Blowback: Laura Ingraham and Ron Paul

I got this video/radio things thru www.mercola.com. Dr. Mercola is a doctor who believes people ought to take control of their health. He absolutely loves Dr. Ron Paul. Below I pasted some of Dr. Mercola's comments from his post:

"In this interview with political commentator and talk show host Laura Ingraham, Ron Paul explains why the Constitution should be followed -- and how unintended consequences are the inevitable effects of current U.S. foreign policy.

In the middle of it, he lets Ingraham know that she is actually unintentionally arguing his own points for him. If you want to hear a man speak with passion and principle, this is the interview you should hear.

Aside from his dedication to principle, there are many reasons why I support Ron Paul, and a major one has to do with his devotion to your health freedom. He believes in:

Expanding the ability of Americans to use alternative medicine and new treatments.
Opposing legislation that increases the FDA‘s legal powers. [Did you know that the FDA has approved of genetically modified foods without labelling? Vegemite, on the other hand,--even though we've had it on our store shelves for years--has been banned by the FDA!!! It is absurd that new government branches like the Federal Bank and the Federal Food & Drug Administration get formed (in America!) without checks or balances!]
The notion that the government should never have the power to require immunizations or vaccinations."

My Random Album (and economic revitalization)

Band Name: THE BOMB

Album Title: ACCORDING TO OUR BELIEF

Album Cover:


First five tracks:
I Believe
Liberties That Are
Standing, Banking
Dangerous Institutions
More Than Armies

Isn't that cool for coming up random? I used the guidelines I found on my friend, Dan's, blog (click on title to link there). Apparently, it's a "meme".

The full Heidi Wills quote from which the album title came is, "We do not believe if we do not live and work according to our belief."

While I was reading some of the quotes, another one caught my eye, one by Thomas Jefferson, who mostly wrote our constitution before John Adams helped by editing it. Here it is: "I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies."

That prophetic is worth considering now. Today the federal reserve bank exists in spite of being anathema to at least one of the founding fathers. The federal reserve doesn't have to report what it's doing to the American people. Many people don't even know that it prints money at will without reporting it. Wouldn't it be better if they televised their meetings? People who are hurting severely due to inflation might realize the real culprit. That could be the beginning of a solution.

Here is an abbreviated form of Ron Paul's economic plan and is, I think, in the tradition of President Jefferson:

“Real economic reform must address the underlying reasons for the current economic malaise,” said Ron Paul. “This plan is more than just a band-aid for our economy; it fundamentally reforms four areas where government policies are damaging our national economy. When enacted, my plan will provide both short-term stimulus, and lay the groundwork for long-term prosperity.”

The comprehensive economic revitalization plan is available online at: http://www.RonPaul2008.com/Prosperity.

The four areas that the plan covers are:

1. Tax Reform: Reduce the tax burden and eliminate taxes that punish investment and savings, including job-killing corporate taxes.

2. Spending Reform: Eliminate wasteful spending. Reduce overseas commitments. Freeze all non-defense, non-entitlement spending at current levels.

3. Monetary Policy Reform: Expand openness with the Federal Reserve and require the Fed to televise its meetings. Return value to our money.

4. Regulatory Reform: Repeal Sarbanes/Oxley regulations that push companies to seek capital outside of US markets. Stop restricting community banks from fostering local economic growth.

Congressman Paul has written or co-sponsored numerous bills to enact the policies in his plan. In Congress, he has been a champion of lower taxes and limited government.

Congressman Paul is the ranking member on the House Financial Services Committee's Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology. In Congress, Dr. Paul has never voted for a tax increase or for an unbalanced budget.

Resonating with Christ's Campaign

Hello my wise friends and family,

There's just something about the campaign that excites me.

