Chalcedon Blog

I started this blog in 2005 for the sole purpose of publishing "news and views." That's why I'll often follow a particular story--like the recent bail out bill--post videos, and highlight other items that are newsworthy. This blog is not intended to replace our homepage. It is there that you'll find editorial items, as well as more dedicated theological content.

Some people have misconstrued the purpose of this blog by thinking it is the homepage for Chalcedon. It's not. For example, our vice-president, Martin Selbrede, has recently written up several position papers addressing some of our more pressing national issues such as war, politics, inflation, taxes, etc. Those will be posted on the Chalcedon homepage and represent official position statements by the Chalcedon Foundation. This forum (the blog) was intended to be more sensational and the information temporary.

I encourage you to keep visiting the Chalcedon homepage for the articles posted there. They represent well-edited material designed to last longer than a posted YouTube video.

Also, for a more "helpful" blog, I recommend Andrea Schwartz's Homeschooling Blog.

George Bush on the failure of the bail out bill: "It matters little what path a bill takes to become law. What matters is that we get a law." Hmmm. I wonder what that means. Do the ends justify the means, Mr. President? What is your administration prepared to do to make this happen?

Lew Rockwell: "In any case, no matter how you look at it, the defeat of the bill is a victory for freedom. The defeat of the power elite is essential for liberty to thrive. For the free market to function, we need the government/corporate cabal to lose its capacity to get its way in every area of life. They need to feel fear. They need to lose security. They need to have a sense of uncertainty as to whether their every wish is our command. The House defeat of the bailout is a magnificent rebuke in that sense."

And stocks start to plummet. This is not over by any stretch.

Throughout his limited campaign, cable news networks like FOXNews ridiculed Ron Paul for his dire outlook on U.S. foreign policy and our failing monetary system--specifically, the predicted fallout due to the influence of the Federal Reserve. However, as the crisis looms, even Neil Cavuto is now admitting Ron Paul was right. But, it's not simply Ron Paul--he's just the political representative of a school of thought. It's the Austrian system (Misean) that's having its day in the limelight.

What's the lesson to be learned? Simple. The worse a crisis gets, the less extreme certain ideas become. The Austrian system is ridiculed, but it will certainly garner an audience through the upcoming recession(s)/depression(s). This will also be the case with Christian Reconstruction. The deepening crises will make a fringe element like theonomists the go-to party for Biblical absolutes.

[Fascism] is, put briefly, a system of social organization in which the political state is a dictatorship supported by a political elite and in which the economic society is an autarchial capitalism, enclosed and planned, in which the government assumes responsibility for creating adequate purchasing power through the instrumentality of national debt and in which militarism is adopted as a great economic project for creating work as well as a great romantic project in the service of the imperialist state.

Broken down, it includes these devices:

1. A government whose powers are unrestrained.
2. A leader who is a dictator, absolute in power but responsible to the party which is a preferred elite.
3. An economic system in which production and distribution are carried on by private owners but in accordance with plans made by the state directly or under its immediate supervision.
4. These plans involve control of all the instruments of production and distribution through great government bureaus which have the power to make regulations or directives with the force of law.
5. They involve also the comprehensive integration of government and private finances, under which investment is directed and regimented by the government, so that while ownership is private and production is carried on by private owners there is a type of socialization of investment, of the financial aspects of production. By this means the state, which by law and by regulation can exercise a powerful control over industry, can enormously expand and complete that control by assuming the role of banker and partner.
6. They involve also the device of creating streams of purchasing power by federal government borrowing and spending as a permanent institution.
7. As a necessary consequence of all this, militarism becomes an inevitable part of the system since it provides the easiest means of draining great numbers annually from the labor market and of creating a tremendous industry for the production of arms for defense, which industry is supported wholly by government borrowing and spending.
8. Imperialism becomes an essential element of such a system where that is possible—particularly in the strong states, since the whole fascist system, despite its promises of abundance, necessitates great financial and personal sacrifices, which people cannot be induced to make in the interest of the ordinary objectives of civil life and which they will submit to only when they are presented with some national crusade or adventure on the heroic model touching deeply the springs of chauvinistic pride, interest, and feeling.

Where these elements are found, there is fascism, by whatever name the system is called. And it now becomes our task to look very briefly into our own society and to see to what extent the seeds of this system are present here and to what degree they are being cultivated and by whom.

This is the most aggressive I've seen the usually benign Ron Paul addressing Fed Chairman Ben Bernake. In all honesty, I almost feel sorry for Bernake. He's an academic caught in between the powerful financial oligarchy that hired him and pests like Ron Paul that keep stating that the financial emperor is wearing no clothes.

