THE DIFFERENCE

We are in the midst of graduation  exercises for many college and university students  all over America.  A time to rejoice that finally, finally they can put the books away and move on to the next stage of their lives; just one more 'event' and they're off - Commencement!  Into these colleges and universities come speakers who give them their personal words of wisdom for the final touch on their way to their future.

Some noted speakers: VP Joe Biden/Yale, VA Gov. Terry McAuliffe/University of Virginia,  Sen.  Michael Bennet/University of Denver,  Pres. George W. Bush/Southern Baptist University, Texas,  Apple CEO Tim Cook/George Washington University. 

I chose, however, to concentrate this article on two others - First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama/Tuskegee University, Alabama and Actor Denzel Washington/Dillard University, New Orleans.  Why?  You'll see!

BOTTOM LINE...

On April 28th, 2015, the Supreme Court finally heard arguments regarding marriage and on Friday, April 31st, they conferenced (I am told) to give their initial 'take' on the arguments pro and con and determine who writes the majority and minority opinions.  Your guess is as good as mine as to what the outcome will be; however, the questions for the Court to decide were:  1)  does the 14th Amendment require a State to license a marriage of two people of the same sex, and 2) does the 14th Amendment require a state to recognize a marriage of two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out of state?

My take?  Simple - does the U.S. Constitution even address marriage?  Answer:  No - which automatically negates the 2nd question.   So why are we even here?

TELLING IT LIKE IT IS

There should not, under any circumstances, be a re-definition of marriage.  Traditional marriage has for centuries been tied to the belief that joins one man and one woman together to become as one, the basis of which is to procreate.  A natural union.  While in some instances procreation may not be possible that still does not negate the true meaning and intent.   Arguments of those homosexuals who use the inability to procreate is not justification to accept their particular life choice being called 'marriage'.   That does not make me a 'bigot', 'hateful' or 'homophobic' - choice adjectives used as bullying tactics to force acceptance.    

To date, there is no known,  scientific documentation that anyone is born a homosexual or, for that matter, that there is any recognized homosexual gene;  however, I believe that many things in a young person's life may contribute to the eventual move toward homosexuality, albeit misguided.   The American public is not being told the whole truth about this march to make homosexuality an 'acceptable, viable, alternative' lifestyle and  the real truth of 'unintended consequences' is not a pretty picture. 

WHAT'S SO 'GAY' ABOUT 'GAY'?

In the 'old' days, 'gay' was used to denote a state of mind such as 'happy', 'joyful', etc.  but somehow, it has morphed into something entirely different.   Now, it's just another word for 'homosexual' - a person who is sexually attracted to people of their own sex.  Sure does take on a different meaning when you say it that way, don't you think?  In reality, 'gay' hides the true identity of the person so identified because how can they really be happy - let's say - when they are so upset with people who can't accept their 'gayness'?

A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH



To say that I am a diehard advocate of life would probably be a gross understatement.  Actually, I can't recall any point in my life where I would have been an advocate for anything more important.

 

I recall in my early twenties having a friend who found herself in an unwanted pregnancy deciding to rid herself of the 'burden'.  She did not tell the father, who had been trying to get her to marry him, that she was pregnant.  At that time, abortions were not yet legal but somehow she was able to find someone in our city who performed abortions.  I really don't recall how far along she was in her pregnancy or whether she even told me but she asked me to do something that to this day I ask the Lord to forgive me for.  She asked that I drive her to where she needed to go and pick her up afterward.  My immediate response was no that I didn't want to be a part of what she was about to do but she pleaded and begged until I finally said I would drive her there but that she was to get someone else to pick her up.  Up to that point, we had been very close friends since junior high and gone through the usual teenage rigors of growing up.  This was something entirely new to me and I found myself recoiling at the thought of what she was about to do and that I was about to help her.  It would be safe to say that although we remained friends, our friendship was changed from that day forward.  

 

I have been married since the mid-fifties and have four wonderful, healthy children.  Never at any time did I ever fully comprehend the life that was forming in me much less have the opportunity to actually see that child grow.  I believe the best at the time was hearing a heartbeat and actually feeling the movements inside of me.  Today, scientific advancement has greatly improved the ability to not only feel but actually see that little child as he or she develops day by day, month by month and that brings me to the point of this 'story'.

TERRORIST TRAINING CAMPS IN AMERICA? YEAH!

I can almost guarantee that when former United  States Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano,  spoke of 'domestic terrorists' in her 2009 paper on domestic terrorists* these were not the ones she had in mind.  Hers were more on the order of Tea Party types, conservatives, returning military, and anyone who voiced an opinion about the size of government or disagreed with the politics and aims of the POTUS, Barack Hussein Obama.

