“…But Always Look For the Silver Lining…” Good Luck With That! (Follow-Up)

This is a follow-up post to “…But Always Look For the Silver Lining…” Good Luck With That! Please read the original before you read this post.

As I attempted to make clear in the first post, it would seem the power elite are selling the American middle-class down the river. The following portion of an article only reinforces this sense of things.

GE is supposed to be creating the “jobs of tomorrow”, but it seems that most of the “jobs of tomorrow” will not be located inside the United States.

The last GE factory in the U.S. that made light bulbs closed last September. The transition to the new CFL light bulbs was supposed to create a whole bunch of those “green jobs” that Barack Obama keeps talking about, but as an article in the Washington Post noted, that simply is not happening….

Rather than setting off a boom in the U.S. manufacture of replacement lights, the leading replacement lights are compact fluorescents, or CFLs, which are made almost entirely overseas, mostly in China.

But GE is far from alone in shipping jobs and economic infrastructure out of the United States. For example, big automakers such as Ford are being very aggressive in China. Ford is currently “building three factories in Chongqing as part of $1.6 billion investment that also includes another plant in Nanchang”.

Today, China accounts for approximately one out of every four vehicles sold worldwide. The big automakers consider the future to be in China.

Just a few decades ago, China was an economic joke and the U.S. economy was absolutely unparalleled.

But disastrous trade policies have opened up the door for a mammoth transfer of jobs, factories and wealth from the United States to China.

China has become an absolute powerhouse and America is rapidly declining.

Beautiful new infrastructure is going up all over China even as U.S. infrastructure rots and decays right in front of our eyes….

America is being deindustrialized at lightning speed and very few of our politicians seem to care.

Back in 1979, there were 19.5 million manufacturing jobs in the United States.

Today, there are 11.6 million.

That represents a decline of 40 percent during a time period when our overall population experienced tremendous growth.

We used to have the greatest manufacturing cities on the entire globe. The rest of the world was in awe of us.

Today, most of those formerly great manufacturing cities are decaying, rotting hellholes…

In Washington D.C. our politicians do not agree on much, but one thing they do agree on is that we need to keep shipping jobs out of the country.

Until the American people wake up and start demanding an end to the globalization of the U.S. economy, the job losses are just going to continue to get worse.

The United States has lost a staggering 32 percent of its manufacturing jobs since the year 2000. If this trend continues, millions more Americans will soon be surviving on food stamps or living in tent cities…

Allowing big corporations and foreign governments to pay slave labor wages to workers on the other side of the globe making things that will be sold inside the United States is not a good thing. (emphasis added)

via GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt, The Head Of Obama’s Jobs Council, Is Moving Jobs And Economic Infrastructure To China At A Blistering Pace.

If you read this entire article, and the links attached to it, you will begin to see what I was writing about in the last post. The American middle-class is being sold out by the power elite who own and operate our government and economic-system. America no longer has “…government of the people, by the people, for the people…” America is now a covert monarchy, a despotic covert monarchy that cares little to nothing for the people it rules over. Lincoln’s famous proclamation should now read, “…government OF THE WEALTHY AND POWERFUL FEW, BY THE WEALTHY AND POWERFUL FEW, FOR THE WEALTHY AND POWERFUL FEW shall not perish from the earth BUT RULE THE ENTIRE WORLD.”

The author of the article above still believes the American people can change all of this, if they wake up and do something about it. However, I believe the time for middle-class Americans to have awakened and changed all of this has long since passed. As I’ve written before, the American middle-class was warned, over the last two centuries, about the dangers of the wealthy and powerful seizing control of the government: Andrew Jackson warned of the dangers of a too powerful banking system, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, and Dwight D. Eisenhower warned in 1961, in his last speech in office, to be cautious of the power of “the military-industrial complex.” The American middle-class never listened to either man, and now they are paying the price! Like Flounder, in Animal House, the American middle-class has chosen to remain “fat, drunk and stupid,” as well as uniformed/willfully-ignorant and patriotic to the point of total blindness: in other words, they (the “tea-party” and the like) lack almost all attributes needed to maintain a properly functioning democratic society. Supposedly, blind, stupid sheep cannot effectively take part in a democracy, so is it any wonder that this democracy is on its way out?

P.S.

Made in Everywhere But America!

While sitting in the doctor’s office today, I was looking through a Time magazine (May 2011), and I came across one of their little graphics: it showed an iPhone, and around it were dollar amounts showing which countries actually make money off of the product. There were several countries benefiting from the manufacture and sale of the iPhone, but guess who benefited the least out of these seven or eight countries listed? You guessed correctly, it’s the US of A! The US of A gets the benefit of just $11.00 from the manufacture and sale of a single iPhone, while Japan makes $61.00, and Germany, $30.00. Every other nation made at least 2 or 3 times as much as the US of A made, and when I say US of A, I mean the American worker, the common Joe, who can’t find a job anywhere worth having: a job worth having that would, with just a minimum benefits package, allow an American middle-class worker to earn enough to pay for his or her mortgage, car payment, utilities, insurances, taxes, education expenses, food, clothing and fuel costs, etc, etc. And we have an American corporation, Apple, one of the few corporations in this country still PRODUCING something, evidently sending most of its manufacturing jobs overseas, where slave-pay wages and inferior workmanship are the flavor of the day.

And to top this all off, the author of the short article makes the point that this is still good for America, since Apple is doing so well on Wall St. The blind, stupid, arrogance of this writer is beyond belief. Wall St, if anyone hasn’t noticed by now, is only good for 1 to 5% of Americans, the 1 to 5% who control, with despotic power, the wealth in this country. I feel sorry for middle-class Americans who still GAMBLE their money away on the stock market and 401ks. Go ask any middle-class American how they did on the stock market three years ago, and you will hear horror story after horror story. Yet the power elite wave 401ks and the stock market in front of working Americans’ noses (Americans who are still working, that is) to convince them they, too, can be rich. This is, of course, nothing but a bald-faced lie! In this country, as with most others, if you were born poor, then you’ll probably die poor. If you come from the middle-class, in the middle-class you will most likely stay, or else slip into poverty with the poor. The days of “We’re moving on up to the East Side” have long since passed away, except, of course, for the ten or twenty poor or middle-class folks who the elite pick to keep the suckers believing the lie.

