OIL SPILL INTERSECTION

The Gulf oil spill is a picture book of two value systems intersecting.

On one hand, a camp of people are bleeding because the environment is being desecrated. On the other hand, a camp of people are bleeding because their livelihood is being destroyed.

No one likes either scenario, but which camp understands the order of life?

"People" trump "slick pelicans". Why?

The Creator made man in His image for communion with Him. He made the world and the animals for man. We are made to worship the Creator, not the creation.

Good stewards of the land/animals? Of course that's our commission. But the One who made our environment will one day replace it. He will heat the globe to destruction...on HIS timetable...and make a new heaven and earth.

"Because of this day (of judgment), the heavens will be burned up and dissolve, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze! But, according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness truly resides." 2Peter 3.12-13

The bottom line is this...we know oil spills can be cleaned up, but it is catastrophic for a whole area of the country to lose the way they provide for their families.

DITHER: TO HESITATE, VACILLATE

Dithering in the Illinois Senate (voting "present" 130 times) led Hillary Clinton to say her Democratic rival was more a "talker" than a "doer".

Dithering over the pirates (shoot 'em or not shoot 'em).

Dithering over troop increase. McChrystal wanted more than 50k, but asked for 40k on October 1st. The skimpy answer came February 15th.

Dithering over oil spill. The "On Top of It From Day One" strategies: threat of criminal charges to be filed...no waiver STILL on Jones Act...postponement of berms and other protective ideas due to lack of environmental impact statement...declaration of moratorium to keep other companies from drilling (later blocked by federal judge)...and by Day 64, some softening to consider some private-sector creative ideas for cleanup.

But now ALL OF A SUDDEN...the President is decisive.

The fired general runs 7-8 miles a day, eats one meal, sleeps four hours, has served his country all his life. It doesn't take a crystal ball to recognize an intensely focused man. He didn't just "pop off"...he raised the curtains of his work station.

General McChrystal said he tendered his resignation out of a desire to see the mission in Afghanistan succeed. "He should have kept his mouth shut then" you say? Maybe he has brought the focus to Afghanistan and how the latest offensive in Kandahar is behind schedule. Why? The Afghan soldiers are shifting sides...and Karzai may be corrupt, but he's not crazy. They all know that July 2011 is "game over" and they are lining up. Winning in Afghanistan will take commitment. I have no doubt that McChrystal is blunt and says what he thinks. No doubt he is like a lazer beam on his goal. That's what made him successful. He's no ditherer.

Now General Petraeus takes the helm. He's a good commander who is more "public relations" oriented. He leaves a post at Central Command coordinating operations in twenty countries.

One ironic note: when the NYTimes ran a MoveOn.org ad (General Petraeus or BetrayUs) back in 2007, the Senate passed legislation to condemn. Forty-nine Republicans and twenty-two Democrats supported the bill; Barack Obama did not vote.

PICKING OUT A PATRIOT

Think it was easier to recognize a patriot in the "olden days"?

Here are some patriots from the July 4th parade in 1912.

And here's a Youtube video from WW2 that beautifully defines patriotism.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=07DGeLvDw8I

But how do we pick out a patriot in 2010?

I put a Mark Steyn comment on Facebook the other day:

"It is hard to imagine Obama wandering along to watch a Memorial Day or Fourth of July parade until the job required him to. That's not to say he's un-American or anti-American, but merely that he's beyond all that. Way beyond...He's the first president to give off the pronounced whiff that he's condescending to the job — that it's really too small for him and he's just killing time until something more commensurate with his stature comes along."

The quote struck a chord with me because it verbalized something I hadn't been able to put into words. Mark Steyn would not be the first to notice the President's nose in the air. But regarding the patriotism, I DO wonder if President Obama ever attended a Fourth of July parade...before he was on the clock. And I wonder what he taught his little girls about patriotism.

Wasn't it President Obama who brought his patriotism into question himself? He chose not to cover his heart during the National Anthem.

