Live Sex Acts Protected By the Oregon Constitution: Sign of Protest on Roof Violates City Code?

(Image from Katu.com)

In the "great State of Oregon" we don't build roads, we don't repair roads, and we don't maintain roads -- we build hundred million dollar bike paths, and trams that nobody rides. Now many of us Oregonians might not have a problem with that, except for the fact that congestion is a major issue. And when I say major, that is what I mean, major. Now, a Citizen of the not so great City of Portland puts up a sign on his roof -- expressing his "satisfaction" with ODOT, TriMet, and the tram. Now immediately we are told by city officials that this sign violates "city code". Eh?

Now, in the "great State of Oregon" the Supreme Court says that "live sex acts" are protected under the Oregon Constitution (Sorry, I missed what part of that is speech?). But as soon as someone actually exercises free speech, he is told it violates city code?

It's his house, his property, his sign, and his life. City of Portland: go get a life!

US Deputy Secretary of State Tobias Resigns

www.zeenews.com

New York, April 28: US Deputy Secretary of State Randall L Tobias has resigned after confirming to ABC Television Network that he had been a customer of a Washington, DC, escort service whose owner has been charged by federal prosecutors with running a prostitution racket.

Tobias, 65, Director of US Foreign Assistance and administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), had previously served as the Ambassador for Emergency Fund for AIDS relief. {Foreign Assistance? We cannot even pay off our debt?}

A State Department press release late yesterday afternoon said only he was leaving for "personal reasons".

On Thursday, Tobias told ABC News that he had several times called the "Pamela Martin and Associates" escort service "to have gals come over to the condo to give me a massage".

For the rest of the story click here.

I cannot tell if this is a ploy by the media to make the Bush Administration look bad, or if Tobias is just one more bad apple, one of the many infesting the Bush Administration.

And its Over...

The Legislature reconvened and they noted that Representative Lim did not vote in the journal, and the bill failed, 5 votes short (hey, I said 4 that's close).

Filibuster in the Oregon Legislature!!!!! HB 2201 stopped cold!!

Representative John Lim

Well, its a long story, but currently there is a filibuster of sorts in the Oregon Legislature. Filibusters are not allowed under House rules, but this is not the typical filibuster....

After fiery debate and attacks from both sides, the vote finally came up...and Republican Representative John Lim simply said, unless you let me speak to the bill I will not vote. Earlier, a democrat had moved the previous question, meaning he had ended debate and started the vote on the bill. Because of this, Lim did not get a chance to speak to the bill.

This has been going on for nearly five hours, one Representative has already gotten out his sleeping bag, others are playing cards, while still others are working on their laptops. This is defiantly an interesting situation. Principle against rules. Endurance against pressure. Republican against Democrat.

HB 2201 -- The Healthy Kids Plan Up for Vote Today in the Oregon Legislature

Today, April 26th, the House of Representatives will vote on HB 2201 -- The Healthy Kids Plan. (To see the text of the bill click here.) The bill is basically universal health care for almost all children in Oregon. Of course, to fund this, the plan taxes cigarettes. I am always opposed to new tax increases, as we have $$$ falling out of our ears. We could have easily funded this out of the general fund (which I would also be opposed to, the role of government is to establish justice, not to illicitly redistribute wealth). But this tax increase is much worse then normal, because of the fact that it is not sustainable. If you double the tax cigarettes or if you substantially increase it, you will obviously higher the total cost of cigarettes. If the price of Oregon cigarettes are substantially higher then the price of other states cigarettes, or of online retailers, why would someone buy Oregon cigarettes? They will simply cross the Oregon border and buy them in different states or they will simply click two or three times on a computer, and buy them online. Now, the total amount of cigarettes sold in Oregon will diminish. And in doing so, so will the tax revenues that normally would be gained by the sales. So, if this plan passes -- it will do nothing but hurt the Oregon economy, hurt Oregon business, and then it will kill itself.

Defiantly not a good bill.

