Truth and Consequences

16 Apr

DOUG SMITH

Doug Smith: Author, historian and lead contributor to Free State Patriot

4.16.16

There used to be a TV game show called Truth “or” Consequences. It was around when I was a kid, and fans of Bob Barker will remember him as the long time host and face of the show.  The premise was to ask a trivial or nonsense question, which of course could not be answered, then have a “consequence of some fun or silly activity. It was fun.

bob

Today, we are engaged in a global game of truth or consequences, but the questions, and the consequences, are far from trivial. Now, I worry all the time about being politically incorrect, and the truth is rarely “correct” but just for fun, I’m going to try a little foray into truth.

Truth.

There is no magic. Merlin was not a court magician to Arthur Pendragon, Once and Future King. Yea, I’m disappointed too, because I loved the stories of Gawain and Lancelot and Merlin and Wart and the Lady of Shallot. But sadly, Merlin, such as he was, was a bright charlatan who used some knowledge to paint a magical picture of himself and con people, and was puffed into a lot more than he was by writers trying to sell a manuscript and earn a buck. Arthur was not turned into a bird, did not have a magic sword, and is not holding it in suspended animation till the day of England’s greatest need, when he will return to lead them once more. He is dust. Dead. Gone.

Darn.

But on the subject of magic, it is also not possible to pass a law to make water run uphill, or make wealth magically appear by ordering it to be given to a certain group of people. You cannot make a poor man rich by taking wealth from a rich man and giving it to him. History has shown that is a path to misery as the mob strips the producers of their wealth, and their ability, and motivation, to produce more, and, having eaten the seed corn, becomes an equal distribution of misery.

Truth.

Islamic people, mostly men, commit acts of terror, murder, bombings, shootings, beheadings, stabbings, at an appalling rate. I m a little tired of having to say, no it’s not all of them. But it is enough of them that reasonable people worry about Muslim enclaves in Brussels, Paris, and Dearborn.  Stop lecturing me about Islamophobia and backlash against Muslims. There has not been a backlash. If the worldwide rash of murders and atrocities continues, it is likely there will be.  And, by the way, Islamophobia: Fear of Islamists? That is not a mental condition. It is a reasonable reaction to the actions of Islamic people around the world.

 The Leftist apologists, the gutless cowards on the Right, and the endless stream of Muslim talking heads notwithstanding, you cannot, in truth, get away with saying a Muslim who hears Death to America shouted over and over, it is the West’s fault that your country is a poverty stricken sewer, and it is your duty to go kill them so you can get out of it and go to paradise, is suddenly NOT a Muslim as he shouts an Islamic call to war and opens fire on innocents.

Yes, he is. And you all know it. And you are all liars. That is truth.

And the Consequences?

147 individual acts, not counting the daily atrocities in the cesspool of the Middle East war zone, in the past 30 days. They netted over 1000 deaths and over 3000 injuries in 25 different countries. 27,000 acts of terror and murder around the world since Barack Obama stepped onto the world stage, countless, mostly ignored acts of barbarism, genocide, and atrocity in the Middle Eastern lands controlled by Muslims.

Truth

More people from more nations and more cultures have come to, or tried to come to the United States than any other country or empire in history, now or since the dawn of civilization.  Self-loathing Lefties can’t figure it out. People who escaped Vietnam in 1975 can. People who escaped the Castros can. People who made it out of East Berlin can. Millions around the world don’t risk life and limb, and run away with nothing but their lives to come to the horrible, repressive, racist, world the Left thinks we have. The do run from the Socialist paradise the think is Cuba or the Soviet Union. We have never had a problem of limiting migration into the Middle East because of people yearning to live under Sharia law and work on the oil rigs. We never will.

 Consequence

Everybody wants to come here. But not everyone can.

