Are the Early Stages of a New American Revolution Arising?

John R. Houk
© September 30, 2009

The American Revolution found that 13 British colonies on the North American Continent agreed on at least one issue. Via the propertied elite the colonies had become weary of British management of North American colonial affairs. The American colonies felt themselves just as much as British citizens as those back in merry ol’ England. When the American colonialists began experiencing taxation and commerce management that benefitted Mother England and caused economic hardship in the colonies, resistance to British law crept from disgruntlement to outright rebellion by 1775.

By 1776 the British colonies in America declared themselves independent from British rule. American government from 1777 to 1788 was under the loose authority of the American Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation became the unanimous rule of law by March 1781 when Maryland became the 13th sovereign State to get on board with the new American government.

The new United States of America for all purposes were free of British control when Cornwallis surrendered to General Washington at Yorktown in 1781.

The Brits made USA sovereignty official ending the American Revolution in 1783 with the Treaty of Paris.

From 1781 to 1788 13 sovereign American States used the Articles of Confederation making the Continental Congress the Head of State. The loose unity of 13 States became an Inter-State problem with enforcing a national rule of law. Each State regarded each other as an independent entity with the Articles of Confederation as a symbol more than as an American government. Americans at this time would call themselves a citizen of their particular State before calling themselves an American.

The elite leaders of the Revolutionary War eventually banded together to institute an interesting experiment of combining a central government along side sovereign Statehood linking the USA to an enforceable rule of law. Thus the Constitutional Convention convened with delegates from most of the 13 States with General George Washington as its moderating President.

It was no easy task of a group of men from sovereign States discussing a means for a central federal government yet maintaining State sovereignty. After a lot of debate and compromises a Constitutional document was written with James Madison as the primary architect.

The Constitutional Convention merely presented a document for the sovereign States to ratify before it became the rule of law for the USA. The next step was selling the Constitution to the 13 States who more than likely would ratify or not according to the State legislature rather than a direct voting plebiscite.

The architect for the Constitution – James Madison – was joined by Alexander Hamilton and John Jay writing a series of essays to convince States to ratify the Constitution. These essays grouped together became known as the Federalist Papers. There were a group of people very much against the Constitution’s implication of removing some of each State’s sovereignty and against the implication of national taxation outside the loop of sovereign States. This group of men became known as the Anti-Federalists. It is less well known that there are some Anti-Federalists writings to counter the Federalist Papers.

By June 21, 1788 the U.S. Constitution became ratified as the new government and the law of the land when New Hampshire became the ninth State voting for ratification. Here is a list of the States which were hold-outs to ratification yet eventually followed through:

• Virginia – June 25, 1788

• New York – July 26 1788

• North Carolina – November 21, 1789

• Rhode Island – May 29, 1790

Hence began a national struggle of power sharing between the Federal government and each State of the Union of the USA. This struggle came to a head when several southern States did not want the Federal government to have its tentacles into their laws and lifestyle culture. Citing the principles of the Revolutionary War these States decided to secede from the Union of States in the USA governed by the U.S. Constitution. The secession began with South Carolina in December 1860 and culminated with Tennessee June 8, 1861. Eleven States in all seceded to form the Confederate States of America with the issue of States Rights in mind if not more so than the issue of anti-slavery sentiment of the Northern States.

• South Carolina – December 20, 1860

• Mississippi – January 9, 1861

• Florida – January 10, 1861

• Alabama – January 11, 1861

• Georgia – January 19, 1861

• Louisiana – January 26, 1861

• Texas – February 1, 1861

• Virginia – April 17, 1861

• Arkansas - May 6, 1861

• North Carolina – May 20, 1861

• Tennessee – June 8, 1861

As a Yankee from Washington State I learned that the war was called the Civil War. It had other names depending on where you are from such as the War Between the States or the War of Northern Aggression.

The North won the war roughly with the surrender of Robert E. Lee to Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865 at Appomattox Courthouse, VA. Although it was definitely unneeded formality Confederate President Jefferson Davis assembled his Cabinet (or what was left of it) for the last time on May 5, 1865 at Washington, GA. The Confederacy was dissolved and five days later the Union Army caught up with a fleeing Davis at Irwinville, GA.

In my humble opinion the Union victory began an incremental lack of capacity for American States to assert State sovereignty over law issues the U.S. Constitution reserved for State authority. The “federalism” of a constitutionally instituted federalist republic has slowly become the absolute hegemony of centralized national government over the federalist sovereignty of State government.

The erosion of State sovereignty has actually led to the popularization of secessionist movements in individual States. Most of the secessionist movements are slanted Right politically however some of the secessionist movements are slanted Left. The one commonality in the political spectrum is the distrust to the disgust of the operation of the national Federal government inserted into the lives and local cultures of various States in which secessionism has evolved to a more noticeable profile than mere fringe politics.

I found an interesting article about American secessionist movements. The article is fascinating because it is an illustration of the early American Colonialist dissatisfaction with British meddling in the Colonies’ well being via arrogance, taxation and regulation. As the American colonialists viewed British oversight from an ocean away as contemptible, so also in the present American secessionist movements are becoming dissatisfied with the meddling of the national Federal government in the social, cultural and economic lives of State citizens.

Take a gander at the article I found at the Jewish World Review for a little more definition of American secessionist movements.

JRH 9/30/09
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Secession movement moves well beyond Texas

By Anna M. Tinsley
Jewish World Review

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/ (MCT) AUSTIN, Texas — As head of the Texas Nationalist Movement, Daniel Miller of Nederland believes it's time for the Lone Star State to sever its bond with the United States and return to the days when Texas was an independent republic.

"Independence. In our lifetime," Miller's organization proclaims on its Web site.

When Texas Gov. Rick Perry suggested that some Texans might want to secede from the Union because they are fed up with the federal government, the remarks drew nationwide news coverage and became fodder for late-night comedians.

But to Texas separatists like Miller and Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Kilgore of Mansfield, secession is no laughing matter. Nor is it exclusive to the nation's second-largest state.

Fanned by angry contempt for Washington, secession movements have sprouted up in perhaps more than a dozen states in recent years. In Vermont, retired economics professor Thomas Naylor leads the Second Vermont Republic, a self-styled citizens network dedicated to extracting the sparsely populated New England state from "the American Empire."