The bell is ringing now, session starts in 3 minutes, after the bill fails four votes short, I will post again and let you know. (As always, click to zoom in)

U.S. Stocks Rise, Pushing Dow Average Above 13,000 for 1st Time -- So Much for Bush Hurting the Economy

www.bloomberg.com
April 25 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. stocks extended their biggest monthly rally in more than three years and the Dow Jones Industrial Average surpassed 13,000 for the first time, spurred by profits that topped analysts' forecasts at Boeing Co. and Amazon.com Inc.

Boeing rose to a record $94.69 after earnings surged 27 percent. Amazon jumped the most in five years after the online retailer raised its 2007 projections. More than two-thirds of 230 Standard & Poor's 500 Index members have reported profits that topped analysts' forecasts.

``It's a global spring fling,'' said Frederic Dickson, chief market strategist at D.A. Davidson & Co., which manages $17 billion in Great Falls, Montana. ``It's really caught investors by surprise who had low earnings expectations.''
....

Gun Control -- Who Cares About the Constitution --

Switzerland has year after year turned in one of the world's lowest murder rates even while sending machine guns to every home of every member of their citizen army. And they do not keep their machine guns in safes or encumbered with trigger locks. They keep them at the ready.
The following is an excellent article on the Virginia Tech shootings. It does a good job portraying the truth behind gun control.
By Ted Nugent
Special to CNN
Editor's note: Rock guitarist Ted Nugent has sold more than 30 million albums. He's also a gun rights activist and serves on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association. His program, "Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild," can be seen on the Outdoor Channel. Read an opposing take on gun control from journalist Tom Plate: Let's lay down our right to bear arms. Source: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/19/commentary.nugent/index.html

WACO, Texas (CNN) -- Zero tolerance, huh? Gun-free zones, huh? Try this on for size: Columbine gun-free zone, New York City pizza shop gun-free zone, Luby's Cafeteria gun-free zone, Amish school in Pennsylvania gun-free zone and now Virginia Tech gun-free zone.
Anybody see what the evil Brady Campaign and other anti-gun cults have created? I personally have zero tolerance for evil and denial. And America had best wake up real fast that the brain-dead celebration of unarmed helplessness will get you killed every time, and I've about had enough of it.
Nearly a decade ago, a Springfield, Oregon, high schooler, a hunter familiar with firearms, was able to bring an unfolding rampage to an abrupt end when he identified a gunman attempting to reload his .22-caliber rifle, made the tactical decision to make a move and tackled the shooter.
A few years back, an assistant principal at Pearl High School in Mississippi, which was a gun-free zone, retrieved his legally owned Colt .45 from his car and stopped a Columbine wannabe from continuing his massacre at another school after he had killed two and wounded more at Pearl.
At an eighth-grade school dance in Pennsylvania, a boy fatally shot a teacher and wounded two students before the owner of the dance hall brought the killing to a halt with his own gun.
More recently, just a few miles up the road from Virginia Tech, two law school students ran to fetch their legally owned firearm to stop a madman from slaughtering anybody and everybody he pleased. These brave, average, armed citizens neutralized him pronto.
My hero, Dr. Suzanne Gratia Hupp, was not allowed by Texas law to carry her handgun into Luby's Cafeteria that fateful day in 1991, when due to bureaucrat-forced unarmed helplessness she could do nothing to stop satanic George Hennard from killing 23 people and wounding more than 20 others before he shot himself. Hupp was unarmed for no other reason than denial-ridden "feel good" politics.
She has since led the charge for concealed weapon upgrade in Texas, where we can now stop evil. Yet, there are still the mindless puppets of the Brady Campaign and other anti-gun organizations insisting on continuing the gun-free zone insanity by which innocents are forced into unarmed helplessness. Shame on them. Shame on America. Shame on the anti-gunners all.
No one was foolish enough to debate Ryder truck regulations or ammonia nitrate restrictions or a "cult of agriculture fertilizer" following the unabashed evil of Timothy McVeigh's heinous crime against America on that fateful day in Oklahoma City. No one faulted kitchen utensils or other hardware of choice after Jeffrey Dahmer was caught drugging, mutilating, raping, murdering and cannibalizing his victims. Nobody wanted "steak knife control" as they autopsied the dead nurses in Chicago, Illinois, as Richard Speck went on trial for mass murder.
Evil is as evil does, and laws disarming guaranteed victims make evil people very, very happy. Shame on us.
Already spineless gun control advocates are squawking like chickens with their tiny-brained heads chopped off, making political hay over this most recent, devastating Virginia Tech massacre, when in fact it is their own forced gun-free zone policy that enabled the unchallenged methodical murder of 32 people.
Thirty-two people dead on a U.S. college campus pursuing their American Dream, mowed-down over an extended period of time by a lone, non-American gunman in illegal possession of a firearm on campus in defiance of a zero-tolerance gun law. Feel better yet? Didn't think so.
Who doesn't get this? Who has the audacity to demand unarmed helplessness? Who likes dead good guys?
I'll tell you who. People who tramp on the Second Amendment, that's who. People who refuse to accept the self-evident truth that free people have the God-given right to keep and bear arms, to defend themselves and their loved ones. People who are so desperate in their drive to control others, so mindless in their denial that they pretend access to gas causes arson, Ryder trucks and fertilizer cause terrorism, water causes drowning, forks and spoons cause obesity, dialing 911 will somehow save your life, and that their greedy clamoring to "feel good" is more important than admitting that armed citizens are much better equipped to stop evil than unarmed, helpless ones.
Pray for the families of victims everywhere, America. Study the methodology of evil. It has a profile, a system, a preferred environment where victims cannot fight back. Embrace the facts, demand upgrade and be certain that your children's school has a better plan than Virginia Tech or Columbine. Eliminate the insanity of gun-free zones, which will never, ever be gun-free zones. They will only be good guy gun-free zones, and that is a recipe for disaster written in blood on the altar of denial. I, for one, refuse to genuflect there.

