Opus 2019-188: New Terms: Going Tribal, part 2 of 2

Tribes.  It was a common social organization.  It existed just about everywhere at some level in cultural development.  Modern civilizations needed to grow past that.

Tribes tend to hate each other.  They usually can’t work together.  The Europeans took advantage of that and would often use one tribe to wear down another before they themselves got in the fight.  It worked time after time.  The Indians could not unite.  A couple of leaders like Tecumseh came close but it never lasted for long.  They never got the point of a quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin, “Gentlemen, we will either hang together or we will hang separately.”

We see the same pattern in Cortez and the Aztec.  One of the silliest things I kept hearing from students was the Cortez conquered the Aztec because he had horses and guns.  Right.  No one who believes that has ever tried to load a black powder rifle or keep a horse healthy.  I have heard the Aztec had a million men under arms.  Cortez had five or six hundred.  No one has ever accused the Aztec warriors of being cowards.  Most of the Spanish were infantry, not mounted knights.  The guns of the day had one shot and then took a minute or two to reload.  Picture 600 Spanish firing and with awesome accuracy hitting 300 of the enemy.  Since they started with 100,000 in this battle that left them 9,700 angry warriors who could have smothered them before they had a chance to reload. 

Cortez won because he had allies.  Those allies were other Indians from other tribes who hated the Aztec.  It was a simple matter of divide and conquer.  After the Aztec were out of the way you could move on to the next most hated group.

Another example of the idea is in ancient Greece.  The Greek city states were always fighting but when the Persians tried to invade they worked together and stopped the Persians cold.  They did it on land and at sea.  It worked as long as they stood together.

So the Progressives want us to start thinking tribal.  They don’t care what tribe you are identifying with at the moment as long as they can get you to stop thinking like an American.  You know what that means, E Pluribus Unum.  Out of many, one.  If they can get you thinking with your skin color, country of origin, home language, age, favorite type of music or any one of a thousand things then we will once again be 500 nations that can be brought down one at a time.

I for one refuse to give them the satisfaction of “going tribal”.  I prefer to go American.  Until you prove different I will consider you one also.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-187: New Terms: Going Tribal, part 1 of 2

The quiet but powerful elite in this country are committed to returning us to pre-Columbian days.  They want to bring back the tribal system of North America.  The big word for it is Balkanization but simply put they want to get us going tribal.  It worked when the Europeans moved across the continent.  It will work today.

Before Europeans started moving to the New World it is estimated that the area of the continental United States was the home of about one million people.  Revisionist “scholars” have upped that number for political reasons but that was the assumption before the Progressives took over the universities.  When I was teaching we had a series of videos called “500 Nations”.  The thesis was that there were 500 different nations of people in North America.  A tribe was considered a nation.  Don’t get too carried away with this analysis.  Some of these tribes could only muster 100 warriors on a good day.  We are not talking about the Mongol Hordes of Genghis Khan.  Think more in terms of your local high school.

Try to get a feel for this.  I live in Texas.  Austin, the capital, has slightly over 1 million people.  Outside of Austin you have mile after mile of open land.  Picture that population spread over the entire contiguous 48 states.  It would be a long drive to the next McDonald’s.  Have you ever driven across the northern part of the country.  Montana has slightly over 1 million people.  You can drive for an hour and not see another human.  People, the land was virtually empty.  The only reason people buy the picture of a crowded land is because they have never tried to find a Motel in Wyoming at midnight.  Much of the land is still virtually emtpy. 

Why?  Scholars would tell you that the “native Americans” had been here for 10,000 years by the time Jamestown was founded.  How can people live in a verdant land full of game to hunt and things to gather for 10,000 years and still have only one person for every 3 ½ square miles?  If you had a wife and two children that would be 14 square miles.  The answer is tribes.  In a tribal system you are only loyal to a small community of people.  Most are related in some way.  Anyone outside is the enemy.  Add to that the fact that most American Indian cultures were warrior cultures.  In order to be a real man you had to prove it.  That meant killing another warrior or doing something incredibly dangerous.  Such behavior tends to keep the population down. 

To be concluded...

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-186: On the Street: Uniting Auto Workers

We had pulled off the interstate late one evening to get gas.  By son does a good job of using the settings on his phone.  It was in a part of Mississippi we thought would be a small town setting.  As we pulled up to the pumps and got out of the cars the first thing we noticed was the heavy traffic.  The place was hopping.  Then we jumped when someone a few pumps away revved his engine with the cut-outs open.  I had visions of my childhood as a couple of street racers would pull in to get gas and see how much noise they could make.

