A beautiful family reflecting American values

What a lovely family. Democrats are fund raising on hate for this woman and her values--life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, rights given to us by our Creator. Democrats have booed and belittled our Creator, and can't offer any of those values, especially not life. They offer no liberty, only subservience to the government, and they want guarantees and equity, not pursuit.

Christians and politics

Politics for Christians is messy these days. I came across a clear explanation with good footnotes that I recommend. Due to the fractured nature of the church, no Christian will agree with all points. https://www.allaboutworldview.org/christian-worldview.htm, specifically, https://www.allaboutworldview.org/christian-politics.htm
Here's where a Christian world view differs with today's socialists in our government--they teach in our schools and proclaim in their power that because the founders were ordinary, sinful men with flaws, rulers in the 21st century are smarter, more righteous and more spiritual and able to take our God given rights and give them to the government.
"Christian Politics – The Source of Human Rights
Christian politics within a Christian worldview understands God as the source and guarantee of our basic human rights. Because we believe we are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), we know that we are valuable. (This becomes doubly clear when we remember that Christ took upon Himself human flesh and died for humanity.) God grants all individuals the same rights based on an absolute moral standard.
The Declaration of Independence proclaims, “All men are created equal... [and] endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” Two assumptions are inherent in this declaration: 1) we were created by a supernatural Being; and 2) this Being provides the foundation for all human rights.
The knowledge that human rights are based on an unchanging, eternal Source is crucial in our understanding of politics. If our rights were not tied inextricably to God’s character, then they would be arbitrarily assigned according to the whims of each passing generation or political party—rights are “unalienable” only because they are based on God’s unchanging character. Therefore, human rights do not originate with human government, but with God Himself, who ordains governments to secure these rights.
Our founding fathers understood this clearly.
John Adams, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson in 1813, says, “The general principles, on which the Fathers achieved Independence, were the only Principles in which that beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could Unite... And what were these general Principles? I answer, the general Principles of Christianity, in which all these Sects were United... Now I will avow, that I then believe, and now believe, that those general Principles of Christianity, are as eternal and immutable, as the Existence and Attributes of God.”2
John Winthrop says that the best friend of liberty is one who is “most sincere and active in promoting true and undefiled religion and who sets himself with the greatest firmness to bear down on profanity and immorality of every kind. Whoever is an avowed enemy of God, I scruple not to call him an enemy of his country.”3
Noah Webster wrote “The moral principles and precepts found in the scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. These principles and precepts have truth, immutable truth, for their foundation.”4
Alexis de Tocqueville says, “There is no country in the world where the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America; and there can be no greater proof of its utility, and of its conformity to human nature, than that its influence is most powerfully felt over the most enlightened and free nation on the earth.”5
George Washington, in his inaugural address as first president of the United States, referred to “the propitious smiles of Heaven” that fall only on that nation that does not “disregard the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.”6"

Declaration of Independence

If the American Revolution had produced nothing but the Declaration of Independence, it would have been worthwhile.... The beauty and cogency of the preamble, reaching back to remotest antiquity and forward to an infinite future, having lifted the hearts of millions of men and will continue to do.... These words are more revolutionary than anything written by Robespierre, Marx, or Lenin, more explosive than the atom, a continual challenge to ourselves as well as an inspiration to the oppressed of all the world."
-- Samuel Eliot Morison
(1887-1976) Rear Admiral USNR, Naval historian

I wonder who the bigger narcissist is, Trump or Obama?

Around here, 3-4 dozen was the high guess. Guess we weren't giving him enough credit for being the Narcissistic in Chief.

"Addressing the Democratic National Convention on its penultimate night to lay out the case for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, President Obama began by recalling his political debut at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He then described how his family has become so well known to America in the intervening years. He spoke of his time i...n office, how the presidency has physically aged him, but how his daughters euphemistically note he now looks more "mature."

He spoke of everything he is proud to have achieved -- passing ObamaCare, expanding clean energy production, reducing consumption of foreign oil, passing the Iran deal, bringing troops home, killing bin Laden.

He spoke of how inspired he's become meeting Americans of all stripes. He spoke of his optimism. He spoke of the values he imparted from his family.

If it's starting to sound like Obama talked a lot about himself, that’s because he did.
In total, we counted 119 times Obama referred to himself during his speech ostensibly about Hillary Clinton." 
 Grabien.com

He also misquoted the Declaration of Independence AGAIN (4 times before this, at least, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016?). He just cannot bring himself to acknowledge that rights come from God.