An Amusing Video Clip -- it's so, well, True....

http://www.eiaonline.com/

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Federalism what it is and what it Isn't

The word “federalism” today implies a voluntary and limited union for certain defined purposes, rather than a concentrated central system.
Werner Kagi, a Zurich scholar of the twentieth century makes this clear, distinguishing five characteristics of federalist:

“(1) federalism is an order of ‘multiplicity in unity’; (2) federalism is an order based upon the autonomy of the narrower communities; (3) Federalism is an order in which the smaller circles and communities are granted the maximum possible power to direct their own affairs; (4) federalism is an order which makes it possible for minorities to live together in freedom; (5) federalism is an order built upwards from the smaller communities, in which the conditions can be seen at a glance, and in which relationships have remained, in some degree, on a personal footing.”

Now my suggestion to the federal government is this: “look up the word federalism before making your next decision. And, if in the very definition of the word federalism, you can not make the decision you want to, either (1) don’t make it (2) modify it so it is acceptable, or (3) change your name."

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20-ton cocaine bust biggest in Coast Guard's history

Just an interesting article I thought you all might enjoy.

Thank God for the Coast Guard.

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Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 2007 pass

Today, April 17th, 2007 the Oregon House passes Senate Bill 2 (makes sexual orientation a protect class) and house Bill 2007 (creates civil unions). The votes were strictly on party lines except for: Representative Berger (R), Representative Dallum, Representative Jenson (R), and Representative Burley (R). I am saddened by these representatives votes. By voting for these bills, they have betrayed their district, their party, and their country. This is a sad time for Oregonians -- but this is simply the consequences of voting for Liberals.

Karl Rove Visits Oregon

As originally seen at: www.oreongcatalyst.com

Here are notes from the Karl Rove Beaverton visit yesterday. We offer you the "Best of":

New taxes from congress
- Rove said Democrats are proposing the largest tax increase in US history, roughly $400 billion in the next five years. 26 million businesses would see their taxes go up. $500 more in taxes for every kid you have. The marriage tax penalty will go up. Capital gains up by 30%. The death tax will go up, for which Rove said mockingly, at least you won’t have to pay it when you are dead.

