Lord, Help Me To Turn The Other Cheek!

     The rhetoric is rising.  Whether it is because the citizenry is becoming more polarized, or the elitists feel they hold the upper hand and the will of the people; or perhaps it is simply because the stakes are so high for everyone.  Whatever the reason, it concerns me.

     Earlier in the week, I read an article on the Western Rifle Shooters website, that was extremely disturbing.  Titled White, "Christian" and Treasonous:  Who Will They Kill?, the piece was written by writer Frank Schaeffer and was such a hate-filled monologue by a supposedly religious man that I instantly wondered what in his life had twisted his soul.  My emotions ran the complete gamut:  anger at his suppositions about Southerners; pity that his heart is so dark; despair that he represents himself as a religious Christian; and apprehension that his words may be designed to set off a spark that could destroy this country.
     I hesitate to recommend the article, because it serves no purpose.  Yet, I feel we should be forewarned that this hateful verbosity is freely spread across the internet, and in the supposed name of Jesus!  In exposing this detestable diatribe, it is my hope that all who love this country and our Lord, will not react to such vitriol; that we can pray for cool heads and hearts aligned with God's purpose.
     The author purports to write about a segment of America that he claims the MSM is too reticent to expose; namely, in his words, "the far right white mostly southern paranoid extremists, who are preparing for armed revolution and apocalypse."  He goes on to describe the South as steeped in an ideology that is made up of equal parts racism, and an evangelical Christian fascination with the “end times,” among other things.  He feels qualified to list the South's vices:  ‘violence, intolerance, aversion and suspicion toward new ideas’.
     He freely quotes the Southern Poverty Law Center (that should be a clue to his political leanings right off the bat), and maligns everyone from Judge Andrew Napolitano, to the NRA, to Ron Paul and his supporters.  You get the picture.  There are several disturbing aspects to his rant.  He claims to know the mind of the "far right, rascist, gun-loving Southerner" and he almost gleefully promotes his opinion that anyone who supports their Second Amendment right to bear arms has fallen victim to "the delusional paranoia of people who really believe the world is out to get them because it’s changing from white to brown, from homophobic to tolerant, from exclusionary to inclusionary, from anti-woman to pro-woman."
     This alone tells me that he doesn't have a clue as to who I am.  But when he voices his thoughts that assassinations of elected officials could be an inevitable consequence of our "delusion", then he has gone too far.   His obvious bias against gun ownership does not give him the right to declare my reasons for owning a gun; nor does his prejudice give him the liberty to speak for me.  As a journalist, why didn't he attempt a dialogue with someone of the opposite opinion?   But then that would mean that he had to really listen to what they had to say!
     Further research into the writer's background revealed the crux of his tormented mind.  He is the son of the late theologian and author Francis Schaeffer, and has publicly denounced his fundamentalist evangelical upbringing, as well as his conservative roots.  Now a member of the Orthodox Christian church, he writes for a website called patheos.com, which is self-described as "a religion website even an atheist could love."  Indeed, any religion or variety of spiritual reasoning is welcomed.  Articles on this website include such subjects as the virtues of the Emergent Church and the consideration that Jesus might have sinned in the desert.  This false and blasphemous supposition compares his temptation in the desert by Satan with the Scripture of Matthew 5:28 that states anyone who lusts in their heart has already committed adultery.  The so-called experts on this site then ask, so how (if at all) is lusting in one’s heart different than being tempted?
     This is all too much for me!  It was enough to read the libelous and slanderous depiction of Schaeffer's "Southerners"... but to have further research lead back to a website that promotes the Emerging Church and distorted commentaries on the Holy Scriptures is almost more than I can bear!  As I posited at the beginning of this post, the rhetoric is rising.  It is paramount that we do not react to it.  That doesn't mean that we discontinue strengthening our faith, our families or our methods of survival.  We must continue to live our lives by the example set forth by Christ.  Do not fall for the traps set forth by those who would judge us.  Keep our focus on God's kingdom and pray for our enemies.  Be ready to declare evil when you see it, but turn the other cheek when evil tries to draw you into a confrontation.  Rely on Jesus for your strength, as well as your peace.  And never give substance or significance to the lies of those who would lead you down the path to destruction.  Most importantly .... Speak God's truth.

Proverbs 28:5      "Evildoers do not understand what is right, but those who seek the Lord understand it fully."
   

Who Is The Enemy?

