The Tennessee Nation is not a new concept. We were an independent nation for forty-three days in 1861 – the period between our secession from the United States and our admission into the Confederate States of America.
The abuses and excesses of the current Columbian Empire are cause enough for Tennesseans to exercise their rights as “free and independent people” and cast off the chains of slavery which have so subtly been forged on us. I call it the Columbian Empire because it is most certainly not American. The term American in all its connotations is antithetical to the actions and intentions of the tyrants in the District of Columbia. The district of Columbia is the viper pit from which the Columbian Empire springs.
This blog is to emphasize the legitimate reasons for a free Tennessee Nation.
While there is a chorus of opposition to the Empire’s snooping, it would seem there is a majority of people who approve or are simply apathetic. Why?
When we have been raised in a society which considers itself “free;” when older generations – at least – looked with distain upon those governments which oppressed their populations with a constant review of their activities and words; why is there such a minority which objects to such snooping on ourselves?
My proposition is that the great majority of the population expects their security to reside in the military superiority and technological expertise of the Empire.
Why does man look to the government to keep him safe? Because he has faith in nothing higher. When his faith for security lies in the hands of other men—the state.
When the thirteen colonies united with a central government for the purposes of regulated commerce and mutual defense, there was a profound faith in God and His providence accompanied by a prevalent confidence in the sinfulness of men. Even those whom we would not consider Christian still maintained those two beliefs.
The “checks and balances” of which we were taught in civics classes were meant to constrain the sinfulness of any man or men who might rise to power. We were taught that the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the central government were to prevent each other from grasping power as to do harm to the citizenry.
(We were not taught that there was the added “check and balance” of the several States governments against the central. That is the theme of the ninth and tenth amendments to the Constitution.)
Today, over 70% of evangelical Christians believe that man is basically good. On the other hand, when Thomas Jefferson was confronted with the idea that the new government would be run by men of great virtue asked, “Where do these angels come from?” Though not an orthodox believer by any means, Jefferson still recognized the sinfulness of men.
When left to their own devices, men will misuse their power. That is the importance of the sovereignty of the States to check the power of the Empire. Men will also misuse any information they have at hand. That is the problem with the NSA, CIA, FBI and other alphabet agencies trolling everyone’s correspondence.
Most people today worship the government. They would not admit it, but they expect to be secured, fed, and provided all things by the power of government. We speak of the “nanny-state” but it is really the god-state.
Christ has been reduced to “my good buddy Jesus” and the Empire has been exalted to the throne of the heavens. We may have the profession “In God We Trust” on our money and have added the words “under God” to the pledge of allegiance to socialism, but by our hearts and actions (no snooping needed here) we have elevated the Empire to replace God.
Most people will make jokes about small towns and the life style which they generate.
Back in the late sixties, CBS broadcast a television show by the name of Green Acres starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor. It was a six-year running gag about a town called Hooterville and its residents which included Arnold the pig (treated as the adopted son of the Ziffels). Every effort was made to create a cast of wacky caricatures.
The truth of the matter was subtly hidden in the words sung by Albert himself in the show’s theme song:
Green Acres is the place to be,
hard livin’ is the life for me.
Land spreadin’ out so far and wide.
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.
There is much being said about the activities of the NSA and its massive collection of information on every citizen. My own previous post, Too Many Secrets, told of the extensive computer system and storage facility being built to facilitate that collection. But why is everyone surprised?
The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 authorized the collection. Only a few of us warned that Congress was giving approval to a massive invasion of privacy and complete subversion of the Bill of Rights. Even now, the worst supporters of the “right” to collect info are the neo-conservative talking heads on radio and TV. And their only problem is that it is the Obama administration doing the collecting.
Obama is no worse an offender than was G. W. Bush. The real problem is an out-of-control, bloated government. The biggest threat to your and my privacy is BIG government. Big government automatically becomes big brother. Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.
In a small town, everyone knows who you are and what your secrets are. The neighbours know who is cheating (on taxes or spouses), who is the closet homosexual, and who is honest (or not). Their communication system is live and active.
When I was a teenager, there was no getting away with anything, the neighbours informed my mother before I even got home. When there was nothing but a party-line telephone, my mother knew!
Small communities keep their own in check. There is no need for an NSA, FBI, or CIA. The IRS, OSHA, and EPA have no reason to come calling. Loyalty is not defined in terms of loyalty to the “government,” but in terms of neighbours and those at the lodge and at church. Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.
It is only a mega-government which can afford to spy of everyone. And therein lies the solution—small is better. Small is more secure. Small is safer for everyone. Small cannot meddle in the affairs of people on the other side of the globe.
Switzerland is not the target of terrorist attacks, because they mind their own business. Neither do Andorra, Uganda, Guatemala, Iceland, or Togo have to worry about such.
Tennessee and its citizens would be better off as an independent nation. Keep Washington, just give me my countryside.
