Panem et Circenses

     In 508 B.C. the Roman monarchy was overthrown, and in its place was instituted the Roman Republic.  The government was headed by two consuls elected annually by the citizens. The consuls were advised by a senate. Over the next two hundred or so years, the Roman Republic grew greatly through a series of alliances and conquests. Rome would become the preeminent power in the world. There was only one problem....


     iam pridem, ex quo suffragia nulli / uendimus, effudit curas; nam qui dabat olim / imperium fasces, legiones, omnia, nunc se / continet atque duas tantum res anxius optat / panem et circenses...--Juvenal, Satire 10. 77-81


     Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties, for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions----everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses.


     Just as the Roman satirist, Juvenal said, the Roman people became interested in just two things: bread and circuses.  They were given free wheat and extravagant entertainment by the government. The purpose? Control.  The practice was started by the Roman politician Gaius Sempronius Gracchus.  It was used to buy the votes of the populace, and was a popular measure.  


     The desire for bread and circuses caused the Romans to lose their diligence concerning the government.  As long as the bread and circuses were received, the politicians pretty much did as they pleased.  The politics in Rome became dominated by the power struggles among a small number of Roman politicians. The struggles even led to a series of civil wars among the Roman leaders, all to the vast unconcern of the populace, who still enjoyed bread and circuses.  The victor of these power struggles was a man by the name of Gaius Octavius Thurinus, later to be known as Caesar Augustus.


     While the people enjoyed bread and circuses, the Republic they knew was lost. Rome became an empire with Augustus at the head.

          In the United States of America, the populace has also been pacified with bread and circuses.  There are 45.75 million recipients of food stamps in America.  Not only that, 48.6% of American households receive some kind of government aid.  These statistics are alarming, but no one seems to care.  Just give us bread and circuses.

          Bread and circuses.

          Bread and circuses.

          Bread and circuses; all the while the Republic is being lost.......

       .....and lost.....

       .....and lost.....

     .....because of bread and circuses.

The Anatomy of a Leader

     When you hear the word leader, who do you think of?

     Do you think of the President of the United States?

     
     Do you think of a successful businessman like Donald Trump?

     Maybe you think of a general like David Petraeus?


     The one thing that these men have in common is that they order others.  In the dichotomy of the world, these men and others like them are given the label leader.  Sadly, though, these men do not have the anatomy of a leader.


     What is the anatomy of a leader?  Well, to answer that, I guess we need to define the word leader.  A leader is simply one who leads.  In other words, a leader goes before those he leads.  He leads by example.  A true leader never asks anything of those following that he isn't willing to do himself.  

     A true leader is one who humbles himself for the sake of others.  A true leader walks what he talks.  A true leader inspires those following him to do hard things.  He believes in those he is leading.  He inspires greatness. He has vision, and he communicates that vision. He doesn't love some while despising others.  A true leader speaks truth, even when it isn't comfortable.  A true leader doesn't compromise what is good, what is noble, or what is right.  A true leader doesn't go along to get along.  A true leader asks more of you than you think you can muster.  A true leader has a mission, and he will see it through.  A true leader teaches those he leads what they need to know to operate and accomplish the mission, even when he isn't there.  A true leader teaches his followers to also lead.  Most of all, a true leader is servant of all.


     May God raise up true leaders in these perilous days.  Leaders who have learned at the feet of the greatest Leader of all, Yeshua HaMashiach; Jesus the Christ.


     Godspeed.

...Liberty...

        We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,--That when any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its power in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

     The Declaration of Independence states that all men have a right to Liberty.


     Noah Webster defined liberty as:

1. Freedom from restraint, in a general sense, and applicable to the body, or to the will or mind.  The body is at liberty, when not confined; the will or mind is at liberty, when not checked or controlled. A man enjoys liberty when no physical force operates to restrain his actions or volitions.

     Of course, anyone with the common sense of a cue ball knows that such liberties lead to anarchy, hence the establishment of government.