“The American Dream” has mutated into nothing more than a “pyramid scheme.” A pyramid scheme where the few at the top, who run the show, promote a business opportunity to the common Joes (the suckers) to convince them that they, too, can become wealthy and successful business men and women.

(The schemers, at the top, make their money this way: everyone who adds more people to the pyramid gets a percentage of the sales from those people they have added, or recruited. So, the folks at the top, the instigators of the scheme, whether those further down are selling a lot or a little, are raking in their percentage of the sales from everyone who joined the pyramid after they did. The closer to the top of the pyramid, the more money is made, and, of course, the lower on the pyramid, even if a person is selling a great deal, the lower the amount of money made, but the more time, energy and money spent. Also the higher up the pyramid one sits, the higher percentage of sales he or she gets. This is the lie in the scheme: the sucker is told he can climb up the pyramid and thus get a higher percentage of everyone’s sales below him. This never happens, as far as the increase in money goes. My former wife was involved in one of these, and she reached a very high level (they usually give these levels names, like “silver level, gold level, diamond level,” etc}, but she was actually making less money than she had been when she first started. It’s a scheme, just like the American dream.}

All the common Joes have to do, according to the few, is keep spreading the word on this “wonderful business opportunity” (this corrupt and cruel lie) to ten or twenty other people. And the few at the top will allow these first Joes, and, perhaps, a few more, to achieve some moderate or even extreme success, which then keeps those Joes, further down the pyramid (the ten or twenty newbies per Joe), chomping at the bit. The fact is, only the top 1 to 5% (the few), who initiated the scheme, will make out like bandits. The common Joes (the suckers) will work their tails off and never get any further, financially, than where they began: in the real American Dream (the real nightmare), most Joes end up worse than where they began.

This scheme, to a great extent, is a description of “The American Dream,” and it’s about time us common Joes come to our senses and realize this government/economic-system is no longer our advocate! The American dream is over, and it, if the truth be told (which it hardly ever is in America), never really did exist as a possibility for every middle-class or poor American. Free enterprise (the small business owner) may still exist, but how long will the corporate criminal-elite allow free enterprise to continue? Remember, the elite want it all, and will do anything to get what they want!

You don’t know me but I’m your brother
I was raised here IN THIS LIVING HELL
You don’t know my kind in YOUR WORLD
Fairly soon the time will tell
You…telling me the things you’re gonna do for me
I ain’t blind and I don’t like what I think I see

Takin’ it to the streets (takin’ it to the streets)
Takin’ it to the streets (no more need for runnin’)
Takin’ it to the streets (Oh, oh-oh, nah, nah)

Take this message to my brother
You will find him…everywhere
Wherever people live together
Tied in poverty’s despair
Are you…telling me the things you’re gonna do for me
I AIN’T BLIND AND I DON’T WANT YOU TO THINK I SEE

Takin’ it to the streets (takin’ it to the streets)

Michael McDonald (Doobie Brothers)

Don’t be blind, folks! Don’t let “them” tell you what you see. Know and believe what you see by taking off “The American Dream” colored glasses, and facing reality!

P.S.

Speaking of the elite always getting what they want, just read the following short news item, and then click on the link below.

One Wisconsin Now says two-thirds of Wisconsin corporations don’t pay state income taxes

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s push for major cuts in education funding and state employee compensation rests on his claim of a fiscal emergency he traces mainly to government overspending.

But Democrats and liberal groups say skewed tax policies favoring the wealthy and business at the expense of the middle class are big factors in the state’s budget shortfalls.

Efforts to make that case have often centered on this phrase: “Two-thirds of Wisconsin corporations don’t pay state income taxes.” (emphasis added)

via PolitiFact Wisconsin | One Wisconsin Now says two-thirds of Wisconsin corporations don’t pay state income taxes.

The Looting Of America: The Federal Reserve Made $16 Trillion In Secret Loans To Their Bankster Friends And The Media Is Ignoring The Eye-Popping Corruption That Has Been Uncovered.

“Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword” & “The Eye of a Needle”

The stock market isn’t down 1000+points, over the last three days, because aging, sick, and poor, Americans are drawing from Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid. Social Security has a surplus, so how is it adding to the national debt?

In recent months, a few commentators have sounded an alarm about the recession’s impact on Social Security’s near-term prospects, which may lead some people to think that the program faces financial problems in the next several years. Fortunately, that is not the case. Social Security continues to run annual surpluses and remains capable of paying scheduled benefits in full for nearly three decades.

The deep recession has indisputably affected the Social Security system’s finances, as is visible in the latest projections by the Social Security trustees and by the independent Congressional Budget Office. But both organizations estimate that, under current trends, the program can continue to pay full benefits from the trust funds until 2037. Thus, Social Security faces no immediate threat.

via Social Security Does Not Need a “Bailout” — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

This is what the politicians and pillars of capitalism, in Washington and on Wall St., would have us believe. But, guess what? THEY ARE LIARS! Wall St. didn’t lose 1000+points, over the last three days, because of poor, sick and retired Americans. No sir, Wall St. lost 1000+points, over the last three days, because it is driven by ungodly greed, it is driven by the enemy of our Lord and Savior! Wall St. lost 1000+points, over the last three days, because the Cheney administration, eight long years ago, led America into a made-up war with Iraq (where are the “WMDS”) in order to make more money for his corporate buddies, and himself, at Haliburton! It isn’t the common Joe in this country, on Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid, who has caused Wall St. to tumble. Oh no, it’s Wall St. itself and its never satiated (gluttonous) need for greed and power: Wall St. types (brokers, bankers, speculators, etc) created this mess, over the last two to three decades, by playing Russian roulette with the American and world economy.

If the cost of Medicare/Medicaid has increased, which it has, exponentially, it isn’t strictly due to the number of people in these so-called “entitlement” programs. The increase cost of Medicare/Medicaid is due primarily to the drug companies charging 50% more for medications, today, than they did just three years ago! Why is that, you say? GREED! GREED! CORPORATE CAPITALISTIC GREED!

