My Choice of Words

Original: 05/20/2005

I’ve been watching the way my kids and friends react when I say that we are in a war between righteousnessand unrighteousness. I’m pretty sure that they react as if I am making some sort of religious statement – using almost Biblicalwords. It occurred to me that I have used those two words throughout many of my blabberings and I wanted to set things straight, regarding them, once and for all. I once did the same thing for my favorite word Goober.

 

When I use these words I am describing a very simple concept – rightand wrong. But, since right and wrong seem to me to be words that have completely lost their original meaning, I refer to this human condition using older (almost Renaissance) words to describe the same thing. As you know, I believe that lawyers have hijacked right and wrong and turned them into countless degrees of right and wrong. One thing for sure, they do not use my word choices to write their laws and so I feel more comfortable saying that we (all mankind) are in a war being waged between righteousnessand unrighteousness.

 

Well, you might be saying to yourself, “So what’s new!” Since mankind has always been locked in a battle between doing the right thing or the wrong thing you’re telling me that this struggle is not new. I can partly agree with you but here is where I believe the struggle can be annotated in contemporary times. Right now (August 2004) Americans (all 300-million of us) are witnessing an escalation of evil metastasize all around the world and even here at home. Radical Islamic fanatics are hurling their hatred directly at us (mostly Christian’s) as well as at their own cultural brethren in order to overtake the world in some cleric-run theocracy. These killers believe that they are acting on Allah’s behalf because that is what they have been taught all their miserable lives. Their fervor is all too real. I believe that the goons who lead these poor souls (Mullahs, Ayatollahs, Bin Laden and his ilk) are guilty of following Satin’s every wish. These so-called clerics have waged a war on civilization as we know it here in America and Western Europe knows it over there. Theocratic dictatorships like those that exist in Iran as well as other dictatorships like those in Syria, Libya, Sudan, Palestine, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to mention a few will always fail. The dynamics of such cultures can not sustain itself for very many generations. On the other hand, even democracies have changing dynamics and are just as susceptible to failure. I believe that our American Democracy is in peril.

 

The evil unrighteousness of Mullahs and Ayatollahs are not the only examples of right and wrong that I can think of. I’ve written extensively about the evil and corrupt government agencies in our entire nation, the failures of our legal system and even the corrupt corporate greed that seems to thrive and exist to this very day. In my short lifetime I have seen the curtain of unrighteousness descend upon America like a smothering blanket of doom. Today, it appears to me as if it may destroy America – at least the America I have known for over 60-years. And, that scares me because I love my grandchildren so very, very much. I worry about what they are inheriting and I shudder to think that I may have been responsible for leaving my country in such a mess. I can only hope and pray that I haven’t been the cause of adding yet another level of unrighteousness to the fabric of our society. Terrorism, however, is certainly not the only form of unrighteousness expressing itself these days.

 

As a brief overview of my conclusions let me itemize (another of my lists) where I believe a visible negative change in human behavior can be currently witnessed.

 

1. While more and more people attend church services these days (all denominations), our culture is becoming increasingly debase – in its acceptance of evil – not just vulgarity. We have countless examples ranging from the multiple legal definitions of murder to simple, childish video games. Our legal system has pretty much eliminated common sense from our lexicon. Contemporary morality is very suspect. As I have said, “Thou shalt not murder”doesn’t mean 20 different definitions of murder – to wit, first, second, third degree, premeditated, justified homicide, 1^st and 2^nd degree manslaughter, etc., etc.” Legal arguments have somehow usurped common sense. Unfortunately, legal arguments often have flawed reasoning in the full-glare of sunlight and the same flawed reasoning has permeated the halls of congress. It’s as if the legal language of MUMBO-JUMBO has fed upon itself to the detriment of common sense arguments and reasoning. In my opinion, the accumulative weight of our nation’s laws is causing our cultural floor to fail – not unlike other great civilizations of history.