     I was extremely saddened, and then angry, this weekend at the news that the kidnapped workers at the Algerian gas plant were massacred.  According to our government's official statement, "The blame for this tragedy rests with the terrorists who carried it out."  Hmmm, are you sure about that?  Because over the last few weeks, you've laid the blame for domestic violence on the weapons that were involved.  Are you sure you don't want a global ban on the grenades, rocket launchers, suicide belts, and missiles that were among the al-Queda terrorists' arsenal?  Oh, yeah, and what about fire?  They burned the plant and workers were killed by that means, as well.
     And if the blame for that tragedy rests with the terrorists, then why doesn't the blame lie with Adam Lanza, James Holmes, and Jared Lee Loughner?  Why is it being transferred to the millions of law-abiding citizens who deplore this kind of violence, and want to be able to protect themselves and their families from it?
     It's hard to ignore that our foreign policy includes assisting the very groups and nations associated with these kinds of atrocities with jets and tanks, paid for by American taxpayers; and yet they don't want to help us protect our families and nation from the possibility of these kinds of attacks.  Because make no mistake about it; these groups will not limit their terrorism to the far-off Saharan desert.  It is their major goal to bring it to our shores and our communities.

     So our government wants to gain "a fuller understanding of what took place so that we can work together to prevent tragedies like this in the future."  What's to understand?  They made it pretty darn clear!  According to a NY Times article, one Algerian who managed to escape told France 24 television that the kidnappers said, “We’ve come in the name of Islam, to teach the Americans what Islam is.” The haggard-looking man, interviewed at the airport in Algiers, said the kidnappers then immediately executed five hostages.  Now what's so hard to understand about that message?
     It doesn't take much research to know that the never-changing goals of Islamist terrorists include killing large numbers of Westerners and disrupting states they have put on their enemies list.  Want to guess who is at the top of that list?  And lest anyone think we can negotiate with these terrorists by meeting demands such as they made with the Algerian authorities of releasing al-Queda prisoners from overcrowded jail cells, this latest attack was carried out by a special commando unit, known as "Those Who Sign in Blood."  They are all martyr wannabes.  There can be no discussion, debate or dialogue.  They will not stop until they have reached their goal of annihilation of the West, and that my friends, is us.
     So excuse me if I'm a little concerned that our government has no problem loaning money to Muslim Brotherhood-supported Egypt or selling arms to questionable "freedom fighters"in Syria through the back door of Libya.  Why should I see a contradiction between those policies and the current gun control efforts of late?   I found it quite interesting, and telling, that Debka.com views our government's response to the Mali and Algerian situations as further evidence of a foreign policy of "isolationism."  To me, it appears to be more of a strategy of acquiescence; accepting the actions without protest.  But, as an American, I cannot deny the chilling statement on this Israeli website:  Whereas the US homeland may not be in immediate peril from the Mali and Algerian episodes, it is important to remember the far-reaching interconnectivity of al Qaeda’s operations. Seven years ago, the suicidal jihads who on July 7, blew up London trains and a bus, used explosives provided by the same Al Qaeda cells of Sahel Desert which are now threatening Mali and which struck the Algerian gas field.  No US official can guarantee that such explosives from the same source won’t be used in 2013 against American targets in Europe or be smuggled into the American homeland by al Qaeda cells in Europe.
     So tell me again ..... why would any intelligent American (or government official, for that matter) think it is a good idea to give up our weapons for self-defense?  Once again, the Devil seems to be selling his agenda to those who are willing to be deceived.  But I have a message for them .... "Those Who Sign in Blood"  are no match for "We, Who Are Covered in The Blood of Jesus."  No explanation needed!

Psalm 60:11-12     "Give us help against the enemy because human assistance is worthless. With God we will display great strength.  He will trample our enemies."

My Two Cents Worth ...

     There are any number of blogs and websites you can read that will chew on, and ponder over, just what is the true significance of the 23 Executive Orders issued by the White House on Wednesday.  They will give their expert and legal opinions on how they will affect legal gun owners and ignore the Constitution.... and they will all have merit.  I am neither an expert nor Constitutional lawyer, but I am reasonably intelligent, and I think I can see past some of the "guv-ment speak" in these ordinances.  So, for what it's worth, here's my simple and straightforward take on them:

1.  Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system.  As I understand it, National Instant Background Check System (NICS), launched by the FBI, currently only lists that Mr. or Mrs. American bought a gun.  This EO would now require the system to include such "relevant data" as what gun, what accessories (mags), etc.  Looks, to me, like they are compiling a list to know who owns what.

