So This Is Winning...

We were going to win. We were going to be tired of winning. That's what we were told. If you believe that nonsense, I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale(sight unseen, of course).

Over the past several weeks, we've been treated to a supposed Republican administration in Washington that has shown itself to be incompetent. Starting with the twice written immigration order that they won't go to court to defend and leading to a healthcare bill proposed by establishment squishes and sold by our new President. That bill was such a disaster, it was pulled by the Speaker of the House before anyone could actually vote yea or nay on the disaster. The fact that the bill was a rewritten version of Obamacare that served to shift the responsibility to the GOP didn't seem to matter to a President who told us he was going to win...and win all the time.

It is quite apparent that the conservatives who sold out to support this man bought a bill of goods. I know some were, and still are, trying to balance needing Trumpcultists' votes next year in the midterm while trying to not seem like insane sycophants, but the time has come for people in and out of government who care about the small government, divided power system of federalism, to speak up and make themselves heard. Our administration has done some good in the area of reigning in onerous business and environmental regulations, but they have done nothing in the area of protecting religious liberty, truly reforming healthcare, or welfare/wealth transfer reform. Last I checked, Planned Parenthood was still being funded. The establishment squish promoted healthcare bill only defunded Planned Murderhood for one lousy year, at which point the taxpayer funding of the murder of babies was set to resume. Can you see this Congress tackling reform of the IRS or the tax code? If you can, you may want to see if someone spiked your coffee with Irish whiskey.

The most accurate thing said about our president was uttered by Ted Cruz on the last day of his campaign. I know he prostrated himself to support the man later in the general election campaign, but he was correct in his initial assessment.

Possibly the worst part of this whole mess is the large number of Christians who have decided to put away everything the Bible teaches about leadership to roll over on their bellies for a man who is the antithesis of what a Christian leader should be. The President is a petty man, who is prone to fits of insanity driven rage. In addition, he stupidly uses social media in the way a 22 year old college student might, subtweeting and making fun of people he sees as an impediment to his warped visions.  The man is consumed with short term victory. He doesn't see past the end of the week. He has a television ratings style of leadership. While the electoral map for Senators stacks up fairly well in 2018, the House could get hammered because of the blatant lack of anything approaching a cohesive plan and agenda on the part of the administration.

The Bible tells us how to pick civil leaders. Starting in Exodus 18 21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:

I've had so many Trump sycophants tell me that this was given only to Moses and it no longer applies, but Paul tells us that all scripture is valuable. 2 Timothy 3 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Our current President seems to fall under the warning of the Apostle Paul, when he told Timothy this in his second letter to his friend. 4 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

We, as Christians, need to focus on the Gospel. We must practice discernment in matters of civil government and our dealings with the lost. We also can't sell our ability to be good examples for a what amounts to a bowl of beans, like Esau did. Politics is downstream of culture. We have to go to work on the lost and dying world before our politics will ever change for the better. Electing a godly Christian would have shown the culture that we could do it. We didn't, so many are content to lash out at political enemies rather than drill down on saving the souls of the lost in a culture bent on sending as many people to hell as possible.

When we elect people, like our previous President and our current President, who are clearly in opposition to what the Bible says about the type of men to choose to lead other men, we are being disobedient. Of course, we should pray for our leaders. I, especially, pray for the soul of our President. Even baby Christians exhibit more change than he has since supposedly coming to Jesus. It's between God and him as to whether he has the issue of his faith settled, but the lack of spiritual discernment is quite clear in our new President. Our nation is in severe need of repentance. Rather than choosing a braggart, we should have chosen a somber and humble servant to be a leader, as the Bible teaches. Victory, when it costs you your testimony, is empty. I pray for the soul of a nation divided, adrift in a sea of false doctrine.

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Pro Life?

Would you consider yourself pro life? What does being pro life mean? Can you be pro life and vote for a bill that would allow abortions to be performed as long as a doctor says an arbitrary gestation deadline has not passed? I'd like to explore these questions just a little. Follow along.

If you truly consider yourself pro life, you realize that the moment an egg is fertilized in the womb, a new life is formed. The DNA in that fertized egg is all that is needed for a human life to spring forth, therefore, that fertilized egg is a life. The Bible, in Jeremiah 1:5 says this: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. If God knew Jeremiah to be a prophet, He surely knows each one of us before we ever descend through the birth canal to take our first breath of air. Life is life is life. All innocent life is precious in His eyes. Each soul has the potential to know Jesus as their Savior. Each soul has the potential to do great things for the cause of Christ in this world. Conversely, if that new life is ended before it even had a chance, we've basically told God that we know better than He does. That is awfully thin ice. God will not be mocked.

