Is Syria The Long Anticipated Black Swan That Ignites World Calamity?

Common Sense Commentary: The world looks on in horror as Syria's Assad uses poison gas on his own people with over 1300 lives snuffed out in the attack.  Strangely, while the western nations have sworn to retaliate against any nation which uses poison gas as a weapon of mass destruction, they are all backing down. The question is, "Why?"  Probably several reasons. Most likely the primary one is that they are all already sinking into a financial oblivion of debt and can't afford a war on top of the gigantic debt hole they have already dug. Secondly, they have lost their do-gooder conviction and conscience of enforcing their global perfectionist agenda on all the "civilized" nations on earth. They haven't felt such conviction and conscience concerning the butchery and inhumane slaughter going on in the uncivilized nations of Africa.  Thirdly, they no longer have stomach to kill the killers of the killers of the killers, plus their children, but are now focusing on an enemy much easier to understand and blame for all the problems in the middle east .... Israel.  This is their out.  The bloodthirsty Muslim world has finally won the propaganda battle, that Israel is the real problem behind all these Muslim wars. It's a lot easier to turn on Israel, a nation just trying to protect itself and mind it's own business, but hated by all those warring Muslims and half of the rest of the world, as well.   Obama has made his threat that if Syria "steps across the red line" by using weapons of mass destruction, that he, Obama, will "retaliate" with U.S. force. Well, Mr. Obama, tonight Assad has not only stepped over the red line but has given you a red line of his own and will, no doubt, do what he threatens ... that if we do get involved, he will attack Israel. So now what will our president do?  Keep his word or risk igniting a much larger war.  They stepped over his red line ... so will he take action or back down?  I suspect he wishes he  hadn't made the threat.   More importantly, how will Israel react to Assad's threat? They can't afford to sit on their hands and wait to see if Syria sends poison gas upon their cities and kills hundreds or thousands of Israelis.  If I know Israel, they may just turn Syria into a pile of dust before Assad fulfills his threat.  That, though it is justified, would be a real "Black Swan Event" which would result in the condemnation of Israel by hypocritical world leaders, and so anger the Muslim world that the entire Middle East might unite in attacking Israel.

Israel, or I should say, Jews, have historically been the scapegoats for all the world's problems.  It is not co-incidental that Jesus was a Jew. The Jews, alone, are blamed for His crucifixion, and some of them did demand His death, but it was Gentile Romans who had the authority, and violated the law, who set up the Roman cross, crowned Him with thorns, slapped him and mocked him, drove the Roman nails with a Roman hammer and pierced his side with a Roman spear .... that killed Him.  And even more to the point, it was all of our sins which actually caused God to "give his only begotten Son" to die in our place. Our sins crucified Jesus that we might be set free of our guilt and condemnation.  But, of course, that side of the story is avoided like a plague by a world who does not want to hear it.  So, what's next ?  If this Syrian atrocity ignites the volatile, hate filled Muslim countries or motivates Iran or Syria to attack Israel in such force that Israel retaliates by turning Iran's or Syria's military capability to dust, or if Iran sets off another 9/11 sized attack upon the U.S., it could very well be what has been predicted by world leaders as a "Black Swan Event".  Call such a crisis what you wish, but this sort of thing has been speculated on by the "Economist" and heads of state all over the world.   Even Obama, who swore he would end our part in these wars has doubled down with a war fever surpassing all who went before him, but is usually on the wrong side ... if there is a right side between a secular dictator and a fanatical,  suicide prone, beheading, raping mob of Muslims.  I think I might prefer the dictator who enforces law and order harshly.... rather than a crazed mob of murderers, rapists and plunderers though they be fanatically religious and pray three times a day. Obama seems to prefer the latter.

My widowed sister just now called me to ask, "what should we do".  My answer to her was, "It's too late to do anything but pray and live our lives for the Lord" We, as a nation, have already sown our wild oats, turned from God and broken all of His commandments as feverishly as Sodom and Gomorrah. We have slaughtered millions of unborn babies, legitimized sodomy, sold our soul to the lowest bidder and elected leaders who compounded our national and personal sins.  We could have done something about it way back when .... but now ... like a fatal disease, it must run it's course .... to the end of time.  In the mean time, "Look up for your redemption draweth near". God is still on the throne and observes all of this and, of course, knows what He will do, and how it all turns out for our good.  Praise Him. RB

 

Things Which Fail And Things Which Do Not

Common Sense Commentary: 1 Cor.13:1-13   "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not agape love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not agape love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not agape love, it profiteth me nothing. Agape love  suffereth long, and is kind; agape love envieth not; agape love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Agape love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, agape love, these three; but the greatest of these is agape love."

These verses of God's word tell us plainly that Agape Love (Godly Love) never fails.
Prophecy will fail, tongues will cease and (revelatory) knowledge shall vanish away because these things are all "in part".  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away with... stop!  Obviously "that which is perfect" nullifies the need for "that which is in part (imperfect)". So, exactly what is "that which is perfect" which had not yet arrived at that point?  Whatever "perfect" means, in this verse, it is the fulfillment and replacement of "that which is in part".  Since it refers to the perfect thing as "that", I assume it is not Jesus or the Holy Spirit since each is a person and not an inanimate object, "that".  Therefore, I must conclude that the "perfect" thing refers either to the "New Covenant (New Testament) which had not been canonized or put together at that moment, or to the subject of all these verses, agape love. Of course God has always had it but people, even His people, had had none to very little of it in the Old Testament dispensation.

