I Thank God I Was Born in the U.S.A.

People risk and lose their lives trying to get here. People lie, cheat, and steal to get here and stay here. Me, I was blessed to be born here, making me a citizen simply by surviving Roe v. Wade.

So many people sacrificed and fought and worked to create and build and preserve this nation, from the explorers who made the journeys across the Atlantic and had to turn around and make the journey back, to the pilgrims and others who colonized here, to the revolutionaries who broke away from the monarchistic mother country and later set up the greatest Constitution in history, to the settlers who ventured west, to people who insisted that human beings should not be treated as property, to the people who went around the world to defeat Naziism and Soviet Communism.

I thank God they did. I thank God my ancestors dared to come here.

I thank God I can choose my job, choose where to live, choose what to buy, choose my doctor, choose what to drive, choose to have as many children as I can, and openly worship Jesus Christ and study the Bible.

Our nation is not perfect, but it is the best place in the world, and it does have the ingredients for further greatness. We must now implement the recipe to preserve and further that which is good and discard or change that which isn't. We must fight to make the government work to protect our rights instead of infringing on them. We must work hard to raise the subsequent generations with the morals and values that produce good citizens and aid in limiting government.

Our way of life is under attack – from enemies both foreign and domestic.

One way we can fight them is to declare our independence, and continue declaring it - our independence from: being governed by those not operating under our Constitution; the failed promises of politicians; the failed and restrictive programs of the federal and state governments; the tyranny of the minority; the activist judiciary; socialist labor unions; academics who hate America; media with a Leftist bias or that degrade our culture; churches that have become lukewarm; family and "friends" who are sociopaths, malignant narcissists, unrepentant evildoers, or enabling cowards.

Pray. Study the Bible, the Constitution, and history. Go to church. Get informed. Tell others. Vote at the ballot and with your dollar. Stand between evildoers and the innocent. Civilly disobey unjust laws, rulings, or orders.

Happy Independence Day and God Bless America!

Understanding Terms Used by Abortion Promoters

If Roe v. Wade were to be overturned by SCOTUS, abortion law would revert back to the states. SCOTUS doesn't like to reverse itself without unanimity or at least a very strong majority.

Bet let's imagine that somehow, abortion were to become illegal somewhere in our union, with certain exceptions. It will be important to know the vocabulary of Leftist lovers of abortion. You know, like how Leftists call something a marriage even though no bride is involved, or even if no groom is involved?

You are hereby warned that the text below may contain triggers.

SCOTUS Is Not Our Lawgiver

It’s sad so many people apparently think the role of the Supreme Court of the United States is to make moral judgments to “bend” society a certain way.

Its role is to interpret law, not make law.

We have Congress to make law.‬

I'm Not Proud of Being White

But I think very highly of a lot of "white" people, just as I think very highly of a lot of people who would have some label other than "white". I'm neither "proud" of being white nor ashamed of it. That's because I had no say in the matter (despite what some "transracial" folks would have me believe). I can say I'm proud to be an American because I could have left the Union and renounced my citizenship. UPDATE: It IS OK to be white. [This entry has been bumped up.]

Lately media and social media SJWs have been giving way too much attention to "white" racists. Yes, they're evil and need to be exposed, but part of exposing them is to note how few and ostracized they are, and not giving them too much attention beyond that. The MSM-SJW Complex (MSC) wants a lot of people to think white racists are everywhere and powerful, and the only way to keep them from hanging everybody is through ceding more of our individual rights to Leftist power, increasing the powers and size of central government.

Hating white people or discriminating against white people based on their skin color is not supporting equality. That should be self-evident, but Leftism has warred against logic, reason, and facts in the name of feelings and breaking the people into squabbling tribal groups.