2.  Address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may prevent states from making information available to the background check system.  This would eliminate Mr. or Mrs. American's privacy through the doctor/patient privilege.  This EO would now allow doctor's to provide NICS with info on all your activities, including any use of weapons in hunting, target practice, etc.

3.  Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system.  Ties federal funding to willingness to share information on citizens.

4.  Direct the Attorney General to review categories of individuals prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks.  Allows the government to decide who gets to keep what guns.  They will decide the classifications of "acceptable" gun owners, and which classification you fall into, based on information gathered from EOs 1, 2, and 3.  From the information entered into NICS, the government will decide if you are mentally stable enough, or responsible enough to have the firearms you own.  And can anyone imagine that these classifications will get tighter as time goes on?

5.  Propose rule making to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun.  I think we can agree that "propose rule making" can be translated as "make mandatory".  And based on the new categories established in EO 4, you may not qualify to get that legally-owned gun (that was illegally stolen from you) returned.  Another way to limit guns in the hands of legal firearms owners.

6.  Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers.

7.  Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign.

8.  Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission).  These are all methods of making gun dealers, gun owners, and gun manufacturers register with the government in order to continue their association with guns.  "Mr. American, we see by the NIC System, that you own X gun.  Have you taken the National Gun Safety course, sir?  No?  Well, then you may not legally keep that gun in your home."  "Mr. Gun Dealer, in order to keep your license, we are going to have to see the background checks you've done on all private sales."  And by the way, all those private sales are now public and in the government files.  And there's no telling what ridiculous mandatory regulations they will come up with for gun locks and safes!

9.  Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations.  They already do that.  This just allows them to enforce EO #5.  Don't count on recovering your stolen weapon.

10.  Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement.  Just another way of compiling their lists on gun owners.  What's to analyze?  It was lost or stolen!  Could it be that if they determine you were negligent in the handling of your gun, that you will fall into one of those classifications or categories in EO #4, and therefore be denied gun ownership?

11.  Nominate an ATF director.  Just the thought of who that might be makes my skin crawl.

12.  Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations.  I thought after Columbine, this was already established.  Obviously, it hasn't worked.  Perhaps if school officials were properly armed and trained, there would be no active shooter situations.  

13.  Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime.  Isn't this really saying, enforce the laws that are already on the books?  Why not try that first?  Adding more laws or Executive Orders is not the answer.  

14.  Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence.  I almost laughed out loud at this one!  The CDC can't even get the flu vaccine right!  And now you want them to research what causes gun violence and how to prevent it?  Once again, the blame is pointed at the inanimate object.  Why not have them research the decaying moral values in this country, or the breakdown of the family?  This is a joke!  Watch out for "mental health" issues to become a byword.

15.  Direct the Attorney General to issue a report on the availability and most effective use of new gun safety technologies and challenge the private sector to develop innovative technologies.  Can anyone see that "new gun safety technologies" will include GPS, codes on gun parts and ammo, and so-called "smart guns" that only shoot in the hands of authorized users?  And that "challenging" the private sector once again means meeting these regulations in order to sell their products.  

16.  Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes.

17.  Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities.  These two EOs actually mean that doctors will be forced to ask their patients about guns, and it will be mandatory for them to report patient information.  Once again, the doctor/patient privilege will no longer exist, according to the government.  If they want to keep their licenses, they must comply.  Doctors have some tough decisions to make, and they are on the front lines of this un-Constitutional campaign.

18.  Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers.  Looks like another government job; what does "resource" officer mean?  Security officer?  Will they be able to carry guns?  And will they be part of a government union?  More tax-payer dollars down the drain to inflate government bureaucracy.

19.  Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education.  Doesn't this already fall under a SWAT team's responsibility?  It seems to me they already have a response plan; they just have a bad arrival time.  Which is why Mr. or Mrs. America, as a trained CHL holder in that school, church, or college can do a better job of stopping an active shooter.

20.  Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover.  Looks like a veiled threat to me.  "You must gather information on gun ownership from Medicaid patients, so we can plug it into our database and set up our classifications --- or you lose your funding."  It's that simple.