Truth

If we permit “Multi Culturalism” nonsense dilute or destroy who we are, and transform the US into a mix of the horrible places from which so many want to escape, there will be no escape, anywhere. There will be no shining city on a hill. There will be misery, and tyranny, or despair, and there is in so much of the world, and as has been the norm in so much of human history.

 Technology is not the key to advancing liberty.  Ask a slave who died in the arenas how much he appreciated the fine 1000 year Roman roads which brought him to his death. Rome had a towering civilization, with ruins still extant today, 1600 years after it fell. Yet they did not spread freedom, and the Republic died quickly and gave way to the Empire. It died rather more slowly.

America is a unique nation, a new concept within history. If that history is forgotten, and that light extinguished, the lives of many around the world may well become what Hobbes feared: “No arts, no letters, no society, and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death: and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.

 Look around. How many people do you see now living precisely that life?

Are we going to be a bulwark against such a world?  Or surrender to the mob and centuries of darkness?

Wait! Don’t answer. Think about it before you do. Think carefully. Because truth, and choices, do have consequences.

 

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The 3% Lamborghini

15 Apr

DOUG SMITH

Doug Smith: Author, historian and lead contributor to Free State Patriot

 

“Tell a lie big enough, and long enough, and people will start to believe it. “ Joseph Goebbels is credited with “The Big Lie” approach to propaganda, but I doubt he invented it

Still, the Big Lie technique is around, alive, and well. And just occasionally, inadvertently, one of the Big Liars lets a big of light shine through.

In Missouri, State Legislators have subpoenaed documents relating to the Abortionists (well, Doctors, in total fairness, but abortion is their trade) who were caught on tape merrily discussing the price of a liver from a baby, cut carefully from inside his mother, so as to maximize the viable organs available for sale, in order to facilitate her purchase of a Lamborghini.

(For us folks who work for a living, and have never cut up an 8 month fetus as a down payment, and drive a Mini Van, that would be a 200,000 to 500,000 dollar Italian sports car).

Now the big Lefty propaganda machine is working desperately to get us back on the Big Lie track by calling the tapes “debunked”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjCs_gvImyw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyhz8Zjm1i0

Still, they are out there for anyone to see, and very clearly these “Doctors” are haggling over the price of livers and limbs of aborted babies. Which is a violation of federal law. (How fortunate for them, as for Hillary, that they are Democrats.

But as for debunking the evidence of the crime, well, we can all see what it is they are getting away with.

So where does the Big Lie come into this? Well, in Mo, Lefties protesting State legal actions against Planned Parenthood (how do they come up with that name? Nobody who uses their services is becoming a parent. ) noted that actions which may shut down PP of Mo would be bad, because (pay attention 🙂 Planned Parenthood of Columbia is the ONLY abortion provider in Missouri. The Big Lie? Listen to any Pro Abortion advocate, or read on PP s website, or listen to MSNBC, ( no really, Don’t listen to MSNBC, I don’t want to be responsible for you tossing your cookies, that was a figure of speech,) and they will all say , Oh NOOOOO, Planned Parenthood is about Women’s Health, not Abortion. Abortion is ONLY 3% of what we do.

But the Lefties shriek (as Lefties always do when challenged) loudest in what they do NOT say.

They do NOT say, if PP of Columbia is closed, women won’t get Mammograms. (Since, of course, no Planned Parenthood facility anywhere has ever provided or facilitated a Mammo for a woman.)

They do NOT say, close down PP Columbia, and no women can get birth control.

They do NOT say, the day you close PP of Columbia, STD s will run rampant because no woman can get tested, ever again.

What they shriek from the rooftops, (using, no doubt, only 3 % of their voices) is that shutting down PP of Columbia would mean no Abortion providers remained in the State of Missouri.

So, in deference to Joe Goebbels and Margaret Sanger, they continue to tell the 3% lie, 100% of the time. Now Sherlock Holmes indulged in the 7% solution (of cocaine) to numb his active mind. The Abortion Industry, and the Lefties, hope that the 3% solution will numb the brains of the folks to reality.