The character of "Ron Paul's campaign" resonates so much more with Christian boldness, enthusiasm, and humility than the back-biting and power-mongering of virtually all the other politicians. I know that America is a kingdom of this world just like any other worldly kingdom--as do you. Our government lords it over us just like all the others. I know that none of us can be trusted to govern just as Christ would. But the way of Ron Paul's campaign just seems so much more like something that Jesus would smile at. Perhaps I'm a fool.

I know Ron's not the second coming at all, but I enjoy knowing his truthful message is getting out there much like John the Baptist's message made its way to King Herod (and got him beheaded). I'm glad to see a threatening message enter the powers of our own corrupt government.

I know the idea of anyone without perfect knowledge and motives becoming President doesn't compare to the day when Jesus returns and hands over to God the true kingdom--that will truly be an election Day! But until then, it seems like it would be more honorable to think a good person with a message full of truth and meaning could become President than than to think one of the dodgy candidates that promote themselves more than the truth could take the next seat of power.

Here is a quote from 1 Cor 15 that promotes the eternal message that is far superior to any great government's message whether it be Babylon, Rome, or America:

"Then the end will come. Christ will hand over the kingdom to God the Father as he destroys every ruler, authority, and power. Christ must rule until God has put every enemy under his control. The last enemy he will destroy is death. [ . . . ] Then God will be in control of everything."

God is not yet in control of everything (e.g., the White House and sometimes my own house), but I rejoice as he rebukes and mocks the rulers and powers of this dark world using humble people who speak the truth.

By the peace that truly brings freedom,
Jason

Pre-occupations

Here I am at home with the day off from work because of weather conditions. It was rainy and now extremely wet, too muddy to get the cement truck to where we need to pour concrete. So I'm at home with the internet.

I've been thinking about one thing deeply at a time. I'll focus my thoughts and conversation agendas on, for example, biodiversity for a couple of months, then on the book of Acts for a while, and now on Ron Paul. Meanwhile I'm also thinking of other things, at the present time our growing child in Nicole's womb. This doesn't change. It is a deeper thread of thought that affects and responds to almost everything that comes my way each day. Also, always below the perceived surface are my thoughts about God and Christian discipleship. The thought that Jesus is in a real way my redeemer, master, and king affects and transforms every other thought. All my thoughts must adapt to this higher, deeper, spiritual thought. It is certainly more than a thought.

Still, as if I am working on another research paper in a grad school assignment, I can't bring myself to merely read a headline article about an intriguing and intellectual candidate such as Ron Paul. I must consume and digest and post portions of the best and most accurate information. Certainly graduate school has affected me. I have developed a pattern/compulsion of wanting to intellectually download broad and deep research, process it theologically, and . . . turn it in?

That's where I think I run into the most trouble. It seems like the process is more profitable than the product. (It's kind of like genetically modifying foods and other technologies. Isn't it cool we can do it? But is it better?) I'm forced to ask myself if what I am doing is worthy of the gift of life that God has given me. I'm forced to think about God when I get frustrated, when I feel I am living with integrity and taking actions I think are right and yet am dissatisfied. I can't see the benefit of my hard work.

So I read Ecclesiastes and Proverbs. I meditate on the Holy One and the teachings that are good whether I can produce any effective change in the world or not. By mercy I'll live wisely and faithfully even if I am ignored, punished, or beheaded.

Ron Paul on King's Day

January 21, 2008 7:09 am EST

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA — Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul today issued the following statement reflecting on the struggle for civil rights and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. :

“It is especially fitting that we take the time to reflect on one man’s struggles to defend our Constitutional freedoms during this primary election season. January 15 was the birthday of the great freedom fighter, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and on Monday, we honor him nationwide for his sacrifice and love of liberty for all people.

“To me, the timing is more than a coincidence. The American people, regardless of color or creed, have the opportunity to choose a candidate who will uplift the ideals for which Dr. King fought—and died.

“The fight for freedom—the preservation of our civil rights—is the fight of our lives. Sadly, after Dr. King’s passing we are faced with a violation of our civil rights in the same vein as Jim Crow: The Patriot Act. I have stood against this and all unconstitutional violations of American’s civil rights, and will continue Dr. King’s charge as President.

