Early Christians, America and a word from Patch Adams

An Article by Patch Adams - http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1024-32.htm

You, Patch Adams, can make us joyously laugh just by flying so flagrantly in the face of what so many people think is the "rational" but, no Patch, it is not ridiculous and naive and those that think so should tell that to God, to Jesus Christ, to the disciples and apostle Paul and to the thousands of other loving witnessing sharing Christians that suffered so much but in the end converted the mightiest and harshest empire the world had ever known, the Roman Empire...with the example of only their Christian love and Christian way. Only their Christian love and Christian way.
And to imagine, today we, America do not have to worry about indefensively suffering all that those believers suffered then for we are well protected BY the mightiest military in the world, all we have to do is show love, try to show love. We have now the mightiest military the world has ever known with nuclear warheads abounding, in submarines near every port and satelite technology watching everything. Don't you think we could afford to make the major thrust of our foreign activity, love, the living love that Patch talks about without letting our guard down, the mightiest "guard" the world has ever known. Think it doesn't work? Afraid to trust Patch? Do you trust God?

The word of God says that we will be as pouring coals of fire upon the enemies head when we return love for hatred - Romans 12:20.

Were the disciples and believers of Jesus's day worried about a perception of weakness and isn't it a wonder how the evil one has snowed us over such a pathetic concern about that perception. According to todays christian "carnal" mind the disciples were in no position to do what they did but I wonder if with all the protection we have now we could even see it through. Does it take the flower children to make us understand. Think about it church, thiiiiiink about it. When Jesus Christ returns the leaders of America will sorrowfully anguish at the realization of what they truly could have done but in all truth it does not have to be that way. Let the church as the body of Christ and truly representative of the kingdom of God lead toward a better way......God knows smart policy.

Oh For Black Friday

Once again our hearld day Black Friday is so rudely complicated by the preceding nuisance of Thanksgiving. Like lemmings and consumer drones en masse the populace rush to the altar of saving money never mind the rare family warmth we could extend another day to our own but no, mammon calls. Corporate need calls. They call, we run as we revel in the cynicism against the family get together that might actually communicate something qualified to change peoples lives but we are cynical about the gift of family healing because those we entrusted to preserve that family warmth and healing themselves sold out to the money. I have wanted out of this too, forgetting the higher rewards of family depth.
In the beginning we did stay home but the stores would not remain closed because they wanted money, however the people were not cooperating, so they lured us out with offers to, save money. The practice grew larger and larger and now we have nothing more but saving money lemming minds knowing not what else to do but slam up against their front doors to take the bait. The stores could stay closed on Friday so all could further enjoy that family warmth and perhaps realize the things that may make us nervous are really nothing after all, a discovery that half another lifetime of passing may need before finally knowing it, but alas, greed dictates the day does it not? The opportunity for real family warmth and closeness is lost to a quick feed your face family get together then, "gotta get home, get ready, get plenty of sleep for the big day tommorrow".
We run from the warmth of home like hurried zombies to the halls of mass consumerism so excited, so willingly team players without a team, if only we would look around us. Wherever the money leads we shall lurch forth. The economic force run where it may, the chips fall as they may. And to those in God's house rooting on this economic force do you ever notice how much more this nation's family values and morals descend as money's influence ascends? What could you be thinking. Too "unholy" a thought to connect the dots? Too much weight on the American cross, too much witness to regain the lost? The chips fall where they may.

America isn't dead yet but it sure is getting sick.

Thanksgiving For All

I know there are people throughout the country that are discouraged now after a long difficult election but you who came out on the short end carry with you a part of the truth, a part of the truth that few else have. Without you and your love for that truth we surely are a lesser people. Let us take this time to come together and encourage what is common among us and be thankful for the right to disagree and live in peace as we disagree. Let us hold up the greater principles of God over our own personal ambitions or group ambitions. Let us be thankful that we have the opportunity to begin again each day and aspire to get it right again, each day. One way or another with all of our rights and all of our wrongs before us we will one day see it as it should be. One day, with God, we will soon see all the truth prevail out of our imperfection. To that day, to all we can be, our greatest hope in God.