 

2. Perhaps our churches are failing us as well. Remember the Catholic Priest scandals of homosexual abuse. I’ve often said, “How can so many people who call themselves Christians belong to so many different families with so many differing ideologies based on a single, glorious event – the birth and crucifixion of our Messiah?” Unfortunately, too many unrighteous men have gotten in the way between a man’s individual soul and God Almighty. For this reason I am reluctant to subscribe to any particular religion based on Christ. I can study religious literature quite well all by myself.

 

3. Teenagers have become mass murderers. I never heard of such things because they never happened before. Oh, of course, teenagers have murdered before – probably since man has existed – but there have never been cases where teenagers went to their schools and killed as many of their classmates as they could – all at random. In Florida – in the last week – four teenagers were arrested for killing six of their acquaintances using aluminum baseball bats to bludgeon their victims to death. A bullet for these murderers was not an option because they wanted to hurt their victims as much as they could. Torture is what these teen aged killers wanted to accomplish and they certainly did. Personal sensitivities are hardening and there are probably several direct causes – not the least of which can be found lurking in our nation’s entertainment industry. A lone gunman shot and killed his classmates at a Virginia college. Another gunman shot, killed and wounded several people attending a morning political rally in Arizona. A father shot and killed his whole family before taking his own life. Mass killings just seem to be escalating.

 

4. Mothers kill their own children. Fathers kill their own children. Fathers kill their pregnant wives. The incidence of these crimes has increased according to statistical analysis. I wonder why?

 

5. In Israel, Palestinian suicide bombers mass murder innocent people by the scores. In Iraq, suicide bombers are blowing up our troops as well as innocent civilians. In Saudi Arabia, suicide bombers are blowing up mosques and office buildings trying to kill as many innocents as they can. In the Sudan, suicide bombers blow up embassies and night clubs. In Yemen, suicide bombers blew up an American warship. In America, 19 suicidal murderers flew 3-hijacked airplanes into buildings and 1-hijacked plane into a field in Pennsylvania killing over 3,000 innocent people. Suicidal Islamic fanatics blow themselves up for untenable causes – all over the world. The incidence of these crimes has increased according to statistical analysis. It has been said that as many as 50% of all Islamic people HATE western civilization and concur with what terrorists are doing. That means that 500-million people HATE me and they don’t even know me. The remaining 500-million fear their unrighteous clerics.

 

6. All levels of our government, from the local precincts and school boards to the nation’s capitol, are corrupt beyond anyone’s ability to comprehend. Money is misappropriated (stolen) at all levels of government. Politicians write tax laws that are so complex that no single person can interpret them. They also write laws that protect their individual political powers as well as lessen their large contributor’s tax burdens. Political compromise is nothing more than a shakedown of one or the other in the political argument. Everything about politics is all about power. And, everything about politics is bought and paid for. Our entire governmental authority is operated by and overseen by unrighteous people by the thousands. It is even said that righteous employees are soon drummed out of a job by their unrighteous contemporaries.

 

7. It seems that vial, personal-attacks and character assassination, political pandering, outright lying and even sabotage prop up the election cycles that currently ply their way through our democracy. Decency is always overlooked and those seeking political office toss righteousness right out the door. This goes on within your local precincts all the way to the presidency of the country. What makes me sick is that almost all of us (citizens) know this and yet we won’t do a darn thing to stop it. We keep electing the best liars. It is all so absurd. Remember Watergate and/or Monika Lewinski? The urge to attain and maintain power is what I believe drives a politician 95% of the time. And, the old axiom “absolute power corrupts absolutely” could not be more truthful. In my opinion, people who do everything they can do to gain “power” (over this or that) are a failed human being. One who seeks “power” is often consumed with achieving their goals. They can easily overlook unrighteousness and they become very stingy with the truth.

