7/23/2021
What Is The New Definition Of A Conspiracy Theorists?
2/08/2021
America, Is It Ascending or Descending? Five Statements to Consider.
"Life begins at the Edge of your Comfort Zone”
As the Great American Experiment was being developed and the Constitution was being finalized, Benjamin Franklin observed that it will be a rising sun, a success.
From “The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787”. Page 339
“The Constitution which Franklin and his Friends gave to us resulted in the greatest nation in history. With the adoption of our Constitution our nation became a nation based on law, the Constitution being the Supreme law of the land.” This Rising Sun became a beacon of freedom and liberty to the rest of the world.
What would Benjamin Franklin say today concerning the Republic, is it ascending or descending? Why? Here are five statements to consider in finding reasons for the answers.
1. We have not followed the admonition of our Founding Fathers.
An old adage tells us, “A people must from time to time, refresh
themselves at the wellspring of their origin, lest they perish.”
Ayn Rand told us “I want you to look at the birth of a miracle, the United States of America. If it is ever proper for men to kneel, we should kneel when we read the Declaration of Independence.”
2. We have not assigned the maintaining of our Freedoms a high priority.
From the
Massachusetts Bill of Rights, 1780. “A frequent recurrence to the fundamental
principles of the constitution, and a constant adherence to those of piety,
justice, moderation, temperance, industry, and frugality are absolutely
necessary to preserve the advantage of liberty and maintain a free government.”
Peter Marshall said “May we think of freedom, not to do as we please, but
as an opportunity to do what is right.”
Ezra Taft Benson, “I thank the Lord for the eternal principle of
FREEDOM…
I cherish patriotism and love of country in all lands.”
3. We have allowed the mortal enemies of freedom to dominate the debate.
George Washington
letter to Lafayette, 1788. “Though, when a people shall have become
incapable of governing themselves and fit for a master, it is of little
consequence from what quarter he comes.”
Thomas Jefferson
letter to Charles Yancey, 1826. “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a
state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.”
Patrick Henry “Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me Liberty or Give me Death!
4. We have elected some of the most undesirable persons to high office.
The Federalist, No. 28, Alexander Hamilton. “Effective resistance to usurpers is possible only provided the citizens understand their rights and are disposed to defend them.”
Today we have become a
nation of “rule by man”. It has been
said that many political leaders think they know more than God.
Harold B. Lee, “Men may fail in this country…there may be great drought, disasters, and hardship, but this nation, founded on principles laid down by men whom God raised up, will never fail…This is a favored land in all the world…this nation won’t fail. I have faith in America; you and I must have faith in America… We are living in a day when we must pay heed to these challenges.
5. We have evicted "Providence" from our counsels, schools, courts, and assemblies.
John Quincy Adams,
Secretary of State, Oration celebrating July 4th, 1821.
“From the day of the
Declaration … the American people were bound by the laws of God, which they
all, and by the laws of the gospel, which they nearly all acknowledged as the
rules of their conduct.”
Sir William
Blackstone (Eminent English Jurist)
"Man ... must necessarily be subject to the laws of his Creator… This will of his Maker is called the law of nature.... This law of nature...is of course superior to any other.... No human laws are of any validity, if contrary to this: and such of them as are valid derive all their force...from this original." - Sir William Blackstone (Eminent English Jurist)
In closing, let's read from the 2nd and 3rd verses of “America the
Beautiful”
2. Oh, beautiful for pilgrims feet,
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat Across the wilderness
America! America! God mend thy every flaw,
Confirm they soul in self-control, They liberty in law.
3. “Oh, beautiful for
heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self
their country loved, And mercy more than life!
America! America! May
God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness, And every gain devine.”
Until next time, “May God
Bless America”
1/19/2021
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1963 “Letter from a Birmingham Jail
From The Epoch Times
“We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right. Now is the time to make real the promise of democracy and transform our pending national elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood.”
That was from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1963 “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” The letter was written while King was detained in solitary confinement for taking part in the Birmingham Campaign against racial segregation.