“Dr. King would be disappointed in our current administration for more than its continued disregard for civil rights, as he stated ‘a nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.’ We need to change our interventionist foreign policy, and take care of our brothers and sisters at home. Our nation is in a crisis: we are spending billions on war overseas while those around us are suffering and losing jobs, homes, and hope. It is inexcusable; we must solve the economic crisis at home and bring hope to America.

“Dr. King’s heroic actions should resonate with us today, as we recognize that our votes strengthen the fight for our civil rights. Liberty is the true antidote to racism, and freedom-- limited, constitutional government devoted to the protection of individual rights—can uplift us all.”

Dr. Ron Paul is a ten-term Texas congressman seeking the Republican nomination for President of the United States.

My Political Fervor

I've never been public about who or what I voted for. I usually went by the philosophy, "vote for the lesser of two evils". Honestly, I'll tell you now, that I voted for "W" twice. Gladly the first time. The second time, I didn't make the final decision until I was filling in the ballot. I don't remember anything in particular about his stance on the issues. However, now I recall that in the debates vs. Gore, Bush swore never to contribute to nation-building and/or policing the world.

Why share my political fervor now? I'll try to tell you briefly . . .

Ordinarily, I wouldn't care about presidential candidates, especially now. I am more confident than ever that Jesus is the rightful King of the Universe, not just the U.S.A., God bless it. So I don't believe that our wonderful empire/country will write history even though I've heard our President and his cabinet make that claim. I believe that ultimately Jesus will come back and all the world powers will be like flies on manure. The poor will be lifted up. The innocent. The peacemakers. The meek. The persecuted. The taxpayers. The tax collectors. The prostitutes. The drug addicts. Everyone who was in real trouble and ran to the candidate who truly meant his promises . . . will be saved. That's what I believe. So, I don't expect much out of even our nation/empire.

But, Ron Paul has brought something to my attention. We have a law to rule our land, not a ruleR. Our nation's forefathers knew that no one has perfect knowledge so, "Let's design a government that let's people live according to their conscience. The government should protect their liberty instead of telling them what to believe, be afraid of, and what to pay for." This desire for the rule of law until Jesus returns makes a lot of sense to me. 1 Timothy 2:2, "Pray for these [rulers] so that we can have a quiet and peaceful life always lived in a godly and reverent way." Ron Paul seems to value this prayer much more than other candidates some of whom exploit the Christian faith for their own popularity.

Ron Paul believes and applies something Jesus said: "When you pray, don't be like hypocrites [two-faced people]. They like to stand in synagogues and on street corners to pray so that everyone can see them. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward. When you pray, go to your room and close the door. Pray privately to your Father who is with you. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you." Ron Paul lives his faith instead of wearing it on his sleeve or exploiting it for votes and popularity.

Mark 6:14-29. John got beheaded for speaking truth to power. Jesus respected John. He spoke the truth about Herod publicly. Ron Paul, too, speaks truth to power. I recall the many times he has challenged the federal reserve bank. He says, "When you print money to cover government spending, it causes the devaluation of the American dollar, inflation. How do you justify essentially stealing from the American people? The constitution does not permit this activity!"

Ephesians 6:10f. " . . . This is not a wrestling match against a human opponent. We are wrestling with rulers, authorities, the powers who govern this world of darkness, and spiritual forces that control evil in the heavenly world . . ." I believe that many of the powers of our dark world reside in the U.S. government. Don't get me wrong, I love this country! But it's just another kingdom of this world and it's wrong, too!

