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  • Tolerance is not a Christian virtue

    Tolerance is not a Christian virtue

    By now the whole damn planet knows I am the worst sort of Christian because I will NOT turn the other cheek

    Like a trampled spring and a polluted well is a righteous person who gives way before the wicked.”
    Proverbs 25:26

    Let me explain myself so there is no misunderstanding

    Leprousy is not just a physical disease in the Bible. It is a picture of man in his sinful condition. He is disfigured, in pain, and helpless to do anything to help himself. It is only God who can make a difference and free him from this prison. Love compelled Jesus to come into this world and actively do something about man’s helplessness. He could not just sit back and tolerate man until death finally came. He came to love. He came to save. Tolerance is antithetical to this mission.

    You are blessed to be living during one of the most critical times in our nation’s history. It is a time when enemies are being exposed, heroes are being raised up, allegiances are being revealed, battles are being waged, and the course of our nation is being decided.

    It is not a time for spectators.

    And yet, during this critical time, millions of Christians are just that: Spectators. Justifying their inaction with Scripture, they are opting to stay on the sidelines while our nation and its founding principles are under siege.  This is a grievous wrong.  It is unbiblical.

    It is also a slap in the face of our nation’s Founders.  One of the greatest ironies of our time is that we Christians, who claim to admire and appreciate the Founders of this nation, are giving up without a fight the very things they fought and died to obtain for us.  Our celebrations of their heroic efforts and sacrifice ring hollow when, in response to our nation being under siege, we do nothing.  Could there be a more telling contrast between the Founders and ourselves?  We cannot claim to truly appreciate them and the nation they secured for us while simultaneously refusing to do what it takes to keep and maintain this nation.

    That bears repeating: We cannot claim to truly appreciate the Founders and the nation they secured for us while simultaneously refusing to do what it takes to keep and maintain this nation.

    The Founders understood that there is a time to stand and fight.  They also understood that one of the most critical times to stand and fight is when truth, justice, and freedom are at stake.  They would be shocked to hear that Scripture is being used today to justify staying on the sidelines while these very principles are being destroyed.  They would be doubly shocked to learn that those taking this approach are the very people who profess to love truth, justice, and freedom.

    “God is in Control, So I Don’t Have to Do Anything” Does Not Apply Here

    Those who use God’s sovereignty to justify doing nothing while our nation is under siege are misusing Scripture. If God did not want us to have an active role in His plans, He would not have called us to action repeatedly throughout Scripture. Again and again, from Genesis to Revelation, He calls on His people to act, to stand against evil, and to stand up for the needy and vulnerable (Isaiah 6:8, Matthew 28:18-20, Ephesians 5:11, Proverbs 31:8-9). If we continue to sit on the sidelines while every good thing our nation stands for is destroyed, we will have violated far more Scripture than the handful of passages currently being misused to justify inaction

    “Turn the Other Cheek” Does Not Apply Here

    Those who use Jesus’ admonition to “turn the other cheek” to justify doing nothing while our nation is under siege are also misusing Scripture.  Turning the other cheek is about not taking every slight to heart, about not taking revenge, and about returning evil with good when appropriate (Matthew 5:39, Romans 12:19, 1 Thessalonians 5:15).  It has nothing to do with voluntarily turning our nation over to those who despise everything it stands for and are intent on replacing its righteous principles with unrighteous ones.  The Founders understood the difference, and so, when truth, justice, and freedom were at stake, they defended those righteous principles to the death.

    “Submit to the Authorities” Does Not Apply Here

    Those who use Scripture’s admonition to “submit to the authorities” to justify doing nothing while our nation is under siege are also misusing Scripture.  Passages such as 1 Peter 2:13-17 (c.f. Romans 13:1-7) are not a blanket command to always submit to authorities in every situation.  Rather, they are a general admonition to be applied under certain conditions.  Note that Peter clearly states in verse 14 that the authorities in question recognize the difference between good and evil, and commend good (c.f. Romans 13:3).  This is not the case today.  Congressmembers, judges, governors, mayors, and local authorities are openly fomenting and funding lawlessness.  They celebrate those who break our laws while vilifying those who uphold them.  They clearly do not stand for, nor commend, good.

