The Second Amendment

"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

Introduction

It is always prudent to define your terms, especially in an essay such as this. Those who argue against the individual's right to keep and bear arms duck and dodge this part of the conversation. Or they defer to court rulings or modern definitions of words. I choose to do neither. The definitions in this essay are taken from Webster's 1828 Dictionary, which is the closest dictionary we have readily available from the period in which the Bill of Rights was written. Since the meaning of words change over time, it is important to define these terms as the authors of the Bill of Rights did, so we use Webster's 1828 dictionary.

" , ". The Comma

I'd like to start this discussion in an unusual place, with that big bold grammatical element called the comma.

" , ". I love the comma. It is such an interesting part of our language. Here is what Websters 1828 dictionary had to say about it. 

COMMA n. [Gr. xo~qm,a segment, from ~ to cut off.]

1. In writing and printing, this point [ , ] denoting the shortest pause in reading, and separating a sentence into divisions or members, according to the construction.

Thus, "There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not."

Comma's represent a pause in speech, or a pause in thought, depending on the structure of the sentence. So let’s go on an English expedition and do something I always hated in school: Diagram a sentence!  Yes Mrs. Guernsey, I am actually using your English lesson J

A well regulated militia, [pause in reading] being necessary to the security of a free State,[ Pause in Thought] the right of the People to keep and bear arms, [pause in reading]
shall not be infringed."

It's clear from a diagram of this sentence that there are two separate thoughts here. Some will no doubt argue that this is not a proper diagram of this sentence, so lets go on to a few more definitions and see if they support or contradict this diagram. 

MILITIA - The body of soldiers in a state enrolled for discipline, but not engaged in actual service except in emergencies; as distinguished from regular troops, whose sole occupation is war or military service. The militia of a country are the able bodied men organized into companies, regiments and brigades, with officers of all grades, and required by law to attend military exercises on certain days only, but at other times left to pursue their usual occupations.

PEOPLE, 1. The body of persons who compose a community, town, city or nation. We say, the people of a town; the people of London or Paris; the English people. In this sense, the word is not used in the plural, but it comprehends all classes of inhabitants, considered as a collective body, or any portion of the inhabitants of a city or country.

Thank you Noah Webster. We clearly have two (2) separate groups of people mentioned in the Second Amendment: The militia, and the People. It is on this point that I will hang the rest of my essay. 

"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State…"

Please consider what document this statement is made in. Context does matter here, and the document this is recorded in matters. It is in the Bill of Rights, a document which enumerates and codifies the Rights of The People into writing. It does not list the rights of the Government, it lists the rights of the People. If we frame this statement in context which it exists, answer the following question: Does this statement by itself enumerate a right? Is it a right of the People to have a well regulated militia? The answer is, of course, no. In this statement alone no right is ever mentioned. So if it does not list a right, why say it? 

We should go back to our definitions and look at Militia again. The closest thing we have today that fits this definition of Militia is our Reserve Corps, or perhaps what we call the National Guard today. I believe this was meant to be at the Federal level, because it says 'a free State', not 'the free States', etc. Regardless of what this group was, or who had authority over them, it is absolutely clear from the definition of Militia that this group is separate and distinct from 'the People', which is all citizens of the country. It is this Militia that may be regulated, not the People.

REGULATE – To adjust by rule, method or established mode; as, to regulate weights and measures; to regulate the assize of bread; to regulate our moral conduct by the laws of God and of society; to regulate our manners by the customary forms.

2. To put in good order; as, to regulate the disordered state of a nation or its finances. 

3. To subject to rules or restrictions; as, to regulate trade ; to regulate diet.

REGULATED, Adjusted by rule, method or forms; put in good order; subject to rules and restrictions.

It me, it is absolutely clear, that our Founding Fathers understood the need to have able bodied men trained, organized, and ready to be called upon if the need arose. I believe they saw the possibility that the argument would eventually be made, and perhaps was even made in their day, that if we have a well regulated militia, there is no need for the individual to keep and bear arms. Many of these men had seen in their own lives how the Militia soon became an extension of the political desires of those in power. So the Founding Fathers acknowledgement that there is a need to have a well regulated militia, but went on to say…...

