The Transparency Man

Have you not noticed the rancorous Israeli-loathing rhetoric coming from the White House? Makes one wonder if Obama is an Israeli ally or anti-Semite. Clearly, Obama is working behind the scene to upend the Israeli elections and hurt Netanyahu’s election chances. More than this, he is fuming at the vision of Netanyahu standing before an applauding Congress, reflecting the overwhelming support of the American people.

In light of all this, it came as no surprise that Obama declined to attend the 70th anniversary ceremony for the liberation of Auschwitz. Other heads of state and leaders will be represented there, including those from France Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, etc. Representing the U.S. will be Secretary of the Treasury, Jack Lew. Obama’s detestation of the Israel is so out of control, he doesn't even try to mask his disdain. Ever ask yourself why the apparent enmity and not outward support of an old friend? Do you suppose remembrance of the Holocaust is an insult to Islam? Then again, Obama was a recent no-show in Paris following the murders of a dozen or so cartoonists. Do you suppose the Paris Memorial Solidarity March could be interpreted as an insult to Islam? When presented with the facts one can only conclude that remembering the Holocaust, just like supporting cartoonists and free speech is an insult to Islam.

In essence and contrary to belief, Obama is the transparency man. The occupant in the White House did not join heads of state in Paris to stand against terror and stand up for freedom of speech. So why should we expect him to join the heads and leaders of other states to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz? Every day, we are able to see who and what Obama really is. Obama’s Paris absence, his snubbing of Egypt’s President’s speech advocating Muslim tolerance and castigating Muslims for not standing against radical Islam are just some examples of who Obama really is. Do you suppose, Obama sending Jack Lew to the before mentioned ceremony was more than an afterthought?  Lest we forget, did not President Obama opt of Margaret Thatcher’s funeral but did find time to attend King Abdullah’s service? Of one thing I am certain, transparency is not an issue as it relates to Obama’s geo-political and apparent theological ties. 

Wake-up to Christian Persecution

Being a subscriber of Open Doors USA, let this blogger provide you with some startling information recently announced by the just mentioned organization. Open Doors, one of the leading organizations serving the persecuted Christian church released the 24th World Watch List, which lists the 50 nations that most aggressively persecutes Christians. The 2015 Watch List documents the most dramatic increase in violence and persecution of Christians in the modern era. Open Doors President and CEO, David Curry, unveiled the World Watch List in Washington, but he, like many other like-minded Americans are very concerned that leaders in the U.S. and elsewhere in the Western world fail to grasp the significance of this dramatic rise in the targeting of Christians and what it means for believers and nonbelievers down the road. As the Western world stands in shock at the brutal murder of magazine employees and police officers by radical Muslims in Paris, the new World Watch List suggests Islamic violence throughout the world is spawning the most significant increase in the persecution of Christians on record and that likely means more intense repression of all kinds is not far behind.

I, like others really feel like the Washington and the world just does not get it (or maybe they do and don't care). They don’t understand that the persecution of Christians is a major story, is a major issue. It’s growing, and it’s a lead indicator that oppression is coming for everyone else. Everywhere you look where there’s a major outbreak in the world today, first it was Christians. If the world does not wake up to this, it’s going to come their direction.

Several African nations witnessed the most dramatic increases in Christian persecution over the past year. “Kenya soared from 43 to 19” on the list. “Djibouti rose from 46 to 24”. Nigeria is now in the top 10, and "Sudan jumped from 11 to 6". The reasons for the jump are simple. “The Islamic extremists that have been residing within Africa are learning the lessons of the Islamic State. They’re taking the tactics, the strategies of the Islamic State, and seeing the success that they have had with this leadership vacuum in the Middle East from Western governments. Now they are implementing it in Africa. Let it be known that Muslims are not the only persecutors of Christians. But in 40 of the Earth’s 50 countries where Christians are made to suffer because of their faith, Muslims are the culprits.

Need it be said again; we are not safe in the West from radical ideologies. Regrettably, In the near future we are more than likely going to see assaults on churches, malls, sporting venues etc. in the West. Are we not now witnessing outbreaks of radical Islamic violence in the West? Just to put it in perspective, the French and much of the West mourned the loss of 12 lives cut down by jihadists. Boko Haram kills 10 Christians every single day. ISIS often murders dozens, if not hundreds of Christians in a single day. And the list goes on. Google it up and look for yourself.