What was discordant was the hot rodders themselves.  I was expecting to see duck tails and leather jackets.  I figured on T-shirts with a pack of cigarettes rolled into the sleeve.  What I got instead were Afros, corn rows and underwear hanging out.  It turned out we were the only whites in a very busy gas station/convenience store.  The cars were the same.  The noise was the same.  The activities were the same.  In a very real sense the people were the same down under.  Young men tend to be young men.  From the looks of the cars they were working jobs and putting everything into their machines.

The car culture is another thing that can tie Americans together.  That is not always pleasant for the civilians around it.  In the small Texas town where we live there is a shopping center with a big parking lot.  On Wednesday night there is a car rally.  I don’t know if it is weekly or monthly, but they do.  All the car clubs and hot rodders show up.  Some park and put up their hoods to show their shiny.  Some drive around making noise.  They display the lights in their wheels.  All have a great time.  The merchants hate it because they think it scares away customers but if they could find a way to embrace the event it would pay off.

Cars can give us something in common.  For some it will be discussing horsepower and hydraulics.  For others it might be woofers that fill the trunk.  For some it will be the freedom to come and go without being forced to wait for some city employee to decide if he is going to follow the schedule posted on the bus stop.  At times it will be seeing how many you can crowd into a car to get pizza.

That is another reason why the Progressives want to take away our cars.  They move us towards E Pluribus Unum.  They don’t want that.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-185: Ode to Old: Big Time Gamblers

The elderly are some of the biggest gamblers left on the earth.  Every time we go to see a doctor we roll the dice.  Every time we get a prescription we double down.  One of the questions we rarely ask is, “Are the side effects worse than the problem?”  Like drawing to an inside straight, you never know until you try and keep in mind, someone wins the lottery.  Eventually.

This comes to mind with a recent post I read somewhere about the dye used in MRI exams.  Evidently it has serious side effects for some people but even the doctors don’t seem to know this.  I am taking a blood thinner.  So far it has had little effect other than my skin seems to be thinner and I get cuts I don’t even realize I have until the blood drips on something.  The side effects involve internal bleeding that can be really serious.  I still take the pill.

The elderly are bigger gamblers mainly because by the time you reach your three score and ten the parts start to wear out and slow down.  Some people refuse to accept that and want a cure.  The drug companies are glad to fill the demand.  In spite of all the complaints about Big Pharma, what they do must be working because we are living longer than ever.

Just for entertainment, next time read the mini-book that comes with your medication.  It will point out all the ways you can die from taking your life saving drug.  Try it on over the counter stuff too.

It is a good thing I am ready to go.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-183: On the Street: A One-Two Punch

I am on the road.  Usually that does not keep me from posting but this has been a real marathon.  I got up Saturday morning at 2:30 to catch my 6:10 flight.  When I arrived, my son met me and we immediately went to start loading the mini-van we had rented.  He is moving to Texas and I was going to help by driving one vehicle.  He was supposed to be load-up ready.  In your dreams.  The only thing that bailed us out was we had a deadline.  Deadlines work. 

We went non-stop until midnight, got six hours sleep and hit it again the next morning.  He had a meeting to go to that lasted about five hours and then we made it about 150 miles down the road.  We then collapsed and slept 10 hours. 

On top of that I got some kind of bug that is slowing me down.  It could just be a combination of being too old to do this kind of stuff and a virus but it has definitely put me off my feed.  If I am sitting talking I am 100 percent but if I get up to walk it gets dicey.  Fortunately driving is in the sit and talk category. 

We were going to drive down and go along the southern coast but we keep getting reports that there are bridges out in Houston.  We will have to make that decision tonight. 

It is good time with my son and I am getting to see how beautiful this country is again. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-184: Headlines: Colt Conforms

As I was looking through posts on various web sites I came across one that said Colt was going to get out of the civilian AR-15 market.

If it is a simple business proposition then well and good.  Free enterprise is a feature of liberty.

But notice they were only going to stop making rifles for the “civilian” market.  At first I thought that meant they would continue making them for the military but that is not what it said.  The military does not use the AR-15.

What they mean is that they will continue to make them for the police.  So the SWAT teams that will be breaking in your front door can get them but you can’t if you decide to defend yourself.

I read a couple of articles and there was a lot of boiler plate that they had copied from some source and a lot of virtue signaling about Sandy Hook.  They also said sales were low so they were cutting their losses.  I don’t own any Colt products so I can’t really stop buying from them.  We have some friends that named their newborn Colt.  Maybe they will go back and change his name.

Might I suggest this would be a good time to sell your stock in Colt?