Today’s political activists who support ordered Christian liberty are divided into two groups: those who support “united we stand” (REFORM) versus those who would like to chuck the Empire (SECEDE).
During the American War for Independence, these are two were called Tories (or Loyalists) and Patriots. The division between Tory and Patriot was deep, even though they held some very similar attitudes toward government. For the Patriot, resistance and secession was the right thing to do.
One historian has identified eight characteristics of the Tories which he thinks made them loyal to the king and Britain. As listed in Wikipedia, they are:
They were older, better established, and resisted radical change.
They felt that resistance to the Crown—the legitimate government—was morally wrong.
They were alienated when the Patriots resorted to violence, such as burning houses and tarring and feathering.
They wanted to take a middle-of-the road position and were angry when forced by the Patriots to declare their opposition.
They had a long-standing sentimental attachment to Britain (often with business and family links).
They were procrastinators who realized that independence was bound to come some day, but wanted to postpone the moment.
They were cautious and afraid that chaos and mob rule would result.
Some were pessimists who lacked the confidence in the future displayed by the Patriots. Others recalled the dreadful experiences of Scots who rebelled in Scotland and lost their lands when the king won.
Some of these points make sense; others lack credibility. Taken as a whole, they describe the attitude of many conservatives today, especially the Tea Partiers and the Ron-Paul-ites. They have become so enamored of their American roots, that they confuse loyalty to the Empire with loyalty to the principles of legitimate government.
During the War for Independence, there were Patriots whose family roots went deep, both from the settlement of Virginia and from the arrival of the Separatists in Massachusetts Bay: Washington, Jefferson, Henry, Lee, Adams, and Mason.
Today’s Tories have a similar attitude of loyalty toward the established government. They want to rock the boat enough to bring attention to the issues, but not enough that they might get wet. The Patriots of the 1770s were also loyal, but to legitimate representative government and not just the Crown. Resistance and secession was the right thing to do.
The Patriots then recognized that the Parliament had destroyed legitimate government with the cooperation of the Crown. Patriots today recognize that reform is impossible; that Congress, the courts, and the executive have destroyed legitimate government. Resistance and secession is the right thing to do.
Decoration Day was originally observed in the South as Southern women decorated the graves of their men who had given their lives to preserve liberty during the War for Southern Independence. Yankee women picked up the idea and soon the 30th of May became Memorial Day.
Today can now be remembered for another observance – the total loss of independence from the Empire.
Today is the ribbon cutting for the second (of three) phase of the Utah Data Center, code-named Bumblehive. Located on the Camp W.G. Williams National Guard Post near Salt Lake City, it is a one and a half billion dollar, one million square foot facility to house staff and computers which will “enable us to easily turn the huge volume of incoming data into an asset to be exploited, for the good of the nation.” This expense could only be born by a massive governmental structure.
We’re inviting our most loyal partners at the local, state, and federal level who have had the vision and fortitude to enable us to build this powerful Intelligence Community data center “for the good of the nation.”
The speed of the computers in this facility is beyond the understanding of most people – 20,000 trillion calculations each second. The NSA computers at the Center will have a storage capacity measured in Zettabytes. Let me simplify. Remember just a few years ago when there was such a thing as a 64 Kilobyte computer? Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, once opined that no one would ever need a computer with more than 64K of memory. Now, his operating system won’t even turn on without a half million of those Kilobytes (500 Megabytes). Today’s laptop computers store information in Gigabytes (1000 Megabytes). A Zettabyte is one billion Gigabytes.
The NSA’s Data Center will collect internet searches, browsing history, downloads, emails, mobile data, social media, credit-debit transactions, surveillance cameras, commuter records (GPS), and medical information on every person in the Empire and possibly every person in the world. No detail of your life will be exempt from the Empire's collection ability. Only a massive and impersonal governmental structure would benefit from such a collection.
All of this data will be turned in real time for the purposes of surveillance and monitoring, to report suspicious activity, the screening of terrorists, and to aid in PATRIOT Act detentions.
In 1992, Robert Redford starred with Sidney Poitier in a film called Sneakers about a computer which could hack every encryption known to man. It was fantasy and the key line was “no more secrets.” But the fantasy is now real. You have no secrets. Only a massive governmental structure is driven to know every secret in order to protect its “security.”
Bumblehive is a very real example of the need for secession…for smaller independent units of government. Tennessee could not afford such an elaborate data collection center. With the leaders of government closer to the people, Tennesseans wouldn’t need such a center.
Celebrating Memorial Day has become more difficult through the years.
When I contemplate the sacrifice given by so many, my mind quickly turns to the why of their sacrifice. That’s where my problem begins.
Most every conflict this nation has been involved in has been for the worst and most selfish of reasons. Lincoln resented the wealth of the South and was unhappy that the free-flowing tariff revenue from Southern ports had been cut off. While pretending to receive peace overtures from Southern States, he sent ships laden with troops (he called them provisions) to the revenue fort in Charleston harbor thus sparking an internecine war which killed over six hundred thousand and left a similar number wounded and maimed for life.