Iraq war
- Rove commented that congress’ war resolution is “mandating failure” and dangerously delaying troop requests.
- That the Democrat Majority is listening to the generals in Washington, rather than the real generals in the field.
- There is $20 billion in pork in the Iraq bill including millions for peanut storage. The bill includes veterans funding, but even the American Legion and the VFW have publicly stated that they do not want these unrelated veteran spending projects to be stuck in the war bill.
- Rove said a bill to fund our troops should not be an excuse to bribe congressmen with pork.

On winning elections
-Rove joked that if he just took all of Dan Lavey’s advice (local political consultant) Bush might have won Oregon.
- Mentioned that Bush won despite his collective campaigns being outspent by John Kerry’s campaigns by $124 million.
- 25% more people voted for Bush in 2004 than in 2000.
- Out of 24 states that officially record party registration (Many states do it differently than Oregon), 16 of those 24 showed more people registering more new Republican voters than Democrat.

War on terror
- Rove urged everyone to go and buy the book “Messages to the world” which is a collection of letters from Osama Bin Laden. Rove said reading it is like reading Mein Kampf and it will awake you to the uncompromising brutality of our enemies.

On the economy
Rove recounted that Bush excelled at getting us out of the recession. Stating that that the US created more jobs than Europe and Japan combined. Our economy grew 20% bigger in three years. The US cut the deficit in half and in three years earlier than expected.

On his dancing:
Rove mentioned that he was suckered into rap dancing by his friends. Saying that he is Norwegian, and he didn’t even dance at his own wedding. Many years from now he said he will be forgotten but his lasting image will be of him dancing on YouTube.com.

Last question
At Rove’s exit, Oregonian reporter, Harry Esteve, bellowed out a question from afar about the latest email issue on Rove which has been in the headlines. It was a missed opportunity, and it would have been interesting to see the response.

Final note
Finally, the Rove event wouldn’t be complete without protesters outside, and yes protesters with “F*** Bush” signs. I guess saying “stop Bush” is not good enough, but rather saying “F***” somehow makes men, women and children passing by say to themselves “I always change my views on the president on who is willing to swear the most.

Isn't That Just Comforting?

(Click to zoom in)



The freedom to murder, nay, the 'right' of freedom and equality to 'choose'.

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Oregon Public Departments Support Diversity Summit with Your Tax Dollars

Portland General Electric put on a Diversity Summit on April 10th. Nothing out of the ordinary, right? Well, except for the fact that over $28,000 for the summit came from public institutions such as:
• $10,000 (in kind) TriMet
• $7,500 Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) Foundations
• $3,500 Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT)
• $3,500 Portland Development Commission (PDC)
• $3,500 Port of Portland (PP)

For a grand total of: $28,000

I am not going to debate the merits of a “Diversity Summit” but rather, ask the “tough” question, “What does a Diversity Summit have to do with TriMet, OHSU, ODOT, PDC, and PP? The answer – nothing. The bureaucrats who run each of those agencies see this as “just another way to push their agenda on the people of the State of Oregon”. What does a “Diversity Summit” have to do with building roads? Well, wait a second; we don’t build roads in Oregon. Rather, we build Hundred Million dollar trains. Excuse me, trams that nobody rides. O well.

Below is a short description of some of the “training sessions” that Oregon (taxpayers) pay for:

“From Exclusion to Inclusion: The Multicultural Journey of Pacific Northwest Diversity (Part 1)
Robert Hayles, Ph.D., and Barbara Deane
In the Pacific Northwest, what have the diversity/inclusion themes been over time? What does diversity/inclusion mean in the Northwest today? Discuss these issues and more as we examine what diversity means today and sketch out the work that’s still needed to create a productive, welcoming climate for all.”

“Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Diversity in the Workplace
Amy Andre
Learn about the significance of LGBT issues in the context of broader diversity issues and how to evaluate myths and stereotypes about LGBT people. We’ll discuss the effects of homophobia and heterosexism on workplace relationships as well as ways to assess the workplace environment from the perspective of LGBT employees and customers….”