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-182: Imortal Quotes: Modern versions

I have said many things in my life that have made me cringe.  Fortunately most people never remember them.  We are all probably better off with that being the case.  Some people are quoted so much that it would be hard to pin them down for their greatest wisdom.  Some, like Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln, are so often misquoted or falsely quoted that it is hard to tell where to start and stop.

Think of some famous quotes, or quotes that used to be famous before the Progressives took over control of education.

Martin Luther, “Here I stand”

Nathan Hale, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”

Horace Greeley, “Go west, young man...”

John Ruskin, “There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey.”

FDR:  “Nothing to fear but fear itself”

Harry Truman: “The buck stops here.”

What will modern news makers be known for?  You might have your own suggestions but here are a few.

Ronald Reagan: Evil Empire, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

President Trump:  Fake News

Hillary Clinton:  Deplorables, Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

Bill Clinton:  What the meaning of “is” is.

Richard Nixon:  “I am not a crook.”

Barak Obama:  “You will be able to keep your doctor.”

Any liberal:  “Racist!!!!”

I am sure this is just a short list.  Some have said a lot of memorable things.  The question is, what will we remember.  For me the hardest to remember will always be the last 10 things my wife told me to do.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-181: Plow vs Crown: “How You Gonna Keep Them Down on the Farm?”, part 2 of 2

The new United States rejected the European model.  They were aware they were doing it.  They wanted a place where people could follow their dreams and live up to their potential without requiring permission from the king and his minions.  They did away with hereditary privilege.  That leaves not place for an anointed class with built in wisdom.  The Progressives under any name be it Democrat, Republican, Socialist, Communist, Liberal, to name a few, want their power back.  They are jealous of their ancestors.

To do that they have to destroy the American dream and replace it with the historic class structure of the rest of the world.  People need to know their place and the instruments of power need to be reserved for those in the ruling class.  Massive immigration is part of the plan.  They need to flood the country with enough people that they do not assimilate.  They don’t want the new people to become Americans.  They want them to be enclaves they can control.

In Who Are We? Samuel Huntington quotes Nathan Glazer and Daniel Moynihan about assimilation.

“‘To what does one assimilate in modern America?’  In 1900 the answer was clear:  assimilation meant Americanization.  In 2000 the answers were complicated, contradictory, and ambiguous.  Many elite Americans were no longer confident of the virtue of their mainstream culture and instead preached a doctrine of diversity and equal validity of all cultures in America.” p. 199

The Average American believes that this country is the best place to live.  They believe that historically the American dream is unique.  This country has brought security and prosperity to the masses.  Again the Declaration of Independence talks about “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.  The Elite does not like that because a happy, secure, prosperous America does not need them.  We threaten them because if large numbers of people are successful they will undermine the elite’s power and threaten their control.

Thus they must bring us down.  It is what is going on when we see a common American, Michael Flynn going to trial and an admitted criminal, Hillary Clinton, still on the speaking circuit. 

Will we pull out of the nose dive?  Is it too late?  The Anointed that control education, media and bureaucratic government are working to replace the American Dream with something we might call “The Divine Right of the Elite.”  It took hundreds of years for common people to get a solid victory.  The battle is still going on.  It will continue even is America falls.  It will resurrect itself every time a peasant looks at the stars and says, “This isn’t right!”

As we often paraphrase Pogo, “We have met the Civil War, and it is us.”

Huntington, Samuel P.  Who Are We?  New York:  Simon & Schuster, 2004.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-180: Plow vs Crown: “How You Gonna Keep Them Down on the Farm?”, part 1 of 2

I have seen numerous articles about the next American Civil War.  Some say we are already involved.  Others say it is coming.  I would submit that we have been involved in that war since the first colony was established.  In the non-English colonies it was over before it started.  In the English Thirteen it was fought vigorously and is still going on.

It is a war between those who think they deserve to rule and those who don’t want to be ruled.  I think of it as the struggle between the plow and the crown.  You can trace it back as far as Western Civilization has been in existence.  America came into existence because there were enough of what would be considered the upper class who believed in the principle that Jefferson put in the Declaration of Independence about “all men were created equal.”  They were willing to reject the European model and create an new experiment in government.  They won that battle but the war will never be over.  Oppressors need to oppress.  It is who they are and they cannot change. 

Thomas Sowell likes to call them “The Anointed”.  Whether they believe in God or not they believe that something has endowed them with the responsibility to direct the masses.  They know what is best for us but in order to win they must Balkanize and impoverish us.  We see it happening with the race baiting, the attempt to make the successful into the enemy, the need to break down our borders and flood the country with people who have not desire to become Americans.  All of this has a clear goal:  To keep the ruling elite in power.

To be concluded...

