Selective Information....And Outright Obscurantism

Preface: Any clear-thinking person laying aside their biases for a moment....who followed the 'Alabama' hurricane episode over the past few days....should at least admit that there might indeed be some psychological problems with President Trump.       

            "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and wouldn't lose any voters, okay?.....It's like incredible." This comment by candidate Trump was made just before the Iowa caucuses. None of us cared then....nor do we care now that it has been proven correct. Donald Trump is a genuine biblical prophet....a genuine biblical false prophet.
            God has been warning us for a long time. He took one of those home who had been warning us in Billy Graham....his job done....and the warnings have just about ceased. The church had its final revival in the 70s and 80s. I was part of that wonderful time period. People were becoming born again left and right.
            There is precious little unction in the pulpit today. We don't seem to weep for souls anymore....as if like the church in Ephesus....we left our first love. Even the better shepherds are sound asleep....strongly proclaiming their trust in God's righteous judgment....but oddly not trusting in His warnings to prepare coming judgment. They may wake up shortly....not in a revival as much as a rush for the life boats on C deck as the ship's listing will begin to topple the flat screen TVs and the band instruments and as the pool water from the top deck rains down on the stateroom balconies.
            How many times has President Trump touted the stock market? Over half of Americans don't even have a 401. What kind of compassion is that? What kind of hope is that for those who see so many accumulating large nest eggs? The market went up 347 points today which is total insanity. This is like calling for another bottle of champagne after the first slid off the table.
            President Trump has over and over told starry eyed fans at rallies....(he used the word 'fans' yesterday)....that America's best days are yet to come....but God's Word tells us the opposite.....and this while he absurdly uses God's name as a stage prop. This is a false prophet.
            I never like the man Donald Trump but I voted for him....and celebrated the 2016 election result. Today....after reading over forty books on who Donald Trump is since it became obvious that he was not who he said he was in the campaign....and after two years of his lying as naturally as he breathes....and his delusions of grandeur comments on almost an hourly basis....and his need to strike back immediately at anyone who confronts his words and actions....I think that he has serious mental disorders. Even if I loved this risky power and greed agenda of his I would still think this. The evidence is literally everywhere....but as his quote at the top of this post implies....his supporters are blinded to it....for we have been victims of selective information and outright obscurantism by those who can see only one problem....the Democrat candidates..
            I don't think a lot on the 2020 election other than looking for a legitimate conservative to stand up in this disastrous situation....(four additional years of Trump....or a Democrat)....and I expect this coming perfect geopolitical storm to have a direct hit on America and the world before then anyway.....but should Donald Trump have that second term....he has the makings of a tyrant....who needs no one anymore....and who would....attempt to make changes so drastic in his favor and for his image that Barack Obama's quote of "fundamentally transforming the United States of America".....would seem tame.

Israel....What It Is....What It Isn't

            Not only have I been a staunch supporter of Israel in the ten plus years of these posts but that defense of Israel goes back to my youth....but it seems that in evangelicalism....particularly over the past few years....that the nation-state of Israel has gone from the forefront of biblical prophesy....where it belongs....to the forefront of the gospel where it does not belong.
             As I reflect on this I see myself....along with other Christians....having looked forward joyfully to that day when God opens the eyes of the Jewish people to their savior and their king and messiah....wheretofore they had been blinded for two-thousand years....but increasing numbers of evangelicals seem more concerned with Israel's capital....or some other political event....than the salvation of the Jewish people. (This in no way reflects on the wonderful Christian ministries presenting the gospel and helping the poor of Israel)
             God will indeed destroy the enemies of Israel....but He will also judge Israel....before He opens their eyes....and He will judge America as well! Tell me friends....we do still know that we are saved by Grace alone....through faith alone....in Christ alone....right? Tell me that we haven't changed the gospel to fit our political beliefs and personal biases! Tell me that we know that there will be no need for sacrifices.....ever....that all the sacrifices of the Old Testament pointed to the Lamb of God. We would not rejoice over sacrifices once again on the Temple Mount.....but rather in the imminent return of Jesus Christ.....and all of His powerful angels....that such a happening would surely allude to!
            We also should know that as far as rebellion to God is concerned....the people of Israel are pretty close to identical to where we are. Their idolatry and rebelliousness to God rivals ours! Know this also....America couldn't save a green stamp....let alone Israel.....if it was not in God's will. How many times did God prove this in the Old Testament that neither Moses nor Gideon nor Joshua had the victory.....but God! Right now....they and we are trusting in Donald Trump....while ignoring God's warnings.
            One last thing. There has been a lot of fuss made about President Trump being another Cyrus or Jehu. I have no doubt that he is being used in this by God prophetically....but not to the extent or for the reasons that have been claimed. Donald Trump is not to be trusted....that's what the last four years have proven....and I hope that Benjamin Netanyahu at least has a concern in that area. Moving the embassy was nothing in itself. That was no test. God gave specific warnings to nations that deal with Israel....even in its rebellious state to God as it is now....treat them fairly....don't even deceive them....keep your word if you give it!

"Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation." Psalm 143:6 ESV

DISPATCHES

The 5th Dimension's Wedding Bell Blues is playing on Sirius/XM as I type. Fifty years ago today I joined the army....and I most remember this song being played in the barracks. A few minutes ago it was 9/19/19 at 9:19 and 19 seconds....(Phlash Phelps brought this up) while about twelve hours from now....military time.....it will be 9/19/19 at 1919 hours and 19 seconds. I texted my wife this....and her text response was...."You have way too much time on your hands!"

Another anecdote: I doubt very much that I was thrilled to be marching fifty years ago in Basic Training....but I was thrilled today as I did my walking in the sun. It probably looked like marching because of the pace that I keep up. It just hit me so strongly during the walk.....thanksgiving to  God.....that fifty years later I could still in effect march.....and when I was done I went into the gym to work the machines....all the while.....the entire time....as always....with wireless headphones on listening to a sermon by someone such as Reformed Theologian O. Palmer Robertson. As I was finishing that walk.....the thought came to mind.....that I would rather be there doing what I was doing....than walking anywhere in this entire world.....no matter how grand and glorious the setting.

Here are some of the things that concerns me about the war talk over Iran: Whether it is North Korea or in any hot spot around the world...Donald Trump's mind is pure chaos....changing advisers to suit his mood that day....threatening and bluffing so much that we don't know where he is at. In this particular case....Saudi Arabia....his people....Jared etc....(who as I've said in the past should not even be given charge of a pizza shop startup)....have been way too cozy with some people that we should really not in any way want to rely upon. I'm concerned that we may be pushing things since Netanyahu's future as the PM is uncertain....but most of all....we are talking about the lives of our military personnel. When we put them in harm's way....it had better be well thought out....by the best minds that we have.....with all the possible consequences reviewed and prepared for....and it must be of an absolute necessity.....without any putrid politics involved....or oil....or profits!

Fiscal policy and decentralization of government were at the core of the Tea Party when it was given its name in 2009....while conservatives were solid on state's rights and the constitution for decades before that. We know what California is....it is destroying itself.....but it is a state. If a Democrat president revoked some policy that a red state determined for themselves there would be a conservative outcry....but when President Trump does it....we cheer. There will be a large Stop Socialism-Choose Freedom Tea Party in our capitol today with all the big names...but what about the national debt....and healthcare....and immigration....and big government....and abuse of power....topics listed on their website? It seems as if all of us have been drawn into the magnet of Donald Trump....reinventing ourselves.....while casting off the old....born again if you will....new creatures in Trump.

If given the opportunity I would have a question about protocol concerning the 25th Amendment. If the Congress were to call in every cabinet member with the sole purpose of asking their opinion on the mental state of a president.....could the president claim executive privilege and order them not to give their opinion....or would the extended intent of the 25th Amendment....by its very nature....supersede executive privilege?

The President and talk radio hosts have coerced us. ...by constant repetition seven days a week for over two years....into believing that a Russian conspiracy is nothing but fake news.... but Donald Trump had dealings with the Russian government and oligarchs for four decades with big money in play....and Trump is well known to love money like Goldfinger loved gold. He has subsequently been a defender of the Russian government on a number of issues....and a lot of his people interacted with their people. So V. Putin pulled out all stops to do what he could do to get Donald Trump elected....and then when Trump is elected and they meet.....Trump has to be alone with him first.....(only two interpreters were present).....for two hours. That alone is more than enough folks for legitimate concern. The FBI has monitored people who deal extensively in the Soviet Union and Russia....that's part of their business....and apparently a few of them knew that Donald Trump is not someone that we want in the White House....and may have acted on it. Bottom line....this issue is not over. Has Donald Trump become a puppet because of decades of business transactions that he would rather keep secret....or is he just the typical ugly American....whose behavior is offensive to anyone who really knows him. Folks this is the office of the President of the United States. Whether it is Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump....we need to know every detail on every deal where they may have been compromised. Hillary was given a pass....(and we fought it)....Biden would like a pass....(and we are fighting it)....but we are intent on giving Donald Trump that pass!

