Verse of the Week
Woe, sinful nation, a people heavy with iniquity, a seed of evildoers,
sons who corrupt! They have forsaken YAHWEH; they have scorned the Holy One of
Israel. They have gone away backward.
(Isaiah 1:4)
Thought For the Week
The term “American
Exceptionalism” has been tossed about quite a bit lately so I thought I would
share some thoughts on the subject. Since it would be unfair to go back much further
than a few centuries we will look at history since the USA began.
If you enjoy your
health then you should thank the English Jenner, the French Curie and Pasteur,
the German Rontgen (think x-rays) or even the Polish/Russian Sabin (think polio
if you are old enough to remember that plague - and I hate shots!). Even
dreaded diseases like malaria were beaten back without America and DDT - think
Ross (Indian/British) and Spruce (British). Ironically, few Americans know of
the American they owe the most to when it comes to vaccines - Maurice Hilleman.
If you like
electricity then you should thank the Serbian Tesla whose AC systems beat the
American Edison’s DC systems hands down - beyond that you can thank the German/British
Siemens, the Italian Volta, the French Ampere, the German Ohm, and the Scottish
Watt. Alexander Graham Bell was also Scottish as was Fleming - who gave us time
GMT and time zones.
If you like
nuclear energy (or nuclear medicine, etc.) consider that Teller was Hungarian,
Einstein and Planck were German, Dirac was English, Bohr was Danish, and Van de
Meer was Dutch. Regarding the latest challenges in physics, e.g. the Higgs Boson
Particle, well Higgs is British and Bose is Indian.
When it comes to
science and math just remember the name of the law or principle and that is
usually a good indicator of where it came from - though some can be deceiving -
e.g. Bernoulli’s principle (He was Swiss).
And then there
are the little things in life that came from all over - e.g. from the French
Braille, Cousteau, Peltier, etc. If you like your radio, then thank the Italian
Marconi. And, for instrumental music thank the Germans Bach, Brahms, Beethoven,
Wagner, etc.
But of course
Americans have to stand out and do not like things like the metric system - we even
prefer the German Fahrenheit to the Swedish
Celsius. And for prizes that Americans like to claim to
prove their worth - Nobel was Swedish and Pulitzer was Hungarian.
If
the USA was once exceptional it was because she was blessed by YHWH with the
immigration of some of the finest minds the world produced. These were
immigrants begging to become Americans. Those days appear to be long gone. Immigrants
once came to make America their new home; but, now most come only to remake
their old home in America. Now the US Government prefers a different kind of
immigrant - HIV+ and Ebola+ patients from Africa, uneducated and unemployed
Hispanics from south of the border, and Islamist adherents from anywhere they
can get them - most of them despising what America stands (stood) for. But why should
they not come - the US Government offers them benefits often better than it does
America’s own military veterans.
Protecting
one’s self from harm is not evil; it is prudent (think learning how to duck a
punch). A doctor who spreads the disease he is trying to cure is defeating his
own purpose. One can treat a disease without becoming a casualty of the
disease. The USA need not withdraw from helping the poor and downtrodden of
this world; but, it must maintain a heathy body to support that helping hand.
Does the saying, “Physician, heal yourself” sound familiar (Luke 4:23)?
QUOTE
It takes many
good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.
-- Benjamin Franklin
Comment: Think Washington, Jefferson,
Lincoln, Roosevelt (Teddy not FDR) and Reagan. Now think Obama. Enough said.
Did You Know
Controversy and “Christian” holy days are not a new phenomenon - research quartodecimanism.
Melito of Sardis is said to have coined the term
“Old Testament” as well as compiling the first “Christian” version.
It was not just the earliest Christians in Asia that rejected the false
apostle Paul. Tatian, author of the “Diatessaron”, rejected Paul entirely
(as did the Ebionites, et al). Marcion, however, made a totally different canon
based on Paul’s writings. He held Paul in high regard; but, he also rejected YHWH,
the Old Testament, and the 12 true Apostles.
Undocumented workers will soon get lots of documents - Unions are wasting no time in
scooping up tyrant Obama’s offerings of reconciliation (dues paying future
democrats AKA illegal immigrants). Now they will not have to go home or
actually work if they bother getting a job!
No wonder Putin is not worried - the USSR is back (United States of
Socialist Repression)! Studies show US police commit more crimes per capita
than the general population in a number of categories - murder, rape, domestic
and sexual assault, etc. The rate of police
officers officially charged with murder is just over 1% higher than the general
population murder rate; but, if excessive force complaints involving fatalities
were prosecuted as murder the murder rate for law enforcement officers would
exceed the general population murder rate by 472%.
Abortion is not
the only way to get away with murder in the US - just go to work in law
enforcement. US law enforcement officers kill more Americans on a monthly basis
than the US military does terrorists! Officers are half as likely to be charged
with murder. If they are charged they are half as likely to be indicted. If
indicted they are half as likely to be convicted. Without including excessive
force fatalities cops have an 87.5% or better chance of getting away with cold
blooded murder. If convicted and incarcerated they will only be sentenced to just
over half as much time. A killer cop is more likely to lose their job if
anything.
Yet . . . in the
US if you lose your driver’s license in one State it is recorded by law for
every State to see - to stop you if you apply for a new license elsewhere. But,
cops who lose
their law enforcement certification (e.g. been fired or resigned) can just try
again elsewhere. The so called “National Decertification Index”, which lists
officers who’ve lost their certification, is voluntary and only about 2/3’s of
the States claim to participate.
No wonder the Government wants to
steal 2nd Amendment rights - citizens might be able to defend themselves
against Government abuses of power!
