Unintended Lessons

There is a new show on one of the MSM channels, called “Cavemen”. I have no intention of watching it, since the commercials have courteously advised me that the show is apparently based on a character from a car insurance advertisement series. Think about that; a show about a demographic class which does not actually exist, where the actors are so heavily made up that the viewer has no idea what they are really like under all that stuff, and the point of which seems to be to promote a banal fiction to no purpose other than spending money and wasting time.

For some reason, the whole idea reminds me of the field of contenders running for President of the United States …

Death, Too Close An Acquaintance

A week ago today I had an automobile accident, which happened in a split second of distraction and peculiar circumstances. Since that event, I have found myself considering the events of Life and the attendant minister of Fate, Death. In the case of my accident, it was not really so bad, just a couple of banged-up cars and my air bag went off, but it shakes you up to go from normal to crisis in an instant. It reminds you that you never really know when it is your time, and it makes you sensitive to the loss of others.

This brings me to the topic. In my PMP cancer support group, two more of our members passed away this week, after long and difficult fights. We know a lot more about PMP and other rare cancers than we did just a year ago, but even so it is sometimes not enough, not in time, and all we can do is pray for solace for the families. In my office, one of my employees had a death in the family from a car accident, and another employee’s mother had a heart attack last night. Out of nowhere comes the grief.

The news is full of similar stories. A child drowns in a swimming pool because a mother gets distracted for a couple minutes. A deputy constable writing a ticket gets hit by a man driving an SUV while talking on his cell phone and he never sees him. Sometimes we know the ones who leave; Lois Maxwell, “Miss Moneypenny” in so many of the James Bond movies, dies Sunday in London. Marcel Marceau, perhaps the most famous mime of all time, died Saturday in Paris. Dr. James Keegan, who founded the “End Hunger Network” in Houston, also died recently. But the roll call, even for a single day, is long with people who died too soon or too suddenly, or whose loved ones wish they still had them home with them.

I guess there’s no profound point to this article, except maybe this one thing. Lately, I have seen a lot of anger and resentment, some very nasty sentiments and words used to convey disrespect and antipathy. I am by no means innocent of that conduct myself, and for that I apologize. I wonder, how many of us would choose such sharp words to throw at someone, if we somehow knew they would leave us soon and suddenly? Sure, in most cases we can say what we please and that person will be back tomorrow for more of the same and to give back as they get. But not always, and I wonder if we consider how little we really know, about what is to come, and those things which we really do not control at all.

Just something to think about, is all.

The God Who Votes

Let me begin this article by saying straight out that no one, no one, has sanctioned what I am about to say. So before someone comes back later and claims this represents an organized effort to tie Religion to Politics, let me be clear that this article is my own, unimportant, overly wordy half-processed idea. Your mileage may differ, as the commercial disclaimers say. But to the point, I have found it fascinating and a bit dishonest, how many people whose policies they know are amoral at best, demand that God stay out of things, that His opinion cannot be considered in electing those leaders who will direct the nation’s decisions on moral issues. Abortion, war, coercive redistribution of wealth, and the limits on personal freedoms are all expected to be addressed without considering of the simple question about whether the proposed action is the right thing to do. To that, I think it is well past time to voice dissent, indeed to oppose and suppress those who think that Freedom of Religion still disallows a person from voting their conscience by listening to the voice and will of God. It is time for us all to exercise our rights, not lay them down because someone is a boor about how we voice our opinion.

Let me be clear; God is not a Republican, any more than He is a Democrat. Any human political platform is a human construction, and it is sheerest arrogance to presume that we can in any way come close to the Divine Standard in any construction of our own making. That does not, however, deny God’s interest in the welfare and behavior of His children on Earth; indeed our leaders should properly consider themselves the stewards of the power temporarily allowed them by the Almighty Hand, and merely Regents of their office, rather than moral authorities in their own right. God has made His will and preferences clear on many occasions, and we would do well to take that into account. While much derided by the Left, the Bible is a true and priceless book for consideration into human nature, as well as the fate of nations which obey or rebel against the Holy Will. Immoral nations fall and fail, of that there is no doubt. And God takes an active and direct interest in His people. Like it or not, if a national leader wants his country to prosper, he must uphold the laws of God and protect those who serve God.

Essentially, God gives His children a lot of freedom, individually and as nations. But certain actions are always out of bounds, and in to commit those acts are to invite disaster. I would suggest the following list of national commandments:

Thy nation shall promote Justice above all else.

Thy nation shall not suppress those who believe in God and live in faith.

Thy nation shall promote Freedom for all people as individuals, except that Justice must always come first.

Thy nation shall not murder babies.

Thy nation shall deal fairly with other nations in commerce, respecting other nations while protecting thine own providers and resources.

Thy nation shall not mock marriage.

Thy nation shall honor thy history and its lessons

Thy nation shall not deny individual rights in order to increase the government.

Thy nation shall respect, supply, honor, fund, and listen to thy soldiers

Thy nation shall not create elite classes with special privileges.


Do not ever forget that God does indeed vote. And in the end, His verdict is the only one which counts.

My Apologies for the Delay

Last Thursday, one of my fellow drivers thought it would be a nice change of pace to stop his vehicle in the middle of an intersection. Unfortunately, I was distracted by a burnt-out signal light and did not receive the memo about his impromptu repose, and so I drove into the back of his car, receiving an air bag in the face and a ticket from a police officer. For some reason, that event has added to my load of responsibilities, and as a result I have not blogged for nearly a week. I apologize for the delay.