We are the quintessential example of being between a rock and a hard place as our two alternatives at this moment are the Democrat candidates who are barbarians to our heritage of freedom....and Donald Trump who is a barbarian in the hermitage of our God-fearing ethics and integrity and honor where we have historically retreated for our security.

Saudi oil production is attacked by drones and within a few hours President Trump has talked to Benjamin Netanyahu about a 'mutual defense treaty!' Folks....they are gaming us. What in heavens name is a 'mutual defense treaty' when we are already allies? Why not call it a super mutual defense treaty to make it sound really impressive? Israel up till now has always stood on its own as to the responsibility for their own decisions as to their security. This would be a step in the wrong direction for them.....especially since Donald Trump is involved. Certainly this has something to do with the  coming Israeli election....as did Jerusalem....as did the Golan....that's the way Donald Trump conducts business....but Trump and his assorted bunch of expert, murky and often disreputable international 'advisers' have been scheming with their trusted friends the Saudis since the 2016 campaign. This is not statecraft....it is midtown Manhattan deal making involving a lot of various groups and individuals who Americans....and the full Congress....need to see out in the open.

I've repeated myself ad nauseam on this but the reader needs to know where I'm coming from. What did we know about Donald Trump previous to November of 2016? What did I know even as I celebrated his victory....little to nothing really. I never wasted my time on his ghost-written power books. I knew he was into casinos and towers and golf courses and television shows....and that he had three wives....and that's about it....(I never saw a minute of The Apprentice) It only took a couple of months to see that there was a much bigger problem here than I was even concerned about. So I started reading about him...just about everything I could find....good and bad and in-between. I'm now over forty books and presently in the middle of a couple more. The man lives his life with a wink of the eye....with hidden reefs for others and hidden profits for him....at times shady nefarious co-'investors'....loophole experts....threats and bluffs....and a very busy contingent of lawyers the expense of which would be a small fortune to anyone else but pocket change to him. He is not a thinker nor a reader and is impetuous and vindictive if he doesn't win....relying on instinct over research and study....and will switch advisers until he finds one that either agrees or defers to his instinct. He has few if any real friends or people who he deems peers....with the possible exception of God....if there should be one....and it does not appear that he has a functioning conscience. He either generates revulsion towards himself....or those who trusted him tend to fall battered by the wayside....as he simply moves on. One last thing....Donald Trump is a judgment upon America every bit as much as these grotesque Democrat candidates. We are not the good guys folks....as we all have rebelled against God....who had warned us for a half century before He withdrew His warnings as the once God-fearing side of us fell for and chose to rely upon a false prophet in Donald Trump.

It has been my contention throughout these posts of the last few years but increasing the more that I researched Donald Trump that he represents an entirely new agenda than conservatives had pursued since the first coming of the Clintons....and the coronation of Barack Obama....but with the same deceit and devilish seduction as they employed. From a Christian perspective we walked away from our calling....and sold our heritage for a mess of pottage....to follow a slick false prophet who promises the world....by the power of the world. Our feigned references of reverence to God...."one glorious nation under God"...."talent on loan from God".....must be a stench in His nostrils and as clanging cymbals in His ears. Nothing good will come from our fascination with Donald Trump who says that America's best days are ahead of us....while God has been telling us for upwards of a half century that judgment is coming. Folks....if we turn to Christ and rely upon Him we will see Donald Trump for who he really is....and reject him. If we continue to rely on this earthly prince we will sow only the wind....and reap the whirlwind. (Hosea 8:7) David....as the Psalmist....prayed...."Oh give us help against the adversary, for deliverance by man is in vain."(Ps 108:12)

Please consider this because it affects all the claims that President Trump makes....daily....on what he....and he alone....has accomplished for us. We would have had all the same conservative federal judges had any conservative won the White House....and the destructive business regulations would have been eliminated.....and the military would have a supporter in that White House. In fact we conservatives had been fighting for this stuff for decades while Donald Trump was playing around with casinos....(that destroy people's lives)....and reality shows....(that don't help either)....and Miss Universe pageants. Yet he claims that he alone is responsible for conservative judges and the economy.....and we believe it! Wake up conservatives....you are being played big time! If by chance you agree with these posts that warn about Donald Trump....please consider passing specialdogg.blogspot.com along....maybe even to your representative in Congress....or more importantly your pastor?

I did not watch the latest rally tonight but it appears that President Trump once again used some very strong language on illegal immigration. I'm sure the rhetoric went over well as I've watched this kind of stuff for a number of years now. I'm also sure it sounded as if President Trump really cared....but there is a problem here....for if he cared so much why did he hardly do anything on the issue for almost two years until the latter months of last year as Limbaugh and Hannity and Levin started reading him the riot act on losing his base? That's the way that I remember it anyway. The answer that I've come up with after reading incessantly for two years now on Donald Trump....over forty books now....is that he doesn't really care about most of the issues on which he won the nomination. You might also want to consider this....the GOP Congress placed an 'Obamacare repeal and replace bill' on the President's desk in March of 2017.....only it was really an Obamacare-Lite or an Obamacare 2.0 or a Rinocare bill....the President was twisting arms for a couple of weeks to get it signed quickly....the Freedom Caucus refused.....the bill went down.....and the President then threatened.....threatened.....the Freedom Caucus in the next elections....and has blamed the Congress since then for no repeal and replace of Obamacare....and we eat it up!

Monday morning....breakfast table.....my wife is eating cereal and listening to her morning country music radio station....I'm facing her.....typing.....with headphones on.....listening to Breitbart morning radio....shaking my head and muttering.....(probably not an ideal situation according to Dear Abby).....my wife moves to another table. Here's the thing.....Alex Marlow brings up the Brad Parscale item where he says there will be a Trump dynasty.....which in itself is a surprise that Marlow it up....and then says all kind of nice things about Don Jr. and Ivanka the Terrible....and wonders what the listeners think about a Trump dynasty. Marlow just said Ivanka the Terrible is a 'mix'....some good-some bad. This is what Donald Trump has done to us folks....Ivanka Trump is not a mix of good and bad. We have given up our independent mind in order to keep a very unstable and conniving Donald Trump in office....where if he does make a deal with conservatives for four additional years....(we give up our ethics....he gives us filthy lucre)....he will then poke and jab and stir....everyone in the world....in his quest to build his own Babylon. 

It's being reported today that Edward Snowden said that he would return to the United States on one condition....that he receive a fair trial....which would include being able to present a 'public interest defense'....in other words....why he did it. Daniel Ellsberg of Pentagon Papers fame was charged with espionage. What saved him was the illegal actions the government had taken against him. I would think that if taken to trial then James Comey and other former FBI officials would demand the right to the same defense but the United States government does not justify such defenses. Granting such a request would not mean accepting the reasons given in defense of one's actions...but refusing to allow such a defense does indeed mean that a defendant is not being given a fair trial. The Bible postulates of a man that stole bread because he was in need of food. He obviously was given the right to say why he stole the food. It doesn't justify the breaking of the law....but considers the reason in the sentencing. Jesus defended his disciples who plucked grain on the Sabbath....breaking the law....and asked who would not save their animal from a pit on the Sabbath....bringing reasoning in to the equation of what is right and what is wrong....without doing harm to the law....rather explaining the intent of the law. Jesus also talks about those who will stand before Him at the judgement.....giving their reasons why they should enter the kingdom of heaven...."Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name....?" but Jesus replied...."I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness."

Josh Campbell was an FBI agent for about thirteen years....with a fair amount of field experience....who eventually became a special assistant to James Comey. If you Google 'Comey testimony to Congress' you will see him entering the committee room just before Comey. By that time he had resigned his position at the FBI in disgust at the distortions laid at the door of the FBI....this in order to defend the institution from the outside where he had more freedom to speak. He now teaches at USC and is an analyst at CNN. Now....we all know that we on the right never read or listen to anyone involved with CNN.....for we have been thoroughly indoctrinated into believing that all of the mainstream media is all fake news all the time. But....if you happen to still think for yourself....and want to hear both sides of a story....it's an interesting book from someone who was at Comey's side the whole time. The book is Crossfire Hurricane....Inside Donald Trump's War on the FBI.