It was the absence, at that moment, of the canonized New Testament, which had moved God to give the special, but temporary, gift of tongues, languages unknown to those disciples but spoken by them, to preach Jesus to all those hundreds or thousands of foreign Jews who had arrived in Jerusalem for the Passover. Except for this miracle, the disciples of Christ, at that moment, had no New Testament and could not witness to those foreigners and carry out the Great Commission which Jesus had just given them, to  "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mk.16:15.

So is "that which is perfect"  simply agape love or is it the completion and union of the canonized Old and New Testaments into one book, the Holy Bible. It is said that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. You could not well understand either of them without both of them. RB

Like It Or Not, You Are God's Steward ... Prepare Yourself !

Common Sense Commentary: Why has God always required the tithe (10%) to be brought into His storehouses, His Temple in the O.T. and His Churches in the N.T. ? If money were evil, He would not have required it. It is not money but "the love of money" which is "the root of all evil" (1Tim.6:10). It is "the love of money" which prevents God's people from obeying God's command to "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Mal.3:10. God's reason for setting "the tithes into the storehouse" principle is to fund His Holy work in this secular, physical, hungry world, using flesh and blood people who must be fed, clothed, housed and transported.

Now, that said, we, God's full time workers and Laymen, in His harvest, must also learn to be "good stewards" (1 Pet.4:10 & Lk.16:1-8). We must learn to invest our God given talents, both talents of gifted ability and talents of money (gold and silver), wisely.

Let me remind you that I am not pastoring a church or asking for your money. I don't need it and don't want it. God is taking care of Mrs. Blair and me sufficiently. The reason for this blog, today, is to share with you the video link below ... to strengthen your stewardship knowledge, opportunity and preparedness. You need to be aware of the facts presented here ....

http://us.mg204.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.rand=233851905&cleolatt=1#_pg=showFolder;_ylc=X3oDMTBubmxpZHRvBF9TAzM5ODMwMzAyNwRhYwNkZWxNc2dz&mid=2_0_0_1_27022_ADw8w0MAADiQUaObuAeoAhvHq9w&fid=Inbox&sort=date&order=down&startMid=0&filterBy=&ymv=0&.rand=2008861242&hash=0b82dd2605045057d68f2d098d864f8e&.jsrand=2939315

OK You Wimpy, Liberal, Muslim Sympathizers, What Is Your Answer For This? Fire Warfare!

Common Sense Commentary: This is one of the scariest reports on terrorism yet released. America is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to this kind of insider ruin of our nation's economy. When you add this to the long list of political blunders and ill-advised policy and down-right conspiracy within our government, it is indeed a frightening picture. RB


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFHM0rd9cX8&feature=share&fb_source=message

Obama's Idea Of Enemy ... Liberty Loving Christian Conservatives

Common Sense Commentary: Dear people, how bad does the abuse of power and corruption have to get before a majority of our citizens rise up and say, "No More".
Please see the video, at the bottom of this article, to understand who the real extremist enemy is.  We must wake up and take immediate action. There are a dozen Muslims
among Obama's tzars and advisers. RB

Pentagon Labels Founding Fathers,

Conservatives as Extremist

By
Todd Starnes, Fox News

George Washington would not be welcome in the modern U.S. military. Neither would Thomas Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin, according to Department of Defense training documents that depict the Founding Fathers as extremists and conservative organizations as “hate groups.”


The Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute training guide was obtained by Judicial Watch under a Freedom of Information Act Request. It was acquired from the Air Force but originated from the Pentagon.
“This document deserves a careful examination by military leadership,” Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton told Fox News. “Congress needs to conduct better oversight and figure out what the heck is going on in our military.”
Included in the 133-pages of lesson plans is a student guide entitled “Extremism.”
The DOD warns students to be aware “that many extremists will talk of individual liberties, states’ rights and how to make the world a better place.”
Under a section titled “Extremist Ideologies,” the document states, “In U.S. history, there are many examples of extremist ideologies and movements. The colonists who sought to free themselves from British rule and the Confederate states who sought to secede from the Northern states are just two examples.”
“It’s disturbing insight into what’s happening inside Obama’s Pentagon,” Fitton told Fox News. “The Obama administration has a nasty habit of equating basic conservative values with terrorism.”
The Pentagon did not return telephone calls seeking comment on the training materials.
The training guide warned that participation in groups that are regarded as extremist organizations is “incompatible with military service and is, therefore prohibited.”
“It’s craziness,” Fitton said. “It’s political correctness run amok.”
The training documents also focus on those who cherish individual liberty.
“Nowadays, instead of dressing in sheets or publically espousing hate messages, many extremists will talk of individual liberties, states’ rights and how to make the world a better place.”
The document relied heavily on information obtained from the Southern Poverty Law Center, a leftwing organization that has a history of labeling conservative Christian organizations like the Family Research Council as “hate groups.”
Fitton said the reliance on SPLC material is troubling.
In 2012, an FRC guard was shot during an attack on their headquarters building. The gunman admitted he was influenced by the SPLC’s branding of the Christian group has a hate group.
It’s not the first time the military has been caught using training materials that depict conservatives and Christians as extremists.
In April Fox News obtained an email sent by a lieutenant colonel at Fort Campbell to three dozen subordinates warning them to be on the lookout for any soldiers who might be members of “domestic hate groups” like the FRC and the American Family Association.
“When we see behaviors that are inconsistent with Army Values – don’t just walk by – do the right thing and address the concern before it becomes a problem,” the email advised.
At the time the Army denied there was any attack on Christians or those who hold religious beliefs.
“The notion that the Army is taking an anti-religion or anti-Christian stance is contrary to any of our policies, doctrines and regulations,” an Army spokesman told Fox News at the time.
However, in a separate incident, an Army training instructor listed Evangelical Christianity and Catholicism as examples of religious extremism – along with Al Qaeda and Hamas.
The same Army spokesman said the training session was an “isolated incident not condoned by the Department of the Army.”
Fitton told Fox News the military seems to be having a lot of isolated incidents and it appears the Pentagon is sending a message to Christians.
“They are putting out the not-welcome sign to conservative Christians,” Fitton said. “They are trying to make the military an unwelcome place for conservative Christians.”