And on the other side of the continent, Northwestern separatists envision a "Republic of Cascadia" carved out of Oregon, Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia.

While most Americans dismiss the breakaway sentiments, sociologists and political experts say they are part of a larger anti-Washington wave that is rapidly spreading across the country.

More commonplace are states' rights movements to directly challenge federal laws, a citizen revolt that one scholar says is unparalleled in modern times. Among the actions in which states are thumbing their nose at Washington:

—Montana and Tennessee have enacted legislation declaring that firearms made and kept within those states are beyond the authority of the federal government. Similar versions of the law, known as the Firearms Freedom Act, have been introduced in at least four other states.

—Arizona lawmakers will let voters decide a proposed state constitutional amendment that would opt the state out of federal health care mandates under consideration in Congress. The amendment will be placed on the November 2010 ballot. Republican state Rep. Nancy Barto said five other states considered similar versions of the amendment this year and at least nine others are expected to do so next year.

—Nearly two dozen states have approved resolutions refusing to participate in the Real ID Act of 2005, which requires that driver's licenses and state ID cards conform to federal standards.

—A campaign called "Bring the Guard Home" is pushing legislation in 23 states that would empower governors to recall state National Guard units from Iraq on the premise that the federal law authorizing such deployments has expired. "It's gaining momentum, to say the least," said Jim Draeger, program manager for Peace Action Wisconsin. He said the initiative has a respectable chance of passing the Legislature in his state.

Rising public anger over the way Washington does business has produced a growing outcry for state sovereignty and strict adherence to the 10th Amendment, which says powers not specifically delegated to the federal government by the Constitution belong to the states.

Texas was an epicenter for this year's "tea party" protests, in which thousands of Americans displayed their contempt for rising taxes and federal intrusion.

Michael Boldin, founder of the Tenth Amendment Center in Los Angeles, a think tank that monitors states' rights activity, said defiance of federal policy is "unprecedented" and cuts across the philosophical spectrum, ranging from staunch conservatives to anti-war activists to civil libertarians. Legislatures in 37 states, he said, have introduced state sovereignty resolutions and at least seven have passed.

Perry, who faces a hard-fought Republican primary challenge from U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, has made state sovereignty one of his signature themes. During the 2009 Legislature, he endorsed an unsuccessful resolution supporting the 10th Amendment, asserting that "our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state."

After a tea party rally in April, Perry told reporters that secession might be on the minds of some Texans disgusted with the federal government. He later stressed that he wasn't advocating secession, telling the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "America is a great country, and Texas wants to stay in that union and help our way out of" the nation's economic downturn.

But others are advocating secession.

In a poll of 1,209 respondents conducted by Zogby International last year, 22 percent said they believed that "any state or region" has the right to secede and become an independent republic, and 18 percent said they would support a secessionist movement in their state. Conversely, more than 70 percent expressed opposition to secession.

Kirk Sale of Mount Pleasant, S.C., formed the Middlebury Institute in 2004 for the study of "separatism, secession and self-determination." The institute conducted the Third North American Secessionist Convention in New Hampshire in 2008, drawing delegates from about two dozen secessionist organizations in the United States and Canada.

Secessionist organizations are operating at various levels of activity in Texas, Vermont, New Hampshire, Alaska and Hawaii. Breakaway sentiments and anger at Washington also run high within the Southern National Congress, a 14-state organization to "express Southern grievances and promote Southern interests."

Chairman Tom Moore, who lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwest Virginia, says the group is "not explicitly a secessionist organization," although "most of our people probably do favor that option."

For many, the mention of secession brings to mind the most turbulent years in American history, when 13 Southern states broke away from the Union in 1860 and '61, plunging the country into a Civil War that claimed at least 618,000 lives but put an end to slavery. In contrast, modern-day secessionists stress that they advocate a peaceful departure and emphatically dismiss criticism that their organizations embrace racism and white supremacy.

"We maintain an open-door policy," said Miller, who began forming the Texas Nationalist Movement early in the decade from the remnants of an earlier Texas independence movement. "If you're about freedom — individual freedom — and liberty and Texas independence, we call you brother or sister."

Miller says the group includes Hispanics, African-Americans, women, lifelong Democrats and union members. "We don't argue race; we don't argue Democrat or Republican," he said. The movement also "predates Obama," he said, pointing out that his organization started well before the president took office in January.

Miller, 35, said his involvement comes from a deep-rooted civic responsibility that began when he would accompany his father, a union ironworker, on the picket line. When Miller was 18, he made an unsuccessful run for mayor of White Oak, a small community outside Longview in East Texas. His call for Texas independence, he said, stems from a belief that Washington's failures are dragging down the Lone Star State. Texas, which outpaces most other states in mineral wealth, agriculture, technology and other sectors, would be far better off as a separate country, he said.

"We currently have one of the strongest economies in the world," said Miller, a Web-based radio entrepreneur who lives in deep Southeast Texas. "We've got everything we need to be, not just a viable nation, but a thriving, prosperous nation, except for one thing — independence from the United States."

Kilgore, a telecommunications consultant in Mansfield, has made secession a high-profile theme of his Republican campaign for governor. Though overshadowed by the two dominant Republicans in the race — Perry and Hutchison — Kilgore believes his candidacy is stoking interest in secession, and vice versa. He said he gets at least a half-dozen calls and 15 e-mails each day on the issue, in addition to "all kinds of Facebook hits."

"A lot of people have given up on the federal government," Kilgore said.

If he becomes governor, he said, he would call a constitutional convention to create a nation of Texas, with voters asked to approve a constitutional amendment to cement the process. Texas emissaries would negotiate with Washington for separation, he said, predicting that the United States and Texas could "still be friends after we split."

From his home in Charlotte, Vt., Naylor said he also believes that his small New England state would fare much better outside what he derisively calls the "empire."

Vermont, which, like Texas, was a republic before achieving statehood, has a population of 625,000, is the nation's leading supplier of maple syrup and has a vibrant tourism industry. "We would not only survive, we would thrive," he said.

Naylor, who describes himself as "a professional troublemaker," grew up in Mississippi and taught economics at Duke University in North Carolina for 30 years.

During his years in the South, he said, he was "pretty much a vehement anti-secessionist" and refused to stand whenever Dixie was played. But, after moving to Vermont, he said, he began to rally against the "tyranny" of corporate America and the federal government, although he acknowledges the perceived "absurdity" of tiny Vermont rising up against the most powerful nation in the world.

"The empire has lost its moral authority. It's unsustainable, ungovernable and unfixable," he said. "We want out."
_____________________

Are the Early Stages of a New American Revolution Arising?
John R. Houk
© September 30, 2009
___________________

Secession movement moves well beyond Texas
© 2009, Fort Worth Star-Telegram Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

Intro to ‘New Realism’

Gary H. Johnson, Jr. has sent an exclusive to SlantRight.com that I am certain will make it in some form to his AfPak Reader.

The theme of the essay is a “New Realism.” The foreign policy concept is supposed to be middle ground between allowing everything including the kitchen sink without preconditions and Right Wing Realism. The former uses Jimmy – Hamas – Carter as an example. The latter uses Neoconservatives as an example.

The New Realism’s (A Conservative’s View) primary advocates seem to be Dennis Ross (Profile from Left oriented Right Web) and Robert Baer. Johnson’s essay is kind of a critique of an article written in the Washington Post by Fareed Zakaria.

I’ll probably have to read Johnson’s essay a few times in an attempt to digest all the implications of the New Realism. Upon first glance (well maybe second glance) Zakaria appears to be a proponent of the New Realism.

Now here is the foundation of the New Realism in foreign policy: The acceptance of Iran as a Middle Eastern hegemon while using a combination of Saudi clout, European economic strength and American power in a carrot and stick scenario to counteract Middle Eastern Iranian hegemony. It sounds like a new Cold War scenario in which the West tries to fence in the Iranian National Agenda with both overt and covert agents. Russia and China will play the switch and bait game to placate their National Interests meaning sometimes supporting the West and sometimes supporting Iran. For Russia and China the bait and switch of support will be founded upon that which benefits the respective the global sub-hegemonic powers (i.e. assuming that America is still THE global hegemon).

Below is Johnson’s very loaded with geopolitical information essay.

JRH 9/29/09

Is America Repeating the old British Plan?

Israpundit provides a historical perspective of the founding of the modern State of Israel. I believe it is doubtful you have read this perspective in Leftist influenced text books in High School or the collegiate level. The text book perspective is probably loaded with accusations of Jewish atrocities as the Zionist State of Israel emerged.

I am certain there are acts of violence perpetrated by the independent Jewish militias that eventually merged into the Israel Defense Force (IDF). The fight for independence and Israel’s desire for a sovereign State for Jews to live in which the government’s policy does not even have a hint of anti-Semitism undoubtedly led to some bad decisions. One has to wonder: How did the Jewish desire for a Jewish State for Jews differ from the Islamic hatred spread in propaganda by Grand Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini calling for the extermination of Jews in the British Palestine Mandate. Jewish militias only began to utilize violence when it became obvious the Brits were determined to leave the Palestine Mandate. The Brit determination to leave was matched by the desire for the British Empire to have good standing with Middle Eastern Muslims. The Arab violence began as a result of al-Husseini Jew-hatred and the belief the Brits and America would befriend Arab nations to counter Soviet expansionist dreams at the end of WWII.

Anyway … further your Israeli historical education which Israpundit insinuates is the American plan for the Middle East – at the expense of Jews.

JRH 9/27/09

Ahmadinejad says - Step Back – Concerning Nukes

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran has vocally declared that any negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program are off the table.

This begs the question: What is President Barack Hussein Obama’s next step concerning a nuclear Iran? Will the President proceed with tough sanctions even if Russia and China veto a Security Council mandated global sanctions? This is to say the President then would be willing to lead the West and Israel in sanctions apart from the United Nations.

Will the President okay a proxy to take the heat for a military adventure against Iranian nuclear facilities? This is to say BHO would look the other way as Israel makes an attempt to destroy or slow down (depending on the degree of success) the Iranian nuclear capabilities.

An Israeli attack could open a whole slew of new inevitable conflict issues pertaining to American National Security and National Interests. Also I suspect Israel has a preemptive strategy designed against Hezbollah of Lebanon in the case that the IDF moves forward with an Iranian attack.

Also radical Muslim rogue nations tend think irrationally compared to Western geopolitics. A Western nation would be compelled to think of retribution against its attacker and whine about any aid or lack of restraint the attacking nation’s big brother might offer. Psycho-Shi’ite Mullahs will think more about some sort of blood libel revenge and potentially launch an attack of some sort on American troops in Iraq or give aid and comfort to the Taliban-al Qaeda duo of evil along the AfPak corridor.

Certainly Iran would unleash Hezbollah and encourage Hamas to attack Israel. This is where I believe Israel will do something preemptively. If Israel provokes an excuse to attack Hezbollah in Lebanon, look for that to obfuscate attention toward an Israeli military strike against Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Then there is also the Hezbollah threat to activate sleeper Shi’ite terrorist cells on the American homeland as a revenge act for allowing a military strike against Iranian nukes.

OR the Prince of Appeasement and Political Correctness and friend to anti-Semites might just say, “Shucks, those Iranians are going to develop a nuclear arsenal. America risks more immediate danger than the potential of a safer world without Iranian nukes in the future. I will just do nothing and let my Presidential descendants deal with the future threat of nuclear conflagration A Twelver Shi’ite is sure to do to hasten the Hidden Imam’s return to Islamize the world.”

JRH 9/8/09 (Hat Tip: A New Dark Age is Dawning)

Resolve 9/11

John R. Houk
© September 7, 2009

September 11, 2001 is the date that Islam became more than just another religion that was growing rapidly in the world. Islam became the religion in which some people took the literal past as the will of Allah for the world in the twenty-first century. Thus the proponents of what is commonly called “radical Islam” to differentiate from “moderate Islam” seemed to become the mouthpiece of Islam to the American public.

Al Qaeda became a household word in America soon after 9/11. The recognized leadership figure of Al Qaeda is Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden’s ideology of Islam is from the mold of Wahhabi (Salafist) Islam the dominant version of Islam in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is one of the wealthiest oil nations in the world. Saudi adherents of Wahhabi have been the recipients of that wealth and have used it to finance the Wahhabi Islamic version world wide including the United States of America.

Wahhabi Islam is very closely related to the same radical Islamic ideology birthed in Egypt known to the West mostly as the Muslim Brotherhood but also is known as Ikhwan.

The murdering Islamic Supremacist Palestinian-Arab organization known as Hamas is essentially an autonomous wing of the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza (Gazastan or Hamastan). As we know Hamas wishes to be the lead Muslim terrorist organization superseding Fatah and the Palestine Authority (PA) representing Arabs that call themselves Palestinians in the creation of a Palestinian State that would dismember Israel and provide the next Jewish Holocaust.

The Muslim Brotherhood is highly connected to many American-Muslim organizations of note who claim to represent some aspect or another of “Moderate Islam” in America. Consequently Islamic terrorists Hamas also extend a reach into America as the Holy Land Foundation convictions (along with unindicted co-conspirators) proved.

Despite this interconnected web of evil which is to this day extending its hand on American soil, the American Left is hyper-concerned that Freedom of Religion should prevent scrutiny of the same Islamic ideology that inspired the 9/11 attacks that killed more Americans in our homeland than the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

President Roosevelt announced to America that December 7, 1941 would be a day that will live in infamy. That day of infamy led to a war strategy that the Nazis of Germany and Imperialist Japanese could only make peace by a total and absolute surrender to the Allies that were at war with this axis of evil.

Here we are today on the cusp of nearly eight years of continuous fighting in Afghanistan and there is no unconditional surrender. For that matter there is not a hint of peace overtures either from the Taliban or al Qaeda toward ending the conflict. Indeed the radical Islam of these groups has taken on the nature of suicide before surrender.

Unfortunately the times they have changed from a strategy of win at all costs to a strategy limited by Western International Political Correctness. I am thinking a general like George Patton would have taken the mountainous Bora Bora cave system between Afghanistan and Pakistan and would have immersed the area in carnage (including the collateral damage of Taliban sympathetic civilians) until there was surrender or nothing left to surrender.

Twenty-first century Political Correctness would look upon such a victory in horror because of the huge toll of human lives lost. And yet it was the strategy of forcing unconditional surrenders in World War II that led to the devastating bombing of Dresden, Germany as well as the nuking of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. I am guessing more civilians died in those actions than Nazi or Japanese military personnel. Even so Germany and Japan provided the unconditional surrender to sue for peace.

I am also guessing if the WWII drive to win at all costs was executed today, the chasing of the Taliban and al Qaeda would have ended years ago.

Since the polls concerning the Iraq War theatre brought down Republican dominance in Congress and vilified President G. W. Bush, I am guessing President Barack Hussein Obama is watching the polls of American attitudes toward the Afghanistan War Theatre.

Since President BHO is the Prince of Appeasement and Political Correctness, I wonder what the Obama Administration strategy will be to end America’s military action in the Afghanistan War Theatre. Do you wonder as well?

JRH 9/7/09 (Hat Tip: MAF)
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What Constitutes Victory in Afghanistan

By Kyle W. Nevins and Joseph R. Nevins
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Washington Post

Polls show that public support for the war in Afghanistan is eroding. Noted conservative columnist George F. Will counsels that it is "time to get out of Afghanistan." Will and others question our purpose there and point to a lack of clear strategy for victory or even clear measures of success.

For some, the conflict in Afghanistan has elicited memories of Vietnam -- a war with no clear battlefront and no clear end. But while the threat in Vietnam was hypothetical, the threat in Afghanistan is real: The Taliban did provide haven for terrorists who attacked America on American soil. And that attack on American soil claimed more lives than were lost at Pearl Harbor.

We are not professionals in the business of influencing public opinion. We write as the brother and father of a Marine infantry officer serving on the front lines of Helmand province in Afghanistan. Patrick was only 16 years old on Sept. 11, 2001. Yet he knew then that he would join the effort to protect our nation from another attack. He is now exactly where he wants to be: protecting our country from further violence in a theater he absolutely believes enabled the events of Sept. 11.

To end the war in Afghanistan is, in a sense, to attempt to return us to a state preceding the Sept. 11 attacks. Do we know for sure that military action in Afghanistan has prevented another attack? Of course not. But we do know that the Taliban in Afghanistan did provide the means for the horrendous carnage of that day. The 2001 attacks changed our world. There is no turning back. Like it or not, Americans must be prepared for a long war if we mean to protect our peace and our way of life.

To use an analogy from medical practice, we are fighting a chronic disease -- one with little hope of eradication. Our goal must be to control the threat even if it cannot be eliminated. In many respects, our plight following Sept. 11 closely parallels the experience of Israel of the past 61 years, a continuing threat that is unlikely to go away.

So, how do we measure our success in Afghanistan? We measure success as the continuation of our American way of life, day by day, and as going one more day without an attack at home. It is incumbent upon our politicians, in particular the Obama administration, to articulate this clearly to the public. The president must provide leadership and not simply react to polls.

We know that many of the men and women serving in Afghanistan do so because of Sept. 11 -- a nearly universal personal response not unlike the national response to Pearl Harbor. While their role in this conflict is a source of great anxiety to their families, for whom a sniper's bullet, an improvised explosive device or a grenade could spell disaster at any moment, this anxiety is overwhelmed by the pride in individuals who sacrifice daily for a cause that most Americans take for granted. Each day that goes by quietly on American soil is our measure of their success in Afghanistan.
________________________

Resolve 9/11
John R. Houk
© September 7, 2009
__________________
What Constitutes Victory in Afghanistan
Kyle Nevins is director of floor operations for the House Republican whip. Joseph Nevins is the Barbara Levine professor of breast cancer genomics and director of the Center for Applied Genomics and Technology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.
© Copyright 1996-2009 The Washington Post Company

Cold War and Post Cold War Russia and America

The Bush Administration sealed a deal to build a missile defense shield by utilizing ballistic missiles in Poland and detection radar in the Czech Republic. Russia has not been pleased sensing a threat to Russian National Security and National Interests. The Bush Administration maintained it was being built to counter Iran’s increasing capability with its own ballistic missile program. The Iranian intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program could easily include nuke WMD so only the idiot geopoliticians believe Iran’s story of a nuclear program for peaceful nuclear energy.