The Gospel Of The Wrought-Iron Life Preserver

Preface: Today....Monday....August 5th....at about 10 A.M....I took a little detour from the main boulevard to drive by what was once the Christian bookstore that back in 1982 I just happened to stop in while my wife was shopping at J. C. Penney's. Browser that I was and open to new ideas....I walked out of that store with Josh McDowell's classic Evidence That Demands A Verdict. God was about to change  my shallow and aimless life. The shopping center today is barely alive....and what was the Christian bookstore....(it was called It Is Written by the way)....is empty with soaped-up windows. I stopped before it....put the flashers on....and just looked at the door handle that I placed my hand on back in 1982....that led to the glory of God overwhelming me now for 37 years....and I thanked God once again for mercies undeserved....and I wanted to tell you about it....for there is a door handle out there for you....and today is the day to reach out for it!

          I first became aware of it a few decades ago. People get old. OK....to be more specific....a few decades ago I first noticed how celebrities get old almost overnight......or so it seems as I may not see a picture of them for twenty years or so.....and when I see the updated photo I'm nonplussed.....let me look that word up......yeah.....I'm nonplussed.
          I've noticed since retirement that the weeks and months just roll by. When I was working there was a tendency to rest and start all over at the end of every week.....but not so now.....barring some event I can go months without looking back.
          Life is a journey where you don't really want it to end....sort of...."Yes I'm going somewhere.....no I don't want to get there....I'll think about this God thing thing a little later on in the journey....too busy right now." The problem with this is that....in my observation anyway.....over many many decades....the older one gets.....the harder the heart becomes. When is the last time that you heard about someone in their 70s....or even their 60s....becoming born again? It happens but not often.
           Pick a celebrity from the 60s or 70s.....one that's alive.....Robert Redford maybe....or Jane Fonda....they will stand before Jesus Christ....and have to look back on a long life full of excitement and fame and money....all along the way deciding for themselves if there is a god and what he (she) would be like if there is one. I thank God that my great acting and singing talents....and movie star looks....went unnoticed by Hollywood! Folks you know I'm just kidding right....but I am thankful that I didn't have all those things.....and become a celebrity....because I also would have by now fashioned a god that served my purposes....and a gospel that required nothing more than not being an atheist....and my heart would be stone cold.
         Old age to a Christian is vastly different. It's a journey where you may not exactly want it to end right away but you know that the end is the beginning of something far more wonderful than any amount of fame and fortune could ever give.
         We are living in an age of the Gospel of the Wrought Iron Life Preserver. Thinking that God will simply look us over and stamp our passport into heaven because we were pretty good along the journey is like being on board a sinking ship and then grabbing a wrought iron deck chair to float on until we are rescued. The gospel of good works sinks....straight away and straight down....it's no life preserver....it's an anchor.
          Today is the day friends.....if you are not known by Christ. An R. C. Sproul Daily Audio from a few days ago put this conundrum in my mind. You may think that you know Him.....so everything will work itself out....but does He know you?  (Jesus Christ...the King of all Kings....and the Lord of all Lords....the Bread of Life....the Great I Am....the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.....the Risen Lord....and the Resurrection and the Life....apart from whom no one goes to the Father) Are you Born Again? If you have to ask what that is then you probably are not. Today is the day friend....for no one knows what a day will bring....and hearts get a little harder every day!

Here's where you can get hold of a real life preserver......ligonier.org

WE ARE PILGRIMS

We Christians are pilgrims....we have been born anew....born from above....and we are on a journey. I thought that I would bring the following older post back for the Lord's Day. It would be a very easy Google search if you would like to hear this John Bunyan's hymn either sung by an individual vocalist or from a choir:

          It's just a special little ditty that I often say to my wife in response to her urging me to put down the book or turn off the computer and go to bed to get some needed sleep. The words are very well known….for they are Robert Frost's from Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening. Those word are....

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

           

           She's usually gone by the time that I finish that ditty. The words to the following hymn were written by my favorite author....John Bunyan.....and the music by my favorite classical composer....Ralph Vaughan Williams. The hymn.....Bunyan's only hymn.....is "To Be A Pilgrim." It was sung by personal request of Baroness and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at her funeral on April 17, 2013 at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

He who would valiant be

'Gainst all disaster,

Let him in constancy

Follow the Master

There's no discouragement

Shall make him once relent

His first avowed intent

To be a pilgrim

Who so beset him round

With dismal stories,

Do but themselves confound- -

His strength the more is

No foes shall stay his might

Though he with giants fight:

He will make good his right

To be a pilgrim.

Since, Lord, thou dost defend

Us with thy Spirit,

We know we at the end

Shall life inherit.

Then fancies flee away!

I'll fear not what men say,

I'll labor night and day

To be a pilgrim.

         

        

It May Come Like This....And It May Not

It may come in this way....the last great movement of God in America....the preacher....any preacher....many preachers across the America....arrive at church a little disheveled....as if they hadn't had any sleep the night before....for they hadn't.....in fact they have been tossing and turning all weekend trying to prepare a sermon that they believe God may have put on their heart. The congregations detect something as the uptempo music ends....but the preacher's shoulders are as if they are sagging. Is something wrong they wonder....has the sale for more land for the addition fallen through? The pastor begins by saying that the holiness of God is an awesome thing to be confronted with. He's not looking at the congregation while talking as he usually does but his eyes are lifted to heaven. Maybe this is the setup to a humorous but informative anecdote....he's done that kind of thing before....but his wife is sitting in the front pew....and her lips are moving in prayer. This is no humorous but informative anecdote coming! The pastor reads the Parable Of The Ten Virgins....while his eyes lower to meet those in front of him....and he begins his sermon...."Beloved....how much oil do you have available to trim your lamp.....for you may need it soon....and even if our Lord tarries in His return....we must have oil for our lamps at all times!" It may not happen this way....but each Monday I look for reports on how this preacher or that preacher was extremely solemn in the pulpit....and the congregation responded to his message with equal solemnity.

Note: My hope each and every day is that the Lord might have mercy upon us and open our eyes to Donald Trump and his worship leader Rush Limbaugh. I picked up another book on Donald Trump yesterday....and left a different one there to pick up next Tuesday....so I'm in the  middle of three books right now.....on top of the forty-some books I've read....and the more I read about this man....and how he has bewitched people who ordinarily would never lower themselves to where he is....the more I pray that God would blow this fog away....and make us see our mistakes....and how we ourselves brought these judgments upon America....and how even the thought of MAGA is arrogant and preposterous and in direct conflict with God's Word.

THE PRESIDENT'S TRAVAILS

            So how are we as Christians to help Donald Trump in his position of President of the United States? The general thought on this among evangelicals is that we are to pray for him....that's certainly biblical....but along with that unfortunately....we are to totally ignore those things about him where he may most be in need of prayer....and more importantly why he is so in need of prayer in those areas.
            Continuing in his position as president is now tenuous. Impeachment is on the table....a resignation a la Richard Nixon is not out of the question....and along with the enormity of the opposition against him is the strong possibility of Republicans eventually coming out of the woodwork who would advise him to change his mind on seeking a second nomination. Unlikely as this appears....it is nonetheless a possibility....(and it's what I particularly hope for.)
            Of course his successfully combating all the efforts against him....and winning not only the nomination but reelection is a possibility also....it may even be a probability....but there is something else that could make all of this moot....and that is catastrophes....to use that word that could encompass events such as a worldwide stock market collapse or war or any one of a number of other calamities. If Donald Trump lashes out against foreign enemies as impetuously and immaturely as he lashes out at political opponents then there will be....to use an archaic phrase....'the devil to pay." We cannot be of help to his real needs if we just continue to feed his appetites. His political fortunes are not the issue....his ability or lack thereof to act wisely under duress is the issue....and if the Russian investigation is any indication....it does not look good.
            Prayer for this entire situation is what is needed....not just for the President....and certainly not to just get him out of his troubles.....most of which are self-inflicted....but praying God's hand upon all of us....and that includes our finally realizing our own culpability in these troubles. Prayer for this 'entire situation' not only would include the American pulpit but it would revolve around these pastors....flesh and blood people like the rest of us....who like the rest of us....failed to remain vigilant....failed to rely upon God....and failed to heed his warnings if they even considered them for more than a minute.
            Although integral to various political agendas and the careers of numerous politicians....and even the direction of current events....Donald Trump's travails....(in spite of his own elevation of his importance to the world)....are not even near the real center of our troubles. Society and culture have crumbled....the law itself is nothing but a club to swing at opponents....violence on the streets has now crept into our minds and thoughts....the church has essentially become at best a bystander....and at worst part of the trouble....and legitimate and necessary civil discourse is all but gone.
            We....the church.....Christians....have to go beyond our president. Neither his impeachment nor reelection would alter God's overall plan of judgment. Our prayer for Donald Trump as an individual....and as a president....should be that God humbles him as He has humbled every one of us. In the final analysis it matters not whether he remains in office or someone else replaces him....our eyes have to turn to Him who holds every atom in place in this universe....and they would therefore of necessity turn away from something else.