After reading an article published in a local newspaper about religious leaders condemning his nonviolent demonstrations, King began to put together his response to them, which led to this famous letter.
At first he wrote in the margins of the newspaper he was given; he later moved on to using scraps of paper, and then finally a legal pad provided by his lawyers. After his letter was compiled and typed out by his associates, it was 21 pages of double-spaced type long.
“I can assure you that it would have been much shorter if I had been writing from a comfortable desk, but what else can one do when he is alone in a narrow jail cell, other than write long letters, think long thoughts and pray long prayers?” writes King.
The words that came out of that narrow jail cell were not ones of sorrow. They were filled with a rational hope that drew upon the wisdom of many before him. They were filled with a quiet optimism built upon his steadfast faith in God and the founding principles of our nation.
“I have no despair about the future,” he writes near the end of his letter. “I have no fear about the outcome of our struggle in Birmingham, even if our motives are at present misunderstood. We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom.”
King was arrested 29 times during his fight for civil rights.
But despite this, his rational hope and quiet optimism would produce widespread change. One year after he wrote that letter, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act that outlawed racial segregation, and a year after that, it passed the Voting Rights Act that bolstered African Americans’ right to vote.
When accepting his Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, King’s speech left us with one of his most iconic lines:
“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”
These words—of goodness, hope, faith, and resilience in the face of injustice—serve as a reminder that, when we call upon our higher nature, it can guide us through the darkest of times.
1/18/2021
The 15 best quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech
In honor of that historic moment and in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we present the 15 best quotes from that speech.
- “I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream.”
- “I have a dream that one day right there in Alabama little black boys and little black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.”
- “Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.”
- “We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
- “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
- “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed — we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”
- “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”
- “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.”
- “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.”
- “Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.”
- “We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back.”
- “Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.”
- “We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.”
- “In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds.”
- “When we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: “Free at last! Free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 28 August 1963
1/17/2021
A PRAYER FOR AMERICA Carroll Padgett, Retired Judge, SC
(PREAMBLE: Judge Carroll Padgett speaking to Tom Herron on the Up With America Radio talk program on January 16, 2021):
“I
think that's what’s wrong with America today, that led up to January 6th,
is
that in the ‘60’s (and I’m a product of the 60’s, I was born in the late 40’s),
and
we took God and Prayer out of our schools,
and
it’s been a slippery slope
to all the way down to where we find ourselves now.”
“Let’s go to the Lord in prayer . . .
PRAYER:
“Our dear gracious Heavenly
Father,
we come to You today on our hands and knees begging for forgiveness for the multiple sins that we have committed against You and against Your nation.
“Lord, this nation was founded upon your principles.
Lord. this is the only nation in the world that was
founded on Christian principles by brilliant founding fathers. We have gotten so far away from them.
Lord, forgive us. Bring us back, Lord.
“What we do know, and
always know, is that you’re in charge.
Lord, as we face and prepare for an uncertain future, we
ask Your full blessings upon this great Nation and upon us individually,
and upon our Leaders.
Lord, we don’t know what to expect, but we pray that You will overcome them, and bring your spirit upon them, to lead us in our great country to the place that You would have us be.
“Lord, if You don’t think that You’re maybe disciplining us for our past sins, we must remember that You, for Four-Hundred years, You put your own people in exile.
“So a little discipline here and there, in our country, should be welcome. We need to look at that light at the end of the tunnel.
Lord, be with us. Lord, we cry out to You with hearts that need Your blessings and reassurance that You are in control. Give us, and our leaders, wisdom to make the right decisions based on Your absolute principles and teachings.
Lord, we pray that You will purify all of our hearts. Let the words that we speak draw us closer to You, and our leaders. We recognize, oh Lord, that You are in control of all things.
Help us. Help our nation, Lord, to hear Your voice, to protect us from the evil;and lead us into the paths of Biblical righteousness.
For Your holy
namesake, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Recoding of Up With America Radio Hour Jan. 16, 2021: https://youtu.be/v6Q6lhfk-ls
1/15/2021
UNDIVIDED
Undivided by Taylor Campbell