    There is another important implication of both this passage and the Romans 13 passage that is often overlooked: Through the act of obeying the authorities, believers help maintain their freedom to do good (1 Peter 2:14, Romans 13:3-4).  This is also not the case today.  Rather than maintaining it, our obedience — played out in silence and inaction — is costing us our freedom to do good.  We are being vilified for our beliefs, silenced in the public square, and forced out of and denied jobs.  If we believers do not stand now against the lawlessness overtaking our land, we will lose our freedom to do good for good.  It is only a matter of time.

    It is not surprising then that we see Peter, who penned 1 Peter 2:13-17, defying the authorities in Acts 4 and 5 when those authorities command him to stop preaching the gospel.  Peter’s response?  An emphatic, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).  Peter knew when to obey the authorities and when to disobey them.  Clearly, that inflection point occurred for him and John where the command of human authorities was in direct contradiction to a command of God, i.e. when human authorities were not commending good and were instead commanding against it.  Put another way, that inflection point occurred where obedience to human authorities robbed the governed of their freedom to follow and obey God.

    A Moment of Decision

    We stand at this same inflection point today.  Our freedom to follow and obey God is actively being undermined and eroded before our eyes by the very authorities established to protect it.  The freedom to speak the truth, preach the word of God, follow our convictions, and evangelize the lost is being aggressively challenged in the courts, in the public square, by the education system, and by the media. Yet, alarmingly, the governing authorities established to uphold our God-given rights enshrined in the Constitution — and act as a bulwark between such an onslaught and our freedom — can no longer be trusted to do so.

    Thus, we have a decision to make.  Will we remain spectators while our nation is under siege?  Know this: If we choose to remain spectators, the United States of America — and the great principles she was founded on — will fall.  This would be a terrible travesty not only for Americans, but for the world.  Since its founding, the United States has been a beacon of hope and help to the lost and vulnerable around the globe.  Through evangelism, aid, and protection, we have helped lift whole nations out of poverty, injustice, and tyranny.  This ability to help other nations is dependent on our nation remaining free and true to its founding principles.  If America falls, our freedom and ability to preach the gospel to the nations falls with her.  If America falls, our freedom and ability to provide aid to those in need falls with her.  If America falls, our freedom and ability to provide protection to those who need it falls with her.

    Or, will we join our nation’s Founders and make the sacrifices necessary to keep and maintain the nation they secured for us?  For, when great principles are at stake, great sacrifice is required.  The Founders understood this and made that sacrifice.  It is not right for us to celebrate their sacrifice and not be willing to make the same sacrifice when what they fought for is at risk of being destroyed.  Know that whatever it is you are clinging to, whatever it is that keeps you from standing, will be lost in the end if you do not stand now.  It is only a matter of time.  You have a choice: Sacrifice it yourself willingly now for the sake of your country, or lose it in the not-too-distant-future by force.

    I apologize up front for being long in tooth, it needed to be said

    While sharing all that, I was thinking of my friend Wilie

    he died of stomach cancer

    2 weeks before he died him an I were out goose hunting

    Geese need the wind for uplift so we crawled on our bellies around a field to get behind them

    geese can see a long ways away an they post sentries to protect the flock

    I was in the room when Willie left us there was 5 in that room

    Willie open his eyes about a minute later and said

    get right with God

    then he left again never to return

    Lillies have such a light scent about them

    I didn’t see any lillies in that room

  • Welcome to Wednesday Conversation

    Welcome to Wednesday Conversation

    Hopefully our personal unicorn is not making these grievous errors.🤔😳😲

    Speaking of our WhiteUnicorn, you all have an assignment from Thursday through Sunday. You must direct target accuracy karma toward New Jersey, where she will be killing clay. If she does not do well, each of you will be held accountable.

  • A Fish Tale

    A Fish Tale

    A group of fishermen in Florida got a wet surprise recently.

    While fishing off of Coral Gables, a trio of anglers, fishing with Chew On This charters hooked into a massive Goliath grouper. The 450 pound fish then proceeded to pull not one, but two of the group overboard.

    Watch:

    Got any fish stories? A big catch to brag about? A favorite fish to target? Let us know in the comments below.