Note: Here is a verse that encourages me as we traverse this stormy weather and attempt to navigate shoals everywhere...."Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear (or revere) Him. For HE Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust." PS 103: 13,14
            

False Prophet

            How does one lose an election when no one runs against him? To those visitors outside of the United States....that's not exactly the situation that President Trump finds himself in.....but it's close. I've been an an observer....and at times involved in politics....for over fifty years. I've read over forty books on Donald Trump alone over the past two years since it became obvious that we conservatives in America had been fooled during the 2015/16 presidential election campaign.
            Here's my assessment. There is no one on the Democrat side right now who could beat Donald Trump in 2020. Our former Vice President Joe Biden is the best option they have....particularly if he choose a moderate and strong Vice President who could add some intellectual gravitas....and I don't discount the possibility that someone like that might yet jump into this race. If the Democrat Party in America had not been hi-jacked by radical socialists....there would be no way that Donald Trump could be reelected. They are his insurance.
            Does this surprise you? Here's the situation....Donald Trump has a very loyal base but a base that is different than that which elected him 2016. He can do anything....and say anything....no matter how ridiculous....no matter how many lies....no matter the signs of mental instability bordering on if not genuine psychological disorders....and they will stick with him. This began as a populist movement but is now more of a cult....where large followings can be manipulated.
             President Trump keeps his followers in line by keeping them in the dark....constantly stirring them up to anger....and reminding them of the radical alternatives if they do not vote for him. His control and trolling by tweeting is part of that manipulation. You folks in Europe should be very familiar with this type of rabble-rousing. His following is large enough....and the threats of what happens if he loses are great enough....to secure a second nomination....even though that 'strongly approve' part of the base is probably only between 30% and 35%. A legitimate conservative challenger to Donald Trump in the Republican Party would send him back to Manhattan or Mar-a-Lago....but no one is stepping up because they would at first be crushed if not terrorized by the leadership and talk radio. That's the situation that we are in....but that situation....the whole thing that I just described....may be about to change.
             Donald Trump has no vision beyond months....and no peripheral vision at all. He is a con man that goes through life reeking havoc where he grabs a pot of cash and then moves on to the next game....but there is no game beyond this his latest. He cannot just move on.....or avoid the havoc that he has brought and will continue to bring. War is looming. Economic distress will follow if it does not precede war. This America that I live in today is nothing like the America that I grew up in. We were once God-fearing....we are now nothing but God-using.....but God will not be mocked. He has warned us for upwards of forty years that we are bringing upon ourselves destruction....but we will not listen.
             If you around the world could only have seen last night's latest Trump rally....you might be not only amazed but frightened....and this has been a typical rally now for almost four years. The arena was packed....the rock music blared. At one point prior to the entertainer taking the stage the lights dimmed.....and soft colors of red and white and blue wafted over a swaying crowd....then the grand moment came as President Trump entered the arena to worship that lasted and lasted as he smiled and waved to his adoring followers....and then the rhetoric began....nothing new....nothing new is needed. He told the crowd as he often does that we are going to keep winning and winning and winning....in direct opposition to what God's Word very clearly tells us. He once again called America...."one glorious nation under God"....which we are not. Christians follow this false prophet as devotedly as anyone else.
            We....the remnant of a God-fearing conservative heritage in America....know that our enemies....Russia and China and others....are patiently planning. We know that any one of the many investigations of Donald Trump here in America may indeed make him a one-term president. We know that God is about to judge the world. We are hoping only that we might humble ourselves once again....so that He might be with us in the turmoil that is ahead.

DISPATCHES

It was surreal. I've read that Donald Trump chooses the music that is played at his rallies. Whatever your taste in music.....it's an odd combination....as it one one occasion went from Rock to operatic to country. At one rally the Rolling Stone's Sympathy For The Devil was played followed by Lee Greenwood's Proud To Be An American as the President entered the arena. Tonight....I turned C-Span on about ten minutes or so before the President was to enter the arena in New Hampshire...Phil Collins In The Air Tonight was playing....(if you are familiar with that strange song)....it was followed by Survivor's Eye Of The Tiger....(if you are familiar with that).....and then it got really strange. The lights darkened while colored overtones swayed over the crowd...and then came AC/DC's Thunderstruck....(I had to really work to understand the lyrics enough to research the song.)  This was a rock concert scene folks. If you have the chance....pull this song up on YouTube.....that preceded the entrance of the President of the United States by two songs. You might want to check out the lyrics to the other songs also. Is this choice of music to set the tone for the rally? Probably. You can easily Google the rally which will....on some broadcast venues....start with the pre-rally (concert?) anticipation.

Folks....I have never seen Chris Cuomo on his show....whatever he does....(news anchor?)....for I do not nor have ever had the cable news networks. I know him only from newspaper articles or talk radio. Drudge has him up right now with the headline....Cuomo Goes Crazy! Rages At Maga. I watched the video. Apparently one of us....(who we are nowadays.....who Donald Trump has turned us into).....held a phone camera low and then instigated trouble with Cuomo....who was with his nine year old daughter. Sean Hannity to his great credit did what he has done on a few occasions.....which few of us do....he defended someone on the other side because they were not in the wrong. View the video....see for yourselves....and make up your own mind....apart from talk radio.

If you have read the news every day on more than one website then you have probably seen the story about foxes running around near the Western Wall by the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Here is how the story is presented: The Old Testament book of Lamentations tells of the Temple Mount having been so destroyed that foxes could live there...."Because of Mount Zion which lies desolate, Foxes prowl in it." (ch 5, vs 18 NASB) The Old Testament book of Zechariah tells of the rebuilding of the temple. The tie-in comes from the Jewish Talmud....which would be similar to a Christian creed or catechism or directory of public worship. Neither the Talmud or the creed would be Scripture....but would be authoritative to the degree of faith placed in it.  Well....the Talmud says or implies....I'm not sure which....that when foxes return to the Temple Mount then that will signify the building of the temple again....as it was rebuilt in Zechariah's day....so there is a lot of excitement in Israel over this....but is that what it really would signify? Zechariah has fourteen chapters and covers as many topics almost as if it had sixty-six chapters such as Isaiah. It speaks of the immediate history of Israel back then....there are messianic prophesies all through it....and it speaks of the last days and the tribulation therein. It both commands repentance and it warns....and it comforts and encourages. So from a Christian perspective....if these foxes are indeed a prophetic fulfillment....it would not point to another temple of stone. What would it point to? Well....grab a pencil and a highlighter....a good translation of the Bible....and maybe keep Google handy on your phone in case you want to reference something....read for yourself and see what you think. There are many verses in that small book that you will recall....and it would be a wonderful place to start reading into the Old Testament prophets if you have yet to venture there.

My wife is very close friends with another lady who is very liberal....Hillary signs in the yard and that type of thing. We two couples have been friends for 35 years and politics never comes up....as we know how each other feels and leave it at that. Well I shouldn't say never because as this lady and I were talking by ourselves two days ago the topic did finally come up because of the bumper stickers on my truck. She was absolutely surprised that I do no want four more years of President Trump. As for me....I was surprised that when she asked who might be a possible challenger.....and I mentioned John Kasich....she said enthusiastically....."Kasich...he would be OK." John Kasich says that there would have to be a "path" to the White House for him to run. Well Mr. Kasich....this might be your 'path'.....for I know that many Democrats are not happy one bit with their candidates. There might just be the possibility of a significant switching of party lines if it were the right candidate. There are fifteen states that have 'open primaries' where a Democrat can vote for a Republican. Michigan, Missouri, Texas, South Carolina and Wisconsin are among those states.

The quote was from someone else but Winston Churchill 'retweeted' it in is day....."whenever there are six economists gathered together....there are seven opinions." So 50 percent of economists might think one thing.....and 50% another....and the rest another....to keep the thought going. President Trump wants bigger interest rate cuts by the Fed.....and a lot of them.....right up till the election. Geoeconomist Jim Rickards....(that's how I would first describe him)....has weighed in on the following a number of times. Admittedly as an observer and not an economist....my take is that he warns that there may be no tools left the next time the market crashes....for we have used them all up....lowering interest rates being one of them. This tool is more to stabilize a falling economy than to make a good economy better....and certainly not to be used for political purposes. We may need that room on interest rates in the near future which makes the situation worse....and the pressure on the Fed riskier....but as one book from from an ex-White House staffer put it....the President's economic advisers sat him down early on in the administration....with charts....and showed him how the national debt should implode just about the time the President would complete his second term....and his response was....."Yeah, but I won't be here." I bring this quote up often....for this is a man who campaigned on the danger of the national debt....and look who he is now....and this is but one example!

