Holiness

I found a song that impacts me on a fundamental level as it reminds me of what a supreme God I serve.  I serve an infinite God who created the universe with the word of His mouth.  Who am I to stand before Him?  Who am I to question Him?  Who am I to know Him?

I am ruined before Perfection, and my sin stains my lips, eyes, and soul.  How can I ever comprehend the infinite dimensions of His holiness?

Yet in His love he purifies me.  My soul magnifies my Creator as I kneel before His holiness.  He cleans me and makes me fit to stand in His court.  Praise, honor, and glory be to Yhwh.

Effects of Sequestration

Anyone that is familiar with the military knows the effects that sequestration is having on the military.  Despite what leaderships of various DoD branches and agencies might say, the continuing resolution and sequestration is biting.  The incompetency of Congress and the President is initiating the downfall of our country both as a world power and as significant and relevant player in the global community.  It is only a matter of time before belligerent nations and powers begin to test us, and when they find us unable to respond definitively, all hell will break loose.

Air Force Droid Operations

The droid program has been a pivotal tool in the United States' war on terrorists, but it has not come without a share of controversy.  Many people consider the use of droids to be a moral and ethical dilemma.  Stratfor has a curious opinion piece on the legality and ethics surrounding the droid program.

I have posted it below with a link to the original article.

Henninger: The State of Obama

So, I discovered, almost by accident, a Wall Street Journal opinion regarding the State of the Union address.  I have always thought of Obama as either an idealistic moron or a malevolent mastermind puppeteered by some greater force; however, this article, which rings very truly, suggests that he is driven by nothing more than the narcissistic nihilism that founds the modern liberal movement.

None of his solutions work, yet he pursues grand ideas, driven by the winds of his wild and idealistic rhetoric, for the purpose of establishing a legacy for himself alone, screw the country.

Lawyers...

So, I received this lovely email today from some lawyer somewhere who decided to go after Facebook for using people's name and likeness on their advertising without consent.

I should stop here and say that I am not terribly fond of Facebook right now.  They have severely departed from their roots in the quest of monetization of social networking, and in doing so, are destroying the charm and utility that their service provided when I used it back in the college days.

However, this does not constitute the need for a class action lawsuit of which I will inevitably get nothing more than admiration of my friends and peers for being involved in, while greatly profiting whatever law firm is prosecuting this case.

And for your viewing pleasure, I have included the friendly email I received below and my hopefully not too snide response.

The Fall of Greece

I found a curious article in a fashion magazine (of all things).  It provides a boots-on-the-ground look at what is happening with the social and political implications for economic catastrophe and the end of the debt supercycle.

This piece lends some credence to my theory that we have another holocaust in the not-too-distant future, and it will be of the Muslims living in the Western world.

The article was written by Chris Heath. I have copied the article here, but the original can be found at: http://www.gq.com/news-politics/newsmakers/201212/fall-of-greece-gq-december-2012

Live on TV: The Fall of Greece

We already knew about the economic crisis, the mass unemployment, the riots. But this summer we saw the tensions and turmoil of a nation erupt in a single act of startling violence on a morning television program. Within days, it was beamed around the world. Chris Heath uncovers the truth of what happened in that TV studio, a cautionary tale not just for the future of Greece but for the rest of us, too

By Chris Heath

Photographs by Owen Silverwood

December 2012

Crisis of the Middle Class and American Power

I had sent to me an article by John Mauldin, containing a text from Stratfor, Inc. pertaining to a more complete understanding of the current crisis that America faces.  It points out, rather dextrously, that neither the ideologues on the left or the right have a complete understanding of the magnitude of the problem at hand.

It is a very fascinating and thought-provoking read.

The Macroeconomics of Middle Earth: Smaug Fiscal Shock

I found an absolutely epic economic post regarding economic conditions in Middle Earth following the arrival of Smaug.

http://worthwhile.typepad.com/worthwhile_canadian_initi/2012/12/the-macroeco.html

Hopefully, this link remains good for a long duration.

Peace on earth, good will to men

I heard the Bells on Christmas Day

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,

and mild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime,

A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,

And with the sound

The carols drowned

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,

And made forlorn

The households born

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;

"For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men."

- -   Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Economics of Demographics

Below is an analytical letter regarding the effects of demographics on our country's economic health and well-being by Gary Halbert.  It is definitely a fascinating read.

  FORECASTS & TRENDS E-LETTER

by Gary D. Halbert
December 18, 2012

US Birth Rate Hits New Low – A Nation of Singles

IN THIS ISSUE:
1. US Birth Rate Falls to Record Low in 2011
2. Birth Rate Needed to Maintain Current Population
3. A Nation of Singles – Implications For the Future
4. How Did We Become a Nation of Singles?
5. Conclusions – How Do We Turn the Trend Around?