To the best of my knowledge the map you are looking at is not recent - that is, not current as of 2014, which means that as of this date, in Virginia specifically, there are at least 5 such training camps.  This is not a myth.   This is all too true; the government knows about them and my question is, since our government knows, why are they allowed to exist? This is the ENEMY training to kill us on our own soil.  

THE PRESIDENT'S 'MISSTEPS'

I wrote a letter to the editor not too long ago and the editor chose the above title to place on it.  Needless to say, none of the following  could be considered to be "missteps" by any stretch of the imagination but I'm always appreciative of having my letters printed:

 

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, Insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."  Preamble to the Constitution.

“Justice”, “Tranquility”,  “defence”, “Welfare”, “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity”.  This administration has given us ‘turmoil and chaos’, wide open borders, increased welfare/decreased workers and jobs, and our liberty is being threatened everyday by a government that can’t, won’t or doesn’t know how to act with our enemies much less recognize them as such.  Our ‘posterity’ will inherit a debt they may never recover from. We have a government run amuck in every alphabet department you can name – IRS, NSA, ERA, NLRB, DOJ, GSA, VA, HHS, DHS and the list goes on. 

THE IRS JUST CAN'T HELP ITSELF

We have recently been informed that the IRS has reached an agreement with the FFRF (Freedom From Religion Foundation), an atheist group, to monitor Christian churches to make sure they aren't using their pulpits for "illegal campaign intervention".   Seems the FFRF sued the IRS for not 'doing its job' in hunting down tax exempt churches whose pastors discussed issues from the pulpit  such as 'abortion' and same-sex marriage', which are core religious beliefs but controversial political subjects particularly for Democrats (as well as atheists).

The FFRF dropped its lawsuit with the understanding that the IRS did not have a policy of non-enforcement of such religious organizations.  The IRS, however, has refused to tell the rest of the world what new procedures it intends to use or has used to investigate these alleged violations while determining there are some 99 churches that are regarded as high on the list for 'examination'.  The FFRF has complained in particular about Rev. Billy Graham. OMG! 

A HOUSE DIVIDED.....

"A house divided against itself cannot stand."  is a quote often attributed to Abraham Lincoln. While it is true he used it at an address before Republican delegates at a Republican Convention in Springfield, Ill., on June 16th, 1858 as the Republican candidate for Senate, it was not his to own. 

 

The reality is it is a statement by Jesus recorded in three gospels - Matthew, Mark and Luke.   I chose the one from Mark 3:24-27 because it is so complete and so appropriate for today:  "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house."  [emphasis mine]

 

Another way to say it would be:  Divide and conquer.  Plain and simple.  Enter Obama - the ultimate divider. 

 

I believe that I have reached the point of utter disgust and total despair that anyone in the media or any politician will put this current president or his objectives in proper perspective.  Even renowned political commentators tread lightly.  What is so difficult about declaring that this president is not stupid, inept, inexperienced, 'over his head', etc. when the reality is, he is exceptional at doing the job he set out to do.  He is getting "A's" in all areas.  Maybe even A+!

It is pretty well known he was a student of Alinsky.  Therefore, he has mastered the technique of 'lying', considered to be 'relative' in his world.  Per Alinsky:  "An organizer working in and for an open society is in an ideological dilemma to begin with, he does not have a fixed truth - truth to  him is relative and changing.....To the extent that he is free from the shackles of dogma, he can respond to the realities of the widely different situations....." .  (Does the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as the ACA or Obamacare work as an effective example for you?)

TRANSFORMING VIRGINIA (PART III) - RE-DEFINING MARRIAGE

Waiting for the 'other shoe to drop' can be distressing.  But you know, in the pit of your stomach it is going to drop; probably not in the direction you're hoping for.   Well, on Monday, July 28th the 'other shoe' dropped and it definitely was not what we were hoping for.  No, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit struck down Virginia's marriage amendment as unconstitutional.  By the way, the amendment doesn't ban anything - it just solidifies the meaning of traditional marriage and does not recognize marriages from other states that allow two people of the same sex to get 'married'. 

 

What does this decision mean?  Actually, it covers a multitude of 'unintended consequences' but for now I want to look at it in the following three ways.  

