Feb 18, 2023

Sweet Rayburn or Just an Old Dog with a low growl

Sweet doesn't fit me.

Here in this haven of old people, where Bettie and I now live, several people have addressed me as "Sweet Rayburn".  Dementia is not uncommon among the elderly.  I am no more "sweet" than an old Rottweiler protecting his Master's children.  So, who, or what, am I at 92?
I am an unabashed truth-seeking realist who may be kind to little children, the elderly, and victims of the evil, but I am the frail nemesis of killers, criminals, rapists, communists and corrupt politicians.  I am merciless to the merciless and intolerant of the intolerant.  I will forgive my personal enemies, but not the enemies of God. That is His business.  I am an ancient Marine, and sinner, who surrendered his life, at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in North Korea, to preach Jesus and the grace of God to other hopeless sinners.   That I have done, but not without human flaws.  I relate to the Apostle Paul who claimed to be "the chief of sinners" in 1 Tim. 1:15. But that did not stop him from preaching Jesus and God's grace to a lost world.

I must confess that, in my final years of pastoring, when dealing with difficult and complaining old people, I often prayed that God would make me a sweet old man. But I remain an old Rottweiler with a lot of scars and little else to offer but sweet Jesus to the repentant and a low growl to His enemies.



Feb 10, 2023

The Woke Insanity Spreads Like A Plague

Incomprehensible, but proves Satan is real


That Canada is becoming less tolerant comes as no surprise, but even so a Catholic high school getting one of their 16-year-old students arrested is a bit of a shock, especially when the heart of the issue is his religious beliefs.


Josh Alexander was arrested by police Monday afternoon for breaching an exclusion order, but the real crime that the student is being punished for is upholding his Catholic beliefs and doing so in what some would no doubt think is a defiant and troublesome manner.

Josh, a Christian, believes there are only two genders, that people can’t switch genders, and that male students shouldn’t use girls’ washrooms. But expressing those views in a classroom discussion on gender at St. Joseph’s Catholic High School in Renfrew, Ont., got him suspended.

“I got suspended for comments made during a class discussion,” said Josh in an interview. “It was about male students using female washrooms, gender dysphoria and male breastfeeding. Everyone was sharing their opinions on it, any student who wanted to was participating, including the teacher.


“I said there were only two genders and you were born either a male or a female and that got me into trouble. And then I said that gender doesn’t trump biology.”

“Freedom once taken for granted is lost,” the Grade 11 student added. “Freedom of religion is probably one of our most important freedoms so I’m not going to surrender it in the face of persecution.

“It just goes to show how little freedom of expression we have in our country.”

James Kitchen, a lawyer from the Liberty Defense Fund which is representing Josh, said in a statement that the student was told he could only return to school “if he agreed not to use the ‘dead name’ of any transgender student and agreed to exclude himself from his two afternoon classes because those classes are attended by two transgender students who disapprove of Josh’s religious beliefs.”

Josh said he had never “dead named” anyone, that is referred to their previous name before transitioning.

“Compelling Josh to utter falsehoods regarding gender contrary to his beliefs and segregating him from classes are repugnant manifestations of religious discrimination,” said Kitchen.

Matters escalated when Josh was later served with an exclusion order.

On Monday, when he tried to go school, the cops were called and he got arrested.

“I walked into one of my classes. I sat down and everyone looked pretty surprised to see me there. Within two minutes the vice-principal was in the classroom asking me to leave,” Josh said.

He left the class and “almost immediately I was met with the police.” Josh was put in the back of a cruiser, driven off property and later released and charged with trespassing.


Some will say Josh knew what he was doing, that he was breaking the rules by trespassing and he suffered the consequences.

But is that the society we want to become? Arresting 16-year-old kids for turning up at school when they’ve been suspended for their religious beliefs? Was there no other way? Could the school not have tried harder to find a solution? Was calling the police really the only option?

It appears we are now so intolerant that we cannot stand people defending their religious beliefs in a classroom at a supposedly religious school.

