ICReach and the Death of Civil Rights

As the Snowden revelations continue to come out the latest involves the NSA's internal 'Google' clone, an inter-agency search engine that allows other departments within the government to access the data NSA has gathered.

This is all warrantless collection of information. It's as if the police or any other government agency can drive by your house and come inside and snoop.

It's really beyond that. Based off the way the Internet functions in our lives, they can actually get into your head and see what you're thinking about.

A Seared Conscience Speaking Lies With Hypocrisy

Today Janet Mefferd tried to suggest the chaos in Libya is due to Obama's naïve support for the Arab Spring. There are always the veiled insinuations that he's some kind of crypto-Muslim.

The Left Labels Obama a Counterfeit

It's pretty sad that when I want to hear some genuine voices from the Left I have to turn to an outfit like RT. You're sure not going to hear this kind of criticism on any of mainstream media outlets within the United States.


Anyone who says our media is Leftist... immediately loses credibility with me. They've fallen for the Right/Left propaganda of the mainstream. The differences are minimal. They mainstream varieties operate from the same assumptions. What they call Left/Right is just establishment.

Truth and Lies in Hungary: A Parable of Geo-Political Struggle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO8CoEWUGuw

While PressTV and Russia Today aren't very popular in the West and are viewed as purveyors of propaganda, the truth is as usual a bit more complicated.

They certainly are agenda driven but that said so is Western media. This doesn't negate everything you read or hear in the West, nor does it negate everything you might watch on Press TV or RT. Context determines all.

I appreciated this brief programme because it provided some nuance to a complicated issue.

Inbox: Dispensationalism and Futurism

Some readers will find this to be of interest and possibly beneficial to their own understanding.

Recently I was asked to comment on both Dispensationalism and Futurism. Here's my unpolished response.

NPR and Establishment Safe Reporting

NPR has really nosedived over the past few years. Their coverage is growing weak and they're turning ever more toward light entertainment- style news. I find myself listening to it less and less.

Despite the fact that they're constantly decried as 'liberal', I've always found them to be more or less Establishment.

Some Comments on: Dispatches (In God's Name)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gqhlRdOxJg

This episode of Dispatches is worth watching. It's one of those documentaries where you find yourself not really agreeing with anyone but it's informative and helps to make you aware of what's happening.

It's quite biased but I suppose that must be expected. As I watch this I sometimes wonder why these Christians are consenting to this. Do they not recall the teaching of the Scripture? The world will think we are fools. To put it on display (in this sense) is not helping the cause. We're sideshow freaks to them.

Christian Media: Fame and Riches

Christian propaganda masquerading as 'news' has generated an endless stream of misinformation and distortion. Sometimes I wonder if Christ's people in the United States have any interest in or concept of truth. My cynicism continues to grow. I should turn it off and quit listening but I can't. This is the diet of the people I interact with. These are the wells from which many Christians drink. These false worldviews are running the Church. The wall that must penetrated in order to free their minds and hearts from these shackles has grown to mammoth proportions.

Desks, DDT and Delusion

Some time ago I recall radio host Janet Mefferd was quite upset over some pictures that had been released of president Obama with his feet up on the desk in the Oval Office. She (like most Christian media operatives) was piggy-backing off of FOX news that was also kicking up a fuss over the issue.

These people felt that by putting his feet up on the desk he was showing a lack of respect for not only the historic nature of the desk but the dignity of the office... both the Oval office and the office of president.

Mefferd went on extensively about this. She wouldn't let it go. It really bothered her.

Ukraine: The Manufactured Crisis and Ground Realities

http://ericmargolis.com/2014/08/what-if-theres-a-real-war-in-ukraine/


As usual, Margolis exhibits a great deal of wisdom and understanding in his analysis of the Ukraine situation. There are some real threats but not in accordance with the information being propagated by both Western news media and American hawks.


The one thing I think he neglected to mention is that if this situation escalates it could lead to fissures within NATO itself. NATO continues to struggle in finding its reason for existence.

Russia and a largely unreported event from 2002

While Putin is hardly a 'good guy' our news is in hyper-spin mode right now. It's madness watching it all unfold. It's surreal as we watch the WWI commemorations taking place at the same time. Whether we're talking about the tensions in Eastern Europe or the wars in Syria and Palestine, we are still haunted by its ghosts.