President Wilson wanted to make the world “safe for democracy” and – following Lincoln’s example – manipulated the entry into the European conflict which became known as World War I. Body count – one hundred sixteen thousand American dead and two hundred thousand wounded.
President Roosevelt just couldn’t resist taking the focus off his failed domestic policies by goading the Japanese into war (while he entertained Japanese offers to resolve conflict). The “surprise” attack on Pearl Harbor resulted in our entering World War II. Body count – four hundred thousand American dead and nearly seven hundred thousand wounded.
President Johnson’s ties with the military-industrial complex was so deep that he rallied the nation around the non-existent Gulf of Tonkin incident to finance a war machine for use in South Vietnam. Body count – fifty-eight thousand and one hundred fifty-three thousand wounded.
Both Presidents Bush rushed us into the conflict in the middle-east and have cost us thirteen thousand dead and eighty thousand wounded. And these conflicts cumulatively called the War on Terror are supposed to bring democracy to that region.
When the second Iraqi war was ramping up, I had the opportunity to visit at length with my representative to the Congress. I explained that historically, NO nation has ever had democracy imposed on it. I also explained that democracy is only successful within the context of a nation with a Christian faith. Democracy demands a respect for and an adherence to written law. It also requires that men be self-governing.
Unfortunately Mrs. Blackburn is a bleeding-heart conservative who thinks that everyone should have a chance at democracy, even at the point of a gun.
Politicians and their self-important attitudes and inflated egos and desires for glory have given us the thousands and thousands of dead on the battle field.
I honor the men and women who have served with honor. There is a special place in hell for the political leaders who required their sacrifice.
It is not the intellect, but our emotion which causes us to promote secession.
The significance of smaller and more responsive governments can be argued quite effectively philosophically and historically. There are significant writings both currently and dating from antiquity which give the parameters for the optimum size of a republic.
Aristotle wrote concerning the size of governments that there is “a limit, as there is to other things, plants animals, implements; for none of these retain their natural power when they are too large.”
More recently Dr. Donald Livingston edited a book entitled, Rethinking the American Union for the Twenty-First Century (2012), in which a variety of authors expound on the legitimacy of large nations breaking into more manageable smaller nations.
Beyond many of their arguments lies the simple comfort of having a government which is actually a part of one’s community. And that is the simple emotional argument.
I enjoy living in a small community. Yes, everyone knows everyone’s business! Kind of like a conscience on auto-pilot…someone is always watching. I grew up on a farm in just such a community.
As a teenager, I had a tendency to tear down the gravel road without much regard to safety. One day a neighbor was poking along (at a reasonable speed) in front of me and I attempted to pass him. He moved in front of me and slowed. I attempted to pass again and he blocked my path and slowed some more. This process continued until he had stopped and blocked my progress. The neighbor (whose name I never did know) got out of his car, came back to me and gave me the tongue-lashing of my life for my recklessness, concluding with the promise, “If you don’t drive safer, I’ll tell your mother!” I drove more safely after that.
On the other hand, a smaller community is wonderful in a disaster. The people of Oklahoma are experiencing that right now. It’s neighbors helping neighbors. No need for some massive governmental intervention from more than a thousand miles away.
The simple emotional argument is also exemplified by another experience a few days ago. Smaller governments are friendlier to the individual just as smaller community store are. I went to get a 50 pound bag of dog food at the local general store. I went to pay for it as one of the workers loaded it into my trunk. Later as I took the bag out of my trunk, I saw a message written in magic marker on the bag, “Mr David wish you a fine day!” You don’t get that pleasantry at Wal-Mart!
You don’t get that type of pleasantry from big government either.
It would seem we have left civil society behind and become instead a society of seekers of revenge. We are fast becoming a people without a civilization. Let everyone who has eyes to see; see.
Civilization is defined as an advanced state of human society which reflects a refinement of thought and action. It is most significantly related to a culture of deference to another’s rights.
Historically, the governments established on this continent were Anglo-European in origin, but more significantly, they reflected Christian/Biblical thought and practice.
Yesterday, a judge ruled that the Tennessee Department of Labor could be sued by a former official because he has charged that the former Commissioner fired him because he is white (reverse discrimination). The judge wrote that Commissioner Davis and her two top aides “engaged in a campaign to terminate or force out long term employees, virtually every one of whom was Caucasian and replaced them with African-American employees.”
And as we watch the actions of Emperor Obama and his appointees, we see a similar effort to get revenge with the white men and women who have supposedly been the bane of their existence. As well, the IRS has been used to target organization which have political agendas contrary to the administration.
It does not stop there. Congress is almost at a stalemate because of the rancor and efforts at revenge of the two parties competing for power. (This is perhaps the only example I appreciate.)
In the Tennessee legislature, both the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate have replaced/demoted individuals of their own party because of a difference of opinion rather than any ineptness.Clear cut cases of revenge.