Leftists will tell you that "racism" can only be done by white people, because it requires power. Call me ignorant, but I understand racism to be thinking of race as important, especially if that is used to mistreat people of a different race. Leftists add systematic oppression as a requirement. Thus, it isn't racism if an African-American business owner tells me he or she won't hire me because I'm white. A lot of people, including some of those Leftists breathlessly tout statistical trends that indicate non-Hispanic or non-Latino white people will soon be a minority in the USA. So what happens to their definition of racism then? My guess is that they will say despite being a minority, even if surpassed in size by another group, racism will still be a white thing because whites will have supposedly retained "too much" power in our systems.

I'm convinced the best way to fight racism is to stop focusing on race and treat people as individuals, not favoring nor disfavoring someone because they would be categorized in the same racial group as you or a category you think needs help. Half a century after the Reverend/Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. proclaimed a dream of treating people according to their character rather than the color of their skin, Leftist "civil rights" activists and professors now say it is racist to do that! They call it racist for me to say "There is one race: human, and someone's 'race' beyond that doesn't matter."

Memorial Day

May we never forget the sacrifice of each and every fallen soldier who fought for us with honor. It is true that freedom isn't free.

God bless the loved ones of those who have fallen.

Thank you all for what you have given.

We owe it to those who have sacrificed to value and preserve liberty and defend the people, land, and Constitution of the United States of America.

Earth Day and Origins: Why Celebrate Accidents?

Well, it's time for Earth Day, when New Age and pagan Earth worship takes center stage, and many theists go along for the ride. I'm all for conserving God's creation, but I recognize that the creation is wearing out, even with the best conservation efforts. Only a resurrection will redeem it. [This is bumped up from past years.]

I prefer to worship the Creator, and admire the creation.

Speaking of that, from letters to the editor printed in the Los Angeles Times around Earth Day 2008, inspired by a commentary by Richard Dawkins:

Ken Savage or Palm Desert chimed in:

Everyone has faith in something that is beyond science to prove.

That is true. Even a statement such as "Science discovers all truth" is a philosophical statement outside of science itself, and thus can't be true.

Dawkins has a similar problem to those who cannot explain where a complex God came from. Where did the Big Bang come from, and what existed before?

As I understand it, one of the explanations is "nothing". If the entire universe could come from nothing without a cause outside itself, how can we trust any lab results? How do we know matter/energy is not emerging in the middle of such experiments, thus skewing the results? Another answer I've been told is "We don't know, but we know it wasn't God!"  Uh, okay.

God is Not a Cosmic Bellhop

Even cursory Bible study will reveal some simple, basic messages, including...

-God is all-powerful.

-We are not.

-God wants us to pray.

-When we pray, we should remember that God is God, and we are not, and should humbly worship Him, confess our sins, thank Him for what He has done, and then ask for help with our concerns.

-Prayer is about listening to God, and discerning His will, not trying to get Him to see things our way.

-Sometimes, God tells us "wait" or flat-out says "no!"

-Yes, God cares about us, but caring about us does not necessarily translate into giving us material wealth or perfect health in the here and now.

So many people, from certain "Christian" televangelists to some motivational professionals, try to repackage the same basic decidedly unmonotheistic notion that either we are God, or we are gods, or that God is our cosmic bellhop, or that we can use the same "force" that God uses to make "the universe" fulfill our desires.

Guess what? The real secret is that whomever can repackage this wishing-makes-it-so dung well enough and with the right timing can get suckers to make them rich by buying their media, attending their seminars, or just plain sending them money.

Realistic, balanced positive thinking can be great. But it isn't going to make gasoline magically appear in your tank. Wish all you want, but unless you put more gas there, you're going to run out.  Optimism, initiative, and taking responsibility can certainly help, especially if it removes self-defeating thinking and behaviors. But that isn't magic. It is simply realizing that you can because you actually can instead of refusing to try because you've erroneously told yourself you can't. And yeah, more people tend to want to be around happy, upbeat people instead of someone who is always brooding or talking about what they want but don't have. You're more attractive smiling and laughing than scowling and screaming. That's not magic. If you tell yourself that you're going to get out of bed, and you visualize it, and then you do it, that’s not magic (provided you weren't immobile).