{If Social Security/Medicare/Medicaid (“entitlements”) are socialist in nature, then so are 401ks, since I paid into both a 401k and Social Security, and I did so gladly. And speaking of socialism, what about the trillion+dollar bail-out, over the last three years, of Wall St., the banks, the car industry, the insurance companies, etc? Why is this corporate socialism okay with the conservative-right, while helping the poor is pure “communism”? Isn’t this the “praise Jesus,” “What would Jesus do?” conservative-right? Hypocrites!! Disgusting, low-life hypocrites!!}

The wealthy and powerful have raped and pillaged the American middle-class and poor by playing criminal games with the stock market and charging criminal prices for health care costs. And then, these same wealth and power mongers have turned right around and attempted to lay this three-year-old financial crisis, which they perpetrated on the American people and the rest of the world, at the feet of the middle-class and poor American!

American Corporate Capitalism has placed middle-class and poor Americans, as well as the rest of the world, in this financial crisis, because of its ungodly greed and power. It has lived by the sword for the last century, and now it will die by that same sword!

47While He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. 48Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.” 49Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 50And Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.

51And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for ALL THOSE WHO TAKE UP THE SWORD SHALL PERISH BY THE SWORD. 53“Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54“How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?” (Matthew 26)

American Corporate Capitalists are disgustingly filthy-rich, and they desire even more and more wealth and power: they are gluttons who cannot be satiated!

23And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24“Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than FOR A RICH MAN TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD.” (Matthew 19)

1Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. 2Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. 3Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! 4Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you. (James 5)

These gluttons are attempting to lay the blame for all of this on us common Joes. But God knows the truth, and He will repay them for their gluttony, treachery and lies! And I personally believe this Godly retribution is in progress as I write!

Stop buying into these liars’ patriotic manipulations, and see that the capitalist king is truly naked! Turn to the Lord for deliverance, not this corrupt government/economic-system and world! He is our salvation, not democracy or capitalism!

“…But Always Look For the Silver Lining…” Good Luck With That!

"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

The Apostle Paul told Timothy, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.” Many, including me, believe we’re living in those “last difficult days” that Paul spoke of. It seems that, for those of us not blinded by wealth, power, drugs, partying, perversions (the Hollywood scene-syndrome), there is much wrong, much turmoil, in this world. And this turmoil is most evident in nature and man’s government, economy and culture. The following is an article that speaks of the difficult time we are living in.

Madness: 39 Things That Are Driving Ordinary Americans Absolutely Crazy

Have you noticed that almost everyone seems really angry these days? Frustration with the government and with most of the other major institutions in our society seems to grow by the day. According to a brand new ABC News/Washington Post poll, 80 percent of Americans say that they are either dissatisfied or angry with the government. Americans are deeply divided about what the solutions to our problems are, but what almost everyone can agree on is that our problems are getting worse. Watching all of the madness that is going on in Washington D.C. and in our state capitals is almost enough to drive anyone absolutely crazy. Our nation is drowning in an ocean of debt, jobs are being shipped overseas at an alarming rate, thousands of stores are closing, poverty is exploding, greed has become a national pastime and corruption is seemingly everywhere. The American people are incredibly frustrated because the vast majority of our “leaders” appear to be too incompetent or too corrupt to deal with our problems.

#1 According to Newsweek, close to one out of every five American men between the ages of 25 and 54 does not have a job at the moment. So why is the “greatest economy on earth” unable to provide jobs for nearly 20 percent of the men that are in their prime working years?

#2 Last year, over a million homes were repossessed by financial institutions. This year a similar number of repossessions is expected. Sometimes these evictions are absolutely heartbreaking. Just check out the following excerpt from a recent Newsweek article….

“To understand American anger, that roiling storm sometimes dubbed our national “mood,” spend a day with Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. Since 2006 the unlikely lawman—a tea drinker who listens to Bobby Kennedy speeches on his way to work—has overseen all foreclosures and evictions in the Chicago area, one of the hardest hit nationwide. The process does not always go well. One evictee shot himself in the head, remained conscious, and calmly tried to raise the pistol again as deputies battered the front door.”

#3 Companies like Netflix and Chipotle are significantly raising prices. Meanwhile, Ben Bernanke claims that there is hardly any inflation. He must not go grocery shopping much.

#4 The government keeps telling us that the economy is improving, and yet more stores keep closing. The Gap has announced that up to 200 stores will be closed over the next two years. Perkins has announced that they will be closing 58 restaurants. Borders has announced that they will be shutting down their remaining 399 stores and that 10,700 employees will lose their jobs. Yes, the economy is really buzzing right now. (emphasis added)

via Madness: 39 Things That Are Driving Ordinary Americans Absolutely Crazy.

I like this site because it gives out lots of details. But I can tell that it is nothing more than a conservative-republican site, since it is filled with far-right fairy-tale crap like this:

#30 One recent poll found that 72 percent of Americans believe that we are involved in too many wars. But the Obama administration seems to think that we should be “the police of the world” and they just keep getting the U.S. military involved in more conflicts.

This is the kind of American political crapola that makes me want to scream bloody murder. Who is this moron kidding? Obama, who I could care less about, inherited this economic mess and two wars from the Cheney administration (Bush Jr. wasn’t in control of anything). I really believe the far-right is either filled with really stupid people, or bald-faced liars and bigots, either way, it’s pretty bad!

If anyone out there still believes what Lincoln was pandering one-hundred and fifty years ago, “of the people, by the people, FOR the people,” then check this out:

…billionaire Howard Marks says that it is time for all of us to just accept that the standard of living of American workers is inevitably going to decline to the level of the rest of the world….

“In addition to balancing the budget and growing the economy, I think we have to accept that the coming decades are likely to see U.S. standards of living decline relative to the rest of the world. Unless our goods offer a better cost/benefit bargain, there’s no reason why American workers should continue to enjoy the same lifestyle advantage over workers in other countries. I just don’t expect to hear many politicians own up to this reality on the stump.” (emphasis added)

Broke! 10 Facts About The Financial Condition Of American Families That Will Blow Your Mind.

Which “people” was Lincoln referring to, the working middle-class men and women who actually built this country, or the wealthy and powerful elite, like Howie, who merely sat by (while getting more elitist) and watched as the work was being done? The motto of the elite (except, perhaps, for a few), since the beginning of this nation, has always been, “Work fascinates me, I can sit and watch it all day!” The Howies of this world, over the past three years of economic upheaval (for the middle-class and poor only), have made out like bandits. Imagine that, the very folks who were responsible for the economic meltdown of three years ago have been the only folks to benefit, and benefit greatly. God bless America???