     Webster goes on to elaborate on liberty in the civil sense:

     Civil liberty is the liberty of men in a society, or natural liberty, so far only abridged and restrained, as is necessary and expedient for the safety and interest of the society, state, or nation. A restraint of natural liberty not necessary or expedient for the public, is tyranny or oppression.  Civil liberty is an exemption from the arbitrary will of others, which exemption is secured by established laws, which restrain every man from injuring or controlling another.  Hence the restraints of law are essential to civil liberty.

     So, according to Noah Webster, laws are necessary to protect us against the oppression or injury from others.  Hence laws against murder, theft, copyright infringement, slander and libel, etc.

     Now, we have to honestly ask ourselves if our government is securing our liberty by passing laws only necessary or expedient for the safety and interest of society? I submit to you that the answer is no.

     The United States Congress passed a horrific boondoggle of a law in December of 2010.  It is commonly referred to as Obamacare.  This monstrosity of a law demands that citizens of the United States purchase health insurance, under penalty of fines and as originally written, imprisonment.  Now, is the purchase of insurance necessary and expedient for the safety of the public?  No, the public in America has gotten along just fine without the mandate to purchase medical insurance  since 1776.  This restraint on the liberty of Americans to utilize their money as they see fit is not necessary and expedient, and therefore defined by Noah Webster as tyranny.  

     The United States Congress has also passed legislation designed to ban the sell and manufacture of incandescent light bulbs.  Is such law necessary and expedient for the safety and interest of society?  No.  American homes have been illuminated just fine for over a hundred years by the incandescent bulb. In fact, the mandated bulbs the government is requiring to replace incandescent bulbs contain mercury, which is highly poisonous.  Is is necessary and expedient for the safety and interest of the public to mandate by law exposure to toxins?  Absolutely not.  Tyranny.

     These two examples are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the government not only failing to secure our right to liberty, but in many, many cases directly assaulting it.

     America, it is time to wake from your slumber before your liberty is something that has gone the way of the woolly mammoth.

...That Among These Are Life....

     We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,--That when any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its power in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

     All men are created equal, and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life....


     Yes, the Declaration of Independence declares that all men have an unalienable right to life. Men and women have the right to live. To simply live.


     Is the government of the United States of America living up to that founding ideal and securing the right of Americans to live? The answer is no.

    Since 1973, the legalized murder of American citizens has been upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States of America. The Congress of the United States of America has failed to end this atrocity. The current President of the United States of America has condoned it.


     This government stands in direct opposition to the first right of men; the right to live.


     How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?  Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and oppressed.  Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.--Psalm 82:2-4


     Why is the government of the United States of America failing to live up to its ideals? Why do our elected leaders fail to rescue the weak and the needy? Why do we defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Abortion is not a right. Abortion is not a choice. Abortion is wickedness on display. 


     Do we really believe that this nation will be blessed and prosperous while we slaughter the most innocent among us? Are we really that naive? Or are we really just that wicked?
May God have mercy on us, because as a nation we are building up wrath for the Day of Wrath. 


     My prayer is that this nation will come to Jesus, both literally and figuratively, and that we will begin to secure, once again to men, their unalienable right to life.

Holding Truth Self-Evident

     We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed......

     


     There has been a lot of discussion of the Constitution of the United States of America in the past three years. Arguments have been made from all sides concerning the interpretation of America's Law of the Land, but it seems to me that very little attention has been paid to our founding document. Whereas the Constitution lays out the "how" of our system of government, the Declaration of Independence gives us the "why".


     In the above section, the Declaration declares that some things are clearly self-evident. In other words, every man and woman understands them instinctively.


     The first self-evident truth the Declaration declares is that all men are created. We have people today that have declared that we are in fact not created. 


     Secondly, men are created equal. The truth of this had to be declared in blood between the years of 1861-1865.


    Third, men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. Men are given specific rights by God, not by governments; and those rights are unalienable: not only can they not be taken away, they can't even be given away.


    Fourth, among those rights are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.  Every man is entitled to his life. Every man is entitled to his freedom, every man is entitled to pursue his well being.


    The purpose of governments, any government, is to secure these rights. The government has an obligation to God to secure the rights of its people, and it gets the consent to do so from the people. The Declaration goes on to proclaim that when a  government fails to secure the rights of its people "it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."