21.  Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA (Affordable Care Act - ObamaCare) exchanges.   If you have a gun, you may not be able to get health insurance.  They will decide if you are mentally healthy enough to own a gun -- based on the above mentioned classifications -- which they will determine.  Let's not forget the "parity" clause.  We must make things "equal", don't you know?  Does that mean by race, or income level, or gun ownership?  Oh, what a web they weave!

22.  Commit to finalizing mental health parity regulations.  See!  How do you make regulations "equal" in regards to mental health?  Does this mean subsidies for the poor and disadvantaged? This one is truly puzzling, but I guarantee you it will cost the taxpayer.

23.  Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health.  Look for the definition of "mental health" to broaden to include characteristics of gun owners.  There's a method to their madness!

     I began this post by declaring my lack of credentials in de-mystifying these latest Executive Orders.  In fact, I may be wrong in my analysis, and will surely be labeled as paranoid.  I must admit, that I expected more blatant and obvious missives thrown at the Constitution.  The language seems especially innocuous; but perhaps that was deliberate.  Come across as less threatening; even somewhat logical, and the "sheeple" will agree and fall in line.  But with these seemingly "reasonable" (haven't we heard that word a lot lately?) and mildly-worded Orders from the White House, it seems to me that they are building a big net of information (See EO 1, 9, and 10) with which to enforce their limitations of gun ownership (through EOs 4, 16, 17 and 21).   Until we see what's really behind the curtain, I think we should err on the side of caution and be highly skeptical anytime we see individual privacy, ownership and liberty come under the microscope.  What are your thoughts?

Psalm 71:10-11     "For my enemies talk against me; those who watch for my life consult together, Saying, God has forsaken him; pursue and persecute and take him, for there is none to deliver him."

A New Year & A New Slant On Gun Control

     I could not end the year and begin the New Year without recognizing the shattering effect that the violent acts in Aurora, Newtown, and now Rochester, NY, had on our American soul.  The nation mourned as innocent lives were lost to the actions of mentally unstable men who chose to use a gun to murder defenseless victims.

     As we expected, there followed a national (and governmental) debate over gun control.  We've heard all the arguments, both pro and con.  And now it seems that in just a couple of days, Senator Feinstein is set to introduce what amounts to the most iron-fisted and oppressive limitations we have ever seen on our Second Amendment rights.  

     Taxes, registration of gun ownership, and all-out bans on many firearms appear to be just the beginning of the government's campaign against gun-owners.  I don't have to tell you that this means each legal gun owner has some decisions to make.  In that vein, I want to share an email that I received from an anonymous reader.  I think it brings a unique point of view to the discussion.  Here is the email in its entirety:

Dear Belle,

     I thought you might like to hear a different angle on the current gun control debate.  As was expected after the recent string of gun-related deaths, the public rushes out to buy every gun and box of ammo they can find.  The shelves are literally empty!  Frankly, I am growing weary of the paradigm battle that starts with every ammo sell-off.  

     I also know that the media will never look at these "active shooter" events for what they really are.  They like the sport of stoking the fires of the moronic 51% of the country that can't think in a critical capacity.  Conspiracy theories orbit around this new brand of "crazy", and I'm inclined to jump on board any number of the crazy trains, but the truth is, at this late stage, it doesn't really matter.

     The current administration is pushing the outcome.  The 51% who have no skin in the economic game or the Fiscal Cliff, don't really care about your gun rights.  As long as they continue to get more free stuff, then let the Second Amendment disappear.  Then you have patriots like the NRA, who are standing relatively silent and dumbfounded, offering no solutions to this outright attack on our rights.  Consequently, we have seen the fear-buying start, and the sell-off cycle repeats itself.

     When retailers like Dick's Sporting Goods and Cheaper Than Dirt folded and removed their inventory from shelves, the response from Gun Culture 1.0 was swift.  This portion of the citizenry who has grown up around guns made their opinion known: "You'll get no more of my business."  But Gun Culture 2.0 is where the real influence lies.  These are new people to "the gun game"; a high percentage of them being women who recognize the importance of being able to defend themselves.  Both of these groups need to pull together and yield nothing to this latest gun grab.  

     Americans need to understand what is at the heart of this Feinstein Bill:  High capacity rifle magazine bans lead to high capacity pistol magazine bans.  Assault Rifle bans lead to every other gun you own being banned.  Even Michael Bane (the head of the Outdoor Channel's gun show line-up, and  most listened to gun podcast) had to endure a waiting period of sorts.  His weekly podcast, which normally airs on Wednesday was pushed back to Friday, so corporate brains could pick the appropriate footsteps in the minefield of public opinion.  No doubt his intentions are good, but he needs to realize that whatever Gun Culture 1.0 was in the past, it won't cut it in this new dynamic.