That logic breaks down, however. If Abortion is a question of right and wrong for its opponents, and a question of convenience for its supporters, then whether its price tag is 3% or 97% hardly matters.

I wonder if we would accept from Dr Goebbels the argument that the Final Solution was ok because after all, it is only 3% of the German budget, was only going to kill 1% of the population, and besides, we can recoup enough to buy everyone a Porsche by selling the Art and Jewelry of dead Jews. I hope not, but of course, I’m not a Lefty, and it is hard to tell just what they might buy.

Well, perhaps that is not precisely true. We do know they want to buy abortions. And Lamborghinis.

 

 

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Conservatism is an enduring ideology

15 Apr

me

Mark Caserta – Free State Patriot Editor

  • 4.15.16

I don’t subscribe to the liberal narrative that the principles of conservatism have moved “far right” of mainstream America.

 

And you shouldn’t either.

 

Understand, the entire premise of the progressive movement is based on our actions and behaviors being weighed and measured on a sliding scale of standards with no immovable principles. It isn’t conservative principles which are moving; it’s the progressives who continue to advance their agenda further “left.”

Liberals always seem to spin their motives with the thread of “human kindness” while painting conservatives as staunch, uncaring radicals. But you may be surprised at just how conservative you really are when examining the truth.

 

Conservatives believe liberty is a God-given right and not a “gift” from government. We agree the Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the land and may not be altered except by amendment. In fact, our continuance as sovereign nation rests on adhering to the rule of law penned by our framers.

 

We believe our faith in God is integral to the success of our nation and the two cannot be separated. Americans have a right to exercise their freedom to worship, uninhibited by anyone, including the government. And our right to expression is not limited by the amount of offense it may be to others, for they have the same right.

 

We believe government’s power should be derived from the “consent of the governed,” as stated in the Declaration of Independence, and anything less is tyrannical. We stand for limited government, lower taxes and more state-based solutions. We feel Washington is operating far outside the boundaries of the Constitution and must be reined in.

 

Conservatives believe in the sanctity of human life. The Guttmacher Institute has tracked roughly 50 million abortions since 1973. This is a travesty for which we will have to give account before the Almighty someday. Historically, there have been two other times when babies have been murdered on a large scale. Both times, a deliverer emerged – Moses and Jesus. We expect this will happen again.

 

Conservatives believe in the free-market principles of capitalism. Hard work and commitment should be rewarded with performance-based dividends. The socialist concept of “spreading the wealth” creates a slothful society where too many individuals feel they have a “right” to something without having earned it.

 

We believe in Ronald Reagan’s philosophy of “peace through strength.” Our military strength is non-negotiable. There are too many nations who see the United States as vulnerable. We owe the brave men and women who guard the walls of liberty every opportunity to win, unconditionally.

And finally, we believe in the exceptionalism of America and do not believe it must be “fundamentally changed.” The Obama presidency has successfully dispelled that myth. Voters are “champing at the bit” to rid our nation of this failed liberal experiment.

 

So while the dangerous, unrestrained ideology of progressivism has indeed taken a toll on our nation, the enduring principles of conservatism have helped us remain the greatest nation on earth.

 

And mainstream America hasn’t gone anywhere.

 

Mark Caserta is a Cabell County resident.

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Mark Caserta: Gitmo not symbolic of U.S. malfeasance

8 Apr

me

  • 4.8.16  

Frankly, I’m tired of liberals maintaining that the Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo) detention camp in southeastern Cuba is a recruitment tool for radical Islamic terrorists and must be closed.

gitmo 1

News flash for progressives: Gitmo was constructed to house war criminals captured by U.S forces in Afghanistan, Iraq and other theaters of the war. The intelligence acquired from detainees has, in fact, saved American lives.

And Americans are weary of our president apologizing for it.