Sowell, Thomas.  The Vision of the Anointed.  New York:  Basic Books, 1995

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-179: Critical Mass: Do You Think You Are Funny

One of the strong indicators that liberals have lost their grip on life has to do with their sense of humor, or more accurately, their lack of a sense of humor.  It used to be that a liberal bastion like Saturday Night Live was actually funny even if you didn’t like their political slant.  I have not heard much from them lately but my source has always been others quoting them.  People with a feminine outlook on life have the same problem.  They don’t get male humor.  We used to have a female math teacher on our team of four and every once in awhile we would have to stop and say, “Joke, Irene, Joke.”  To which she would say, “Oh” and nod her head.  The closest to a female Don Rickles I can think of was Phyllis Diller but you would never call her feminine.  This lack of perspective is one of the reasons that President Trump is able to jerk their chains so well.

Even a middle school student knows the difference between bagging and insulting.  Liberals are horrified by both.  In case you did not live through those years, bagging is also called roasting, knocking, burning, etc.  It is a type of humor that mocks the other person with no intent to insult or hurt.  It is downright funny.  Public education tells kids it is inappropriate.  The kids know better but learned not to expect it.  They would say, “Are you trying to bag?”  To which I would answer, “No.  I am not trying.  I am succeeding.” 

Our society is being weakened by a lack of humor.  We are going to get so serious and careful that we will dry up and blow away.  I hope that people can lighten up again.  We need Polack jokes.  We need blond jokes.  We need all of those ways in which we learned to not take ourselves seriously.  So mock away.  It can be healthy.  Be sarcastic but be clever.  As you loosen up keep an eye out for liberals and give trigger warnings.  “Humor ahead.  Proceed at your own risk.”

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-178: Cheek or Sword

I was reading a meme poster about trusting God which is something I believe in.  However the final words were “Just stand and let God fight this battle.”  I salute the intent but I am not sure the advise becomes more than an admonition to join the slaughter.  I would guess that most times we should focus on standing up and being counted as we trust but where would Israel have been if everyone has responded that way when Gideon put out the word? 

It is true that God does not really need our help.  He could zap the bad guys with lightening bolts.  The problem is I don’t see that happening in the Bible, history or life.  Gideon sent most of the willing home but he still kept the 300 to light torches, blow trumpets, break pitchers and finish the slaughter.

So the big question is not trust but obedience.  Most of the time it is turn the other cheek.  I grant you that, and we don’t like it.  We need to be aware though that there will be the times when we are chasing the Canaanites of our world and told to take no prisoners. 

Be careful of two things:  Zeal generated by political manipulators and sloth reinforced by Satan.  It is often hard to tell the difference but that is why God gave us brains, the word and the Holy Spirit.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-177: The Real Hunger Games

I have noticed a lot of great memes based on the idea that guns don’t kill people; people kill people.  One of them came to me this morning as I was thinking about my battle with diabetes.  Everyone is different but for me the key to keeping diabetes in the green zone is to keep my weight down.  The battle continues.

I want to blame the food.  I want to blame my family.  I want to blame the holidays.  I want to blame all kinds of things. 

As the meme suggests, if food made me fat then the most effective diet would be a locked door.  That way the chips could not get out of the bag, run into my room, force my mouth open and hop in.  They would not be able to repeat until the bag was empty.  All I would need to do is close the door.  I wouldn’t even need to lock it.

In case you have not figured it out, it doesn’t work. 

Maybe I will figure out the answer some day.  Maybe a snack would help me think.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-176: Something Else to “Never Forget”

Today is Constitution Day.  It might be a good time to at least look at the preamble.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

It might be a good thing to require each member of congress to read this at least once a year.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-175: Proof Texting: A Wine Ad

Is it acceptable for Christians to drink alcoholic beverages?  The Bible has a mixed message which I have referred to before.  A glass of wine for dinner won’t send you to hell.  Drunkenness can.  I came across another limitation.  Take it as you will.

If you drink, the red wines are off limits.

(Pro 23:31 KJV) Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

This is offered tongue in cheek.  The passage is dealing with the danger of getting drunk but I thought it would be a good illustration of proof texting.  If you want to get to heaven, no red wine for you.  If you can’t do that then at least drink it with your eyes closed.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-174: Headlines: Another Domino Is Falling

One of the concerns we used to express about abortion was that it was the first step toward euthanasia.  Consider it a prophecy based on a knowledge of human behavior not a spiritual revelation.  We submitted that if the life of the unborn child was treated cavalierly then people would be desensitized to the issue; that the line in the sand would be moved down the road.  When we lose respect for life then the next target is the old, handicapped and infirm. 