Do you have a lot of potential? Yes. Do you have unlimited potential? No. Can you solve all of your problems with the right attitude? No. Will you die of last sickness or injury, should  the Lord not return before? Yes, no matter how much faith you have. But as long as you cling to God, you're ultimately going to be okay, because God is bigger than all of your problems, and those who are followers of Christ will be safe with Him, whether alive or "asleep", awaiting their resurrection.

Join the Ranks!

Apparently March 31 is the day activist groups have designated as one of their special campaign days. This time it is Transgender Day of Visibility. This is not to be confused with the Transgender Day of Remembrance, Transgender Day of No Longer Calling Yourself Gay Even Though Ex-Gays Don't Exist, or Transgender Day of Attempting to Gender Conform Even Though Gender is a Social Construct.

Remember when it was "gay and lesbian" people who were at the forefront of activism? Well, with things like marriage neutering now the nationwide Court-imposed thing that it is, the activists switched immediately to pushing "transgender," "genderfluid," "non-binary," "genderqueer", "gender nonconforming" despite how many of them insisted neutering marriage was "the last great civil rights issue."

A Reminder That Equal Pay Already Exists

There is no "pay gap" or "wage gap". Equal pay has been the law for a long time, long before Obama took advantage of the ignorance of some.

See here for the truth.

If you're really not getting paid the same as your coworker for the same kind, quality, level, and amount of work, then you're a bad negotiator.

Want More Gun Control?

My follow Americans:

Do you want more gun control?

Want to ban private gun ownership entirely?

Let's make a deal.

Certain "blue" cities/counties/states should be allowed to secede. 

Then you can have all of the gun control you want.

You could also have no restrictions on immigration, abortion, euthanasia, drugs, or drug needles, and you could have it all taxpayer-funded. Also, plenty of more taxpayer funding of health care, including "gender confirmation" surgeries and treatments, and daycare, college, housing, and the arts. You can tax the rich all you want, you can more green energy and have more laws to fight climate change, you can reduce the prison population, and you can have mail-in voting for everyone, including anyone still incarcerated, 14 year-olds, and "undocumented immigrants". You can defund the police. You can ban hate speech and misinformation. You can ban and any discrimination by anyone against LGBTQQIA+ people, including ensuring that transwomen can compete in all women's sports.

The minimum wage can be as high as you want it!

No more Electoral College!

Think about the antiracist utopia you can create, without racists, sexists, homophobes, transphobes, xenophobes, Islamophobes, and bigots.

You can ditch Citizens United and have a Supreme Court with only the right people on it!

Science and experts will guide public policy! Pandemics will be prevented and handled so much more effectively.

Doesn't that sound great???

I will support you if you want to do this. I will advocate for it as much as I can.

Please, secede and form this new utopia. Show the rest of the world how it should be done!

The Battle Hymn of the Republic

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery Gospel writ in burnished rows of steel;
"As ye deal with My contemners, so with you My grace shall deal";
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel,
Since God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Since God is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free;
While God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! While God is marching on.

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave;
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of wrong His slave,
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

Your Employer Owes You Only That To Which You've Agreed

No reasonable person with normal empathy wants someone who is simply minding their own business to needlessly suffer and die prematurely. Emotions well up when we're presented with hard cases.

"This big company that makes billions of dollars a year, pays its CEO tens of millions of dollars per year, yet has employees who are on public assistance. There was even an employee who was living in their car and died an early death in their car, undiscovered for days!"

No conservative or libertarian I know wants people to be on taxpayer assistance. Nobody with any empathy thinks someone should be living in their car and dying an early death.

In publicly traded corporations, CEO pay is up to the Board of Directors and the shareholders. While there have been companies that have tied CEO pay to the wages of employees, in general, there is no reason for most companies to do the same.