 

First, I don't think anyone has really pursued how it affects the act of voting.  Haven't we always been told that every vote counts?  Haven't we always been told the place to show your pleasure or displeasure is at the ballot box?  Haven't some politicians been removed via recall vote by irate citizens displeased with their most stringent gun laws? (Colorado comes to mind).  Haven't we always and forever followed the simple rule that the majority vote dominates?  Something suddenly changed?  Bear in mind the key word here is "VOTE".  Also bear in mind the following:  Citizens in thirty three (33) states including Virginia VOTED to add to or amend their constitutions to define marriage as between one man and one woman.   As of this date, at least 15 of those states have had their VOTE overturned by activist judges.  Really,  tell me how anyone was denied "equal protection".  We all had the ability to vote our preference.   

To the best of my knowledge and understanding, the major complaint by the LGBT plaintiffs hinges on this section of the Constitution in Article XIV, Section l. ".....nor shall any State.....deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."  Well, that's the part I have strong disagreement with and I really need someone knowledgeable to explain to me how a judge can set aside the legitimate votes of citizens thereby violating their equal protection of the law! 

THE FACE OF GALL!

Is it just me or do we have a President who sees no problem with thousands of children, teens and adults (as well as pregnant women ergo, anchor babies) breaching our borders from Central America through Mexico -

 

AND,





who, without notice to Congress trades 5 known terroists from Gitmo for one marine who just may have been a deserter (we may never know for sure), then holds a happy, happy news conference in the Rose Garden to 'celebrate' with his parents on the occasion of his freedom 

yet isn't doing one positive thing to secure freedom for a marine (Tahmooressi) who wandered into Mexico one dark night, was arrested and has been held in a Mexican jail for 100 days awaiting trial for  allegedly "illegally" transporting firearms into Mexico,

or his lackadaisical nonchalance regarding the American Christian pastor being held in Iran. 

What I gather from this whole debacle is this - it's A-OK for our borders to be breached AND to trade terrorists for one lone Marine with a questionable situation BUT, the Christian Pastor and the Marine who has served his country well and at this point needs medical care, just aren't worth his time.

 

 

 

These figures speak for themselves.  If this 'invasion' is allowed to continue unchecked, you can see what our immediate future is going to look like.

 

On Wednesday, the President was able to tear himself away from his billiards game and fund raising long enough to publicly address the Congress, and more pointedly the Republicans,  requesting almost 4 Billion Dollars (with $615 Million for Forest Fires thrown in ????) as emergency spending to "deal with the crisis on the border".   Did we see this coming?  Ever heard of "never let a crisis go to waste"?

 

My opinion?  We don't need to do anymore 'funding' for this debacle.  Simply CLOSE/SECURE the border, stop sending out the message 'illegals will be welcome and not turned back' AND stop blaming the previous POTUS and the GOP for a 'crisis' deliberately created by the current administration. 

 

When oh when are the American people going to wake up?

 

 

 

 

 

HIGH CRIMES & MISDEMEANORS?

 

"WE THE PEOPLE of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare,.....do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

[Preamble to the Constitution of the United States]  [emphasis mine]

 

US Constitution, Article II, Section 1
Oath of Office for President
 Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or affirmation:

 

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."

 **********

Legislative power is granted to the Congress; Executive power is vested in the President and Judicial power is granted to the Supreme Court.  It all seems pretty clear cut to me!  Congress makes law; President signs/executes law; Supreme Court makes decisions according to law. 

OH, WAIT.... 

 

We have a President who does not now nor has he ever had any high regard for the law except knowing it well enough to know how to circumvent it or, even, break it.  Fortunately (or not) the first term of this President was a slow lead-in which many people didn't pay attention to and he really needed a second term to complete the 'kill'.  Yes, I call it the 'kill' because that is exactly what he is doing - killing the America we all knew and loved raising in its place a decadent society with all its accompaniments.  By our silence, we are acquiescing and so is Congress. 

TRANSFORMING VIRGINIA (PART II)

The Agenda 

In seeking to persuade the every day uninformed citizen that a particular idea or 'movement' would be more 'equal' and/or provide 'true' equality for all,  a pattern or methodology must be introduced so as not to cause alarm or send signals as to what you are actually doing.  What better way to win over the uninformed individual   than to develop language specific to  what it is you want them to accept in such a way that appeals to their sense of 'fairness' and compassion?  So, how is this done?  By repetition.  Even when being fed a lie, the sheer repetition and 'logic' of the lie becomes the truth.  Let's just use one very important social issue - marriage.

