A Free-Will Boat In Predestined River: A Poem

I have spent many  pleasant days and nights on the rivers of North Florida with the men and boys of our church and other friends. While I pastored there, we canoed
the Swannee, Black, Aucilla, Wacissa and Saint Marks Rivers.  These were not rough and rapid rivers like the Natahallia River in North Carolina or many other more dangerous rivers; but there were alligators and moccasins. I have always wanted to canoe the Rio Grande and Pecos Rivers in Texas. They both go through some very isolated, inaccessible and wild areas I would like to see. I may yet do the section of the Rio Grande in the Big Bend State Park which goes through some very deep, precipitous canyons, and can be challenging

A Free-Will Boat In

Predestined River

  Rayburn Blair

Heartaches and troubles in this journey of life
Are like shoals and logjams on the River Strife.
God fashioned the river and He made your boat;
That He controls rivers is worthy of note.
The water carries you where He wants it to go,
With swamps on both sides, do go with His flow.

The choices you have are to the left bank or right,
But there's no going back or stopping your plight.
You can enjoy the trip or back-paddle and whine,
But you will go with that river to the end of the line.
You can do what you will within your own boat,
But where your boat goes is with the river you float.

You may ply the waters of Good River or Bad;
All rivers have trials, happy times and sad,
But YOU must  choose which river you will sail;
Most end in the swamp... just one will prevail.
The choice is yours, but the river... He commands;
Launch there if you will.... to be in His hands.

Your boat contains your own hand and will,
Yet He directs currents and rivers still.
You choose the river, and use the oar,
But He determines all else that's in store.
When you tire of turning side to side,
Relax and enjoy life's river Guide.

What Inspector General Of TARP Told Bill Bonner

Common Sense Commentary: See if you can find the common sense in this....

 

Bill Bonner's Diary Of A Rogue Economist

The financial news is getting boring. The Dow goes only one way – up. But gold fell below $1,400 per ounce yesterday.
Rather than trying to figure it out, yesterday evening we drove down to Zombietown. A friend in Washington had promised to introduce us to Neil Barofsky, inspector general of the TARP program.
You remember TARP? It was the feds' $700 billion program to rescue the US economy from a correction. Neil Barofsky was in charge of it. So we decided to go down and ask him how it turned out....

So... where did the $700 billion go? ...."I wondered the same thing," he said (from memory). "It was amazing to me that no one knew. We gave it to the banks. But no one knew what they did with it. I proposed to Tim Geithner that we find out. He was outraged. He cursed me out, using the F-word. He said it would bring the whole banking system down, if I asked.
"I went ahead and sent out a letter. I didn't really have the authority or the staff to insist. But all of the big banks wrote back. And most of them gave me dodgy responses or gave me the brush-off.
What did they do with the money? They were supposed to increase lending to help bring abou"t a recovery. None of them did that. Instead, they used it to repay each other's loans. In other words, they used it to reduce the amount of credit available... not increase it. And they bought US agency bonds... just as you'd expect. And they paid out their bonuses.
"In other words, they looked out for themselves... just as you'd expect. I didn't know this information was going to bring down the banking system...
"The whole thing was so perverse, I can barely believe it. In a normal financial system, if a bank made a bad bet, it would pay a penalty. Counterparties might lend more money to it, but they'd want higher rates of interest to protect themselves.
"But here, in the bubble years, all the big banks made some of the worst bets in history... and what happened? The government stepped in... and lent them money... at lower rates of interest. They were rewarded for their mistakes. The good banks – that didn't have the backing of the government – actually paid higher rates of interest to borrow money than the bad banks.
"Another thing I wanted to know was exactly how much money was really at risk. We gave away $700 billion. But we also guaranteed loans... and gave lines of credit... and stood behind various financial transactions. I asked how much was at stake... how much was at risk. No one seemed to know. So we added it up. We found a total of $23 trillion. That's ‘trillion' with a capital ‘T.'
"Again, I'm not saying that we would ever have to pay out that much. Some of this was guarantees on top of guarantees and cross-guarantees... very murky... very difficult to disentangle. But I thought it was worth knowing how much we had at risk. And again, the banks didn't want to tell. And the people in the Treasury department didn't want to know.
"The more questions I asked, the more I found myself isolated... and at odds with the Treasury Department, as well as the banks. I was having shouting matches in the Treasury. The banks hated me. And then the undersecretary of the Treasury called me into his office.
"He explained that if I eased up on the banks, I could have a very nice career after the TARP appointment expired. If I didn't play ball with them, I would find it hard to find a job.
"That's how it works. You go along and you get along. If you don't go along with the scams and the technical mumbo jumbo... you're out."
That's how a zombie economy works, dear reader. The zombies throttle the girls. You look the other way. Or else...
Regards,

What WereThey Thinking????