     2013 is going to be a brawl that our currently intact Second Amendment rights might not survive.  These latest shooting episodes have rocked the world of preppers, shooters, and anyone who is a self-thinker.  And thus, the fear-buying has begun, because I surmise that the writing on the wall just got a whole lot clearer.  The truth is, we can't deny these are pivotal events, and whistling past the grave-yard isn't going to work this time.  

     The NRA fired a weak salvo, that in my mind, hit nothing.  We better get some leadership, and fast, on this issue.  I see the beginnings of a hemorrhage that the NRA is moving too slowly to address.  I can't help but think that if the money we, as a collective, threw into P-mags just these past couple of weeks had been channeled towards a real message, with real leadership, then Mr. O would have to put a cork in Biden, Feinstein and the Moron 51 crowd.  Here's a thought:  Let's say Feinstein gets her $200 tax and registration on every gun you own.  All those who lay low will become instant felons.  There goes the voting rights of the cornerstone of the country.  Can you see that Obama and the Progressive Left are playing 20 moves ahead, and the patriot with his M-4 is no factor at all?

     So we better realize that we have some decisions to make.  Are you willing to risk a felony to maintain your Second Amendment rights?  Because if you are, you better wake up to the fact that a felony will take away your license or your credentials; and if you need a license to conduct your business, well, there goes your livelihood.  Attaching a felony to even 5% of the gun crowd will devastate the Conservative Right.  You can bet that there will be someone at that voting place making sure, that as a felon, you don't get to cast your vote.  

     Could you decide between becoming a felon and keeping your unregistered M-4?  Stop and run the logical argument in your head; look at where the Supreme Court numbers will be in the next four years.  Will the possibility of a felony on all gun owners change their ability to put food on the table, make a living, change our lifestyles?  You damn right it will!  The gun crowd needs to put this possibility into their hard drive and let it compute.  

     I'm beginning to feel as though we are at Bracken's first chapter in the yellow book.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's time to get off your butts and start entertaining some very ugly possibilities.     (Check out www.enemiesforeignanddomestic.com).  Yes, I will agree that it's time to buy more food, ammo, P-mag-30s, and a Belgian Malaois named Spike.  But all that won't preserve our rights.  The time to stand is now.  If not now, when?

Signed, 

Old School

     This email really hit home for me, and made me see the Big Picture.  There's been a plan to rid this country of the Second Amendment for quite awhile, and we are seeing it play out before our very eyes. We have been complacent, thinking that the anti-gun lobbies were not strong enough to defeat over two hundred years of tradition and the overwhelming number of lawful gun owners.  But threaten our livelihoods, our voting rights, and the fear of a criminal record, and how many citizens would be willing to throw in the towel?  Old School is right.  Each of us have some decisions to make.  And those decisions could profoundly change who we are as a free citizenry and the future of our republic.   Where will you draw the line?

Jeremiah 6:16     "This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’"

     

     

  

What Must God Be Thinking?

     As I perused the headlines of the day, I have to admit it looked bleak and I fought back a sense of approaching doom.  It's Christmastime and I'll be darned if the celebration of the birth of my Lord and the Savior of the World will be disparaged by the profound immorality and wickedness of mankind!
     At this most holy time of year, what must God be thinking?  Do we seem to be getting closer to reconciling with Him, or further away?  Is my narrow/current perception of the state of mankind accurate, or are we just repeating the sins of historic man?  In today's world, does the birth of the Messiah still have meaning?
     During these last weeks and months, it's as if the total depravity of man has amped up the playing field, sensing that it is on a winning streak and going for broke.  Just consider the headlines: Belgium Considers Euthansia for Minors & Alzheimer's Sufferers; and France Opens the Door to Medically-Assisted Suicide.  And you know that many of our legislators and elitists think that what's good for Europe is good for us.  I suppose, in all their "we-know-what's-best-for-society" brilliance, they think they are qualified to make these life and death decisions.  Let me get this straight .... God has created each and every one of us in His image, and He knows every hair on our heads.  I happen to believe that He knew me at my conception and knows how my life will play out; that includes the state of my health and the exact way I will pass from this world.  For any doctor or governmental agency or "system" to presume that they can overrule God's determination of any person's life is pure arrogance and rebellion against God's authority.  He must be grieving at our ever-evolving readiness to devalue life.

