Saturday, March 31, 2018

Trying Not to Covet


Should I create a Go Fund Me page for my bills?
I'm trying really hard not to be envious of Andrew McCabe. That guy had a lot of money before the Go Fund Me campaign was started. Certainly there are hidden-actor Big Donors who approve of his actions at the FBI. And that's what people do; they support the efforts of the publically like-minded with their dollars. I have a few of those.

I've had 3 donors in the last few days for about $100. I'm not trying to get rich. I just want to get up-to-date on my rent and my electric bill. And write. And write some more. And go one more month without worrying about the place where I do this.

Every Tuesday and Saturday, I blog at the award-winning DaTechGuyBlog. Latest post: Crooked Love.

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Two Armies on the March During Passover

$200. Need $422 more.

*****

I almost called them 'Passover Armies,' but that seemed sacrilegious.

Very strange.
An Army Of Illegal Aliens Is Marching On America 
[Adolfo] Flores is apparently on a lengthy trek through all of Mexico with a literal army of migrants from a number of countries including Honduras. (…)  
This isn’t a group of family members or some isolated, organized clan. This is an army. Flores numbers them in the hundreds but looking at the pictures coming from the “march” it clearly appears that their numbers are swelling. The real figure, as cited by Mora, is likely already more than a thousand. Their purpose? They make no bones about it when asked. They, “hope American authorities will grant them asylum or, for some, be absent when they attempt to cross the border illegally.”
Mexico. By Luc Forsyth for Buzzfeed
Also, there’s this: Palestinians storming Gaza’s border with Israel. Several have been killed by the IDF.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Israel was responsible for the violence. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was protecting its sovereignty and citizens. 
An Israeli military spokesman said he was checking the details of Saturday’s unrest. It broke out when Palestinians gathered on the border between the Hamas-run enclave and Israel then began throwing stones. Palestinian health officials said about 70 were wounded.
Gaza
I don't believe in coincidences and, therefore, wonder if there’s something which the unseen forces – both of the earthly and spiritual varieties – have planned for the borders of the Great and Little Satans, as it were.

During Passover, no less. Setting their armies in array? This feels very odd -- an understatement.

Every Tuesday and Saturday, I blog at the award-winning DaTechGuyBlog. Latest posts: Trashed World and Justice Stevens Keeps It Real.

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Friday, March 30, 2018

On the Corner

Street musicians collaborate. Cite.
One of my longtime subscribers had to cancel for financial reasons. (God love you, M and S!) Want to take their place? I get small and medium donations (thank you) that keep me eating and in coffee -- a couple of donors are particularly generous -- but I still need larger donations, especially for two things -- electricity and rent. Total: $622.

I've been trying to make this my job and readers have indicated that they want me to keep on pushing, so that's what I'll do.

The other day, I told a friend that blogging for money was like playing the guitar on the corner with a tin cup in front. Just keeping it real.

I suppose that some of my detractors would call this buck-dancing. I can live with it.

Every Tuesday and Saturday, I blog at the award-winning DaTechGuyBlog. Latest posts: Trashed World and Justice Stevens Keeps It Real.

When you hit the Tip Jar, it helps pays for: A Roof Over My Head, Food, Gasoline, Car Insurance, the writing of My Next Book(s), and Utilities--especially Internet and COFFEE! Yes, coffee is a utility.





Tribalism's Nature


Human beings naturally gravitate to tribalism -- racial, ethnic, and national varieties, of course, but the list is endless. And, we tend to believe that almost all types of tribalism have virtue. But, with us being a species endowed with higher thinking and, conversely one in which every single member is prone to error, it follows that almost all tribalism is at odds with the truth.

Naturally. Almost.

The best example of the effects of tribalism is any shooting incident involving Law Enforcement Officers. For those prone to tribal thinking, they’re always good guys when they die; always bad guys when someone else dies. And both opinions depend on other tribal affiliations. The standard examples:
  • The race(s) of the LEO(s)
  • The race(s) of the civilian(s) in the incident
  • The race(s) of the observers and commentators
These earthly tribal groupings tend to stomp objective truth. And, if anyone tries to insert truth into any discussion of this type, the shame-mongers and truth-stompers come out in force. The flag must be defended at all costs!