Common Sense Commentary:  What is it about the human brain that compels some people to always "think" down the wrong direction on a one lane, one way road ? Mentally moving, always, against simple, common sense logic seems to be the compulsive destiny of all flaming left wing Liberals. Are they born with that perverted trait or did they learn it after birth? Is it hereditary or environmental? Strangely, no amount of facts, reason, logic or other proof seems to register on their minds. It's almost like they are closet aliens from outer space who read and speak English but all the words have different meanings than the dictionary definitions and what normal, reasonable people understand.  Most of their intelligentsia seem to be sympathizers or members of the ACLU. In all the years of existence of the ACLU, they have gotten two things right out of a total of 10,962 issues. How is that possible? It's one of the major mysteries of all the history of human-kind.  One of my great grandsons, when told that someone he knows believed in abortion, slapped his 7 year old head, and exclaimed, "What was she thinking"?  Don't you often ask yourself that when you hear what Liberal left-wing politicians are doing with out nation and Constitution? I do. RB

Example:
According to the left wing zealots we have in politics...

We're not supposed to judge all Muslims
by the acts of a few "crazies".
But the acts of a few American "crazies" is enough
to judge all Americans who own guns.

"Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward."  Isa.1:4.

A Sudden Glance At The Inside Of The World Bank

Common Sense Commentary:  "And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny...." Rev.6:6

Karen Hudes is a former Senior Counsel at the World Bank. You can't get much higher in the power infrastructure, of an organization, than that. She was fired for blowing this shrill whistle from inside Basel's Tower Of Babel headquarters building of the World Bank, which is the bankers bankers bank. It is the capstone of the pyramid of World Central Banks, the top of the top, where world  banking laws are made and enforced. RB 


Wednesday, 22 May 2013 10:28

World Bank Insider Blows Whistle on Corruption, Federal Reserve

Written by  Alex Newman in    The New American

A former insider at the World Bank, ex-Senior Counsel Karen Hudes, says the global financial system is dominated by a small group of corrupt, power-hungry figures centered around the privately owned U.S. Federal Reserve. The network has seized control of the media to cover up its crimes, too, she explained. In an interview with The New American, Hudes said that when she tried to blow the whistle on multiple problems at the World Bank, she was fired for her efforts. Now, along with a network of fellow whistleblowers, Hudes is determined to expose and end the corruption. And she is confident of success. 

Citing an explosive 2011 Swiss study published in the PLOS ONE journal on the “network of global corporate control,” Hudes pointed out that a small group of entities — mostly financial institutions and especially central banks — exert a massive amount of influence over the international economy from behind the scenes. “What is really going on is that the world’s resources are being dominated by this group,” she explained, adding that the “corrupt power grabbers” have managed to dominate the media as well. “They’re being allowed to do it.”

According to the peer-reviewed paper, which presented the first global investigation of ownership architecture in the international economy, transnational corporations form a “giant bow-tie structure.” A large portion of control, meanwhile, “flows to a small tightly-knit core of financial institutions.” The researchers described the core as an “economic ‘super-entity’” that raises important issues for policymakers and researchers. Of course, the implications are enormous for citizens as well.

Hudes, an attorney who spent some two decades working in the World Bank’s legal department, has observed the machinations of the network up close. “I realized we were now dealing with something known as state capture, which is where the institutions of government are co-opted by the group that’s corrupt,” she told The New American in a phone interview. “The pillars of the U.S. government — some of them — are dysfunctional because of state capture; this is a big story, this is a big cover up.”

At the heart of the network, Hudes said, are 147 financial institutions and central banks — especially the Federal Reserve, which was created by Congress but is owned by essentially a cartel of private banks. “This is a story about how the international financial system was secretly gamed, mostly by central banks — they’re the ones we are talking about,” she explained. “The central bankers have been gaming the system. I would say that this is a power grab.”

The Fed in particular is at the very center of the network and the coverup, Hudes continued, citing a policy and oversight body that includes top government and Fed officials. Central bankers have also been manipulating gold prices, she added, echoing widespread concerns that The New American has documented extensively. Indeed, even the inaccurate World Bank financial statements that Hudes has been trying to expose are linked to the U.S. central bank, she said. 

“The group that we’re talking about from the Zurich study — that’s the Federal Reserve; it has some other pieces to it, but that’s the Federal Reserve,” Hudes explained. “So the Federal Reserve secretly dominated the world economy using secret, interlocking corporate directorates, and terrorizing anybody who managed to figure out that they were having any kind of role, and putting people in very important positions so that they could get a free pass.”

The shadowy but immensely powerful Bank for International Settlements serves as “the club of these private central bankers,” Hudes continued. “Now, are people going to want interest on their country’s debts to continue to be paid to that group when they find out the secret tricks that that group has been doing? Don’t forget how they’ve enriched themselves extraordinarily and how they’ve taken taxpayer money for the bailout.”