"…the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

Now we have the actual right that is being protected by this document. It is the right of the People to both keep and bear arms. Remember that the phrase "the People" encompasses all Citizens of this country, while the militia is a specific group of Citizens. This falls perfectly in line with the 'checks and balances' concept of our Government. Both the first and second amendments play a role in the checks and balances.

My name is Mike, and this is My Story

NOTE:  I originally posted this on my other blog, but two blogs, is just too much, so I'm re-posting it here.

I grew up a religious “nothing”, and was glad.  My mom was Catholic, my dad was Lutheran, and I did not see any value in either religion, or any other for that matter.  I tried reading the bible once, but never even made it through the first book.  In my opinion, Religion was just a way to get money out of people.  There was so much hypocrisy in it that I really had no interest.  Religious people seemed to do as much wrong as non-religious people, so what made them right? 

In my senior year of High School, my stepfather died in a car accident, and I fell into depression.  I had enlisted in the Navy prior to his death, and headed off to boot camp.  In the Navy you meet all kinds of people, and since I had the opportunity, I asked everybody about their religion.  They all basically said the same thing: get baptized, join a church, give money, etc, and when you die, you might go to Heaven.  Well I liked the way I lived and the few times I ever went to church I did not care for it, so I just kept doing what I was doing.  None of the religious people had any assurance or confidence they were actually right, so why change?  I had a life, I had plans, and I did not need religion. 

Depression is not something you can just ignore, if you don’t face it, it doesn’t go away.  I got quite drunk a time or two, and the Navy sent me to counseling.  After my interview the counselor said to me “You are not an alcoholic, but you are clinically depressed.”  It’s a really good idea in the Navy to follow orders, so off to rehab I went!  A Chaplain came in one day to talk to us.  He said “It does not matter what you believe, as long as you have a higher power.  A doorknob could be your higher power, what matters is that you believe”.  Back at my bunk I said to myself, that is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.  I believe there is a God, so there must be a way to get to God.  I may be religiously ignorant, but I do know math, and 1 + 1 = 2.  If there is a God, then it only stands to reason that there would be a way to know Him.  After Rehab I returned to my ship, and laying on my workbench was a pamphlet called “God’s Simple Plan of Salvation.”  I read it and thought “that’s it, that’s the answer.  But I don’t have time for this right now,” and I threw it away.

The Navy decided to discharge me early, and I went home and got a job in sales for my mom’s company, and was good at it.  I made good money for not having a college degree, and liked what I did.  I had an opportunity to move on and work in sales for an Insurance Agency, and I took it.  I worked with a ‘religious’ guy named Steve, and started to ask him questions about what he believed just like I had done many times before.  But Steve responded differently.  He told me he knew he was “saved” and knew he was going to Heaven when he died.  Stop the press.  I had never heard of this ‘saved’ thing, and I never met anyone who said they knew it.   I asked Steve what ‘saved’ was, and how he ‘knew’ he was going to Heaven.  Steve said that He had confessed to the Lord Jesus Christ that he was a sinner, and asked the Lord to forgive him.  And he knew at that very moment that all his sins were forgiven and that he was on his way to Heaven.  He quoted this bible verse:   

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.  (1 John 5:13)

For three months I would ask Steve questions and he would answer me from the bible.  One day I asked him “Why do you always quote the bible, I want to know what you think, not what the bible says.  I don’t believe the bible”.    He smiled and said “it does not matter what I think, what matters is what the bible says.  The bible is our Judge:”

He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.  (John 12:48)

Stop.  I was going to be judged by what was written in the bible!?!?  Yes.  Not by a man or a religion or someone’s opinion, but by what was written in the bible, and I had no idea what was in that book.

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.  (James 2:10)

If I had ever broken just one of the Ten Commandments, I was guilty of breaking the whole law.  One lie, one theft, one lustful look at a girl, one thought of having something someone else had, taking one single thing that was not mine. 

Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.  (Romans 3:19)

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)

It did not take long for me to realize that I was guilty under God’s Law, and that made me a sinner.  Under the law of God the penalty for sin was Hell.  That was a horrible thought, but I knew from my experience with depression that ignoring something like this will not make it go away.  This all seemed quite heartless – it did not fit my idea of a loving creator.  Steve answered my concern:

God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance: (II Peter 3:9)

God did not want me in Hell, or anyone else for that matter, so out of love He sent Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to pay for my sins Himself:

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  (1 John 4:10)

And He did something no one else had ever done: He rose from the dead:

… Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

He did this out of love for you and me:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)

Steve gave me a pamphlet, “God’s Simple Plan of Salvation”, the same one I had read two years before in the Navy.  I read it again, and came to the same conclusion; this was the answer.  It also gave the solution to the problem:

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (Romans 10:9)

This did not seem to fit any religious process I ever heard about.  Just confess and ask for forgiveness? No Baptism, no works, no money, no religious rites?  That seemed all too easy.  I was invited to church (again), and called a friend I DJ’ed with at a local college bar to see if he wanted to go along for the ride.  He was shocked that I was even considering it, but said yes.  After that service, I knew I needed what they were talking about.  I knew I was a sinner, and I was under the condemnation of the Law of God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth. 

I was absolutely terrified at the thought of dying, and where I would go.  I got home and paced about the house, looking for that pamphlet, which I could not find, but I remembered what it said: Confess to the Lord that you are a sinner and ask Him to forgive you and save your soul.  I knelt down in my living room and said “Lord, I know I am a sinner, and I don’t want to go to Hell when I die.  I sure hope I don’t have to confess all my sins, because I don’t remember them all, but I am asking you to forgive me and save me.” 

That dreadful fear was gone, instantly.  There was a sense of relief, even joy, and this indescribably peace. How could I be in such desperation one minute and have complete relief the next?  What is this joy that I am feeling, this peace?  What just happened?

The answers to all these questions are found in the bible.  The last question is the book of Romans:

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:10)

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

On Sunday, July 13^th 1989, I called upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, confessed I was a sinner and asked Him to save me.  I was not reciting some ‘magic incantation’ prayer:  These were my words, from my heart to God’s ears.  It was not what someone else told me to say, it was what I wanted to say.  I wanted the pardon that God was offering through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

I went from believing that Jesus was invented by Religion to control people and get money out of them, to personally experiencing the saving grace of God, and the pardon for sin.  I had a personal relationship now with the one whose name I cursed!

Very quickly, my old friends knew something had happened, even though I had not said anything to them. One of them asked me “what happened to you”.  I said “what do you mean,” and he replied, “you quit swearing”.  I had not noticed, but he was right: My ‘sailor’s mouth’ was gone. 

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.   (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I did not know that this was in the bible, but it certainly applied to me.  Christ had not only paid for all my sins, and forgiven me for them, but He also gave me a whole new life, one that has proven to be far better than anything I ever could have imagined!

This event was the greatest event in my life.  I now understand what Steve meant when he said “I know my sins are forgiven, I know I am going to Heaven when I die”.  I also know, just like Steve did, and you can know as well.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:17)

God is truly no respecter of persons.  Race, Creed, Color, Class, all mean nothing to Him.  You too, can have that peace that passes all understanding.  Christ is just as willing to forgive you as He was to forgive me.  You don’t have to take my word for it, you can take His. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I invite you to know the God that changed my life. 

The Last Hoo-rah

Our annual preaching conference finished up last week and my soul was stirred by many of the messages.  Out of that meeting Ill be taking my first Missions trip for one.  In my previous post, I asked the question: Can America Be Turned Back to God.  

My answer, for the long term, is still no.  But one of the messages preached at this conference really stirred me.  The Pastor mentioned fighting for what was right and taking a stand, even if that meant a political one, and he said something about one last Revival before the whole thing collapse and the New Babylon arises.  I don’t know why, but that statement rang true with me.  In the last 18 months, we have had more souls saved and added to our Church than my previous 21 years here, and most of those were our own members who finally saw their lost estate and need for personal repentance, and they called upon the Lord for salvation!  I have had the good pleasure of discipling some of them, and watching God change their lives.  I am seeing God work in my own life in ways I did not expect, and in others as well.

I know that in the end America the Beautiful will fall, and be overrun by this new Babylon.  I still believe that we are watching this new Babylon being built right around us.  Gone are the days of conspiracy theorists talking about a New World Order, and a One-World Currency, etc.  Now Heads of State are talking about it openly, even our own Secretary of the Treasury. 

But having said that, something rang true about this Preachers comment.  I cannot take you to a passage or a scripture and say, see, it’s right here, but then there are no revivals at all mentioned in scripture.  God never said when or where there would be a revival, but He did tell us how they happen:

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” – I Chronicles 7:14.  