    See our related post here –> New Record Paddlefish Caught

  • US officially cuts ties with WHO

    US officially cuts ties with WHO

    The Trump administration announced today that the US was cutting ties with the World Health Organization. The administration submitted a notice of withdrawal from the World Health Organization to the United Nations secretary-general, according to an official source. The White House also notified congressional lawmakers Tuesday of the official removal, effective July 2021.

    https://twitter.com/ChloeSalsameda/status/1280569997660569601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1280569997660569601%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftownhall.com%2Ftipsheet%2Freaganmccarthy%2F2020%2F07%2F07%2Fwho-withdrawal-n2572044

    President Trump previously announced in May that the United States would be taking steps to “terminate” our relationship with the WHO.

    See also: Hello World. . .

    The U.S. repeatedly raised concerns about WHO officials’  praise of Chinese “transparency,”  its ignoring of warnings about the virus from Taiwan, and its repetition of Chinese claims that COVID-19 could not be spread from person-to-person. Trump has also pointed to opposition from WHO officials to his decision to place a travel ban on China in the initial days of the crisis.

  • BREAKING: ACTIVE SHOOTER AT 29 PALMS UPDATED

    BREAKING: ACTIVE SHOOTER AT 29 PALMS UPDATED

    Military police are responding to an active shooter situation at a Marine Corps base in southern California.

    https://twitter.com/USMC/status/1280524228161306631?s=20

    Military Police responded to shots fired at 6:30 a.m. PT at the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base, according to Captain Nicole Plymale, Public Affairs Officer for Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base.

    There have been no reports of injuries at this time, Plymale said. Military Police have the suspect cordoned off and are in contact with him. There is a shelter in place order in effect.

    This is a Breaking Story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

    1400 Update:

    “The shelter-in-place order for the installation has been lifted,” U.S. Marines said in a statement, “An individual sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound at approximately 8:30 a.m. The individual is currently being treated and will be transported to a medical facility.”

    “There are no other injuries reported at this time. This incident is under investigation,” the statement added.

  • You Know What’s The Ultimate ‘Place Of Privilege’?…

    You Know What’s The Ultimate ‘Place Of Privilege’?…

    You Know What’s The Ultimate ‘Place Of Privilege’? Living In The USA

    People who come to this country don’t throw around that ‘privilege’ word as if to highlight some victimhood. They know America is still the shining beacon of hope for all mankind.

    By J. Motos Gordon For The Federalist 

    From the moment I first saw a helicopter land in the rice fields of my small town in the Philippines when I was a kid, I was captivated. I wanted to fly. I never thought I’d ever get to fly anything but the homemade kites we used to make out of cement bags and bamboo sticks.

    Then I got an amazing, life-changing gift: opportunity.

    America, the Land of Opportunity

    When I was about 10 years old, my mom brought me to the United States. She had come to the U.S. many years before with only about $200 in her pocket when she stepped off the plane. She made a life for herself, and when she was finally able, she brought me. She eventually met my dad, and he later adopted me. It was one of the happiest days of my life.

    My mom and dad are amazing people — caring, salt of the earth, hard-working people. Thrift shops and Goodwill stores were our malls when I was younger, and to this day I feel a sense of excitement when I enter one. My parents gardened in the backyard, spent their money frugally, and continued to save for part of that American Dream: their own house.

    I hated when my mom forced me to do my English and math with chalk and a chalkboard in our small hallway. With that tough love, she would always say, “When your grandfather was a young man in the Philippines, he helped take care of a farm. Then one day, they took it away. And so, he told me, ‘Go to school. People can take away your clothes and your house and your farm, but they can’t take away your education.’”

    Although I never did become a pilot, I did get to fly in some of those planes I dreamed of flying. As the saying goes, sometimes we create our own opportunities. And sometimes, some of us don’t work hard enough to make our dreams a reality, but that’s on me, not the system. Nothing, not opportunity nor education, is ever guaranteed without sacrifice or hard work.

    My experience isn’t special. I’m just a kid from a rice-farming town. Given the same opportunity, any of my relatives in the Philippines right now would love to come here to pursue the American Dream, and I have no doubt they would achieve it — irrespective of their background, skin color, accent, or any other perceived racial or economic disadvantage. Some of them are pursuing it right now.