Overview

 

One of the issues I have been focused on for the last several years has been the trend in demographics in the US and in developed countries in general. Our populations are getting older – we all know that. But the reasons why our populations are getting older are not widely understood by many Americans. Those reasons include the falling birth rate, the falling fertility rate, the falling marriage rate and the explosion in singles – people who never marry.
The US birth rate fell to a record low in 2011. The marriage rate is tumbling as well. And the number of single Americans is now at a record high. The implications of these developments are troubling, not only for the economy, but also for the investment markets and the continual expansion of the federal government. Government debt has spiraled out of control in recent years, and the demographics suggest that this trend will continue as we care for an aging population.
Today, we will look at some new information on demographic trends in the US and in the West in general that should concern you – and all Americans for that matter. This will be a continuing theme in my E-Letters in the months and years ahead. Let’s get started.

Love and free will

I have heard people asking, "Why did this happen?"  Why, why, why?

Why would a young man walk into a school of children and gun down as many as possible?

Why would God allow this to happen?

The short answer is that God loves Adam Lanza (the shooter) enough to give him free will to not only refuse to follow God, but sufficiently free will to harm other human lives that God loves equally.

Could God have stopped this?

Absolutely.

In doing so, however, He would not only be overturning every ounce of authority that He has granted to human institutions, such as governments, but He would also be violating His very nature of love in the allowance of free will.  He would make impossible, in a singular event, the ability of mankind of choose His way or not.  He would overturn, by precedent, every moral consequence throughout all of human society, effectively eliminating the incentives for humanity to lean towards eternity.  He would be giving humanity a gift that we do not collectively deserve.

That said, I trust and hope that God will give special credence to the students who were truly innocent, or the teachers who gave their lives in defense of their classes.  Ultimately though, the ways of God are well beyond even the most meager attempt at understanding that I have presented above, and we have to trust that He will balance this atrocity out, not only in the immediate future but also in eternity.

Lethal Exhibitionism

We had a tragedy occur today.  A gunman named Adam Lanza, familiar with the school's security procedures, walked into an elementary school, shot the principal and others then proceeded to his mother's class, shot her and continued shooting until 27 people died before killing himself.

To continue to pretend that evil does not exist in our world is a lunacy of unfathomable depth.

All people are fundamentally evil.

What we do with this truth defines us as a society and world.  Do we stand up and take adequate measures to protect lives, or do we flail about in a futile attempt to control that which cannot be fully controlled?

If we do nothing, it will happen again; and it will be worse.  Each of these massacre-style shootings carries with it a thread.  Each successive event is an attempt at topping the last news-worthy event with an ever more horrific, shocking, and news-worthy action, and the creativity of mankind is seemingly infinite.  The next event will be worse unless tangible steps are taken to prevent this.

I introduce another truth.  People are afraid of death.  We must use this truth to reduce the likelihood of another event happening, or in the event of preventing it entirely reduce the consequences of such events to provide additional levels of deterrence.

You might argue that Adam Lanza did not fear death, but I will wager that he did.  People who commit these kinds of acts are highly deceived, but Satan will not simply leave it at deception.  He will remove the blinder from you once you are too far gone, leaving such guilt that suicide is the only recourse.

The first, and most obvious answer is more guns in school.  At least one person, preferably who knows how to use it effectively, needs to have a gun at every school.  This will lessen the impulse to become infamous for the next horrific act by providing immediate and tangible defense against a deceived person.  If you can kill the shooter before he can do significant damage, that eliminates, or at least complicates, the exhibitionist factor.  Even the social psychological factor alone will serve as a social deterrent.  This would be extremely similar to having Air Marshals that fly incognito on aircraft.  Every knows that they are there, and the effect of that knowledge produces a stronger deterrent against anyone weighing the success of such an event in terms of exhibitionist thought.

It does not however, address the possibility of the single person with a gun becoming so deceived as to commit a similar act.  As such, a more broad-based social deterrence is necessary.  I would definitely go so far as to recommend that all teachers who wish to should be able to have a 0.38 pistol in their possession at all times under some manner of protection, and the principals and office staff should have access to something of a heavier and more deadly capability, say a shotgun.  If the firearms of sufficient power are equally spread amongst staff, and suitably protected as to prevent unauthorized access, this would provide an incredibly strong and broad-based deterrent against bringing lethal exhibitionism into our educational institutions.

This idea is akin to mutually assured destruction on a more global level.  Taking this step would apply the idea of mutually assured destruction on a broader and more social level.  The only other viable option that I see is to provide more security guards at schools to prevent this.

Either way, we need a significantly increased protection in our public places, and equal firepower in place seems to be the only adequate answer to this continuing problem.