According to “The Religion of Peace” website, “the Quran contains at least 109 verses that call Muslims to war with nonbelievers” for the sake of the Islamic Caliphate. It further states that Muslims who don’t join the fight are called “hypocrites” and warned that Allah will “send them to hell” if they don’t join the slaughter.

It’s very naive to believe groups like ISIS would attempt to leverage Gitmo interrogation techniques as a recruitment tool, while they’re busy chopping off heads, burning people alive and drowning them in cages.

The truth is the expansion of Islamic terrorism on behalf of Allah began decades ago.

In November 1979, Iranian militants seized the U.S. embassy in Iran and took 52 American diplomats as hostages. For 444 days, Americans were held hostage while a feckless Carter administration attempted to negotiate with Iran’s revolutionary leaders. The event captivated our nation and helped give birth to an era of terrorism and regional instability in the Middle East.

In October 1983, 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers were killed as Islamic terrorists drove a truck carrying explosives into the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. Shortly afterward, 58 French paratroopers were killed in a similar attack. It was reportedly the deadliest attack on the U.S. Marine Corps since the battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.

In February 1993, New York experienced the first attack on the World Trade Center when Islamic terrorists parked a rental van in a garage below the twin towers packed with explosives. Six people died and more than 1,000 people were injured in what was, at the time, one of the worst terrorist attacks ever to occur on U.S. soil.

And the list goes on.

Incidentally, after closing Gitmo, President Obama plans to relocate these Islamic extremists to prison facilities in the United States.

Now, prisons are filled with individuals potentially dismayed with their lives in the U.S. What successes would these Islamic leaders have within the confines of their prison walls in the recruitment and training of domestic terrorists?

Terrorists are far more empowered by Obama’s tepid response in curtailing their activity than they are by Gitmo. Obama and his liberal followers want Gitmo closed because they’re desperate for accomplishments in his fruitless legacy – period.

Gitmo is not symbolic of U.S. malfeasance as liberals maintain, but rather our resoluteness against terrorism.

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

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Mark Caserta: America is primary target for jihadists

1 Apr

me

Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

4.1.16

More than once last week, I heard the analogy “Nero played while Rome burned” to describe the antics of President Obama in the wake of the brutal Islamic terrorist attack in Brussels, Belgium.

Following the attack, despite promptings to return from Cuba to the United States in a presidential display of leadership and support for the Belgium people, Obama chose to stay and attend an exhibition baseball game hours after the attack. The following evening he chose to dance the tango and sip champagne at a state dinner with his wife, Michelle.

Reportedly, at least 31 people were killed and hundreds injured in the attack.

In January 2014, Obama likened ISIS to the “J.V.” team.

“The analogy we use around here sometimes, and I think is accurate, is if a J.V. team puts on Lakers uniforms, that doesn’t make them Kobe Bryant,” Obama told David Remnick of The New Yorker.

In a February 2015 interview with Vox’s Exra Klein and Matthew Yglesias, Obama charged the media with “absolutely” overstating the threat of “terrorism” compared to the threat of “climate change.”

During the exchange, Obama was asked “if the media sometimes overstates the level of alarm people should have about terrorism” as opposed to the problem of climate change.

“What’s the famous saying about local newscasts, right? If it bleeds, it leads, right?” Obama said. “You show crime stories and you show fires, because that’s what folks watch, and it’s all about ratings.”

Obama said stories relative to climate change just aren’t “sexy” enough for the media.

Nearly a year-and-a-half after the United States and its allies began confronting the Islamic State, Obama still didn’t have a strategy to defeat them. A June 2015 New York Times column written by Julie Davis and Michael Shear reported Obama acknowledging the fact at a news conference following the G7 Summit in Germany.

isis 2

“We don’t have, yet, a complete strategy, because it requires commitments on the part of Iraqis as well,” Mr. Obama said. “The details are not worked out.”

In February 2015, FBI Director James Comey warned that his agency was investigating suspected supporters of ISIS “in various stages of radicalizing” in every state across the U.S.