 

8. Individual responsibility seems to be a lost human character. We blame everyone else for our failures. We sue anyone who even remotely harms us. Young people are picking all of this up and it wouldn’t surprise me if someday personal responsibility is usurped by the federal government. By this I mean, you’ll be incarcerated (or worse) if you don’t tow the line. Americans are slowly being stripped of their free-agency in all sorts of ways. Usually, laws are what take away a person’s free agency – the ability to do what one pleases. It begins in little ways until the day comes that people are totally enslaved. That is the human condition. There will always be those who believe that their way is the only way and if you do not agree they will gain power over you and force you to behave the way they say and the ONLY WAY they say.  I just believe that we all need to accept personal responsibility and the fewer things our government does the better. As I previously said, the Republicans want to tell me how to live my life and the Democrats want to tax me to pay for it. Who knows how much longer this can last? I hope to God my grandchildren will take control over this sociological meltdown looming just ahead.

 

9. Part of this battle between good and evil is the fight for secularism to become the norm in America. Secularism is trying to replace the Judeo-Christian philosophy upon which America was founded and has arisen. I’m sure you have read my treatments of the Gore-Bush presidential election of 2000. I have blabbered on and on about the 50/50 tie between our cultural political philosophies. One-half of us vote as Democrats and one-half of us vote as Republicans. For me, this statistical fact is astonishing – almost magic – almost inconceivable. How in the world did 130-million voting people, spread out over all the land, manage to cast an equal “anything”in terms of those huge numbers – let alone our presidential selection preferences? In my opinion, unless this equality of concept changes, America will atrophy. In my opinion, anarchists are attempting to take control of our political and cultural agenda. They reason that anyone should be allowed to do anything they please anytime they wish to do it – as long as it doesn’t physically harm another person. This means tossing out many long held beliefs about many things and it is starting with removing our God from the national dialog. The current sociological renderings of our courts have ripped God from our traditional cultural base philosophies. I assure you that immorality is sure to follow closely behind and I don’t want to see our country enter such a horrible period in its history – indeed even its own demise.

 

10. I sort of think that this cultural tie thing is blinding us to a lot of other insidious goings-on. While we keep our political eye on the next divisive thing, we forget that the secularists are forging onward in their desire to alter America forever. We are fighting over non-issues in the grand scheme of things. Saying a prayer in school isn’t the issue. The issue is instead why we ever got to this point in the first place. In our zeal to be “fair” to everyone, no one will achieve fairness. It’s crazy to think that we can give up all of our decency and remain a great power and global influence. The basic argument of secularists is essentially flawed in the light of pure reason – sunshine is the best disinfectant. Civil disorder will become the name of the game when all restraints to civility are gone. If anyone believes that mankind will act righteously when the “chains of civility” are removed – he or she is misguided at best and downright wicked at the worst. Our nation’s original laws were written to afford citizens the right to privacy and to live in a society that is based on a set of universal laws of fairness and decency. Our nation was never meant to be a culture free from the restraints of civility, order and decency. In my humble opinion, secularism is of, by and for the devil and we should all cast a wary eye at anyone or anything pushing or supporting that agenda. And, that certainly includes those who vote to remove Christian icons from public places. The separation of state and religion is NOT what their agenda is all about and if you believe that it is then you are sorely misguided in your thoughts and I urge you to reconsider after additional thought and contemplation.

 

11. I believe that the morals that have always held this country in check are inexorably falling into further depravity, like leaves in a chilly fall breeze. I also believe that the incidence (growth) of unrighteousness is growing in a quantum way. It is breeding on itself and probably has the capability to engulf the entire globe – rapidly. If you – the person reading this right this second – don’t understand this unholy relationship between unrighteousness and the devil, I truly believe that you are somehow doomed. Greed, which was so blatantly exposed in the corporate scandals of the first few years at the turn of the 21^st century, is certainly alive and well in the boardrooms across our land. I’m pretty sure that the greed for power exists in our military and congress as well. Greed always leads to unrighteous behavior. Sometimes it is exposed and sometimes it festers just below the threshold of visibility. It is dangerous if left unexposed.