As far as intervening in the gold price, Hudes said it was an effort by the powerful network and its central banks to “hold onto its paper currency” — a suspicion shared by many analysts and even senior government officials. The World Bank whistleblower also said that contrary to official claims, she did not believe there was any gold being held in Fort Knox. Even congressmen and foreign governments have tried to find out if the precious metals were still there, but they met with little success. Hudes, however, believes the scam will eventually come undone.

“This is like crooks trying to figure out where they can go hide. It’s a mafia,” she said. “These culprits that have grabbed all this economic power have succeeded in infiltrating both sides of the issue, so you will find people who are supposedly trying to fight corruption who are just there to spread disinformation and as a placeholder to trip up anybody who manages to get their act together.… Those thugs think that if they can keep the world ignorant, they can bleed it longer.”

Of course, the major corruption at the highest levels of government and business is not a new phenomenon. Georgetown University historian and Professor Carroll Quigley, who served as President Bill Clinton’s mentor, for example, wrote about the scheme in his 1966 book Tragedy And Hope: A History Of The World In Our Time. The heavyweight academic, who was allowed to review documents belonging to the top echelons of the global establishment, even explained how the corrupt system would work — remarkably similar to what Hudes describes.

"The powers of financial capitalism had a far-reaching aim, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole,” wrote Prof. Quigley, who agreed with the goals but not the secrecy. “This system was to be controlled in a feudalist fashion by the central banks of the world acting in concert by secret agreements arrived at in frequent private meetings and conferences. The apex of the system was to be the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland, a private bank owned and controlled by the world's central banks which were themselves private corporations."

But it is not going to happen, Hudes said — at least not if she has something do to with it. While the media are dominated by the “power grabber” network, Hudes has been working with foreign governments, reporters, U.S. officials, state governments, and a broad coalition of fellow whistleblowers to blow the entire scam wide open. There has been quite a bit of interest, too, particularly among foreign governments and state officials in the United States.

Citing the wisdom of America’s Founding Fathers in creating a federal system of government with multiple layers of checks and balances, Hudes said she was confident that the network would eventually be exposed and subjected to the rule of law, stopping the secret corruption. If and when that happens — even if it may be disorderly — Hudes says precious metals will once again play a role in imposing discipline on the monetary system. The rule of law would also be restored, she said, and the public will demand a proper press to stay informed.

“We’re going to have a cleaned-up financial system, that’s where it is going, but in the meantime, people who didn’t know how the system was gamed are going to find out,” she said. “We’re going to have a different kind of international financial system.... It’ll be a new kind of world where people know what’s going on — no more backroom deals; that’s not going to keep happening. We’re going to have a different kind of media if people don’t want to be dominated and controlled, which I don’t think they do.”

While Hudes sounded upbeat, she recognizes that the world is facing serious danger right now — there are even plans in place to impose martial law in the United States, she said. The next steps will be critical for humanity. As such, Hudes argues, it is crucial that the people of the world find out about the lawlessness, corruption, and thievery that are going on at the highest levels — and put a stop to it once and for all. The consequences of inaction would be disastrous.     

^{Photo of World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C.}

Alex Newman, a foreign correspondent for The New American, is currently based in Europe. He can be reached at anewman@thenewamerican.com This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Related articles:

Fed Manipulations in the Crosshairs
After Gold Crash, Experts Point to Central Bank Manipulation
Media Gatekeepers Limit Debate
Bretton Woods
Funding of Bretton Woods II by George Soros Exposed
BRICS Regimes Forge New World Bank, Call for Global Currency
The Emerging Global Fed

My Old Friend Noah Webster

Common Sense Commentary:

I was first introduced to Noah Webster in the 1930's by my third grade teacher. I don't remember if it was my first year in third grade or my second year in the same grade. I think it was the second teacher because she taught me enough to pass me along to the fourth grade teacher.  That was 1939 or 40 just as Noah was copy writing his New International dictionary, second edition. I was so impressed with a man who knew all the words in the English language.... and exactly what they meant, that I have consulted him thousands of times since then. Webster has been a friend of mine for 73 years now. He never avoided the truth even on spiritual issues, unlike some of the newcomers in the field of word mastery. If the question was God, capitalized, he confessed it meant, "The Supreme Being; the eternal and infinite Spirit, Creator and Sovereign of the universe." (All caps by Webster).  If the question was Jesus, Old Noah Webster made his definition clear, "The Son of Mary, the source of the Christian religion and Saviour in the Christian faith." If the question was the Bible, Webster declared, "The book made up of writings accepted by Christians as inspired by God and of divine authority." If the subject was Satan, Webster opined, "In Christian theology, the great adversary of man; the Devil."  When defining Creation, Webster said, "The act of causing to exist, or fact of being brought into existence, by divine power, especially, the act of bringing this world into existence out of nothing." Under
"Salvation", he wrote, "The saving of man from the spiritual consequences of; especially deliverance from sin and eternal damnation through the atonement of Christ; redemption."