Josh doesn’t appear to be a shrinking violet. He obviously holds strong beliefs and is passionate about them.

Maybe he’s seen as troublesome. Maybe his religious principles seem quaint, outdated and decidedly un-woke. The principal of St Joseph’s probably wishes he had never heard of him.


But being a pain in the nether region shouldn’t be a criminal offence and we shouldn’t be using charges like trespassing to turn it into one.

“I think I used to be seen as a Christian kid following my beliefs, but now apparently I’m the rebel,” he said.

“The school knows I’m not trying to be a problematic kid. The police know that as well. They didn’t even put me in cuffs when they arrested me. They know that I wasn’t actually a threat to anybody.”

According to its website, St Joseph’s works to promote “education within a framework of a Catholic Christian environment.”

It adds, “We truly believe in the enhancement of the spiritual, moral, and emotional well-being of those belonging to our community.”

Kitchen, Josh’s lawyer, would disagree.


“Under the guise of ‘safety’, as that term has been revised by woke gender activists now pervasive in public institutions, Josh has been penalized for expressing his Christian beliefs regarding gender and modesty, beliefs which also happen to align with both objective truth and actual safety,” he said in a statement. “Josh not only has a right to express himself during class discussions and through public forums, he also has a right not to be discriminated against by his school for his sincere religious beliefs. Being suspended and excluded from attending classes is the height of discrimination.

“Josh will continue to courageously stand for his beliefs, for truth, and for girls whose voices of concern over their actual safety are being drowned out by the outraged nonsense of the woke mob, even if that means sacrificing his ability to attend St. Joseph’s.”


In a statement, the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board said it “deeply respects religious freedoms. This is fundamental to our values as a Catholic school board. Our Mission states: ‘We are an inclusive Catholic learning community called to love unconditionally and educate hearts and minds in the way of Christ.”

The board said on human rights issues, it takes its guidance from the policies issued by the Ontario Human Rights (OHR) Commission and directives issued by the Ministry of Education.

Its washroom practices follow the OHR guidelines that state that trans people “have the right to access these facilities based on their lived gender identity.”

St. Joseph’s school principal Derek Lennox declined an interview saying in an email, “The information that you requested is protected under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act as it deals with a specific student, therefore I am unable to respond to your request.”


His email also contained a tagline under the signature which said, “Dear young people, do not bury your talents, the gifts that God has given you! Do not be afraid to dream of great things!” — Pope Francis.

Now that’s irony at its finest.

St. Joseph’s may want Josh Alexander to hide his light under a bushel, but he’s listening to a different teacher.

Dec 17, 2022

Be Prepared

Common Sense Commentary:

One of my first memories is my mother saying, "Rayburn, we must get things ready for school tomorrow. You must be prepared to learn many new things."  Then when I was a little older, my dad told me to run as fast as I could, every day, around the country mile of dirt roads around where we lived.  He said it was important to prepare my body to endure future hardships.  When I was about eleven, I joined the Boy Scouts and my Scout Master told us boys that the Boy Scout moto is "Be Prepared", and he began teaching us how to survive out in the open by building a shelter, finding water and food, and fire building.  Nearly all my teachers and Pastors, back in the 1930s and 40s, by teaching us the various subjects, were preparing us for a useful and successful future. Most were also concerned with helping us prepare for our spiritual destiny and the preachers, with special emphasis, sought to prepare us to meet God. And then there was the Marine Corps DIs and Master Sergent veterans of WWII who wouldn't give an inch in preparing us to survive the next war and seeing that the enemies of our country did not. 

It is my opinion that the 1950-51 young Marines were the best prepared to fight a new war of any similar military force in history.  The reason?  We were trained and prepared for it just after WWII by the DIs and NCOs who had just fought the many Island battles of the South Pacific... Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, Okinawa, Tarawa, Saipan, Peleliu, and a dozen more. We were prepared for the ultimate Battle of Chosin against the Chinese Communist veterans, in the mountains of North Korea, at the Chosin Reservoir in 20 to 40 degrees below zero. And though we had to withdraw because of the folding up of other UN units on our flanks, we killed or wounded 34,000 of the enemy, ten times more casualties than we suffered in that one two-week battle.  We were PREPARED!

