Very cool Posted by micahdriscoll

Posted 01/17/09

My children are homeschooled by their mother and sometimes myself.  First and foremost, we earnestly desire them to be great citizens of Heaven.  We teach from a biblical worldview and instruct them accordingly.  Part of that worldview and instruction is a love for liberty and being a good citizen on earth.  We resently required our oldest son (8, 7 at the time) and daughter (9) to write a letter to president elect Obama.  My daughters letter was nice, encouraging and cordial.  My son however would not write to him but rather chose to write a letter to Ron Paul.  Here is what he wrote:
  December 15, 2008
Congressman Ron Paul
601 25th Street, Suite 216
Galveston, TX  77550
Dear Ron Paul                                 
I wish you could have become president.  My parents voted for Chuck Baldwin just because you said to.  I made a Christmas ornament for my dad.  It was a Ron Paul blimp.  He really liked it.  I agree with you on how to keep us free by obeying the Constitution.  I would have voted for you if I were old enough to vote but I am only seven.
Yours truly, 
....

Now i was a little disappointed that he thinks I voted Chuck Baldwin because Ron Paul told me too.  No, I was planning on voting for Mr. Baldwin as soon as the primaries were over.  However, I like the rest of the letter.

So, yesterday, my son gets a letter back from Ron Paul.  Here is what he said.

Dear ... :
Thank you for taking the time to contact me with your kind words.  I want to not only thank you, but also your parents for supporting me.  Please know ai will continue to do all I can as Congressman to restore liberty to the united States of America.
..., I have also enclosed a copy of the US Constitution for you to have and cherish all the days of your life.  Best of wishes to you in your future.
Sincerely,
Ron Paul

Both the letter and the constitution were signed by Ron Paul.  Very Cool!

Someone else's thoughts on the election Posted by micahdriscoll

Posted 01/01/09

THE 2008 ELECTION…AS I SEE IT

by Ron Merryman

November 9, 2008

A number have asked me to comment on the recent election in the U.S. Here is how I see it.

Americans Voted for more Centralized Government

First & foremost: Americans, Christians and non-Christians, voted for larger, more centralized Federal Government, i.e., for more socialism. Why? Simply put: they have gullibly put their faith in the power brokers in WASHINGTON D.C.

The predominant concern in this election was the economy. Most people voted for the candidate(s) that promised to give them the most… more benefits, more federal moneys, more health care, more and better retirement programs. In other words, less personal responsibility for one’s security in life; less need for hard work; less need to save; less personal concern to plan – all these motivated Americans to vote as they did.

Secondly: Please understand that the results of this election indicate what the majority of Americans BELIEVE: they believe that the Federal Government will take care of them better than an economic system in which they take care of themselves, the best proven system ever for fair economic opportunity. Our Founding Fathers must have rolled over in their graves!

The Economic Crisis: A Faith Tester

I find it extremely telling that the current international economic crisis hit in full force about 8 weeks before our major election. [Sarah Palin was not the cause of McCain’s defeat; if anything, she revived true conservatism in the Republican Party. Americans’ knee-jerk reaction to the economic crisis insured Barack Obama’s election.]

Crisis is often God’s way of testing and teaching believers where and in what their faith really is. This is illustrated again and again in the Bible. The candidates in this election continually (perpetually!) reminded us that we are to trust them; that is, to believe that they will straighten out the greed and corruption that got us into this mess.

Get the picture: two Senators, both part of the Congress, a major, major, source of our economic woes, promised to straighten out the source of which they are a part. Do you, did you, REALLY BELIEVE THEIR MESSAGE? Have you put your faith in that which cannot and will not deliver, the power brokers in Washington, D.C.? GOD OFTEN USES CRISES TO TEACH BELIEVERS WHERE OR ON WHAT THEIR FAITH RELIES!

If you think the Federal Government is going to take care of you, visit an Indian Reservation sometime. America’s original inhabitants were sold the same bill of goods years ago.

Government & Economics

Are you deceived about the Federal Government’s capacity to create wealth or prosperity? The Federal Government neither produces nor markets any product. The only way it can get moneys is by taking it from us. If you voted for more economic distribution from the Government, where will they get the moneys? They have only two sources: taxation and inflation (inflation is simply printing more money thus making what you save worthless, another form of stealing).