    This is America, after all, with better opportunities and freedoms than the place they would leave behind. They are proud, smart, hard-working, and family-loving people. The only difference between them and all Americans is that we are here in the land of opportunity, a land where your success is directly proportional to your effort. A land where freedoms and liberties are enshrined on old parchment papers, and bled for by young men and women.

    If You Don’t Want to Be Here, Leave

    I can’t help but wonder why statues of the Founding Fathers are being toppled and why people are calling to defund police. I can’t help but wonder why the push for racial parity is being hijacked by some to a dangerous phase where the worth of one race is extolled above others to the point that saying “all lives matter” is now deemed racist.

    To those who hate this country, look at all the people who want to come here and become U.S. citizens. This nation is imperfect, but it is still a great country — many would contend it’s the greatest. If America is not a good fit for anyone because it is so horrible, they can leave it and go to another country. No one is stopping them from renouncing their U.S. citizenship and making room for somebody who wants to be here.

    If people choose to stay, however, to make America a better place together, let’s exercise “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances,” enumerated in the Constitution. Let us not put each other down with name-calling, not topple statues, not set fire to neighborhood businesses, not riot and throw frozen water bottles, not loot stores for electronics, and certainly not kill others.

    Being an American Is a Privilege

    I recently had a discussion with someone who was born in the United States. Our viewpoints differed, and he hinted it may have something to do with my privilege. Excuse me? Let me hint at something.

    If you grew up with lights and electricity in your house instead of kerosene lamps and candles just so you could read at night or feel safe, you have privilege.

    If you have indoor plumbing instead of having to go outside and hand-pump your water out of the ground, you have privilege.

    If you can sit on a porcelain toilet instead of between two bamboo trunks to go to the bathroom, you have privilege.

    If you have shoes under your feet instead of flip-flops cobbled together with safety pins because you can’t afford new ones, you have privilege.

    If you have more than two or three outfits instead of using the same ones over and over because you can’t afford more, you have privilege.

    If you can throw your clothes in a washing machine instead of having to go to the river to hand-wash them, you have privilege.

    If you feel safe during storms instead of having to worry about whether your thatched roof will leak again or if the typhoon will sweep away your house and family, you have privilege.

    If you can reach into your cupboard for your box of Uncle Ben’s instant rice instead of having to harvest the rice fields, lay out the rice onto the street to dry it under the sun, use the wind to separate the husks from the rice, bag it, and then store it in a warehouse and hope the rats don’t eat it, you have privilege.

    If you have a car to get where you need to go instead of having to pack yourself like sardines into an old Jeep with questionable safety, you have privilege.

    If you can microwave food or grab Pop Tarts from your kitchen instead of having to dig up potatoes in your yard or steal guava fruits from your neighbor, you have privilege.

    If you had an Atari, Nintendo, or Xbox instead of having to carve your own toys from a tree branch or use a Campbell’s soup can to make your own toy car or scrounge for coconut husks around town just so you can play a game, you have privilege.

    If you live under an economic system that allows you to work hard, persevere, and be creative to pull yourself out of poverty and rise into your own definition of success instead of toiling with the same amount of blood, sweat, and tears only to be limited by a government filled with corruption and nepotism, you have privilege.

    If you live in country where fundamental human rights and liberties are protected by a Constitution with its ingenious system of checks and balances instead of a country where your rights depend on who is in power, you have privilege.

    If you live in the United States of America instead of a Third World country, you have privilege.

    Make America Better Together

    The difference is that people who come to this country don’t throw around that “privilege” word as if to highlight some victimhood. They keep to themselves, work hard and smart, realize how special this country is, believe in the American Dream, and go after it. They’re just happy to be here.

    This country has disparities that still need to be addressed, but they are complex, just as complex as the history behind it all. A real, meaningful solution will be equally complex.

    We must work together, not by marginalizing or denigrating those with a different point of view. In putting down and belittling the voices of other people, we miss out on the opportunity to talk to one another — and we may very well inadvertently silence those who would have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us to effect change.

    In the end, this is still our country. Despite all its imperfections, America is still the shining beacon of hope for all mankind. Just ask anyone who wants to come here.