That was exactly 72 years ago this month.  Now there is another, much more serious, crisis just unfolding upon us.  But this time it is a world-wide calamity and will affect every area of life in every nation. I don't have to tell you about it because it is in all the news and being commented on daily. If you are not prepared, you may still have time to if you don't delay.  So, store up some long-life food, and do it now.  A wise man once said, " It is better to store up and prepare for what does not happen than to neglect to prepare for what does happen."

"And (Jesus) said also unto his disciples, there was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.  And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.   

I have been preparing since I left the Marine Corps in 1952 but such a crisis never happened ... util now.  Two of the main ways I prepared was becoming frugal and saving resources.  Frugality ... and becoming a saver are not an end within themselves.  And they are not just good elements of character.  They, like insurance, are elements of preparation for unexpected ... but certain storms of hard times to come... very difficult times of greater need.  It may just be old age, or serious medical need.  But it may be war, plague, starvation, world financial failure, or fire or flood, but the time of great need will arrive.  And don't miss the fact that frugality and savings and timely, correct investment is simply Scriptural Stewardship.    Pray for our nation and God's people around the world.


Nov 4, 2022

My Skys Are Blue

Barbed Wire Fence Commentary: 
No Complaints, Just Scratched Up A Bit

I remember when                            But now I see ....
                                         
My hair was thick                             My teeth are old
My eyes were bright                         I've lost my sight
My feet were quick                           My feet are slow
My teeth were white                         My hair is white
                                         
A way back then                             There's more to tell....
                                         
My back was strong                          My back is bent
My brain was too                              My brain is too
My walks were long                         My knees are spent
My Skys were blue                           But my Skys are blue
                 
                                                          It's No Complaints And 
                                                          Hello Heaven Time

Oct 20, 2022

A Black Swan? No ... A Whole Flock Of Them Circling The Earth Hungrily

Looking for feasting places ...


I don't have to give you a long list of the earth-shattering catastrophes suddenly plaguing this world, they cannot be ignored or unknown to any conscious, literate person alive anywhere on earth.

All of these globally affecting black swan events which have suddenly fallen upon the entire world, at the same time, seem an obvious collusion of evil forces leading up to the biblical rapture and then the tribulation period.  This flock of world-wide, hyper-crisis, occurrences are too many, too extensive, and too devastating to be a mere happenstance.  They seem to be a unified precursor to the Antichrist's reign over the world which is also preceded by the rapture of Christians and will end after seven years with Christ's return to earth to set up His Millennial Kingdom.  If that is what this is, things will get a lot worse ... but true Christians will not be here.  The correct expectation is this, that Christians should be anticipating the appearance of Christ ... not the Antichrist.  If you think these are the first days of the actual 7-year Tribulation Period, then you must believe that Christ's return "in the clouds", for the Rapture, will occur during the Tribulation and His return to earth to establish His Millennial Kingdom ... soon after in 2029-30.  So, you have set a time for both, and you are looking for the reveling of Antichrist's identity instead of the first phase of Christ's return, to rapture His people, bride, church for its first universal assembly.  If you can know the beginning of the Tribulation, you also will know when Christ will return to rapture, at mid-trib, in 3&1/2 years, if you are a mid-triber.  If that is the case, you are not looking for the Rapture but for the Tribulation, and not for Christ's coming but for the Antichrist's coming. 

Here is what Jesus said about the Last Days, Rapture, Tribulation, and Millennium in Matt.24 (KJV).

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

25 Behold, I have told you before.

26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.


Sep 10, 2022

Democracy Is The Worse Form Of Government, Except For The Rest?

Quote Winston Churchill.