Working-middle-class Americans who have worked for major corporations should have no problem understanding what I am saying here. The corporate elite are not equipped to do any of the real work in the corporations they supposedly oversee. The only thing these born-with-a-silver-spoon-in-the-mouth idiots can do is show up for work at noon, chase the secretary, eat or drink lunch, play golf, and, oh yes, actively seek to screw over their workers and everyone else who has no power/wealth in this country! Howie Marks doesn’t like the fact that American workers, through the power of organized labor, have, over the last century, become some of the highest paid workers in the world: workers (the majority in this country) who have had the chance to get ahead and enjoy life, as opposed to working solely for the benefit of the wealthy and powerful few.

{Unions came into existence, over one-hundred years ago, to protect the middle-class worker from the greed and power-mongering capitalist elite. Unions have always been a necessary evil, just like Kings, Queens, presidents/politicians, judges/attorneys, and cops. The travesties being perpetrated on the working class in America, from the industrial revolution to the turn of the twentieth-century, when organized labor’s presence was first being felt, were beyond the imagination: men, women, and children, were forced to work (if they wanted to keep living) seven days a week, twelve to eighteen hours a day, fifty-two weeks a year, and for an amount of money that would barely, if at all, keep a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs, and food in their guts. Meanwhile, the capitalist elite were becoming filthier and filthier in wealth and power. Organized labor was, thus, the deliverer and protector (in human form) of the American worker; it was a necessary evil standing between the American worker and the Godless and inhumane corporate elite, who placed wealth and power far above the sanctity of human life. Unfortunately, over the last half century, organized labor has become almost as corrupt as the evil it came into existence to stand against. However, collective bargaining is still the only protection standing between American workers and the greed mongers who would love nothing more than to go back to the old ways of “doing business,” when their fathers and grandfathers had complete freedom to horribly use and abuse American workers, and pay them next to nothing!}

A Willing Servant to the Whore of Babylon: A Satanic-Looking Pope!

Oh no, Howie, and the other billionaire boys, can’t have this anymore. They used working-class Americans to build their “financial empires,” and now, after selling American jobs overseas, they could care less what happens to the common man who made them wealthy and powerful: they are harlots, they use and abuse and then move on to another “john.” Howie and the boys want to take the American working man and woman back to the days of emperors and peasants, back to the days of slaves and slave owners. They want an Aryan/Nordic utopia, a ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT/ECONOMY, where the “fit for life” (the elite) rule, and the “unfit for life” are either treated as beasts of burden or eliminated; if, that is, they can no longer perform their duties. And guess what, the middle-class is going to let Howie and the boys get this done. American middle-class folks can’t help themselves, this is their nature, their “manifest destiny,” as working, middle-class Americans. It is, in my opinion, the beginnings (“the birth pangs”) of what the Lord prophesied would happen at the end of this age:

1After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. 2And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. 3“For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality…”

9“And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, 10standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’

11“And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more— 12cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet… and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots AND SLAVES AND HUMAN LIVES. (Revelation 18: 1-11)

Who is this “whore of Babylon?” I believe it is the Satanic political/economic/religious/cultural system of this world. The system that we, as paupers and peasants, are ruled over and adversely effected by every day of our lives. Note that “slaves” and “human lives” are listed, and in last place of importance, as two parts of the “cargoes of the merchants of the earth.” According to our Lord, then, this is our position of importance in the eyes of the power elite, who, through Satan’s power and will, rule this dying world-system (the Whore of Babylon). We are even less than the cattle and sheep in the eyes and minds of the elite who rule over us… for now!

As I’ve said before, I know this has always been the way of this Satanic world-system, and someday soon the Lord will put an end to this extreme evil. And I also know that governments, for all intents and purposes, are all basically corrupt, so rebelling and beginning anew will never change anything: just look at China and Russia. No, I am not a communist or a socialist, nor am I a capitalist. I love the idea of free enterprise: the positive action of men and women producing a product they can take pride in, and which allows them, while serving others with their product, to make a decent living for themselves and their families. But free-enterprise, as I just described it, is dying in this country, and corporate capitalism is primarily to blame. Large food chains have put small, family-owned restaurants out of business, and the local music store has been replaced with an impersonal music supermarket that is owned and operated by a major corporation. The small business owner, the folks who helped build this country, are losing their businesses, because they can’t compete with the giant corporations. And that is the goal of Howie and the boys!

I have old (former) friends who are slaving away, day in and day out, in jobs they either have grown accustomed to or hate, and they will most likely be working at these jobs when the stroke or coronary takes them out of this life. They slave away, day in and day out, year in and year out, and yet all they get for this is more and more debt. Why is this? These folks are living “the American dream,” or so they BELIEVE (almost like belief in God). They’re not completely stupid and dead, since they sense something is wrong, but they seek counsel from the very people who have enslaved them in this evil system. They cling to their conservative ideals that are ruining their lives and killing them. The tea-partyers bark out an ignorant statement or command and these Pavlov-dog, working-class Americans simply salivate. This is beyond what I can make sense of, what I can comprehend. I have known, for many years now, that these former friends were anything but great thinkers, but I didn’t know they were mindless sheep who would dive off a cliff the minute their political leaders told them to!

When I was a kid, we were taught that communists indoctrinated their children in the ways of communism (“communist propaganda”). They told us this was an “evil thing,” and that, because of this indoctrination, Russian and Chinese children weren’t able to think and reason for themselves, we were coerced into believing they were nothing more than commie robots. But the capitalist elite, who have always controlled the education-system in this country, make those old “commies” look like babes in the woods, when it comes to the indoctrination of American children in capitalist propaganda. As bad as the teacher’s unions are, they are a necessary evil, because they, at the least, give a dissenting argument and view, from the capitalist propaganda, for parents and students to consider. Just to clarify, I can’t stand the liberal/Darwinian/sodomite/feminist/atheist philosophy of the teacher’s unions today, but they are a necessary evil, because they, to some extent, balance out the indoctrination of the capitalist-elite’s far-right propaganda.

Now, if we are not like the willfully-ignorant, brainwashed patriots, the “tea-partyers,” we should be able to discern that something unsettling is going on here, something that doesn’t bode well for the middle-class. We should be able to discern that Howie and friends are out to do away with the American middle-class. As I stated earlier in this post, the power elite have their greedy eyes and minds set on a higher prize than just ruling over this country. These power-brokers want to rule the world. In order for them to become the kings/merchants of this world, they must branch out into it. Why do you suppose they have been selling American middle-class jobs overseas? Beyond the cheap labor available there, the elite must make their powerful and wealthy presence known throughout the whole world they wish to conquer.