Long Last Some Light Breaks Through

Finally after 6 years of secrecy, greed and corruption some light will break through the darkness. The light is a chance to right some wrongs, heal some wounds and bring the truth to bear on exactly what has been going on in this country for so long now. With a Democratic congress we should be able to turn around some legislation on worker and consumer rights, Medicaid, competitive drug prices and the environment, although a lameduck Bush veto will stand in the way of some of it, but also important and desperately needed is investigation into the false premises for the Iraq war, war profiteering cronyism ie haliburton, Abramoff, K street and all the other corruption in Washington. That is the up side. The down side? The new congress can do little about Bush's debacle in Iraq except to cut funding but they will not imperil the troops so this is yet to play out. Domestically Democrats also are dependent on money from corporate america and although House speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she will run the most honest ethical congress in America's history lobby reform and campaign finance reform will be the democrats battle against themselves. Senators such as Russ Feingold and John McCain will however keep the heat on reform of money's influence but that is also where we need to keep the heat on, the democrats weaknesses. (also support the clean elections movement spreading through the states).
Should the Democrats suffer under the illusion that this election is a referendum on now ignoring issues of the religious right they will do so at their political peril but if they honestly look at the voting results they will wisely continue to remind themselves that they took many congressional races because they the democrats offered more candidates supporting family values issues. For now it appears they will heed that wisdom but as it has been time and time and time and time again it will be the doom of Democrats should they forget and fantasize they are riding a tidal wave to the left. I have heard some bloated talking buffoonery from a few but largely most of the Democrats are keeping their heads.
Our new congressmen must again remind themselves that they won primarily because of independent voters and remember that the issues of lobby reform and election reform are independent mainstays and not to forget that these independents are not stuck to you the way the religious right blindly stick to the republicans. Fail to pass real lobby and election reform and you lose the independents straight and simple. No theocracy, no misguided faith and allegiance. Just,you lose. Don't lose.

So that is where we are now. What can we expect? Much of the legislation will probably be vetoed and then used as democratic campaigning points in 2008 but investigations, hearings and subpoenas are another story, they will not be vetoed, hidden, or "Cheneyed" and all I have to say to that is.....THANK THE LORD And Thank You, People Of America!

A Moment Of Truth For The Religious Right

In review of all that has been planned in preceding years the religious right must consider what has transpired here in this nation. The problem is, of course, they do not see themselves as being co-opted. If they did they would understand that the repulican party will not throw away the best political football they ever had and that is the hook keeping a significant portion of the religious vote in the party corner. You see, if issues such as abortion were ever passed the religious would then feel free to wander away to other political parties and other issues. The republican power structure has no real intention of passing on any of those hooks and that is why after many hard fought years for the religious right led on by promises from the republicans when the mission would be effectually accomplished, that is, a religious rightwing president with both houses of congress republican that no abortion bill was submitted. What you heard was "the people are not ready for an abortion bill" and it doesn't matter what the excuses were, after all those years of political struggle to get here you heard "the people are not ready for an abortion bill". Wow, as if the Bush administration and Republican congress have been concerned about what the people are "ready" for. That the religious right have believed that means they can believe about anything clinging to their party and a president. But oh sure, as if the republican party was concerned about the will of the people where their extreme pro business, pro rich legislation was concerned. That should say it all. They proposed and passed landslide amounts of bills to suit the priviledged and powerful omitting virtually any legislation to protect consumers or workers and they passed on putting an abortion bill up in order to keep the heartland votes in their corner for future election purposes in order to pass bills to continue to suit and serve the powerful but with the religious right under such strong fervent influence they do not see it. They do not see that they are ONLY being used to promote the power and influence of the monied. Projecting ones allegiance and faith in God toward a political party ideology begats darkness and one would hope the religious right will raise their heads up, crack an eye open and take a look at what is really going on around them.