In this video, you will see how  Muslims deal with their own people, in Iraq, who are merely of a different sect of Muslims than they are. You can only imagine how much more they hate Christians.  They are now in the hundreds of thousands in our own country and we are still letting more in.  This brief video is a glimpse at the heart of Islam. It is a killing machine, and always has been since it's founding. Study it's history and methods of conquest. RB

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTRgzLP5s9g

Totally Futile Effort

Common Sense Commentary: "...The LORD seeth not as man seeth ...."

Making a show of worthiness, fashion, style, beauty, cleverness and other outward appearances, are a very shallow effort to impress others of our importance. When, in truth, God has already established our value to Him, if not any worthiness of our own.   The fact that we, alone, of all God's miraculous creation, were made by Him in His own image and likeness, makes us important above all other creatures, including angels. But, even more than that, He expanded upon our value, to Him, by giving His only born Son, Jesus, to die in our place, for our unworthy sinful souls. Of how much more value and importance could we possibly be to our fellow sinners than we already are to God. After all, what real difference does it make what other faulty, sinful people, like ourselves, think about us? It may seem important here in this temporal world, but what God thinks about us is all that really matters, and what He thinks is for eternity. So how do we impress God beyond the Love He already has for us? Obedience ... in all the things He has commanded us. The first, of which, is repentance and acceptance of His Son Jesus as our Savior. If we neglect to do that, all else we do or think or appear to be ... is totally empty vanity ... a futile effort. RB
"...The LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." 1 Sam.16:7

DHS Acquisitions Officer Calls For War With Whites

On his Web Site, War On The Horizon....


Common Sense Commentary: Logic and reason only convince
logical and reasonable, civilized people. The uncivilized must
be dealt with on terms they understand .... FORCE. That is why
Jesus told His Apostles,   "Then said he (Jesus) unto them .... he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough." Luke 22:36 &38."  RB



Washington Post

 

 

AP source: DHS employee running website that predicts race war, calls on blacks to fight

By Associated Press, Published: August 22

WASHINGTON — A Homeland Security employee is the operator of a racist website predicting and advocating a race war, a department official said Thursday.

Ayo Kimathi, who is an acquisitions officer for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, operates the site, War on the Horizon, which includes descriptions of an “unavoidable, inevitable clash with the white race.” Kimathi is black.

The DHS official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the case publicly.

While many of the postings on Kimathi’s site are inflammatory, it was not immediately clear whether they cross the legal threshold into unprotected hate speech, and the posts may not violate DHS policies if he does not curate the website at work or espouse the ideologies in the office.

Kimathi, who identifies himself online using a pseudonym, did not respond to phone calls and emails from The Associated Press to his home and office. According to the ICE acquisitions website, Kimathi is a small business specialist responsible for purchasing handcuffs, guns and other law enforcement equipment and services.

In a brief written statement, ICE spokeswoman Gillian Christensen said the agency “does not condone any type of hateful rhetoric or advocacy of violence of any kind against anyone. Every ICE employee is held to the highest standard of professional and ethical conduct. Accusations of misconduct are investigated thoroughly and if substantiated, appropriate action is taken.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups, first reported on Kimathi on Wednesday.

The opening page of Kimathi’s website describes the group as “a Haitianist organization created for the purpose of preparing black people worldwide for an unavoidable, inevitable clash with the white race. Whites around the world are absolutely determined to exterminate Afrikan (sic) people in all corners of the Earth.”

“Warfare is eminent, and in order for black people to survive the 21st century, we are going to have to kill a lot of whites — more than our Christian hearts can possibly count,” reads a 2010 post titled “Black Ethnic Cleansing: An Idea Whose Time Has Come.” ‘’Waging war against whites is at the core of the Afrikan warrior’s spirit. It’s the flame that drives our willingness to fight in the face of certain defeat and/or death.”

