Who Has the Power?

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. — That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." Most people are familiar with the first part of this quotation. I'd wager that much fewer are familiar with latter portion. Government exists to preserve our natural state of being. Simply, a government ensures we are born free to pursue happiness. How do you think our government is doing with that task? Are we all born? Are we all free? Are we hindered in our pursuit? It is a myth that America is a young country with a 230 year experiment in democracy. In fact, when the Declaration of Independence was written, Americans already had 200 years of experience in democracy. The colonists were on their own. No kings came to America. Any governors or magistrates in the colonies answered to the colonists first. Thomas Jefferson didn't just wake up one day and invent freedom. In fact, the Declaration of Independence is really a list of injuries and usurpations that violated 200 years of colonial freedom. Since then, our federal government has become much more of a tyrant than any king. Tocqueville forsaw this. No king ever made 2000 pages of regulations on importing produce. No king ever taxed people for making money. No king ever tried to ensure a life of leisure for his elderly subjects. No king ever dictated how we build our buildings or automobiles. No king ever regulated sugar content of ketchup. No king ever regulated how much water we are allowed to use in a toilet. No king ever strived to make the entire planet cooler. As one observes the current Presidential election, the issues at hand have little to do with the job of the President. Watching the news it would seem that the President's job is to pay my mortgage, fund my retirement, manage my economy, provide my health care, set the price of gas, set my wages, decide who can marry, study stem cells, and teach my kids just to name a few. These are not executive tasks. They are not federal tasks. Most are not governmental tasks at any level. Congress should make law, Presidents should enforce law, courts should interperate law. These powers were separated so no single branch got too much power. Unfortunately, all three branches have too much power so none of them seem to care. So we live in a modern democratic despotism where the federal government has embraced us in its powerful grasp, bending our will through petty rules and noble causes. How have we come to this? Where does the federal government get this power? The consent of the governed. The President has assumed control of our pocketbook because we gave it up. We don't want to make decisions and sacrifices ourselves, so we look to the government to make universal decisions and sacrifices. Why sacrifice my cell phones, cars, computers, televisions, or anything else so I can pay my bills and save for retirement? To keep our cheap little trinkets we have sacrificed things much more important: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The Religion of Peace

"Fighting is enjoined on you, and is an object of dislike to you; and it may be that you dislike a thing while it is good for you, and it may be that you love a thing while it is evil for you, and Allah knows, while you do not know." -Koran 2 (The Cow):216

Every time militant Islam makes the news, the media are quick to point out that the supreme majority of Muslims are not crazy militants. Even right wing radio hosts like Hannity and Rush do that. You'll often hear them qualify the percentage of crazies with a random percentage. I commonly hear 95%. Even if this percentage is true, let's do some math. What is 5% of 2 billion? Is it a lot? What is .5% of 2 billion? Is that still a lot? Sorry, I suck at math. Help me out here.

Actually, the reason for this post isn't my poor math. It's because I believe that history shows that Islam is far from a religion of peace. In fact, the holy texts of the religion themselves show otherwise.

First, let's look at the history of the prophet (strange to have a prophet without prophecy) of Islam, Mohammed. While Jesus lived a life of peace without sin, Mohammed had a life of more excitement. Jesus taught us to bless our enemies. Even while he was on the cross, he prayed for those who were killing him. How did Mohammed treat his enemies? Before Islam, the Muslim tribes were feuding amongst themselves. Each tribe worshipped their own pagan gods. Mohammed saw religion as a force to unite these tribes and make a nation through warfare.

He started by attacking Meccan caravans in January and March 623 A.D. As the newly ordained Muslims went into battle, Mohammed cried, "By him who holds my soul in his hands, anyone who fights for me today will go to paradise." They stole their goods and ransomed prisoners. Those who did not get ransomed lost their heads. Sources of dissent were assassinated in Medina, which became a Muslim stronghold. Following a failed offensive against Mecca, Mohammed retreated to Medina. There the Muslims held off a force of 10,000 against them. Following the seige of Medina, he discovered an insurrection brewing amongst the Jewish tribe Banu Qurayza. Those of that tribe who did not convert were beheaded and the women and children were enslaved. After a two year truce, the Muslims sacked Mecca. At least this time the only innocent civilians it can be proven he killed were ten people who made fun of him. After taking these two cities, Muslims controlled almost the entire Middle East within a decade.

Mohammed's military conquest is found in religious and historical texts. If he were alive today, would Mohammed, the founder of this religion of peace, fit in the 95% of peaceful Muslims or the 5% of militant Muslims? It is important to understand that while most Muslims may not be militant, their history and their holy texts instruct them to be. Just like the quotation from The Cow above, war is a part of Muslim history and religion. No matter how many Muslims despise violence, Allah knows best.

Let's take a Christian analogy. There are billions of people who say they are Christians. The Great Commission tells us to take the Gospel to all the nations of the world. But what percentage of Christians are full time missionaries? I'd say 5% to .5% would be a good percentage. While I am not a missionary, if one came to me asking for money or shelter, I would give it to them. In fact, I wouldn't hesitate to go on an occasional short term mission trip myself. I just don't feel God calling me to pack up my wife and move to the wilderness and take the Gospel full time to foreigners. I feel content letting others fight that war while I support them here at home and witness to those around me. In fact, missionaries are heroes, especially when they give their life for what they believe. That describes the 95% of Christians who are not full time missionaries.

I submit to you that the 95% of peaceful Muslims are just like the 95% of Christians who are not missionaries. They may not be on the front lines of the war, but they give plenty of support at home and witness to others in order to expand their cause. So, do not let your mind be muddied by the tyranny of the media. Know your history and make up your own mind.

How Clean Is Your Brain?

"Brainwashing" is an interesting term. Think about that word for a moment. It is the act of washing your brain. The term originated in China, describing the Communist re-education of the opposing population after they took power. The Chinese introduced this system to captured American and U.N. troops during the Korean War. Prisoners were commonly deprived of sleep, food, water, and social interactions. Once tired, hungry, thirsty, and alone, the captors would then offer relief in exchange for their professed loyalty. To those soldiers that did so, the only thing that mattered was a bed, a meal, a drink, and going back to their fellow prisoners. It did not matter that their captors are the ones starving and isolating them. Their loyalty was just a meal ticket. They did what was necessary to survive.

Another aspect of brainwashing was to place guilt upon the prisoners. The Communists wanted them to feel responsible for the war itself. By controling information, the captors could feed the prisoners whatever lies they pleased. They would blame the prisoners for taking part in a war in which they didn't belong, demanding confessions of war crimes and human rights violations that never happened. They would accuse U.N. troops of terrorizing Korean women and children in the dead of night. They would blame the captives for the poverty and starvation of their people. They would do all this to place a huge burden of guilt upon the POWs.

It is interesting to note that the primary Communist goal of brainwashing was to get opposition to sit down and shut up so they could go about their business of global domination. You see, if your prisoners are broken and brainwashed they are easier to guard. Fewer guards meant more soldiers on the front lines. Upon release, many POWs maintained their loyalty toward their captors. For some, it took years to sort out the manipulation and lies they believed from the truth.

Obviously, to be deprived, blamed, and shamed into submission is the ultimate tyranny over the minds of men. Can you, great reader, think of anyone else who has done or is doing the same thing as the ChiComms? Think about it. Here are some hints: