Mark Caserta: A Call to Action for Christians to vote!

31 Oct

It’s urgent that you click on the link below and share with as many Christians as possible.

God is giving us an opportunity to speak out on His behalf.

Listen and act…

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I’ll be back…

9 Oct

Mark Caserta: It will take every single voter to save Huntington on Nov. 3rd.

8 Oct
Mark Caserta is an opinion columnist and editor for Free State Patriot

October 8, 2020

“The devil went down to Georgia. He was looking for a vote to steal. He was in a bind, ‘cause he was way behind and willing to make a deal”.

This parody of the lyrics from Charlie Daniels’ legendary song seems to sum up the angle of most politicians today who seem willing to sell their soul for positional power.

The problem with positional power is that without wisdom and good intent, it’s very dangerous and negatively consequential for those subject to it.  It isn’t often that caring citizens have opportunity to literally save their city from such political embellishment.

 On November 3rd, local voters have an historic opportunity to participate in one of the “greatest comebacks in American history” in the healing of a city “ravaged by ruin.”

For 8 painful, arduous years, the city of Huntington has been on the decline. During that time, we’ve watched our city be overtaken by crime, drugs, and progressive ideology – all of which have a symbiotic relationship. 

What was once referenced as the Jewel City, is now one of the #1 crime and drug overdose cities in the nation.

Now, given the level of dissent among citizens and business owners remaining in Huntington, one would be compelled to expect a landslide victory was on the horizon for the conservative candidate, Scott Marshall Caserta, right?

Oh, but grandma, there’s a the fly in the buttermilk!

Mayor Williams and his complicit minions (which includes our share of fake news outlets) have focused the last 4 years on replacing hard-working, conservative voters who contribute to society, with downtrodden individuals caught in the liberal nets of benevolence and have little choice but to be beholden to the hand that feeds them.

It is a verifiable fact that some addiction facilities have gone outside our city and state to bring in addicts for treatment in Huntington rehab facilities.  I suppose we simply didn’t have enough of our own.  Supplemental to this madness has been an initiative to register the homeless to vote.

One might refer to it as election tampering through attrition.

What lies beneath the “spit shined” exterior of lifetime politicians who would feel emboldened to compromise the very heart of a city and her inhabitants simply to remain in power?

Would anyone who cared about our city and its citizens build an economic model around fewer jobs and a dependency upon government?

Only a liberal thinks that way.

And only a progressive aspiring to reign over disadvantaged subjects powerless to sustain themselves (much less contribute to an economy) would sell the jobs and futures of our citizens, simply to lavish longingly in the spotlight of spurious servitude.

I have nothing personal against Mayor Steve Williams. In fact, I’ve partially supported his decisions in the past, at the chagrin of those dear to me.

But the fact remains, his policies have crippled the city of Huntington in a devastating manner! Our city is now on life support emanating from the few remaining Huntingtonians willing to go down with their sinking ship as they struggle to correct her course.

Liberal larcenists stole the city of Huntington from us nearly 8 years ago.  It’s time to take her back.

But allow me to be perfectly and unapologetically clear.  It will take every single voter with the conviction of saving our city to get off their backsides and vote.  If you don’t vote – we lose – it’s that simple.

Not maybe!  Not if I have time!  Not if I can get off work!  If you don’t vote, you won’t have to worry about work!  It will be gone!

Understand, it will take more than a man to return our city to greatness.  It will take God.

Scott Caserta doesn’t have all the answers.  He will be the first to tell you that.  But He knows a God who does!  And I believe if we humble ourselves and seek God’s Face and Favor, He will heal our land and prosper our people. 

We can return to the city once known as a great place to live, work and raise a family.

The only conservative, Christian choice for mayor of Huntington is Scott Caserta.

Huntington won’t survive another term under our current mayor.  You know where to be on November 3rd. 

If you don’t…then ask someone.

  

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Mark Caserta: 2020 has exposed evil intent around us.

3 Oct
Mark Caserta is an opinion columnist and editor for Free State Patriot

October 3, 2020

Allow me to say this about those who would attempt to win an election by tearing down one’s opponent.

It makes you look very, very, small indeed.

Yes, it’s possible to win an election by “hook n’ crook”.  But is it worth losing your soul?

I believe God works all things for His good. 

God cannot be out maneuvered!  Satan tried and he and his supporters were all cast into the fiery pits of hell.

2020, with all of its shortcomings, has done one thing – exposed the evil heart and intent of many of those around us – people who are so short-sighted, they fill their day with searching opportunities on social media to disparage all things Godly and good.

They laugh and scorn when a U.S. president and the 1st lady get a serious virus.  They manipulate information digitally to misrepresent a candidate with Godly intent.

They have no life, no argument, and no hope.  So, they wallow in their vomitous message of hate and aspire to bring others into the putrid pit with them.

These individuals slither among society in our nation and in our city of Huntington, WV.

And rest assured, God is keenly aware of each one of them.

So, a message to those who would be filled with despicable joy at the death of our president…

To those who would attack candidates and their families and cause them pain simply to win an election…

To those whose hope rests in the demise and dismay of others…know this!

God is not mocked.  Whatever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew[f] the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 Then the waters returned and covered the chariots… the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. 29 But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

God will protect His children. 

And you will be covered by the waters of the Red Sea if you attempt to harm them.

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Mark Caserta: Liberal Democrats are programmed as “Terminators”.

26 Sep

Mark Caserta is an opinion columnist and editor for Free State Patriot

9.26.2020

Liberal Democrats have all become “Terminators”.

Just like the cyborg assassin sent by “Skynet” to kill Sarah Connor in 2015, they have been repurposed and reprogrammed with the sole mission of getting rid of the President of the United States – Donald J. Trump.

Come hell or high water – get out of the way – he must go.  And until that final “spark of entity” has been extinguished inside liberals, they will literally “crawl” toward removing him from office! 

Not only do they hate him, they loathe him. They are obsessed with every step he takes, every move he makes – even unto death.

On September 17, 2020, Marshall University assistant professor Jennifer Mosher horrifically wished a “COVID death” for all of President Trump’s supporters before the presidential election.

That’s not only treasonous, it’s demented and evil.

Leftist Democrats hate our president more than they love the nation of people for whom he is commander-in-chief.

So, given the level of disdain the left has for Donald Trump and his supporters, what “wouldn’t” they do to remove him from the Oval Office?

Would they create a factitious Russian Dossier to get approval from the Department of Justice to conduct a witch-hunt investigation hoping to find any tidbit of “evidence” worthy of impeaching the president?

Would they target his family and business in hopes of securing some small piece of evidence that Donald Trump was an evil man?

Would leftist, activist members of the FBI intentionally ruin the careers and personal lives of war heroes to blackmail them into testifying against the president in a totally fabricated investigation?

Would liberal Democrats be willing to return to a poor economy, fewer jobs, and increased poverty just to make the president look inept?

Would the left be willing to withhold economic aid to Americans during the COVID epidemic until after the presidential election, simply to create the false belief that voters must make a change?

Would the liberal media be willing to pre-empt truths with total falsehoods to create a narrative of distrust and hate for this president?

Given the level of impact each of these damnable acts against the citizens of the United States AND the fact that each of them is documented, proven history…ask yourself, “Is there anything on the table liberal Democrats WOULD NOT DO to rid our country of President Trump?”

If your answer is “No”, one must ask, “Would they be willing to cheat during the upcoming election”?

Without a shadow of doubt – absolutely!  I have reason to believe liberal Democrats have had a plan in place for years to disenfranchise Trump voters as well as emancipate liberal voters who favor their mission of removing Trump.

And frankly, my dear, they don’t give a *&^%$ if you, the American people, know about it or not!

They believe once they are back in power it’s no holds barred.  Redemption and retribution draweth nigh for liberals who plan to re-pay Trump supporters and conservatives for the pain and anguish they’ve caused the left the past 4 years!

So, watch closely, my friends.  It’s already happening.  Rest assured, the only way President Trump wins the 2020 presidential election is to win it SO OVERWHELMINGLY it negates the thousands of votes that will be adversely impacted by liberal, treasonous thieves who couldn’t care less about America.

Getting rid of President Trump is liberal Democrat’s mission, at any cost. 

And you will pay the price if they succeed.

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Doug Smith: Everyone Hates the Tax Man

3 Sep

 Recent polls, for what they are worth, (amazingly little) tighten the gap between Trump and Biden and give Trump a clear lead in one particular. Now, does it take a history buff to help you figure out what that one area might be? I’ll wait. (Picture Alex and the Jeopardy Theme playing)

Yes, of course. It is the economy. As Bill Clinton, excellent politician but ethical reprobate that he is, noted: “It’s the economy, stupid.” When it comes down to it, there are a few very basic, visceral things that drive people to the polls (not, by the way, to the Post Office).

People want to be safe in their homes, and able to pay their bills, buy food, and live their lives in comfort. How to do so? It’s the economy, stupid.

They must have an income. Which means a job. Which means those evil businesses must survive, and thrive. (For a detailed study of why Gummint checks to people who don’t work are not artifacts of a thriving economy, I invite your attention to Never Enough: America’s Limitless Welfare State, by William Voegeli.

They must have local governments to keep fire and police protection for their communities, for which they are willing, grudgingly, (if you tell me you are cheerful about paying even taxes that you agree are reasonable and necessary, I will forever doubt your veracity.) This assumes said local governments are not so corrupt or incompetent that for any amount of money, they still can’t manage it.

Finally, the tax man must leave them enough to survive and thrive personally. Can we agree that none of us like the tax man, lawyers, or used car salesmen, even if we must, or do, on occasion interact with them? Hatred of the tax man is ingrained in our culture and our DNA. When Robin Hood of antiquity went after the Shire Reeve of Nottingham, he was fighting the tax man. Sheriffs have traditionally been first of all tax collectors. That they enforce other laws and go after bad guys does not diminish their essential and first function: bringing in the taxes.

There is a point to this. You will, no doubt, find people to cite statistics about how efficient the OBiden administration was at managing the economy. I am reminded of Mark Twain’s note that “Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: ‘There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Liars, the best of them at least, can lead you to doubt the evidence of your own senses and memory. Who ya gonna believe, they will ask you, me, or your lyin eyes?

In recent months, we have all found ourselves under constant bombardment by “experts”. Now, if my drains are clogged, I’m not going to call a plumbing expert to lecture me on what to do with my clog. I’m going to call a plumber who knows how to fix it and say, have at it. Aldous Huxley reports on a meeting in 1885 in which “ A well-known lawyer, now a judge, once grouped witnesses into three classes: simple liars, damned liars, and experts. He did not mean that the expert uttered things which he knew to be untrue, but that by the emphasis which he laid on certain statements, and by what has been defined as a highly cultivated faculty of evasion, the effect was actually worse than if he had.” So, instead of seeking an “expert”, I’ll ask someone who has had the problem fixed, “Who cleared your clog?”

So, unless you are just turning 18 and about to vote for the 1st time, you were an adult, in theory, trying to live and thrive in the 8 years of the Democrat administration that began with the 2008 elections, and the last 4. You have worked, or not. You have known others to work, or not. You have seen your paycheck, your tax bill, and your retirement accounts, go up or down. You have seen businesses flourish and put up help wanted signs, or board up their doors forever. You have walked around your town and seen people thriving, or struggling. You have heard your leaders tell you “this is as good as it gets, it’s all downhill from here,” then proceed to lead the country to decline, or tell you “the best is yet to come, “and proceed to somehow lead in such a way that business, and Your paycheck, flourished, your tax bill decreased, Your personal lot in life and outlook became better.

So think back over the last 12 years. Look at your tax returns. Look at your bank statement. And never mind what the “experts” try to tell you, answer for yourself. Is that poll right? Do I want my income and taxes to mirror 08-16, or the last 3 years?

Do you want someone you think can feel your pain, or someone you know will leave more money in your pocket? If you are after empathy, try a therapist. But ask some of your older friends who lived from 76 to 80 how it was to have a leadership based on being such a nice guy, and 20% inflation, long lines at the gas pump, shrinking paychecks, and soaring taxes.

Nice doesn’t pay your bills. This is not Miss America, nor is it a popularity contest.

It is, thank you Bill Clinton, about the economy, stupid.

Think carefully.

Doug Smith is an historian and Associate Editor for Free State Patriot

September 3, 2020

Mark Caserta: Here’s why liberal Democrats want to “defund” the police.

1 Aug

mark at mic

Mark Caserta is an opinion columnist and editor for Free State Patriot.

August 1, 2020

wake up

It’s positively, unequivocally, and in every other way – moronic.

It’s analogous to removing traffic lights and stop signs because some don’t work properly.

The idea of “defunding” the police by the liberal Democrats is simply the largest leap toward removing boundaries for progressives in our country’s history.  While it is, undoubtedly, ludicrous on the surface, it aligns perfectly with liberal ideology.

Progressivism is exactly what the moniker portrays.  Liberals “progressively” advance their agenda by vehemently pronouncing their presence and being the loudest voice in the room.  Even huge failures often result in small victories by moving the needle of morality ever so slightly to the left.

One must understand liberals view principle and morality on a sliding scale of standards.  It varies with every movement.  It’s consistency lies in the fact that it’s always, always contrary to God’s Word and conservatism and is tenacious in its onslaught.

A perfect example is Roe v Wade.

In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that a woman’s liberty right (in this instance, whether to be pregnant or not) was stronger than the state’s interest in the life of the baby “up to a certain point” in the pregnancy.

Per the Court’s ruling, at the point of “viability” or the baby’s ability to survive outside the womb, the woman’s right to choose an abortion was outweighed by the potential life of the child. At that point, the Court ruled a state could prohibit women from having abortions. The only caveat was if the birth presented a health risk to the mother.

Just under 50 years later, liberals have challenged case after case and successfully moved the standard for protecting life far to the left.  In 2020, it’s seemingly as easy to have an abortion as it is to have a tooth pulled.  Sadly, it’s become murder of inconvenience.

That, my friend, is the progressive movement.  And that is exactly what is happening with the so-called “defund the police” movement by liberal activists.

Now, the police will not be eliminated.  Intelligent minds will prevail.  But we are seeing those with the ability to do so, reduce police funding and place citizens at risk. This is an impactful victory for liberals and the first step toward achieving a greater goal.

The left’s determination to subvert Democracy should be very disturbing for everyone and be the catalyst for staunch opposition from the right.

What law-abiding citizen in our country would want to eliminate or even reduce law enforcement? Most would support further funding for the safety of our families!  I submit, the majority of those supporting defunding would be only those constrained from committing lawless acts.  It’s extremely important for us to realize the many in the liberal media are complicit in making this happen.

Higher ratings? Perhaps.  But there are those, to include the media, who place the sovereignty of our nation and the safety of our people far below propagating their progressive agenda.

We’ve seen what happens when bad people are left unrestrained!  It results in chaos, destruction, and death – period.  That’s what is transpiring in city’s with liberal leadership!

It’s simply amazing what liberal Democrats are willing to compromise simply to rid themselves of the Trump presidency. They have proven they hate Donald Trump more than they love America – if they even love America at all!

What to do?  I’m glad you asked. It’s a question more people must begin asking.

The absolute only way you can make a difference is vote.  It is the universal language of politicians and the mainstream media.  I often ask how the same derelict representatives get elected year after year.

It’s because good people allow it to happen by not becoming informed, engaged, and voting to advance our Republic. 

Believe me when I tell you it isn’t going to get any easier.  We are at a point where conservatives must win elections by wide margins to reduce the opportunity for fraud.

President Ronald Reagan once said, “If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to.  This is the last stand on earth.”

Who is going to make that stand?  If conservative Christians don’t vote, we lose.  We lose our nation, our freedom, our right to worship and protect our family.

We lose it all.  Because, that’s what the liberal Democrats want from you.  They want it all.

Don’t give it to them.