Geoff Botkin has written a well-ordered article that does not simply focus on the glorious place of the woman fulfilling her calling in the home. He exposes the reasoning behind her selection and the attempt by the GOP to hoodwink evangelicals once again in a more devious way: by redefining evangelicalism itself with a female superstar.

The story of the year, however, is not the arrogance of the Republican strategists. It is not their dishonest theology. It is the blind credulity of Evangelical leaders and pastors. Evangelical Christians are willing to be “discipled� by a deceitful political party whose god is the state. Evangelicals have proven themselves to be willing to acknowledge the Republican Machine as a spiritual authority on matters of faith and conscience, as long as the teaching is sufficiently spiritual.

Republicans are statists. We should all know that. Most evangelicals are Republicans. We know that as well. Therefore, evangelicals are predominantly statists, though just a tad less statist than a Democrat. And before our national crisis deepens--exposing the fraudulent system--the Republican Party is seeking to gather in the Conservative Christian base with a manufactured poster girl. At least that's what Botkin argues. I just happen to agree.

What a delight it is to read poignant discussion about some of the more neglected problems in the American system at American Vision. Joel McDurmon is using his education wisely and providing a more balanced expression for this longstanding Reformed, theonomic, creationist, Van Tilian, postmillennial ministry. Gary DeMar has done as much as any to bring in a wider audience to the tenets of our mutual worldview, and has no second to him when it comes to discrediting false eschatological systems.

Joel has written an excellent summary piece describing the pertinet details of our present financial crisis--the details the mainstream media leaves out. His rhetoric is almost poetic:

This "bailout" is not merely economic, it is highly political, it involves every level of politics from greedy loot-lusty voters, to spineless representatives (save about one), to shady nefarious hand-shakers in every corner of the executive behemoth, to the non-government/government-whichever it may be-Federal Reserve "creature from Jekyll Island" System. (See also his article "Fannie, Freddie, and Pharoah")

I have been saying for some time now that the Reformed-Theonomic community has been curiously silent during much of the Bush administration. Much more so than they would have been had Al Gore been in office the past eight years. What I've always respected about Christian Reconstructionists was their ability to critique statism without falling into rank partisanship. This is due to the richness of thought left to us by the early workhorses Rushdoony, North, and Bahnsen. They systematically assaulted the intellectual power of the state from nearly every vantage point available. However, the last eight years were much different, and it is my contention that the psychological effect of 9/11 has restrained all of us to some degree from speaking too openly in criticism of the GOP policies.

Besides Joel McDurmon, Dr. Richard Jones has also been a meaningful participant on the American Vision blog. He recently posted a few pertinent items on theocracy that I appreciate very much (See Part II of this series also).

However, based upon some of the comments left under these postings, it seems a great deal of AV's new audience is markedly Religious Right. My prayer is that DeMar's team will be effectual in broadening the theological horizons of their newer readers, as it would be difficult for Chalcedon to do so. So long as we bear the name "Rushdoony," we must continually overcome the stigma attached to the years of bad press that have tarnished his good name. DeMar can go places we can't, but there's not many better men to send when it comes to eschatology, apologetics, civil government, and history. I'm still a fan!

The 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team is going to start "helping people at home."

That's right. Right after spending upwards of 60 months in what the Army Times describes as "full battle rattle," these battle hardened soldier boys are going to be patrolling your streets.

In 1878, the United States passed the Posse Comitatus Act which restricts the federal use of the military from exercising domestic police powers. However, the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007, changed all that.

Now, NORTHCOM will be coordinating more military operations on U.S. soil. This is unprecedented, and our founding fathers would be turning in their graves to witness our gradual slide into tyranny.

Every totalitarian nation has used their military for domestic purposes, but the American people will "swoon" when they see their soldiers brandishing automatic weapons and patrolling their streets. "Doesn't Michael look handsome in his helmet and M-16?"

We're moving into a total fascist state, and the majority of Americans are too busy watching football and Dancing with the Stars to care. Unless we change our present direction, life for your grandchildren will be a dark age of tyranny. Christians first and foremost have to resist the rise of the state in America. We are quickly becoming what Rushdoony once summarized about the former Soviet Union:

Properly speaking, there are no police in the Soviet Union, only political agents, and the military power. The arms of Soviet power are, first, the Communist Party, which, by its network of informants, controls, and powers, is important in the execution of Soviet decrees. Second, there are the so-called secret police, a state controlled, centralized body of political agents, whose purpose is not police work but the maintenance of political power. Third, there is the military power. The army, barracks across the country, patrols the cities with little or no knowledge of police work. These are Bolshevism's three pillars of strength.[1]

1. R. J. Rushdoony, The Nature of the American System (Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 2001 reprint), 176.