The website criticizes whites, gays and blacks who integrate with whites and those of mixed race. Many of the postings are signed with the phrase, “We’ll see you on the battlefield.”

Be Careful How You Use The Word "Legalism"

Common Sense Commentary: Ignorance of the true meanings of our words is a dangerous neglect. Let us "study" our words and be precise, correct and accurate like a rifle with a scope not a sawed off shot-gun.

If your concept of "legalism" is not opposite to God's grace, it's not legalism. The laws of God are in perfect harmony with His grace, love and forgiveness. To some people I meet, all laws and rules of conduct are legalism. God, Himself, has set up the most commonly known and first laws of conduct in human history. The first was His Eden Commandment, concerning the forbidden fruit, "Thou shalt not eat of it." The second was His Law of Life for Life,  in Gen.9:6, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed ....". And then, of course, He gave us the Ten Commandments. Breaking those laws had dire consequences and that is the primary reason God wants us to obey them. He doesn't want us to suffer but to do right and be right. Those consequences are not the result of God's vengeance but of our own disobedience. The law of sowing and reaping is set on automation like the law of gravity.  You violate it and you damage yourself. God doesn't have to take action against the violator; the violator has taken action against himself by his sinful act. The seeds of destruction are contained in the sinful fruit itself.  You eat the fruit, you get the seed with it.

I use a 1934 copyright of Webster's Dictionary. I wouldn't give you two cents for a newly devised dictionary with the moral standards of it's devisers. My edition of Webster's defines legalism as, "In theology, a code of deeds and observations as a means of justification." That, my friends, is what legalism means. Legalism depends on a person's good works or self-righteousness as the means of justification and therefore of salvation. So legalism is opposite to and contradictory to Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast." Neither these two verses nor any other verses in the Bible deny the importance of good works by all Christians...."Faith without works is dead...." James 2:26.  But Good works do not save you: they are the fruit of your salvation. They prove you are saved. God encourages good works and rewards good works but saves you by His grace. But God's laws, rules and guidelines are not "legalism", they are God's demands of holiness but no matter how nearly we come to fulfilling them, we still fall short. That's why we need and must have a Savior ... we are an unholy lot. If it isn't in the Bible, it is not one of God's commands. Men have always added to or taken away from God's word. It seems the primary work of Satan. The Jews added hundreds of rules to God's short list. Many church leaders, today, have done the same. Adding to or taking away from God's word is a very dangerous occupation according to Rev.22:18-19; but denying His word is just as dangerous. Just because you can't manage to live up to the letter of the law, do not call a single phrase or verse in the Bible "legalism", or a preacher who preaches it a legalist. It's purpose is to expose us to ourselves that we are sinners and to drive us to the foot of the cross in repentance for salvation by grace through faith in Christ.   "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." Gal.3:24-25.   Jesus sets us free to serve Him by choice.   "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." Jn.8:36.

" ...If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." Rev. 22:18-19. RB

An Inconvenent Fact For Al Gore

Common Sense Commentary:


From Climate Depot



2899 Record cold temps vs

667 record warm temps in U.S.

From July 24 to August 19

http://www.climatedepot.com/2013/08/21/2899-record-cold-temps-vs-667-record-warm-temps-in-u-s/

Exactly What Is A Soul?

Common Sense Commentary:

The O.T. Hebrew word nephesh , translated "soul" 428 times is also translated "life" 119 times, "person" 30 times, "self" 19 times, "heart" 15 times, "mind" 15 times, "body" 7 times, "desire" 5 times, and "will" 4 times.

The N.T. Greek word psuche,  translated "soul" 58 times, is also translated "life" 40 times, "mind" 3 times and "heart" 1 time.

There are, of course, a multitude of verses in the Bible that yield up a huge amount of additional information on the definition of a soul or the spiritual, physical, and emotional experiences of souls. But let me get you started with your study of the soul with a few key verses. First, the very first reference in the Bible, to a soul, is Gen.2:7 "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." In this verse we see what man's body is, "formed of the dust of the ground".... with "nostrils" and of course a full compliment of body parts. We also see God "breathing the breath of life", which is no doubt the life and spiritual side of man, into the body He has formed. But, then it says, "and man became a living soul".  This phrase would seem to say that man does not "have" a soul, but "is" a soul.  Man's body was just a dead, clay doll before the breath of God was breathed into him.

We also have words of Jesus relating to the difference between our "bodies" and our "souls", in Matt. 10:28  "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
Whatever the "soul" is, men cannot kill it as they can kill the fleshly body.


The Apostle Paul seems to give a clear distinction between spirit, soul and body in
1 Thess.5:23 "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Hebrews 4:12 also makes a difference between the soul, spirit, and body.  "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

My reason for today's blog is to send you to your Bible for answers. Please don't send me comments or questions until you have read every verse in your Bible related to the soul, spirit, heart and mind. A Bible Concordance (book) or a free Bible program on your computer will give you all the listings of those words in their verses, and in context, so you can compare and categorize them. Just Google "Free Online Bible Search Engine", and pick the one you like. I use the King James Version Concordance.

I will return to this subject later on. RB









Matthew 10:28  



Hebrews 4:12

Who Of The Suffering Millions Am I Responsible To Help?

Common Sense Commentary: There is a best way of doing everything.