Edmund Burke wrote, “all the good things which are connected with manners, and with civilization, have…depended for ages upon two principles…the spirit of a gentleman and the spirit of religion.”
As we have moved away from a Christian civilization, we have become more barbaric in thought and practice. We no longer live according to the concept of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” We instead have adopted a strategy of “do unto others before they do unto you.”
If we are to survive, we must reverse the trend toward revenge and begin the process of building. This will begin most successfully at the local level in local communities. Learn your neighbors’ names, make peace with them and begin to work together.
Do you know the names of the families on your block? or within a half mile of your home? Do you know what’s happening in the lives of those you worship with? or are they only “Sunday” acquaintances?
History does not exist in a vacuum with particulars separated from each other. History cannot be understood just as a series of military endeavors or as a series of economic booms and depressions or a series of random and disjointed dates and personalities.
History is a mosaic of all these things; it is the many becoming one. History is a reflection of its author, the Three-in-One. It is the story of men and their ideas and the consequences of those ideas.
Martin Luther, the great Christian reformer said that history is like type being set. You can’t easily understand its meaning until it is turned over.
God creates by act not process, thus since the beginning He has continued to “act” in history.
Suleiman I ruled the Turkish (Ottoman) empire when it was at its height. In 1526, his army conquered much of Hungary in the Battle of Mohacs. European powers feared that the Turks would overrun Europe. In 1529, he was at the gates of Vienna, when storms prevented his heavy siege guns from arriving. He suddenly turned and left. Europe (and the Church) was spared.
The Pilgrims held a charter for a settlement farther south, but were unable to sail down the coast because of bad weather. When they landed at Cape Cod in 1620, they should have been greeted by the fiercest tribe of Indians on the North American continent, the Patuxets. Instead, three years earlier, in 1617, the entire tribe was wiped out by a mysterious plague. And their human help came in the form of the sole remaining member of that tribe who had acted as a guide and been taught English by one Captain John Smith.
On 13 May 1846, the U.S. Congress voted in favor of President James K. Polk's request to declare war on Mexico in a dispute over Texas. The Mexican War would be God’s instrument to train and temper the best which the South would have to lead them in their future war for independence – P.G.T. Beauregard, Jefferson Davis, Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, Albert Sydney Johnston, Joseph Johnston, Robert E. Lee, and James Longstreet.
Following the death of his first wife on only a few months, Jefferson Davis became a recluse, taking refuge at his brother’s plantation. Years of solitude ended with his election to the U.S. House. A year later he resigned to lead a volunteer regiment into the Mexican War. His men—the Mississippi Rifles—became the crack volunteer organization of Zachary Taylor’s army. At the battle of Buena Vista, the Mexican cavalry charged up a ravine on the flank of the Mississippi Rifles, but Davis threw his men round the end of the ravine, and poured a converging fire upon the Mexicans that broke the charge. The battle was won. He returned to Mississippi a hero.
History is a mosaic designed by God. He can take those who are broken and make them leaders.
When respect for ordered liberty no longer exists the result is eventual tyranny.
While the conservative political pundits will cry with outrage over Emperor Obama’s attitude toward the Constitution, they neglect that George W. Bush called it a “damned piece of paper.” Members of both the Republican and the Democratic parties chafe against the restrictions which were meant to be imposed upon them.
The failure of respect for ordered liberty began over a hundred years ago. In their book Who Killed the Constitution (2008), Thomas Woods and Kevin Gutzman limited themselves to covering only events of the 20th century. They make a profound argument that not only the Executive branch, but also the Legislative and Judicial branches of the central government are complicit.
The central government – which I continue to call the Columbian Empire because it exists in the District of Columbia – has lost its moral authority because it has buried its respect for ordered liberty.
Ordered liberty is liberty – not libertarianism – but the inalienable rights of life, liberty and property which are governed by only those laws which provide maximum protection with minimum restriction.
Just yesterday (1 May 2013) Fairleigh Dickinson University (New Jersey) released the results of a survey which states, “29 percent of Americans think that an armed revolution in order to protect liberties might be necessary in the next few years.” Approximately one-third of those surveyed live in the South. Having fought two wars (1775-83 & 1861-65) to remove a foreign presence from their soil, native Southerners are more resistant to government intrusion on their liberties.
The problem for us all is that the tyranny which is exalted in Washington will be replaced by anarchism before ordered liberty will ever be restored.
I have friends who serve as missionaries in the South Pacific in Guinea. They are experiencing anarchy. What follows are emails from them this morning:
Please pray for Guinea right now! We had heard that there was to be another demonstration (by the oppositions parties) today. ...We just got a call from one of the young men, in our compound, in Conakry,telling us that things were "very hot" in our area and he was afraid! Police and the military were out early this morning, on the streets in the "hot spots" of Conakry. ...Our young man said that guns were being fired at the main intersection just up from us and that there were lots of people running through the neighborhoods with guns, knives and coup-coups (machetes) and people were getting hurt! Some of the people were throwing rocks too, at people, houses and into walled compounds! The young men, in our area, went into the mission yard and locked the big metal gate! Please pray for peace to reign in Guinea! Pray that the demonstrations will stop and that God will give the leaders of this nation His wisdom in all things! Thank you!