    Is the government of the United States of America currently meeting its obligation to its people? Has the government strayed from the "why" of its existence? I believe the answer is yes, and I'll be spelling out why over the next few posts. 


     Stay tuned.......

Open Letter To James Clyburn

     Ah, James Clyburn. Jimmy---may I call you that? No? Ok, Jimmy.


     Jimmy, you've recently said that Mitt Romney's reference to the "politics of envy" was like saying to Rosa Parks that she's just envious that some white dude has a seat in the front of the bus. You're a jackass, Jimmy. Everything to you is seen through melanin colored glasses. You're so blinded by your own racism that you can't think straight.


     Let's talk economics, shall we, Jimmy? You wail and moan about "inequality", yet you never want to talk about why there is "inequality".  You see, Jimmy. I'm not a politician. I'm not interested in, nor am I going to be pigeon-holed by, politically correct nonsense.


     The reason there is "inequality" is because some people actually get up off their butts and do things. They build things, they provide services, they manufacture goods---and then they sell those goods and services to people who have need or want of those goods and services. And get this, Jimmy, they do it at a profit. They bust their tails to put a little food on their tables and a few dollars in the bank.


     On the other hand, Jimmy, there are those who wouldn't get up off their butts to jump in a lake if their pants were on fire. They expect everything to be handed to them due to some misguided sense of entitlement. They think that they are owed something from those who are doing. You wanna know why they think this, Jimmy? Because of you and idiots like you, that's why.


    You wail and moan because black Americans continually seem to be at a disadvantage and you immediately blame whitey. Tell me something, Jimmy. How is it that the black American family was in a better economic and integral situation during Jim Crow (an invention of your Democrat party, by the way) than they are now? You don't want to answer the question, do you Jimmy? Well, here it is. The black American family, though disadvantaged by Jim Crow (Democrat invention), was intact. 


     Instead of listening to Dr. Martin Luther King, and desiring simple legal equality, you and your ilk such as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson began to tell black Americans that they were owed more than freedom. They were owed by ol' whitey everything necessary for their existence. Intentionally or not, you sent the message to black men that they are no longer responsible for their families. Instead, you telegraphed that the government was gonna step in as provider of the black family. Stupid move, Jimmy. Now you've got a couple of generations of black men who, instead of being responsible fathers, are populating America's slums with fatherless children while they themselves are populating America's prisons. You should be ashamed of yourself, Jimmy.


     Congratulations, Jimmy. This is your legacy:

     When it should have been this:

     Jimmy, you jackass. You wonder why there is "inequality" in America. You're too stupid to recognize why. You wail and moan, yet you ignore the reality that is staring you in the face. 


     Instead of engaging the real problem and seeking solutions to it, you find a way to ignore it and just blame this guy instead:

    Jimmy, just keep in mind that there was another historical figure that used similar projection tactics:

    Only he had another race in mind:

    
     Jimmy, you might want to think about your actions before you open your mouth with your inane stupidity. 

The Occupation

     Enemy occupied territory---that is what the world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.---C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity


   You and I are living in occupied territory. In fact, some of you may very well align yourselves with the Occupier. The Occupier has set his kingdom up where it doesn't belong. He has come in and made the rightful citizens of the part of the universe called Earth his servants. The native population of Earth not only believed the lies of the Occupier, but openly embraced his rule. I myself was once an embracer of the Occupier.


     Now, the Occupier has set himself up in a position of power in all kinds of places on Earth, from corporate boardrooms to government palaces. The Occupier is wily in his manners and subtle in his deceptions. He allows men to believe that they are powerful and mighty, though he pulls the strings and levers. The Occupier has operatives in all the high places of power on Earth. He uses men for his own selfish intentions. He doesn't love them. In fact, he loathes them. He hates them, in spite of the fact that they've embraced him, because they bear the image of the rightful King of Earth; his sworn enemy.


    In fact, the Occupier hates men so much that he entices them to commit atrocious acts against each other. He is the author of war. He preys on the vain conceits of men. He has such influence on them that they have taken on his attributes. The Occupier has been successful in marring the image of his enemy borne by men and has brought his own image to bear on them.