Apart from a handful of news outlets the whole Russian-Ukrainian crisis is being misrepresented. One of the key ways to do this is to ignore the context.

Typical Eisegesis

For all (who have reached the Age of Accountability) have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...

Romans 3.23 (Semi-Pelagian Standard Version)

Iraq and Reflections on the 100 Year Anniversary of 1914...

The collapse of Iraq was long foretold and forewarned by those familiar with the salient issues. In some ways these events are very apropos as we arrive at the 100 year anniversary of the event that sparked World War I.

The Taliban, Bergdahl and Ronald Reagan the Traitor

It's been obvious for some time that the Right wishes to impeach Barack Obama. If they're able to capture the Senate in November then the rhetoric will increase. In fact you're already seeing some who are trying to push the House to go ahead and draft the articles of Impeachment right now.

The more politically savvy in the Republican party are waiting to see which way the wind blows and are leery of drafting those articles before the election lest it should turn some away from them or motivate a larger voting block to come to the aid of the president and his political allies.

The Dynamics of Regulating Behaviour

Listening to a recent commentary I was struck by the Christian Right's confusion concerning the role of government with regard to health care.

On the one hand they're vehemently opposed to government regulation in terms of pricing and/or the government legislating access.

But on the other hand most of them want the government to regulate pharmaceuticals and who has access to them.

The Supposed Moral Imperative for Dismantling the Dark Internet

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27885502

Various governments led by the US are trying desperately to put the internet genie back into the bottle. The internet and its cultural impact have grown exponentially it has become a threat to the security of many regimes.

At present numerous protocols are being drafted in trade agreements and additions and revisions are being made to US security policy that allow the government to track everything and prosecute dissidents outside the boundaries of constitutional protections and frameworks.

Some Changes

I apologize for not writing these past couple of months. Life has been a bit overwhelming and not a little grievous.

I'm spending very little time online and am determined to continue this pattern. I don't really want to be near the computer unless I'm writing an article or an email or merely gathering my daily podcasts to listen to.

Newtown and Conspiracy Rules

Continuing in this recent vein it has been brought to my attention that there are some conservatives suggesting that the Obama administration was somehow behind the Newtown or Sandy Hook Massacre.

A Christian Lamenting Patriots

http://patriotslament.blogspot.com/2014/04/good-citizen.html

While I hardly share this author's vision or concerns I nevertheless can largely agree with him on this particular topic... how we should raise our children to think about citizenship.

Is Taxation Theft?

When Christians ask this question, it's very telling. It's an immediate indicator that they've strayed far from what the Bible teaches regarding the government and how we're to think about it.

Around this time of year there are numerous arguments made by Christians (and Secular Right-Libertarians) that taxation is de facto a form of theft.

My letter to Wal-Mart

Since I mentioned Wal-mart in the last post, I dug out the letter I sent them a couple of years ago. Of course if I'm going to 'cross-off' Wal-mart, where do I draw the line? K-mart? Amazon? Home Depot?

It's not easy and probably an impossible prospect. But we all draw the line somewhere. For me, Wal-mart seemed a good place to start. I had been uneasy and increasingly dubious about them for a long time but like most people I just went along with it.

A Few Things to Consider on April 15th

Back then long time ago when grass was green
Woke up in a daze...

...Back when income tax was all we had...

...And while you're in this world

The fuzz gonna come and claim you...

Yes it's April 15^th again and in the United States that means income taxes are due.

Of course because our tax system is such a mess and the Congress cannot reform it, instead they have had to come up with a myriad of ways to offset the tax burden.

Some Consideration and Perspective on American News Coverage of Ukraine and Christian Attitudes Regarding This and Similar Events

While I think everyone would agree the Russian government is involved in the Eastern Ukrainian secession movement I think it's a bit much when I hear John Kerry speak of Russian operators and provocateurs.

He accuses Putin of trying to foment chaos and destabilize the region.

American media has been completely biased toward the US government position. They give none of the background and have done nothing to place any of it in context. If they did, they would know America has been involved in Ukrainian politics for more than a decade.

Our supposed 'liberal' media operates completely within the confines of the Corporate Establishment which owns the media and most of the political forces within this country.

The Christian Experience in Romans 7

http://feedingonchrist.com/john-pipers-10-reasons-romans-714-25-christians-experience/

I'm not a big fan of Nick Batzig or John Piper but I certainly appreciated this.