Then an hour later:
We just received another call from our young man in Conakry. The mobs burned a car by the big mosque near the "hot" intersection. They also burned a semi-truck just down the road (about 50m) from our home intersection and they killed one military man! Please keep praying for divine intervention! This has really heated things up in our area of the city!
We just talked to Had. In her area, a military pick up was burned and she said that hot water was being sprayed on the crowds, in the streets, who were thought to be a part of the groups attacking the military. Any cars driving on the roads are stoned and any businesses that are open are attacked by the crowds too. The best thing is for people to remain in their homes/compounds with the doors locked!
Should the politicians which hold power not begin to rule with ordered liberty, we will be knee-deep in the same type of anarchy. It is inevitable. The last line of their first email should be repeated for this land — Pray …God will give the leaders of this nation His wisdom in all things!
It is remarkable how many events and men which have decided the course of history were considered insignificant at the time.
The recent parade of Presidents which has filled the Oval Office have had egos inflated by their own perceived self-importance. Each have done their part to increase their dominance of power and so relegated it to the next occupant. While many Republicans will denounce the arrogance of Obama, they neglect to remember that George W. was the author of those powers which give Obama his arrogance.
I am convinced that the influence of these men will eventually be recognized as minimal in the course of history.
Charles Carleton Coffin, in the Introduction to his The Story of Liberty first printed in 1879, wrote:
You will notice that the events which have given direction to the course of history have not always been great battles, for very few of the many conflicts of arms have had any determining force; but it will be seen that insignificant events have been not unfrequently followed by momentous results.
Sunday, 20 April 2013, Howard Phillips entered glory. His life was marked by a commitment to principle. He resigned his position in the Nixon administration when the President did not follow through with his campaign promise to defund Johnson’s “Great Society.” Most Americans don’t even know his name. He is insignificant to the average American.
When called for the dismissal of President Reagan’s Chief of Staff James Baker, he lost. When he opposed the Supreme Court nominations of Sandra Day O’Connor and David Souter, he lost.
He campaigned again the North American Trade Agreement and lost. He was laughed off as insignificant by Washington insiders.
Howard Phillips founded the U.S. Taxpayers Party which became the Constitution Party. Tailored to conservative and constitutional government on both social and economic issues, his efforts were considered insignificant by the bulk of voters who actually believed as he did but refused to vote for conservative candidates.
It is the principles and convictions upon which men like Phillips base their lives which actually change the course of history. Leaders come and go, but nations rise and fall upon good and bad ideas.
The President of the United States is often referred to as “the leader of the free world,” but it is men like Howard Phillips who history will record as the lights in darkness. Even in his losing, he won.
Do you follow men, parties, and governments? Or do you follow ideas and convictions?
There are five basic theories of history. Four of them align themselves in opposition to the fifth, but it is only the fifth which gives any hope for humanity, the others lead to despair.
The cyclical view of history sees the same pattern in the events of men as that which exists in the seasons. This theory spread widely in the religions of China, India, the Middle East, Greece, and Rome. It manifests itself in the religious concept of reincarnation. With repeating cycles there is no progress, thus it leads to despair.
The marxist view of history conceives history as a class struggle of the bourgeoisie (the “haves”) versus the proletariat (the “have-nots”). It manifests itself in constant envy and hatred. Because there will always be those who have more than others, there can be no historical progress which again leads to despair.
The existential view of history is a philosophy which states that man is not capable of determining the particulars of reality. History is meaningless, the future unpredictable, thus resulting in despair.
The evolutionary view of history states that everything starts with the simple and progresses to the complex. It is marked by what historians call the “Five Stages” of man’s economic progress: hunting and fishing, pastoral (or herding), agricultural, handicraft, and industrial. In recent years, an additional “stage” has been added: information.This view posits a progression of development, but archeology disproves it.
The Indus Valley cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro had a flush toilet in almost every house, attached to a sophisticated sewage system. Flush toilets were constructed at Knossos on Minoan Crete and were used throughout the Roman Empire, but with the fall of the Roman Empire, the technology was lost.
Ancient societies built the pyramids, copied throughout Central and South America. Engineers today are intrigued as to how they were built.
In the heights of Peru exist the ruins of Machu Picchu. The buildings were built of granite blocks fit together perfectly without mortar, although none of the blocks are the same size and have many faces; some have as many as 30 corners. The joints are so tight that even the thinnest of knife blades can’t be forced between the stones. Only our modern computer-guided lasers could cut with such precision. How did they do it?
Faced with archeological challenges, the evolutionary theory fails to show actual progress in the history of man and must cause us to question man’s ability to maintain society. This truly leads to despair.