If you truly consider yourself pro life, no legislation that allows abortion should pass your smell test. If a bill states that abortion after an arbitrary time, like 20 weeks, of gestation is passed abortion is bad, but before that, it's a crime, you are practicing an awful form of moral equivalency. This type of situational ethics is a major reason our nation is in the state that it is in from a moral standpoint. Look at this way, if I say I believe in life at conception and when the opportunity is presented to define, in legal terms, that life begins when it begins, but I don't because I might have to expend political capital to do so, and instead, I support a bill to tell doctors that a 20 week old baby in the womb is more equal than a 19 week old baby in the womb, I would be a hypocrite of epic proportions.

Certain things in life are true. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Two plus two equals four. The Bible is the word of God. Jesus is the only way to heaven. Life begins at concpetion.

I urge all of you reading this in Iowa to make sure your Iowa Senators and Representatives know of your thoughts on this issue. Let them know that this will be felt at the ballot box and in the court of public opinion. They must realize that it is harder to do the wrong thing than it is to do the right thing.  Iowa protected individual rights with the collective bargaining bill, the only issue is, those rights don't amount to a hill of beans if we aren't alive to be allowed to exercise our rights.

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Why the Loyalty?

I find it odd that Republicans were elected, in large part, to repeal the monstrosity that is Obamacare and now, many of the same people who screamed at me when I said Trump and the GOP leadership at the Convention in Cleveland were frauds, are now silent when the same people are knifing them in the back. They make up excuses. "Give 'em a chance." "It's only been 50 days." "This is just the first step." Bleh.

I will admit, some regulatory improvement have been made, but that is small potatoes compared to the large items, like Obamacare, Social Security, the tax code, Medicare and cleaning up agencies like the IRS and the VA. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, just this week, that tax issues won't be taken up for the foreseable future. The new Dear Leader is silent on the issue, after being bullish on the tax reform issue during the campaign and transition period. Sounds a lot like the last Dear Leader. The only thing different is the jersey and demographic makeup of the cheering section.
Now, we have Donaldus Smallhandus saying he'll support primary challenges to conservatives in Congress who don't support the rebranding of Obamacare. I don't like being right so much, but I TOLD YOU SO! This was in the cards. When the establishment GOP got behind Trump, it was because they saw him as maleable. His maleability is on full display right now.

Donald J. Trump is now a Washington DC hack. No more no less. I urge conservatives to fight back. Short of a viable 3rd party, we must begin to organize a primary challenge to Donald Trump.

Squishy members of the House must be primaried. I will assist in anyway I can. One such member here in Iowa is Congressman Dave Young. He needs to be deposed and left on the ash heap of political history. The man is a rubber stamp for GOP leadership and is useless as a legislator. He needs to go. There are many like him across the country.

I'm also for lousy GOP Senators being thrown to the curb. Orrin Hatch, Deb Fischer, Bob Corker and Jeff Flake all need to go. Look them up. I'd also be in favor of State Senator Chris McDaniels running for the special election seat held by Luther Strange in Alabama. Orrin Hatch is the epitome of all that is wrong with Washington, DC. Right now, there are only 3 decent Senators and about 35-40 decent House Reps. Find races you can impact and go at it. Politicians are like stinky diapers, they need to be changed frequently and usually for the same reason.

Good Riddance

I left the GOP more than 6 months ago. My reasons for leaving were confirmed over the past several weeks. The Republican Party is full of weak, power hungry statists.

The Obamacare "replacement" bill the House leadership put forth yesterday is one of the biggest piles of manure this side of an Iowa hog house I've ever seen. It addresses none of the market issues Obamacare created and rebrands most of the other parts with nasty GOP slime. House and Senate Small Government types are floating their own bill, but I am sure the preponderance of GOP members will support the bill put forth by leadership.

Here in Iowa, members of the GOP killed a bill to recognize life at conception. I am no longer surprised when the GOP goes against everything they say they support and believe in.