Brother or Sister, it has never been the majority that moved God, it has always been the few.  True born again bible believers have always been the extreme minority, even in the great nation.  This verse says “if my people” – that’s not the lost, it’s the saved.  What wicked way Brother or Sister, might you have to turn from?

Can there be one last hooray?  I believe there can, and I for one, if God may allow me, would like to be in on it.  I know the coming darkness, I feel it too.  I feel the impending doom of a totalitarian regime that will strip us of all freedoms, and jail God-Called Preachers because of their ‘hate speech’.  I have just settled in my heart that this might very well happen to me, but after counting the cost, it must be worth it.  It is worth it.

The Effectual Fervent Prayer of a Righteous Man availeth much.

Can America Be Turned Back to God?

 

Nope. No chance at all. But wait! , you say, you are one of them bible thumpin' Baptists that's always telling people they need to be born again or face the wrath of God! You must believe you can turn the country around.

No, I don't. I am of that extreme minority that Simeon and Anna were in when the Lord came the first time. They were not looking for a military messiah that would restore Israel, they were looking for the Saviour of their souls. I look to His coming, any day. I hold out no hope that our government can be turned around from its suicide course with socialism. I do not believe the United States will be a world power in the last days, and I believe we are in the last days, even the last hours, and I wait patiently for the coming of my Saviour to take me to my home in Heaven. Make no mistake, I do not enjoy watching the death of what was the greatest nation in the history of the world, anymore than Jeremiah enjoyed watching Israel go into bondage. But I have read the end of the book, and I know that this must come to pass.

I want you for a moment to consider what type of government will be in power during the Great Tribulation. Do you think it will be a great democracy or Republic? I do not. I think it is clear that this will be a totalitarian regime, and that any dissention will be met with swift execution. If all are required to receive the mark of the beast, which regulates their ability to buy and sell, then they effectively control their entire life. I don't pretend to know exactly what that mark will be, but I can tell you there are enough technologies available today to make this a reality tomorrow, if the public would accept it.

However, the thought that America will never be restored does not depress me, it spurs me on, because I know the time is short, and the coming of the Lord is at hand, and whatever impact I am going to have in this world I need to do now. Outside of the Word of God, no one can even hope to make any sense of the insanity of the days which we live in. Any sane and rational person can look at the actions taken by our own Government and know that they have signed the death warrant of the USA. Our National debt is now so large that there is quite literally no way to ever pay it off. We have no had our own rights over our own bodies surrendered to the Government in what they falsely label Heath Reform. We watch as corporations buy and sell governments, and where the only rule of law is the worlds golden rule: In the world, he who has the gold sets the rules. There are forces at work in the world today that have money beyond anything you and I could ever imagine. I borrowed money to buy a house, while they pay cash for a whole country.

So what should you do? If you do not know 100% for sure where you will spend eternity, I would love to tell you how you can in fact know that, just as I do. If you do know this, and you have a biblical testimony of salvation, please tell someone else while you still have the time and the liberty to do so.

The Two Witnesses

Many people teach that the Two Witnesses in Revelation chapter 11 are Enoch and Elijah. They base this primarily on the verse from Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: ". Since Enoch and Elijah did not die, then the two witnesses 'must' (?) be Enoch and Elijah, right ????? Not so fast. Lest go back to II Timothy 2:15 and do some study before jumping to conclusions.

 

Law of Consistency.

The first thing I want to consider is what I call the Law of Consistency. This is the doctrine that the Lord does not change, and His Doctrine (singular) is one consistent whole, not diverse and changing parts. Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8 speak to this. We also know that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), so what applies to one applies to all. With this in mind lets look at these two witnesses.

 

Hebrews 9:27 is quickly referenced when justifying the teaching that Enoch and Elijah are the two witnesses, because they were both caught up, and did not suffer death, and threfore must come back to earth to die. Hmmmm………….

 

The Raptured Saints.

If Hebrews 9:27 applies to all men, then I must ask: When do the saints taken out in the Rapture come back to die?

(1Th 4:16) "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (1Th 4:17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

 

1. Death cannot stand in His presence (Jesus never attended a funeral). So, if the saints who are taken out in the Rapture will ever be with the Lord, they will never see death, because death cannot stand in His presence.
   
