Infringed

 

One person’s rights cannot interfere with another’s.

“In talking about human rights today, we are referring primarily to the following demands: protection of the individual against arbitrary infringement by other individuals or by the government; the right to work and to adequate earnings from work; freedom of discussion and teaching; adequate participation of the individual in the formation of his government. These human rights are nowadays recognized theoretically, although, by abundant use of formalistic, legal maneuvers, they are being violated to a much greater extent than even a generation ago.” Albert Einstein.

“Trans rights are human rights.” “Black lives matter.” “Affirmative action.” “LGTBI+ rights.” Worker’s rights.” One person’s “rights” cannot supersede another’s rights. One person’s rights cannot negate the rights of another individual. A “right” is to be equally applied. No one can demand special dispensation in the application of his or her rights. Yet that is exactly what the left demands. Arbitrary application and acknowledgement of special privileges to those deemed favored by the mob. The oppressed vs. the oppressors. The aggrieved vs. the subjugators. The have-nots vs. the haves. Poor vs. rich. Black vs. white. It’s getting hard to keep track of all the aggrieved classes.

Each victimized class has one thing in common; They blame everyone but themselves for whatever woes they believe are afflicting them.

·         Reparations are demanded by African Americans for slavery that none of them endured, to be paid by those who never participated in that evil.

·         Taxes are demanded to combat climate change from countries that have reduced emissions exponentially, while China and India, that pollute with impunity, are exempt.

·          Mentally ill persons who engage in the fantasy of gender reassignment demand acknowledgement of chosen pronouns and acceptance of their delusional behavior. And virtue signaling leftists advocate for trans rights.

·          Affirmative action was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, so the left infuses DEI into the nation’s consciousness, disregarding merit and skill.

·          Entrepreneurs invest time, money, and talent, risking their finances to create wealth, products, and jobs while the Democrat Socialists of America advocate to redistribute that wealth in a fairer and more “equitable” manner.

The Marxist playbook uses the same tired strategy that demonizes those they oppose and pits person against person. Marxism destroys unity and fosters an environment of distrust. As long as enough people fall prey to ideology of hatred of their fellow man, Marxism can grow and thrive. And it has gathered quite a throng of believers. What was once a discredited ideology has gained traction among the 18-25 demographic. This newfound popularity helped elect an Islamist-Communist as Mayor of New York City and other avowed Marxists have defeated several long-tenured democrat representatives in Ohio, Colorado, and California. In Wisconsin the leading democrat candidate for Governor is a self-proclaimed Marxist-communist.

This societal drift has been enabled due to the apathy on steroids that has gripped the nation. Social media, with algorithms that rinse and repeat your favorite viewing patterns, has become the primary source of “news” for many people. Some are more interested in the rantings of influencers than paying attention to what really matters. For Marxism to thrive, the masses must be distracted from the priorities that enable a free society to survive. For communism to take root, God must be eliminated from the equation. For freedom to be destroyed, envy, one of the seven deadly sins, must be embraced by the populace. Accepting the premise that taking what is not yours and that which you did not earn, fuels the engine of “democratic socialism.”

A right relationship with Jesus Christ must be first and foremost in our lives. Living a life following Him will emphasize what matters most. Loving your neighbor will enable each of us to value our human rights without denying other people’s rights. My rights are no more important than any other’s and if imposing my rights on others violates their rights, I am in the wrong. Marxism will violate the human rights of those deemed subordinate, productive members of society, by the proletariat. Marxism is real. Marxism is here. Marxism will take over if we fail to awaken from our slumber. Marxism can be stopped and relegated to where it belongs, the trash heap of history.

We can make a statement this November. We can choose to reject the leftward lean of the democrat party. It is up to us to defeat Marxism. You can choose to be part of the solution, or you can sit by and let this nation fall. What say you?

”Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.” Franklin D. Roosevelt.

 

Community

 

Hatred thrives in on-line solitude.

Human beings need community. Civilization developed to nurture that personal connection. Prolonged solitude turns the soul inward, toward selfishness. Without discussion and debate, we villainize those with values different than our own. Our faith is what drives our very being. Our God created us with an emptiness that can only be filled with an intimate relationship with Him. Corporate worship and Bible study offers us the opportunity to grow together in the Spirit. “Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Matthew 18:19-20

The lack of face-to-face interactions, instead relying upon the anonymity of device-to-device communication, has afforded users to avoid social interaction. Hiding behind a screen allows one to denounce and attack opposing viewpoints, without actual consequence, and enables animosity to fester. News feeds, X posts, and other social media are tailored by algorithms to each user’s preferences, presenting information that supports the user’s opinions, further isolating them from differing opinions. It has become effortless to foster hate by hiding facts that prevent one from learning both sides of issues. In fact, by filtering out competing news, the full truth is silenced while one side of the argument is amplified.