The purpose of this post is to encourage people to leave a Republican Party that has decided they want to try to be all things to all people. This party is no place for anyone with any sort of principles aimed toward liberty or constitutional small government. They won't even protect the border. Donald Trump won the White House on this issue, more than any other(never mind he stole the issue from Ted Cruz).

Do not give money to or support candidates from this party. If I can never vote again because there are no decent candidates outside of the current two party system, that will be OK. I refuse to support anyone tied to this iteration of the Republican Party.

I will work to see a viable small government party come about. The Federalist Party is my vehicle of choice. I know the people involved and I trust they have many of the same concerns I do.  We must work to make this party work. It won't be easy and it won't be fast, but it must be done. He those of us seeking to make a home for principled people outside of the broken two party system. My call is this. Euthanize the GOP!

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Desire God's Will

Philippians 2:13

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” 

King James Version (KJV)

Somethings have become quite clear to me over the past several months.  The main lesson is this. Personal desires are worthless and should be shunned. The only desire a person should have is to do God's will. Following your heart is possibly the worst thing anyone can do. It leads to pain and general malaise. Don't follow your dreams. Don't follow the wishes of any mortal person. Don't try to please any mortal person just for the sake of gaining favor with them. These are all false premises and lead to a person wasting their life. I've been there. All of these things have become crystal clear to me over the past few months.

Mankind's purpose is to do God's will. Mankind's purpose is to please God. Even if something seems good and isn't specifically against anything in the Bible, if God isn't leading you, purge the desire from your life. The desire will bring nothing but pain. Your prayer should always be to have God lead you to do what pleases Him. If that isn't your prayer, stop wanting what you think is good for you and just continue to serve Him.

I've come to these conclusions after years of learning and seeking. The desires of my own heart have led to nothing but emptiness and waywardness. Only when I am doing God's will and serving other people in His name, have I been able to find freedom from the oppression of my own worthless desires. It is quite clear that I am not worthy of His love, yet the fact that Jesus came to save me shows that His love knows no bounds. Putting aside my desires has allowed me to focus on serving people for His glory. Rather than desiring any earthly outcome, just desire to do God's will. You will be tested, but shrug off the desires that creep in if they conflict with your service of others. To serve yourself, even if not specifically against any rule or commandment set forth in the Bible, will end in emptiness. No good comes from serving yourself. The only good that can come from our mortal lives is to serve as His ambassadors while we live.

Don't be afraid to invite someone to church, but make sure that you are inviting that person for their sake and not your own. Don't be afraid to pass out a Gospel tract for the sake of the other person's soul, not your own glory. Don't be afraid to be of service to someone in need, but only for their sake. Don't do anything that may result in your self being elevated at the expense of anyone else. I'm done caring for what happens to me in the future. As long as I focus on staying in His will, my future will be just fine. I desire God's will, not my own.

James 1:5King James Version (KJV)

5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

James 4:8King James Version (KJV)

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

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Change

I've heard it said that the only constant in this earthly life is change(other than death and over taxation). Over the past few days, a few things have become quite apparent to me. I've prayed and listened more and talked less. I need to do more in the service of others. This is where my change starts for 2017. 

I will be looking to work with the public again. I want to be more involved in my church's soul winning ministry. I want to be able to share my faith more effectively. I want to become a better listener. I want to make sure I'm there for my friends when they need me. I also want be a better witness. I need to let God lead, both through prayer and reading His word. 

Last year at this time, I was so wrapped up in campaign mode, I couldn't even squeeze anything else in my schedule or in my thought process. Until early May, I lived and breathed campaigning. It was fun. I was with like minded people everyday working for a goal. After that all blew up in early May, I tried to fill that time with other pursuits. Working for work's sake had become dreary. I didn't feel I was doing what God wanted me to do. Until last night, I have been in a rut for several months. 

Last night, during my prayer time, a wave of peace came over me. I just need to put my head down and serve others. I need to let go and choose not to let negative people who don't follow God bring me down. If I've given them the Gospel and it still doesn't matter to them, I'll continue to pray, but I can't let their unwillingness to change cause me to have a bad testimony. I believe God is telling me it is OK to let go. This doesn't mean I quit loving these people, but it does mean that I need to let my burden for them go. God will work on them and it's up to them to surrender to Him. Instead of living in fear of what I couldn't do or couldn't have, I must be grateful for what I do have and continue to serve Him.