{Note: I have written this post in an attempt, once again, to wake up those who are in some kind of blind, patriotic (idolatrous) stupor. I AM NOT suggesting any kind of political or social rebellion here, since that would accomplish nothing but evil. In fact, I would encourage everyone not to participate in this government, period: no voting, no demonstrating, etc, since this kind of action should be contrary to the leading of our Spirit, if we’re in touch? As I stated above, check out Russia and China to see what happens when “the people” take over their corrupt government, nothing but evil! Besides, we are commanded, by the Creator, Lord, and Savior of this universe, to be submissive to the governments placed over us: “submissiveness” meaning obeying the law, and paying taxes, not pledging allegiance (making an oath, which Christ said was evil), or killing others in the name of our government. In other words, obey the laws of this land, until those laws become contrary to God’s law, and even then, we are not to defend ourselves but accept the penalty for obeying our Lord and Savior, first and foremost. Let us not react as hypocritically as the so-called founding fathers did, when they ignored the Word of God, which most of them refuted anyway, and rebelled against the King of England whom the Lord had put in place to rule over them!}

I will continue this in a follow-up post.

The Fall of the American Empire?

Is it just me or are things looking pretty bleak for the “good old” United States of America? Every single news item seems to point to the rapid decline of the US of A. It is no longer just a question of whether the US of A will remain the leading world power, it’s rather a question of will the US of A still exist as an independent nation (apart from a North American or European Union) in ten or twenty years from now. It is a question of how can this “Grand Old Republic still stand” when it is falling apart at the seams: politically, economically, culturally and morally. I wouldn’t place a bet on this nation’s continuing existence as it stands now, and I would feel safer, if I were forced to gamble, taking a wager on the eventuality of America’s self-imposed demise, which, if one has a clear mind and eye, can be seen very clearly on the horizon!

Let me count the ways:

1) The complete economic collapse of the American working class:

And who is responsible for this economic collapse? The wealthy and powerful few (the 1 to 5% who control everything) who have benefited most, through government “bail-outs” (working class tax dollars), from the collapse they created. The very folks who have suffered most during the last three years, the working class, are now being financially destroyed by the wealthy and powerful few they “bailed-out.” But, rest assured, no one in Washington is going to “bail-out” the dying working middle-class: “Let them eat cake” is evidently the attitude of the major banks and corporations, as well as the democrats/republicans/independents/moderates/conservatives/liberals, when it comes to the economic stability of the working middle-class!

The republican-conservatives don’t care about the working class, since they live to love and serve capitalism and the 1 to 5% who profit most from that corrupted economic-system [note: I am not against small business and free enterprise, these helped build this country in a good way. I am referring, here, to what capitalism has become: a corrupted corporate-system of greed and power that only benefits the perverse few]. The democrat-liberals claim to care about the working class, but most of them have never really worked a day in their lives (like the republican-conservatives, they were born with a tarnished silver spoon in their hypocritical mouths), so they really can’t relate to those who have to work day in and day out just to survive. Besides, democrat-liberals are far too concerned with their Darwinian-postmodern/materialist/naturalist/feminist/homosexual/politically-correct/atheist agendas to really care about the plight of the average working middle-class Joe. Face it folks, we working middle-class people, as usual, have no one in power to represent us. But these elected few (who really don’t represent us) don’t mind raping our values and billfolds while sending our children off to die in their money making wars! Ain’t it a great system?

Just One Example of a Nineteenth Century American Sweatshop

2) The systematic destruction of organized labor in America (unions/”the collective bargaining process”):

California, Wisconsin and Ohio, just to name a few states, are seeking to abolish unions by legislating away the right of workers (for now, just public workers) to “collective bargain.” Unions came into existence in this country because of the greed and cruelty of American businessmen in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. There would have been no need for unionization in American if big business, during this time, had been willing to pay a fair wage for a reasonable day’s work: in other words, a fair wage, which would have then allowed for decent housing, clothing, food, medical care, education of children, a chance for advancement, and a reasonable working day where the workers still had a life after work. This, of course, was not the case, and thus the workers organized themselves into unions where they could collectively bargain with their corrupt and greedy task masters.

3) The complete moral decay of our society/culture, which has been accomplished primarily through the greed of the wealthy and powerful few:

Just take a good look around, and if you can’t see the disgusting moral decline in this country, then I would suggest removing your rose-and-red-white-and-blue-colored glasses and get ready to regurgitate excessively!!

“We the people,” over the past two centuries, have ignored the warnings of wise Americans in the past; in particular, Andrew Jackson and Dwight D Eisenhower who both warned of the wealthy few and powerful ruling over the many, who, by the way, worked like dogs to make the few wealthy and powerful (see President Dwight D. Eisenhower: A Prophet or a Socialist?). These men warned that a democratic republic could not truly exist when the wealthy and powerful few had control of the federal government, and yet no one has seemed to pay any attention to their warnings, especially the working class people who have suffered most at the hands of these few greedy, corrupt and evil people.

In fact, more often than not, all these greed mongers (the tiny minority) have had to do to keep the working class calm (manipulated/coerced), throughout the years, has been to wave the flag and patriotism before their uninformed and basically uneducated noses, which then has resulted, as usual, in the working class “caving-in” like a West Virginia coal mine. It’s as if working class Americans, after once again being raped and pillaged, keep crying out to their despotic and manipulative tormentors, “God bless America! Thank you, sirs, may we have another.” Now the working class finds itself in the position to have its last line of defense (unions and collective bargaining) against these vermin taken away. In this way, then, the wealthy and powerful few can, once again, work middle-class men, women and children to death without paying them a fair wage and benefits, like health insurance and retirement. These wealthy and powerful few want to go back to the way their parents and grandparents had it at the end of the nineteenth century: dirty and extremely dangerous factories (capitalistic concentration-camps) where working class men, women and children slaved away during eighteen hour days, seven days a week, every year, and without an adequate pay that would have provided them with decent shelter, clothing and food, not to mention advancement, higher education, health care and savings plans.