Will President Trump follow through on the gun legislation that he has been talking about? He may or he may not....'With Donald Trump....all decisions are possible.' In the over forty books that I have read about him since it became apparent in 2017 that there was a big problem in the candidate turned president....I have not found a shred of evidence that there is even a morsel of genuine determination or personal belief on anything other than the issues of money and power and fame. If the time is right....he will do anything....or refuse to do anything. He'll be the strongest vocal defender of an issue if being that vocal defender works in his favor. He'll turn on a dime and betray anyone if it is clear to him that doing so would work to his favor. Two days ago President Trump said that he will be going to Poland again.....reminding everyone that some people said that his last speech in Poland was one of the greatest speeches ever given by a US president. President Trump's speech writers will try to do it again....all President Trump has to do is show up and read the teleprompter.

In mid-March messianic rabbi Jonathan Cahn.....author of The Paradigm and other best-selling books....gave a three minute proclamation directly to President Trump....at Mar-a-Lago....in front of an audience that included among others in government Senator Lindsey Graham. This was presented as a word directly from God to Trump.....it began...."Mr. President"...."the LORD would say to you"...."so I have raised you up to be a Jehu to your nation....and a Cyrus." Brothers and sisters......you need to view this video for yourselves.....('Jonathan Cahn's prophetic word to President Trump at his house'...will get you there.) Evangelicals need to make a conscious decision if they believe that something like this was from God....they need to examine this in light of Scripture and not just automatically accept it. They need to ask themselves if they may have as of late been seduced by the moment....and the emotion....and their own particular political biases. If they see a problem with this 'word' from Jonathan Cahn.....which they should....then they may see other problems that have arisen with evangelicals and Donald Trump.

Update on the daily Rasmussen Presidential Approval poll: Wednesday....The 'approval' figure continued to slowly drop....45%....the 'disapprove' rose one percent to 54.....the 'strongly approve' dropped from 32% to 30%....and the 'strongly disapprove' picked up one point to 43%. You won't hear this on Rush....although you would if it was 50%....but Drudge posts it whether it is good or bad for the President. If it goes back up to 50% I'll put it up here.

The Art Of Retirement

I'll leave this up for a day or so and return to the middle of May when it was first posted. If it's possible for you to take the politics out of it....(it's possible with me)....and just think about President Trump's words and actions....there should arise a serious concern for issues of mental stability. It this were Barack Obama or one of the Clintons we would be shouting from the rooftops but this is Donald Trump....and we are paralyzed with fear of his losing to one of the Democrats....having forsaken trust in the protection and guidance of Jesus Christ....having forgotten as did Israel the miracles that God preformed for them....and also having forgotten that God alone causes nations to rise and to fall.

            Whether it has been in real estate or casinos or the entertainment industry or Mar-a-Lago or even horse racing and golf.....Donald Trump has generated revulsion towards himself. How does he handle this? He pokes and prods and jabs and taunts as if saying...."You don't like me....well how do you like me now"....which makes it worse.....and so he again responds....'Oh you don't like that either.....well how do you like this?" This is what Republicans want to give us an additional four years of!
            In 2015/16 we conservatives knew very little about Donald John Trump. I know that I write this often but we have to understand it. He would say things that shocked us......like....."Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president? Who would vote for that face?". All that about Carly Fiorina.....and we just brushed it off because Hilary Clinton had to be stopped. By all rights we should have dumped him that day....Hilary Clinton or no Hilary Clinton....and this was far from an isolated instance as it was a regular....almost a weekly occurrence.....and still today....from day to day....we don't know what tweet storm he will be ranting on. (recently President Trump used the word....godd*m....twice in a rally speech....yet evangelicals no longer defend reverence for God.....as they now only defend their worldly and blasphemous prince)
            Yet not only do conservatives....(well I can't really call us conservatives anymore.....for we are not)....not only do they want us to get on board for a second term.....but they don't even want to hear any debate about what President Trump says that he accomplished compared to how someone else might describe it...that's how low we have sunk. Criticize Trump and all of a sudden we're Never-Trumpers or worse.....even though we celebrated in November of 2016.....even though we were fighting for conservative causes while Donald Trump was....well he was being the Donald Trump that the tabloids know.
            I mention this often also in these posts....when it became apparent that Donald Trump was not who he said that he was in the primaries.....I began to read about him. It's well over thirty books so far....(it's over 40 now....but we follow orders and don't read these books do we)....a new one every couple weeks....most critical....some neutral....and some pro-Trump books.....and whether  Donald Trump is castigated or glorified in the book......it's the same  Donald Trump......vacant....he has no real belief system....he's shifty-which is sometimes labelled genius....self-absorbed....(described as a genuine mental illness in some books....or as kind of funny in the glorifying books).....and purposely stirring controversy while loving every minute of it!
            OK....you like Donald Trump.....you think he's a great president.....you certainly have that right....but you cannot just ignore the very real problems he brings along with him. You expect people to just accept his lying as you do.....and ignore a narcissism that may distort reality....(thousands in the mental health field have labelled it malignant narcissism)....and you are more than willing to subject the American public to four additional years of gut-wrenching daily news bombs like we have had for the past two years.....and what do we get for it? We got tax breaks and executive orders on stifling regulations....and judges....that any conservative candidate would have accomplished....and a booming economy that they would have at least come close to! But we also got a couple trillion more on the national debt that President Trump could not care less about.....and we got the Trump/Kim reality show. We got Ivanka the Terrible! We got the Obamacare repeal scam and the wall fiasco. We got Jared who shouldn't be entrusted with a pizza shop start-up given responsibility for much of the world. We got cabinet members fired in tweets! We got dozens of rally-type worship services.....and a thousand 'God bless Americas' the aroma of which must be a stench in God's nostrils....and now we are getting stonewalling and a cover-up that looks like Watergate on steroids....and we are in a trade war.....tariffs....something you might do if your economy is hurting.....but we are told all the time that it's the greatest economy....ever! Why take those risks now?
            I do not believe that President Trump is going to be nominated for a second term....this because he makes a big mistake about every month....and one of them is going to be something that even Rush can't get him out of. That's not the issue.....the issue is....'one'....when will this happen and will we have enough time to get another candidate....and 'two'....will he get this reelection out of his mind in time that when really challenged on the world's stage....that he is not making decisions just to get elected. We don't need a comeback folks.....we need a retirement. Cannot this man be satisfied with becoming the 45th President of the United States?
            I want to hear about what the FBI did also. I want to hear why men with illustrious careers and respect in the FBI may have been so opposed to Donald Trump as to jeopardize those careers. I want to know why Putin wanted this man in office so bad. President Trump may indeed have been subjected to unfair and illegal actions from a Deep State.....but if this happened he did not handle it well at all....and what he's doing right now with stonewalling (it's now s full-fledged cover-up) only makes matters worse.
         

DISPATCHES

ALERT! This report is so egregious that it needs verified....CNN reports...."Party leaders in South Carolina, Nevada and Arizona have all expressed support for nixing their presidential primaries, and are expected to make it official over the coming weeks....'This is nothing new, despite the media's inauthentic attempt to portray it as such' Arizona GOP Chairman Kelli Ward said 'Arizona Republicans are fired up to re-elect President Trump to a second term and will continue to work together to keep America-and Arizona-great'." We are already in full cover-up and purge opponents mode for President Trump....and this would only be an attempt to further isolate those who know that President Trump is an impostor and potential tyrant.

TALK RADIO....formerly conservative respectable talk radio....the major hosts have all but given up on on keeping us informed....having turned only to keeping a Democrat out of the White House by propping up a seriously defective President Trump. Breitbart is talking about Beto and Biden and Harris et al every day. Is that their plan for the next year? Thanks for nothing. Listeners are in love with Rush....who is in love with Trump....who is in love only with himself....what a screwed up love triangle. Without the fear of the radical-hijacked Democrat Party Donald Trump would be making plans on what to do in life after 2020. The vigilantes are trying to get everything released on the Russia probe......I'm all for that....as long as everything on Trump is released also.....go only one way on this and it's nothing but a cover-up and purge.

THE GOLFER: "I love golf...but if I were in the White House I don't think I'd ever see Turnberry again....I don't think I'd ever see Doral again....I own Doral....I don't think I'd see anything....I'd just want to stay in the White House and work my ass off...." There's a web site....trumpgolfcount.com....that has a short video up on candidate Trump quotes on how bad it was that Obama golfed when he had work to do....and yet Trump has left Obama in the sand trap with his golfing. The only way that someone can view these quotes on video.....and then not be outraged at the grotesque bald-faced.....lies....would be that they are nothing but cult members totally dependent on their guru. We have turned hard....ruthless at times....almost marching along singing patriotic songs....no longer carrying placards demanding truth or honor or ethics or personal integrity.....for we are in charge now....and we make the rules now.