A slither of hope developed today in Washington as bipartisan senatorial leadership were not swayed by doomsaying threats of Fed Chairman Ben Bernake that we risk recession, higher unemployment, and an increase in home foreclosures if lawmakers don't pass the $700 billion bailout plan.

I don't know who Bernake thinks he's fooling. A recession is unavoidable, and according to financial analysts, Bernake will only make the recession worse by putting it off with inflationary tactics.

It should be clear that these threats by the Fed and Paulson are without substance. It should be understandable that their request for absolute authority without threat of prosecution is not being so easily swallowed. I'm glad the House is resisting, but I hope they can hold out. The more time they do, the more time we have to alert more of our fellow citizenry. This will put greater pressure on the legislative branch.

Notice in this clip that Sen. John McCain advocates the creation of a new government agency to handle future mortgage issues. I seem to recall that in the GOP convention he promised to bring in smaller government. I'm wondering how much more the American people will take before they wake from their national slumber and storm Washington to demand their country back.

It'll probably be a while. It's football season. God help us.

Children as young as five should be taught to understand the pleasures of gay sex, according to leaders of a taxpayer-funded education project.

What can you say to that? It's dumbfounding. Just make sure you keep your children out of the public school system.

In a statement today, the president said, "Failure to act would have broad consequences far beyond Wall Street. It would threaten small business owners and homeowners on Main Street." As Reuters reported, "Bush warned against adding unrelated provisions onto the measure and said the world was watching to see whether the United States can act quickly to shore up the markets. What he's referring to is the $700 billion bailout of the financial markets. The truth is that the $700 billion is only what the treasury needs to show on their balance sheet. In other words, they can run that amount of money through exponentially. We will see trillions spent before they're finished.

Do you notice the rush? "Hurry, hurry, USA! If you don't hurry up and give us these sweeping powers, then every small business and homeowner will be threatened with disaster."

This is how politicians threaten a population, or their political opposition. Your Christian president is now threatening you with financial fallout unless you give the U.S. Treasury dictatorial powers.

This is absurd, because they knew what would happen. Financial analysts have been warning about this very crisis for years--in detail! Surely, this is not another "we didn't see this coming" excuse. They like to play stupid, but then they demand greater authority to fix a problem they helped happen. It's absolute insanity.

Senate Democrats are the hold up. They want some additional aspects added to the bill. Here are some of the items the president refers to as "unrelated provisions":

End the program in one year instead of two.
Add layers of congressional oversight.
Add an emergency board to monitor the program with House and Senate appointees.

Here's how the president responded:

"It would not be understandable if members of Congress sought to use this emergency legislation to pass unrelated provisions, or to insist on provisions that would undermine the effectiveness of the plan."

He then added, "I appreciate members of Congress in both parties resisting the urge to do so, and keeping the rescue bill focused on solving the crisis in our financial markets." In other words, Congress better not get in the way of altering this bill in any way. Speed is important right now, not adding protective measures for the American people.

Do you smell a rat yet? Wake up, America!

Prior to his appointment and election as vice-president of the United States, Dick Cheney was the CEO of Halliburton. Not long after his appointment, the country was engaged in wars that benefited primarily Mr. Cheney's former company. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "They're just lucky, I guess." The profiteering of Halliburton came as a result of a national crisis, and Cheney called for expansive federal powers to fix the crisis.

Now, the Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Paulson, is using yet another crisis--the collapse of the financial markets--in order to demand plenary power to fix the problem. He wants more than a $700 billion bail out (at taxpayer expense, mind you). He wants authority that cannot be challenged by either Congress or the American people. And if they lose all your money, he wants it written in that they cannot be sued.

And like Mr. Cheney, Mr. Paulson just happens to be the former Chairman of Goldman Sachs and one of the men most responsible for creating the housing crisis that is bankrupting investment banks.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have absolutely no idea what is about to transpire. This is checkmate. From this point on, full dictatorial authority of the American financial system will rest squarely in the hands of elite financiers. At that point, they can do whatever they like, and you, nor the Congress, can say a single word. It's as the dynastical banker, Lord Rothschild, once said, "Permit me to issue and control the money of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws."

We, as the American people, were asleep at the wheel. We were ignorant of the structure of the American financial system, or "racket." We thought that because it was named "The Federal Reserve," that is was an official government institution like the Department of Transportation. It's not. As some have said, "It's as federal as Federal Express."

In 1797, John Adams wrote to Thomas Jefferson, "All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise, not from defects of the Constitution or Confederation; not from any want of honor or virtue, as much as downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation."