From these definitions, of dear old Noah Webster, you can easily see why I call him my friend. He was a man after my own heart. I still use his 1953 updated version of his 1916 copyrighted original.  So the justifiable conclusion you might draw from this diatribe is, "Leave my friend Noah Webster alone." I don't need or want a young whippersnapper Dictionary, full of educated ignorance, to take Webster's place. In my mind that would be like someone sneaking a Nancy Palosi in to replace my wife or a Jesse Jackson to replace my deceased friend Jim Pound. It just doesn't work. There are no convincing replacements for such people. RB

Memorial Day... Lest We Forget

Common Sense Commentary: Memory fades with time and age, but it is our sacred duty to remember those who purchased our freedoms with their lives and wounds. RB

.......Memorial Day... Lest We Forget......
We cannot but forget some very worthy things;
Old age and time forget in quartets and trios;
But if we must forget some lesser beings,
Let us never forget our defending heroes. RB

 

The Path Of The Warrior

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKqT0-3JV5E&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

As Water Seeks It's Own Level, So Truth And Justice

Common Sense Commentary: An exaggeration is a lie; a half truth is a whole lie; a little white lie is a big black lie; a lie is a lie. Only the truth is the truth.

We all understand that water, being liquid, conforms to gravity in seeking it's own level. The straight line, across a tub, pond or lake, of water, testifies to the fact, allowing only for the curvature of the earth.  This principle, minus any curvature effect, is true of truth and justice, as well. Someone's quote or reference to a truth may be twisted, little or much, but the truth itself is not ... cannot be changed from what it is ... a straight, infinite line from it's origin to the throne of God. The truth of a matter may be mis-understood, or mis-used, or exaggerated, or perverted with lying lips, but truth is still and forever the truth. It is as straight as a plumb-line from heaven to hell.  "If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself." 2Tim.2:13.

Justice also seeks it's own, honest level. An injustice may be known by God alone; it may be hidden for a lifetime or buried in an unmarked grave in the middle of nowhere,
but time, truth and God will resurrect it to a destined payday. Justice will prevail if it takes a thousand years."Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." Ecc.8:11.

These are reasons why we should never, never give up on a just cause, a Biblical truth. or a godly principle, though the whole world deny them; though courts, governments, churches and public opinion betray justice, truth and God Himself, we must stand firm
for them, for nothing else matters, if we are wrong on these holy things. They seek their own level, an eternal straight line which reaches across infinity from God, to God.

To hell with liars, perversion and defenders of liars and perversion. To hell with the purveyors of false religion and supporters of false prophets and false religion. To hell with self-righteous salvation, and all who reject God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit ... by rejecting God's word, the Bible, His grace and redemption through Jesus Christ alone. It is to hell all such are headed, it is hell they deserve and to which they shall be cast ... unless they repent (turn around) forsake their sin, believe on Jesus and follow him. It is a straight line, no curves, twists, lies or excuses.  Jesus is our only hope. "...let God be true and every man a liar...." Rom.3:4.  RB

Reggie The Black Lab. I Love dogs. RB

Common Sense Commentary: I think, without any doubt, that dogs are the most faithful, to their master, of any other animal. It is as if being with, protecting and loving their master is 99% of their life and interests. It is true, but socially incorrect, to mention the fact that many dog lovers love their dog more than they love most of their relatives and practically anyone else.  Polls have been taken which showed that some dog lovers admitted that if their dog were drowning in the same pond as a stranger, they would choose to save their dog first ... even if it cost the life of the stranger. I too love dogs. In fact, I love our little dog, Shadow,  even more than my feelings for some people I know.  The only reason I would try to save the stranger first is because it is the Christian thing to do. I could live with not saving my dog first but I would lose a lot of sleep over not rescuing an eternal soul first... even if I did not like the person.  My faith in Christ  demands it.  If I were not a Christian, I am not sure which I would save first, my dog or an obnoxious person.  But I know people who have no doubt ... they would save their dog first. RB

I think you will love this story even if you are a cat lover.

 

 

~ 'Reggie' . . . The Black Lab ~

 

They told me the big black Lab's name was Reggie,

as I looked at him lying in his pen.

The shelter was clean, no-kill,

and the people really friendly.

 

I'd only been in the area for six months, but

everywhere I went in the small college town, people

were welcoming and open. Everyone waves

when you pass them on the street.

 

But something was still missing as I attempted to settle

in to my new life here, and I thought a dog couldn't hurt.

