when it abandons itself to falsehood." --Thomas Jefferson

"Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah." ~Psalm 60:4