The following article by Brian Maher, in the Daily Reckoning, is, though more or less a spoof, very thought provoking, but must be read to the end to get his conclusion.  For my readers, we must remember that, in the Bible, there were no Democracies, but many Monarchies or Autocracies, even among God's people, the Jews, King Solomon, King David, King Jesus etc. RB

Two centuries ago, a somewhat obscure Scotsman named Tytler made this profound observation: "A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury."  (I think we have arrived at our due date. RB)

The queen of England’s demise has turned our 

mind to monarchy — and democracy.

English royalty had long been defanged, declawed and 

demoted. Today’s monarch is but a totem of sorts, an 

ornament on the hood of an automobile or the top of 

a Christmas tree.

The United Kingdom is a parliamentary democracy. 

It is therefore subject to all the glories, benefits, 

advantages, swindles, vanities and preposterous-

-nesses that democracy offers.

Is democracy superior to monarchy? We have taken 

up the question before (see below).

Today we take up a related question: Is the profligate 

central bank the creation of popular democracy?

Writer Paul Rosenberg — author of Production Versus 

Plunder:

The central issue here is that central banks were 

made practical only by the modern version of 

democracy. Given that “democracy” is a sacred 

dogma these days, that message can be a hard fit.

Nonetheless, the fact is that central banking, and 

giant banks in general, were impractical until 

democracy was instituted.

You have captured our interest, sir. Please continue:

Prior to democracy, loans were undertaken by 

monarchs, who were personally responsible for 

their loans… many rulers simply refused to pay 

loans they had taken. King Philip II of Spain refused 

to pay back his loans at least a dozen times.

Because of this, banking was seriously limited. 

Bankers developed techniques of dealing with 

sovereign defaults, of course, but central banking as 

we know it was more or less impossible.

The institution of democracies and republics, however, 

solved that problem.

But how?

Under democracy, loans are not debited to an 

individual, but to the nation as a whole.

This device of “public credit” makes all citizens, and 

their children, responsible for repaying the loan. From 

the institution of democracy and public credit onward, 

loaning money to a government gave the banker a 

legal and perpetual claim against the people.

That is, democracy “socialized” the banking system. 

The citizen stands in back of the loan:

The person who signs for the loan ends up bearing 

almost no responsibility, and gets to spend all the 

money.

Millions of people who never approved the debt are 

left holding the bag, and passing the obligation to 

their children.

This is how $30 trillion of debt can be piled up on 

top of an otherwise reasonable populace. Under a 

monarchy, this couldn’t have happened.

Here Mr. Rosenberg cites the poet Percy Shelly:

The device of public credit was first systematically 

applied as an instrument of government... The most 

despotic governments of antiquity were strangers 

to this invention, which is a compendious method 

of extorting from the people far more than praetorian 

guards, and arbitrary tribunals... could ever wring.

Neither the Persian monarchy nor the Roman 

empire, where the will of one person was acknow-

ledged as unappealable law, ever extorted a 

twentieth part the proportion now extorted from the 

property and labor of the inhabitants of Great Britain.

Substitute the inhabitants of Great Britain for the inhabit-

ants of the United States — or any other “advanced” 

nation — and you have the flavor of it.

Why haven’t we citizens seized our pitchforks and run 

the central bankers through?

Voting. Voting offers us the illusion of control. The 

swindle is a self-swindle.

Here this Rosenberg fellow cites Mr. John K. Galbraith:

When people put their ballots in the boxes, they are, 

by that act, inoculated against the feeling that the 

government is not theirs. They then accept, in some 

measure, that its errors are their errors, its aberra-

tions their aberrations, that any revolt will be 

against them.

Ignorance is bliss, it is often said. There is your proof.

Yet as is also said: Ignorance is costly…

Below, we republish our reflections on monarchy and 

democracy. Which is superior? Read on.

Regards,

Brian Maher
Managing Editor, The Daily Reckonin

The Daily Reckoning Presents: Is democracy truly 

superior to monarchy?…

******************************

Democracy vs. Monarchy

By Brian Maher

Brian Maher

BRIAN
MAHER

Today we trample sacred ground… 

trumpet a message of heresy… and 

offend the pieties. For we challenge 

the cherished and soothing assump-

tions of democracy.