To conclude: TriMet – give us our money back and dissolve. OHSU – operate a hospital, period. ODOT – build roads. PDC – develop the Portland economy. Port of Portland – operate the Port. (And while you’re at it stop breaking the law by violating our gun rights.)

Oregon Assemblies of God Make the Right Decision

(Click to zoom in)

This is a very important decision. I am glad the Church (capital C) is making the right decision

Elizabeth Edwards Afraid of Neighbor

GUN, PROPERTY CONDITION FUEL ILL WILL
She has never met `rabid Republican,' but wouldn't be nice
(Associated Press) RALEIGH --Elizabeth Edwards says she is scared of the "rabid, rabid Republican" who owns property across the street from her Orange County home -- and she doesn't want her kids going near the gun-toting neighbor....

[Her] neighbor Monty Johnson brought out a gun while chasing workers investigating a right of way near his property. The Edwards family has yet to meet Johnson in person.

"I wouldn't be nice to him, anyway," Edwards said in an interview. "I don't want my kids anywhere near some guy who, when he doesn't like somebody, the first thing he does is pull a gun out. It scares the business out of me."

But Johnson defended the occasion he brandished a gun, saying those on his land didn't have the proper approval....

Corruption Returning?

Almost Half of Americans Fear Corruption if Clintons Return to White House, Poll Finds

(CNSNews.com) - More than six years after the Clintons left the White House, nearly half of the respondents in a new poll -- 45 percent -- worry that if they return, they could bring "high levels of corruption" with them.

A Zogby International poll released Thursday in Washington highlights in particular concerns about former President Bill Clinton's ability to "behave honestly in the White House" if his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), is elected president in 2008.

The poll results indicate that scandals which dogged the Clinton administration remain relevant to a significant number of voters.

The 45 percent figure would likely be even higher, said Tom Fitton, president of conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch, if elected officials and the media were more willing to ask tough questions about numerous ethical quandaries that surrounded the Clinton administration and the then-first lady's role in those issues....

Have a Joy Filled Resurrection Day

Well, today is “Easter”, or more properly:
"Eosturmonath, qui nunc paschalis mensis interpretatur, quondam a dea illorum quae Eostre vocabatur et cui in illo festa celebrabant nomen habuit."

Translated: "Eosturmonath, which is now interpreted as the paschal month, was formerly named after the goddess Eostre, and has given its name to the festival." For that reason I refer to Easter as ‘Resurrection Day’

I would like to wish everyone a joyful ‘Resurrection Day’! Also, please take a couple moments to remember what today is about – the resurrection of Yeshua (Jesus).


Excerpt from "Easter"
By George Herbert
1593-1633

Rise, heart, thy lord is risen.
Sing his praise
Without delays,

Who takes thee by the hand,
that thou likewise
With him may’st rise:

That, as his death
calcinèd thee to dust,
His life may make thee gold,
and, much more, just.
...

Oregon -- Betrayed by the "Church"

Senate Bill 2 (click here to view) and its sister bill HB 2007 (click here to view) make “sexual orientation” a “protected class”; alongside of race, creed, color, and national origin. Frankly this bill is disgraceful. I am not going to tell you all the implications of such a law; I am confident you can imagine them.

So, who is pushing for this bill? The homosexual lobby? In part, yes. But one of the biggest backers is the church. Yes, the church that supposedly represents Believers and members of the body of Christ. Frankly, this is sickening. These churches should be – should be destroyed. Yes destroyed. If a church that represents the Lord God himself deviates and leaves the path of God they are no longer a church. No, I am not calling for us to bomb the church, but rather excommunicate and abandon it and make it perfectly clear to the state of Oregon that those churches DO NOT REPRESENT the Body of Christ. Below is a list of all the churches – nay, in my humble opinion they are no longer churches but rather they are dens of vipers. Look at this list carefully. Very carefully.
(click to zoom in)

The Genius of the Oregon Legislature

Ladies and Gentlemen -- what you are about to witness is a demonstration of the intelligentsia I have to deal with in the Oregon Legislature. This is Democrat Representative Greg MacPherson wading into trouble. Now, you can view video of the first six minutes of what turned out to be a disastrous town hall meeting for the Democrat Representative who is determined to gut Measure 37 (one of our land protection laws). Democrat Rep. Greg MacPherson spent about six minutes trying to intimidate and browbeat an Oregon citizen out of video taping the meeting. So much for Democrats and the first amendment eh?
Special thanks to the NW Republican: http://nwrepublican.blogspot.com





All I can say is this -- DO NOT TAPE ME, I MIGHT SAY SOMETHING STUPID!