My friend, Steve Graham, once said that, for Christians, Christ is our race, creed and color. Not only is this confirmed in Galatians 3:28, but in the very essence of God's being, illustrated by one of His names – Jehovah Nissi; God is my Banner. It is the only type of tribalism that is based on unshakable truth. “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” And anyone can become a member of this tribe.

When other types of tribalism are the foundation, the only objective truth is that error will be present.

And, the paradox is that, sometimes, error will infect an entire tribe and become that tribe's banner -- like a disease that has only one cure.

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Wednesday, March 28, 2018

South Africa and the Folly of Revenge

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On Monday, I did a BlogTalkRadio interview with Facebook friend Chris Levels on his show Politics and Prophecy. Though I'm less than adept at these types of conversations, it was a pleasant experience, in spite of some equipment mishaps on my end.

One of the things that Chris asked me about is the situation in South Africa. If you haven't been keeping up, the South African government is considering confiscation of farms owned by white South Africans. I gave my opinion on the topic, but I want to do it here, as well.

James Michener (1907-1997)
The small amount of knowledge I have about South African history comes from James Michener's novel The Covenant. It's been quite a while since I read it and I plan to read it again, but the bottom line is this: The Boers and the English moved in and herded the natives in various ways, separating the latter from the former and taking the best parts of the land for themselves. It's a much longer story than that, but these things usually are.

Therefore it seems that the present-day government -- dominated by black persons -- intends to turn the tables. Tit for tat.

This makes sense in a worldly way. The black South Africans want to take back what was stolen from their ancestors.

Some of my black Facebook friends -- even the Christians among them -- are cheering the black South Africans on or at the very least are indifferent to the report. After all the white South Africans are getting what they deserve. Right? They are living off of the bad deeds of their ancestors, some from just one generation back, right? Apartheid ended in 1991.

However ...
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
-- Romans 12:19 (KJV)

Revenge feels good, but, as is so with all of His other admonitions, God has a good reason for telling us not to take it when we are wronged, the main reason being that it is usual the beginning of a never-ending cycle of revenge. If I may quote myself:
[E]ven if one does not believe in [God], it’s easy to see the chaos which is nearly always brought about by the unending cycle of human vengeance. You murder/enslave/oppress mine, then I take vengeance and murder/enslave/oppress yours. Then you take vengeance and murder/enslave/oppress more of mine. Then I ...
There are often unforeseen consequences to vengeance, almost all bad. But there is nothing unforeseen about the long-term consequences of mass vengeance through property transfer.

Zimbabwe went down the same road that South Africa is considering and now the former exists as an abject lesson about the folly of The Big Payback.

If South Africa carries out a plan to take (back) the land, I predict that the consequences will be worse for that nation than was so for Zimbabwe, for one reason and it's a spiritual one.

Zimbabwe had no example to learn from; South Africa does. And, should SA do this, it would be choosing to ignore the example.

God hates stupidity, but I bet that He hates aggressive stupidity even more.



Every Tuesday and Saturday, I blog at the award-winning DaTechGuyBlog. Latest posts: Trashed World and Justice Stevens Keeps It Real.

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Thursday, March 22, 2018

Necessity

Except for my twice weekly posts at Da Tech Guy, I'm going to have to take a break and earn some money so I can get my electric bill and rent up to date. (The most dire need is the electric bill amount: $300.)

Both my landlord and LADWP have been very understanding, but I'm still about two months behind on both. I've had many donations which have allowed me to pay small amounts on my bills and kept me in coffee (thank you to all of you!!), but I'm tired of sweating. I have to do what I have to do.

I should be back here by April 2.

Every Tuesday and Saturday, I blog at the award-winning DaTechGuyBlog. Latest posts: The School of David Hogg and Musings on Ridicule.

When you hit the Tip Jar, it helps pays for: A Roof Over My Head, Food, Gasoline, Car Insurance, the writing of My Next Book(s), and Utilities--especially Internet and COFFEE! Yes, coffee is a utility.