Then at his last "presser", there were no flags behind him. It's as though he's trying to redefine patriotism. Is his way "cool"...or just "cold"?

The President has said a person is not an automatic patriot by just putting a flag pin in their lapel. Fair enough.

But if you add his actions to Michelle's quote about being proud of her country for the first time...and then take into consideration the home Barack Obama was raised in, the mentor

that he was given, the ACORN community organizers that he worked with, and the Chicago corruption...then the question is not "is he patriotic"? The question is "why wasn't he vetted"?

A simple google of Frank Marshall Davis can make your hair stand up. He's the mentor chosen for the President by his mother's parents. READ of Mr. Davis' life choices and behavior.

If the crowd around Barack Obama (the Dunhams and Stanley Ann Dunham, Davis, Ayres, Wright, etc.) DID feel such anger and political alienation, then they aren't likely the parade crowd.

But then maybe I am selling the President short. I tried to think how it could be proven that Mike and I love OUR country. Is there a case for our patriotism? We've always flown a flag out front and we usually eat barbeque and watch fireworks on the Fourth. But patriotism is about doing more than those things.

We have a picture of George Washington hanging in the hall, but hanging a picture doesn't make you a patriot.

We vote and try to stay informed. Mike retired with twenty years of service in the Air Guard. Hmmm. This is hard. How do you express that feeling when you hear of a disaster across the globe and you know YOUR country will be there with humanitarian supplies? Or what about that flood that engulfs your heart when F16s do a flyover at a ballgame?

If I question what the President taught his girls about patriotism, I also have to ask myself if Beth and Brad left home with a sense of pride in their country. They both probably would complain that we dragged them through museums...and send more political emails than they need. And we did sign for Brad at age 17 to join the Air Guard. He was the third generation to do so.

Then I had a random thought of the neighborhood Fourth of July parade when the kids were little. Colony West organized an annual parade; now THERE'S community organizing. People went all out decorating their little red wagons, four wheelers, bikes, and trikes. Maybe that stimulated patriotic roots.

Can we agree that patriotism is a hard trait to nail down? But I do know who "got" the love of country...George Washington. He motivated men without food or shoes to fight at frozen Valley Forge. They fought because of his personal leadership and I can't believe they just didn't turn around on him and walk back home.

When I taught third grade at Little Rock Christian, we learned "three firsts" from our unit on President Washington. You probably remember them from third grade. He was first in war (Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army), first in peace (presiding over the Constitutional Convention), and first in the hearts of his countrymen. In his day, most homes hung a picture of him because he was so revered for the things he did for his country.

They say that President Washington could have been crowned king for the asking. But he knew monarchy was the past, not the future. He cared more about his country's future than his personal future.

God, bless the leaders who love their country more than self.

And forgive us in America, Lord...so you can bless America.

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." Psalm 33.12

AN ANALOGOUS TALE OF BETRAYAL

Once upon a time, the people of New York state enjoyed their small and Beautiful Land. But next door, the New Jersey citizens were irrational in their hatred for their neighbors. And so were the people from ALL the other adjoining states around New York. In fact, the New Yorkers were hated viciously...and these hateful neighbors based their personal happiness on the destruction of the people of New York state.

Of course, that made New Yorkers a little blinky. It is unsettling to know there are overwhelming numbers of people at arm's length from your piece of real estate who are salivating to win religious points for snuffing you before taking your property. In 2000 and 2005, New Yorkers had already bowed to international pressure and had given up pieces of their tiny state in trade for "peace". Peace did not occur.

One day some naughty Pennsylvanians started lobbying rockets into New York. After the barrage, it was said that 4,000 rockets hit randomly inside NY borders. Naturally, that caused terror and destruction and instability in their land. So what did New York do to retaliate? Did they drop a bomb on Pennsylvania?