It has been the norm in some European countries for years.  In the Netherlands older people were afraid to go to the hospital because they might be terminated.  Check out what even CBS reported a year ago.  It has now come to the northwest in the United States.  Legalized euthanasia is one of the goals of the progressives. 

You may not worry about abortion because you already made it past the cut but keep in mind that you are getting older and the millennial generation may not be real happy paying to keep you alive.  It is amazing how many life saving procedures are available as long as someone will pay for them.  I am now on a pace maker.  I think the battery is supposed to last another seven or eight years.  Will Medicare still be willing to replace it when the need arises?  They already are avoiding testing for prostate cancer. 

Our culture is changing.  There is a growing willingness to give up on those who cannot defend themselves.  If they get me someday with a pill or injection then you need to realize that I went out with a smile on my face believing in the resurrection and having a hope in the world to come.

What happens when you get old?

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-173: One Too Small Step for Man...

I’ve still got it.  Yesterday I tripped and fell.  Falling is an art form, a skill.  If you do it wrong you have issues.  If you do it right you get up and laugh at yourself.

Now allowing for the work of my guardian angel, thank you, Angel, going down involves relaxing and not getting stiff.  If possible to roll, then roll.  Don’t stiff arm or freak.  Of course it helps when your angel moves sharp, protruding objects away from your head and keeps your joints from bending in unnatural directions.

It wasn’t necessarily a senior moment.  I just didn’t lift my foot high enough going through a door.  It looks like a scraped knee is all the damage.

Again, thank you, Angel.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-172: Kleenex Asset

Modern education has gone a long way toward turning history into socialist indoctrination.  If that were not true then the large number of millennial snowflakes would not be so enraptured by the call of socialism.  When I was teaching middle school I was quite familiar with ignorant children who would seriously ask, “Why don’t we just print more money?”  When college “educated” pseudo-adults ask the same question it is not so amusing.

It would help if they would do a little research into the results of socialism.  It should start with a reminder that both National Socialism, the Nazis, and Communism are forms of socialism.  They need to be painted with same brush.

One topic to be looked into is the purge.  For most of our feminist studies majors purge is part of a psychological condition that involves “binge and purge”.  That is not what Soviet leaders meant my the word.  The Soviet Communists look to 1917 as the year they took power.  You need to be careful in your sources.  One I looked at, History Learning Site, says,

“The purges in the USSR started in the mid-1930’s and continued throughout the late 1930’s.”

There may be a way that works by using USSR instead of Communists of Russia but the always-to-be-fact-checked Wikipedia says,

“...the Bolsheviks carried out their first major purge of the party ranks as early as 1921.”

What that means is that about four years after they took power they started purging those who had helped in the take over.  The mildest form was being expelled from the party.  From there it went all the way to execution. 

The point that young socialists need to understand is that socialism eats its own.  They need to remember that if you were willing to do all the underhanded things it took to overthrow the government, you already have the skills to overthrow the socialist elite.

That means you are considered a Kleenex Asset.  You are disposable.

Many of the people who led the takeover were eventually purged by death, labor camps or if they were lucky, exile.  Some managed get out of the country alive like Trotsky.  That was only temporary because he was eventually murdered on orders from Moscow.  Their reasoning makes sense in terms of self preservation.  He was trying to figure out how to overthrow the ones in control of the Soviet Union.

It does not bother me that the violent fools of Antifa are doomed to repeat history.  They will get what they deserve.  What bothers me is that they will bring all the rest of us down with them.

Learn from history.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-171: Ode to Old: One Foot at a Time

A question keeps popping up in my mind.  It is kind of like Whack-a-Mole.  I push it down and it shows up again.

Do people with small feet have an easier time putting on their underwear?

Seriously.  Either I am getting older, my feet are getting bigger than they ever were or my underwear is shrinking.  I am not to the point where I need to sit down to get my pants on but I can see it coming.  I would suggest that you try not to imagine what I go through.  What has been seen cannot be unseen.  But ponder the question.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-170: The Great White Hope, part 3 of 3

Just for fun I thought it would be interesting to take a quick look at the uses of choice colors in the Bible.  There was a song we used to sing in Sunday School before it became politically incorrect.

Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
They are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children of the world.

So you can see that kids who went to Sunday School were taught at an early age that skin color was not the issue.

First let’s look at red.  I found it was used 53 times in the Bible.  Most of them referred to the Red Sea.  The first time it was used it talked about Esau being born with a red, hairy arm.  That is the closest I could find to race.

There was one place that is of interest.

(Isa 1:18 KJV) Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Notice that the comparison of good and bad is not between white and black but white and scarlet, a shade of red. 

One thing that is noticeable about the uses of colors in the Old Testament.  They are used in reference to the medical observations regarding leprosy. 