These four attempts at explaining history fail miserably when confronted with the Providential view — God began at a certain time with a certain purpose and will continue until that purpose is completed.
And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings (Acts 17:26)
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11)
Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. (1 Corinthians 15:24,25)
Knowing that we have a future gives us hope that we will be able to plan a part in the development of that future. History then becomes meaningful. Your hope for the future really does lie in how you think of history.
Those who think that history only deals with the past are wrong. History deals with all facets of time: past, present, and future.
History has significance in our daily lives. It is easy to understand that our present has been formed by the past and most importantly our understanding of the past. But to take that thought along the time continuum into the future, our understanding of our present will not just affect our future, but determine it as well.
In the Bible book of Job (8:8-10), we read,
For inquire, please, of the former age,
And consider the things discovered by their fathers;
For we were born yesterday, and know nothing,
Because our days on earth are a shadow.
Will they not teach you and tell you,
And utter words from their heart?
Most people will endure only those history courses which they must take in order to get their diploma. But we are urged by Scripture to enquire: search things out and consider them.
History has significance in our daily lives because it is not a record of what happened, but history is a record of what people say happened. The viewpoints and prejudices of the person telling the story is interwoven into the record. Their viewpoints and prejudices then become the basis for our daily actions.
We are most familiar with the inaccuracies of today’s news media, especially in a “breaking” story. The media records events as the reporters believe them to happen, but there is a great difference between what is reported and the events themselves and their significance.
When war “breaks out” it is a response to past information interpreted in the present. In 1898, William Randolph Hearst (the first media super-star) sent illustrator Frederic Remington to Havana to report on U.S. tensions with Spain. (American tension with Spain traces its origin all the way back to the conflict between the English and Spanish empires.) Remington didn’t see anything worthwhile, so asked to return. Hearst cabled him, “Please remain. You furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war.” It can be easily stated that the Spanish-American War of 1898 was largely due to Hearst’s inflammatory newspaper articles.
History has significance in our daily lives because it creates the bias upon which we respond to the events around us. All men are biased, they have their own vantage point from which they view events and thus create their own interpretation of those events. A recent film, “Vantage Point” offers a good example of how differently a situation is perceived by different people with differing backgrounds.
What historical “facts” do you rely on for your daily judgments? How do you react when confronted with an opposing historical viewpoint? Do you immediately dismiss it, or does it cause you to inquire?
Children will often “steal the show” at weddings and other ceremonial events. The picture of a young John Kennedy saluting his father’s funeral cortege is an indelible part of history. This week, during the funeral of Britain’s Margaret Thatcher, another child was able to steal the show.
This child is the granddaughter of the late Prime Minister. An elegant, nineteen year-old Amanda Thatcher gave a dignified and subdued reading from Ephesians chapter 6. The entire recording is destined to be imprinted on the memory of everyone who hears it.
Putting all achievements aside, our lasting contribution in life is in the people we touch. As great as Margaret Thatcher’s political legacy, it is no match for the legacy she has left in this granddaughter. Amanda now lives in Texas with her mother and attends the University of Virginia. She has even done missionary work in China.
From all the reports available to me, it would seem that the character of this young lady reflects the very best of those that founded the Southern States, especially Virginia. Welcome. Amanda, you are welcome to steal the show anytime.
The voting public must come to an understanding of the difference between an empire and a republic before we are able to return to responsible governing.
An empire has no boundaries; a republic knows its limitations. George Washington said, “Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”
An empire centralizes its power because it has a managerial mindset. All power and authority must come from the center; all decisions must remain with those in the center. It then seeks to impose its power upon all it touches. A republic diffuses power over the range of its communities, recognizing that local authority is best able to address local problems.
An empire has no boundaries; a republic knows its limitations. Our differing attitudes on immigration are a reflection of empire vs. republic. Since an empire has no boundaries, it need not worry about illegal immigration because the world’s whole population is in the service of the empire to begin with. A republic recognizes the legitimacy of geo-political borders and works to preserve them.
An empire grasps power as its reason for being and seeks to spread it over the next nation. The endless efforts of the two Bush and the Obama regimes to extend their control over other nations of the world is a reflection of their attitude that the Columbian Empire (that based in the District of Columbia) has no boundaries. A republic will allow others to settle their own differences.
An empire has no boundaries; a republic knows its limitations. Thus the difference between a republic and an empire goes beyond political power to every facet of social and community life. As historian Dr. Clyde Wilson writes in From Union to Empire,
A society in which clergymen don’t save souls, school children don’t learn to read, reporters can’t distinguish facts from feelings, tanks break down on their first run, jurists substitute whims for legal learning, has already gone a long way down the road to imperialism. We no longer judge by result and results no longer depend upon will and effort… in an empire success consists of access to the levers of political power, which accounts for a progressive decline in performance in all areas of life. Only in sports and to some extent show business does the desire for excellence still reign supreme—the circuses of the masses have to be good as the quality of bread declines.