Separation of Church and State? What Anti-Christian Bigots Believe...

The following is a response to a comment posted on an article entitled “When Good Men Do Nothing”. The original content of this article and my response can be found at the following address: http://www.regeneratedmag.com/articles/247/

In response to Mark’s comments (see directly below):

"The only reason Western Civilization no longer suffers the evil of Christian thuggery is that in 1789 good men of France rose against it and in 1792 good men of America had codified the French ideals as the First Amendment to your Constitution."

_______________________________________________________

Actori incumbit onus probandi

Let us start with getting our First Amendment history right:

In the reign of Charles II, Parliament, for the purpose of compelling all persons to attend the established Church, passed (1665) the Conventicle Act making every one over sixteen years of age who attended a conventicle (any meeting for religious worship at which five persons were present besides the household) subject to imprisonment, and transportation beyond seas for the third offence. During the same reign, Parliament passed the Test Act requiring oaths in support of the established religion. Under those acts, which were not repealed until recent times, all nonconformists of whatever religious belief were very severely dealt with. Thos acts hastened emigration to America, as did intolerance in continental countries -- You did catch that right? Emigration was hastened to America because of the English INTOLERANCE of religious belief.

“Codified the French ideals…” Let it be clear: James Madison was the benefactor for the First Amendment and for nearly the entire Constitution, for that matter.

Did you know that at the Constitutional Convention, James Madison moved that Benjamin Franklin’s famous appeal for prayer be enacted in their assembly? Yes, James Madison asked for religion and Christianity and prayer at the Constitutional Convention.

And if you are going to be preaching First Amendment history I suggest you actually read something about it – namely the Federalists Papers written, in part by the father of the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment.

Now let us indulge and actually read what Madison believed, instead of fabricating and erroroneously manufacturing mendacity about his beliefs.

February 24, 1813, in a message to Congress:
“The Government of Great Britain… [is] undermining those principles of morality and religion which are the best foundation of national happiness….”

In the 1785 session of the General Assembly of the State of Virginia:
“It is the duty of every man to render to the creator such homage…. Before and man can be considered as a member of Civil Society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe.”

In Federalist Paper #39:
“We have staked the whole future of American civilization… upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”

November 20, 1825:
“The belief in a God All Powerful wise and good, is so essential to the moral order of the World….”

I literally could go on for nine more pages, but I digress.

Now, let me summarize:

Yes, Madison was a good man, a good Christian man. No, he did not codify French ideals, he codified Christian ideals. He codified Blackstone’s ideals, and he codified American ideals.

Now, that is the history of the First Amendment – and do not let anyone, ever, tell you different – for they are equivocating.


Affectio tua nomen imponit operi tuo

Can a Priest Forgive Your Sins?

As discussed and seen at www.thencac.com

The main source of this controversy, it seems, stems from John 20: 23 which states, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”* Jesus stated this when he was conferring the Holy Spirit upon his Apostles. Looking at this verse and no others, it would seem that the Apostles did in fact have the power to forgive or not forgive sins. But comparing this verse to the whole Bible, the meaning is clearly quite to the contrary. However, the apostles did not take Jesus’ words of “If you forgive” to mean that they had to power to forgive sins. They knew that only God could forgive sins. Neither the apostles nor the church had the power to forgive specific sins or to prevent forgiveness for any individual. There is never, without exception, a time in the Bible where an apostle or a believer “forgave someone’s sins”. In every instance, of which there are over 40, it is clearly only God who forgives sins. In fact, the Bible clearly states in many places that only God can forgive sins. Consider such verses as: Mark 2:7, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Luke 5: 21, “And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, ‘Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ ” Isaiah 43, …”I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.” Eph 4:32, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” There are more then 37 more verses backing this up, do I need to say anything else? Fundamentally, what Jesus was speaking of in John 20: 23 was the responsibility of the church to declare the gospel to the entire world, so that those who believe in Jesus can find the gift of forgiveness. First John 1: 9 clearly says that, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