{Yes, I know that these wealthy and powerful few are primarily responsible for our public education-system, but they never intended for working-class children to become anything other than “more easily trained cogs” in their money making machinery!}

Many or most of these wealthy and powerful few folks’ relatives were the people who formed the American Eugenics Society, a group of wealthy and powerful people who believed that all people WERE NOT created equal (The War Against the Weak). So could it be that these minority greed mongers (American Aryans, Nordics, “The New Mater Race”) are simply setting up the working class and poor in this nation for a new and more politically-correct form of Nazism, a new politically-correct holocaust? Sound radical? Perhaps it is radical, but just maybe it is closer to the truth than many of us would like to admit, including me. But don’t worry, the wealthy and powerful few still need our children to enlist and fight in the multitude of wars they will create to keep getting wealthier and more powerful. After all, to these money making robots, “war is good business” and a way to weed out the undesirable: you know, undesirables like you and me.

It would seem to me, then, that the fall of the American empire is truly at hand. If it is, I can’t say that I’ll miss it. I never could stand liars and hypocrites.

“…Power is Perfected in Weakness” vs. “The American Dream”

"When I am weak, then I am strong."

The Apostle to the Gentiles shares the following truth about his worldly loss and gain, suffering and enduring, and strength and weaknesses:

Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— 4 was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. 5 On behalf of such a man I will boast; but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses. 6 For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me.

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12)

Paul, because of his great revelations from the Lord, had come to count all things he had gained, in a worldly sense, as mere rubbish, when compared to the Light, Truth and Life of our Lord and Savior:

Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put NO CONFIDENCE IN THE FLESH, 4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3)

The Cost of the "American Dream"

This scripture, this Word from God, which is our Lord and Savior (Logos: the Word), stands in direct opposition to the worldly ways of the unregenerate, pagan, and “religious”, person. But in particular, the American lifestyle stands in stark contrast to the Truth and Life which Paul speaks of in his epistles.

As opposed to the willingness to become contrite, humbled and broken, so as to seek and find the Way, the Truth and the Life our Lord is offering them, “religious” Americans, today, are so totally wrapped up in their worldly political “rights” and “entitlements”, “self esteem” and “self actualization” (what they want, when they want it), that they have become totally blind to their own childish self-involvement: a despotic and demonic self involvement which keeps most “Christian” American men and women, and their children, in a perpetual state of Spiritual and scriptural ignorance, which ultimately results in some form of mental and emotional immaturity and instability:

Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. When applied to the 2004 U.S. Census residential population estimate for ages 18 and older, this figure translates to 57.7 million people. Even though mental disorders are widespread in the population, the main burden of illness is concentrated in a much smaller proportion — about 6 percent, or 1 in 17 — who suffer from a serious mental illness.1 In addition, mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and Canada for ages 15-44.3 Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time. Nearly half (45 percent) of those with any mental disorder meet criteria for 2 or more disorders, with severity strongly related to comorbidity. (emphasis added)

via NIMH · The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America.

Everything I see on television, and experience around me, leads me to this troubling conclusion: the only life worth living, according to the unregenerate and “religious” American, is one strictly based on how a person looks (“appearance”), what they think and believe (“belief-system”), how they make a living (“career”), how much money they make (“social status”), and how many possessions they have accumulated during their lifetime (“The one with the most toys wins!”):

“People are so busy dreaming the American Dream, fantasizing about what they could be or have a right to be, that they’re all asleep at the switch. Consequently we are living in the Age of Human Error.” Florence King

Admitting personal weaknesses, or, worse yet, actually failing in American society, today, cannot be tolerated, since these failures weaken, or even destroy, the whole (false) notion of an “American Dream”. In particular, most middle class working Americans, caught up in their daily rat-race to be a dutiful and patriotic servant to capitalism, have no sense of reality, when it comes to what is really happening around them: poverty and homelessness, for most middle class American families, are just one or two missed paychecks away!

Poverty in the United States is cyclical in nature with roughly 13 to 17% living below the federal poverty line at any given point in time, and roughly 40% falling below the poverty line at some point within a 10-year time span.[1] Most Americans (58.5%) will spend at least one year below the poverty line at some point between ages 25 and 75.[2] There remains some controversy over whether the official poverty threshold over- or understates poverty.

via Poverty in the United States – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"We can have it all, Honey!" WRONG!

This is beyond sad! This is a travesty! The American middle class person (the majority) works like a dog, day in and day out, for the sole purpose of having an expensive home, 2.5 children, and a new car every two years; all three of which most of these folks cannot even begin to afford. So what is the common working person’s solution for not having enough money to look successful to the neighbors next door: mortgages, bank loans, car loans, credit cards, working two or three part-time jobs, playing the stock-market, playing the Lotto, stealing, suicide, etc. They continue in this wasteful and destructive mode of living, year in and year out, without ever, once, understanding, or even considering, that they are nothing more than human cogs in a corrupt and ungodly machine: a covertly despotic machine that exists solely to keep the few, who control wealth and power, in wealth and power. No, this is not “the way it has always been throughout history,” for those of you who like to pander worthless and manipulative cliches.

The difference between America’s government and economic system, and ancient world governments, is America’s more than effective use of propaganda on its own people. Americans, as in other democratic, capitalistic countries, are reared to believe they are equal (politically, economically and socially) with all other Americans, poor and rich: they are taught (indoctrinated), from a child on, that if they work hard, day in and day out, they, too, can climb the same “ladder of success” as the wealthy and powerful; and, someday in the future, be at the top of the “American Dream” heap. This, of course, is nothing more than a manipulative, bald-faced lie. No medieval serf was ever handed this kind of “throw-them-a-bone” manipulation from his feudal lord. No Babylonian, Persian, Greek, or Roman, citizen, unless they were born into wealth and power, was ever instructed or encouraged to be more than his or her social rank implied:

The plebs were the general body of Roman citizens (as distinguished from slaves) in Ancient Rome. They were distinct from the higher order of the patricians. A member of the plebs was known as a plebeian (Latin: plebeius). This term is used today to refer to one who is or appears to be of the middle or lower order…

via Plebs – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

There have been, over the past two hundred years (as in ancient Roman society), common folk who have slipped the surly bonds of middle class life and became wealthy and, to some extent, powerful: Henry Ford, Edison, and the like. But these were extreme examples, and, in the end, they only benefited those (in a capitalistic sense), at the top of the power structure, who needed, and still do, to keep the middle class buying into the scam: the very folk who probably made the way possible for these “commoners” to become successful in the first place (see pyramid scams).