Now, I ask you the reader, is there hope for the Church in a world full of radical ideologies? I contend there is hope because God gives hope, but these situations are very dismal in human terms. When is enough, sufficient for action?

Obama's Rays of Sunshine are Anything But

Was it just me or did others note that President Obama’s State of the Union address was loaded with odorous delights meant to bedazzle America’s long-suffering middle class as he signaled economic prosperity for all is waiting just around the corner. As for me, I was not impressed. Why, one may ask was I not awe-struck with Obama’s oratorical declarations? He speaks of rays of sunshine, while I see dark storm clouds closing in and enveloping his sunshine. I see America (along with the rest of the West) sliding headlong toward the abyss.

From what I have learned of ancient biblical history, parallels can be drawn between Israel’s and America’s falling away from God and a series of judgments that will come as a result. The people of Israel convinced themselves that they were coming back stronger than before and then it all collapsed, and the judgment came. As the Israelites did, so is America doing. We have stopped following God and observing his ways. We have turned to our own devices and removed God from our culture and legal system. Need I say more?

Islamic Non-Assimilation

It would appear to some that too many Islamic immigrants are seeking to colonize Western countries, to include the United States because setting up their own enclave or district if you will, and demanding recognition of so called no-go zones are exactly that. I personally think that the radical left absolutely wants to act as if this problem is not here. Pretending it’s not here won’t make it go away. If my opinion, which many other people apparently share causes distress to those who support said Islamic colonization notion, so be it. I also realize the truth as I perceive and state it, is going to upset a subset of Islam and the radical liberal left. The bigger issue in non-assimilation is the fact that you have people that want to come to a country but not adopt its values, not adopt its language, not adopt its laws and in some cases want to set apart their own enclaves and hold on to their own values. Is that not perilous to a nation’s indigenous population that reside therein? I believe it is. 

A few Thoughts Shared

While sitting in my office I began thinking of God and decided I would share a few thoughts. Of course I speak of God, for those who still care about Him and what He and His word think. My first thought focuses on what does the Bible say we should believe and look for when our nation is getting eviscerated and ravaged by leaders and policies that try to dispense with that which is consecrated, moral and appropriate or good? Does it lead us to despondency? Should we look for Christ the Savior to rapture us out of this chaos? Should our current climate make believers act like Reverends Sharpton or Jackson or any number of other charlatans? My final thought; Are we done for?

Can Islam and the West Co-Exist

It is much easier to count the dead in Paris than in rural Nigeria. Islamist terrorists connected to al-Qaida or Islamic State (perhaps both) murdered 17 people in the modern, globally linked capital of France. Seventeen is an exact number. Last week, Boko Haram, the Nigerian Islamist terror movement, murdered several hundred people, though initial reports claimed 2,000. The confirmed massacre resulted the deaths of mostly women and children. All victims were of the Christian faith.

The Paris Islamic psychopaths claimed their slaughter of 12 in the office of the satirical journal was to redress the magazine's publication of cartoons, which according to the Islamic extremist’s religious dogma, blasphemed Muhammad. A fellow terrorist friend, however, also killed five people in a Jewish deli. Both acts of carnage had objectives. Editors and satirists were murdered in order to intimidate the press and silence free expression, and Jews were targeted for death because they were simply, Jewish. Let me conclude this commentary with a hint of hope that the future of Islamic and non-Islamic peoples can one day co-exist peacefully.

The hope lies in the words recently spoken by Egypt’s current president; “Is it possible that 1.6 billion people (Muslims) should want to kill the rest of the world's inhabitants ... so that they themselves may live? Impossible! You cannot feel it if you remain trapped within this mindset you need to step outside of yourselves to be able to observe it and reflect on it from a more enlightened perspective." If only these words are noted and heeded by all Muslims, just maybe, there is some hope for positive change.

Has America Forgotten Something

Has America forgotten something? Indeed, it appears she has.  America is mired in political correctness, deceived by civil liberties activists  and confused by conflicting rulings from its highest courts. America has lost sight of the rich, Christian heritage from which its founding principles were born.

One cannot help but admit that we as a people are for all intents and purposes, ignorant  of our heritage. As Arthur Schlesinger once stated; "History is to the nation as memory is to the individual. As persons deprived of memory become disoriented and lost, not knowing where they have been and where they are going, so as a nation denied a conception of the past will be disabled in dealing with its present and its future." And may I add Creator.