My brothers and sisters, the issue of international banking and the coining of money has ALWAYS been the greatest threat to the security of the American people. It's the force behind statism because the apparatus of the state is used by the financiers to create their fuedal monopoly over the citizenry and property of the U.S. That's why the men holding the highest offices in the country were all former heads of big oil, international banks, or defense contractors. Even the beloved George W. Bush has a rich family history in international banking through his grandfather, Prescott Bush (Brown Brothers Harriman), big oil, while his own father profited handsomely through his involvement in the Carlyle Group--defense brokers.

Statism does not operate in a void. It's tyranny and abuse receives power from somewhere. In our case, the power behind the state is not Lenin or Hitler. It's international finance and the powerful multinational corporations whose profits exceed the GDP of many sovereign nations.

THEY WANT POWER OVER THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM. And Henry Paulson is demanding that you and I give it to them. If we don't act now, the whole system will implode and we'll be a third-world nation in a month. Don't think, he insists, just give us the power now. We'll fix it.

Again, our greatest threat is not Arab terrrorists, Islamofascism, or some other manufactured enemy. That's so patently ridiculous I cannot believe men holding PhDs actually argue with me about it. They say, "Mr. Ortiz, haven't read anything by Mark Steyn? He'll demonstrate beyond doubt that Islamofascism is about to envelop the world, and our only solution is American imperialism." Yea, right, like I'm going to listen to a Jewish Zionist tell me the truth about Arabs!

Our greatest threat is from the financial sector. It's from the multinational corporations owned by those same financiers. It's their goons (Cheney, Paulson, Bush, Neo Cons, et al.) that are bullying the American people into submission in order to usher in their controlled society-- this is how they'll insure their ability to remain in power while avoiding investigation or prosecution. In fact, they'll prosecute you. Remember, the bankruptcy laws have changed. You won't be able to Chapter 13 yourself out of giving them their money.

Here's a snippet from Paulson's plan:

Sec. 8. Review. - Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

And, echoing the hoopla over the Patriot Act, Sec. 9 promises to terminate SOME of this authority after two years:

Sec. 9. Termination of Authority. - The authorities under this Act, with the exception of authorities granted in sections 2(b)(5), 5 and 7, shall terminate two years from the date of enactment of this Act.

Two years was also the term limit for the Patriot Act. Thankfully, the American people resisted the expansion in Patriot Act II. However, with each crisis, power accrues to the state. If Mr. Paulson can sustain the fact that the crisis is not over, then two years will become four, and so on. The point is that we should NEVER trust the state to fix anything. We should NEVER grant them absolute authority with the promise that they'll give it back. We should stick to the Constitution, which is nothing but a treatise dedicated to suspicion and distrust of the power of civil government.

Are we listening yet? Or, do we want to talk more about the ACLU, "Liberals," or the fact that Gov. Palin is a woman?

Someone wrote to me recently that had the audacity to claim that addressing the gender issue of Gov. Palin was "seeking first the Kingdom of God." They claimed that I had MY priorities out of order. Hmmm. Someone else claimed that I was comfortable with feminism because I was a Gen-Xer. Of course, I had no idea how to respond to such ridiculous statements.

But the oddities are not isolated to our constituency. The far Left is also up in arms about Gov. Palin except they're worried--AGAIN--that we're headed for a theocracy because of her ties to dominionism. Both sides are equally negligent, in my opinion. The American system is facing one of it's worst moments at the hands of financial criminals and the far Left and Right are whining about a woman.

As a Christian, you should insist that your political and religious leaders address these pertinent issues. If they don't, what good are they?

While both mainstream America, and Conservative Christians--including the Reformed community--were focused on the gender of the Republican vice-presidential nominee, the Feds moved to nationalize Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Do you have any idea what this means? Do you have any idea what we're facing economically? Believe you me, when things go South economically, you'll risk looking foolish and blind with an arm full of Biblical arguments about how a woman cannot serve as a civil magistrate.

Let's not take our eyes off the ball. I'm not sure why Christian ministries are worrying about tributary issues like the ACLU, or how many founding fathers were Christians. There is really no need to belabor the fact that Sarah Palin should be at home with her children. We should put aside these hot button issues and keep our audiences focused on the real threats to liberty.

Our real enemies have not yet shown their face. Instead, they've brought out Sarah Palin to focus the attention of the American people on mainstream politics while the economy suffers, the state is totalizing its control over the American system, and more war looms on the horizon.

As usual, the Austrian economists have their finger on the pulse...