Note on the above: The President today tweeted on his golfing saying he golfs fast and it is inexpensive. Read the web site from above....if you dare....and see if you are not sickened by what you hear and see.

PRAYER CONCERNING DONALD TRUMP: I had a nice conversation with a Christian friend this morning....a man who I consider very knowledgeable in the Christian Faith and dutiful in his responsibilities to his family....his church....and his country....but his knowledge of who Donald Trump really is was deficient....and this because the new Trump Republican cult has a coercive control over information given us. My prayer every day is....'Lord open our eyes to this man in our White House.....take the blinders away....this is part of your judgment upon us.....and we truly deserve it.....but have mercy upon us....open the eyes of your children first Lord....that we might trust only in Thee in these turbulent times....and this for your glory alone Lord!'

MALIGNANT NARCISSISM: Folks....I have never seen Joe Scarbourough's morning show....and I don't even know who Lawrence O'Donnell is other than hearing comments about him on talk radio.....and the only time I watched Tucker Carlson's show was when a friend was in the hospital and I would visit at eight in the evening with Carlson on the television. I mention this to show that one does not need cable television to survive. In fact one might very well be better off without Hannity and Ingraham et al. Donald Trump has made a concerted.....even Herculean effort for well over two years now to....not critique....but wage war on the news media. President Nixon did some of this....and so does Putin. Even Fox News is getting attacked now as the President said that...."it isn't working for us anymore".....and...."we have to start looking for a new News Outlet...."....(I don't even want to think what that might mean!) A few hours ago he tweeted about this time that we live in as being the...."Age of Trump." No problems here....for we've been reminded over the past week that one has to be personally examined before anyone can diagnose them as a...malignant psychopathic narcissist....or sociopath.

PRESIDENT TRUMP'S NEW BASE: Whatever the makeup....there was a discernible conservative and Tea Party base in the 2016 campaign. That base has been hijacked by two issues....power and greed. Most of us do not realize that we have been manipulated. We are today a totally different base. Donald Trump did not drain the swamp....he simply became the leader of it. What we showed....unfortunately....is that we were not as committed as it appeared over the past few decades. For thirty years Rush Limbaugh had championed conservative issues....he....and many others....abandoned all that to follow Donald Trump. We once occupied the high ground....but Donald Trump dragged us off of that and today we are as hypocritical in our argumentation as the Democrats and Republican establishment ever were. If this were not bad enough....President Trump was confronted on his inconsistencies and responded with....."It's the way I negotiate..." At least we are getting closer to the truth but the way that he negotiates....in fact the way that he has led his entire life.....is one of lies and manipulating and deception....all orbiting around his exalted view of himself. Will conservatives and Tea Party people see how they have been hoodwinked? Will we discern the genuine unnecessary risk that Donald Trump's extreme character flaws and mental issues bring? Our prayer should revolve around Donald Trump....that God would open our eyes as to who he is....and not that God would enable him in his ungodly narcissism....but that He might as He did with Nebuchadnezzar who similarly proclaimed...."Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?"....and that this president might also someday proclaim as Nebuchadnezzar eventually did...."Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise, exalt, and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and his ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride"....but the king of Babylon had to lose his mind first.

CHINA: Donald Trump's impetuousness in threats to order American companies to withdraw from China caught the communist country by surprise. They sacrificed a pawn.....maybe a knight....and are surely ramping up war preparations which become more likely every day under a president who....while claiming that America has the best economy and future in its history....where you would think that he would thankfully avoid risky measures....presses and threatens even allies to pay arrears that he has detected....and does so at a great risk of war and worldwide economic collapse. I'm reminded of the parable of the debtor who was forgiven much but who refused to forgive a small amount owed him. I'm reminded of the magnanimity Lincoln had after the South surrendered only to have the South destroyed by those not so magnanimous....greed on display where the results continue to afflict us today....and I'm reminded of trying to squeeze blood from a turnip in Germany after World War I....that led to Nazi Germany. We never learn.....we never learn.

NEW PROPHET, PRIEST, AND KING: It serves the mainstream media right....they spent years....not in journalistic excellence....but pushing their biases as news....and now we have a president who displays serious psychological disorders....(plural)....and no on on the 'Right' will take them seriously. As for us....it serves us right....as we utterly failed to even attempt to hold Donald Trump accountable for his daily....almost hourly lying from the beginning of his term....and now he is a grotesque narcissistic mess....but it's too late to point it out....because we have already crowned him prophet....dealmaker....and king.

CARRY A BIG STICK....AND POKE: It's not only standard practice it's common sense for our intelligence agencies to at some point put themselves in the position of our enemies....what would we do if we were them....what are all the possibilities? So....under one scenario....if I were China I might plan and prepare for a purely conventional war.....and I would have North Korea pour over the border with the South. The U. S. can take out their nuclear facilities yes....but could not use nuclear weapons if the North didn't use them first. "My button is bigger than your button" would not work in this scenario. You've probably got at the very least a combined two million man army with those two nations. I might also encourage the Mullahs to make their move. America in a two-front war would have to bring back the military draft....that wouldn't go over well....as our enemies know exactly how divided we are. My point here is that we cannot just say.....who would mess with America's nukes (?)....for they would just not use nukes.....until later. So if you're going to push the Chinese backs against the wall....you might want to keep this in mind....and you might want to make very sure there is no politics involved....and that there is no possibility that you are taking this risk for power and profit.

Update: I've had viewers from South Korea and Taiwan to this post. Not only does President Trump jeopardize their security....he jeopardizes ours. What was best....what we had done....was to draw a line around these two allies....where it was not only incumbent upon us to act from a strong defensive position if necessary....but even our fractured public could not have objected. President Trump's aggressive risk taking to increase our nation's profitability has changed the dynamics. We are no longer solidly positioned on defense concerning Taiwan....for we have come out from that strong position to  agitate the waters. As for South Korea....these absurd reality show face-to-face meetings have only strengthened Kim Jong-un's position....and somewhat destabilized ours.

MILITARY DRAFT: OK....so what do you want to happen within China. I'm asking you to think....not just follow talk radio like lemmings....which itself follows Donald Trump like lemmings. Do you want the communist party to just collapse? Do you want the nation's economy to prosper? Or would you rather something in between. Consider this.....if Trump destroys their economy....which he wants to do.....for he wants to destroy anyone or anything who doesn't bow down to him.....if the economy goes south.....the Community Party will not just collapse....it will strike out furiously....and among other things most likely invade Taiwan. Is this what you want? What's Kim Jong-un going to do if this happens? Have you even thought about consequences? I don't think that Trump does. Do you think that the Mullahs might take advantage of something like this going on on the other side of the world? Are you ready for wars on two fronts.....at least two fronts? Western governments are at least supposed to attempt to keep world peace....until there is absolutely no alternative. What Trump is doing with China has everything to do with his reelection. Donald Trump is a destroyer. People like him are destroyers. We've all known someone like that. He could not care less about any humanitarian concerns. He doesn't have it in him....and if we read about him we would know that....but he's convinced us that all those books are Trump Derangement Syndrome hasn't he? That's pretty convenient....everyone who writes or reports anything critical.....anyone and everyone....are enemies of the people.

FALSE PROPHET: President Trump at one point in his new White House lawn sparring sessions with the press....on the topic of China....turned somewhat and looked to the sky and said...."I am the chosen one....to deal with these problems"....reflecting the words of his many charismatic spiritual advisers.

IT'S NOT JUST THE DOSSIER: President Trump met privately (interpreters only) with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki in July of 2018....(for two hours!).....before the regular conference even began. There was a furor....but it was quickly quelled. He has been in the habit of meeting with Putin privately. The whole Russian Collusion mess is based upon a James Bond scenario....a straw man that can continually be beaten....whereas the real importance is in the decades long business that Donald Trump had with the Russian governments and Russian oligarchs. The President never ceases to amaze as even over this weekend he lobbied to bring Russia back into the G-7....and said that he would invite Putin to the G-7 next year in America. This tactic has been so successful that if you mention Russia....they laugh. The President also wants the meeting at Mar-a-Lago (now it's the Doral) which should be opposed at every level and step. At least two books should be read on this subject....TRUMP/RUSSIA by Seth Hettena.....and HOUSE OF TRUMP/HOUSE OF PUTIN by Craig Unger.