In 2001, academic Hans-Hermann Hoppe scribbled 

a book bearing the soaring title Democracy: The God 

That Failed. Hoppe’s work is a dart leveled against that 

holiest of secular divinities.

Hoppe’s primary tort against democracy?

It wastes. It exhausts its capital. It forever takes the 

short view. Hoppe uses the economic concept of 

time preference to nail his point through.

A Jill with low time preference delays her gratification 

until the future. She is disciplined. She is willing to 

have her cake later — only after she has tended to 

her duties.

But a Jack with high time preference orients toward 

present consumption. He wants his cake now — and 

the future can go scratching.

Democracy, in Hoppe’s regard, “wants it now.” It is a 

spendthrift, a profligate, a child at large in a candy 

store.

As the drunkard cannot see beyond the next drink… 

democracy cannot see past the next election.

The problem, says Hoppe, is that democratic 

leaders do not own the machinery of government. 

It is theirs on 

temporary loan. Thus the democratic politician is 

a mere placeholder.

But is that not our system’s cardinal virtue — that 

power 

is not permanently lodged in a single vessel? A 

rotating 

roster of rogues is far superior to one alone, you 

counter.

Otherwise, the American Revolution was a vast 

swindle, 

and the Fourth of July is a blackguard’s holiday.


A Prearranged Raid on the Treasury

But because a leader under democracy does not own 

the government apparatus, argues Hoppe, he has no 

incentive to maximize its value. Instead, he tends to 

deplete it. His limited time horizon forces him toward 

immediate gratification.

That is, he must get while the getting is there to be gotten.

Consider the aspiring democratic official who seeks the 

franchise of a demanding public.

He may feel the tug of fiscal conscience. But should he 

fail to gratify the crowd’s clamorings, he knows the other 

fellow will. And our democratic aspirant will lose his 

election.

So he offers up the requisite sweets.

If Social Security benefits must increase to sweep him 

into office, they will increase. Will it take more Medicare 

benefits, more unemployment insurance, more welfare? 

Then these you will see.

His election represents a prearranged raid upon the 

Treasury. If the national purse is thin, if the burden 

cannot be met from existing stocks, then let it go upon 

the credit card.

Is the business sordid? Might it eventually throw the 

Republic into bankruptcy?

Well, eventually is a long way off, he says. Let it fall 

into the next fellow’s lap. Besides, we’ll simply grow 

our way out of it.

This is the office-seeker under modern democracy.

Compare, for a moment, democratic government 

with a rented automobile…

Who Ever Washed a Rental Car?

The renter does not own the auto. He, therefore, has no 

regard for its long-term health. So he over-accelerates 

the engine. He pummels the brakes. Down its gullet, he 

pours the lowest-test gasoline. Would he ever check the 

oil?

And who, may we inquire, has ever run a rental through 

a wash?

Here Hoppe applies the theory to democratic govern-

ment:

It must be regarded as unavoidable that public-govern-

ment ownership results in continual capital consump-

tion. Instead of maintaining or even enhancing the 

value of the government estate, as a king would do, 

a president (the government’s temporary caretaker 

or trustee) will use up as much of the government 

resources as quickly as possible, for what he does 

not consume now, he may never be able to consume… 

For a president, unlike for a king, moderation offers 

only disadvantages.

Hoppe speaks of a king.

Unlike democracy, Hoppe contends, monarchy takes the 

long view. The monarch owns the apparatus of govern-

ment. As will his heirs. So he naturally inclines to policies 

that increase the value of his property over time.

If Social Security, Medicare and the rest begin to deplete 

the government’s stocks, the monarch will announce a 

halt to them.  (If his subjects ask for his help) RB

“It’s welfare you want, subject? I understand the church 

runs a charity."

“Social Security, you seek? I suggest you begin planning 

early for your retirement. And remember to save against 

the rainy day".