    The Occupier has a solid hold on the territory that he has conquered, but things aren't always like they seem. You see, the King; the rightful ruler of Earth has been busy. He has sent operatives of His own to Earth. They have communicated messages to men who are disposed to oppose the Occupier. These men have been actively recruiting rebels into the service of the King. In fact, the King himself came to Earth to appoint rebels to build an army of resistance on Earth. The rebel armies are growing by the day, though the media outlets and propaganda of the Occupier suppress the reports. The growing population of rebels are being systematically targeted for annihilation by the forces of the Occupier. With each attack, though; the rebels are hardened and more determined. They know that all-out war is coming between the Occupier and the King, and they are working to prepare. The goal is to recruit as many of the Occupier's servants to the side of the King as possible before the official outbreak of hostilities. They know that the King is patient and longsuffering to those under the Occupier's influence, but they also understand that the King has set a date for invasion. He is determined to reclaim that which is His, and no force in existence will deny Him what is His.


     I have rebelled against the Occupier, Satan, and have decided to offer myself in service to the King, Jesus Christ. I write this to plead with you to rebel also. Time is running out. Invasion is coming. Which side are you on?


     Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me and I will give to each person according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.  I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.

The Return Of Slavery

How does it feel to be a slave? "A slave?", you say. Yes, a slave.


Slave--n. A human being who is owned as property by, and who is absolutely subject to the will of, another; bondservant divested of all freedom and personal rights...


"I'm not a slave," you say. "I'm not owned as property by another," you say. "I'm not divested of all freedom and personal rights," you say.  Oh really?


Slavery was ended in the United States of America in on January 1, 1863, right? Yes. That was the day in which President Abraham Lincoln issued his famous Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves held within the United States of America to be free men. 


The United States of America remained slavery free for 50 years. 


By now, of course, you think I've fallen off the deep end, but I assure you, I haven't. You see, a slave is a person who is owned by someone else, who works not for his own welfare, but for the welfare of others. A slave does not even own his own toil, it belongs to another.


From 1863, fast forward 50 years. You'll find yourself in the year 1913. In 1913, under the administration of Woodrow Wilson, the Congress of the United States amended the Constitution to once again legalize slavery. On February 3 Congress approved the 16th amendment to the Constitution, allowing for taxation of income.


You may ask, "How does this legalize slavery?" By taking your toil from you for the benefit of someone else. Think about it. The Fourth Amendment states: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, and no Warrants may issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.


To be secure in your person is to be secure in your body. In other words, your body is your property, your mind is your property, your talents are your property. Your income is derived between you and another party (your employer, your customer) because you have chosen to barter your property for the property of another.  For example, Jim is a mechanic. Jim has the ability to use his body, his mind, and his talents to repair automobiles. Suppose I need a repair done to my truck. I take my truck to Jim. Jim repairs my truck for $500. Free men receive something in return for their labor.


Now, if Jim were a free man, he would have $500. But Jim isn't a free man. Jim is required by his government to pay 35% of that $500 in taxes. In other words, the government has just laid claim to 35% of Jim. That, my friends is slavery. 


The income tax is evil. It is a penalization of productivity. The American worker is being penalized by the government that is supposed to be protecting him. Not only is he being penalized for his productivity, but the assets seized from him without probable cause and without a warrant, is being used to reward the slothfulness of others. This is abhorrent.


"But the government has to collect revenues!", you say. Yes it does. Herein lies the rub. When the American taxpayer is bartering for something of value with his tax dollars, he doesn't really have a problem. When the government is using his tax dollars to see to it's Constitutionally appointed duties, there is no problem.


The Constitution gives Congress certain, limited responsibilities. One of these is the responsibility of maintaining a Navy. The taxpayer has no problem paying a small amount of taxes to pay for the Navy, because it gives something of value back to him, namely a secure and safe nation. He has no problem paying a small amount of taxes for building and maintaining roads; roads are a value to him. Congress' responsibilities and the means of paying for them should be looked at as business transactions. When I go to Walmart, I get a receipt that lists every item I payed for, and exactly what it costs. I agree to that cost, because the items I barter my cash for are valuable to me. If there is something on that receipt that I do not desire, I demand a refund of my money.