Failed leadership and an anemic response to the threat are enabling the return of the Islamic Caliphate and the rise of ISIS. Innocent people around the world are paying the price with their lives.

We know America is a primary target for radical jihadists. One has to wonder when a coordinated array of ISIS attacks will begin in the U.S.

And what our president is doing to prevent it.

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

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Mark Caserta: Trump lacks proper direction in his mission

25 Mar

me

  • 3.25.16

It’s time Donald Trump supporters begin to look themselves in the mirror and ask some very pertinent questions about what it’s really going to take to make America great again. I believe it’s going to take more than just a man to return our country to greatness.

Our Founding Fathers were humble enough to know their wisdom was insufficient for the task that lay ahead. They understood they needed to be sensitive to God’s direction and that founding a nation required the Almighty to order their steps and direct them in ways far beyond the scope of earthly wisdom.

The challenge we face today will require a similar approach.

donald

Our nation needs someone willing to seek God’s wisdom in all they say, do and represent. And right now, I simply don’t see Donald Trump as a man willing to lead our nation under God’s direction. In fact, I see a man determined to have it his way – or no way at all.

No doubt, there will be those who will charge me with “judging” or “condemning” the Donald. In fact, I have Christian friends, whom I love and respect dearly, justifying their support of Trump by suggesting his flip-flops on his liberal stances are the result of a life-changing experience with Jesus Christ.

Certainly, all things are indeed possible through Christ. But there’s a huge difference between judging a man’s heart and discerning his ability to lead a country.

I don’t propose to know Mr. Trump’s heart, but I do know the Bible tells us we should look at the “fruit” one produces in life as a barometer of character. Galatians 5:22-23 reminds us the “fruits of the Spirit” include, love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I simply don’t see Trump’s actions aligning with these traits.

Are we so desperate for leadership that we are willing to allow an individual who vigorously attacks anyone who disagrees with his views and who spews vulgarity in public venues to become our next president?

It isn’t just the verbiage that’s concerning – it’s the judgment.

Are we so determined to “punish” liberal Democrats and feckless Republicans that we are willing to elect someone with a gaping lack of knowledge of foreign affairs simply because they are politically irreverent?

Are we so nave we’re willing to believe that simply because Donald Trump personally financed his campaign that he will not be indebted to his supporters in the same manner other candidates reward special interest groups and donors?

Unfortunately, we are witnessing millions of true patriots divided by a passionate desire to see our nation rebound from nearly eight years of progressive bondage. And liberals are leveraging this division against us!

But we must not allow our disgust with the current political theater to cloud our vision.

Remember, we got where we are because we elected a man unwilling to listen to others, unwilling to produce Godly fruit and who relentlessly attacked those who disagreed with him politically.

We must not make the same mistake again.

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

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Mark Caserta: Cruz has bona fides to be US president

19 Mar

me

Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

Mar 18, 2016

It’s encouraging to see that so many people understand the need to “make America great again” following the failed leadership of the current administration.

But the worst thing we can do in this upcoming presidential election is vote with our emotions instead of our minds. That’s how we got Barack Obama.

For the first time in nearly eight years we’ve an opportunity to logically look beyond the rhetoric and seek out substance in a principled, knowledgeable candidate who has proven he will stand up to both liberal Democrats and the so-called GOP establishment.

Sen. Cruz understands big government is the problem, not the solution. As president, Cruz promises to reduce government by eliminating the Department of Education and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Education will be returned to the states, and the IRS will no longer be a feared government agency targeting anti-liberal policies.

West Virginians know all too well that Obama and his Environmental Protection Agency cronies are deliberately killing the coal industry. Cruz has promised to pull back the massive EPA regulations and allow the coal industry to breathe again, revitalizing jobs across the country.

Cruz understands the economy. He’s consistently voted against raising the debt ceiling, massive spending bills and government bailouts. He’s for free trade and against government subsidies where government picks “winners and losers.” He understands business, not government, creates jobs.