(Lev 13:30 KJV) Then the priest shall see the plague: and, behold, if it be in sight deeper than the skin; and there be in it a yellow thin hair; then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a dry scall, even a leprosy upon the head or beard.

Again there is no mention of race.

White occurs most frequently in Leviticus and Revelation.  In Leviticus it usually is used on medical diagnosis of leprosy.  In Revelation it is most common used in regard to clothing.

Black is usually used to describe things you would expect to be black.  One point of interest is in Song of Solomon where the person of affection is described as black.

Interesting but not something to base national policy on.

So my general conclusion is that skin color is of no importance in the Bible and should not be for followers of Jesus.  Thus I reject the idea of white privilege just as I reject black power.  I reject Black Lives Matter if it implies that other lives don’t.  We should also understand that there is not shame or guilt in skin color.  The big difference is that some need to worry about sun burn more than others.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-169: The Great White Hope, part 2 of 3

Everywhere you look is doom and gloom.  The hate mongers are calling other people haters.  The elites are trying to keep everyone else from prospering so they can maintain control.  Educators are trying to dumb down the population so they will follow orders and be compliant instead of raising a generation of risk takers and innovators.  Government is moving toward the left which is hidden in the promise to make us more secure.  Race is becoming the mark of identity.

So what is a white, middle class male supposed to do?  The same thing as everyone else with different adjectives.  Substitute the color of your choice and the socio-economic level of your bank account.  Chose your gender and please base it on how you do number one.  We are all desperate and there is an answer.  If you know me at all you know I find it in the Bible.

First the promise.

(Pro 3:23-5 KJV) Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.  When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.  Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.

Now that is a nice promise and in an era of fast food and instant grits we want it to be the one pill panacea.  Life doesn’t work that way.  Why can I assume I will walk in safety?  Why can I sleep well?  What does “safety” mean?  Notice that the end of the pass says “when” the SHTF, not “if”.  This is not a promise that the future is nothing but sunshine and bunnies.  It is a promise of shelter in the time of storm.  I guess you might call it a call to being a prepper, spiritual style.

As always, serious students of the Bible will look at the context and remember other parts that they have read.  Notice the next verse.

(Pro 3:26 KJV) For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

Our hope is found in the Lord.  Not in government.  Not in NGO’s.  Not in counseling or safe spaces.  In the one true God.

What does all that have to do with the “Great White Hope”?  Obviously it was a title to get your attention but there is a basis for it.  To give you a clue let me throw in one more key verse. 

(Rev 20:11 KJV) And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

This is a picture of the final judgement.  Our great hope is not in white privilege.  Our hope is in who sits on the great white throne.  I guess you could call it “White Throne Hope”.  Skin color is inconsequential.  The condition of our heart and the object of our trust is what will make the difference.

To be concluded...

homo unius libri.

Opus 2019-168: The Great White Hope, part 1 of 3

I have never thought of myself as being white. 

When someone asks me, “What are you?” or “Who are you?” I have some things I come up with in order of importance:  Follower of Jesus Christ, husband and father, American and then I start down a path that eventually gets ridiculous:  Haver of big feet, hater of liver and so on.  I am sure that I could be put on a lot of lists based on certain preferences and characteristics but it would never have occurred to me to add the color of my skin. 

Never have I put being white on the list.  I would imagine that if you are white you are the same.

I am wondering if I am going to need to change that.  I am wondering if all of us are going to need to change that.  The people who are out to destroy America; Progressives, Liberals, Socialists, Communists, Democrats, Rinos; are doing everything they can to do away with E Pluribus Unum and Balkanize our thinking.  They want us to look at superficial details like the color of our skin as if they are significant.  They act like how we think is determined by melanin instead of synapses. 

To be honest I have not personally run into this lately.  When I was a teacher I got in before the anti-white, anti-male tide had reached its height and I was hired in a district that no body wanted to work in so I didn’t have to deal with it much.  It was the kind of place where we would joke, “What are they going to do, send me to here?”  At the same time I read about what is being written and screamed across the country. 

It may come to the point where I need to defend myself in some way.  I notice that blacks are moving themselves back into segregated situations.  You have black-only dorms on campuses and black student union buildings.  It seems retarded to me but if that is the only way you can feel non-threatened I guess it makes some kind of warped sense.  Are we going to need to go back to the days of white only communities?  I hope not.  I don’t feel any deep inner need to live next to any particular minorities but I don’t have any issues with it either.  I am more worried about whether they play loud music or have a barking dog.  It is a matter of freedom and if white people are forced to withdraw it will limit their freedom and remove their influence from society.  That would be a bad thing.