Every empire has collapsed of its own weight and of the increasing dissolution of its leadership. The Columbian Empire is no different. The clock is ticking and the Empire is set to implode. It is time for the voting public to start recognizing what is demanded in governing a republic that will hopefully rise from the ashes.
I would say it were a joke if it were not so sad. As reported by Nashville’s Tennessean,
A group of 15 faith leaders from across the state delivered 133 baskets of loaves and fish and a letter Monday calling on Tennessee officials to not abandon Medicaid expansion if the state’s alternative expansion plan is not approved by the federal government.
The letter, which was signed by nearly 100 clergy and faith leaders, called Medicaid expansion “not only the right thing to do, it’s the moral and faithful thing to do.
Have these “faith leaders” ever read the Scripture? My Bible tells me that it was Jesus who fed the multitudes, not Pilate. If these men were truly faith leaders, they are the ones who would be feeding the poor, not demanding that the State of Tennessee do it.
I have a real problem with the image of Christ demanding the Roman government to take care of the poor. Instead I am happy to participate in “give and it shall be given you.”
A republic is a viable government only for a virtuous people, for they must be able to govern themselves before they can be self-governing.
In 1882, the theologian R.L. Dabney advised the graduates of Hamden-Sidney College,
Young Gentlemen, the heritage of freedom which our fathers left us, we have not been able to bequeath to you. Our apology is, that in the endeavor to save the liberties transmitted by our fathers, we did what we could.
Subsequent generations have done little to reverse the trend away from the republican form of government established in 1783. The major problem has been an increasing lack of the religion and morality which George Washington said was indispensable for a people to be free.
The general attitude of business and of the public in general has been to desire more – more of everything tangible. Even the Church has succumbed and changed the message of the Cross to one of more – happiness, prosperity and possessions.
Dabney continued in his speech,
Subsequent event have shown we were attempting to defend and preserve a system of free government which had become impossible by reason of the change and degeneration of the age. The changes had silently taken place, which rendered our fathers’ system too good for those who were to execute it. Thus the task which duty and Providence assigned us was, to demonstrate by our own [the South’s] defeat, after intensest struggle, the unfitness of the age for that blessing we would fain have preserved for them.
One hundred thirty years have passed since Dabney uttered these words, and they are more true today than then. What was known first as a Republic devolved into a Union and has now degenerated into an Empire. The Empire in the District of Columbia serves only itself. The Empire declares itself as sovereign over all the affairs of man. From what we eat to how we might defend ourselves is their prerogative, not ours.
The challenge to each of us personally is this – Do I govern myself? Am I contributing to the possibility of self-government?
It is hard for the typical American, especially a Southerner, to admit that they have become a slave. We tend to think slavery involves chains, cruel taskmasters, and sparse living quarters. We, like the Pharisee, are thankful that we are "not like one of them."
And we are NOT like one of them. We are a different kind of slave, for we have forged our own chains. We have done it so subtly. We are like the frog thrown not into boiling water, but allowed to swim in a warm pot and the heat gradually increased until we have been cooked.
We are all slaves, every one of us. There are actually three types of slavery.
Domestic slavery is the condition in which one person is subject to be directed in all his actions by another.
Political slavery results from one people group conquering another, either across national boundaries or within by another tribal group.
Civil slavery exists any time a government encroaches upon the liberties of the citizens more than is absolutely necessary for the maintenance of normal society.
Alexis de Tocqueville wrote (in 1840), Our contemporaries are constantly excited by two conflicting passions: they want to be led, and they wish to remain free.
He observed that in America, by the vehicle of elections, They combine the principle of centralization and that of popular sovereignty…they console themselves for being in tutelage by the reflection that they have chosen their own guardians.
We have become victims of civil slavery. We have forged the chains ourselves by neglect. We have forged the chains by not being attentive to the actions of those we elect. Also, we have been hindered by the sheer magnitude of the government which is now our overseer.
Just thirty years ago, a person could board an airliner using a ticket under someone else’ name. We didn’t think anything of it. Then came baggage screening because a few planes were hijacked. Then along comes an idiot who tries to light a fuse in his shoe, another tries to ignite his underwear and we are all required to undress – either virtually via a scanner or by being patted down – before boarding a flight. The Empire did it all in the name of our safety, so we reelect the bastards.
That was the first rule of politics which I learned decades ago…He might be an s.o.b., but he’s OUR s.o.b. So we keep electing him. Those petty thieves we call politicians continue to whittle away at the few liberties we have left. The alternative is to divorce ourselves from the Empire.
Do we have any liberties left? What area of your personal or business life is not regulated by some agency of government? When is enough enough?
On this day of prayer for the Southern Nation, let us remember the words of Samuel Doak.
After graduation from Princeton (1775) and ordination as a Presbyterian minister (1777), Rev. Doak moved to what would become northeastern Tennessee. There he organized several churches and founded several schools, one of which became the first college in Tennessee.
On September 26, 1780 as the over-the-mountain men mustered prior to the Battle of Kings Mountain (a decisive defeat for the British), Doak delivered the following sermon and prayer at Sycamore Shoals.