Then the great appeaser Barack Hussein Obama became President in January 2009. BHO is willing to scrap the deal if Russia quits supplying nuclear technology to the psycho-Mullahs of Iran. Russia is using Iran as a counter-weight to the Missile Defense Shield also known as the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) for America’s perceived intrusion into Russia’s sphere of influence.

I am on the Stratfor free email list. I received an interesting article analyzing U.S. perceptions and Russian perceptions from the perspective of the Cold War and Post-Cold War era. Included in the analysis is the BMD system deal to begin construction in Poland and the Czech Republic.

This is some great geopolitical reading. I am going to provide the entire of the analysis below. I usually link to such sites for credit’s sake; however a lot of the information of Stratfor is by subscription. I am kind of a cheapskate so I continue with the free stuff. I will use the link in my email browser if you wish to verify the article. Be sure to read the analysis.

JRH 9/1/09

Rifqa the Christian Fears Muslim Brethren

John R. Houk
© August 25, 2009

Not long ago Rifqa Bary ran away from home out of fear for her life. Bary is seventeen and ended up in Florida.

Did Bary fear a sexual predator in the family? Perhaps a neighborhood gang was threatening her life. Maybe Bary is a juvenile delinquent and is a cause for distress in her family via drugs, thievery and so on.

Guess what? Rifqa is a non-American residing in Ohio from Sri Lanka. Her family is adherents to Islam.

So why did Rifqa flee Ohio for Florida? It is because seventeen year old Rifqa experienced the Redemption of Christ Jesus. She consciously and willing left the Muslim faith.

Islam is kind of like the mafia, the only way to leave is by execution. Rifqa has lived in America to speak English with an American for I watched her heart felt plea not to be sent back to her father who has already threatened Rifqa with death for converting to Christianity.

ACT! For America has sent me an update of Rifqa’s plight to date:
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Rifqa Bary Protected – For Now

On Friday, the judge presiding over the case regarding Rifqa Bary’s request not to be returned to her parents, ruled that there was sufficient evidence to raise concerns about Rifqa’s safety. As a result, the judge ruled that Rifqa should stay in Florida for the time being, and scheduled a follow-up hearing for September 3rd.

Governor Charlie Crist and House Majority Leader Adam Hasner both weighed in on behalf of Rifqa. Governor Crist issued a press release stating that he had instructed the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to petition the judge to have Rifqa stay in Florida pending a thorough investigation.

Did the hundreds and hundreds of emails and phone calls to Governor Crist’s office from ACT! for America Florida members have an impact on the Governor’s decision? We can’t know for sure, but we believe it’s reasonable to assume that such an outpouring of grassroots support and concern at the very least put the issue front and center in the Governor’s office. This wouldn’t have happened without our grassroots response.

And whenever the public profile of an issue like this is increased, elected officials naturally pay more attention to them. Who knows what would have happened in this case if there had been no outcry from the public, which has helped to generate a great deal of media attention as well.

The DCF has stated there are disconcerting inconsistencies in the statements given by Rifqa’s family, and has asked for a law enforcement investigation.

What’s more, the “Atlas Shrugs” website has uncovered [SlantRight Editor: Pamela Gellar has a lot of posts relating to Rifqa Bary. If you happen to stumble this and wish to read the Atlas Shrugs info, type in “Rifqa Bary” and I am certain the articles will manifest.] what may be another “inconsistency” on the part of Rifqa’s parents.

Mohammed and Aysha Bary were provided court-appointed attorneys, paid for by the taxpayers, as a result of their testimony that they were indigent and could not afford to pay an attorney.

Yet as “Atlas Shrugs” has uncovered, Mohammed Bary has stated his business earns more than $237,000 per year. If it turns out that Mr. Bary and his wife did not tell the truth about their financial status, this begs an obvious question: If they were willing to mislead authorities about their financial status, should they be believed when they allege that Rifqa is not telling the truth and is not in danger?

Florida law enforcement and child protection authorities would do well to investigate this case very, very carefully, and not simply take at face value what Rifqa’s family says.

As we noted last week, we are convinced that Florida authorities should err on the side of believing Rifqa’s assertions that her life is in danger if she is returned to her family.

__________________________

ACT for America is an issues advocacy organization dedicated to effectively organizing and mobilizing the most powerful grassroots citizen action network in America, a grassroots network committed to informed and coordinated civic action that will lead to public policies that promote America’s national security and the defense of American democratic values against the assault of radical Islam. We are only as strong as our supporters, and your volunteer and financial support is essential to our success. Thank you for helping us make America safer and more secure..

Christian Convert Flees Murder from Muslim Parents

Here is the religion of peace HATE in action in America.

Israel and the ‘realists’

It is becoming clear that the so-called Foreign Policy “Realists” are actually Foreign Policy Arabists.

American Foreign Policy Realists hence are becoming “throw Israel under the bus” pro-Arab enthusiasts. In essence the reasoning is Israel no longer serves the National Interests of America. Indeed Israel’s National Interests may very well do harm to American National Interests by making Middle East oil producers (which includes Iran) to be hostile to America. Or so the Realist reasoning goes.

Caroline Glick tackles this Realist versus long time friend issue to task.

JRH 8/7/09

JIHAD COULD SPREAD IN U.S. PRISON SYSTEM!

Move America Forward (MAF) is one of the premier pro-troop organizations in America. MAF is rightfully investing their efforts in preventing the closure of Gitmo. The obvious reason is the inmates of Gitmo are mostly transnational terrorists captured by American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Left has whined that the continued imprisonment of Gitmo detainee terrorists is becoming a violation of human rights, due process and a violation of the Geneva Accords as relating to Prisoners of War.

MAF and most sane Americans understand that Islamic terrorists are at war with America even if President Barack Hussein Obama and his Leftist cadres deny that war. Indeed many released Gitmo Islamic terrorist detainees have returned to their ways of killing American troops.

Here is a message from MAF presenting their case to Americans for funds to continue the educational fight against the Obama Administration and the Left.

JRH 8/1/09

Fight Evil with Good

John R. Houk
© July 24, 2009

When Christ found me (I certainly was not looking for Him), I was an agnostic. My agnosticism was in the sense that I believed in the unexplained supernatural spiritual and in a supreme Creator; however my belief was the Creator could care less as to what happens in the physical realm.