Give me someone to talk to. And I had just seen

Reggie's advertisement on the local news. The shelter

said they had received numerous calls right after,

but they said the people who had come down

to see him just didn't look like "Lab people,"

whatever that meant. They must've thought I did.

 

But at first, I thought the shelter had misjudged me

in giving me Reggie and his things, which consisted

of a dog pad, bag of toys almost all of which were

brand new tennis balls, his dishes and

a sealed letter from his previous owner.

 

See, Reggie and I didn't really hit it off when we got home.

We struggled for two weeks (which is how long the shelter

told me to give him to adjust to his new home). Maybe it

was the fact that I was trying to adjust, too.

Maybe we were too much alike.

 

I saw the sealed envelope. I had completely forgotten

about that. "Okay, Reggie," I said out loud, "let's see

if your previous owner has any advice."

 

 

__________

 

To Whomever Gets My Dog:

 

Well, I can't say that I'm happy you're reading this,

a letter I told the shelter could only be opened by

Reggie's new owner. I'm not even happy writing it.

He knew something was different.

 

So let me tell you about my Lab in the hopes

that it will help you bond with him and he with you.

First, he loves tennis balls. The more the merrier.

Sometimes I think he's part squirrel, the way he hoards them.

He usually always has two in his mouth, and he tries to get

a third in there. Hasn't done it yet. Doesn't matter where

you throw them, he'll bound after them, so be careful.

Don't do it by any roads.

 

 

Next, commands. Reggie knows the

obvious ones ---"sit," "stay," "come," "heel."

He knows hand signals, too: He knows "ball"

and "food" and "bone" and "treat" like nobody's business.

Feeding schedule: twice a day, regular

store-bought stuff; the shelter has the brand.

He's up on his shots. Be forewarned: Reggie hates the vet.

Good luck getting him in the car. I don't know how he

knows when it's time to go to the vet, but he knows.

Finally, give him some time. It's only been Reggie and

me for his whole life. He's gone everywhere with me,

so please include him on your daily car rides if you can.

He sits well in the backseat, and he doesn't bark

or complain. He just loves to be around people,

and me most especially.

 

 

And that's why I need to share one more bit of info with you...

His name's not Reggie. He's a smart dog, he'll get used to it

and will respond to it, of that I have no doubt. But I just couldn't

bear to give them his real name. But if someone is reading this ...

well it means that his new owner should know his real name.

His real name is "Tank." Because, that is what I drive.

 

I told the shelter that they couldn't make "Reggie" available

for adoption until they received word from my company commander.

You see, my parents are gone, I have no siblings, no one I could've

left Tank with ...

and it was my only real request of the Army upon my deployment to Iraq ,

that they make one phone call to the shelter ...

in the "event" ... to tell them that Tank could be put up for adoption.

Luckily, my CO is a dog-guy, too, and he knew where my platoon

was headed. He said he'd do it personally. And if you're reading this,

then he made good on his word.

 

Tank has been my family for the last six years, almost as long

as the Army has been my family. And now I hope and pray that

you make him part of your family, too, and that he will adjust

and come to love you the same way he loved me.

 

If I have to give up Tank to keep those terrible people from coming

to the US I am glad to have done so. He is my example of service and

of love. I hope I honored him by my service to my country and comrades.

 

All right, that's enough. I deploy this evening and have to drop this letter

off at the shelter. Maybe I'll peek in on him and see if he finally got

that third tennis ball in his mouth.

 

Good luck with Tank. Give him a good home, and

give him an extra kiss goodnight - every night - from me.

 

Thank you,

Paul Mallory

_____________________

 

 

I folded the letter and slipped it back in the envelope. Sure,

I had heard of Paul Mallory, everyone in town knew him,

even new people like me. Local kid, killed in Iraq a few

months ago and posthumously earning the Silver Star

when he gave his life to save three buddies.

Flags had been at half-mast all summer.

 

 

 I leaned forward in my chair and rested my

elbows on my knees, staring at the dog.

"Hey, Tank," I said quietly.

The dog's head whipped up, his ears

cocked and his eyes bright.

 

 

"C'mere boy."

He was instantly on his feet, his nails clicking on the hardwood floor.

He sat in front of me, his head tilted, searching for the name

he hadn't heard in months. "Tank," I whispered.

His tail swished.

I kept whispering his name, over and over, and each time,

his ears lowered, his eyes softened, and his posture relaxed

as a wave of contentment just seemed to flood him. I stroked

his ears, rubbed his shoulders, buried my face into

his scruff and hugged him.

"It's me now, Tank, just you and me. Your old pal gave you to me."

Tank reached up and licked my cheek.

"So whatdaya say we play some ball?"

His ears perked again.

"Yeah? Ball? You like that? Ball?"

Tank tore from my hands and disappeared into the next room.

And when he came back, he had three tennis balls in his mouth.