The international community told New Yorkers not to strike back. Instead, they were told their response should be a passive one...a blockade to prevent their enemies from rearming. Ignoring the fact that the coalition of hateful states were being funded by terrorists, New Yorkers were told that their protection could be found out in the East River. There they could screen ships that might be carrying arms. They would let ships of humanitarian supplies through the blockade based on a condition of inspection. That was the agreed-upon international law.

But one day, some thugs from Connecticut devised a plan. They would hide terrorists on the humanitarian boats (much like terrorists hide in hospitals or churches or behind women and children). These thugs boarded the boat at different ports than the peace activist passengers. Their plan was to make the world feel REALLY sorry for them by setting up New Yorkers to look like predators.

Then the kamikaze Connecticut boat volunteers prepared to die. We know of their pre-meditation because they made wills, martyr videos, and spoke to loved ones. When they entered New York harbor, they were warned to stop for the routine inspection. The boat did not stop. Then the ship was made to stop, but the crew did not cooperate. Now their intentions were clear and active resistance began when the commandos were helicoptered in and rappelled down. The commandos were armed with paint guns and ordered to use pistols as the last option. The thugs beat the commandos with steel pipes and stabbed them with knives. That provocation was met with deadly force. Here is a link to footage of the weapons taken and how they stripped the boat to make weapons:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbbornDkaxU

After the violence, the wounded from Connecticut were taken to a New York hospital to be cared for because there is regard for life in New York.

How was this unprovoked altercation reported on the international scene? All over the world, countries cried "BLOODY MASSACRE!". How ridiculous. What was New York to do? Surrounded by hateful predators, she daily walks a thin line. Does New York have any friends? Who will come to her defense?

New York has always enjoyed the support of her friend, the United States. But this time, both the President and the Secretary of State betrayed a historic alliance and condemned New York's actions. Something different is in the wind. The U.S. has forgotten...

"I will bless those who bless you" Genesis 12.3

Even though this blog is written by The Square Nail, I would like to make an exception. Today a friend sent a wonderful piece about the illegal immigration issue. It was written by a naturalized citizen who was formerly from Mexico. The piece was a sparkly clear analogy and I offer his words for your inspection:

"If you had tickets to a sports event, concert, Disneyland, or for an airline flight, and when you got to your assigned seat you found someone else was in that seat, what would you do? You would call for a person in charge of ticket checking and have the person in your seat removed. You would properly be asked to show your ticket, and you would gladly and proudly do so, for you have bought and paid for that seat. The person in your seat would also be asked for a ticket, which they would not be able to produce. They would be called "gate crashers" and they would properly be removed.

Now in this huge stadium called the USA we have had millions of gate crashers. We have been asking security to check for tickets and remove the gate crashers. We have been asking security to have better controls in checking at the door. We have asked security to lock the back doors. Security has failed us. They are still looking the other way. They are afraid to ask to see the tickets. Many people say there is unlimited seating, and whether there is or not, no one should be allowed in for free while the rest of us pay full price!

In "section AZ", of "Stadium USA", we have had enough of the failures of Security. We have decided to do our own ticket checking, and properly remove those who do not have tickets. Now it seems very strange to me that so many people in the other 49 "sections", and even many in our own "section" do not want tickets checked, or even to be asked to show their ticket! Even the head of Security is chastising us, while not doing his own job which he has sworn to do.

My own ticket has been bought and paid for, so I am proudly going to show it when asked to do so. I have a right to my seat, and I want the gate crashers to be asked to show their tickets too. The only reason that I can imagine anyone objecting to being asked for their ticket is that they are in favor of gate crashing, and all of the illegal activities that go with it, such as drug smuggling, gang wars, murder, human smuggling for profit, and many more illegal and inhumane acts that we are trying to prevent with our new legislation. Is that what I am hearing from all of the protestors such as Phoenix Mayor Gordon, US Rep. Grijalva, even President Obama? If you are not in favor of showing tickets, (proof of citizenship, passport, green card, or other legal document) when asked, as I would do proudly, then you must be condoning those illegal activities."

The above opinion was written by a citizen of Globe, Arizona. My hat is off to you, Sir.