“You say you want health care? I hope you don’t smoke 

or drink too much. And let me mention it now — sugar is 

a far-from-healthful substance. Besides, there are private 

insurers. I can refer you to several if you wish.”


The People Tell the King to Get Bent

Is such a system undemocratic? Certainly.

Callous, perhaps? Well, perhaps it is.

But is it fiscally stable? Yes.

In brief, monarchy may be better with money than 

democracy. It is a superior steward of wealth — at 

least by this theory.

Once again, Hoppe:

While a king is by no means opposed to debt, 

he is constrained in this “natural” inclination by 

the fact that as 

the government’s private owner, he and his heirs 

are considered personally liable for the payment 

of all 

government debts (he can literally go bankrupt, 

or be forced by creditors to liquidate government 

assets).

Consider, as one example:

In 1392, England's Richard II was in arrears to

the Pope in Rome… and required 1,000 pounds 

toward satisfaction of his debt. He did not have it.

So old Rich appeared before the citizens of 

London with an open hat.

Moreover, they refused him. Imagine it!

Freeman Tilden, from his neglected 1936 

masterwork 

A World in Debt:

Kings had power enough to contract 

debts, but found it much more difficult 

to take advantage of that power

… The feudal system, with its insecurity 

and constant 

clash of petty divisions, was not calcu-

lated to invite credit.

In distinct contrast, Hoppe argues, we find 

the democratic president:

A presidential government caretaker is not held liable 

for debts incurred during his tenure of office. Rather, 

his debts are considered “public,” to be repaid by 

future (equally nonliable) governments.

Perhaps this explains — pandemic aside — why the 

national debt of the United States runs to some $31 

trillion?

It is a capital fact beyond all dispute:

Most democratic nations groan beneath bloated 

government… extortionate taxation… and 

Himalayan levels of debt.

Taxes

How does this lovely, lovely state compare with the 

barbarous age of monarchs, Mr. Hoppe?

During the entire monarchical age until the 

second half of the 19th century… the tax burden 

rarely exceeded 5% of national product. Since 

then it has increased constantly. In Western 

Europe it stood at 15–20% of national product 

after World 

War I, and in the meantime it has risen to 

around 50%.

Government spending ran to roughly 10% of GDP 

prior to World War I. It currently nears 50% in 

many democratic 

countries.

Total government spending in this Land of the 

Free amounts 

to 36% of GDP — nearly 40%.

Perhaps in retrospect, the world might have been 

made safe for monarchy in 1917.

And maybe our Colonial forefathers should have 

left old King George alone in 1775. His tax bite 

was so light… it failed to 

break the skin.

Our researches reveal that American Colonial 

taxation ran to about 1% of total income — 1%.

And between 1764 and 1775, claims political 

scientist Alvin Rabushka:

The nearly 2 million white Colonists in America paid on 

the order of about 1% of the annual taxes levied on the 

roughly 8.5 million residents of Britain, or 1/25th, in per 

capita terms…

As traitorous as it may appear, we are half-tempted to 

disinter King George’s innocent bones and throw them 

a much overdue parade.

But let us entertain no more thoughts of heresy.

The Worst System of Government… 

Except for the Rest

Hoppe’s book is actually no call for monarchy. 

As the author himself states at the onset — 

“I am not a monarchist and the following is not 

a defense of monarchy.”

His primary purpose is to diagnose an illness 

— not to prescribe a cure.

Hoppe’s sins against democracy are nonethe-

less of the mortal variety. And mainstream 

academics put him under excommunication 

for his blasphemies.

But to repeat, Hoppe does not call for monarchy. 

Nor do we.

Beneath our seditious motley beats the heart of 

an American patriot… and our blood runs true 

under red, white and blue.

Besides, a king could be every inch the scoundrel 

as an American president. And since he faces no 

election, how could we possibly count upon him 

to say amusing and idiotic things?

Let us, therefore, not discount the comedic value 

of democratic government.

In addition, monarchy is certainly no guarantee 

against bankruptcy — as history records well. 