How does the Socialist 'platform' view the issue?
"3)    We stand in opposition to all forms of oppression including but not limited to racism, sexism and homophobia."
(source:  www.socialistparty-usa.net)

How does the Communist 'platform' view the issue?
"Discredit the family as an institution.  Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce." 
(Communist Goals as recorded in the Congressional Record of the House of Representatives, January 10, 1963)

CHAOS AT THE BORDER

A once highly placed individual in the Obama administration has been quoted as saying, "never let a crisis go to waste".  His name:  Rahm Emmanuel, currently mayor of Chicago.  I have never wondered what he meant by that because it is so obvious.  However, what is equally as obvious but not verbalized is: if there isn't a crisis then, by all means,  create one!  That is exactly what you are seeing as hundreds of thousands of 'children' are crossing our southern border on a scale never before seen.  A created crisis and I don't think we have to wonder who created it. 

For some reason, probably because my geography isn't all that great, I wondered how  small, unaccompanied children (as was being reported) could possibly get here from places like Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala via Mexico and wind up in Texas until I looked at a map and realized that it was all land travel, albeit a great distance, but the only real water crossing appeared to be along the Texas/Mexico border. 


 

 

I have been watching some of the scenes of "children" herded into areas that could not possibly be any better than conditions in the countries they left. 

 

TRANSFORMING VIRGINIA (Part I)

FORK IN THE ROAD

Ever since Virginia elected a Democratic trio in 2013 to head up its state house the chaos that has ensued bears an uncanny resemblance to that of the Democratic takeover of the White House of the United States  and the subsequent "transformation" of America as promised by that occupant. 

 

We, in Virginia, are in the midst of a fundamental transformation of our beloved Virginia, home of eight U.S. presidents (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor and Woodrow Wilson),   one of the 13 original colonies and site of the first permanent settlement in Jamestown (1607), for starters.  The truth is Virginia has played an important role in the history of this country.  We are now at a dangerous fork in the road and what we do from now on will quite possibly set the mood for how the rest of the country goes.

As I have previously written, Attorney General Mark R. Herring who was in office no longer than 14 days before he let everyone know that he had decided not to defend the marriage amendment to the Virginia Constitution had proceeded to join plaintiffs in urging the court to find the amendment unconstitutional (see "Eye on Virginia"/January 27th and "The Unilateral Disease"/April 14th). 

THE "UNILATERAL" DISEASE

Extremely Contagious

There seems to be a new disease spreading across the nation recently but only in particular areas.  This disease appears to affect, mostly, those individuals in America who hold some of the highest positions in the land.  It is quite possible that this disease has attacked before but perhaps it was more contained? Now, it seems to be spreading like wildfire all over the land.  Well, let me just cite some examples for you.

 

I first noticed it a couple of years ago when the POTUS  unilaterally declared DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act), passed by a bi-partisan Congress, to be unconstitutional and directed his Attorney General  (Holder) not to defend it.  Next, after the ACA (Obamacare) law passed and the Supreme Court said, yes indeedy it was constitutional, lo and behold, the disease popped up again when the POTUS, on no less than 24 separate occasions, unilaterally made changes to it (bypassed Congress).  

The next wave of this disease hit right after the Supreme Court ultimately ruled that a section of the DOMA law was indeed unconstitutional as it pertained to the Federal government while at the same time declining to hear the California Proposition 8 case due to lack of standing on the part of those defending it. 
[Quick note here - California Prop 8 was a constitutional amendment overwhelmingly voted into law that defined marriage as between one man, one woman which when challenged by same sex couples, the California Attorney General unilaterally declared it to be unconstitutional and would not defend it.  Defenders of the law brought it all the way up to the Supremes who ruled they didn't have standing for it to be heard by them.] 

DUMBING DOWN AMERICA

There is a way which seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.
                     ~ Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV)

Sometimes it becomes necessary to sound an alarm as many times as it takes in order to get people to open their eyes to the truth.  The real truth.  We are in a moral decline in this country and the forces of evil  have cleverly perpetrated a hoax, over a period of time, that puts us on a fast track to destruction.  Without God, we are nothing because He gave us everything.

In an earlier post (May 15, 2012) I wrote an article titled "The 'Gay' Agenda outlining some of the 'demands' memorialized in writing by the then Gay Activists Alliance, adopted by the National Coalition of Gay Organizations at their meeting in Chicago, Ill. February 13, 1972.  I am not going to repeat all of them again but it is obviously time to remind people of their 'true' agenda because they are really out of control.  Sadly, we have let it happen and if Christians the world over don't rise up sooner rather than later, the results of their malaise and indifference will be catastrophic.  Maybe it already is? 