 

 

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James Caserta: Trust the Way Maker

8 Jul
James Caserta is a vocalist, musician and writer.  He resides in Huntington, WV.

How many times do we get any given song stuck in our heads? Sometimes it’s the latest hit that we immediately add to our playlists, or more likely it’ll be the theme song to some preschool cartoon that you’re obligated to watch with your children. Music moves all of us in different ways, whether it’s in concert, vinyl collections, or a masterful composition for your favorite movie. It speaks to us on levels that people oftentimes cannot in mere spoken word.

Every so often, I’ll hear a certain song that resonates with me on such a level that I’ll hear it in my head, over and over. For me in this season, that song is “Way Maker” by Leeland.

From the very first three words, “You are here,” I think about how many times I’ve thought I had run so far from God that He wasn’t anywhere near me, that He couldn’t hear my cries for help. To think that even after all the years I’ve wasted serving only my selfish desires that God was always here, still loving me, still desiring for me to come back to Him and fulfill all that He has planned is sometimes hard to believe.

Then, as I’m belting out the chorus (alone in my car, of course), I’m dwelling on the words “promise keeper”. Now, throughout my adult life, I’ve made innumerable amounts of promises that I would lose the weight, go back to school, etc, and never fulfilled any of them. In fact, I would go as far as to say many of the positive changes to my life were made possible because of the constant loving determination of my family to see me succeed. Having all this weighing down on my heart for so long, I began to began to place limiting factors on God’s promises. I felt that by now I had squandered too much time and now I must live a life of mediocrity, just getting by like I always have. In this season, God wanted me to know He never gave up on me, and that His word never returns to Him void, so if He spoke it over my life through someone else or said it in the Bible, He is always working, and will make a way to bring His promises to pass.

The bridge of this song really brings it all home for me, saying, “Even when I don’t see it you’re working/Even when I don’t feel it you’re working/You never stop, you never stop working/You never stop, you never stop working.” I remember times when I was only in church physically, but my mind was always somewhere else. I was so focused on everything that was going on around me, all of struggles I was dealing with, that was all I could see. I no longer trusted that God was working in my life, or that He would ever rescue me from where I was.

When I was thinking about all this a moment ago, God showed me something that I just had to put into writing. I think it’s safe to say we’ve all heard the story of Peter walking on the water more times than we could ever count, but when you really stop and think about it, you begin to wonder about certain things. For me, I couldn’t help but think about that moment Peter looked away from Jesus, toward the raging storm around him, and he began to drown. I think about what went through his head in that split moment, when the storm tried to claim his life. We know he was afraid, because after taking his eyes off the one who helped him rise above the raging waters, his fear allowed his circumstances to overwhelm him. I really related to that idea of letting circumstances and fear control every aspect of my life, and completely lose sight of the way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, and the light in the darkness.

After Peter cried out for the Lord to save him, and Jesus immediately pulling him back up, he says to Peter, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31 NIV). That doubt and fear Peter almost succumbed to are my two biggest obstacles in my personal life. That’s why Leeland’s song is such an important message for me; when I truly start to trust that God never stops working even when I don’t see it or feel it, I get the motivation to go after His promises, and see them fulfilled in my life. I’ve felt the Lord reach into my storm and say to me, “why did you doubt me?”

I am learning more about the fierceness of God’s love and just how relentless he can be (I could probably write a whole other blog about You Won’t Relent by Misty Edwards) and I’m working daily to remove myself from the situation and let God be the Lord of my life. I know I have a long road yet to travel, but I know He will always be here with me, that He never stops working on me, and that I can always trust in Him to lead me through all the storms in my life.

 

Check out James’ blog, “Stepping into the Light” at:

https://jamescaserta.wordpress.com/

 

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Doug Smith: Government, money, work and a wisdom deficit.

30 Jun

DOUG FOR FSP

Doug Smith is an opinion columnist, historian and associate editor for Free State Patriot.

June 30, 2020

Capitol-at-Dusk

Has the very entity instituted to protect our Republic become an obstacle to its efficacy?

Remember the big Government shutdown? And how you couldn’t find toilet paper or hamburger because Congress was not in session while several hundred people who had become millionaires in Congress argued about how much of your money they were going to take and how they were going to waste? uh… I mean spend it.