More than a few ne’er-do-well kings have driven 

their realms to rack and ruin. Who can dispute it?

But it is due more to incompetent kingmanship 

than kingmanship itself. A rascally Henry VIII can 

inherit a throne as easily as a wise Solomon. 

Regardless, it matters little…

Hoppe’s monarchic realm will never exist — not 

in today’s age of mass democracy.

But does it soften his case?

Winston Churchill famously quipped that 

democracy was the worst form of government 

except for the rest.

But upon further reflection, perhaps monarchy 

is the worst form of government… except for 

the rest…

Regards,

Brian Maher

Brian Maher
Managing Editor, The Daily Reckoning


Aug 31, 2022

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:

.... and let them have dominion .... over all the earth...

.... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over .... every living thing that moveth upon the earth."  Gen.1:26-28.

One of the first things a young Seminary student learns is the three "Omni" characteristics of God, Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent, He is All-Powerful, All-Knowing, and All Present. He did not create the first two members of the human race, in His own image and likeness, without a plan.  This Hebrew word for "image" is "tselem" and is also translated as "form" and "show", and probably refers to God's "appearance".  But "Demuth", translated as "likeness" here, is also translated as "manner" and seems to refer to His internal characteristics.  In other words, we look a bit like the Father and also have micro, finite potential to His Macro Infinite attributes of knowledge, power, and presence.  Ours is,,,, a small potential to know, do and be, likenesses to the Father.  These things are infinite in our Creator but, though finite in us, they are still sometimes marvelous to behold in the vast accomplishments of a so endowed person occupying only 5 or 6 cubic feet of presence, with a  cantaloupe-sized brain for knowledge and a few flimsy muscles of power.  That is because this seed-sized chip of stone off of the universal-sized boulder, is in fact, like the seed, embedded with an eternity of potential for life, and like the chip, is as a precious stone of great value, to God. He has created us in His image and likeness to carry out His original charge to go forth and replenish the race and take dominion over the world.  This dominion is in the likeness of our Creator who has dominion over the universe.  This human, dominion, likeness to God, justifies and demands limited, just, and protective Civil Law and Order among all people.  And since this dominion was not given to the few, but to all, Godly, Biblical, legitimate Law and Order requires a system of equal, unbiased, fairness, agreed upon by those affected, and locked into place, as is our US  Constitution.

If God's "dominion" is another of His Omni qualities,, of which he gave humans abbreviated likenesses, to Himself, its effect would tend to justify our free will, but rein in its abusers.
 
So, should we see our Creator's unrestricted, universal, free will, volition and His universal dominion as a fourth and fifth of His "Omni" attributes, of which He has given minute "likenesses" to us?

What about God's love and grace; are they not also omni qualities of God?  Not if His grace and love ceased for Lucifer when He took away his light and cast him out into darkness, and not unless He still loves those evil sinners whom Jesus condemed, "Depart from me, I never knew you." Matt.7:23.  In eternity, when every soul is either in heaven or hell, God's love and grace is omnigrace and omnilove for His born again saints, the bride of Christ.  In fact, since He is Omniscient, that is already true....now.  RB

Aug 26, 2022

Purpose: Choose You This Day Whom You Will Serve" Josh.24:15

There are only two ways to go in life, the Jesus way and all other ways.  This choice of the way of life a person chooses, is the primary reason for human life, the Bible, and the birth and death of Jesus  Christ.  The way of Christ is singular and narrow, including width only wide enough for pure truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  But wide enough for you and Jesus to walk together.  All the other ways of life a person may choose are equal in disqualification and lead down the "broad way" to the same eternal destination.  No matter how highly religious or deeply wicked, without Christ, all other ways, though they are many and broad,  lead to the same destruction. 

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat; Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Matt.7:13-14.

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."  Prov.14:12.
  



But, then, if Jesus walks with you, you are never alone though He may not be visible to human eyes... He is always there.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."  John 10:1

"Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep."  John 10:9