Don't Bail Them Out
Daily Article by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. | Posted on 9/10/2008

It was the singular achievement of Murray Rothbard's America's Great Depression to have demonstrated that the Great Depression was a crisis manufactured and prolonged by the attempts to stop an inevitable downturn. The policy response — creating more money, propping up prices, ginning up employment, and a host of other devices — took a stock-market price collapse and a banking liquidation and spread the mess throughout every sector of the economy. What might have lasted a year to 18 months instead lasted 16 years.

At the time, Ludwig von Mises tried to warn against intervention. See his Causes of the Economic Crisis. So did F.A. Hayek. See his Prices and Production. So did Lord Robbins. See his book The Great Depression.

And yet, that is not the conventional wisdom. The conventional wisdom is that the Depression was a natural disaster, a hurricane that swept through society that had to be fixed by the government. Another view, found in the work of the monetarists, is that it was caused by the failure of the government to create oceans of paper. This seems to be the view of Bernanke.

America is now imprisoned by these fallacious views of cause and effect. For this reason, we see virtual unanimity that the bailout (call it want you want: conservatorship, nationalization, socialization, whatever) of Freddie and Fannie must take place.

On the day following the nationalization, a day that will live in infamy, the Wall Street Journal editorialized against the Democrats and their reform efforts, but didn't actually oppose the bailout; instead it observed that we are all somehow "on the hook." The paper also published a piece by McCain/Palin which said that the bailout is "sadly necessary."

The New York Times called it "a reasonable and reassuring move." The Los Angeles Times wrote that the bailout was "inevitable," and complained that Freddie and Fannie should only help 20% and not half of borrowers. Steve Forbes in his magazine wrote that "drastic action" had to be taken because a default would "have triggered the worst financial meltdown since the Great Depression."

It's interesting, isn't it, that all these people believe that waving the magic money wand can make reality just go away. That incredible superstition seems to be the official position of the entire US establishment. And we like to flatter ourselves into believing that we live in an age without illusions!

As for those who should know better, Greg Mankiw, author of the leading economics textbook, writes that because "it was likely to happen eventually" it is "better to get on with it." The supposedly free-market economics blog Marginal Revolution warns that without the bailout, "most of the U.S. banking system would be insolvent," failing to point out that a system that needs a bailout with fiat money is already insolvent.

The Cato Institute agrees that the Treasury had to bail out the mortgage industry because it "was forced to do so," and since Fannie and Freddie are indeed "too big to fail." The Heritage Foundation agrees that it was a "necessary step" and a "vital move toward reform."

Sure, these people have plenty of recommendations about what should have been done in the past, and lots of ideas about what should be done in the future. As for the present, they are ready to propagandize for the largest socialist operation in American history. In all of these latter cases, we are looking not at a problem of economic education, but rather the lack of courage to stand up to the state when it is needed most.

Pretty much alone in both predicting the calamity and actually opposing the bailout are those who have learned from the Misesian tradition, people such as Nouriel Roubini of the RGE Monitor, investor Jim Rogers, and of course our own scholars such as Mark Thornton, George Reisman, Robert Blumen, and pretty much all of our adjunct scholars, who have said plainly and clearly that this is a dreadful error, one that will worsen the present meltdown. Of course Ron Paul was right all along, as the evidence proves.

Let us address this claim that not bailing out the system and not nationalizing the mortgage market would lead to a financial meltdown on the level of the Great Depression. It makes no sense to warn that we will repeat the past if we fail to do the things that actually made the past as bad as it was. The truth is exactly the opposite: to avoid another Depression-length downturn, we need to avoid the mistakes of the past, among which were the policies that attempted to keep failing firms and industries afloat in difficult economic times.

What should have happened in 1929 is precisely what should happen now. Let the price system prevail! The government should completely remove itself from the course of action and let the market reevaluate resource values. That means bankruptcies, yes. That means bank closures, yes. But these are part of the capitalistic system. They are part of the free-market economy. What is regrettable is not the readjustment process, but that the process was ever made necessary by the preceding interventions.

Let me state this very plainly: I do not believe for one second that if the government fails to nationalize Freddie and Fannie, the world as we know it will come to an end. Those who are saying so are trying to scare the population, the same as with every other major demand by the regime. It was the same with NAFTA, the WTO, the war on terror, the war on bird flu, the nationalization of airport security, and everything else.

If the government did nothing but sell off the assets of the mortgage giants, we do not know for sure what would happen, but the market has a way of finding value and readjusting. I would expect about 18 months of difficulties. Banks would fail just as many businesses in the free market fail every day. Housing prices would fall more, just as all market prices are subject to change. But the process of readjustment would be smooth and rational. Most importantly, we would all stop living a lie and believing an illusion.