America Rules The Waves

           I've been a talk radio listener since the mid-1960s! Talk radio has always been very big in Pittsburgh....and I was listening to talk while Rush....or 'Jeff Christie' as he was known on Pittsburgh radio back then....was playing records on nearby KQV. Callers were always a big part of the fun as you never really knew what the next caller was going to be like. Controversy.....I'm sure that you remember this.....was a big ratings boost....so the hosts wanted the callers that could generate a rip-roaring argument.
           Today.....talk radio is generically the same in that you have an opinionated host.....and callers....although a lot less call-ins....as the bigger the star of the host.....the less calls are necessary. At least that's how it seems to me. Well talk radio has changed drastically in other ways also. Today it is a force to be reckoned with as it can make and break presidents. Readers to these posts from around the world may find this hard to understand....but they should know that America's 'Left' rules the television waves....(primarily through its mainstream news and prime time programming) and America's 'Right' rules the radio waves....but there is a problem that may have developed on radio.
            Debate and spirited dialogue used to be the essence of talk radio....leading often to the controversy as mentioned above....but that's all gone....and we are worse off and less informed because of it. Rush and Sean and Mark do not want controversy. That's actually the last thing that they must want. Oh they want controversy as far as the Left in America is concerned....the host and the callers against the Left....but not between the host and the callers. There is no debate and spirited dialogue needed or even wanted anymore.....for there is a task at hand....defend at all costs the reelection campaign of President Trump.
             The problem extends even further whereas once we listened to talk radio and through the medium could get a relatively accurate glimpse of America and Americans....but today we may be getting a programmed and choreographed.....possibly false glimpse of President Trump's 'base' and Republican voters.....(for talk radio today is essentially all conservative talk on the national shows.)
            I have no inside information on this but would like one of the national magazines to do a story on it. How are the callers chosen....that's what interests me. For instance....on Rush's show....approximately how many callers would they estimate try to get in....and what prompts the producer.....(Mr. Snerdley in the case of Rush)....to pick the callers that get on. Once again....at one time a good controversy and genuine debate was a good thing....but today it has to be all about supporting the hosts opinion....and callers who do not like President Trump would work against that end.
            Why is this important? Well....we are listening all the time.....in the car and at home....and right now we hear a steady stream of staunch support for President Trump.....thus encouraging us in the opinion given by the host....which is all pro-Trump....but this may be an illusion. Compounding the problem is that listeners who are not happy with President Trump may....and probably are....intimidated from calling in to express opinions contrary to the hosts. Why call in if you are going to be ridiculed? Ultimately....we have the right to know if President Trump's support is remaining high in part because of the manipulation of perception on the part of conservative talk radio.

Note: Pittsburgh at one time had a very popular evening talk show host named John Cigna who was very controversial. Circumstances called for him to be switched to 'morning drive talk.' Well....he was just as popular....but not controversial anymore....for the time slot did not call for it.

Addendum: The first commercial radio broadcast by KDKA....(the same radio station that I listened to talk radio early on)....occurred about 6 pm on election day November 2, 1920 from a shack on top of one of the buildings of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It's possible that both of my grandfathers were in that building during that broadcast for both were young men employed by Westinghouse at the time.

On the topic of talk radio....the following post is from June 1st:

HE HAS CHANGED US.....FOR THE WORSE

           A warning to Brits: This man is not your friend....he is nobody's friend.....in love only with himself. Make no mistake about it.....Donald Trump is simply a power and money man. The conservative movement is dead here in America save for those of us who have not bowed down to the golden image....but know this also lest you think we are few....we're not the rally type....nor the parade type....nor are we awed by pomp and circumstance. We may be steamrolled before this is all over....and rolled over....but we will not just roll over. We not only trust in God.....we trust in His warnings. We acknowledge our part in what America has become.....a violent.....post-Christian....idolatrous nation....and refuse to say....'make America great again'....if that greatness is not in accordance with the will of Jesus Christ....who has watched all of this.....and may have already summoned His mighty angels....to return and judge this world in righteousness.

             I wrote in December of 2016 in a post titled....'Your Mission....Should You Accept It...." that conservative talk radio had been...."our Publius, our Thomas Paine, our Benjamin Franklin, and our John Locke transmogrified into waves of electromagnetic radiation travelling at the speed of light into every kitchen and workroom and automobile in America.....these stellar stars that we navigated by through a perfect storm wrapped in a cosmic disturbance that threatened every foundation laid in the  latter half of the eighteenth century....these men and women kept the heat on and the power dry. Their mission now....a much more difficult mission this time....should they accept it....is to bring God into the equation....but first they have to realize that God alone rules in the affairs of men...."
            There was no one quite like Rush Limbaugh with his extraordinary ability to structure an argument in a way that not only informs but motivates.....there was no one quite like Sean Hannity with his energy....which amazed me for more than a few years as he did not only his radio and television shows but was the force behind rallies that supported our military at a time when they needed it most.....and there was no one quite like Mark Levin putting words on paper....(Liberty And Tyranny etc.).....where he was both profound and perspicuous. There were more than these three.....and Steve Bannon was like a string of fireworks until he moved directly to the campaign.....but these three men directed a grand and victorious war that culminated in the Battle of November 8, 2016. Over the years previous they remained determined through times of defeat....and were aggressive during the battle.....but inexplicably....almost unfathomably.....they totally collapsed......even surrendered....in victory!
           What I was saying in that December, 2016 post was that the victory was won.....now was the time to build upon a strong foundation....in fact the only foundation.....reverence for our creator. I actually thought that they might do that.....but I was wrong. At the time....whether in previous victories or defeats....we conservatives had defended the high ground....but apparently the Trump victory parties were down below.....so we hurried down so as not to miss anything exciting....and never went back up that hill.
           It's possible that I was naive in this because I had never actually joined in with this Trump train. I was never enraptured by what I saw. I celebrated on election day.....but I never considered it a new army to belong to or Donald Trump a new leader to follow. As far as I was concerned we were still constitutional conservatives who had found a man who could take the battle to the enemy....and now it was time to continue to do what we had been doing.
          These same conservative radio hosts squeaked a little as they nervously fidgeted in their chairs when Ivanka and Jared were brought in the White House.....and they shuffled their stack of stuff a little loudly when other swamp creatures were brought in.....but by the time President Trump was endorsing Luther Strange.....all the discernment....and all the fight.....of over two decades....was gone.....and it would be one long slippery slope down into the swamp from then on in.
           As it stands today conservative talk radio has utterly failed us.....but it would not be wise nor right to forget how it was they that held us together for so long. It's my opinion that they may eventually see who Donald Trump turned out to be.....but as I mentioned above.....I had been wrong before. We shall see.

It would benefit us to remind ourselves that as important as conservative talk radio once was to us....they are not gods to us....and we do not have to automatically believe every word that they say.....and that the very powers of scrutiny and examination that they helped us develop.....now has to be used towards them.  Christians especially should recognize Bunyan's 'enchanted ground' we now find ourselves living on that has made us drowsy....and then recall our own mission with the orders of...."Therefore let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober."
                     

DISPATCHES

Talk radio utilizes....all the time....what are called relevance fallacies....in fact much if not most of their argumentation as it pertains to defending President Trump purposely misdirects the focus. For instance....those of us who voted for Donald Trump....and then celebrated....but who now after two and a half years of the President's constant lying......as easily and naturally as he breathes....and serious narcissism issues that may be a genuine mental disorder....along with constant aggressive and threatening rhetoric that is meant to keep his followers in a state of permanent agitation....want him to withdraw from the race for a second term....but talk radio rarely mentions us as conservatives....rather describing us all the time all as Never-Trumpers who just don't like the coarseness of his speech....or the indelicate way he puts things....or his grammar or his language. They would make a winning argument if that were the case....but it isn't the case. We are concerned with mental health issues....genuine ineptitude at times....rash comments that have to be corrected by his staff....thus demonstrating an undisciplined mind....a very worrisome habit of attacking anyone who has the audacity to criticize him....verbal and otherwise....and a risky tunnel-vision on domestic and world issues where he sees only dollar signs.

I returned today from a road trip of a couple hundred miles and received a few 'thumbs up' signals for my bumper sticker.....'TRUMP...4...YEARS ONLY....FROM A CONSERVATIVE.' We are out here....just waiting for a conservative challenger to the President who will tell the President's base what talk radio will not tell them. They won't touch this topic on talk radio....for they know that the only way President Trump retains his support is if we are kept in the dark as to what actually transpired....and who Donald Trump actually is.

Robert Mueller appeared before Congress knowing that the questioning would be difficult. President Trump refused to be interviewed by the Special Counsel....knowing the questions would be difficult. All those around the President knew very well that he could not be interviewed in person without lying somewhere in that interview. The result of it all? Mueller was ridiculed while Trump laughed his way through it all. Conservatives....you are building a tyrant.