I'm suddenly politically excited because Ron Paul isn't using Jesus to get votes, but he leads in the way of Jesus. I'm public about my vote and support this time because it is an opportunity to speak truth to power, like John the Baptist. It's a time to challenge the status quo and recognize the weakness rather than the glory of our nation. It's a chance to reason together because Ron Paul's ideas are intellectual and inspiring. He's running for an office that he believes should be very, very small. Perhaps he knows what I know, that only Jesus rightfully sits in Office. We'll see Him ruling with justice when he returns. He will vindicate all those put down and oppressed by the powers of this dark world. Until then, I hope I have the courage to speak truth to power like Ron Paul in the tradition of John the Baptist and Jesus, the eternal King.

Tell that FOX why I'm electable

I found this deleted portion of the Fox News debates on Pat Buchanan's blog, THANKFULLY! I watched the re-cast of their debates in which they kept saying Fred Thompson won hands down. They replayed where Huckabee expected U.S. aircraft carriers to answer Iranian motor boat threats (who have threatened our big warship in their waters!) with the gates of hell. They also replayed where Thompson had to "one-up" the insanity by saying sarcastically that we would be glad to introduce "them" to those virgins they're so eager to meet. Good grief. I was really feeling depressed that Fox viewers put up with such malevolence.

And then, when Ron Paul addressed the rush to kill expressed by Huckabee and Thompson, Brit Hume acted like Ron Paul was an idiot. He said something like, "Um, all of the other candidates said they would leave the decision to the captain of the warship. Why didn't you answer the question?" I was so frustrated! What insanity! That people listen to the hubris of FOX News! (No offense to you.)

I now rejoice to find the highlight of the night's debate, which Fox news(?) deleted from the program when it was recast. If we were living in the first century, I think Fox News would have beheaded Ron Paul instead of merely cutting off his defense for his character. Watch this:


This reminds me of what another unelectable candidate said to intimidation? (See in the Gospel of Luke, ch. 13)

At that time some Pharisees told Jesus, “Get out of here, and go somewhere else! Herod wants to kill you.”

Jesus said to them, “Tell that FOX that I will force demons out of people and heal people today and tomorrow. I will finish my work on the third day. But I must be on my way today, tomorrow, and the next day. It’s not possible for a prophet to die outside Washington."

Ron Paul Intro

I've found the best intro to Ron Paul yet. Just click on the title above and you'll find the site for you. See whether you should register Republican and vote in the primary for the most experienced and consistent and Christ-like candidate. :-)

As Little as I Am

On December 5th I found out that we're pregnant! Here's the story of how I found out . . .

I called Nicole at about 9:30 that morning to try and work out a solution to my situation of locking my keys in my car in a rough neighborhood at the opposite end of town from her workplace. I did not want to pay $100 for a locksmith. I was having a bad day as it was. Fortunately, Nicole didn't answer her phone when I called. She had just taken a pregnancy test that looked positive and even if it was right, she didn't want to tell me over the phone.

Nicole proceeded to take other pregnancy tests and even do a blood test to confirm her wonderful findings. My day got a lot better when one of my Mexican coworkers, Lomberto, helped me retrieve my car keys. After work I came home, worked out, took a shower, and when I came out . . . Well, I need to back up a little bit. While I was working out, Nicole called me to tell me she would be a little late coming home from work because she needed to pick something up at the store for someone and then grab some Costa Vida burritos to go. So, when I came out of the shower, Nic was standing in the kitchen with the food and said, "Would you mind setting the table?" I said, "Sure," and set to it.

On the table I saw a curious display. I thought, "Neat onesie." It said, 'Don't wake me, I'll wake you.' "Really clever. Who's just had a baby?" I thought. I strained my mind thinking, "Surely I must know a friend who was due about now."

Then my eyes moved down from the clever onesie to an envelope, obviously a card--'For the Dad to be' it said. Almost troubled, I thought, "Why would Nic give a card to a Dad?" Then, my heart began racing especially as I saw the two pregnancy tests. I turned toward Nicole (who was watching me intently) and said, "WHO'S HAVING A BABY?" Nic said, "WHO DO YOU THINK?" Oh! I was so excited, and still am.