Contrary to what the blogging heads say, there is nothing that makes this nationalization inevitable. We need to let the market handle the entire process, come what may. I guarantee that this solution is a better one than creating another trillion or so to bail out failing enterprises.

Listen to these two feminist seductresses (one an evangelical) twist the Scriptures to fit their own obstinate and willful rebellion against God. Then notice how alien and strange Voddie Baucham sounds to the CNN audience. This is but a small indicator of the times in which we live.

Many within my own constituency are finally starting to speak out against the GOP, but being the single-issue type, they're majoring on minors, viz. their only critique is that Sarah Palin is a woman, and the Scriptures specify that a woman's place is in the home--she is not permitted to serve as a civil magistrate.

Let's not talk about unjust, unconstitutional acts of war. Let's not talk about the raping of U.S. economy. Let's not talk about the growing tyranny of illegal wiretapping, increased surveillance, or the draconian Patriot Act. Let's not talk about Habeas Corpus. Let's not talk about the criminality of the Federal Reserve System. Let's not talk about the overwhelming amounts of corruption, lies, homosexuality, and pedophilia amongst the Conservatives. No, let's talk about the fact that Gov. Palin is a woman and her place is in the home.

So, if Palin was a male, what exactly would we be discussing? Not much. He/She would fit the bill to draw sufficient support from the Religious Right and help McCain shore up his liabilities with mainstream Christianity. But because Palin is a woman, our most astute theological commentators are positioning her candidacy along gender lines. The end result? Their audiences continue along the path to "Conservative" statism and tyranny because their readers cannot see the forest for the trees. They think the entire political issue is resolved once they settle on the candidate. In the meantime, statism goes without critique, because to the Religious Right, it's not statism if it's run by Republicans.

The entire American system is at its worst, and Christian Conservatives have little to say. Maverick McCain promised to reduce government, and if after his election he were to shut down some pork barrel welfare program, Christians would fawn over him thinking that revival had broken out in America. All the while more tax-payer dollars will be used to bail out Wall Street.

The problem is that Christian Conservatives have no mental category for "corporate welfare," and they believe any salvaging of Wall Street with tax dollars is free market economics. This is because they do not understand fascism. To them, communism is tyranny, because communism overtly levels the class system. Mussolini, in a stroke of brilliance, embraced the class system while instituting Soviet-like authoritarianism under the guise of a free society. Rushdoony states this in terms easy to understand:

Mussolini lacked a radical commitment to anything other than himself. He recognized this same trait in other men. He knew that an either-or commitment is what men flatter themselves into believing they hold, but he knew that in truth he and other men wanted to eat their cake and to have it too. Men were practical atheists while practicing churchmen. They defended the free market while seeking socialistic subsidies. They championed freedom while asking for a benevolent slavery. They wanted socialism with freedom, religion without the responsibilities of faith, and private property with all the imagined benefits of socialism. The meaning of such a desire is fascism.

Like the Pharisees, Conservative Christians gag on gnats while swallowing camels. What should be an issue, isn't, while non-issues are made paramount. The ruse is that political criminality and rising statism is done under the cover of the Republican Party. Therefore, the sin goes unnoticed. "Just give us a Christian vice-president!" And if she's a woman, "We'll show you where the Bible says this is wrong!" Never mind the mess that is now the American system. Just give us a candidate we can feel good about. Remember, fascism is primarily a Right-wing form of authoritarianism.

If at this point you're asking yourself, "So, Chris, do you think a woman can be a civil magistrate?," you have missed my point. The important issues regarding saving the American system have little do with the gender of a vice-presidential candidate. We have much bigger fish to fry, and if we spend too much time harping on what the Bible says women can do, the less our constituencies will hear and understand about the threat of statism.

It's appropriate to remind Christian readers about the Biblical doctrines of the family in light of our present political situation. My problem is that this becomes the central issue. My other problem is that I've heard little from these Christian pundits during the last eight years of national tribulation. Now that a woman is a candidate, they're finally speaking out. That makes them a little too late and a bit too irrelevant.

Whoo-wee, has Mrs. Palin got the Left-wing bloggers stirred up! These annoying whiners are revving up the blogosphere with attempts at attaching her to various elements within contemporary Charismaticism. It's always humorous to read these people trying desperately to get their minds around the manifold factions within that movement. I've yet to read anyone that understands what they're addressing.

The Leftist bloggers are working overtime to slap together YouTube documentaries to build a case against Gov. Palin. What they doesn't realize is how much they're actually helping her.