Of course, you don’t. When Government shuts down, little happens. Government produces nothing but more government. Government does not grow food, make cars, or toilet paper. It is rather refreshing at times when Government shuts down and Congress becomes more useless than usual, because they aren’t finding ways to put their hands in your pocket.

Government has no money. They have no food, medicine, PPE, vehicles, cell phones. They are broke. They only spend money or make pronouncements that force others to spend money.

Government is awfully expensive.

Indeed, one of our earliest meetings of congress voted for General Washington to raise an Army to fight for independence but provided little in the way of funding. It would be very illustrative for our current Congress to study the history of the 1st Continental Congress. Adams, Hancock, and Franklin could not pass bills into law and look to shopkeepers, farmers, and merchants to send them silver, at the threat of a gun, to pay for their desires. They must, of necessity, persuade a bunch of ornery, independent minded colonists, who were ready to break off from the rule of England, to pay a new Government to fight for that point of view. Franklin is credited, in the musical “1776” with asking “Why should I change one Tyrant 3000 miles away for 3000 tyrants, one mile away?”. Whether he said it or not, it is an excellent point.

Those 56 men, met in congress, (We tend to capitalize that word and make it almost mystical, yet one of its meanings, and that most apropos to those 56 men, is “ met together in agreement”) pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honors to the Declaration they signed. They persuaded other men who believed in their cause to finance it, and in many cases, the 56 paid exactly what they had pledged.

Our Congress has evolved to men and women who arrive penniless, stay forever, leave as millionaires, and depend on our powerlessness to back up whatever enriches them. Far from plead their case to us, they often ignore our expressed desires and instead coerce us into paying for their desires.

I should note, at this point, that another meeting of congress is coitus, which considering how our current Congress behaves, may be exactly apropos.

So then, from whence cometh money?

Businesses and people who work and produce have money, and produce food, medicine, PPE, etc. Government gets these things by taking money from business and people who work and purchasing it.  When they print money for it, they are taking out a loan, with nothing to back it up except the promise that business and employees, taxpayers, in short, YOU, will pay it back.

Eventually.

Or not. They will be retired and wealthy by the time the bill comes due – for your grandchildren.

If Government spends 5 Trillion dollars that they don’t have to address a crisis, they are committing you to pay it back.

Implied is that you will work. If the economy is shut down, then we consume all we have stored or saved, and when no one is working to produce food and medicine, people begin to starve, and no one is treated for disease.

Picture a refugee camp, with people sitting with nothing, waiting, and hoping for help. That help must, ultimately, come from people working. So, it is simplistic and wrong to say we must choose work or life. There is a reason we refer to working as “Making a living “.

Ever since we left Eden, we must work to survive. Even in the face of danger, we adapt and keep as safe as possible, and we work.

During the Blitz, Londoners went to work. They crowded into shelters when the Germans flew over, but they worked.

Art, music, philosophy, writing; all are things that we enjoy and enrich our lives. But we live, and have shelter, and clothes, and food, and medicine because people work. Work is how we live. Work is life. We cannot huddle for fear of death and not work. For if we do not work, in large numbers, we will not live as a people or as a civilization.

In the Middle Ages, as economies failed, life was, for millions, (as Thomas Hobbes said) nasty, brutish, and short. It is true that plagues kill people. It is just as true that poverty does, as well.

During the New Deal, FDR s administration came up with the National Recovery Administration. Its stated goal was to “eliminate cutthroat competition.” In practice, the NRA was in the business of picking winners and losers by setting prices and issuing a few regulations. Ten Million pages of them. In 1935, 2 years after it was enacted, SCOTUS  ruled it unconstitutional, because it attempted to regulate commerce that was not interstate in character, that the  industrial “codes of fair competition” which the NIRA enabled the President to issue violated the separation of powers, as an impermissible delegation of legislative power to the executive branch, and that the NIRA provisions were in excess of congressional power under the Commerce Clause.