"The Obama version skips over a few words; the actual Declaration of Independence declares, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” But the point is that the Democrats — the Democrats! — are citing the Founding Fathers and the document of our national creation in their argument. This used to be the Republicans’ style. But since the GOP left it unused, the Democrats are picking it up and using it."

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/morning-jolt/438460/barack-obamas-dnc-speech-appeal-conservatives

It was almost worth listening to the speeches of the DNC to hear them plagiarize the Republicans--saying this is a great country. After 8 years of hearing we are gun clingers, Islamophobes, anti-marriage, neo-fascists, war mongers and racists, it was sort of refreshing. Even if they don't believe it.

Not sure where Trump was speaking, but he was obviously joking about Russia and Hillary's e-mails, but the leftist media, who should have been on the story about what happened but gave her a pass, now have their panties in a wad crying "treason." They are so fake. Fake editors, fake journalists, fake outrage. This week they've been accusing Trump of being a mole to expose the DNC's treatment of Bernie and minorities; now he's committing treason. Should be an interesting campaign, but very lop sided in press coverage.

Did Thomas Jefferson read St. Robert Bellarmine

 There is no way to know if Thomas Jefferson ever read the original works of St. Robert Bellarmine. Chances are very good Jefferson knew of the writings of the 16th century counter-reformation Catholic who was extensively quoted in a book that was in Jefferson's library--a book that spoke out about the right of kings to rule. The Congressional Library still possesses a copy of Patriarcha, a book which once stood on the library shelf of Thomas Jefferson.  Patriarcha, was written by Robert Filmer, the privage theologian of James I of England in defense of the Divine Right of Kings and principally in refutation to the Jesuit Cardinal Bellarmine’s political principles of popular sovereignty.”

Jefferson's words echo that of a man who wrote two centuries earlier, and whose work itself echoes St. Thomas Aquinas.

With regard to the equality of men:

Declaration of Independence:  “All men are created equal; they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights.”

Bellarmine:  “All men are equal, not in wisdom or grace, but in the essence and nature of mankind” (De Laicis,” c.7).  “There is no reason why among equals one should rule rather than another.” (Ibid.)  “Let rulers remember that they preside over men who are of the same nature as they themselves” (De Officus Princ.” c.22).  “Political right is immediately from God and necessarily inherent in the nature of man” (De Laicia” c. 6, note 1).

With regard to the function of government:

Declaration of Independence:  “To secure these rights governments are instituted among men.”

Bellarmine:  “It is impossible for men to live together without someone to care for the common good.  Men must be governed by someone lest they be willing to perish” (De Laicia,” c.6).

With regard to the source of power:

Declaration of Independence:  “Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

Bellarmine:  “It depends upon the consent of the multitude to constitute over itself a king, consul, or other magistrate.  This power is, indeed, from God, but vested in a particular ruler by the counsel and election of men” (De Laicis, c. 6, notes 4 and 5).  “The people themselves immediately and directly hold the political power” (De Clericis, c. 7).

With regard to the right to change the government:

Declaration of Independence:  “Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new government. . .Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient reasons.”

Bellarmine:  “For legitimate reasons the people can change the government to an aristocracy or a democracy or vice versa” (De Laicis, c. 6).  “The people never transfers its power to a king so completely but that it reserves to itself the right of receiving back the power” (Recognitio de Laicis, c. 6).

https://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2013/09/17/st-robert-bellarmine-and-the-declaration-of-independence/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellarmine-Jefferson_High_School

http://supremacyandsurvival.blogspot.com/2016/07/st-robert-bellarmine-and-declaration-of.html

https://suburbanbanshee.wordpress.com/2013/07/04/thomas-jefferson-and-st-robert-bellarmines-natural-law-teachings/

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=6607&CFID=27181055&CFTOKEN=86110878

Day by Day Cartoon by Chris Muir, The Declaration of Independence Updated

We got a framed print of the Declaration of Independence for Christmas from our son. It's an amazing document. The Chris Muir cartoon of yesterday substitutes a few words and phrases (Obama for King George), adds in the Stimulus Bill, Health Care, immigration, czars and Cap and Trade, and the result is a very spooky caligraphic version for 2010.

