Friday, December 10. 2010
Many, many people openly express contempt for "The Rich", especially if they are CEOs of financial firms. These folks rail against those who amass fortunes and want to "soak" them with income and estate taxes. And yet these same people do not vilify media celebrities like multimillionaire Oprah, whom the worship, and have no problem with the hundreds of millions paid to professional athletes (they actually are happy about that because it could mean "a great season' and a championship or two.) Go figure!
We live in one of the poorest cities in Massachusetts and depend upon the largess of Congress for all kinds of funding and stimulus money. We damn the Government for cutbacks in that funding and yet we strongly object to paying taxes and want the ones we do pay be reduced. This inconsistency applies to the Tea Party people among us, too, who demand smaller government and yet demand more subsidies and the creation of more jobs and benefits by that government.
Many here supported the Obama Health care proposals, modeled on the universal health care insurance and coverage offered by Massachusetts, yet they complain because it is increasingly unaffordable. Care itself from doctors and hospitals is harder to come by and premiums are really hurting the businesses and individuals who must pay them.
Wednesday, December 8. 2010
Yesterday, was the 69th Anniversary of that Day of Infamy, the Japanese attack on our Nation at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. We must never forget, but I wasn't sure what to remember (or write) about it this year. (There is a link to last year's post in the column to your right). We have been to the USS Arizona Memorial twice, where more than a 1100 of our servicemen still lie interred in that sunken ship. Yes, they were military, like my grandson and his father who have both been stationed nearby in the Navy in recent years. But this particular slaughter was unprovoked- a heinous and fatal sucker punch- a desperate move by the military and political leaders of another Nation.
Continue reading "VISITING THE MEMORIAL IN PEARL HARBOR"
Wednesday, December 8. 2010
I consider myself a Patriot, a man proud and very thankful to be an American. I am convinced that the United States is a very exception Country, still the best in the world. You may feel the same way. But I do not think that any of us believe America is perfect, by a long shot- simply the best. When it comes to explaining the attack on Pearl Harbor, we blame Japan. Our troops were innocent victims of an unprovoked act of aggression by another Nation. The true story is more complicated. It is important that when we remember Pearl Harbor, we remember what really happened that Day and not a Myth.
Continue reading " REMEMBERING THE FACTS, NOT THE MYTH re PEARL HARBOR"
Sunday, December 5. 2010
Many Christians are offended or at least troubled by the spate of signs being posted around the country by Atheist organizations, e.g.- there is a billboard near Broadway in NYC that shows a typical Manger Scene and displays big bold letters that say something to this affect: "We know it is a Myth. "Tis the Season for Reason. Away with Christmas!"
The ironic and terrible truth is that Christians themselves have already contributed to doing away with Christmas! By exchanging the original Christmas Message for sentimental stories about spreading peace and joy in the world, especially by acts of charity and kindness one-on-one and by such community efforts as Toys for Tots and free meals for the whomever wants one. While such acts are commendable, they are doing exactly what the Billboards advocate wherever they have become substitutes for the original Christmas Message.
That Message was centered in the Gospel of John 3:16. Ahh, some will say, "'God so loved He gave'; yes! and that is what we are demonstrating by these acts of love and charity at this time of the year!. That is the Gospel in action." Oh, no it is not. That is only the first half of John 3:16. Omitting the second half of the verse has the effect of denying the truth of the Gospel. We all know the whole verse says, "God so loved the world that He gave----His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life". If the second half of the verse is omitted and the first part is made the whole and it becomes the "Christian" reason for the Season, the Atheists have won victory. We have handed it to them.
Actually, Satan will have won. The world, including all those Tots and the Homeless, desperately needs to hear and believe the second half of John 3:16 and increasingly it is not! The Love was God's motive for giving Christ, not toys and turkeys! And it must be our motive or else, not only will "the real Christmas" be lost, so will millions of people!
Sunday, December 5. 2010
It seems the so-called Bush tax breaks will remain in effect for citizens in all income brackets, but only if agreement can be reached about extending unemployment benefits adding 2 year coverage for those who are unemployed and have reached the end of their State benefits. This apparently will be an "unfunded" extension, meaning that the Federal Government does not now have the money to pay for it but will promise it anyway. To me, that is reason enough to vote against it. A basic Biblical and Common Sense financial Principle is that you do not buy something, if you can not have the income to pay for it. Period! Failure to abide by this Principle is a major reason why so many are in their financial mess- including the Government. This is a no-brainer!