Some of our current Governors, who, in the name of safety, have determined that citizens may purchase whiskey, but not vegetable seeds, lottery tickets, but not towels, may shop at Lowes but not at Uncle Joe’s hardware, and who have already been taken to task by State Supreme Courts, might take a lesson.

Neither economies, nor people, nor civilizations, exist in a vacuum.

One choice affects another. Government may make choices for the defense of its citizens that you may not start a campfire in the lobby of a theater. (Remember those?) It may not determine what color shirt you must wear today. There are, quite intentionally, limits on what government may do. Our founders, in their wisdom, and having lived under tyranny, made it difficult to govern us, believing the maxim that a government governs best which governs least.

Walking that tightrope of good governance is a challenge, requiring wisdom, humility, common sense, and restraint.

Clearly, the Governors of Michigan, California, and New York have failed that test dismally. Let us pray they learn from wiser and more humble counterparts.  Hubris and pettiness are poor standards of leadership.

If the primary function of government, as noted above, is to spend money and forbid people to produce the very money it desires and must spend, it is on a path which cannot end well.

It is the current state of our representation that’s opened the door for socio-political malfeasants to re-employ the misstated value of socialism as the solution.

But such is the wisdom of government.  And such is the folly of our leaders.

The only way our Republic thrives is through an effectual, fervent prayer – and a vote.

In that order!

 

 

 

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Mark Caserta: Are you just watching or working to make a difference? The world needs to see our faith in action.

30 May

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Mark Caserta is an opinion columnist and editor for Free State Patriot

June 17, 2020

GALLERY-14890-IMG-72618

Nothing good ever comes from hatred – nothing. 

 The world needs to see our faith in God in action. 

We must be able to discern right from wrong, good from evil and justice from injustice.  I’m afraid I don’t always have the wisdom to do so – without God.

Our country thrives on the rule of law.  I wish everyone followed the rules.  We would have far fewer problems.  But sometimes, people don’t.  We mustn’t strive to re-define Democracy and our very way of life every time someone fails to act in a fair and just manner.  We must leverage the freedom we’ve been given to make sound decisions to preserve and protect what makes America great.

But we can always be greater!

We literally owe police officers our lives. They risk their lives every day to protect ours. But as with any occupation, there are bad people.

Minneapolis is a tragic example of dereliction of duty, black, white or otherwise.

While absolutely not representative of all officers, these individuals deserve the full repercussions provided by the law.  I’m heartbroken every time I watch the horrific video.

George Floyd should be alive. People of all ethnicity should be outraged.

But the outrage must be peaceful. Looting and rioting are not honest methods of protest. Sadly, there are bad people who enjoy promoting anarchy during these times of unrest. They’re not interested in justice, just violence and destruction.

We are living in troubling times. The further we get away from God’s Word, the less stability we will have as a nation.

I have no doubt our Heavenly Father must be watching from His Throne contemplating the time He will send His Son to bring His children home.

One must wonder, if Jesus returned during an evening of rioting and looting and how much fear would overcome those left behind as they contemplated “what just happened?”

One must also wonder how Christians would answer when God asked them why we allowed the world to become so void of His love and compassion for others.  I don’t want to be grasping for words…

God’s Word is the only answer and the devil knows it.  The Bible says the demons “tremble” at the thought of His presence.

Thus, removing all semblance of God from society has been the progressive mantra for decades. The unrest and lack of wisdom from leadership we are witnessing in Minneapolis and across the nation is an example of the fruit this continued movement will produce.

We must unite as Christians. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” If we don’t act on God’s behalf – who will?

Jesus took 12 men and shook the world!

What greater things can the Body of Christ do now?

If Christians get engaged and vote, we can have a huge impact.

Love and the genuine intent to honor our brothers and sisters will always win in the end.

Now is not the time to stay on the sidelines. Now is not the time to wait for it to impact you personally.

Now is the time to get engaged!

God isn’t looking for ability, just availability.

Stop complaining about what you permit to happen with your inactivity!

Go make a difference. And if you aren’t willing, then get out of the way of those who are!

Jesus had little patience for apathy. But He greatly admired faith – especially faith in action!

Show the world your faith by your works!

Blessings

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