He's right in pointing out that Romans 7 has long been a controversial passage. Is Paul talking about the Christian life, or his pre-conversion experience?

The Liturgical Calendar Entering the Low-Church

I may mock the so-called Holy Week and the empty traditions that go with it.

But seriously though, it's remarkable to note the change during the past twenty years. Colson's project has reaped a harvest indeed.

A Not So Holy Week

Normally this time of year we start singing to the tune of 'Monday, Monday'

Maundy Thursday
Can't trust that day
Oh Maundy Thursday can't use you legitimately
An empty tradition is all that you will ever be

Every other day of the week is fine.... etc...

Yes, it's so-called Holy Week once more. Lots of memories, lots of lessons.

A few links to past articles....

Easter and Holy Week

The Temptation of the Tactile

Easter and Holy Week (Supplement)

An explanation... why I'm critical but I'm not the nasty fellow you might take me for. I tend to speak in the same spirit we witness in the Lollards and others who didactically mocked the traditions of Rome... many of which Protestantism embraced. I always chuckle about the Lollard who upon hearing the church bell declared it would serve better if it were hung about a cow's neck.

http://proto-protestantism.blogspot.com/2011/04/spirit-in-which-i-say-these-things.html

Deceptions and Fallacies in Politicization

It is abundantly clear to anyone familiar with my writing that I believe there are times when criticism needs to be levied. As we speak out and 'war' against the evils and deceptions that we see, we must careful to avoid fallacy. As Christians we must be cautious to not use incoherent arguments, or appeal to the wrong type of authority, or caricature those whom we would oppose.

Revived McCarthyism and Cohn's Hypocrisy

The head of Mozilla has been placed at center-stage in a growing controversy.

Increasingly public figures that have stood against the normalization of homosexuality are being denounced and forced out of their positions. This is happening in the media, academia and even the business world.

Investment Capital in the Digital Age

In the wake of Wikileaks and the financial meltdown of 2008-2009, we're also continuing to learn more about the nature of Capitalism in the digital age.

In many ways the changes are so broad that it must be questioned if some of the typical paradigm-arguments for Capitalism are still applicable. The arguments that try and suggest the Free Market is simply consumers 'voting' with their dollars is no longer applicable, and hasn't been for quite some time.

The Real Issue in the Nutrition Wars

When considering what must be called the Nutrition Wars I think many are actually missing the real issue.

By Nutrition Wars I mean the whole range of argument and debate over organic vs. industrial foods, arguments over preservatives and chemicals and so forth.

Your Digital Papers Please

The Establishment or Power Elite fear the connectivity available in the new technologies. Never before have the ruling regimes and their corporate collaborators felt such fear. I don't believe they are primarily afraid of terrorists along the lines of Al Qaeda. These surveillance and police programmes as well as some of the strategic goals of the War on Terror antedate 2001.

April 4, 1968

I woke up this morning with these song lyrics playing in my head...

A Clue to Common Core

Many believe Common Core represents a clandestine attack or perhaps a set-up for a future attack on Home Schooling. To some it's just a power-grab by the Federal Government.

Propaganda Mercenaries and the Predator Class

http://www.alternet.org/story/155643/charles_ferguson's_'predator_nation%3A_corporate_criminals,_political_corruption,_and_the_hijacking_of_america'

This link is to a review of Charles Ferguson's book that is basically a companion to the movie 'Inside Job'.

If you haven't seen it, it's worth viewing.

Why the Critical Tone?

My criticisms can be pretty harsh and at times to the point that it will turn some people off. I've had friends tell me they would forward my posts to others but it would be 'dumping too much' on them. Rather than challenge them in a helpful way, it would put them off.

I agree and I am well aware of this. For some this is just too much.

Part of me apologizes and part of me doesn't.

The Churchill Cult and Vladimir Putin

http://www.albertmohler.com/2014/03/28/the-briefing-03-28-14/

Listening to Albert Mohler incessantly attack Putin I realized that he's one of the Evangelicals that can rightly be called a Churchill Worshipper.

Dobson famously had a huge portrait of Winston hanging behind his desk and Evangelicals were particularly vexed over an incident regarding a Churchill bust when Obama came into the White House. They reported that wrong as well.

Regulators, Investigators, Cover-ups and Christians

As I've mentioned previously one of the most striking things to be revealed as a result of the recent leaks has been the relationship between the corporate sector and the US government.