- - - - -

A preview of the next few months:
So we are anticipating the arrival of a little Whaley due August 10th. If it comes two days earlier, the birthdate will read the same up, down, forward, or backward. Obviously we have more to think about than the birthdate, though.

We are seeking a church sponsorship (and feel extremely close to finding it) and we're also partner raising for our mission in Wollongong, Australia . . . during a year that promises to be a lite recession for the U.S. Prices may go down slightly, but inflation is surpassing the value of our dollar thanks to the federal reserve printing money for the politicians who want to see our U.S. military strung out across the globe. They don't have the money so they essentially steal it from us by printing more money and going into debt by borrowing money from social security and the Chinese government. . . . I digress . . .

Anyway, I'm not depressed about raising money. We're actually quite encouraged. We even received an unmarked envelope of $100 yesterday from an anonymous donor even though we haven't officially begun accepting checks and such. What a liberal God who gives even before we ask!

This month we are having a retreat over MLK, jr. weekend with our mission teammates and that is sure to be wonderful and edifying. This Saturday night we're having a focus group dinner at the Kohlbacher's (we babysit their boy, Joshua) to present our vision to a small network of future partners of ours in the Gospel. Tomorrow night, our Irish-American friend/neighbor, Pat, is coming over for dinner. She plans to immigrate to Sydney, Australia later this year, too!

In February, we're visiting two churches in Texas, giving presentations and doing Q & As about our vision, plans, and dreams. We're looking forward to both of these weekends. Later in the month, I'm going on a "Faith Walk" with men from various Christian groups for the purpose of drawing closer to God and meditating on personal discipleship. Nicole's coworker so graciously paid for me to do this. (I may post she and her husband's story someday.)

In March, Nic will do a "Faith Walk". We'll probably have another focus group dinner. And we are flying to Belize to join a medical mission team! They have a team of doctors, nurses, and anesthesiologists, but need someone like me to talk to people in the waiting room and in neighborhoods about the message of Christ. We are so excited. Gordon, the anesthesiologist, has helped us organize for this.

Exciting Day

I had quite an exciting day.

We were pouring concrete for a community college in Mississippi between their building's back doors and a pond/lake filled with water fowl. During break time, Sammy, one of my Mexican coworkers, fed a goose from his own mouth!

I burned the fingerprint off my right index finger while checking to see if my cigarette lighter was working/hot. It apparently was. Still we couldn't get my coworker's tire pumped up using a portable pump plugged into my cigarette lighter, which now smells like burnt flesh. Don't worry, it didn't hurt.

I got to drive the mini-excavator! thru MUD! To see one of these amazing machines in action (and with appropriate music), go to this web address: http://www.bobcat.com/excavators/choosing.

Also, today, I had a great time teaching/facilitating the teen class at church again. We finished reading Jesus' sermon on the Plain from Luke 6. Jesus, who we recognize as God's anointed king of his kingdom, delivers something like a campaign/inaugural address speech. It's probably one of the most life-changing speeches ever IF! one builds his life on the words, not just talks about them.

Ron Paul Fair and Balanced

Ron Paul was on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night and someone has put the interview on YouTube for us and I have put it on my blog to share with the people I love. :-) Part 1 is mainly about Fox News denying Ron Paul's participation in the GOP debates for New Hampshire (where 27% of Republicans haven't heard of him yet). Part 2 is an excellent discussion of Ron Paul's views, clear and simple. I love this man!

Part 1:


Part 2:

Ron Paul CNN Debate

This video has been edited so that it streams together Ron Paul's responses to questions. There seems to be nothing distinctive about any candidate whether Dems or Republicans in spite of the fact that they attack each other's competence for the Presidency. Why not take a look to see whether Ron Paul knows what he believes and whether his ethos gives him a right to be heard?


You can also see something rare from the television media . . . a "watch out for Ron Paul in Iowa". It's only a few seconds long. "Keep your eye on #3 . . . I'll bet Ron Paul will beat two of the frontrunners . . . he belongs on the stage."