As Jesus healed the sick and preached salvation by grace through faith, so convincingly, the religious Pharisees were feeling their power with the people slipping away. So in Luke 10:25-37, one of their conniving lawyers asked Jesus a loaded question to cast Him in a bad light with the people. Jesus often responded to such questions with a question. He asked this expert on the Law  how he understood God's Law's primary meaning. The Lawyer answered that the deeper meaning of the Law was, "to love God with all our hearts and our neighbor as ourselves." Jesus told him he was right and to go do it. But, to justify himself for not already doing so, he said, "But who is my neighbor". That's when Jesus gave the "Good Samaritan Example" and concluded it by showing the Samaritan as a "good neighbor" rather than the religious Priest or Levite who passed the robbed and wounded man by without helping him. Actually where Jesus' story took place was between Jerusalem and Jericho. It is all rocky desert and nowhere near Samaria, where the Samaritan was from. So how then was the Samaritan a neighbor to the wounded man?  Obviously, Jesus' definition of a neighbor was whoever happens to be around you or in your path as you or they pass by. That is exactly what the Greek word ho   plesion, here translated  "neighbor",  means ... "One close by or near you".  So it isn't just the neighbor down the street but whoever God brings you in contact with in your daily life. Since nothing is unknown to God, I don't see these crossings of paths as co-incidental considering the fact of God's omniscience and Great Commission to "Go into all the world" with the good news of Jesus. Opportunities to help those who cannot help themselves are no accident of fate or co-incidence, but "personal, destined appointments" .... in my opinion. Notice that the robbed and wounded man was not in the ditch as a result of his drunkenness or carelessness. He was not without funds due to his laziness or wastefulness. He was a true victim of someone else's cruelty and greed. Notice also that he had done no wrong to put himself in harms way, but was minding his own business. I think this class of "innocent" helpless people should have first priority on our list of those we try to help, who have great need. Another aspect of this is, if you, as the Good Samaritan, proceeded on with your journey and came across the thief who had robbed and beaten the first man, and he too had been robbed and beaten, you have a very different decision to make. The difference to be considered is that you cannot bail anyone out from under the judgment of God, no matter how much you spend on them or give them. I say that because I have tried it many times over the years, before I realized the cause of their adversity, and it never worked. Of course you have to do as God leads you.

 If you are healthy, strong and happy, how are you investing those blessings? Are you simply enjoying them for yourself and being thankful you don't have the problems of others you know or hear about? Let me challenge you to spend a few minutes of thought outside of your own little world. Let your mind look out beyond your comfort zone to the millions of old people, little children, sick, in constant pain, horribly lonely, deeply afraid or broken hearted. Yes, I know one person cannot solve or help all those millions out there who cannot help themselves; but Jesus doesn't expect any one of us to do that. He did, however, give us the "good neighbor" plan which brings the problem right down to our door in a size we can deal with.  If I give out invitations to all who need help to come to me, the line would be blocks long and I would quickly run our of funds to help anyone.  I prefer to pick those I feel are most worthy to help, though they don't ask, rather than whoever happens to ask me. Those who are doing their best to help themselves, working, skimping, being thrifty and trying to serve our Lord are on top of my list. I'm not too interested in helping those who eat out a lot, drive nice cars and waste what resources they do have, but can't pay their bills. They have too many lessons to learn. RB

Obama Has Built A Personal, Domestic Army Called "Homeland Security"

Common Sense Commentary: You can be sure that if Congress doesn't pass Obama's legislation to give amnesty to the millions of illegal aliens, with full voting rights, as automatically registered U.S. citizens, he will, by Presidential Order, do it himself just before the next presidential election, and assure the Democrat Party of millions of new
voters.  Since he will still be President, at that time, he will, by Presidential Decree,  prevent legal action to stop it until after the election and then it will be too late; It will take effect and take years, if ever, to bring it to court. We may have one more free election and the Republican Congressmen are letting our freedoms slip away without a real fight. It's as if they have made an agreement to make a show of resistance but do nothing. RB

Former Marine Colonel To Town Council: You're Building A Domestic Army; Are You Blind?'

         From Business Insider

 

Geoffrey Ingersoll Aug. 15, 2013, 8:37 AM

Every day it seems more like the "war on terror" is at home in the U.S. rather than abroad in a foreign country.
Whether it's the NSA denying they scoop domestic communications while their chief tells hackers "we're looking for the terrorist among us," or it's the growing militarization and equipping of domestic police forces, it seems more and more crows keep coming home to roost.
 Well, one former Marine colonel, Peter Martino, has had about enough.
In a rousing confrontation at a local council meeting in Concord, NH, he calls out his government for facilitating what he feels is a needless militarization of a domestic force.
And he should know, he helped build one in Iraq.
"We did everything we could to build the Iraqi Army, and I'm telling you right now, the Department of Homeland Security would kick their butts."
"What we're doing here, and let's not kid about it, is we're building a domestic army and shrinking the military because the government is afraid of its own citizens ... "
"The last time 10 terrorists were in the same place at the same time was September 11th, and all these [armored] vehicles wouldn't have prevented it, nor would they have helped anything."
"We're building an Army over here and I can't believe people aren't seeing it, is everybody blind?"