In a  1987 article entitled, "The Overhauling of Straight America",  written by Marshall Kirk and Erastus Pill (aka Hunter Madsen), the authors set out a plan to "desensitize" Americans regarding gays and gay rights.  The object was to get the public to view homosexuality with "indifference" as opposed to "emotion";  to slowly and methodically change the way homosexuals were viewed by the public.  It was a six point plan and herein I have abbreviated the article substantially:

"[1]  Talk About Gays and Gayness as Loudly and Often as Possible.....When conservative churches condemn gays, there are only two things we can do to confound the homophobia of true believers.  First, we can use talk to muddy the moral water.  This means publicizing support for gays by more moderate churches, raising theological objections of our own about conservative interpretations of biblical teachings, and exposing hatred and inconsistency.  Second, we can undermine the moral authority of homophobic churches by portraying them as antiquated backwaters, badly out of step with the times and with the latest findings of psychology....."  [Sound familiar?]

THE TROUBLE WITH 'STANDING'

You may have heard this term used lately, usually in reference to Congress:  we don't have "standing" in the courts....

 

Bear with me while I explain that term so I can connect it to what will happen at the Supreme Court level to states whose Attorneys General have refused or will refuse to defend their Constitution in lower courts:
 

Standing and Legal Definition
Standing is the ability of a party to bring a lawsuit in court based upon their stake in the outcome. A party seeking to demonstrate standing must be able to show the court sufficient connection to and harm from the law or action challenged. Otherwise, the court will rule that you "lack standing" to bring the suit and dismiss your case.

There are three constitutional requirements to prove standing:

1. Injury: The plaintiff must have suffered or imminently will suffer injury. The injury must not be abstract and must be within the zone of interests meant to be regulated or protected under the statutory or constitutional guarantee in question.
2. Causation: The injury must be reasonably connected to the defendant’s conduct.
3. Redressability: A favorable court decision must be likely to redress the injury.

There are other requirements imposed by judge made law:

1. A party may only assert his or her own rights and cannot raise the claims of a third party who is not before the court.
2. A plaintiff cannot sue as a taxpayer who shares a grievance in common with all other taxpayers.

Below is my first example of not having standing:

POLITICAL LAWLESSNESS IN AMERICA

I watch with growing alarm as the descent of morals, traditional values, constitutional freedoms and liberties give way to the political correctness of assuaging a liberal agenda that embraces an out of control society who delights in perversion and self-gratification.  We are treading in dangerous waters.  Our President thinks nothing of making end runs around Congress, issuing Executive Orders to carry out his wishes, picking and choosing which laws he will allow to be enforced or defended, and unilaterally changing the Healthcare Law at least 24 times since its enactment.  Listen to a supporter of President Obama who is himself, along with many others, concerned by the lawlessness of the President:

 

 



 



There can be absolutely no doubt, we have become a lawless nation and a decadent society.  We have tossed God aside, removing  him from  our schools, public places, the military,  and in general  allowed His existence to be denied.   This country was given to us to care for by our Creator.  He has blessed us even through our inequities but can He wait forever for us to come to our senses.  Is it not time now to pray for forgiveness and seek His blessings.

EYE ON VIRGINIA

The total upset in the Virginia races for Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney General last November 5th, is wreaking havoc on the rule of law here.  All three seats, formerly held by the GOP, were won by Democrats; we now have a 'house divided' similar to D.C. and frankly,  it is mind boggling when you have to deal with it this close up.  Our House of Delegates holds a majority GOP but our Senate is split 50/50 with the tie breaking vote to be cast by the Democratic Lt. Governor.  That should tell you something about how this is going to play out over the next few years.   This post, however, is about our Attorney General, Mark Herring. 

During Mr. Herring's campaign for Attorney General, he was relatively adept at avoiding too much conversation about the Marriage Amendment to the Virginia Constitution passed in 2006 by 57% of Virginia voters.  Then Senator Mark Herring also voted for its passage (twice).  Shortly after taking his sworn oath to defend both the U.S. and Virginia Constitutions in January 2014, Mr. Herring decided he was not going to defend the marriage amendment based on the fact he found it to be unconstitutional and discriminatory and he refused to appoint outside counsel to defend the Commonwealth!  OK, I guess we could deal with that.  This, however, is where Mr. Herring crossed the line and took it one unprecedented step further -  he actually joined the plaintiffs in an existing lawsuit against the Commonwealth asking a federal judge to declare the Amendment unconstitutional. 

This is Mark Herring

 



 



This article is NOT about the marriage amendment.  This article is about the Rule of Law and the blatant disregard of an oath and the duty to a client.  This article is about an attorney adhering to his Professional Conduct Code required by the Virginia Bar Association and his  sworn duty to uphold the laws of the United States and the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Understand this - there is NO precedent set that allows an Attorney General to abandon his client (the state and its citizens) to actively join in a lawsuit against them.  None.  It is absolutely unheard of.