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6)

I have stated enough of my dislike for, and mistrust of, our government and economic system. The fact of the matter is this, man-inspired government and economic systems (all of them) are about nothing more than the wealthy and powerful few maintaining power over their political and social environment (weak and poor majority). Unlike Paul, today’s unregenerate and religiously oriented person has no need or desire for the Lord’s Power to be perfected in them. And thus their government and economic systems will remain in a constant and futile struggle to overcome the major issues they face, while, at the same time, continuing to reject the very Truth which would have set them free from this bondage to begin with.

If this doesn’t ring true with you, then, perhaps, you could explain to me the current retro-grade-inversion state of the American government and society, not to mention the rest of the world?

Where Is Our Treasure Stored?

The “American Dream” isn’t over, since it never really existed to begin with; except, of course, in the minds of the perpetrators who created it, and in the desperate imaginings of the “got-to-get-ahead”, working-class poor. The “American Dream” was, and still is, an ideological-based pyramid scheme and nothing more. The “American Dream” was created by the filthy rich and powerful to keep the middle class in bondage to an ungodly golden phantom, which always fades away as soon as it is close enough to be grasped: except, that is, for the selected few who are allowed to win in order to keep the other “suckers” (the working middle-class) involved and worshiping. The “A. D.” is, and always has been, “the carrot dangling, temptingly, in front of the yoked mule’s nose (the working middle-class nose)” routine!

Jesus told the multitude,

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6)

The following quotes, and article, were sent to me by a brother in Christ. This informative and passionate article only affirms, in my Spirit, what I have sensed for the last thirty years: Americans who ARE NOT part of the elite 1 to 20% are here merely to act as a means to an ungodly political, economic and philosophical end: capitalistic greed and power, or, in other words, idolatry!

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country“- Edward Bernays, 1928 (emphasis added)

“Our enormously productive economy…demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption…. We need things consumed, burned up, replaced and discarded at an ever-accelerating rate”- Victor Lebeau, 1947 (emphasis added)

In a nation consumed by politics, where pandering and lobbying are two sides of the same platitude, what will the increasingly angry gentle folks of Ohio, Iowa, and Florida demand of their philandering representatives in Washington? What form of instant remedy will some baseless political hack come to offer them as the snake oil for what ails them? How will those decisions come to dominate the lives of those in Canada, Ecuador, and Ghana?

In the distant future, historians will consider the rise, fall, and collapse of the great American Dream and conclude that was the cause of all that followed. None will be surprised at the all too human response of anger, frustration, and action in the teeth of injustice and inequality. After all, history is full of angry people who just weren’t going to take it anymore. They will wonder only how it was we could not see it coming – how we could be so stupid to have blown it.

The coming fury of angry America is as palpable as it is silent. What will that tiny part of a tiny part of the earth’s population (the wealthy and powerful ‘invisible government’) do when the utter hopelessness of the situation washes over them and the tides of history curl around and bear them, inexorably, into the past? (emphasis added)

via Peak Oil: Life After the Oil Crash.

Note Mr. Bernays’ use of the word “masses” (first quote):

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the MASSES is an important element in democratic society.”

Sound familiar? Mr. Bernays’ approach to “the people”, or “the masses”, was much the same as the following person’s approach:

Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. IT IS THE OPIUM OF THE PEOPLE (the “MASSES”). The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness. To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions. The criticism of religion is, therefore, in embryo, the criticism of that vale of tears of which religion is the halo. (Karl Marx)

Mr. Bernays, as with Karl Marx, evidently saw people merely as a means to a philosophical/political/economic end, and not as unique individuals made in the image of God. Shouldn’t it be surprising, then, that an avowed capitalist would use a similar manipulation of language, as an avowed communist/atheist, to describe the people of this “democracy”? Were we created merely to be the pawns, the fools (with the “carrot” dangling in front of our noses), the cogs in the “unseen mechanism” of an “invisible government” (“the top 1 to 20%” who live to serve mammon), or were we created to fulfill our purpose in the Lord? Is “consumption to be our way of life“, or is the Lord’s Way and Truth to be our Life?

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. 3 But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. (Ephesians 5)

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12)

I’m not going to write much more on this, since the article speaks for itself; or, at least, it should, if we have ears to hear the TRUTH! All I’ll say is this, I believe we must choose who or what we will faithfully love and serve in this life: will we choose to serve this corrupt and decaying government and economic system (the evil world-system), or will we choose to love and serve the Lord: our Creator, our Savior, our sovereign King and Brother?

Choose wisely NOW, for in the age to come, when mankind will be judged, there will be no changing of minds, nor will there be any politically-correct, mealy-mouth and childish excuses accepted at that Greatest and Final Seat of True Judgment and Justice: “He didn’t have a daddy, and that’s why he sold drugs and murdered…”, “My great, great, great grandparents were slaves, and that makes me angry and bitter…”, “It was my right as an American citizen to lie, cheat and steal in my business! After all, I was in charge of a corporation, and that’s how capitalism works…” These miserable excuses, if they’re even allowed to be spoken, will fall to the ground (where they belong) before the righteousness and brilliance of our Lord’s perfection, and they will be immediately burned up:

Now this will be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem (the unregenerate enemies of God); their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth. (Zechariah 14)

I will close with these scriptures:

1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.

2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.

3 Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!

4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

6 You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you. (James 5)

1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?

2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.

3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? (James 4)

An Example of Apostate Religiosity

The 1st Commandment of God is,

‘You shall have no other gods before Me.
‘You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. ‘You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Deuteronomy 5: 7-10)

American Conservative-Religionists Worshiping The Golden Calf

The following quote is from an article which, in my opinion, reveals just how strong the love of American “Christians” is for the ungodly economic system of this evil world:

I bet you didn’t realize that yesterday (10/30/2008) was the official Day of Prayer for the World’s Economies. Yup. It was. So declared noted professional prophet Cindy Jacobs after Cindy claimed the Lord spoke to her, “Cindy, the strongman over America doesn’t live in Washington, DC – the strongman lives in New York City! Call My people to pray for the economy.” Cindy trumpeted the word, organizing a prayer jamboree for the stock markets, banks, and financial institutions of the world on the date the stock market crashed in 1929. They met at the New York Stock Exchange, the Federal Reserve Bank, and its 12 principal branches around the US. In announcing the prayer events, Jacobs said: ‘We are going to intercede at the site of the statue of the bull on Wall Street to ask God to begin a shift from the bull and bear markets to what we feel will be the ‘Lion’s Market,’ or God’s control over the economic systems. While we do not have the full revelation of all this will entail, we do know that without intercession, economies will crumble.”(emphasis added)

Google Image Result for http://img.wonkette.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/bullprayer2.jpg.