Now, it may take a little while, but soon these Lefties will catch on to the fact that you can't engage in a frontal assault on the likes of Palin and win. The more you criticize her, the more popular she becomes. Why? Because she's already been established as a victim--that's her brand. The more you go after her, the more her "brand" is fortified. But Palin frightens those on the looney Left, and the only strategy they have is to make her appear as a tongue-talking theocrat.

Again, this will not work, because you're attacking her where she's strongest. You're also assuming that most of America are northeastern, latte-sipping liberals with a penchant for gay rights. You're soooo wrong. America is much more disturbed by gay marriage than the Assemblies of God. This too will backfire.

The far Left will lose. They don't have the vision, the passion, the money, or the manpower. The dedicated Conservative Christians are just too numerous, and they are represented in every sphere of life from celebrity to soccer mom. In addition, the cities and towns of America are filled with their churches while both radio and television stations broadcast Christian programming 24/7. How can you fight them? You can't. They refuse to lose.

The next few months should be interesting.

These two co-hosts for MSBNC's political night coverage are being replaced by David Gregory.

The following clip is taken from the English documentary "The Century of Self" in which an extensive portion is dedicated to Sigmund Freud's nephew, Edward Bernays, the founder of public relations. This clip demonstrates the mass brainwashing and manipulation by Bernays of the American people at the behest of the U.S. government and international corporations. Much of the Red Scare was propagated in this manner.

We're experiencing similar propaganda today as both the state and the media are manipulating the fears of the U.S. population over such new scares as the global threat of Islamo-fascism. The majority of your major theonomists have fallen prey to the mind control of Bernays' professional progeny and have been faithful to tout the party line regarding the terrorist threat. This is a clear demonstration that it matters little how "smart" you are, if the data you're using is wrong.

I hope all the "Country First" so-called patriots will take note of what their government, intelligence agencies, corporations, and media groups have colluded to do in the past. Maybe, just maybe, they'll pull their heads out of the sand and realize that even Americans are capable of heinous acts. Or, they can simply dismiss me as one that "hates America." By doing so, they're simply acting in accordance with their elite handlers.

God’s Story for Christian Dominion:
The Ancient Secret of the Wheat and the Tares
Christopher J. Ortiz

Biblical history is a war between two seeds. The parable of the wheat and tares is a metaphor for two very real types of persons who are set against one another in a cosmic conflict for universal dominion. In His interpretation of the parable, Jesus states plainly the simplistic identities of the two warring factions, their field of battle, and the timeline of their conflict. Read more...

C.R.A.
Christian Reconstructive Analysis
Eugene C. Newman

No one in the twentieth century wrote like Dr. R. J. Rushdoony. No one was more original, more insightful or as far-reaching in his analysis. When it came to understanding and applying Biblical law in every area of life, no study has come close to his Institutes of Biblical Law, Volume 1. When our Lord cites Moses in Deuteronomy in His rejoinder to Satan that, “[M]an does not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God,� we cannot appreciate the fullness of His meaning unless our view of God's law is similar to the treatment we see in Rushdoony’s Institutes: all of God’s law for all of life. But because Rush’s Institutes is so rarely read, understood, or even cited by conservative and evangelical pastors and writers, antinomianism continues as an untreated cancer in the body of Christ. Read more...

The Problem That Chalcedon Poses
Martin G. Selbrede

he June 2008 issue of Church History includes a provocative article by Molly Worthen entitled “The Chalcedon Problem: Rousas John Rushdoony and the Origins of Christian Reconstructionism.� Worthen, a doctoral candidate in American religious history at Yale, is part of a vanguard of more sober researchers attempting to trace the significance of Rushdoony’s thought from outside the reconstructionist camp (our readership already being familiar with Michael McVicar’s intriguing work in this regard). The superior scholarship and generally elevated discourse of these newer writers is gratifying. While we dispute some of Worthen’s points, her general insights bespeak better-than-average analytic skills. Read more...

While both Left and Right drones on about Sarah Palin, her qualifications, and the status of her family, a very important event was taking place in Minnesota at Ron Paul's Rally for the Republic. Of course, there is a media blackout of this event, since the word "Constitution" is now considered profanity.

All eyes are on the 2008 presidential race. Well, all eyes but mine. I prefer to place my political energies in another direction: building off the freedom revolution growing around the likes of men like Ron Paul. Education is paramount at this time, and until Christian Conservatives awake from their statist delusions, it should be obvious where work is most needed.

Almost all Americans--and especially those in the blogosphere--are under a powerful form of mass mind control. They can only think in the categories of Left vs. Right, or Liberal vs. Conservative. This is why the Sarah Palin nomination is working so effectively. She represents a moral reinforcement to the Right, and that's all that's needed to push many a Christian Conservative to the McCain column.