That a CEO is getting paid a high salary does not prevent you from being paid more.

It doesn't follow that the company must be doing something wrong if employees are getting taxpayer assistance or once of them is living in their car, or that some other employees have experienced homelessness or are having trouble paying their bills. Some people with very high salaries have trouble paying their bills.

Jesus Is Not a Wimp

Jesus is not a wimp and He doesn't want you to be one, either.

Anyone who studies what the Bible actually says about Jesus, especially when considering cultural/historical context, can see Jesus is anything but soft. Compassionate to those who humbled themselves? Yes. But "soft" does not apply to someone who confronted the corrupt powers of the day (not just the religious ones, either... He publicly called a secular leader a "fox" and that was NOT a good thing), overturned tables, and chased powerful people with whips.

He chose to be born into a family that did carpentry, knowing, of course, how He'd be killed, which meant He worked day in and day out with wood and nails, knowing that He was going to be nailed to a cross.

He knew He would endure lifelong taunts about being a mamzer.

A wimp would have invoked the powers at his disposal to dispense with the people who opposed him, but Jesus endured.

He does not call on us to be wimps.

"Let he who is without sin..." is not a call to abandon discernment.

"Judge not..." is a call to avoid judging hypocritically or self-righteously, not a command to to abandon sense.

"Turn the other cheek..." is not a call to pacifism or to accept abuse, but rather to let insults roll off your back, as He did. That is made clear with His instructions to the disciples to get swords for protection.

Aslan is not a tame lion.

The Left's Reaction To the Passing of Successful Republicans or Conservatives

I am posting this the day after the passing of Rush Limbaugh, but it has applied so many other times and will apply again.

The way many on the Left publicly react to the death of successful Republicans and conservatives is more evidence as to why they should be denied the power over others they so desperately seek.

What did Rush Limbaugh do that was bad? He said some mean things? Said a few incorrect things? Engaged in some distasteful humor? 

Who hasn't?

Really, who hasn't?

Limbaugh was on radio for three hours per day, five days per week, for decades. (He also wrote books and had a television show for a while, and engaged in public speaking.) Of course he said things he shouldn't have or got a few things wrong. So what??? For some of the things, he apologized. I've seen the lists of supposed sins of Limbaugh circulated by the Left. Many items on the list aren't even a problem, especially when taken in context. It's just that Leftists don't like them. 

There's the real "problem." Limbaugh very effectively articulated a conservative, America-loving message, and defended and promoted Republicans, and what's worse to Leftists is that he did it to tens of millions of people because he was so entertaining while doing it. What's even more, he paved the way for so many other conservatives in talk radio and other media, so that people were exposed to something other than the Leftism-Democrat Narrative they were getting from media, academia, etc. Leftism can't abide dissent. Facts, logic, and true history, discussed openly, obliterate Leftist narratives. That's why Limbaugh, and those he inspired, are hated by the Left. 

They hate him because he was successful. And they hate you just the same. These people want you to shut up, they want to control you, and they want you dead. They have provided the evidence themselves. 

This is why Leftists should never have any control over anyone other than themselves.

AIDS Wasn't Reagan's Fault

[I'm bumping this up.]


It's been over 30 years since the onset of AIDS. Bob Smagula of Santa Barbara wrote in a couple of years ago to the Los Angeles Times to do the requisite swipe at President Ronald Reagan.

I remember vividly how Ronald Reagan's administration chose to ignore this plague. His followers created a poisonous atmosphere by blaming the victims. His indifference was such that he never publicly uttered the word "AIDS" until his seventh year in office.

He goes on to attack President George W. Bush, morality, and even those who doubt that the universe, despite everything we know, magically created itself and that life, despite a complete lack of evidence, magically arose from nonlife through some process yet to be discovered.