It is like all the men and women who have given their lives in the Revolution, The Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement were wasting their time. 

At the same time I am optimistic.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-167: Yes, Virginia, There Were Twin Towers

I don’t have a lot to go on about.  Many others are posting on the attacks of 9/11.  I just want to join the chorus reminding us to remember.

Remember what happened.  Remember what jihad wants to happen.  Remember according to the Koran you have three choices:  Convert to Islam, become a tribute paying slave of Islam, die.  Simple and basic.

Don’t forget.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-166: On the Street: That’s Life

One of the brain twisters I used to ask my middle school children was, “What happens when you cut down all the trees in a forest?”  To their reaction to such desecration I inform them, “They grow back!”  It is awe inspiring to suddenly realize how many seedlings there are hovering on the floor of a forest just waiting for a chance at the sun.  They grow.

I was reminded of the tenacity of life on one of my recent morning walks.  One of our neighbors had a large, vigorous tree blown down in the last series of drenchings and wind storms.  It was tragic, or so it seemed.  They cleaned up most of the branches and broken wood but didn’t seem to be moving too fast on the stump.  They leaned it back up and left it and I noticed something strange:  Green sprouts were appearing.  At this point the tree seems to be reviving itself from what seemed to be death.  There are several vigorous mini-trunks reaching for the sky. 

So I guess nature responds to its own attempts at suicide just as it does to man harvesting the bounty:  It grows back.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-165: New Terms: R.I.T.

With people like Robert Mugabe dying we need to come up with something besides R.I.P.  My understanding is it means “Rest in Peace”.  Many of the people passing on don’t deserve that.  If you want to get theologically correct, no one deserves it, but in real life some people deserve it quantitatively less than most of us.

Might I suggest R.I.T.  or Rest in Torment.  You have heard the expression about “a special place in hell for...”?  That is what we are talking about.  If you do a little homework and find out how many men, women and children were not only killed but tortured and mutilated by this piece of trash you know what I mean.

So, R.I.T. Robert.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-164: Thanks Thoughts: Never a Dull Moment

What will “heaven” be like?

I confess that in my present state I have a hard time conceiving singing hallelujahs for millions of years.  This morning as I was going over my blessings I wondered if not being thankful was a sin.  If it is then I am sure to be a great sinner, so I confessed that lack.

Which brings me to what people call “heaven”.  In eternity we will have glorified bodies.  I am assuming that one of the benefits of a glorified body is a mind freed from the scars and limitations of sin.  With that in mind I will probably become aware of the blessings I have missed and I will be overcome with a thankfulness that could go on for a long time.  Picture a time when you received a gift that was totally wanted and totally unexpected.  Try to remember the immense joy and gratification you felt.  Multiply and multiply again. 

I look forward to knowing what real thankfulness is like.  I will be so caught up in the glory of the blessing that I will forget to check my phone to see what time it is.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-163: New Terms: Mugabe It

The unlamented death of Robert Mugabe brings to mind the miracle of transformation that some tyrants have.  He took a country that was one of the world’s great exporters of food and turned it into a land of starvation.  It is a real talent, real but unfortunately not rare.  Unlike what was mocked as “trickle down economics” as Mugabe transferred the wealth of a nation into his own pocket very few crumbs trickled down to the masses.  This was real “voodoo economics”. 

It might be a good time to assign his name the value of a verb.  He mugaged Zimbabwe.  Maybe we could start something like the Academy Awards and award a pot metal Mugabe to the year’s most destructive person.  We could even offer posthumous awards to people like Hugo Chavez for his mugabing of Venezuela.  We could give honorable mentions to people like Barak Obama who tried hard but couldn’t quite pull it off.

I think Mugabe is a word from an obscure African language which means, “Kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.”

If you want some nominations for future awards you might look to the Democratic candidates for president.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-162: Subtle Patriots

The Walmart decision is not what it seems.  It is not part of a plot to undermine freedom in the United States.  It is not a secret death wish by their corporate leaders.  It is really the first step in a brilliant plan to revitalize the downtowns of America.  It is carefully thought out to bring business back to the small businesses that have been struggling and closing down because they could not compete with Walmart.

I for one will be finding alternatives to my shopping.  It will bring variety and serendipity to my life.  It is not underhanded and un-American.  It is subtle and patriotic.

Thank you, Walmart.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-161: Headlines: A Turning Point

Who knows when the balance tips or the pendulum starts its return?

If you are old enough you can remember when all telephone lines went to Bell.  How could that ever change?

You remember when IBM was computers.  They had it locked down.  How could that ever change?

You remember the days when a days shopping would involve Sears and Penny’s.  They were the giants.  They had the key spots down town.  How could it ever change?