Ted Cruz understands foreign policy and the quandary in the Middle East. He led the fight against Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran and promises to “tear it up” early in his presidency. He’s been a staunch supporter of Israel and doesn’t believe in a “neutral” approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

And finally, in January’s edition of “Charisma News,” Cruz openly shared his testimony about his faith and his commitment to religious liberty.

“When I was 8 years old, I went to our church’s summer camp, along (with) my cousin Bibi. At the invitation, tears streaming down my face, Bibi and I both walked down and gave our lives to Jesus.

“And it changed my life. To have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, to know that God’s only Son died to pay for my sins, that I was fallen that I am redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, nothing is more important to me. I am a new creature in Christ, and it is central to who I am today.”

Serving in the highest office in the land requires a servant’s heart, not a taskmaster’s whip.

And it requires someone with proven integrity.

Ted Cruz toes the line.

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

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Mark Caserta: Candidates should avoid brokered convention

11 Mar

me

Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

  • 3.11.16

In addition to being plagued with mammoth egos and juvenile behavior, the Republican Party is certainly in a political pickle right now. And it could get much worse.

Now, I plan to support the GOP nominee and the constitutional process – period. Besides, in my estimation, any of the four remaining candidates are more qualified than either of their Democrat opponents.

convention

The problem is the voters may not be the ones choosing! The GOP could be facing their first “brokered convention” in nearly 70 years.

What is a brokered convention? Here’s how it works.

During the primary and caucus season, a candidate seeks to win enough votes to be awarded a simple majority of the available delegates during the first official vote of the party’s nominating convention. For the Republican Party, the magic delegate number is 1,237. Of the GOP’s 2,472 available delegates, the majority are “pledged” delegates, meaning they will be bound to vote for a particular candidate at the convention.

Here’s where it could get nasty.

If during the first vote at the upcoming Republican National Convention in Cleveland on July 18-21 the delegates are split among candidates and there is no clear majority, the convention is then considered “brokered.” The Republican National Committee will then press the proverbial “reset” button, releasing all delegates from their pledged candidate and enabling them to cast a vote for the individual of their choice.

A “no holds barred” nomination process then ensues with self-serving party leaders bartering back room deals to wangle a candidate they feel could garner the necessary delegates. Subsequent voting would then take place until one candidate receives a majority.

Now, here are some points to consider regarding this process.

First, it renders months of primary and caucus voting null and void, taking the American people completely out of the process, which could have huge ramifications.

Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, for all intents and purposes, are out of the race. A brokered convention, controlled by the so-called GOP “establishment,” would be their only hope of winning the nomination.

And this same establishment hates businessman Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz. A brokered convention would most assuredly not result in either of these candidates receiving the Republican nomination.

Additionally, given the poor caliber of the Democrat candidates, I believe the jury is still out on their presumptive nominee. While Democrat leadership certainly doesn’t want to show its “down card” this early in the process, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry or former presidential candidate Al Gore could easily step up as party “benefactors” and become formidable candidates.

My political “Xanadu” rests with Rubio and Kasich dropping out after the March 15th primaries, reducing this to a two-man race. I believe the changing dynamics would result in a Cruz nomination before the GOP could orchestrate a brokered convention and sidestep voters.

Regardless, unless the equation changes, a brokered convention may be inevitable. And the American people would just watch from the sidelines.

Here’s hoping candidates simply do the right thing.

Mark Caserta is a Cabell County resident.

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Mark Caserta: What will you do with your freedom?

5 Mar

me

3.4.16

We all hear the word “freedom” bandied about often enough, but what does the word actually mean to you?

The principal author of the Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton, may have said it best.

“The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sun beam in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.”

While sitting in my “Men of Truth” class in church this past Sunday, I thoughtfully considered the greatest freedom of all – the ability to choose one’s path in life.