"He has combined with Democrats, RINOs, Progressives, Communists, Dictators and Tyrants to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution and unacknowledged by our laws. . . "

Day by Day Cartoon by Chris Muir :: June 27, 2010 Archives

Don't buy this edition of America's documents

How's this for a disclaimer on a cut and paste edition of the U.S. Constitution, with the Bill of Rights and all of the Amendments; The Declaration of Independence; and the Articles of Confederation:

"This book is a product of its time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today. Parents might wish to discuss with their children how views on race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and interpersonal relations have changed since this book was written before allowing them to read this classic work."

Reviewer at Amazon.com writes: (Wilder Publications & A&D Publishing) DO NOT buy this publication. The publisher inserted "notes" all over the place. I don't know if it was an accident in the copying of the documents from one format to another but it detracts from the text (and also comments negatively on the disclaimer).

It's either a leftist paste up, or a really sloppy PC version. The publisher's getting so much negative publicity on this that it will probably work to its advantage. It's like when the left wing filters misquote Rush Limbaugh--more people tune in to see what he's saying.

Drawing on a promise. . . that isn't there

In last week's State of the Union address, President Obama said,

"Abroad, America's greatest source of strength has always been our ideals. The same is true at home. We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution, the notion that we're all created equal, that no matter who you are or what you look like, if you abide by the law, you should be protected by it, if you adhere to our common values, you should be treated no different than anyone else.

We must continually renew this promise. My administration has a Civil Rights Division that is once again prosecuting civil rights violations and employment discrimination. We finally strengthened..."

First of all, it's not in the Constitution. The Constitution had 7 articles and was dated September 17, 1787 at a Constitutional Convention. Then it was amended with 10 amendments known as the "Bill of Rights" on December 15, 1791, and then an additional 17, the last being ratified in 1992. The Declaration of Independence was much earlier, July 4, 1776, and it has the words, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. . . " Most of the Declaration is about reasons for independence from King George of Britain, listing all the bad things he'd done to the American people. It's the Constitution that tells us about the separation of powers, another thing Obama seems to have co-mingled.

Second, it's very clear, that the reason the signers of the Declaration of Independence were willing to put their lives on the line was that they believed their Rights came from their Creator and not by abiding by the law, another mistake Obama made, even if he'd found his way into the right document.

For me, "finding unity in our diversity" is a very awkward phrase, especially since "diversity" has come to mean in recent years separating a national people into little fractured groups and interest blocks to get social and educational programs passed. It certainly doesn't seem to have the same ring as the motto on the seal and our money, "E Pluribus Unum," Latin for "One from many" or "One from many parts" with the emphasis on the ONE and not the MANY. It meant creating a federal state from a group of individual states--formerly colonies.

What year was he born? Forty years ago Fifth Dimension even had a fairly popular song about the Declaration of Independence. So did his speech writers just make a mistake? Surely a constitutional lawyer has read the Constitution. It's not very long.



And we won't even go into the never ending straw men slams against the Bush administration with the nonsense, ". . . once again prosecuting civil rights violations and employment discrimination. We finally strengthened . . .blah blah"

God > life > choice > sex

As John C. Rankin explains "Genesis and the Declaration of Independence." If new ideas or challenging concepts fail to take root when the seeds are dropped among the weeds, don't bother to go there. He says Thomas Jefferson was a rationalist, a biblically literate man, and surrounded by biblically literate and orthodox Protestant Christians, who followed exactly the order of Genesis in writing the Declaration of Independence.

God = "Creator;"
life = "Life;"
choice = "Liberty;" and
sex = "the pursuit of happiness."

The Declaration begins with God as our Creator who endows us with unalienable rights. The first right is that of life, followed by liberty, which equals the language of choice or freedom. Then the language of the pursuit of happiness, along with that of "property" as set forth in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, equals the domain of sex.

Human sexuality in the order of creation is based on the joining of man and woman in marriage, whereupon they establish a new household. The Greek word for "household" is oikonomos, our root for the English word "economics" (same concept as the Hebrew word bayith). The household is the basis for property rights and economic productivity, which in total yields society’s power for the pursuit of happiness.

Rankin at his website, The Theological Education Institute (TEI) promotes his "vision for "first the Gospel, then politics..." and a passion for "the love of hard questions" is always in place; where "the biblical nature of a level playing field" for all debated issues to be equally heard is in place, confident that the truth will rise to the top."

In today's charged political climate, he is indeed refreshing.

Adams and Jefferson died on July 4

Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration in committee with John Adams and Benjamin Franklin.