Mr. Martino is a Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve who has been mobilized three times. During his military career, he commanded an infantry platoon, company, and battalion. He was also the senior U.S. adviser to an Iraqi Army brigade. Mr. Martino has had a successful civilian career providing training, consulting, and program management services to private companies and to state and federal agency contractors. Mr. Martino presently holds a top secret security clearance.


See Col. Martino's Testimony on this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Equc9A1pqQk
************************************************

NSA broke privacy rules thousands of times per year, audit finds

From the Washington Post .... of all places.

By Barton Gellman, Published: August 15

 

 

The National Security Agency has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times each year since Congress granted the agency broad new powers in 2008, according to an internal audit and other top-secret documents.
Most of the infractions involve unauthorized surveillance of Americans or foreign intelligence targets in the United States, both of which are restricted by statute and executive order. They range from significant violations of law to typographical errors that resulted in unintended interception of U.S. e-mails and telephone calls.

Read the documents

NSA report on privacy violations

Read the full report with key sections highlighted and annotated by the reporter.

FISA court finds illegal surveillance

The only known details of a 2011 ruling that found the NSA was using illegal methods to collect and handle the communications of American citizens.

What's a 'violation'?

View a slide used in a training course for NSA intelligence collectors and analysts.

What to say (and what not to say)

How NSA analysts explain their targeting decisions without giving "extraneous information" to overseers.

More on this story:

FISA court judge: Ability to police U.S. spying program limited

Carol D. Leonnig AUG 15

Spy court chief judge says it must rely on government to say when it improperly spies on Americans.

NSA statements to The Post

Barton Gellman AUG 15

The National Security Agency offered these comments on The Post’s story on privacy violations.

New demands for reform of NSA spy programs

Ellen Nakashima AUG 16

Some lawmakers called Friday for greater transparency in the surveillance operations of the National Security Agency, while U.S. officials stressed that any mistakes committed by the agency were not intentional. The contrasting reactions came after The Washington Post reported that the NSA violated rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times in recent years.

The documents, provided earlier this summer to The Washington Post by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, include a level of detail and analysis that is not routinely shared with Congress or the special court that oversees surveillance. In one of the documents, agency personnel are instructed to remove details and substitute more generic language in reports to the Justice Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
In one instance, the NSA decided that it need not report the unintended surveillance of Americans. A notable example in 2008 was the interception of a “large number” of calls placed from Washington when a programming error confused the U.S. area code 202 for 20, the international dialing code for Egypt, according to a “quality assurance” review that was not distributed to the NSA’s oversight staff.
In another case, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which has authority over some NSA operations, did not learn about a new collection method until it had been in operation for many months. The court ruled it unconstitutional.
[FISA judge: Ability to police U.S. spying program is limited]
The Obama administration has provided almost no public information about the NSA’s compliance record. In June, after promising to explain the NSA’s record in “as transparent a way as we possibly can,” Deputy Attorney General James Cole described extensive safeguards and oversight that keep the agency in check. “Every now and then, there may be a mistake,” Cole said in congressional testimony.

I could publish dozens of other such stories as those reported here. RB

A Word To The Wise That Fools Despise

Common Sense Commentary: High-tech advances in communications, with all it's benefits and advantages, like most medicines, has it's negative side effects. One cannot overlook the fact that email, and especially Facebook, have opened the doors of public discourse wide to both good and evil. Ironically it is called the www or World Wide Web. There is a spider in there somewhere. It is the spider's victims I address today. I, personally, avoid Facebook, except as one of the outlets of my blog, for, as the patient Job said in Job 5:3, "I have seen the foolish taking root ...." When I do, occasionally, browse across Facebook, there among the flowers of humor, love and compliments is a nest of stink-weeds fuming, slandering and defending.  The thing that mystifies me is why seemingly nice and intelligent people will let themselves be drawn into a spit fight with an obvious fool or mental case. Oh, I know how difficult it is not to defend one's self or loved ones, when attacked, insulted or lied about. Defence might be in order if the conflict were with another reasonable person of good will, but that is not usually who is doing the dirty deeds. When the attacking "fool" is either insane, hopelessly stupid or totally brainwashed, any reactive argument of defence  or explanation is already a lost battle. God's word warns us against such reactions in Prov.26:4 "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou be like unto him." In other words, you too become a fool when you try to debate a fool. However reasonable your argument may be, "A fool's mouth is his destruction...." Prov.26:4.  That is another way of saying, "Shut up!" Even though you are right and your "heart is inditing a good matter", and your argument is sound, and your "tongue is the pen of a ready writer", as David said in Psm 45:1, do not argue with a fool or a lunatic. "Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace (shuts up) is counted wise", said wise king Solomon. Prov.17:28. So even an absolute idiot isn't discovered until he/she opens their mouth. And then, if they do it on Facebook, the whole world knows, and it becomes recorded in black and white for their kids and grand kids to read and be disillusioned by ... forever. "Did Mom really say that".