 

  

If you can read this without getting a lump in your

throat or a tear in your eye . . . you don't have a heart!

 

====================================================================

 

"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in

front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."~ G. K. Chesterton

 

If you can't stand behind our troops, please go stand in front of them. RB

Rule One: Look For The Exit

Common Sense Commentary: When I was young, and attended a party, a school or college function, a church social or a conference of some kind, the first thing I looked for was the punch bowl and hors d'oeuvres. As I got older and more mature, the first thing I looked for was friends and acquaintances.  Now that I am older and wiser, the first thing I look for is the restroom and the exits. That is also the first thing I look for when I check into a hotel or a convention center. I now, always, locate exits the first thing.  With all the tornadoes, terrorist attacks, dope addicts, muggers and mass murderers roaming around the country, some people are afraid to even leave the house for any reason.  I get around a lot but don't think I'm not prepared ... with one in the chamber ... just in case.  But, remember, most people who die, do it in a hospital, so stay away from there. Also, more people are killed in their homes than on the streets, so it isn't safe there either.  Actually, the only safe exit from all the dangers and death in this world is the rapture, at the second coming of Christ. He will arrive precisely on time, heralded by trumpets and a shouting Archangel. So powerful is His return to this earth that multitudes of the dead saints of the ages.... arise up from their graves as their eternal spirits re-inhabit their dusty dead bodies which suddenly become glorified as they see Jesus. At that same moment, Christians, who are still alive on earth, will be caught up with the resurrected saints and Jesus will deliver us into the throne room of our God.   "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thess.4:16-17.

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. "  1 Jn.3:2

Like I said, "Rule One: Look For The Exit." I'll see you there! RB

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matt.6:33.
.

The Great Equalizer Of Weakness Against Strength

Common Sense Commentary: Living by faith does not mean expecting God to do for you what you can and should do for yourself. Why should He... Why would He?

There were clearly times when God did not protect His people, the Jews from the Philistines, His prophets from evil abuse, Job from the Chaldeans, John The Baptist from wicked King Herod, Stephen from being stoned to death and the Apostles from martyrdom. And why did Jesus tell all of His Apostles to sell a garment and buy some swords? (Luke 22:36).  There is just one common sense, practical explanation. It is not a contradiction. There is a principle I will call "personal safety responsibility". That is, God always expects us to use our heads in all cases, at all times, and be prepared and alert to preserve our safety and protect our lives against danger and death, to the extent we are able. If you jump off a ten story building, expecting God to protect you, or give you a quick lesson in human flight, you will be disappointed.  If you drive 100 miles per hour through traffic lights and expect God to get you through safely, you will make a big mistake.  God leaves some things in our hands. We are responsible to be cautious, drive safely, avoid excessive danger, and do our best to stay alive and protect ourselves from the criminal element. God will not do for you or me what we can and should do for ourselves. Why would He?   Besides trusting God to protect you, there are some things He expects you to do. There are two very effective ways of protecting your family from home invasion or unexpected attack by thugs or lunatics. One is, to be a millionaire with at least two competent, armed body guards, a $100,000 security system, several Doberman Pincers and a 12 foot high wall with iron gates. The second is affordable by all. It's small, ready to hand and the great equalizer of the weaker versus the stronger, between a 120 pound effeminate woman and a 250 pound bruiser, between a frail elderly person and a young vicious thug, between a good citizen and a tyrannical government .... It is a gun. The equalizing effect is truly miraculous. That is the primary reason our American Founders gave us the right to "keep and bear arms" in the Second Amendment. It is a reasonable right of all Americans. The only way to stop a bad man with a gun is a good man... or woman with a gun.  God did not stop the killing of those innocent children at their school. Men with guns stopped the bad guy after the damage was done because nobody at the school had a gun to do so sooner. RB

Bigger And Bigger Government Is Not An Answer But A Terminal Cancer

Common Sense Commentary: A Political Titanic Statement:

When some private businesses and banks are too big to fail, and
some business executives and politicians are too big to jail,
our ship of state is too big to sail..................................... RB

 Elizabeth Warren Confronts Eric Holder, Ben Bernanke And Mary Jo White On Too-Big-To-Jail

By Michael Krieger of Liberty Blitzkrieg blog,

Elizabeth Warren is one of the few Senators out there pushing to understand why the federal government has created an untouchable class of criminals in America that can do whatever they want whenever they want and, not only get away with it, but also get bailed out when they make mistakes.  In case you missed it, I highlighted a powerful video a few months ago in which she made regulators squirm when confronted on “too big to jail.”  Now she has written a letter to Ben Bernanke, Eric Holder and Mary Jo White.  My favorite line is:

“If large financial institutions can break the law and accumulate millions in profits and, if they get caught, settle by paying out of those profits, they do not have much incentive to follow the law.”