Now, the ability to choose our own belief system is a God-given right which no man should be able to abrogate. And the freedom to express or exercise our religious faith is certainly an integral derivative of the process. But simply believing isn’t enough!

Dr. Steve Nutter, our class teacher and mentor, used believing in God as an example of how we must each put our faith into action. “Believing isn’t enough,” Dr. Nutter paraphrased from the Bible, the Book of James. “Even the demons believe, and they tremble in terror.”

It’s how we put our Godly belief system into action that fosters God’s consummate freedom in our lives.

The freedom from bondage and addiction are, in essence, the temporal chains of this world. One could argue these worldly obstructions are meant to create a communication barrier between us and God, deafening us to potentially life-changing inspiration from our creator.

And then there’s the freedom to prosper and grow in an environment that nurtures and rewards hard work. Capitalism is certainly the quintessential example of this freedom in America, although under attack by the progressive movement.

A freedom which I consider to be the antithesis of all virtuous freedoms is the freedom from the rule of law and accountability. This nefarious, illicit freedom fosters suppression of principled, lawful ones. Probably the most prominent example of our day is the right to exercise your religious freedom.

Let’s be constitutionally honest, shall we? How can “freely exercising your religious beliefs, outside of any government interference,” be interpreted as “Congress making a law that shows respect to one religion over another?”

I’ll tell you how. We allowed it to happen.

The desire for freedom, while inherent in us all, may be driven by the wrong conviction. Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”

Someone always wants to take it away.

So, beginning today, what will you do with your freedom?

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger and a Cabell County resident.

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Mark Caserta: Christians’ votes can make the difference

26 Feb

me

Christians, are you happy with the state of our union? Are you comfortable that our nation’s leaders represent us and govern without Godly values and a servant’s heart?

Well, you must be.

Despite the fact that most Christians I know would agree our nation is severely lacking in terms of its reliance upon the biblical precepts and principles of its founding, millions of potential evangelical voters are content to live their lives on the sidelines and stay out of politics altogether.

According to a December 2015 Gallup Poll, about 75 percent of Americans identify with a Christian religion. The poll described the “Christian” category to include Catholics, Protestants, Mormons and non-denominational Christians.

The U.S. Census Bureau website shows that around the same time

period, our nation had just over 318 million citizens, with 77 percent over the age of 18. Without getting too bogged down in the math, that equates to just over 183 million potential Christian voters.

To put that number in perspective, Barack Hussein Obama won the 2012 presidential election with just under 66 million popular votes! It isn’t difficult to see what sort of impact Christians could have if they would simply get out the vote!

The Providence Forum, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to “preserve, defend and advance the faith and values consistent with those of our nation’s founding,” recently shared an online analysis of the Christian vote in America.

The edition, entitled “Your Vote Matters,” revealed that only 50 percent of Christians in America are even registered to vote. Of those, only 50 percent actually show up at the polls. This means that around 75 percent of all Christians aren’t doing their part to mold the future of our nation. That’s over 137 million voters!

The apparent apathy of Christian voters in executing their spiritual duty to God, their patriotic duty to their country and their kindred duty to their family is simply inexcusable. If Christians would fulfill their responsibility and vote, not only would we attract more candidates that share our belief system, we would win every presidency in a landslide!

In my lifetime, I can’t recall our country ever being as derailed from the temporal tracks of morality as it is now. The progressive movement is effectively spreading its liberal theology into every nook and cranny of our nation, to include our schools, government and even churches! And they’re tenaciously attacking every semblance of God and replacing it with their sliding scale of morality.

But this doesn’t have to happen. With a little studying of the issues, some fervent prayer and a 30-minute trip to the polling booth, you can make all the difference.

There is power in unity and the sideline is no place for a Christian. Remember, Jesus took only 12 men and shook the world. And He told us we will “do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

Your vote matters. Now, more than ever.

Because without the Christian vote in November, we lose – period.

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger and a Cabell County resident.

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