The American taxpayer shouldn't be penalized for earning a living, but simply given the bill for the things the Constitution requires of his government, and not a penny more. It's high time the American taxpayer start demanding a refund.

J-Mac On The Issues

Welcome to the Republican Primary Debate here on WXYZ Channel 6. I'm your moderator, Kip Withers. Our first question is from Niles Sneedledum of San Francisco. It's for Mr. Mac.

I have a degrees in linguistics and in Oriental philosophy, and I cannot find a decent job. What will you do to subsidize my future? 

Well, Niles, it is not the taxpayers' responsibility to subsidize your future. As a matter of fact, it isn't the taxpayers' responsibility to subsidize anything. You live in the greatest country on the face of the earth as a free man. Your future is in your hands, and it is wide open. As your President I will do absolutely nothing to subsidize your future. I have faith in you, even if you have no faith in yourself. Get up and go to work, it won't kill you.

OK, we have another question for Mr. Mac. This one comes from Andy Barnett.

What definitive steps would you take to curb the increasing trend of SCOTUS legislating from the bench? 

Great question, Andy. But, the President cannot really do anything about this. This is the responsibility of the Legislative branch of government; the Congress. Unfortunately the Congress is full of crooks and weasels. They do not have the moral courage to exercise proper Congressional authority when it comes to legislation. The sad reality is that our elected "representatives", and I use that term loosely, do not even read the bills they vote on. How in the world can a legislative body legislate properly when it fails to even know what it is legislating. So, to remedy judicial legislating, you and the American people have to replace the Congress. Until that happens, nothing changes.

Our next question is also for Mr. Mac. It comes from Ima in Pennsylvania.

 Can you prove to me that a fetus is a baby? 

This is actually easy, Ima. The entire argument revolves around the notion of a fetus not being a distinct human being. My blood type is A Positive. My mother's blood type is O Negative. Now, even in the earliest days of my gestation, my blood type was A Positive while my mother's blood type was O Negative. Now, this proves that I was not simply part of her body, but distinctly separate and distinctly human, and a very young human who is unable yet to walk or talk is a baby.

Mr. Mac, Matt in Idaho sends in this question.

 Which gun laws would you sign repeals for if given the chance?

Excellent question, Matt. Given the chance, I would sign repeals of every gun law save one: A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

Another question for Mr. Mac, from Kini in Hawaii.

Will you repeal all of Obamacare, or just parts of it?

This also goes back to the Congress. Give me a Congress that will put a repeal of Obamacare in full on the Resolute Desk, and I will sign it immediately.

Mr. Mac, our final question of the night comes from Charlotte in New Mexico.

Most of you don't believe that we can solve the illegal alien problem by enforcing the law. Do you believe that we could solve it by attrition, by using E-Verify and going after employer's licenses and fining them harshly and not allowing illegal aliens to draw benefits and entitlements?

Ha! New Mexico! Just like Old Mexico, only newer! Seriously, though; my proposals for illegal immigration are simple. The first step is to stop the bleeding. We seal the border, from the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico. Once the bleeding is stopped, we begin surgery. Step two: all illegal aliens in the United States have 30 days to apply for citizenship. Anyone in the United States illegally in the United States after the 30 days who hasn't applied for citizenship will be automatically deported, no exceptions. All aliens who have applied for citizenship will have to go through the same procedures as any other person seeking U.S. citizenship. Any alien in the U.S. who, after having applied for citizenship but yet to take the oath of citizenship, is arrested and convicted of a crime, even a misdemeanor, will be automatically deported. All aliens in the U.S. who have applied for citizenship and are in the middle of the naturalization process will be given a tax ID number, and taxes collected on their income, just as it is collected from American citizens. No taxpayer benefits will be paid to anyone in the United States illegally, nor to anyone seeking citizenship who has yet to take the oath of citizenship. And yes, I support an amendment limiting American citizenship to people born to American citizens and people who have undergone the naturalization process.

Thank you for tuning in to the Republican Primary Debate on WXYZ Channel 6. Once again, this is Kip Withers signing off!