Monday, March 19, 2018

A Cane for a Blind Dude

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One of my FB friends is an "atheist." I have other friends who are actual atheists, but this guy is an AINO.

How do I know? He's the only one who feels compelled to declare his atheism and to assert non-existence of Jehovah whenever I share some basic insight about the latter. He claims that he makes declarative statements to incite "debate." I have my doubts because, I've been posting about my personal experiences and insights the God of the Bible both here and at Peter's place for years  -- about four times in just the last week -- but this guy never acknowledges these missives, not even to dispute them. But he claims that we Christians are afraid to talk about it.

Having personally experienced spiritual blindness, I think a lot of it is willful.

Anyway, here's a preliminary list of blog posts where I've talked about the triune God, His effect on my being, and/or things that can be inferred from the Bible.


There are many more, but I think this is a good start.

Every Tuesday and Saturday, I blog at the award-winning DaTechGuyBlog. Latest post: Altared State (Linked by Instapundit)

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Friday, March 16, 2018

Stranger Than Fiction

Originally posted at Da Tech Guy blog on November 19, 2013.

Please forgive the many "I, me" and "my" references in this post. Readers will understand the apology as they get clued in to the subject.

Assuming that most of Peter's readers have never heard of me, let me tell you all a bit about myself. I have been blogging under the nom de guerre 'baldilocks' for just a bit over ten years. The main topic has been conservative politics, but I will talk about most anything that strikes my fancy or torques me off...or at least I used to. Haven't felt so much like blogging since November 2008.

I am an Air Force retiree and, most recently, a novelist. Until the end of last year, my primary concern was the well-being of my great-aunt. She passed away in December of 2012 at age 91. A good, long life.

But there are some other things about me that readers may find...interesting.
  • I was born in August of 1961.
  • My biological father is Kenyan and of the Luo tribe; my mother is American.
  • My parents met when both were attending the same American college.
  • My parents divorced when I was very young; afterward, my father returned to Kenya.
  • For half of my childhood, I was raised by older relatives of my mother.
  • My mother suffered from ovarian cancer.
  • My maternal grandmother died in 2008.
  • One of my half-sisters is nine years younger than I am. She is married to a man of a different race than she.
  • I am left-handed.
Some of these things may seem familiar, if innocuous. But one thing it certain: all of these things are also part of the biography of a man named Barack Hussein Obama. And some of the dissimilarities have symmetry.
  • I am a woman.
  • I am a conservative.
  • Both of his parents and his step-father are dead. Both of my parents and my step-father are living. (My father, Philip Ochieng, appeared in the documentary, 2016: Obama's America, and was a friend of Barack Obama, Sr.)
  • I was raised by my great-aunt and great-uncle in the first half of my childhood. President Obama was raised by his grandparents in the last half of his minor years.
Since Barack Obama came on the scene almost ten years ago, I have lived in a low-level state of astonishment and I'm not even talking about the type of president he has turned out to be. (That was predictable to anyone who was paying attention.) I'm talking about the personal facts of both our lives.

Considering his character, the notion that he absconded with my identity has come up in my mind a time or two, but there are things that could not be faked--like the malady that beset both of our mothers. My mother was diagnosed several year after his was.

And, in the years since President Obama was elected, I seen all manner of crazy notions pop up about the Luo tribe.
  • That the tribe is mostly Arab. (One look at any of us disputes this. The name 'Obama' is Luo, not Arabic. Fun fact: in Dholuo, 'Obama' means 'bent' or 'crooked.')
  • That the tribe is mostly Muslim. (The Luo are 90% Christian--including me. Most Kenyan Luo are Anglican or Seventh Day Adventist.)
  • That the tribe is a "communist tribe." (That assertion seemed weird, until I remembered that most of the Africans who were educated in Western countries in the sixties--like Barack Obama, Sr. and Philip Ochieng--were sponsored and well-indoctrinated by the Organized Left. My now very conservative mom says that communists were everywhere when my father was courting her.)
And here's one really crazy notion that the ascent of Barack Hussein Obama has put in motion: that most black American Christians are adherents to the I-deology known as Black Liberation Theology. In reality, the only black American Christians who are even familiar with the tenets of that abomination are the minority who are Catholic. Nothing against our Catholic friends, but it is in that denomination where (insert ethnic group here) liberation theologies have mostly taken root, the fact that President Obama's old "church" is "Protestant" notwithstanding.