James 3:5-8 says the tongue, or pen, can become "a fire set ablaze by hell". And Jesus warned us that our words, spoken or written, will either "justify or condemn us". Matt.12:37.  A final note: If you take offence to these verses, you must be guilty.  God has a word for you, "... fools despise wisdom and instruction." Prov.1:7.  the bottom line is, "Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities are afflicted." Psm.107:7. Marriages split up, families are broken up, lives are ruined, friends are lost, and it just kills people emotionally.  Don't let yourself be lured into an argumentive  spider's "wwweb", which is his territory, where the spider has nothing to lose, and you, nothing to gain but much to lose.  Let fools argue, fuss and fume among themselves. They enjoy it.  RB

Survey Of Insiders On Wall Street Cheating

Common Sense Commentary: Anything and anybody not thoroughly and truthfully anchored in Jesus Christ is destined to be swept up, like flotsam and jetsam, by His opposite.  Just since the turn of the millennium, in 13 short years, the whole world has suffered a sea-change, from apparent smooth sailing, into a dead sea of corruption affecting every investment exchange, government, United Nations agency and multinational corporation on earth.  It is in such a total, global degree that it reeks with the foul odor of the "powers of darkness" pulling the puppet strings of world leadership.  Something very sinister has fallen, like a grimy, suffocating smog upon the world.  God didn't do it but obviously He allowed it or it couldn't have happened .... so like the Philistines falling upon backsliden Israel, we have apparently brought
judgment upon ourselves.  So now, Wall Street is so blatantly corrupt that to admit it openly is no big deal to them.  It is well understood that if a child has a lying father and mother, he has a license to lie without compunction or rebuke. So, when a nation has a lying leader, as the U.S. has today, everybody is given license to lie and cheat.  It is a trend, long developing, and it cannot be turned around quickly, and will only get worse before it gets better.... if it ever does.  If Wall Street easily admits corruption to the extent they do in this article, it has to be twice as bad. Like a child who confesses, "Yes, I took a cookie" when he actually got half a dozen. RB

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace  

AlterNet / By Les Leopold

       

Shocking Things Wall Street Financiers Say Off the Record About Their Bloated, Corrupt Industry

A new survey shows how brazenly immoral Wall Street is.

July 19, 2013  |  

 

 

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"A particularly troubling and consistent finding throughout the survey is that Wall Street’s future leaders–the young professionals who will one day assume control of the trillions of dollars that the industry manages—have lost their moral compass, accept corporate wrongdoing as a necessary evil and fear reporting this misconduct."

In a shocking new survey commissioned by the Labaton Sucharow law firm, Wall Street insiders say that breaking the law, screwing your clients and covering up crimes is a way of life on Wall Street. The shock is not that cheating is going on. We all know that. The shock is that these financiers would actually admit it on a survey. This should tell us that the Wall Street culture is so brazenly corrupt, so confident of not getting caught, so certain that a passive public won't fight back that those surveyed didn't even bother to lie about the fact that they were living, breathing sociopaths.

Here are some of the key findings of this sample of 250 traders, portfolio managers, investment bankers, hedge fund professionals, financial analysts, investment advisors, asset managers and stock brokers.

Catch me if you can!

"24% of financial services professionals likely would engage in insider trading to make $10 million… if they wouldn’t get arrested.  That figure surges to 38% for individuals with 10 years or less in the industry."

Screw your clients.

"28% of financial services professionals feel that the financial services industry does not put clients’ interests first."

They do it, so we have to do it too.

"More than half of respondents–52%–felt it was likely that their competitors have engaged in unethical or illegal activity to gain an edge in the market; 24% felt employees at their own company likely have engaged in misconduct to get ahead."

Guess what? We still are cheating.

"Misconduct is still widespread in the financial services industry; 23% of respondents  indicated that they had observed or had firsthand knowledge of wrongdoing in the workplace."

To rise in a criminal organization, you have to be a criminal.

"Looking at seniority, 36% of respondents with 10 years or less experience in the industry believed financial services professionals may have to engage in misconduct to get ahead."

The boss loves it when you cheat.

"17% of respondents felt that if leaders of their organization suspected that a top performer was earning large profits from insider trading, they likely would ignore the problem. More alarming, 15% of professionals in the industry believed that if leaders of their organization learned that a top performer had engaged in insider trading, they were unlikely to report that crime to law enforcement or regulatory authorities."

Several World Empires Have Dominated The Globe... One More Arises Now

Common Sense Commentary: It appears to me that whatever "ism" you name, whether it presently looks good or bad, has taken, or will take, it's turn at participating in the domination of a majority of the world. This by means of treaties, unions alliances or appeasement. Past history records the "near" world-wide domination by the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Britannia, Nazis, Communists and now a marriage between Socialism, Capitalism, and false Religions, which is actually an updated form of Fascism, is arising. It's octopus arms are the world's largest, multinational banks which have branch appendages all over the globe, but are mostly headquartered in the U.S.A. Not that they love America or favor the U.S.  They care nothing for their mother countries or any other. They are Globalists and their pre-eminent love, purpose, and interest is international money and the power and privilege it buys. In my opinion, this arising great power, will be an alliance between the Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgans, World Bank, IMF, BIS, Globally focused Politicians, and "Secular" Religions .... out of which will arise the final world Empire and it's Anti-Christ head to "take care" of the peasant masses. Catholicism, Protestantism, and Mohammedanism being prominently represented as agents of the poor. What I am saying is, if it's not the true, Scripturally sound, born again church of Jesus Christ, which "... the gates of hell shall not prevail against..."  (Matt.16:18), it is subject to become part of the Kingdom of Anti-Christ, which is next to dominate the world. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."  1 John 4:1-3.