The chief complaint about these types appears to be that with the onset of HIV/AIDS in the USA, Reagan didn't drop everything and focus on something striking a tiny portion of the population, a disease that is almost entirely avoidable through some basic morality. Yes, there were people infected through tainted donated blood or through accidental or malicious needle pokes, but the vast majority of people acquired HIV through shooting up illegal drugs with a needle already used by another junkie, or through engaging in rough sex, especially receiving bleeding and/or anal sex from someone who had been having sex with someone else or shooting up illegal drugs. These Reagan-bashers wanted Reagan to take money by force from Watchtower followers and everyone else in the nation, and throw it - not at other diseases less preventable and killing more people - but HIV/AIDS, mostly because it was making it scarier for them to get high or engage in orgies.

Am I saying that people who did those things "deserved" to get AIDS and die, more than then next guy? Nope. But let's not pretend that people hadn't been warned to avoid such behavior. Be honest. How many of these people have sympathy for chain smokers who get lung cancer and want Obama to do more about lung cancer?

As far as Reagan's lack of focus on HIV/AIDS, I can see why people are so upset to this day. After all, it is right there in Article II, Section 5 of the Constitution of the United States:

The President shall respond to new diseases spread by behavior typical of junkies and homosexual males by taking money by force from everyone and spending it on treating and preventing the spread of the disease, all other issues, including diseases killing more people, be damned.

Oops. That part of the Constitution doesn't exist. Which means it wasn't Reagan's place to do anything. I suppose he could have used his bully pulpit to look into the camera and say:

It is your duty to yourselves, your family, your country, and our God that you stop buggering different people and stop sharing needles. If you're a man and refuse to stop engaging in homosexual behavior, then stick to true monogamy. Not that “monogamy” where you can still have sex with other people as long as your partner is there, or your partner is out of town, or you are out of town, or you're in a club, or in a restroom. If you're a junkie and refuse to stop shooting up, then use clean needles.

Somehow, I don't think those whining about Reagan's refusal to take unconstitutional action on this matter would have been happy with that.

Meanwhile, most people recognize that Reagan did a lot of good for the world, even if they don't like everything about his Presidency.

And here's a hint before we’re hit with the next new disease: Avoid substance abuse. Do not share needles. Save sex for marriage, marry someone who will be faithful, treat that person right, and stay faithful to them.

Also: Under GWB there was more AIDS funding than under Clinton or Obama.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'd love to see President Trump serve another term. The chances of that look very slim. Hopefully, the Senate will remain Republican-majority and, if President, Biden will stay away from Leftism.

There is so much for which we should be thankful.

Personally, I have so many things for which to be thankful it would take me all day to list them. I thank Jesus Christ for what He did and what He continues to do – He's my Lord and Savior. I thank the saints for persevering in handing down the faith. I thank those brave souls who established this Union. I thank our military men and women for preserving this nation. I thank my ancestors for making the difficult journeys to American soil. I thank my parents for birthing and raising and supporting me. I thank my wife for marrying me and birthing and mothering my children. I could go on and on, but I won't.

Some Leftists go into their theatrics this time of year, braying about how horrible it was for Europeans to bring western civilization to the Americas. It makes me wonder why the ones in the U.S.A. who are European ancestry haven't moved to Europe.

This idea that the native peoples living here (who, by the way, were also newcomers at one time) were all peaceful and noble and that the Europeans who settled here were horrible, evil people who always mistreated the natives is ridiculous. All over the world, people have been overtaken and either killed off or integrated. Yet only in certain parts of the English-speaking world is the integration portrayed as evil and celebrating anything remotely connected to it is stopped.

But notice that the Normans didn't give the Anglo-Saxons any sovereign territory, nor casino operation exemptions. Such concessions are not typical of victorious peoples.

Don't let the Leftists take away Thanksgiving. Celebrate proudly.

It is time for us to pause and consider that there is much for which we should be thankful, and we should thank Him. If you're not inclined to do that, then consider all of the people in your life who have been there along the way, providing emotional support, friendship, guidance, and goods and services.