I had a girlfriend who was a Christian (Full disclosure: the first wife). I was informed no romance in our dating was possible without Christ. So I made a deal.

The deal: I would examine the Bible to prove it was not truth for it was a bunch of words full of contradictions. If she could not refute my findings, the dating game was on. If she could refute my findings, Church bound I would be.

Honestly I did not get past the Beatitudes before Christ revealed Himself to me in a tangible way that I knew was reading the Truth of God Almighty.

So what is my point?

I was reading an article from the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission (CADC) that actually provoked a recollection of the days that Salvation overtook me by the Grace and Mercy by the Redemptive act of the Son of God. The article is entitled, “Why Does God Allow His Enemies to Succeed?”

The question is really an ages old question: If God is absolute Good, why does evil exist? Here I have no intention of tackling the essence of that question; however the question in the article started me to thinking about Christian conduct.

The essence of the CADC article questions the success upon success of evil via moral degradation (e.g. abortion, homosexuality, pornography etc.) and of the existence of reprehensible violence in the world (especially the violence perpetrated on Christian Believers). The article then plugs the Christian into the equation: If God allows such evil, should the Christian simply rollover to the inevitability of wickedness or should the Christian suck it up and take an active stand for God against evil.

Now here was my thought. Jesus Christ the Son of God was incarnated into human flesh in order for His human life to be unjustly terminated in so the twisted nature bequeathed by Adam would be straightened, the slate of sin erased and the Image of God through Christ planted into our human spirit redeeming humanity from the darkness prevalent in humanity and the world.

The example of Christ leading to that point was one of miracles, healings, the telling of the Good News of the significance of Salvation in Christ and non-retaliation to carnally inspired animosity. Indeed Believers in Christ are told to love their enemies and to do to others as you would have others do to you.

The point of the Good News is not to question the reason for the existence of evil in the Presence of the absolute goodness of God. Rather the point is to confront evil with Good (i.e. the Goodness of God).

Every path has a goal. The goal of humanity is to fulfill God’s purpose for humanity. Honestly I cannot attest to the very purpose God has for humanity. I can say I have read loads of books in which good Believing authors pointed toward many credible purposes God intends for His human creation. Instead of bouncing from “that sounds good to me” or “that one sound goods too,” I have settled for the full revelation of God’s purpose has yet to be revealed.

One thing is irrefutable though: God created humanity for a purpose that would eclipse the utility of other created sentient beings (e.g. angels).

The top created being before the creation of humanity appears to be an individual by the name of Lucifer. Old Lucifer was created good. For some inexplicable reason Lucifer figured he could be the top dog above his Creator. As far as I can tell this was time that evil entered existence.

Lucifer the Morning Star then became Satan the adversary. Then BOOM! God gave Satan and a third of the angels Satan convinced to be his followers the boot.

Now somewhere in time God created His first human being in His very Image and Likeness. The name Adam was assigned to him. Then God created from Adam a mate and called her name Eve. (Let’s loose the speculation of temporal time or if there were multiple Adams forming an Adamite race)

Evidently part of evil is jealousy. For Satan became jealous of any purpose Adam and future human descendants may have that would demote angelic beings (or in slew foot’s case, fallen angels).

Satan’s jealousy led to a purpose for Satan the adversary: the enslavement and/or destruction of God’s loved creation that humanity represented. You probably know the story from here. Satan tricked Adam through his love for Eve (yeah that is speculation) with the lie that Adam and Eve could become gods in like fashion as the Creator.

It is in that placing faith in Satan above God that the Image of God-nature in humanity became twisted and akin to the nature of Satan the adversary. It is the twisted nature of Satan that is passed down spiritually to all of Adam’s descendants UNLESS one accepts and believes in the Redemption and Resurrection of Jesus the Christ.

For me this explains the reason evil exists in the Presence of an absolute good God.

Could God have terminated the evil at its inception?

Absolutely! God is the Creator. God is the potter molding the clay who can sovereignly throw away corrupted clay and start anew. To toss the corrupted clay (i.e. humanity) it would be an admission of defeat to the adversary. God loses to no one.

In God’s love and miraculous power, He made a plan to fulfill His purpose for created humanity. That plan was to end the corruption then inherent in humanity with a plan for an uncorrupted human being to pay the price of Adam’s betrayal. Hence humanity has a path to overcome evil through Jesus Christ.

That plan was only partially realized at the Resurrection of Jesus the Christ the Son of God. Humanity’s inner spirit via faith has the choice to be a new creation in Christ re-imprinting the Image of God by untwisting the fallen nature with a new nature. Full Redemption is still in humanity’s future when the mind-soul and flesh are transformed totally into the glorious eternal being. This will include the Redemption of the earth. With the creation of a new earth and a new Heaven the goodness of God terminates the existence of evil in humanity’s environment.

Until that day evil will continue to worsen in the world. When the cup of evil is full, humanity’s complete Redemption will draw near and overtake our existence.

So now what am I trying to say?

I am saying in our individual sphere of influence the Character of Christ is sufficient to bring victory either in this life or the next life to come. Don’t be anxious rather trust in God even if this temporal life has the appearance of going down the tubes.

Where does faith come in?

I believe faith is a matter of stewardship. Everyone who believes in Christ is dealt a measure of faith. Disciplined stewardship of that faith enables one to do great acts for the Kingdom of God in this life. Modest or little stewardship will produce modest or little acts in the Kingdom of God.

Should a Christian feel condemned for the sense of one described as “O ye of little faith”? I say, “NO!”

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,[a] who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:1-11 NKJV)

If you are in Christ there is no condemnation. If you are in Christ yet determine to live a life in the flesh, you will have NO peace in this life. Also focusing on a flesh-life endangers your position of being in Christ. Yep, I am one of those who believe if your life mocks God, your Salvation is in danger of disappearing. I am also saying I am not that judge who decides that status. All will make that discovery at the Last Judgment.

Now let me be clear about my thoughts on the faith-life. I am a believer in the prosperity message; however I do not believe God will honor one’s faith to acquire possessions for the sake personal pleasure unless that pleasure is something that benefits the Kingdom of God. So I am big on God giving one a blessed life of comfort according to one’s stewardship, but I am not one that includes ostentatious living that provokes a feeling of “I’m better than the next guy”. That should sound similar to the Lucifer to Satan transformation.