Here is an enigmatic but informative article by Paul Farrell of Market Watch  which harmonizes with my understanding of Tribulation and Antichristic prophecy:

By Paul B. Farrell, MarketWatch

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (MarketWatch) — Imagine 100 Goldman Sachs banks running America and the world. It’s happening. Forget politicians, Big Banks rule the world.

Reuters

Today every bank is a Goldman Sachs wannabe.

It was just a few years ago in “The Great American Bubble Machine,” a Rolling Stone feature, that Goldman was indicted by Matt Taibbi: “The first thing you need to know about Goldman Sachs is that it’s everywhere. The world’s most powerful investment bank is a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.”

Yes, till recently Goldman Sachs was boss, everywhere, the “world’s most powerful bank.” Taibbi: “From tech stocks to high gas prices, Goldman Sachs has engineered every major market manipulation since the Great Depression.” What an indictment.

Today every bank in the world is a Goldman wannabe. That’s capitalism at its peak. All competing to be the world’s most powerful bank. Seriously, look around: Your world really is dominated by this amazing new innovation emerging from capitalism — a bizarre conspiracy of Big Banks, maybe a hundred Goldman wannabes. These new Big Bank capitalists are rewriting the history of the world.

But we’re getting ahead of the story. Let’s review Goldman Sachs role in creating this new Big Banks Conspiracy.

Goldman Sachs, now the role-model for all global Big Banks

In “The Great Bubble Machine,” Taibbi says Goldman was the mastermind behind every great bubble in American history since it was founded in 1869 by Marcus Goldman and his son-in-law Samuel Sachs. Yes, one bank gets blamed for America’s amazing history: Bubble 1: the Great Depression. 2: tech stocks. 3: the housing craze. 4: $4 a gallon gas. 5: rigging the bailout ... and now the latest Bubble 6: Global Warming.

Example: early on in this indictment, Taibbi focused on a chapter in John Kenneth Galbraith’s classic “The Great Crash, 1929,” titled “In Goldman Sachs We Trust” where the Harvard economist singles out Goldman’s “Blue Ridge and Shenandoah trusts as classic examples of the insanity of leverage-based investment. The trusts, he wrote, were a major cause of the market’s historic crash; in today’s dollars, the losses the bank suffered totaled $475 billion.”

That’s almost a half trillion in today’s dollars, prompting Galbraith to add: “It is difficult not to marvel at the imagination which was implicit in this gargantuan insanity ... If there must be madness, something may be said for having it on a heroic scale.”

That’s Goldman Sachs key to success, crazy like a big fox, a mad money machine, an awesome Bubble Machine, making history, dominating the world from America.

Goldman Sachs mantra for domination: ‘Madness on a heroic scale’

Yes, Goldman Sachs’s reputation for over a century has been grown with this “madness on a heroic scale,” winning big because of its “gargantuan insanity,” constantly pushing the boundaries of ethics, integrity and morality while year after year since 1869 this “great vampire squid” keeps winning big.

So Goldman Sachs is the gold standard against which all other banks must compete, the front-runner in profits and wealth creation, the role model that defined the moral code necessary for competing in today’s financial world.

Goldman possesses a certain bold madness and borderline ethical behavior that today has not only been adopted by all its competitors on Wall Street but has also become the moral code running the collective brain of capitalists everywhere, corporate CEOs and Washington politicians.

And today it is being rapidly adopted by business and political leaders across the developed world, wannabes all competing, fighting to be the next Goldman Sachs.

You just don't expect someone (Farrell pictured) from the Main Street Media to write something like the above article and get it published in Market Watch. That, in itself, boggles the mind like a contradiction inside of a contradiction inside of a contradiction.... RB

Technology Has The Power ... Now... To Control The World

Common Sense Commentary: This magnificent level of technology, which will obviously have endless uses for good, also has endless potential for unlimited government control. When government has that kind of potential, history shows us they use it. This will be used, then misused, then abused, but like other losses of our freedoms, it will slowly become the norm, accepted by the masses.  Where does it lead?  Like everything else government touches, it leads eventually to a dictatorship.   The time will come when we will not only lose all privacy, we will also lose our freedom. This level of technology reveals the means and method which the principalities, powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places will take in it's absolute control and installation of the Anti-Christ. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places". Eph. 6:12. RB


The 2100 MegaPixel Government Camera .....

There's no privacy anywhere ! Right Now!

 

WHAT WILL THINGS BE LIKE IN ANOTHER FEW YEARS? ? ?

"This picture was taken with a 70,000 x 30,000 pixel camera (2100 MegaPixels.)  These cameras are not sold to the public and are being installed in strategic locations.  It can identify a face in a multitude of people.  Place the cursor in the mass of people and double-click about four times (or 'finger-spread' on a device.)  Scary sharp"   or use the "zoom slide" at the top left corner of the picture.  It may take a few seconds for your merely consumer-level computer to do the zoom... 

http://www.gigapixel.com/mobile/?id=79995