A priest forgiving my sins, is one sinful being forgiving another sinful being in Jesus Christ’s name. Would this not make Jesus’ death unnecessary? If a Catholic or a Lutheran priest can forgive me, why did Jesus, the only perfect man, die for me? How is it possible for someone totally sinful to forgive, in the stead of Jesus Christ, another totally sinful being? Is that not self – refuting? How can an irrational argument with virtually no Biblical support govern our faith? John clearly says that Jesus is our “Advocate with the Father”: “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” - 1 John 2: 1-2

“And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” (Hebrews 9:22) Sins can only be remitted by the shedding of blood. No priest’s blood was shed, and no priest’s blood is the accepted payment for our sins. Then, logically a priest could not forgive sins in the name of Jesus Christ, since the priest’s blood has not been shed.

Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that priests have the power to forgive sins. That means, they also must have the power not to forgive sins. For example, you can’t give the legislature the power to make laws – but not give them the power to not make laws – that would not be logical. So, now we have established (for the sake of argument) that priest’s can forgive or not forgive sins. How is a fully sinful, fully human, fully evil being to decide what sins to forgive - through Jesus Christ and what sins not to forgive? Again, only God can make that decision.

Why would I, or anyone else for that matter, ever go through a priest if we could pray to God directly? What is the significance of a priest forgiving my sins in Jesus Christ’s name? How can the Catholic or Lutheran church decide that we should go through a priest? Who are they to offer forgiveness? Christ died for us so he could offer us forgiveness. Not the Catholic or Lutheran church.

With the above stated in mind, let me summarize. Nowhere in the Bible are we or anyone besides Jesus Christ given the ability to forgive sins. I established that there are over 40 verses regarding forgiveness in the bible, and not one of them is a sinful being forgiving another sinful being in the name of Jesus Christ. I established with logic that it is irrational for an evil being to forgive in Christ’s name another evil being – for that is self – refuting. I established that no priest’s blood was shed and no priest blood is the accepted payment for our sins (Hebrews 9:22). I established that a fully sinful, fully human, fully evil being can not decided what sins to forgive through Jesus Christ and what sins not to forgive. I established that there is absolutely no reason to go through a priest, since you can go to go directly to God. To conclude, I would like to state that from what I have discovered, it looks like the doctrine of a priest forgiving sins in Jesus’ name is a doctrine in error.


*All Bible verses are from the Nelson Study Bible, in the New Kings James Version. All emphasis is added.

Frédéric Bastiat’s Thoughts on Life: the First Right

Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850) was a French economist, statesman, and author. He produced most of his writing during the years just before - and immediately following – the French Revolution of February 1848. He wrote one of the greatest and most famous essays on justice: The Law. Through his writings (contained inside the quote marks), I will demonstrate using metaphysical philosophy why life is the first right.

“We hold from God the gift which includes all others. This gift is life — physical, intellectual, and moral life.” That is, the physical – the concrete world, the intellectual – that is what is perceived, that is what is implicitly understood, and that which is undeniably real, and finally the moral – that which is good or evil, i.e., physical and mathematical certainty may be styled infallible, but moral certainty may be properly styled indubitable.

“But life cannot maintain itself alone. The Creator of life has entrusted us with the responsibility of preserving, developing, and perfecting it.” God gave us the faculties and the natural resources, to preserve life. Governments were instituted in order to establish justice. “Can the law — which necessarily requires the use of force — rationally be used for anything except protecting the rights of everyone? I defy anyone to extend it beyond this purpose without perverting it and, consequently, turning might against right. This is the most fatal and most illogical social perversion that can possibly be imagined. It must be admitted that the true solution — so long searched for in the area of social relationships — is contained in these simple words: Law is organized justice.” Moreover, since the law, i.e., government is organized justice, we must ask, “What is justice?” Justice is distributive or commutative. Distributive justice belongs to magistrates or rulers, and consists in distributing to every man that right or equity which the laws and the principles of equity require; or in deciding controversies according to the laws and to principles of equity. Commutative justice consists in fair dealing in trade and mutual interaction between man and man.

