The Myopic Sacralism of Metaxas

While I was thawing out some frozen pipes this morning I heard this on the radio. I disagree with the BreakPoint commentary virtually every day, but this one inspired me to say something...

An Accurate Observation About the State of the Union Speech

I'm not normally a big Lew Rockwell fan. He's good on some things. He's great when it comes to criticizing state power but not so good when it comes to some other things.

But this statement conveyed exactly what I was thinking and feeling during that moment....

The Candid Kissinger and Elite Values

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR5p09NTrkg#t=27

"In Haig's presence, Kissinger referred pointedly to military men as 'dumb, stupid animals to be used' as pawns for foreign policy." 

– Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, The Final Days, p. 208

Of course that would have been more than a little insulting to Haig, a career military man. But Haig had never really been part of the 'grunt' world that Kissinger was referring to. From the beginning Haig was one of those officers on a special trajectory. Only certain types of people end up in the general class of officers. He was certainly the type of person to be 'in control'.

India, Pakistan and the US Pivot to East Asia

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/SOU-01-270114.html

There are many in Washington who would be quite pleased if India in failing to 'keep up' with China would be driven into the arms of the United States. This process has already been underway for some years. It would have probably happened sooner but for the policies of Indira Gandhi.

The Divide between Geopolitical Strategy and Public Perception

http://www.salon.com/2007/10/12/wesley_clark/

This news has been out for awhile and it's nothing too shocking but it was noticeably absent from the mainstream media.

Wesley Clark is the retired general who made a run for president back in 2004. I remember when he entered the race, I thought he would probably have a pretty good chance. Kerry being a New Englander would struggle to win over Southern and Midwestern swing voters. Kennedy had to pick Johnson in order to win that block.

A Proxy Battlefield and Potential Powder Keg in the Ukraine

http://ericmargolis.com/2014/01/dont-let-kiev-become-another-sarajevo/

Margolis accurately describes the danger and realities of the situation in Ukraine.

A little context might be helpful...

Dirty Wars, Alliances, Strategic Objectives and most important of all...Profits

http://www.constantinereport.com/alabama-coal-company-bankrolled-colombian-death-squads/

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101493385

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/07/03/353432/-GOP-Backers-Drummond-Co-linked-to-Death-Squads#

http://www.drummondco.com/our-people/company-culture/

While you will not find these stories on the evening news or even in mainstream American newspapers, they're quite familiar fare. In this case we're speaking about US energy companies hiring death squads in South America. Shocking? Not in the least. People have been trying to sound the alarm about this for decades. This story comes out of Columbia.

Mohler's Dubious take on Downton Abbey

http://www.albertmohler.com/2014/01/10/downton-abbey-and-the-modern-age-what-are-we-really-watching/

Southern Baptist Seminary president Albert Mohler is considered one of the spokesmen and intellectual leaders of the Evangelical movement. He's also highly respected in Calvinistic circles as a leader who helped to recapture a large mainstream institution within the Southern Baptist Convention.

Faux-Victories and the Spread of Fear: Les Agents Provocateurs

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/todd-gitlin/agents-provocateurs_b_3509981.html

This is but one link in a long story that can absorb a reader for many hours. The FBI and other law enforcement agencies have a long history of using Agents Provocateurs... planted infiltrators which not only gather evidence but seek to provoke political dissidents or criminal elements to commit crimes.

'Post'-ing Lies For Profit

Regardless of what you think about Food Stamps and other Great Society programmes it is instructive to realize that FOX news is using one of the oldest tricks in the book.

The Ailes-Murdoch Network- Entertainment and Loud, Poorly Attired Women

http://www.npr.org/2014/01/16/263063731/book-chronicles-the-building-of-roger-ailes-fox-news-empire

I remember before my conversion I really thought quite highly of Roger Ailes. This was several years before he was commissioned by Rupert Murdoch to start FOX news.

Lloyd-Jones on Authority

Reaching for Fox's Book of Martyrs I stumbled across another old friend...  Authority by DM Lloyd-Jones.

It's a small Banner of Truth volume only about 100 pages in length. I remember early in my Christian walk reading this and (it seems kind of simple now) grasping how central the issue of authority was.

Flip and Spin- US Foreign Policy and Apartheid South Africa

http://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/10/world/cia-tie-reported-in-mandela-arrest.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/cia-involvement-nelson-mandela-arrest-2014-1

Earlier this evening I was watching the recent Frontline programme on North Korea. Obviously many citizens reject the unbelievable propaganda which supports the Kim dynasty but fear forces conformity. While they may reject it, they're afraid their neighbour might be a true believer.