Indeed, which is why they don’t.

Most Recent List Of Traitors To The U.S. Constitution And Our Citizens

Common Sense Commentary: The resistance against sin, criminal and government attack is never ending. The wolves are always at the door lusting after their way with us. The very fact of their unabated, snarling hunger for our souls is proof of the existence of a real, live devil.  Men just couldn't be that determined in their own weak, human selves without a greater power behind the scenes pulling their puppet strings. Thank God,   "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." 1 john 4:4.

Last month we came four votes away from the United States Senate giving our Constitutional rights over to the United Nations. In a 53-46 vote, the senate narrowly passed a measure that will stop the United States from entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty.

The Statement of Purpose from the bill read:

To uphold Second Amendment rights and prevent the United States from entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty.

The U.N. Small Arms Treaty, which has been championed by the Obama Administration, would have effectively placed a global ban on the import and export of small firearms. The ban would have affected all private gun owners in the U.S., and had language that would have implemented an international gun registry on all private guns and ammo.

Astonishingly, 46 of our United States Senators were willing to give away our Constitutional rights to a foreign power.

Here are the 46 senators that voted to give your rights to the U.N.

Baldwin (D-WI) Baucus (D-MT) Bennet (D-CO) Blumenthal (D-CT) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Coons (D-DE) Cowan (D-MA) Durbin (D-IL) Feinstein (D-CA) Franken (D-MN) Gillibrand (D-NY) Makes a guy want to say, "I could have predicted that... all Democrat" RB

Harkin (D-IA) Hirono (D-HI) Johnson (D-SD) Kaine (D-VA) King (I-ME) Klobuchar (D-MN) Landrieu (D-LA) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) McCaskill (D-MO) Menendez (D-NJ) Merkley (D-OR) Mikulski (D-MD) Murphy (D-CT) Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL)

Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Rockefeller (D-WV) Sanders (I-VT) Schatz (D-HI) Schumer (D-NY) Shaheen (D-NH) Stabenow (D-MI) Udall (D-CO) Udall (D-NM) Warner (D-VA) Warren (D-MA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR

Keys To The Kingdom Of Success

Common Sense Commentary: There are two areas of success in life. The first is in the "Kingdom of Earthly Success"... business, reputation, and physical success, which has many keys.  The second, and most important is the "Kingdom of Heavenly Success" which has just one master key but it opens all doors.

There are Multiple Keys to the Kingdom Of Earthly Success. Some of them are:

GET ORGANIZED and stay organized ... Keep everything important tended to and in it's place. Reorganize often, more often, and never procrastinate. Never stop organizing your business, home and life.

SEE THE BIG PICTURE, the forest, not just one or two trees; all the stars... not just the brightest one. The panoramic view, how each thing relates to the multitude of things surrounding it. Visualize success.

MAKE FEW PROMISES, but keep, to the letter, each of them. Your word is a promise. The dependable word of an honest man will open a thousand doors. One broken promise or word will close a thousand. Keep your word or don't give it.

DON'T TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED.  Things, situations and people are seldom, if ever, what they appear to be. Do not underestimate your enemy or opponent or competition; But do not overestimate him too much and be needlessly fearful. Our speculation as to other peoples reasons for what they do is seldom correct.

ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT PEOPLE ARE JUST PEOPLE, not gods, super humans, or superior to you. Neither are they animals, worthless or inferiors.

ALSO REMEMBER THAT NOBODY IS EVER EXACTLY WHAT THEY APPEAR TO BE.... sometimes better but usually worse. Everybody wants to look better than they are and they try harder in public to leave a good impression.

NEVER NEGLECT TO SHOW KINDNESS AND RESPECT to all people... even those you have to fire, wound or kill. Do nothing with hatred. You are neither more nor less than any other human being. Your faith, brain and motivation are the differences.

LEARN YOUR ENEMY'S STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES.  Avoid his strengths and trade to his weaknesses and the gaps and errors in his methods. Do not deal with the head of a snake but, "take it by the tail"... Exodus 4:4.

STUDY THOROUGHLY ALL PURCHASES. Buy on logic, reason and knowledge but never on emotion. Every dollar spent on emotion is a dollar lost to a greater, wiser stewardship need.  Emotional spending leads to bankruptcy and misdirects energy from the goal of success.

NEVER FAIL TO SHOW APPRECIATION for gifts, favors and a job well done. A thankful person attracts generosity, kindness and friendship. Lack of appreciation closes those same doors.

RONALD REAGAN SAID, "TRUST BUT VERIFY". Trusting other people's word is
important in all areas of life, but verification is absolutely essential in all important matters. Unredeemed human nature is never quite honest or truthful.