The primary importance of faith is not the good carnal life, rather the primary importance of faith is to seek the Kingdom of God drawing closer and closer to God. The heart-peace of God is sufficient to overcome every ill or evil that makes an attempt to enter and/or corrupt your life.

Does the peace of God mean Christians should be doormats for criminals and evil doers?

I do not think so. Check out Romans 13: 1-7:

1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

Police and military personnel exist to prevent evil. God ordains human authority to confront human evil.

Unfortunately in this age before the return of Christ, one nation’s good may be perceived as an evil by another nation. The reality of good and evil among human nations which incorporate a national and international rule of law can only be judged by God. After all God Almighty used a foreign heathen king to punish the disobedient lifestyle of the Chosen People. The Hebrew tribes lost their kingdom to foreign invaders and went into exile. This exile among the Judah exiles honed the spiritual life of Diaspora Jews. The Diaspora Jews (1st Babylon and 2nd Roman) solidified their faith to remain a cohesive group of people for thousands of years without their homeland.

Could moral depreciation cause the downfall of America that has until recently placed their foundation in Christianity? Or will prayer by the remnant bring on a Third Great Awakening as that which occurred before nationhood and in the early 19th century.

The CADC is calling for Christians to be active spiritually and politically in America to counter the Leftist social transformation in America. If I did misinterpret the CADC article, then I am calling for Christians to become active.

Below are some Scriptures in which meditation turned on the light and begin the diminishing of the darkness (All Scriptures are in the NKJV):

Matthew 5: 3-12

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5: 43-48

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor[g] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,[h] 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren[i] only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors[j] do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Roman 13: 8-10

8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,”[a] “You shall not covet,”[b] and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”[c] 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

1 Corinthians 13: 1-8a

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. …

1 Corinthian 13: 13

13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Galatians 5: 16-18

16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Galatians 5: 22-26

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Ephesians 5: 1-2

1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Ephesians 6: 10-18

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,[c] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints

JRH 7/24/09

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Why Does God Allow His Enemies to Succeed?

Wednesday, 22 July 2009 18:04
Christian Anti-Defamation Commission

When you have been in spiritual warfare and the culture wars any length of time you will inevitably come to points in the battle when you ask, “what in the world is God doing?” We know that God is in control of His creation and has called us to pray and stand for him, yet some times we are tempted to think very hard thoughts against God or even want to give up.

If we affirm with the Bible that Jesus is Lord all, then why do we seem to be losing important moral battles? Hate crime laws are almost certain to be signed into law that will be used in an attempt to silence the church. Our Federal tax dollars are being spent on wicked overseas abortions and funding immoral “kill to heal” research on human embryos. Obama’s healthcare reform has a backdoor effort in it to give radical feminists and the abortion industry everything they want.

Our biblical principles are taking a beating in the culture right now. So the question remains. What is God up to? More importantly, what are we supposed to be doing as believers? Let’s look at the Bible for some help.

Pop Quiz
First of all, this struggle with God’s providence is not unique to us, even though it feels like it sometimes. The inspired prophet Jeremiah put it this way, “Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth but far from their mind. (Jeremiah 12:1-2; NKJV)

Jeremiah was frustrated with the way God was working in Israel. Wicked people doing evil things seemed unstoppable. They even talked like they were true believers and as if they were intent on doing the Lord’s work even though they had no intention of submitting to God’s revealed will. Sound familiar?

But, Jeremiah knew that God was still at work even in the midst of setbacks. “But You, O Lord, know me; You have seen me, And You have tested my heart toward You.” (Jeremiah 12:3a; NKJV)

God works in mysterious ways as he administers his inscrutable providence. Jeremiah realized that even in the midst of setbacks God is at work among his people revealing their faith and character. Yes, this is a test. Will we remain steadfast, immovable and abound in the work of the Lord even when it is difficult?

The Art of War
God is always most concerned about his people and is constantly working all things together for their good and His own glory. When we read the scriptures we see some predictable historical patterns.

First, God graciously saves and delivers his people. Then there is a honeymoon filled with blessings. Then God’s people become complacent and backslide into various sins and idolatry. So God sends prophets to call his people back. The prophets are killed. So foreign enemies, drought and wicked kings etc. are sent to afflict his people. After suffering, sometimes for long periods, the people cry out to God for mercy and they repent. Then God sends a savior to rescue them. The people are blessed and the cycle starts over.

This tells us a lot about human nature and God’s providence. This pattern is most vividly on display in the book of Judges where we see a downward spiral of Israel after taking up residence in the Promised Land.

In the midst of the historical narrative recorded in Judges the Holy Spirit gives us some important insights into the reasons for this process. Why didn’t God make it easy for his people to follow him? Why didn’t He simply destroy all the surrounding pagan nations that would be a constant temptation and thorn in Israel’s side? Here’s why.

“Now these are the nations which the Lord left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan (this was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it), namely, five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. And they were left, that He might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the Lord, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. Judges 3:1-5

God left enemies for his people to overcome and in the process Israel was being tested. Would they remain faithful and live a life pleasing to God or would they be tempted to intermarry and worship foreign gods? Would they stand up and fight and learn the art of war? God wanted Israel to be able to defend itself and the way he taught them was through the attacks of the enemy. You learn by doing. Ultimately, Israel failed the test and the kingdom of God was taken away from them (Mathew 21:43) and they were dispersed.

Pneumatic Warfare
Now God is training his church in the art of spiritual warfare. It is not a physical, carnal struggle or a battle of flesh and blood. Rather it is an unseen, spiritual, theological and moral struggle for the souls and minds of men and nations.

God could have destroyed all our enemies fully and finally at the cross. We know that death, Hell and Satan were all defeated in principle on the cross and by Christ’s resurrection . Christ’s full and final victory is absolutely secure, yet for God’s own purposes there is still a spiritual warfare to engage and holy history to be made.

We do not fight for victory but from Christ’s victory. In this we as believers have the highest possible honor. We are invited to co-labor with Christ as he subdues all of his enemies under his feet.

Can’t We Just Be Positive Christians?
But what if someone does not like all this talk about war and prefers only to discuss God in terms of his love and mercy? While this is understandable, it is not an accurate representation of who God really is.

