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| That Two-Thousand Yard Stare Thomas Lea, 1944, WWII. Part of The Army Art Collection, U.S. Army Center for Military History |
I spent a lot of time reading on Friday, well, after my CT Scan appointment anyway. Potential heart issues, oh boy, just checking, but take these meds in the meantime.
Anyhoo.
I'm awaiting the arrival tomorrow of yet another book (even though the waiting to be read pile has yet to be diminished), Keep the last bullet for yourself: The true story of Custer's last stand by Thomas Bailey Marquis. The research looks interesting, the book sounds like it might be worthwhile. So I ordered it ...
Sigh. So many books, so little time.
But ordering that made me think of the frontier, specifically the Indian Wars. I read up on the Hayfield Fight, the Fetterman Fight, the Wagon Box Fight, all stories of people fighting the encroachment of the government.
Our government.
Least-ways that's how I think of it these days. The government trying to expand its hold on us.
I'm tired, boss. Tired of this political crap every-damn-where you look. Tired of politicians tearing down their opponents instead of giving us a plan for what they wish to do. Tired of politicians pandering to the lowest damned denominator because they think that will get them into office. Tired, just tired of all the bullshit.
My earnest prayer is that a month from now we'll still have a country worth fighting for.
Though I have my doubts.
But I'll leave it up to God, His Will, not mine.
Pray people, it's all we've got in the end.
But I'll leave it up to God, His Will, not mine.
ReplyDeletePray people, it's all we've got in the end.
The fine art of faith vs action. Or praying to God while leaning on a shovel.
God had somebody BUILD an Ark. Not have him pray to God to give him an Ark.
Can you and I DO anything about the current shitshow? Not really BUT we CAN obey the Scriptures and protect our families.
I'm pretty sure God's word has a lot in it about protecting your family with actions AND prayers.
Proverbs 23:3 and others.
1st Timothy 5:8 and others.
Rule of 3's is doable.
Grahams Killhouse Rules is worthy.
Search for the expanded discussion as first Googles got me Ads for shooting training and Grahams is FAR past the Gun bunny stuff. Like Robert Heinlein farther.
Here is the best so far: https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-kill-house-rules-timely-reminder.html
Get busy like a hurricane is coming busy friends. Worst case you can eat the stored food and have tarps and such to fix the house while praying dear Uncle Sam's FEMA will come by to "Help".
Will and Ariel Durant were historians who wrote a large series of books covering the history of the Western World. Will said the in the history of the the world most people in most times were poorly governed. Nothing new today, Argentina is doing some interesting things, but that's about it.
Delete"Faith vs action." As St. James pointed out, "Faith without works is dead." As Michael above points out, God gives us the shovel, we have to dig the hole. Pray before starting, pray while digging, and pray afterwards (even if just a simple "Thank God I'm done") Heck, the parable of the Sheep and the Goats is about works, not faith. And therein are most of our political problems, too much faith in the State, not enough work by the electorate to hold the feet of those elected to the political fire. No other job has such job security as being elected to one of the Houses of Congress. Overall approval numbers may be in the shoe size range, but better than 90% of those capons who stand for reelection get in for a 2nd, or 22nd, term. "Oh, but my opponent has no EXPERIENCE in government, I do!" That's the idea, you wingnut! You're not some aristocracy that, as a stapher (sic) of one of my members of the CA Legislature put it, "know what is best for us."
DeleteAnd why have we come to this? Because somehow We the People as a whole have lost sight of the basic truths that the federal government is a creature created by the Free and Independent States, that the Constitution is the operating manual, or maybe technical manual, telling us the limits of the federal government and how it's supposed to function, and that the Bill of Rights isn't a list of rights bestowed on us by a beneficent State, but the People telling the feds, "HANDS OFF!" As one SCOTUS ruling puts it, ""The very purpose of a Bill of Rights was to withdraw certain subjects from the vicissitudes of political controversy, to place them beyond the reach of majorities and officials and to establish them as legal principles to be applied by the courts. One's right to life, liberty, and property, to free speech, a free press, freedom of worship and assembly, and other fundamental rights may not be submitted to vote; they depend on the outcome of no elections."
: Robert H. Jackson, US Supreme Court Justice West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943)
Far too many reduce the Constitution to naught but the General Welfare clause, something which Tommy J warned about:
"They are not to do anything they please to provide for the general welfare, but only to lay taxes for that purpose. To consider the latter phrase not as describing the purpose of the first, but as giving a distinct and independent power to do any act they please which might be for the good of the Union, would render all the preceding and subsequent enumerations of power completely useless. It would reduce the whole instrument to a single phrase, that of instituting a Congress with power to do whatever would be for the good of the United States; and, as they would be the sole judges of the good or evil, it would be also a power to do whatever evil they please... Certainly no such universal power was meant to be given them. It was intended to lace them up straitly within the enumerated powers and those without which, as means, these powers could not be carried into effect."
--Thomas Jefferson: Opinion on National Bank, 1791. ME 3:148 and I see...with the deepest affliction, the rapid strides with which the federal branch of our government is advancing towards the usurpation of all the rights reserved to the States, and the consolidation in itself of all powers, foreign and domestic...aided by a little sophistry on the words ‘general welfare,’ a right to do, not only the acts to effect that, which are specifically enumerated and permitted, but whatsoever they shall think, or pretend will be for the general welfare.
JEFFERSON, THOMAS, Letter to W. B. Giles, 1825
Until we can reestablish the idea that the federal government must answer to both the People and the States, rather than dictating to both, we will continue on this path. We have made a few small steps, returning the question of abortion to the States, and pushing to return voting rights to the States. although both face stiff opposition.
There was a splendid piece I read just this week about the endless centuries of the war on the frontier and let us keep in mind that that frontier once basically started at Roanoke. There were many very bleak and very dark times in the centuries that followed and yet here we are. On that note we went out tonight with some friends but they literally cannot abide any political disagreement whatsoever but they're adults so the subject simply doesn't come up. Isn't that refreshing?
ReplyDeleteI think I've toured just about every American battlefield between Fort Riley and Breed's Hill but I don't recall that my father ever took us to any of the endless battlefields where the indians engaged the settlers. We must have driven past Fort Necessity a dozen times but we never stopped and for all that there was a continuous dustup during the French and Indian Wars and our own disagreements we just didn't make it out to walk the ground at Custer's Last Stand or any of the others.
Interesting note, the old man graduated USMA and he wore his bathrobe for decades after that and on it was pinned a medal. I finally looked up what it was 5 years ago....turns out it was a medal from one of the endless Indian Campaigns....
How many days left now until you retire for good and take up writing full time?
Know the feeling Sarge, the endless political campaigns, the feckless ranting of those stating "Think my Way!!!", the constant shouting of "Who you gonna believe, my words or your lying eyes?"....... geeez......BTW...you can never have TOO many books.....:)
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