The so-called conservative talk radio shows that I listened to today savaged Robert Mueller with ridicule....and sneered like drunken gangbangers as they did it. Apparently there is no room today for someone who might actually think before he speaks. I could hardly understand the words let alone the questions that the first hostile questioner started the hearings off with and therefore set the tone for the entire hearing. Mueller was decorated in Vietnam for saving the life of a fellow marine under fire....and decorated another time with a Purple Heart. At least he wasn't captured by the enemy because Donald Trump really doesn't like those guys does he. In a sane world people would have complemented him for holding back opinion in his report. Considering how President Trump blatantly and publicly worked on witnesses through his tweets and backroom pressuring....it's amazing that Mueller did not come out and call it obstruction of justice.

I remember what it was like as an eighteen year old to listen with rapt attention to Robert F. Kennedy speak. When today I think of his name....the picture that comes to mind is of him standing....above everyone else....in a car possibly....what I remember of it is his being totally engulfed by black faces and outstretched arms....his sleeves rolled up on his white shirt. Love was in the air. I Know....I lived it. There were many similar photos where the crowds were white or mixed. I watched....on tape tonight....most of President Trump's speech to the young people at Turning Point USA....here with the outstretched arms pointing the camera end of their phones. Whatever this was....it was not the same thing. There was adoration in the air. Aside from references to the youth themselves it was practically identical to the typical Trump rally.....Rolling Stones and all. Kennedy's emphasis was on 'other' people....what we could do for people in need. Looking back....I was one of those in need....but my thoughts were on others....never even contemplating what I could get or become out of it. Today the emphasis is on ourselves.....it may use statistics implying that the focus is on others.....but that focus is really on us....how we can become great.

It is time for John Bolton and Mike Pompeo and others to search their conscience on whether or not they are ignoring danger signs of a severe psychological disorder....but they think that they can keep under control....and apart from real decision-making....President Trump's disruptive and inciting attack tweets....impetuous and adolescent tantrums and narcissistic rants.

Donald Trump is a destroyer. He destroys people....(enemies on purpose....all who refuse to bow down to him....and others who simply fly too close to his flame.) He destroys ideas and whole movements. He has no conscience or compassion. Conservatism is dead. Talk radio is dead. Evangelicalism has shifted their focus from Christ onto a genuine biblical false prophet....all this while the now President Trump tweets and blathers what should easily with common sense and in light of ethical considerations be recognized for what it is....but then common sense and ethics are dead also.

The Freedom Caucus has now officially come out against the budget deal that will be coming up for a vote. (It's too late guys....and gals....all 31 or so of you....you have lost credibility....have you forgotten how in March of 2017....after coming out against Trump's Obamacare Lite bill....that he threatened to work against you in the 2018 elections....you are attempting to squash the Mueller report....but President Trump would swat you like a gnat if he had a chance.

As for Mark Levin....who I had often posted positively on over the years....recommending his excellent books....he began his show today hammering Congress for this new budget deal that continues to add to the tonnage of the national debt bomb that will eventually get us....but he left Trump out of it....which I knew that he would. I wonder if he ever even heard the story of how President Trump's economic advisers once early on sat him down with charts and graphs and told him how the debt bomb should explode just about the time that he....President Trump....would be ending his second term? What was the President's response? "Yeah, but I won't be here." I've repeated this anecdote before....and always end it with....'there's your champion!'

Anyone who had read deep into Donald Trump's dealings with the Russian government and Russian oligarchs....in various ways....over many decades.....and then was apprised of how Vladimir Putin's people worked so hard to get Donald Trump elected....might then see why some people in the FBI and CIA might bend some rules to investigate candidate Trump's actions.....but we don't read any of those books do we?

The problem still remains that a coverup is in progress. One question that I would have had today to Mr.Mueller would have been when if ever this redacted information in the Mueller probe will be set for release? The present Attorney General has effectively shut down all avenues in the investigation. Watergate was nothing compared to this.

I don't know if they are conspiring with one another but China/North Korea and Iran/ Hezbolah et al may act in tandem if a war breaks out in either area. If America has two fronts to deal with in a major conflagration then the draft will be instituted. Folks....imagine for a moment the problems with a draft today as to gender issues and illegal immigration and a divided country and a pool for conscription from today's culture. I guarantee you this....China and Russia know more about our potential problems than we do.

Who Were We In 2015?

Preface to the following post from this past Friday: I have to believe....and I have evidence to back it up....that a sizable portion of the rank and file are tired of the way that Donald Trump has stirred and stirred and stirred....incessantly....day and night....for four years now....giving us no time to analyse or meditate upon anything....but Rush will take the airwaves of our mind tomorrow at noon and ply his trade. It's an amazing and formidable production to observe from a sociological standpoint....as by the end of his show all the concerns we may have had about President Trump will have been assuaged! Rush's skill of creative persuasion are pure artistry as he can take a dirty and threadbare canvas....and turn it into a masterpiece. There are two serious problems here....we've permitted ourselves to be led by an historically tried and true tactic of keeping angry and therefore controllable....whoever the strategy may be addressed....and we also have permitted ourselves to become totally intellectually dependent on the directions of another party....in this case talk radio. All politics aside....the whole deal is unhealthy.

WHO WERE WE IN 2015?

           We did not really know exactly what we were made up of back in 2015. A naive assessment at the time in retrospect would be that we were all strong social and fiscally conscious small government conservatives....along with the Tea Party....with a lot of mixing within these groups...(I was part of all three.) Either that or there was something drastically different there that was hidden in the fog of battle and euphoria of the win. Were the social conservatives just not that dedicated all along....as also would not have been the small government fiscal conservatives....and as would not have been the Tea Party? In other words were we all talk....with no real convictions? Were we just weak-willed or was the real base in Donald Trump's win....the entire time....those who are represented by today's Trump rallies?
            All of our key issues have been trumped by Trump. We still give lip service to some of those issues but Donald Trump himself is what we are all about today. If this is indeed the case....then I would be more likely to understand Trump's strong support....for if we were not true conservatives and Tea Party people to begin with....then President Trump did not betray us....for we were never really what we said that we were....and consequently we have no reason to care who he turned out to be....for what we really wanted was to get back at Hillary....(lock her up!)....and win bragging rights in the workplace and the family....and restore economic hegemony....while keeping the progressives from continuing to change our nation....(a good thing!)....but this without regard to how it happens....or who gets hurt in the process....or what the extended consequences might be....(a bad thing.) If this is the case then I understand the unconditional support....but I hope that there was more substance to us than that.
             My hope also is that we will soon get tired of Donald Trump....that he will then see that his game is gone....and look for an avenue to change his mind on seeking a second term....and consequently be able to focus on very serious issues without being concerned on how they might effect an election. I hope that he would retire gracefully....with the monumental achievement of becoming the 45th president of the United States....and somehow be satisfied....and then retire to the life he has always led.....where those who want to can just ignore him....as we always had previous to 2015.
             Short of this.....I hope that a conservative will step up....with the courage that our founding fathers had....(for he or she would initially be unmercifully lambasted and called a traitor)....and challenge President Trump in the primaries....laying everything out for us to see....how Donald Trump is not who he told conservatives and Tea Party people who he said that he was. If that challenger calls out President Trump on everything....as I have laid out in many of these posts....and President Trump gets up on that debate stage....with a real challenger....instead of a rally stage....or a Hannity interview....then the ball would start rolling and Donald Trump would lose that second nomination....(that's my personal belief)....but then certainly not leave so gracefully....having his great accomplishment severely diminished. I hope for the former.

What Seeth In Me Lord?

The following is from November of 2011:

What seeth in me Lord,
what maketh Thou stay thy hand,
why dost thou give Thy ear to a clanging symbol,
why give light to a worm?

My years pass ere so quickly
and I will never be able to pay,
for even a day in the joy in knowing you,
for a moment of the touch of your hand.

Your blessings have covered me as a flood
and I drown in your mercy,
seeing my life before me
only to be told to turn my gaze towards Thee.

"All of grace" he said
and I understood,
and the first days...wonderful as they were,
are eclipsed.

You made me meek
when I desired power,
and humbled me,
wherein is Thy given strength.

Wisdom is thy breath
and fellowship thy gift,
for souls regenerated
is our meat and drink.

Those gone before,
the memory of whom I treasure,
call out to me
"press on."

Those coming alongside, youthful and budding,
are but reflections of my beginning.
Nurture them through my failings and clip the wings
that were made, not to fly, but cover their faces in your presence.

This world waits for your return,
your creatures for your rule.
Surely you look to that day also.
Come Lord Jesus!