The modern American Thanksgiving meal is an overly bountiful one, a testament to how somewhat free markets and capitalism have produced plenty. From the farmer to the importer to the grocer, participants in the market have allowed us to splurge.

I bid you a safe, pleasant, and reflective Thanksgiving Day.

What's The Truth About the First Thanksgiving?

Lincoln and Thanksgiving: Origin of An American Holiday

Tap Tap - Is This Thing On?

I have neglected his blog for a long time, but that might be changing.

I've remained very active on Twitter, and now now also on Parler (@PlayfulWalrus)

I've also remained active on Facebook.

Disunited Methodists

I'm not a member if a United Methodist Church, but my family does have multiple ties to the UMC denomination. UMCs vary widely from place to place. For example, my wife grew up in a UMC in California, and she doesn't recall ever hearing presentation or explanation of the core Gospel until she was attending a university and went to a Christian event with a classmate. She was a bit embarrassed that she'd grown up in a church and yet has missed the central point of Christianity: a proper relationship with Jesus Christ.

The LGBTQQAICDEFGHJKMNOPRSUVWXYZ activists within the denomination are trying to move the organization away from applying what has traditionally been understood as the Biblical teachings of there being men and women, marriage uniting a man and a woman, and reserving sex for marriage.

Remember when the activists said that marriage neutering wouldn't have any effect on churches?

There was a conference in February that address this. If you want the bottom line, skip down to my comments at the end.

Here's what Katherine Jackson reported for Reuters, as I found at Yahoo News (which really got crappy after the most recent corporate acquisition).

The United Methodist Church voted on Tuesday to uphold and strengthen its ban on same-sex marriage and LGBT clergy in a move likely to alienate large numbers of followers who had pushed for reform.

Ban. Ban is loaded language. We're not talking about secular law here. This is a supposedly Christian organization. There's no more a van on "same-sex marriage" than a ban on squared circles or kosher shrimp.

Also, as we'll see, there is no ban on LGBT clergy.

Happy New Year

Yes, I'm still around.

I still plan to update this blog from time to time.

I am very active on Facebook and Twitter.

Happy Thanksgiving

The midterm election season is behind us, kind of, with the GOP retaining the Senate.

There is so much for which we should be thankful.

Personally, I have so many things for which to be thankful it would take me all day to list them. I thank Jesus Christ for what He did and what He continues to do – He's my Lord and Savior. I thank the saints for persevering in handing down the faith. I thank those brave souls who established this Union. I thank our military men and women for preserving this nation. I thank my ancestors for making the difficult journeys to American soil. I thank my parents for birthing and raising and supporting me. I thank my wife for marrying me and birthing and mothering my children. I could go on and on, but I won't.

Some Leftists go into their theatrics this time of year, braying about how horrible it was for Europeans to bring western civilization to the Americas. It makes me wonder why the ones in the U.S.A. who are European ancestry haven't moved to Europe.

This idea that the native peoples living here (who, by the way, were also newcomers at one time) were all peaceful and noble and that the Europeans who settled here were horrible, evil people who always mistreated the natives is ridiculous. All over the world, people have been overtaken and either killed off or integrated. Yet only in certain parts of the English-speaking world is the integration portrayed as evil and celebrating anything remotely connected to it is stopped.

But notice that the Normans didn't give the Anglo-Saxons any sovereign territory, nor casino operation exemptions. Such concessions are not typical of victorious peoples.

Don't let the Leftists take away Thanksgiving. Celebrate proudly.

It is time for us to pause and consider that there is much for which we should be thankful, and we should thank Him. If you're not inclined to do that, then consider all of the people in your life who have been there along the way, providing emotional support, friendship, guidance, and goods and services.

The modern American Thanksgiving meal is an overly bountiful one, a testament to how somewhat free markets and capitalism have produced plenty. From the farmer to the importer to the grocer, participants in the market have allowed us to splurge.

I bid you a safe, pleasant, and reflective Thanksgiving Day.