Incessant rhetoric from the left has increasingly raised the temperature in our political discourse. Democrat party leaders pour gasoline on the fire of division with comments likening their political rivals to Hitler, tyrants, and accuse them of opposition to any other “oppressed” class. Political leaders that stoke division and promote hate must be rejected at the ballot box if they fail to return to God. The constant drumbeat that villainizes those with Christian and conservative values has created tribal warfare as an acceptable response to settle disagreements. There are those who have become so radicalized by hateful leftist ideology that contemplating and/or committing violence has become a viable option.

Charlie Kirk literally accepted Jesus’ call to the Great Commission, to make disciples of the world. He engaged in debate with those who hated him because of his faith and political opinion. Through his platform, Turning Point USA, he literally entered the lion’s den of leftism to respectfully preach the Gospel and truly listen to those who disagreed, while doing his best to reach out with a sincere love of his neighbor.  Charlie was able to plant seeds of faith throughout the universities in which he preached. As democrat leaders mischaracterized, no, willfully lied about Charlie and his views and speech, people believed those lies. And those lies inspired a weak-minded individual to end Charlie’s debate forever with a bullet. We cannot let an assassin’s bullet silence and end the work that Charlie engaged in as he obediently preached the Gospel with the love of Jesus in his heart.

If we fail to engage those who have been unduly influenced by the evil advocated by leftist ideology, they will be lost forever. As Christians it is our duty spread the love of Jesus by preaching the Gospel, unashamedly. “And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing.  He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.  Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will. 2 Timothy 2:24-26.

We have God’s handbook to assist us in performing His will. The Bible contains all the ammunition necessary to speak His Truth. Read it daily. Learn it. Pray on it. Study it with other believers. We can no longer be meek and quiet. We can no longer stand by and let evil overtake our brothers and sisters. No matter how lost our brothers and sisters may become, God loves them unconditionally, just as he loves each of us. There is nothing we can do to make God love us any more. There is nothing that we can do to make God love us any less. We have a duty to proclaim God’s love to the world so that none are lost to the evil one. Plant the seeds that just may encourage them to return to community of faith. Be bold and courageous, armed with the Holy Spirit that dwells within all of us.

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:11-12, 18

Dialogue

 If we fail to engage….

Debate, discourse, discussion, conversation, banter, talk, describe the diverse ways civil society communicates. In spite of the proliferation of digital communication, we seem to be losing the ability to communicate on a personal level. With information, entertainment and communication at our fingertips, our ability to reach out and connect with each other should improve. Unfortunately, texting, Twitter, Snapchatting, and the like has caused our dialogue to devolve into short snipes that often are inappropriate and vulgar. We use social media to debase people we don’t even know. Not having to face one another, enables one to say things that would never be said in person.

It has become so easy to simply fire off invectives at those in which you disagree when one can simply communicate through the ethernet. Why take the time to actually converse with someone when you can simply send a text message. Sit down and properly discuss issues and understand opposing viewpoints, not so much? Case in point; Seems that some of my Op-eds have generated considerable consternation from those who disagree. Anonymous voice mails describing me as a “f-bombing” hypocrite, derogatory comments in letters to the Editor and op-eds disparaging me as a partisan hack. Name calling is the last refuge of those who cannot logically disprove an opposing point of view. This type of discourse is exactly why our society has been so wracked with hatred toward those that fail to share a common opinion.

In a scene from Cool Hand Luke, starring Paul Newman, the captain of the guard, played by Strother Martin decries, “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” Newman is a convict on a chain gang that continually fails to obey the orders of the prison staff, prompting this response as he receives punishment for his disobedience. Our society has developed an even greater breakdown in our ability to communicate. Back in the day, politicians of both parties could disagree during debate in the halls of government, yet still be friends. That is becoming a thing of the past as one’s political leanings are all important, overtaking the responsibility to properly serve one’s constituency. In other words, fealty to Party before service to the people they represent.

As our public discourse devolves into bytes of criticism and attacks, we run the risk of losing our civil society altogether. We become tribal, believing those in which we disagree are our enemies. A nation that squabbles among themselves opens opportunities for our world competitors and adversaries to take advantage. When we fail to openly debate and respect each other’s opinion, we further devolve into self-centered, everyone for themselves people, and all suffer equally. When we spend so much capital vilifying those with which we disagree, we tear apart the fabric that weaves civil society together. We need to recapture the ability to listen and fight the urge to shut down debate. Institutions of higher education need to return to being the centers of open inquiry and vibrant debate. We need to return to treating others as you would want and expect them to treat you.

Social media and the numerous news media outlets continue to preach division and distrust of your fellow citizens. Hollywood uses their bully pulpit to promote their values and morals that the majority of this nation rejects. A society thrives upon mutual respect, not blind allegiance to any political ideology. A society thrives with a vigorous exchange of ideas and viewpoints. A society thrives when we learn to embrace our faults, our differences and work together to enhance the quality of life for everyone. A society that cannot engage in reasonable dialogue is doomed to failure. We had better learn to live with each other before this nation ceases to exist. If you can’t convince yourself to love your neighbors, at least try to tolerate them. “On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, it will be as if you are placing burning coals upon his head.” Follow this example and it just may be easier to have that cordial conversation with someone from the other side of the aisle.