Hear God’s Word. “The Lord is a Man of war, the Lord is his name.” (Exodus 15:3) “Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle.” (Psalm 24:8) “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.” (Revelation 19:11) After use of familial terms, the second most common metaphor used in the New Testament for believers are military terms.

Mankind bears to some degree all of God’s image, even the glorious martial facets of his nature. Of course, sin has distorted God’s image and that is why we need God to renew his image in us through the gospel. But we are called to embrace and reflect the totality of God’s character. To deny one aspect of God’s nature is a denial of God’s unity and simplicity. It is heretical to deny any attribute of God or to juxtapose one against the other. God is not schizophrenic or inwardly conflicted, but always acts perfectly in accordance with all his entire nature. For example, God’s justice is a holy, loving, merciful expression of all his perfect being.

For our own good and His own glory God allows enemies to attack us and even apparently succeed for a season to test our faith and courage. Theoretically, we could all be glorified and enjoy the eternal joys of heaven the moment after we are saved by faith in Christ. But this life is a proving ground. Will we stand when it is hard or will we compromise and adopt the ways of the world? Will we lay up treasures in heaven or simply live for the pleasures of this world? Will we reflect God’s image as a spiritual soldier?

All of life is intended to drive us to Christ, even our greatest victories and our most crushing failures, so that in all things he has the preeminence. This world is not and never will be heaven, but it is the perfect place for God to prepare you for it. One of those necessary preparations is to develop courage and tenacity to stay in the fight and persevere to the end.

Cowards Go First
For years I have threatened to print up tee shirts that say, “Cowards go first.” Then under the words have a picture of Dante’s Inferno. Why?

It is axiomatic to “begin with the end in mind.” So what do we know about the ultimate end of this life? At the end of time when the final judgment is being meted out by our victorious King Jesus we read these words, “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8; NKJV)

I never cease to be surprised by this list. It is not one that I would have created and therefore reflects my defective perspective on what is important to God. The very first kind of person mentioned that deserves eternal wrath from God’s point of view is not the murderer, the sexual deviant or even the one who is involved with satanic witchcraft, rather it is the coward.

The Greek word for “coward” here infers being timid and fainthearted. Remember Revelation was written to the Churches in Asia Minor who were suffering terribly for their faith. So Christ graciously gives them the greatest incentive to remain faithful and not to give way under persecution and apostatize.

While we are nowhere near the kind of persecution that many others have experienced for Christ, we still need the same bold, spirit-filled life of a first century martyr. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would make us witnesses for him. The Greek root for being a witness is martureo. To be a Christian is to be a faithful witness to Christ unto death. No cowards allowed.

Only courageous Christians are admitted to heaven the true land of the free and home of the brave. Hell is the eternal abode of spiritual and moral cowards. We experience a foretaste of heaven when as Christians we courageously overcome the world the flesh and the Devil. We get a foretaste of Hell when we live fearful, cowardly lives.

By Grace through faith in Christ
Of course, who can say they have always been a fearless follower of Christ? We can only have true spiritual courage, verses false, fleshly bravado, by the grace of and the power of the Holy Spirit. We must repent of carnal thinking and worldly perceptions and ask God to open our eyes to the glory of His Son sitting at his right hand. By fixing our eyes on Jesus, not our enemies or circumstances, we will be enabled to run our race and fight the good fight of faith.

May God grant us the fullness of the Holy Spirit to boldly stand in our day. May he strengthen us to do his will as we faithfully make use of the means of grace in His Word and Spirit. By faith we declare with God’s help we will make no excuses and offer no apologies. We purpose to fight for Christ’s glory and kingdom, no matter what the enemies of Christ say or do. The battle belongs to the Lord, but faithfulness in the fight is our holy and blessed obligation.
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Fight Evil with Good
John R. Houk
© July 24, 2009
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Why Does God Allow His Enemies to Succeed?
© 2008 (sic) · Christian Anti-Defamation Commission

Americans Need to Understand Negative Aspects of Islam

Considering the Japanese style sneak attack of Islamic terrorists on 911, it is remarkable that there is not more public information being disseminated to the American public.

The lack of information is remarkable but I do understand the reasoning. The Mainstream Media and a Politically Correct (PC) U.S. government are afraid that if the negative side of Islam is disseminated to the American public that an increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes would increase. Indeed the well financed Islamic-American organizations are also a huge factor in enforcing PC thinking in America. These Islamic-American organizations gravitate toward radical Islam even though publicly they claim to represent the American mainstream Islam. To all the Muslim-Americans that claim to be moderate Muslims eschewing Radical Islam as an aberration of Islam, the existence of Islamist agenda Muslim-American organizations should be sending up red flags. Yet one rarely reads of an influential Muslim-American castigating these Islamist oriented Muslim-American organizations.

I have often read that Islamist/Salafist/Wahhabist Islam statistically only represents 10% of practicing Muslims globally. I am assuming that this statistic is representatively associated with the primary sect of Islam which is the Sunni.

The PC crowd has effectively kept Americans in the dark about the negative aspects of Islam.

An even darker knowledge is that of understanding where Shia Islam resides in the moderate/radical realm of Islam. Shia has had to be radical to survive the dislike of the majority Islamic sect of Sunnis. Thus it is very easy for Shias to radicalize even though there is a “quietist” element which developed to be non-confrontational. Nonetheless, the very nature of Shia (the party of Ali) has to do with the thought that the fourth Caliph after Mo’s death should have been the second Caliph.

Ali was a cousin and son-in-law of the prophet Mohammed. When Ali was defeated and assassinated by his rival, the closest thing to blood descent to the prophet ended. This made a significant portion of Muslims displeased. Thus this portion developed Imams as descendants of Mohammed through Ali as the true heirs of spiritual-political leaders of Islam. The majority of Islam got behind the Caliphate apart from the party of Ali. Thus Shia faired adversely accept in the land that had a traditional heritage of empire and independence. That land was Persia which is present day Iran.

Now I am fairly certain that my brief explanation of Shia would be castigated by an adherent as a weak interpretation. Nonetheless, it is important to understand the roots of Shia to get a grasp of the radical nature of Iran and its radical thinking of a global Caliphate with the Shia perspective rather than the Sunni perspective.

With this in mind I encourage you to read this Hudson Institute publication entitled, “The Paradoxes of Shiism”.

JRH 6/23/09