Drug Wars- Allies and Enemies in -The Game-

While the United States has long played a controlling and interventionist role in Mexican politics, it seems to have reached new heights with Felipe Calderon's escalation of the Drug War in 2006.

Since then tens of thousands of people have died and as usual the drugs keep coming. However, the Drug War is a massive business in and of itself and it must be asked... do those in power really want it stop?

Empirical Theology... The Road into Darkness

This is a very sobering testimonial from a young woman who has apostatized and is on her way to hell.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/07/15/the-atheist-daughter-of-a-notable-christian-apologist-shares-her-story/

It's very sad to read and I cannot imagine the grief and sorrow her parents are experiencing as a result of this.

Hoover's Secrets and the Integrity of Law in a Time of Social Upheaval

http://retroreport.org/stealing-j-edgar-hoovers-secrets/

I found this to be a very interesting little video (13mins) dealing with the activists who took pretty desperate measures to counter Hoover's FBI.

Sacral (Not Sacred) Architecture

http://issuesetc.org/2014/01/13/3-church-architecture-chad-bird-11314/

This programme deals with Church architecture and is critical of the Mega-Churches which have adopted the sports arena model for their meetings. The guest argues that Church architecture is theological.

The Raging Soul

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/515/good-guys?act=4

This is a link to a 1-hour programme but I'm only interesting in sharing the last 20 minutes. This link will skip you ahead to about 37:00, you'll pick up the story of a soldier. If you come in on the tail end of the underwater cave story it's immediately after that.

Gates the Rabshakeh

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/01/13/261419660/gates-obama-made-solid-decisions-but-was-swayed-by-factious-staff

Robert Gates is one of the nexus-players, one of the power brokers who navigate the spheres of power. Secretaries of Defense in particular wield massive multi-tiered influence in transcending the political, military and corporate worlds that make up the plutocratic Oligarchy of American Empire.

Unanswered and vexing questions concerning Angola and Africa at large...

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/economics/2012/04/moving-portugal-angola

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-14716410

What does the 21^st century hold for post-colonial nations like Angola? The end of colonialism created a host of new African nations but also unleashed a new round of bloodshed and exploitation.

The Presbyterian Gospel

http://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc313/

This podcast is only for those who can stomach Presbyterian polity. I myself cannot...except that it reinforces one of my life maxims.

"I wake up every day, look in the mirror and thank God that I'm not a Presbyterian."

World War II Podcasts

'Angry Days' Shows An America Torn Over Entering World War II

After WWII, Europe Was A 'Savage Continent' Of Devastation

 

Here are a couple of interesting interviews from NPR's Fresh Air. Both deal with aspects of World War II that have been largely ignored by our culture and its myth-making endeavours regarding 'The Good War'.

Attack The System: An Interview with Todd Lewis

http://attackthesystem.com/2013/11/28/attack-the-system-an-interview-with-todd-lewis/

This is a long but interesting podcast. I appreciate the viewpoints of the guest. Anarchism is little understood in Christian circles, particularly those that are Conservative and wish to defend some form of the old establishment order.

A Power Grab Within the American Establishment

Who can see it? Everyone but the American public.

 

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China_Business/CBIZ-01-231213.html

 

It's well established that the US military-intelligence community often works in tandem with American corporate interests. In fact it has been a deliberate though unstated policy to weave the financial, military and intelligence communities together into a seamless garment. They each supplement each other and work toward promoting American power. This is the wonder and dominance of American power. Only Rome approached this kind of comprehensive dominance but even the City on Seven Hills pales in comparison.

Obama and The Left

The Obamacare We Deserve at ICH

I realize Michael Moore is less than popular in Christian circles and I will be the first to admit that his documentaries, while humourous are hardly objective, responsible or journalistic. That doesn't mean that they're completely false either.

The silliness is probably more of a commentary on the state of American audiences than Michael Moore. The average American can't sit through a real newscast (there aren't any on American television) let alone a real documentary. And this zombie-ish-ness is by no means restricted to 'liberal' audiences. All you have to do is watch a few hours of FOX if you have any doubts, or even better listen to some Rush Limbaugh, Beck or for a real straining of the old IQ... Sean Hannity.

Missionary Biographies

Though I have not been writing, I have not been idle.

I'm always reading new books as well as revisiting old ones. I'm not sure why but recently I was inspired to pick up and re-read a few missionary biographies.

The one "God's Smuggler" by Brother Andrew was a delight to read. When I read it many years ago I was still something of a Reformed partisan and thus was a little more critical of him. Now, I was able to appreciate him in a new light and couldn't help but chuckle as he was in part rejected by some of the Dutch Reformed because he wasn't properly 'affiliated'.