I have no use for either side. That's why I prefer the educational strategy of the freedom movement. They are building something that will last well beyond November 2008--they're building something that has a better hope of preserving liberty for our children.

If you're not familiar with what I'm talking about, then give a listen to Ron Paul's recent speech at the Rally for the Republic:

Liberal commentator, Amy Goodman, of Democracy Now! was arrested while covering the demonstrations at the Republican National Convention. Now, I'm no fan of Goodman, but this is disturbing. These cops look like Nazi thugs. Welcome to AmeriKa.

If McCain wins, look for a full-fledged race and class war, fueled by a deflated and depressed country, soaring crime, homelessness - and hopelessness!

An opinion writer--Fatimah Ali--at the Philadelphia Daily News is voicing what is probably being discussed in Black churches, homes, workplaces, and centers of activism. It is a threat to American social stability. She's calling for a "full-fledged race and class war," if McCain is elected president.

This is disgusting and so predictable from the likes of Black elites that are benefiting greatly from the well-organized, stability of the White American Establishment. She, like so many other deluded man-worshipers, believes that Obama will bring true and lasting change--he'll bring in a utopia for the lower and middle class. Watch how she looks past Obama's elitism and swears that he'll still be compassionate--he has to be, right? After all, he's Black. Well, kinda Black:

The Democrats desperately need many more voters like Smith to cross party lines in order to secure the White House. Obama says electing him to the nation's highest office will not only help restore America's moral standing globally, but will lift the nation's low morale and improve our declining economy.

He promises to cut taxes for 95 percent of American workers and ease the burden for millions of families. And I believe him, although his critics say he's out of touch with the working class and blast him for not having a lineage that includes slavery.

But just because his ancestors never wore shackles, and he has paid off the student loans from his elite education doesn't mean he doesn't have compassion. Or that he doesn't understand the pain of those who live in dire poverty, who've lost their homes, who want yet can't afford college, and who lack health insurance.

Ah, yes, politicians and their promises. Let's just believe that the next guy is really going to tell the truth. This time it will really work. Despite the fact that an elite establishment controls virtually all politics and media, somehow Obama was able get through without their notice and become America's political champion to the dismay of Wall Street, Halliburton, Exxon-Mobil, and the Pentagon. There's nothing these power centers can do to stop Obama. He's the people's champion and is gonna fight for the little guy. The gullibility of Americans is beyond staggering.

But, if she doesn't get her way.... race war! A call will be put out to direct animosity towards White America. She better think twice before making such inflammatory remarks. White Americans, in general, are still the most tolerant, non-violent, selfless people despite the fact that they appear to be enjoying their family and possessions. She interprets this as indifference, and her ignorance will be the undoing of the very people she's speaking for.

In short, don't bite the hand that feeds you. Once you threaten the sleeping lion of White America, you remove the one element that keeps them in your favor. Until now, and to their own detriment, Whites have worked to elevate the Black community. In addition, a mental stronghold of guilt is embedded that keeps Whites mostly silent about the prejudice directed towards them. Blacks are the primary beneficiaries of this Anglo-Guilt Complex. A race war will destroy that sentiment and inspire the tens of millions of White Americans to rethink their relationship to other groups. Whites are a resourceful and brilliant people. I'd recommend extreme caution before provoking them with this ridiculous rhetoric.

On a lighter note, if there is a race war, will it happen like this:

Who says we don't know anything about Gov. Palin's foreign policy?


From the Jerusalem Post:

"The Jewish community should be very excited that Sarah was selected. She has been very conscious of the Jewish community here in Alaska and now with the opportunity of her new position, she'll have the opportunity to look at the Jewish community globally," said Alaskan Republican Jewish Coalition member Terry Gorlick, who knows Palin well and has worked with her on several issues...

"Sarah's absolutely pro-Israel," he said, referring to conversations with her and comments she's made about Israel's security and its importance to the United States. He noted that as governor she signed a resolution honoring Israel for its 60th birthday...

"She has ties and interests in the Holy Land," said Gottstein, who described her as someone who could be effective across party lines, noting that he worked well with her despite being a Democrat...

And she received praise from other Jewish quarters, including from Anchorage Chabad Rabbi Yosef Greenberg. He recalled Palin's support for a Jewish museum he is building there and her hora lessons at the annual Jewish gala she has attended the last two years...

Greenberg also spoke of her reaction to giving birth to a child with special needs. "She said, 'God doesn't give you something you can't handle,'" he said. "It was straight out of the Lubavitch book."