But I digress.

What does having a cosmic twin who happens to be the President of the United States and who happens to be systematically destroying that same person's country do for one's psyche? It brings humility and, ironically, it also shows that there is a God and that He does have a "wicked" sense of humor. Joke's on me...and, as it appears, the rest of us.

Here's the important question: which one of us is the Bearded Spock?

I guess that depends on whom you asked. If you were to ask President Obama, he'd get the fictional character confused with the real-life Dr. Spock. And then, you would have your answer.




Two Kingdoms Offer Protection to Their Children

Disclaimer: I'm biased towards this Kingdom.
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*****

Compare and contrast.

In this post, I opined that the Devil is not only the progenitor of lies, also the architect of all that is false.
God is building His kingdom, and so the [Devil] is building his.

This adversary does deal in simple falsehoods, but those aren’t his most lethal weapons. He is an imitator of his enemy, God, and therefore, his deceptions are high, wide, deep, broad, complex—and, long-term.

These types of deceptions are four-dimensional at the very least; they are his weapons of mass destruction.
If you take everything you know about the God of the Bible, you'll notice the Devil -- and his servants -- will always try to copy those things. But the parodies will always be a far inferior and will, ultimately, be a curse.

Case in point coming.

In Psalm 91:1-2 (KJV), David observed that
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
The implication is that if a person trusts in God and everything that entails, that God, in turn will protect that person. (Pertinent note: a person's core self is his/her spirit and soul and, in this Psalm, God offers conditional protection to a person's dwelling. While you're wearing it, your physical body is the dwelling of your spirit and soul. This is important to remember.)

Robert Spencer points to a milestone on the highway of postmodernism -- a building in the parody kingdom.
The Orlando Weekly’s Xander Peters frames the story this way: “Orange County middle school teacher has an incredibly racist Twitter account.” According to Peters, this teacher “retweeted an anti-Muslim post by Identify [sic] Evropa, a white supremacist group that aims to create a white ethnostate.”

Neither the Orlando Weekly nor the Orlando Sentinel, which also covered the story of this “racist” teacher, shows you a photo of the offender. That is probably because the accused “racist” and “white supremacist” teacher, Sundai Brown, is a black woman.

What race is she supposedly attacking? Jihad terror and Islamization. Islam, as any sane person knows, is not a race, and Muslims are not of a single race, but of all races. But the Orlando Weekly and Orlando Sentinel are out to destroy Sundai Brown’s career and livelihood, for the crime of opposing jihad violence and the spread of Sharia to non-Muslim countries. They have targeted her because she reportedly tweeted that “imans [sic] worldwide instruct muslims to invade western countries, outbreed them, overthrow governments, kill infidels and implement sharia law.”
Understand this: Ms. Brown, is, under the chaotic laws of Leftism, a "white supremacist." Under that law, a white supremacist is anyone who openly disagrees with any idea, anyone, or any group that the Organized Left (OL) takes under its wing of protection. Also, understand this: the OL can confer, withdraw favor on an idea, person, or group at any time for any reason.

The OL also takes these privileges to itself:
  • Promotion of one idea/person/group over another, regardless of previous status. Black people used to be the OL's faired-haired boys and girls, if you'll pardon the irony. But now, the OL has demoted black people in its hierarchy of "children."  have been displaced by Muslims, illegal aliens, and women.
  • Denunciation of heretics. As is demonstrated by the treatment of Ms. Brown, any member of one of the protected groups who "attacks" one of the groups higher that his/hers, will be publicly denounced, shamed, and, if possible, driven to financial ruin.
  • The OL can and will promote an idea, then denounce it later; often seconds later.
That list is far from exhaustive.

Thus are the foundations on which a person/group takes refuge under the wing of protection offered by Leftism ever shifting and, ultimately, unreliable. Those foundations are composed of the sand on which postmodernism -- a kingdom of lies -- are built. This is a "perfect" counterpoint to the solid foundation that God provides.