“Life, faculties, production — in other words, individuality, liberty, property — this is man. And in spite of the cunning of artful political leaders, these three gifts from God precede all human legislation, and are superior to it. Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place.” This leads us to the question, “What if a law is implemented that takes away someone’s right to life?” Since law is justice, and the taking of life unjustly is not lawful, it could not be a law. Nevertheless, if the lawmakers proclaim it law, they have declared it “just”. However, if the law is not just, then it is not a law. For it is acting against its very purpose.

“The strange phenomenon of our times — one which will probably astound our descendants — is the doctrine based on this triple hypothesis: the total inertness of mankind, the omnipotence of the law, and the infallibility of the legislator. These three ideas form the sacred symbol of those who proclaim themselves totally democratic.”

“Law is solely the organization of the individual right of self-defense which existed before law was formalized. Law is justice.” Moreover, if something is declared law, and, in the very nature of law, it cannot be a law because it is not just, it is not a law. In the case of life, if a law is declared allowing a practice that ends life unjustly, it is not law. Therefore, it is not bone fide legal. Therefore, it is not applicable to anyone or anything. Moreover, the lawmakers who passed such a law, having gone against the very purpose of law and government, should be punished. “And now [let us] try liberty; for liberty is an acknowledgment of faith in God and His works.”

The Laws of Public Policy Process

by Morton C. Blackwell

1. Never give a bureaucrat a chance to say no.

2. Don't fire all your ammunition at once.

3. Don't get mad except on purpose.

4. Effort is admirable. Achievement is valuable.

5. Make the steal more expensive than it's worth.

6. Give 'em a title and get 'em involved.

7. Expand the leadership.

8. You can't beat a plan with no plan.

9. Political technology determines political success.

10. Sound doctrine is sound politics.

11. In politics, you have your word and your friends; go back on either and you're dead.

12. Keep your eye on the main chance and don't stop to kick every barking dog.

13. Don't make the perfect the enemy of the good.

14. Remember the other side has troubles too.

15. Don't treat good guys like you treat bad guys.

16. A well-run movement takes care of its own.

17. Hire at least as many to the right of you as to the left of you.

18. You can't save the world if you can't pay the rent.

19. All gains are incremental; some increments aren't gains.

20. A stable movement requires a healthy, reciprocal I.O.U. flow among its participants. Don't keep a careful tally.

21. An ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness.

22. Never miss a political meeting if you think there's the slightest chance you'll wish you'd been there.

23. In volunteer politics, a builder can build faster than a destroyer can destroy.

24. Actions have consequences.

25. The mind can absorb no more than the seat can endure.

26. Personnel is policy.

27. Remember it's a long ball game.

28. The test of moral ideas is moral results.

29. You can't beat somebody with nobody.

30. Better a snake in the grass than a viper in your bosom.

31. Don't fully trust anyone until he has stuck with a good cause which he saw was losing.

32. A prompt, generous letter of thanks can seal a commitment which otherwise might disappear when the going gets rough.

33. Governing is campaigning by different means.

34. You cannot make friends of your enemies by making enemies of your friends.

35. Choose your enemies as carefully as you choose your friends.

36. Keep a secure home base.

37. Don't rely on being given anything you don't ask for.

38. In politics, nothing moves unless pushed.

39. Winners aren't perfect. They made fewer mistakes than their rivals.

40. One big reason is better than many little reasons.

41. In moments of crisis, the initiative passes to those who are best prepared.

42. Politics is of the heart as well as of the mind. Many people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

43. Promptly report your action to the one who requested it.

44. Moral outrage is the most powerful motivating force in politics.

45. Pray as if it all depended on God; work as if it all depended on you.

Morton C. Blackwell, President Leadership Institute

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