The Disciple Peter was chastised by our Lord for having his mind and heart set on the temporal interests of man:

From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “GOD FORBID IT, LORD! THIS SHALL NEVER HAPPEN TO YOU.” But HE TURNED AND SAID TO PETER, “GET BEHIND ME, SATAN! YOU ARE A STUMBLING BLOCK TO ME; FOR YOU ARE NOT SETTING YOUR MIND ON GOD’S INTERESTS, BUT MAN’S.” (Matthew 16: 21-23)

The Religionists' "Golden Calf"

If this was the Lord’s response to Peter (one of His three closest disciples), what, then, do we suppose His response would be to (“religious”) Cindy who worships at the modern-day version of the golden calf: capitalism, free enterprise?

Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” Aaron said to them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, “THIS IS YOUR GOD, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 32: 1-4)

It simply amazes me how people, like Cindy and her fellow religionists, can be so devoid of Spiritual discernment and, thus, scripturally ignorant. These religionists go to “church”, at least two times a year, and claim to know the Lord, but every action they take contradicts their passionate professions of faith.

Anyone who has ever taken even the least amount of time to look at old testament scripture would surely sense the resemblance, physically and Spiritually, of this bull on Wall Street to the “golden calf” created and worshiped by the nation of Israel. But not Cindy and her patriotic, bible-thumping buddies: Cindy and friends seem to be totally ignorant of what they’re doing.

Cindy and her confused followers have simply been blinded by the apostate nature of Christendom: they are scripturally ignorant and devoid of Spiritual discernment, because they have been kept in a state of arrested, Spiritual development by the institutional “churches” (factions = denominations) they attend. Cindy and friends are led around by man’s religiosity (Christendom), as opposed to being led by the Spirit of God:

“But when He, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, comes, He WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL THE TRUTH; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you WHAT IS TO COME. (John 16: 13)

For ALL WHO ARE BEING LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD, these ARE THE SONS OF GOD. (Romans 8: 14)

Cindy and friends are praying over a symbol of Satan’s world system (blatant idolatry), because they have been led by man and his “religious” version of God, the institutional “church”. If Cindy and friends had been seeking first the Lord, His righteousness, Kingdom and Truth, then the Spirit would have directed them to concentrate on the things that are eternal, not temporal:

“…I (Jesus) say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “BUT SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM and His RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE ADDED TO YOU.

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6: 25-34)

while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are TEMPORAL, but the things which are not seen are ETERNAL. (2 Corinthians 4: 19)

If Cindy and friends had bothered to seek the Truth of our Lord, through the Spirit’s leading, then they would have discerned (Spiritually) that everything in this temporal reality, including the U.S. of A. and capitalism, is passing away:

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is PASSING AWAY, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2: 15-17)

American conservative religionists should be setting their minds and hearts on the eternal will of God, as opposed to the corrupt decaying and dying emblems (capitalism, free enterprise, the Wall Street bull) of unregenerate man’s ungodly imaginations and desires.

Is The Writing On The Wall?

The apostle, John, near the end of his life, was given a revelation. This revelation would not be a strict prophecy, which could then be charted out by man, but instead, it would be, for those who could discern, an inkling of what time it was according to the will of God. Jesus, Himself, said that He didn’t know the day or hour of the end, but that only His Father knew! So I’m not predicting any time frame here, but I am suggesting that the “birth-pangs” may be in full bloom.

For those who may not be familiar with the bible or The Book of Revelation, the “harlot of Babylon” is the cultural, economic and governing system of this world, which, since the fall of man, has been under the control of Satan:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6: 12)

The following verses from Revelation 18 speak of the demise of this corrupt, greedy and evil system:

“After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. “For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.”

I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. “Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. “To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘I SIT as A QUEEN AND I AM NOT A WIDOW, and will never see mourning.’ “For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.” (Revelation 18: 1-8)

“And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’ “And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more—

“The fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them. “The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!’

…for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. 24 “And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.” (Revelation 18: 9 to chapter end)

Again, I’m not predicting anything here, but, for me, anyway, it appears that the writing might just already be on the wall:

1) “Wars and rumors of wars” between countries and ethnicities (“nations,” from the Greek: Ethnos).

2) Greed and power among the few, while the many suffer.

3) A worldwide, financial crisis that has world leaders scrambling for answers.

4) Natural catastrophes.

and…

5) A godless, hedonistic and atheistic world philosophy!

Politics, Human Ideologies & God

The quote below, from a Pew Forum article, discusses the two diametrically opposed “Christian” doctrines of the Prosperity Gospel and Liberation Theology.

Far more attractive to poor people, who are a majority of its adherents, is the “prosperity gospel,” a version of Christianity asserting that material benefits will come to those who have faith, live a morally upright life and, not so incidentally, give money to the church. Broadly speaking, this is what Max Weber called the Protestant Ethic, but with much less emphasis on self-denial and more on hard work, planning for the future, family loyalty and educating one’s children…

Virtually all outside commentary on the prosperity gospel, both by theologians and by people in the lay media, has been very negative, holding that it is a distortion of Christianity pushed by rogue preachers who enrich themselves by exploiting the poor. There is some validity to these criticisms. It is certainly true that Christianity is not a recipe for acquiring wealth. But in that respect the prosperity gospel — usually seen as being on the Christian right — closely resembles the “liberation theology” of the Christian left, except that the latter’s enrichment program is collective rather than individual. Liberation theology defined Christianity as essentially being a struggle of poor oppressed people against capitalism and imperialism. And while it is obvious that some preachers of the prosperity gospel are simply motivated by self-interest, one must suppose that, given human nature, some left-leaning clergy are too.

In my estimation, neither of these religiously-humanistic and self involved ideologies or theologies express any of the life and truth which Jesus taught and exhibited. Yet, they are a driving force, religiously, for millions of believers around the world. God, is not a magic genie, nor does he hold to any man-made government, economic system or human ideology that claims to represent His truth: “Man’s ways are not God’s ways” and “the thoughts of man are foolishness to God.”

Religion News: Pennies From Heaven.