 

12. I also believe that the judicial branch of government has gone astray. Unrighteous judges are trying to “create” law from the bench to support their own, personal ideologies. The framers of the Constitution said that only Congress shall make laws. They did this for a reason. Legislators are elected, judges are usually appointed for a lifetime. There is no way to remove a judge, short of impeachment. Judges who try to make law are unrighteous people. In many ways this concerns me as much as the terrorists do. Run-away judges, unless removed by popular outcries, can wreak havoc on our representative form of government. In fact, left alone it can totally destroy it.

 

13. I’ve witnessed young people admire filthy-mouthed individuals and denounce true heroes. Current lyrics to some contemporary music are nasty and debase. The words demonize women and empower filth mongers. It seems to me that personal sensitivities have turned completely upside down. I’m not a fuddy-duddy and few things really make me mad. But, the filth being exported into our children’s ears (and minds) is horrible and I am convinced that it will have a lasting and profound change on our culture.  It doesn’t take a learned person to understand the difference between right and wrong. Fortunately, the majority of people are not psychopaths without conscience. However, many are. Making a personal decision to do something that you know just isn’t right usually makes folks uneasy and somewhat regretful. But, it can get easier and easier to do and end up where a good person takes the wrong path and will suffer greatly for their poor decision. It is not as easy to detect evil when it comes camouflaged in high-priced rhetoric and so we are easily deceived by evil doers. I feel so sorry for people who end up following some man or woman who spits out their own brand of religious or political garbage and suck in the weak minded who will not make the effort to learn the truth for themselves. Too many good people are fooled by scoundrels. And, the only reason that it is possible is that these weak people wouldn’t go out and make the effort to learn things for themselves. It is my belief that most people who are not practicing Christianity (like the Islamists, Buddhists, Hindus and others) are duped all their lives by clerics who are of, by and for the devil. I can also say the same thing about any religious person that will not seek the truth through quiet prayer but who seeks their answers from some preacher or cleric to explain the spiritual things to them.

 

14. I am concerned about poor parenting in America. As I have gotten older I have contemplated the things that I have done during my life that were worthwhile and not so worthwhile. By far, my most important accomplishment is that I fathered, nurtured and taught both a daughter and a son. I’m not talking about my lineages here. I am only referring to the fact that I was responsible for two lives and that for the most part I have done my best to raise them and prepare them for assuming their own lives as adults. There is no doubt that in this task I stumbled many times over the years. However, today they are adults that I am proud to know and love. Hopefully the things I taught them will help them properly nurture my grandchildren. Unfortunately, in these times, I see the results of people who brought children into this world only to desert them to live a life unfulfilled and unproductive. Serious crimes (mass murder) have increased while petty crime has been reduced. Unrighteous, child-bearing adults leave a scar on our culture that will always be visible. As I see it, one of the most important tasks in a person’s life is to bring forth children and prepare them thereafter to lead peaceful and worthwhile lives. This is a pretty profound lifelong task in my opinion. It continues to transcend generation after generation.

 

I’m certain that yet another of my lists could go on and on but these are the things that came to mind. Make no mistake about it – we are embattled in a real war. It doesn’t have fixed military zones. The war is being waged everywhere – even in our own neighborhoods and perhaps even in our own homes. The battlegrounds in Iraq and Afghanistan are but two places where the heat of the battle is being waged. But, it is also being waged in your city, state and national governments – in every agency and department thereof. When a hazy, blur camouflages truth and individuals begin the path to unrighteousness, it will likely flourish and grow unto itself like a cancer. Unless the righteous people of earth grab hold of the arguments I am making, I would guess that things can only get worse. At some point in time a tightly coiled spring will unravel and maybe our culture will explode. What a shame if that happens because it is all so unnecessary. I urge you to keep a close eye peeled on your elected officials while you can. The freedom to do so may one day be taken away from you. Watch to see if your representatives are wise and righteous. Maintain a keen awareness of national laws – those that are written and for whom they are written and targeted.

 

So, whether you agree with my choice of words or not, right and wrong are the issue. This is not debatable nor can it be rendered into unending levels of degree. A righteous person may not always be the smartest person you’ve ever met but they will always be closer to the truth than one who is unrighteous. Think about that.