By the way: State Governments CANNOT print money. I have read little about the disastrous effects of our fiscal crisis on State Governments. Think on this: there is less and less state- sales-tax revenues because Americans have quit spending; the States will receive less and less federal funds because the Federal Government is bankrupt; the States will receive less and less income tax from residents because unemployment is skyrocketing.

So expect State officials to get in line with those already there looking for Federal funds: AIG Insurance Co., General Motors, our major banks and lending institutions, ad infinitum, ad nauseaum.

Our Federal Government is a fiscal Titanic that has already hit the iceberg. It runs on foreign funds invested in fed-funds: China is a major investor as are the oil rich Arab states. What happens if (when) the American dollar deflates and these foreign powers call for their cash?!?

THE CONGRESS OF THE USA IS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO THIS PRESENT FISCAL CRISIS: how in the world can an informed American have confidence in their handling of OUR money? Congress will not and cannot balance the national budget because they do not want to, yet they have convinced good Americans that they are economic messianic deliverers. Woe is me.

Listen closely: if your government gives you anything, it is only because they took it from someone else!

A Closing Exhortation

We in the United States enjoy more freedoms than in any other country in the world. This has prompted many of our citizens to encourage elected officials to steal from our own neighbors; that is, to redistribute wealth that belongs to someone else (as happened in Russia via the communist revolution after 1918: consider what has happened economically to Russia since!). There is such prosperity in America that a majority of our people are overweight and lazy. We have all the food we desire; ditto for energy (electricity and gasoline), yet our greed and consumption demand more and more. The United States of America is on a path of self destruction due to personal greed, envy, jealousy, and animosity- all mental attitude sins that manifest themselves in evil, pernicious, and destructive acts.

Barack Obama has led Americans to expect positive change via government. But we who are Christians know that outward institutions (governments, schools, philanthropic organizations, even churches) cannot affect quality and permanent change. True positive change can only occur through a person’s submission to God, our Creator, and by living dependently upon the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The change needed for our day is a change of heart that can only happen through the transforming power of our Christ. There is no other way. Do understand that there is no other way. Do put your trust, your belief, in the Person of Christ for what is necessary to live successfully in this world and in the next. Faith in any other guarantees failure.

You have only a short time in this world. Use it wisely. Use your resources wisely. See that your sphere of influence directs men and women to Christ, our only Messiah and Savior. Give men the Gospel. When all is over and this stage of our life is past, all that will remain is our personal relationship with the Lord. Nourish it; grow in grace and knowledge of our wonderful Lord. And let your light shine in this dark period of American history.

It's a love/hate relationship Posted by micahdriscoll

Posted 01/01/09

I love the suspense created by the TV series by FOX titled '24.' My wife and I rented the first season a couple of years back and I've continued to watch them oft and on. Each season consists of 24 episodes of consecutive one hours time periods about one day, each ending as a cliff hanger for the next of course. If you want to find out more about it, Wiki-pedia can tell you all you want to know and more.
I both love and hate the main character in the series, Jack Bauer. He is a hero of the grandest of sorts, willing to sacrifice his own life for the life of one and for the sake of country. He is courageous, tough, smart, and seemingly unstoppable. On the other hand, he is also a villain. All to often he shows no regard for due process, the law, the bill of rights, or the constitution. His motto seems to be, 'the end justifies the means.' In other words, if you can save a nation of 'innocent' civilians by murdering one innocent person, like Jack did with his boss in season two or three, then its okay because the result out weighs the cost, even if the cost is evil like murder.
I disagree with such thinking out right. It is this sort of thinking that ends up 'justifying' the most heinous of acts. Let me say that the end does not justify the means. I can not nor never should I, determine the rightness of an action based on the outcome of the circumstance. For one, that leaves one guessing about ethics and eventually leads to the idea of might makes right, who ever wins and accomplishes the results they desire must have been right. That kind of thinking would have declared Hitler right if he had won.
When our founding fathers wrote the constitution and the bill of rights, they had seen the abuses of large government with little concern for common man. They had seen the corruption of government and governing officials and the injustices that resulted. It was through those struggles and observations that the ideas of limited government and personal liberty found their way into our constitution and bill of rights.
If those rights are taken away from any one individual, then all of us are in jeopardy of loosing the same rights. Benjamin Franklin once said "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." (here is a great article relevant to today's world)
And now, for some more important reading. :)
Bill of Rights
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
Amendment III
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
Amendment VII
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.