ALWAYS BE PUNCTUAL. Other people's time is as valuable and important to them as yours is to you. It is wasters of time and disrespectful sluggards who are invariably
late for appointments and keep other people waiting and wasting their time. Lateness, without unavoidable reason, is the same as lying and stealing other people's time.

PROTECT YOUR CREDIT RATING.  It is your "reputation" and trading platform. A
good credit rating will save you more money, in a hundred unexpected ways, than most of your investments and far more than a Certificate of Deposit. To those you do business with, it reflects the dependability and consistency of your word.

GET THE FACTS, seek counsel of experts and experience; absorb all the information available related to your decisions, business and investments. Learn to handle your own portfolio rather than paying someone with less interest in you and your savings than you are.  Good Information is a fortress with towers, an arsenal and a mote.

UNDERSTAND THAT SUCCESS IS BUILT ONE BRICK AT A TIME ...not hatched out and born whole. It takes time, hard work, frugality and consistency.

KEEP A PRIORITY LIST, each day, with most important things first, so they will get done, and leave less important things undone until later. Start over tomorrow, and every day, realigning your priorities and adding new things. Stick to the list.

THE FIRST THING ON THAT LIST is that "single key" to the Kingdom Of Heaven Success .... Matthew 6:33   But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. All of those keys and doors to earthly success, above,  are opened by this one key. RB

God Is My Governor

Common Sense Commentary:"God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.  That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.  O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth." Psm.67:1-4. God gives us "mercy", "blessings", guides us in "His way", gives us "saving health", "praise", "a song",
"judges" us and "Governs" us. He is the Christian's Governor. He is my Governor.

The word "Govern" is from the Latin "gubernare" and means "to steer, to exercise continuous, supreme authority over. A Commandant and CEO" according to Webster. His next definition doesn't seem to apply here, but I think it does... in a way.  It is this..."An automatic attachment controlling speed, pressure or temperature." Well, the Holy Spirit is more than an "attachment" but He is definitely attached to Christians. He certainly warns, convicts and governs our thoughts, words and actions or makes us  wish we had yielded to Him.  The Holy Spirit deals with the Christian all of the time.  He is a person, not a devise, but He constrains, comforts and convinces us of sin (the evil of it), righteousness (the need for it), and judgement (the certainty of it) even as a governing devise controls speed, pressure or temperature.  Jesus promised, "And when he (the Holy Spirit) is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." Jn.16:8.  He has surely been actively doing that work in my life ever since I was saved and has often had to deal harshly with me to get my attention.  This is God's way of guiding our lives into His "way" and keeping us on the right road, but not too slow or fast or reckless. There is no verse in the Bible where Jesus ran or even rushed to fill a need, no matter how serious.  Lazarus is a case in point.  Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, were very close to Jesus.  He stayed with them on occasion.  Lazarus became deathly ill and his sisters sent for Jesus.  Jesus got the message but remained where He was for two more days, until Lazarus died and was buried.  Only then did Jesus tell his disciples that Lazarus was now dead so they would go to him ... not for his funeral, he was already in his grave, but, "for the glory of God", He said.  They seemingly took their time because when they arrived, Lazarus had been in the grave for four days.  Martha, in effect, said, Lord where have you been?  Her actual words were, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."  She had sent a messenger to get Jesus but he returned without Him, so Mary and Martha knew where Jesus was and how long it should take Him to get there, but He didn't rush to Lazarus to heal him. Why?  Jesus has His own purpose in all of their lives.  He wanted to raise Lazarus from the grave, and waited so everyone would be sure Lazarus was, indeed, dead and buried for four days. Jesus wanted to strengthen their faith.  Read it in John 11:1-46. He does the same in our lives.

There are, of course, certain times when haste is required.  We may not always know when haste is needed, but God does.  He is our Governor and He knows exactly how to impress upon us the urgency of a matter.  But almost every time my "type A" accelerator hits the floor-board, I forget something, break something, lock myself out of my car or home, or otherwise make the problem worse.  It nearly always pays to stop, think, pray, make a plan and be sure the garage door is not down when you back out.  In other words, wait for God. Many a person has been killed on their way to the hospital to see after an injured or sick loved one, or rushing to an appointment .... late.  God is your Governor.  don't let your fear or emotions take control, from God, over your life.  In an emergency, like a traffic accident, listen to the Holy spirit and don't run out into on-coming traffic or stand by your car in the highway.

Yes, God is my Governor. He leads, rebukes, inspires, teaches, encourages, comforts, heals, strengthens, protects, blesses and keeps me in His way.  He starts and stops me, speeds me up and slows me down.  He is the sovereign authority in my life. He  chastises me when I go astray and blesses me when I do not.

Remember, if we do not listen to and walk with God everyday, we aren't likely to do so in an emergency ... a time of crisis. Let us yield to the governing will and hand of God.
We will get to where He wants us much sooner. RB