    We can make it better — not through name-calling, not through riots, not through violence, not through erasing history. But together.

    thefederalist.com: You Know What’s The Ultimate ‘Place Of Privilege’? Living In The USA

    AuntiE’s take:

    Maybe we should encourage those so dissatisfied with our country to leave. We could replace them with people who value America, even with faults.

  • Welcome to Tuesday Conversation

    Welcome to Tuesday Conversation

    If the above is a repeat, my apologies. It just gives me a big grin.
  • The View from Here

    The View from Here

    This is the first of what is likely to become a recurring post, albeit not necessarily a regular one, but whenever I feel like going off on something.

    Fredo’s brother, the love gov has cancelled the New York State Fair. The Fair is a big deal in this neck of the woods, as the event is held in a small village just outside Syracuse. The Syracuse region, like most of Upstate NY, is in phase four of the reopening. I really don’t think he had much of a choice, and not because of the WuFlu. The fact is the state offices that processed vendor applications have been closed since February, and those applications needed to be submitted by the 15th of April.

    A quick drive west on I-90 from me is the city of Rochester. Why am I mentioning Rochester you might ask? Well, over the weekend, some idiots removed the statue of Fredrick Douglass from one of the parks there. As there’s a distinct lack of white supremacists in these environs, I suspect it was some uneducated, AntiFa supporting, Marxists that did the deed. They managed to damage the plinth and broke one of the statues fingers in the act. The statue itself was found leaning on a chain link fence separating the park from the Genesee river gorge. As of this writing no suspects have been named by the Rochester PD or Monroe county sheriffs.

    Many, if not all, of you have seen the reporting on the resurgence of the WuFlu in Texas, Arizona and Florida. Here’s the naked truth: cases are up, however, there’s context that isn’t being provided by the usual outlets. First, there are record numbers of tests being done every day. Second, the rate of infections has only gone up by about 2%, that means the virus isn’t spreading any faster. Third, the death rate continues to decline. Fourth, despite all the hype, ICU capacity is not about to be overwhelmed. Finally, the majority of new infections are in the 40 and under age group. That group is far less likely to experience poor outcomes from the virus. I’ll leave you with one astonishing stat, there have been more deaths in those 75 and above than there have been in those under 65.

    https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson/status/1279641993703034881?s=20

    Major League Baseball announced their 60 game schedule today. First pitch is supposed to be 23 July. This reporter is a huge baseball fan, and has been watching Korean league ball since they restarted a month ago and while it’s entertaining, it’s not the Yankees.

    Now a couple of notes about the all new milvetsandpatriots.com. We’ve installed a push notification system, so be sure to sign up for it. The little red bell at the bottom right of your screen will enable them for you.

    We’re always looking for new, original content, and if you want to contribute to the site, sign up for an account.

    If you have any ideas on how to improve the site, please let us know in the comments section below.

  • Charlie Daniels, country music legend, dead at 83

    Charlie Daniels, country music legend, dead at 83

    Daniels, who was a Country Music Hall of Famer, died at a hospital in Hermitage, Tennessee, after he suffered a stroke, doctors said.

    He previously experienced a mild stroke in January 2010 then had a heart pacemaker implanted in 2013.

    Daniels, a singer, guitarist and fiddler, continued to perform even with his health in decline in recent years.

    With Post wires

    https://pagesix.com/2020/07/06/country-music-legend-charlie-daniels-dead-at-83/

  • Mob Rule Imperils Western Civilization…..

    Mob Rule Imperils Western Civilization…..

    Mob Rule Imperils Western Civilization. Now’s the Time for Courage and Leadership.

    By – Jarrett Stepmanfor The Daily Signal

    The war on history has spread across our country and has even spilled over to other parts of the Western world.

    Now, on a daily basis, we see scenes of lawless mobs attacking and tearing down statues, and defacing monuments of every type—often as authorities stand idly by. 

    But this violence has hardly been reserved just for statues.

    After toppling a statue of an abolitionist who gave his life to the cause as a member of the Union Army, a mob in Madison, Wisconsin, mercilessly beat a Wisconsin Democrat state senator who supported the protests.