An extension of Benefits is actually more Government Stimulus money. We have had far too much of that already. I feel badly for the unemployed, but it is not the Government's responsibility to provide jobs or to support people who do not have them for up to two years. Education and or re-training in new skills, including moving to where jobs are available, is the long range solution, not more Government handouts.
This is not right wing blather. I am not offering simplistic bromides. What I am writing here is both common sense and Biblical. Christians should not have a problem with it. I have followed my own advice. For the record, I have been a hardware store clerk, construction worker, steel mill worker and kiln operator. I have been a clerk in the Labor Department and a Social Worker, an insurance underwriter and a direct care worker in an institution for the mentally "handicapped", a job coach for "handicapped" people (doing mostly a variety of very menial janitorial and factory jobs, often very demeaning or dehumanizing for all - I hated a lot of it. But it including worked as a a printer in a print shop, which I enjoyed. Those positions working with the "handicapped" adults lasted altogether for 19 years) I have also been an Evangelist, Church Planter and a Pastor. We moved often. For the record, I have a College and Seminary education. Also for the record, my wife, also with college and grad school education, and besides being the mother of our 4 children, has done her part by being employed in different jobs through the years. By God's grace, we have worked, like our parents did before us, to support ourselves and our family all our lives. It is the Bible way. It can and must be done and we did not expect the Government to assist us.
Saturday, December 4. 2010
Believing in free-market capitalism, a work hard work ethic and in making profits from your efforts, I believe that those who make money accordingly are entitled to keep or spend as much of it as they want. I am opposed in principle to forced or involuntary redistribution of that earned wealth by any means, including taxation; especially when that is being done by the Government deciding who and how much should go from one group to another. In light of this, I have been trying to understand the current debate on extending Bush Era Tax cuts. The columnists and zine articles contradict each other. Researching the Fact checker Blogs and the Surveys and Polls does not help.. They reveal how complicated the subject is. The easy way out is to go with the simplistic bumper sticker slogans: Soak the Rich, Save the Middle Class.
Continue reading "EXTENDING TAX BREAKS FOR THE RICH? IS IT BIBLICAL?"
Thursday, December 2. 2010
A local man has confessed murdering 10 women in our City. So far he has been convicted for 8 of the murders. For his crimes, the taxpayers will be taking care of him and his needs for the rest of his life in prison. In a nearby town, another man has confessed and found guilty of murdering a woman and her two children after torturing and raping two of them and setting their house on fire. He was given the death penalty, but that will probably require more then 15-20 years of appeals and legal maneuvering before it happens, if it does.
There are the inevitable protesters against Capital Punishment every time cases like these happen. There is no question that the legal system has problems and innocent people have been punished. But there is no doubt in any one's mind that these two men are guilty of murder as charged. Their execution would not be a miscarriage of justice. Failure to execute in these two cases would be the miscarriage of justice. Human life is so valuable in God's eyes that the only just action for those who take human life by murder is for the State to take their life. The latter enforces the former. To spare the murderer is to reject or devalue the life of the victim. Justice must be served.
Hear the Word of the Lord-
And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: ... From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. --Gen 9:5-6
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Here is an impassioned argument for abolishing all Capital Punishment. But what it does is document the problems with the Justice System. That the System is broken does not mean we must jettison the System, including Capital Punishment. It means we must fix the System; but God's Word remains firm. We must not reject Capital Punishment on principle. We simply must work to make changes in how it is administered.
opinion/30herbert.html?
Thursday, December 2. 2010
Here is the counsel of Jesus to all the international power-brokers worried about transcripts of things they have said now being revealed on WikiLeaks-
"...out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."--Matt 12:33
This is good advice we must all remember!
Thursday, December 2. 2010
It has been a month or so and I have not found the time to blog. The other reason there have been no recent posts is that I have been so discouraged or so disgusted with current events that I have felt at a loss about commenting. But here I am and we'll try again.
As usual, today's papers and newscasts have stories of corruption in local and state politics. No one denies that certain elected officials here are guilty of influence peddling and taking bribes from special interest groups and that has effected how they have voted on certain bills or hiring practices Some of these corrupt " "public servants" have been found guilty by investigative committees and some by courts and face jail time.
The additional outrage to me is the popular support these corrupt politicians are getting from the public, particularly their constituents who have have benefited by their actions. As long as money and jobs come their way, folks are quite willing to overlook the unethical, let alone illegal, issues involved. I believe this attitude is widespread across the Nation. That is not only disgraceful, but reveals a rot in the moral foundation of our Society itself. There I go again, getting discouraged and disgusted. But better to try lighting the proverbial candle than just cursing the darkness, so I will persevere, Lord willing. Pray for me. Thanks!
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