     There is also the ongoing debate over gun control in this country.  Just as the Federal Government seems to think they can legislate a collective solution to our healthcare system and our poor economy by redistributing wealth, they will now attempt to legislate a collective solution to the insanity of individuals who use a firearm to vent their anger.  It is my belief that "stopping the violence" is just a code phrase to appease the masses.  The real intention behind their moves are to control a free society.  Being largely Godless themselves, they cannot conceive that America was a Divine experiment; whereby God, for a short time in His plan of world history, gave His creation more liberty and freedom than man has ever known.  It was theirs as long as they could defend it against the inevitable hunger for power and dominance that man's sinful nature craves.  He gave this exemplary nation and its citizens the desire for independence and self-determination, along with the ability to defend themselves against tyranny.
     And now, not desiring to let "any crisis go to waste", the actions of one sick individual will be exploited to take away the one right of individuals that can guarantee their freedom.  Those of us who believe in the Second Amendment and our right to bear arms, are being demonized as out-of-step and an aberration to the culture.  Indeed, we have been designated as the bloodthirsty "gun culture".  We have been depicted as backwoods rednecks, "clinging to our guns and religion", responsible for the recent rash of gun violence against innocent, law-abiding citizens.
     I would refer you to a blogpost by Daniel Greenfield, in which he disputes this generalization:  Your average school shooter is unhappy and angry, irreligious, incapable of fitting into a community and filled with rage that he exercises through violent fantasies. His culture isn’t gun culture. It’s loner culture. Video games do not cause him to kill, but they are how he entertains himself until he can get a taste of the real thing.
     Adam Lanza, Dylan Kleibold, Eric Harris, Seung-Hui Cho, James Holmes, One L. Goh and Jared Loughner had as much in common with what the Michael Moore Fan Club thinks of as "gun culture" as Michael Moore does with the working class. Whatever gun culture they had was not the American Scots-Irish culture of the hunter, the rancher and the militia member, but the urban posse of emasculated men of no worth that brandishes weapons as a way to get respect.
     So what must God be thinking when He has shown us throughout history what has happened to societies who gave up the right to defend themselves?  Haven't we learned anything from Nazi Germany?  A weapon-less society is no longer able to protect themselves from the "bad guys", whether they be those who are intent on mass murder and obtain their guns unlawfully, or a despotic leader who wants unlimited authority.  I confess to being disappointed in the so-called "pro-gun" politicians, as well as the retail and online stores who have buckled to this knee-jerk reaction and obvious pressure to appear "humane."  This I know: more laws on the books won't stop the crimes.  The laws we have now didn't stop them.  Evil will always find a way.
     Just as it found its way over 2,000 years ago, when another "Massacre of the Innocents" was conducted by a tyrannical ruler who feared the influence of a baby born in a manger.  He, too, slaughtered the young of a village to assuage his depraved soul.  And he didn't need a gun to do it.
     In conclusion, I think you will agree with me that if you read the headlines, or listen to the news reports, the world seems to be degenerating into a spiral of decay and destruction.  But I venture that it is no more dark than it was when God, Himself, entered His creation.  The reason He came then is the same reason we have hope today.  As Max Lucado prayed so powerfully after last week's shooting, ""Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world of your day. Won't you enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We, like the wise men, are looking for a star. We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger. This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in us." Amen.

Jeremiah 9:23-24     "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight."

It's All About Guns

     As was expected, this weekend's hot topic was guns and their place in American society.  From the Left, you had Senator Feinstein promising to introduce new legislation this week on an assault-weapons ban.  She was backed by Senators Durbin and Schumer.  On the other side of the aisle, you had Representative Gohmert commenting on why Americans could possibly need a semi-automatic weapon:  "Well, for the reason George Washington said: a free people should be an armed people. It ensures against the tyranny of the government, if they know that the biggest army is the American people."
     Obviously, what I have to say doesn't matter one iota to them; they will do what they're going to do.... what they've been wanting to do as soon as a convenient incident presented itself.  Please do not think that I am minimizing the truly abhorrent killings that took place in Newtown.  This massacre is beyond nightmarish.  But as much as the anti-gun legislators and lobbyists would like us to believe, this event is not evidence of an out-of-control gun culture in America.  As my faithful reader, Lisa, commented on Saturday's post, "It's not the people with guns who are nuts; it's the nuts with guns that are causing these deaths."