    Two regimes are fighting an ideological war in America today. But what side are you on? 

    Mob rule is indeed coming to America. It must be stopped.

    Authorities have numerous tools to stop the destruction if they would just show the willingness to use them. Failure to act will only encourage more acts of vandalism and destruction.

    As I explained in my book, “The War on History: The Conspiracy to Rewrite America’s Past,” the attacks on our shared history go beyond any individual or statue.

    What’s in peril now is not just the reputation of Christopher Columbus, the merits of the Founding Fathers, or the legacy of the Civil War. It’s something much broader and deeper.

    What’s being threatened is the long history of ideas and institutions created and developed in the West.

    The United States, of course, has been the prime target of radicals, because—whether we chose this role or not—it is the pinnacle of Western prosperity and strength.

    Unfortunately, we have reached a point—due to the radical transformation of our schools and the rise of the new Left—where our elite institutions are no longer willing or able to defend the very ideas and people that made possible their existence.

    In fact, those institutions are leading the charge to bring about this cultural revolution.

    Those who do stand up to the statue topplers and radicals—even those who could bebroadly defined as “liberal” or on the left—will be drowned out and castigated, will be accused of being racist, and purged by the inquisitors of social justice.

    Just look at how the historians who stood up against the inaccurate, flawed, and ultimately destructive “1619 Project” developed by The New York Times have been treated.

    The project’s creator, Nikole Hannah-Jones, dismissed her critics as “old white males,” and called others “anti-black.”

    The purge and erasure of history require dissent to be silenced. No one may question the narrative. No one may be allowed to freely pursue the truth.

    That’s what the war on history is leading to. It’s a war on 1776.

    The attacks on history have moved international as well. Statues of Winston Churchilland Abraham Lincoln have been vandalized and defaced by mobs in London.

    It’s telling that those were among the primary symbols being targeted.

    After all, Churchill and Lincoln in their own ways were leaders who unabashedly stood by the essence of what their countries were in a time of almost overwhelming crisis.

    Instead of tearing down Lincoln and Churchill, we must now look to them for inspiration in an uncertain age.

    In an address at Bristol University in 1938, the British prime minister-to-be warned that civilization itself was under attack, that it would be tested, and that it would survive only if free people drew on their strength and courage to defend it.

    In words striking in the face of our challenges today, Churchill said: “Civilization will not last, freedom will not survive, peace will not be kept, unless a very large majority of mankind unite together to defend them and show themselves possessed of a constabulary power before which barbaric and atavistic forces will stand in awe.”

    Will we, like generations before us, answer the call to defend our way of life? Will it be the generation that grew up at the “end of history”—after the Nazi menace was crushed by the arsenal of democracy, the USSR’s evil empire collapsed, and free people stood triumphant—that will cast our hard-won victories aside in an effort to purge our imperfect past?

    In an era of mob rule—where the very basis of American and Western civilization is being questioned and attacked from within, and when rising superpowers like communist China that stand in opposition to everything we represent are on the march—it is essential that free people resist the impulses leading to our self-immolation.

    The hour is late, and our hot summer days are becoming dark.

    Still, imagine what things were like for Lincoln sitting in the White House in 1861 as government of the people, by the people, and for the people appeared to be on the precipice of perishing from the earth.

    Imagine how things must have looked for Churchill in the summer of 1940, when darkness was closing in on the last free country on the Continent, the British elite were eyeing capitulation to the Nazi juggernaut, and across the Atlantic the American behemoth was still sleeping.

    The times were grim, but leadership and statesmanship in the face of nearly insurmountable challenges held civilization together, allowed free people to rally, gather their strength, and stem the tide of ruin, bringing forth what Churchill called the “bright sunlit uplands” in the era that followed.

    Now we are again being called upon to mount a defense of our way of life. We have a great deal to lose and much at stake, because what’s at stake are not just statues and stone, but the freedom of millions alive today and the many more yet unborn.

    Mob Rule Imperils Western Civilization. Now’s the Time for Courage and Leadership.

    AuntiE’s take: For quite some time, I have been at a loss for the word to describe how this chaos is impacting our nation. Mr. Stepman provided it. Our nation is, indeed, “imperil”.