The other thing I continue to work on is showing gratitude and love to my friends, my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. One specific couple has been there for me over the last few months when I felt I could turn to no one else. I need to be there for them in this coming year. They are in my prayers.(They know who they are.) I also need to make sure I support my other friends as they leave for their upcoming tour. They've done so much for the cause of Christ and I pray they continue to do so. They've shown me how to live and I love them for it. I also need to continue to pray for my pastor. He's a good man with a good family leading a great body of believers. 

Over the next few weeks, I will be looking at what I can do in 2017 to live like I should. I need to let anger and frustration go. I need to let God lead. I am willing to surrender to Him and get my own aspirations out of the way. Thanks for letting me bend your ear, so to speak.

The above quote has resonated with me for the last few months. I need to do more. I need to be better to people who don't know me and to people who do. I look forward to what God will bring in 2017.

A National Day of Reflection

re·morse

rəˈmôrs/

noun

1. deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed.

   "they were filled with remorse and shame"

   synonyms:

   contrition, deep regret, repentance, penitence, guilt, compunction, remorsefulness, ruefulness, contriteness; More

Today, November 8th, 2016, should be marked as a new national day of reflection. On this day, a new president will be elected. Normally, I would have a rooting interest in this day. Today, I don't. Today marks a day of profound disgust for me. Disgust with the fact that the two major political parties and the majority of voters from one and the smallest percentage plurality of voters in over 4 decades from the other saw fit to nominate the two worst candidates in the history of this nation. Frankly(inside joke), if you would have told me we would have two candidates in 2016 who's sole purpose is to make Barrack Obama look better than he is, I would have told you that you were insane. That exact scenario has happened. My confidence in the America people has suffered greatly this election cycle.

Let's do a bit of a premortem postmortem, if you will. First, Hillary Clinton is the worst Democrat to seek office since the last one. Donald Trump is first Republican to make Richard Nixon look good. Clinton has ties to awful world governments. Trump has funded her after her ties were exposed. He even said she was a great Secretary of State after the failures of Benghazi.

I think the vast majority of the blame for Hillary rests on the Democrat party. She is who the Democrat establishment is. She and her husband have been the measuring stick for the Democrat party for years. Nothing more needs to be said as this is who the Democrats are.

The blame for the cesspool of awfulness that is Donald Trump rests solely at the feet of a useless and feckless Republican Party. Under the leadership of Reince Priebus, this party has taken more governorships, state legislatures, and the majority in both the US House and the Senate. What does this nation have to show for it? Absolutely nothing. We still have out of control spending. The best evidence was the latest Continuing Resolution vote several weeks ago. Obama has only had to veto 12 bills in nearly 8 years. He should have had to veto more than that in the first 6 months of 2015. The level of abject awfulness and fecklessness of this party has never been matched. See this July's convention just as a confirmation of this fact. Conservative voices were crushed. It is clear that people like me have no place in this party. The slobbering hordes of insane people shouting to vote for Trump or we all die does nothing to smooth over my righteous indignation at this party.

Donald Trump started courting conservative organizations with donations a few years ago and crafted a message to fit this willfully ignorant mass of voters on the right in this nation. The rise of the AltRight(AltReich is actually a more fitting term) is proof positive of Trump's appeal to the lowest dregs of our society. We've even come to the point where clickbait, made up news is now the most credible source for info for the slobbering horde of true Trumpcult believers. Alex Jones and Infowars are seen as sources worthy of citation now.

I hate to cite this oft used comparison, but there are shades of 1932-1933 Germany popping up all over this nation. Masses thinking that one man can fix all the ills of our nation. People buying into a personality cult. If you combine one candidate who is like the first truly fascist progressive to hold office at 1600 Pennsylvania, in one Woodrow Wilson, and the George Wallace run in 1968, you have the makings of this presidential election. Except now, there is no elder statesman to step in and win the presidency.

Our best hope for this government is to throw off the constructs that have been placed on us by the current corrupt two party system. We must get back to a civil discourse and work towards smaller government. This should be the first goal of any person seeking higher office. Reign in the out of control government and let liberty reign across this nation. Freedom must be the rallying cry. Short of these goals, I will not support anyone running for any office, whether it be county, state, or federal office, from here on out.

There is a new party launching in the coming days. I urge you to check them out. I intend to put as much effort toward this new effort. Click here to find out more. Let us always remember November 8th, 2016 and use this day as a day of reflection and recommit ourselves to the American ideal of government of, by and for the people.