2. There is no premise, scripture, or principle whereby one can say that the saints caught up in the First Resurrection when the Lord comes in the air will return to die.
   
3. Enoch is a type of the faithful believer, taken out of the world before the judgment of the flood came, never to see death. If these two witnesses were Enoch and Elijah because of Heb 9:27, then there would also be scriptural evidence that the raptured saints would come back and die as well, but this evidence is completely lacking.
   
4. Based on the doctrine of the rapture of the saints, being caught up alive to ever be with the Lord, we can know with certainty that Hebrews 9:27 is not talking about the saved.
   

 

Many in scripture were raised from the dead, and died again:

• John 11:14-44 Lazarus was raised from the dead.
  
• Luke 8:54 Jesus raised a young maid.
  
• In Acts 20:9 Eutychus fell from the balcony, died, and Paul raised him from the dead.
  
• II Kings 13:21 – a dead man was cast into the grave of Elisha and came out alive.
  
• II Kings 4:32-35 – Elisha raised the boy from the dead.
  
• II Corinthians 12:1-2. Paul speaks of dying, and coming back, and yet he died again.
  

 

There is no scriptural evidence or precedent to say that these individuals did not die again, which means they died twice? Does this not contradict our verse in Hebrews? Our text verse in Hebrews say it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this……….

 

Two Forms of Judgment: Krisis or Bema?

The word Judgment in Hebrews 9:27 is the Greek Krisis (where we get our English word crisis). For the believer, Romans 14:10 and II Corinthians 5:10 speak of the Judgment Seat of Christ, and the word judgment used here is Bema in Greek, meaning a 'rewarding stand'. It is not a born again believer that faces a crisis, it is the lost. When you couple this with the fact that the raptured saints along with Enoch will never see death, we begin to understand that this verse is speaking of the lost, not the saved. It is speaking of the judgment those that reject Christ will face, not the judgment the saved will face.

 

So we have firmly dismantled the idea that Hebrews 9:27 is speaking about the saved, and we have unshackled ourselves from the idea that the two witnesses must be Moses and Elijah, so then, who are they?! How 'bout we look at who they are and what they do….

The Two Witnesses are Olive Branches.

The Olive branch is a symbol of Israel, as demonstrated in Jeremiah 11:6, and Hosea 14:6.

Romans 11:13-25 speaks of the wild olive branch (the Gentiles) being grafted into the natural (the Jews). Zechariah 4 is a prophecy of these two olive branches in Revelation 11, and this brings us to the clear understanding that these two witnesses are Jews. Enoch was a pre-flood saint and a Gentile, not a Jew. This is strike two for the Enoch theory, and it narrows our pool to some Hebrews that stopped the rain, and turned the water into blood. Sounds vaguely familiar…..

What Miracles will they do?

Since we have established that these two witnesses must be Jews, how then can we determine who they are? Let scripture interpret scripture.

One witness turns the water into blood. In all of scripture, there was only one person that did that, and it was Moses.

(Rev 11:6) These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

Moses smote Egypt, a type of the world, with many plagues. He is the only one in scripture that did this.

 

Elijah is the only one that stopped the rain:

1Ki 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

Jas 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

Elijah stopped the rain for 3 ½ years: the exact amount of time that these two witnesses will be on the earth.

 

The Mount of Transfiguration

Last, we have the Lord going to the mount of Transfiguration in Matthew 17:3, and of all people who do we find here talking with Him? Moses and Elijah. Enoch is not there. This meeting just coincidentally takes place in the same city that the Two Witnesses of Revelation are eventually killed. Strike three for the Enoch theory.

Summary

Moses and Elijah are the only two people in the Word of God that fit every aspect the Two Witnesses in Revelation 11. They are from the Olive Branch, they did the same miracles for the same amount of time, and they appeared with the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration. The only reason there is any dispute as to who these two witnesses are is to a misunderstanding of Hebrews 9:27.

 

 

 

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

Since the 1930's, the principles and concepts this nation was founded on have been ridiculed in almost every college in America. No matter where you went to school, you most likely were not taught what the men that founded this nation believed in, and because of that we have a very misguided idea of what the principles which our nation was founded on were.