     Stricter gun laws won't stop the killings.  When our own government institutes a program like "Fast and Furious", what makes the average citizen think they can introduce gun legislation that will keep us safe?  And it's not a uniquely "American" phenomenon.  If you need further evidence that more laws will not stop these kinds of killings, take a look at these statistics:
•  Gun crime was up 35 percent in the UK which has harsh gun control laws.  Thomas Hamilton killed 16 children in the Dunblane school massacre in 1996 using four handguns. Figures show the number of crimes involving handguns has more than doubled since the post-Dunblane massacre ban on the weapons, from 2,636 in 1997-1998 to the more recent 5,871. (Daniel Greenfield blog).
     In a 2010 news article, author John Lott pointed out these facts:
•  Germany has strict licensing and registration requirements, yet they can claim 3 out of the 5 worst killing sprees in recent history; the other two being the above-mentioned Dunblane, Scotland attack and Columbine, in the U.S.
•  Lyon, France, March 19, 2009: ten people injured after a man opened fire on a nursery school.
•  Southern Finland, November 7, 2007: Seven students and the principal were killed at a high school.
•  Kauhajoki, Finland, Sept. 23, 2008: 10 people were shot to death at a college.
     And let's not forget the 77 lives that were lost in the 2011 attack in Norway, which has strict gun control laws.  So no matter how much the American media would love for you to believe that it is only we Americans who have what they call "a sick obsession with guns", it is simply not true.  Indeed, the MSM needs to look to themselves and their complicity in propagating the legacies of these lunatics.
     And I wish they would inform the public about countries like Israel and Switzerland.  According to Wikipedia, gun politics in Switzerland are unique in Europe. Switzerland does not have a standing army, instead opting for a peoples' militia for its national defence. The vast majority of men between the ages of 20 and 30 are conscripted into the militia and undergo military training, including weapons training. The personal weapons of the militia are kept at home as part of the military obligations; therefore Switzerland has one of the highest militia gun ownership rates in the world. In recent years, political opposition has expressed a desire for tighter gun regulations. A referendum in February 2011 rejected stricter gun control.  According to Snopes.com, Switzerland has the lowest gun-related crime rate in the civilized world.  Why isn't the media reporting that?
     According to The Examiner.com, Israel and Thailand are countries where the threat of a school shooting is the highest. Sunni Jihadists have targeted young children for murder in these nations.  Israel once had a policy of victim disarmament. Israeli citizens were told they couldn't have guns. They were told the government would protect them. Then came numerous horrible massacres in the 1970's, and Israeli citizens rejected the idea that big government would protect them and demanded guns. Today Israel citizens enjoy Texan-style gun rights. Israeli citizens can lawfully use lethal force to protect both person and property with no "duty to flee." The country is much safer as a result.
     Without meaning any insensitivity towards the Newport families, my very wise Sunday School teacher offered an astute observation .... "Our legislators seem to be on the brink of limiting the rights of 300,000,000 Americans because 26 people lost their lives to a madman."  Do those numbers make any sense to you?  And another member of my class relayed this experience:  He is a car salesman and reported that an unhappy customer showed up at a car dealership, which happened to encourage their salesmen to carry concealed.  When the customer pulled a gun and started waving it around, he was greeted with 5 pulled pistols and the command to "Drop the weapon!"  He quickly left the showroom and was arrested within minutes, a few blocks away.  No shots were fired and a potential killing spree was averted.
     I know that no amount of logic or statistics will convince those whose agenda it is to rid this country of our Second Amendment rights.  I fear they will stop at nothing to accomplish their goal.  If innocent people have to die, then that's a cost they are willing to pay.  But I stand by my God-given right to defend myself.  Our law enforcement agencies will never be able to protect us from all the bad guys.  Only someone with a gun could have stopped that madman in Newport, and the truth is that the police would not get there in time.  And if one of the administrators in that school office had been armed, perhaps he never would have made it to those classrooms filled with beautiful children.
     I've said my piece, and there's nothing more to be articulated.  I will now pray that cooler heads will prevail and I will not have to trust my safety, or that of my loved ones, to another person or government agency.  No one has more interest in my security and protection than me.  Let me defend myself!

Psalm 38:12    "Those who want to kill me set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they scheme and lie."




http://www.snopes.com/politics/guns/switzerland.asp