Just a few weeks ago I would have said that Walmart had a corner on the retail sails in the country.  We are now going to watch how that changes.  It won’t happen overnight.  It will be hard for many of us to stop the automatic “run to Walmart”.  There are probably still many out there who don’t realize that they will not be able to stop in on their way to the range or the hills for some ammo until they get to the counter in the sporting goods department.  And there will be millions who will go on with life because cattle generally don’t pay attention to the slaughter house they can’t see.

In case you have been asleep, Walmart has announced that they are going to stop selling handgun ammunition and rifle ammunition that will fit in the most popular guns in America.  The leadership of what used to be a patriotic American company has crossed to the dark side.  I hope they say hello to Dick’s and Target while they are there.

But change will come.  I am already asking myself if there is anything I really need at Walmart any more.  I wonder who will emerge to fill the shopping gap.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-160: Baby Talk: One Part Observation

Grandparenting is often a hands-off type of experience.  It is one part observation, maybe more than one part.

Recently my daughter sent some photos.  She does this from time to time.  Never enough but more than I deserve.  The latest brought a smile to my face when I wasn’t even looking at them.  If you are a grandparent you know what I mean.  If you aren’t then I hope you can get a slice of the pie vicariously.

What I was enjoying was not just the pictures of the toddler but the joy in which her father was interacting with her.  It was radiating from the photos.  He was making faces and generating lots of happiness on her face.  I rejoice in the richness of her life and mourn for all those children I see being ignored by parents that have other things to do.

I celebrate knowing that I will receive a visit in a few months and get my chance to make faces and tickle bellies.  For now I will observe and smile.

In regard to the litter box they will also be bringing the cat.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-159: New Terms: Grandcat

My wife just called.  I am still not sure why.

What got my attention was her comment that she was looking at a gray litter box and somehow the sentence segued into a mention of our granddaughter.  That was too good to let pass so I asked if your granddaughter really cared what color her litter box was.  She clarified that it was for our “grand cat”.  There is a new term for you.  It may seem strange to you but I am used to this kind of thinking.

I was also informed that she had bought honey and pink salt so that if the end comes we will be well supplied.  There were a lot of other things mentioned but since most of the sentence were not finished I don’t know if she bought them or had them thrown at her. 

I feel much more secure now.  If society falls apart I will be able to have pink, salted honey.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-158: Keeping the Faith

Warning:  Theology ahead.

Faith.  If you have been around Christians much you hear them talking about it.  We talk about being saved by faith which is not technically correct.  We are saved by grace because of our faith.

(Eph 2:8 KJV) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

We talk about living and walking by faith.

(2Co 5:7 KJV) (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

Faith becomes a mysterious thing of great power. 

From whence does this faith come and what is it?  Is faith something we do or something we are given that does through us?  Is it some thing we possess or does it posses us.  As believers are we not possessed by demons, but possessed by faith? 

If you look at the Ephesians verse you notice the word “gift”.  This is one of the places where Christian theology has split into two main paths.  One branch of the Christian church says that the gift is grace.  Through it God bestows his salvation.  It is up to you to believe by free choice.  The gift is available.  The other branch says that the gift is faith.  In order to be saved you are first chosen, or elect, and then given the faith which saves you.  To me it seems to be a done deal. 

I am in the first group.  I have a hard time believing that God decided arbitrarily at the beginning of creation whom was to be saved and whom was condemned.  I don’t understand how God can know the future and we can have free will and I will continue to struggle with it but I don’t expect to get the answer in this life.

But then there is eternity to work it out but, first I want to find out why Charley had to die early and how the three persons of the trinity can be one.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-157: On the Street: Stocking Syndrome

I know I have vented on this before but it keeps happening.  I am getting out of my car to go into the grocery store.  I am looking around to see if there are any stray shopping carts and I see two just outside the door of the store.  I notice a guy moving up the walkway.  He walks past the first one which was even pointed in the right direction.  He walks past the second one.  I figure he is just coming to buy a box of Jello but no, he walks past the door to get a shopping cart out of the queue.  ?????

I figure that if people would pick up a cart on their way into the store then an employee would not need to be paid to fetch them back.  It is amazing how often you can do it without going out of your way.  If it requires a few extra steps then your heart thanks you.  It might even keep the carts in better shape and save the cost of replacement.

It may be an American thing.  I know that Americans will throw trash on the ground instead of taking a few steps to the obvious trash can.  In Japan you have to search for a trash can and yet there is little litter.  In Japanese airports you don’t have to pay $5 for a luggage cart.  They are free and readily available because people return them.

I wonder if it starts with mothers not demanding you pick up your socks.

homo unius libri