Is it harsh to say that Leftism is of the Devil? Yes, it is. Harshness is often necessary. 

And here's something else that the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the Devil have in common: you can die -- be removed from your present dwelling place -- due to reliance on either.

Where the situations diverge: what comes after that.

Every Tuesday and Saturday, I blog at the award-winning DaTechGuyBlog. Latest post: One Person Can Make Things Better

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Thursday, March 15, 2018

Disjointed Musings on Slavery


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*****

 Most people say that they don’t want to be slaves. What they mean is that they don’t want to be subject to the will of another human being under pain of punishment or of death. But I believe that slavery and slavers are often subtler. And I also believe that many only give lip service to their abhorrence of slavery.

Many black Americans are still angry about the enslavement of their ancestors, but that anger is selective. They are only mad at white Americans about it. Never the Europeans or the Arab/black Muslim, or the various African tribal rulers. And they certainly aren’t angry at any form of present-day slavery. So, what gives?

White Americans are closer by than Europeans/Africans/Arabs; additionally, it's easier to shame the former. It's also much easier than extending forgiveness. (Anger perceived to be righteous is a heavy ball and a chain, but it's also like an opioid. You think you can't live without it.)

But no one is ever free, not really.
19 … You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price.
This is a partial quote from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 6: 19-20), an observation for all Christ-followers.

When someone is bought and paid for, what does that make them?

Many times, Paul referred to himself as a slave of Christ, though the word is rendered as ‘servant’ in English translations of the Bible.

This truth is offensive to some people and that’s unsurprising. But it’s not about what we want, but about what is.

An additional truth is this: those who refuse God’s yoke are captives to the opposing force, either actively or unwittingly.

There is no third choice.

Every Tuesday and Saturday, I blog at the award-winning DaTechGuyBlog. Latest post: One Person Can Make Things Better

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Saturday, March 3, 2018

Metaphors and Doggedness (UPDATED)

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If you haven't done so already, read this first so you'll know what I'm talking about.

People tell me that I’m smart, but, often, I feel like a blithering idiot especially when it comes to the things of God. The good thing, however, is that, with some topics, I have the intellectual habits of a dog with a bone; I’ll chew that bone down to the marrow.

Sometimes, I try to talk with others when I’m dissecting a topic, but with most, I can sense their impatience. This isn't a criticism, but an acknowledgement of how implacable I can be when I’m trying to figure something out. Some say I like to argue, and that’s true. How else are we able to figure things out, especially when we discern that some links in a given chain are missing?

Then there’s God who always listens and who will, more often than not, reward us with yummy marrow, especially with things He wants us to see.

Very often, during prayer, I envision things that God wants me to see as a physical door that I have closed and that needs opening. Sometimes when I open that door, it’s an issue that I’ve hidden from myself -- usually a character trait I thought was harmless or natural, but one that He finds unpleasing and, therefore, cannot use. Using a separate metaphor, He points to weed in my soul that I’ve been watering or ignoring. When I see it, I pull it up out of the soil in which it was planted, examine its origin, and then discard the weed and its origin. And salt the dirt.

Other times, it’s when I’m afraid, sad or angry and He will remind of something that dispels the fear, comforts my sadness, or extinguishes the anger. This door/weed stuff was part of my prayer life well before I remembered God’s early rescue operation.

And very, very rarely, He can get me to view things from a new perspective.

Only last night did I realize that His rescue operation was a two-pronged vision! The vision was of one of the places He is supposed inhabit in all our lives here on earth and one of Heaven!

It’s like this.

This world is a dark, small, lonely place and seems inescapable, like my toddler-view of the apartment. The Enemy will tell us that this world is all there is and to stay there. But if we lift the blinds – if we remove the barriers to spiritual sight -- we can see God.

And He will show up – often unexpectedly. And one of those times, it will be to take us home. All we have to do is open the door.

It was no accident that I didn’t remember it.


UPDATE: Confirmation.
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
-- John 10:9 (KJV)

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