What Happens If

Are we fighting a war, or trying to win friends among our adversaries who represent evil and call us the great Satan? On top of name calling our Islamic enemies have called for jihad against America.

Every time we witness heinous Islamic attacks as we have recently seen in Kenya, Australia,Canada, Pakistan and France the apologists here and abroad are quick to issue the familiar excuses. This doesn't represent true Islam, which they say is a religion of peace. These are "lone wolves". ISIS openly campaigns on the Internet to attract more "lone wolves." In the end, it doesn't matter whether one person or an army of Taliban, ISIS, Boko Haram terrorists kill you. You are still a member of the departed. You are dead. 

When the next attack occurs in America (as it undoubtedly will) will the Obama administration issue the predictable reproof and apologies for Islam, or will we do what needs to be done to stop the assassins? Civil liberties as guaranteed by the constitution are worth protecting until they are used by our sworn antagonists to commit murder. If we are attacked again as on 9-11 and thousands more of us are killed, what then? Will we eventually go back to business as usual, thus ensuring more attacks? What do you suppose the administration will do, if in fact, they do anything? This writer fears they will do the predictable. They will do nothing of substance.

The Diminutive "Reverend"

When a history of the American Presidency is amassed, listed among the most curious aspects of prior presidential administrations will be the inclusion of the Reverend Alfred Charles Sharpton as a ‘trusted presidential adviser’ to the Obama Administration. The archives will show Rev. Al virtually glowing in his self-importance, seated at the side of the president. Imagine, a person with no talent or abilities, of questionable character and certainly offering nothing of substance, can raise himself above the humble beginnings he was born into and achieve prestige and importance among the highest levels of American government. A true American fraud or swindler success story if there ever was one. To appreciate the diminutive Reverend's success one needs to understand that he has been able to repeatedly ingratiate himself with others who have ascended into seats of local, state, and federal government as well as private positions of influence. Did you know that our Alfred is a college dropout and has no formal seminary training, though he carries the title of “Reverend”?

Now, one must face the fact that the Reverend does have some talent. What talent, you may ask? Al’s true talents are those of a conspirator, confidence gamer, race-hustler, and stirring up the cauldrons of racial injustice at every opportunity. Indeed he has found his true niche in life. The good Reverend has been able to wheedle himself into countless incidents where a racial aspect might or might not be involved. If one is not there, he will find one. Having no facts or evidence, Al is always ready and able to infuse charges of racism and stir up civil unrest. All for his own self-gratification and to line his own pockets with other peoples money.

From what I understand wherever Al travels to speak out on behalf of the racially downtrodden he travels first class. He lives a lifestyle of extravagance that those he claims to represent dare not dream of. We are all aware that the honorable Al most recently leapt into the fray surrounding the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Continuing the “hands up, don’t shoot” farce, Rev. Alfred led the charge to railroad an innocent Police Officer. The righteous Reverend even called for a “special prosecutor” because all the forensic evidence did not provide the results he wanted. After all, “little man” Al Sharpton has experience with railroads. Need I mention the Duke University non –rape case? Even more outrageous is the fact that the sitting president of the United States seeks the counsel of someone like Al Sharpton. With Alfred’s history it makes one wonder about the intellectual credentials and motivations of the person sitting in the Oval Office. Alfred’s motivation is all about ‘Alfred’, and much less about those who may actually have been the victims of racism and discrimination. “Little man” Al Sharpton’s excesses will continue as long as the money keeps rolling in and the American news media keep providing him coverage. And American race relations will continue to suffer a setback every time the diminutive Reverend Al comes to town to ameliorate a perceived racial injustice.

2015 New Year's Message

New Year's comes close to being the almost perfect public holiday with the exception being Christmas and Easter. It is a combination of reflection, celebration or possibly just being glad of ridding oneself of the old year, while at the same time looking forward to the potential and possibilities of the new year ahead. It is a link or span between the past and present, where what has been is over but the future still looks bright, albeit a bit hazy.

Looking into the year ahead, I am not going to attempt to line up resolutions or objectives to achieve by the end of the current year. What I have learned in my many years is that, while we make plans, God changes our path by closing doors that were previously open, and opening others that we might not have noticed before. It is our job to be ever present in the shifting backdrop of life, taking advantage of newly opened doors.

This coming year, let us focus on joy and wonder. By joy and wonder, I do not mean gratifying or astonishment, but the profound joy and wonder that comes from God, from simply being alive. Let us focus on knowing Him and making Him known.