Public Service was an honor, not a career.  The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators that were truly of the people, and for the people, with the intent that they would serve their term(s), and when their service to their country was finished they would go back to a private sector job with no special or ongoing benefits. Any legislation they passed would directly impact them.

If we ever intend to see that again, and see the Citizens of the United States represented, and not special interests from every side, then 'We the People' need to return our Congressman in the House and Senate to citizen legislators. To do this we the people need to strip them of the perks and benefits that have crept in over the years and return this position to a place of honor, and not a career.

There are several things that I think would help. These are not all original ideas; I have simply boiled them down to a short list of actionable items that could realistically happen if the right people are elected in 2010.

 
 

 1. Term Limits: 12 years only, one of the possible options below.

       A. Two Six year Senate terms

  B. Six Two year House terms

  C. One Six year Senate term and three Two Year House terms

 

The principle here is that public service was never intended to be a career field, so let's remove the possibility of it being one.

 
 

2.  Congressional Benefits Plans are eliminated.

Congress shall not have, nor create, nor participate in, any benefit plan that is not available to the citizens of their State. This includes, but is not limited to, Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Retirement, and Investment plans.

 

• The current Health Insurance plan will end 1/1/2012. Congressman can purchase an individual plan from the provider of their choice that is licensed to provide coverage in their home state.
  
• The current Retirement plan will end 1/1/2012. All funds currently in the Congressional Retirement Fund will be placed in the Social Security Fund. Congress will be eligible for the same Social Security benefits as any other citizen.
  
• Any other benefit plans will cease on 1/1/2012 as well
  
• There is no continuation of benefits beyond their term of service. This should be a moot point since there will be no benefits to be carried over!
  

 

After their public service they go back to the private sector just as the Founding Fathers intended them to, with no lifelong benefits. The Principle here is to make this a citizen legislature again.

If all the rest of America, from the small business man to the Union Employee, must renegotiate their contracts from time to time, it is past time that our Representatives have their renegotiated.

 

3. Congressional Pay Increases. Congressional pay will rise each year by the Consumer Price Index or 3%, whichever is less.

No one else in America has the luxury of voting themselves a pay raise, why should Congress. The practice breeds corruption. Since they are of the people, treat them as the people. If Congress passes laws that are damaging to this nation, they need to feel it in their wallet just like the rest of America does.

 

4.
Ban on post-service lobbying. No Congressman may, during or after leaving office, accept employment or income from any lobbying organization. The penalty for violation is forfeiture of all income since leaving office.

The principle we are trying to communicate here is that when your services is done, you are done! You are no different than any other citizen.

 

As long as our Congressman are above the people, they will not make decisions and legislate in a way that is for the people. The office of a Congressman is to be a position of Honor, not of privilege, and we need to restore the office to that place. Make them live by the policies they pass and we will have better policies! If we do not, then we cannot expect our nation to see any improvement at all, regardless what your view of progress is.

 
 

 
 

 
 

The Riddle of Epicurus

Epicurus was Philosopher that lived from 341BC to 240BC.  He taught that death was the end for the body and the soul, and therefore should not be feared, that the universe is eternal, and that events in this world are based on the 'motions of atoms". In essence, he did not believe in a Divine Creator, or any gods for that matter. He was best known for the following riddle:

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?

In order to find the answer to the riddle, we need to examine the god of Epicurus. Epicurus was a philosopher, a lover of man's wisdom, and he believed that there was no greater power in the world than the wisdom of man. In his riddle he speaks of god, but he did not believe there was a Creator, so why would he write a riddle about someone he did not believe existed. It's like writing philosophy about Santa Clause. So if Epicurus is not talking about the God of Eternity, what god is he speaking of? What was his framework for 'god'? According to his philosophy the greatest power in the world is the wisdom of man, which is authored by man. Therefore man is also the highest authority and thus, his own god. In this riddle, the god Epicurus is speaking of is his own intellect, and when you look at this riddle in light of what Epicurus considered to be god, it makes perfect sense:

Is man willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then it is not omnipotent.

Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?

The answers to all of these questions make perfect sense when you look at his riddle in light of what his god was. Man as his own god will self destruct every time, and has no answer for evil. The only way for man to eliminate evil is for man to eliminate man.


The God of Eternity paid for all evil in Jesus Christ. And in His own time, according to His own purpose, He will end all evil as well.

"1Co 1:20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 1Co 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."