My countrymen, you are about to set out on an expedition which is full of hardships and dangers, but one in which the Almighty will attend you. The Mother Country has her hand upon you, these American colonies, and takes that for which our fathers planted their homes in the wilderness - OUR LIBERTY. Taxation without representation and the quartering of soldiers in the homes of our people without their consent are evidence that the crown of England would take from its American Subjects the last vestige of Freedom. Your brethren across the mountains are crying like Macedonia unto your help. God forbid that you should refuse to hear and answer their call - but the call of your brethren is not all. The enemy is marching hither to destroy your homes. Brave men, you are not unacquainted with battle. Your hands have already been taught to war and your fingers to fight. You have wrested these beautiful valleys of the Holston and Watauga from the savage hand. Will you tarry now until the other enemy carries fire and sword to your very doors? No, it shall not be. Go forth then in the strength of your manhood to the aid of your brethren, the defense of your liberty and the protection of your homes. And may the God of Justice be with you and give you victory.
Let us pray. Almighty and gracious God! Thou hast been the refuge and strength of Thy people in all ages. In time of sorest need we have learned to come to Thee - our Rock and our Fortress. Thou knowest the dangers and snares that surround us on march and in battle. Thou knowest the dangers that constantly threaten the humble, but well beloved homes, which Thy servants have left behind them. Oh, in Thine infinite mercy, save us from the cruel hand of the savage, and of tyrant. Save the unprotected homes while fathers and husbands and sons are far away fighting for freedom and helping the oppressed. Thou, who promised to protect the sparrow in its flight, keep ceaseless watch, by day and by night, over our loved ones. The helpless women and little children, we commit to Thy care. Thou wilt not leave them or forsake them in times of loneliness and anxiety and terror. Oh, God of Battle, arise in Thy might. Avenge the slaughter of Thy people. Confound those who plot for our destruction. Crown this mighty effort with victory, and smite those who exalt themselves against liberty and justice and truth. Help us as good soldiers to wield the SWORD OF THE LORD AND GIDEON. AMEN.
Always praying for a free Tennesse Nation and a free South.
The headline reads, “Haslam gives qualified ‘no’ on TennCare expansion.” What is a qualified no? It is an UNqualified “yes, if you do it my way!”
Tennessee’s Governor Haslam is obviously in favour of ObamaCare (the Patient and Affordable Care Act), he just hasn’t yet found a way around the Legislature’s opposition. What is it that makes a free-enterprising businessman become a thorough socialist once he is elected? I believe Frederic Bastiat answered that in June 1850 in his pamphlet, “The Law.”
When a politician views society from the seclusion of his office, he is struck by the spectacle of the inequality that he sees. He deplores the deprivations which are the lot of so many of our brothers, deprivations which appear to be even sadder when contrasted with luxury and wealth.
The problem which the politician faces is that in order to exercise his “philanthropy,” he must first get the money to do so from somewhere else. That somewhere else is the pockets of every citizen. Your pockets however deep or shallow are the result of your effort in the marketplace either by trade of your labour or talents. It is your private property which must be taken by force of taxation.
Regarding any social equalization by government, Bastiat wrote,
The law can be an instrument of equalization only as it takes from some persons and gives to other persons. When the law does this, it is an instrument of plunder.
All of this “plunder” is the very essence of socialism. And socialism leads to the destruction of liberty.
While society is struggling toward liberty, these famous men who put themselves at its head are filled with the spirit of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. They think only of subjecting mankind to the philanthropic tyranny of their own social inventions. Like Rousseau, they desire to force mankind docilely to bear this yoke of the public welfare that they have dreamed up in their own imaginations.
Governor Haslam has no understanding of the steep and slippery slope upon which he is placing himself and the State of Tennessee. He needs to open his eyes to reality.
Only with a proper understanding of liberty vs. socialism will we ever be able to achieve a truly free Tennessee Nation.
Two weeks ago, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman did an about-face on marriage. He decided that instead of supporting traditional (Biblical) marriage, he would support same-sex marriage.
"I've come to the conclusion that for me, personally, I think this is something that we should allow people to do, to get married, and to have the joy and stability of marriage that I've had for over 26 years.”
Described in the media as “certainly a social conservative,” Portman has landed himself in the muddy water of the middle.
The problem with Mr. Portman is the same problem we face with the Empire, with local and state government and in our businesses and churches. People have forgotten that there are eternal absolutes which must govern us in order for there to be true “joy and stability” (as the senator put it).
There must be a return to an understanding the absolutes do exist, that they are born of the mind of God, and that they are delivered to us in the Scripture. What “I feel” does not make an ounce of difference for eternity nor for the present either.
We must be able to learn and hold on to Truth. Only then can we be a truly independent and self-governing people.
When I contemplate the sacrifice given by so many, my mind quickly turns to the why of their sacrifice. That’s where my problem begins.