It's long been known that the figures at the top of the economic world rotate in and out of government. In many cases the regulators are literally people who have just left the banking industry. It's the foxes guarding the henhouse.

Putin's Apologia and the Post-Cold War Russian Narrative

The text of Putin's 18 March speech can be found at this link:

http://praguepost.com/eu-news/37854-full-text-of-putin-s-speech-on-crimea

Very interesting. His arguments are pretty sound and logical and they are in line with what some have been saying since the 1990's.

Our media will not report any of this. Dare anyone ask why?

Trinity and Beyond

If you haven't seen this movie, then make a point to do so. Even if you're a fan of Nuclear Weapons, you should watch this movie.

Does Non-Violence mean no corporal punishment?

I left this comment in response to a post which suggested that we need to ban all forms of corporal punishment and spanking. While I certain got my share as a child and in fact what I received certainly strayed into the realm of abuse, I still believe children need correction, and in the end what does the Bible itself say?

The Pope, the President and Dispensational Hermeneutics

There's something not a little amusing about seeing pictures of Obama with Francis the Roman Catholic Pope. Conspiracy and so-called Prophecy buffs will be having a field day.

However despite their fears and wary visions of a One World Religion, the truth is these two have little in common.

Employer-Based Health Care and the 14th Amendment

I find the Christian commentary regarding the Hobby Lobby case in the Supreme Court to be lacking. Most Christians are not grasping the legal issues at stake. The justices who seem hostile to the Hobby Lobby argument have rightly identified this as not being about religious freedom but a back-door attempt to revisit the abortion debate.

I am 100% against abortion but this issue is constantly used as political leverage by those in the Christian Right who pursue an overall agenda that I cannot agree with. Ironically their activities have done much to undermine the integrity of the legal system and in the end (I think) have harmed their greater cause.

An Inconvenient Phone or a Convenient Scam?

Reports are coming in that tax scammers are utilizing 'burner' phones, those Trac and Net10 phones that you can purchase anonymously, pay-as-you-go, and throw away.

Somehow they're able to have the phone register as 'IRS' on the recipient's caller ID and then convince them to send money or provide other information which can be utilized in identity theft and other scams.

Ministry Downfalls, Corruption and Pendulum Swings (3)--- Follow The Money

The one thing that is also striking is the gross and wanton misuse and abuse of money. Some of this is coming out. We see it with Vision Forum, and even in ministries that haven't quite collapsed yet...the Mark Driscoll's and James MacDonald's. These people in addition to being awful teachers have abused their offices and enriched themselves.

Average people are rightly shocked and would be a great deal more if they really learned how these ministries work. Houses, cars, utilities, meals and travel can all be paid for by the 'ministry'. That's the secret to living well under this system. Get the ministry to pay for everything and then at that point your salary which for many of these guys can be several hundred thousand a year is in reality a great deal more.

Ministry Downfalls, Corruption and Pendulum Swings (2)

I'm all for having a big family.                                  

But for these folks they're motivated by Dominion and a desire to produce Dominion warriors. This is the real motivation behind Quiverfull. It's about demographic strategy and the conquest of culture.

I think the Bible teaches specific roles for men and women and that plays out in how we raise our children or think about family structure and roles.

Ministry Downfalls, Corruption and Pendulum Swings

I've spent some time the last few days reviewing the latest news and commentary regarding the downfall of some well known ministries. It seems like they've been falling one right after another. From Gothard to Vision Forum, to Sovereign Grace Ministries some real popular and influential 'ministries' have been taken down by scandal.

The sad part is the resulting pendulum swings. Some of these groups have taken whatever issue they've chosen to emphasize too far. In some cases they're not altogether wrong but by overemphasizing it, effectively making it part of the gospel... the reaction can be pretty severe. The pendulum (as it were) swings from one extreme to the other.

A Few Thoughts on Congressional Oversight, the rise of the Unitary Executive, and the Corporate Media

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/07/the-intelligence-committee-cant-tell-you-what-theyre-not-telling-you/

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130810/09240524136/jennifer-hoelzers-insiders-view-administrations-response-to-nsa-surveillance-leaks.shtml

There's a lot to read here and it's pretty maddening. While our Congress is playing petty politics they are in the process of slitting their own throats. They're inaction continues to empower a shadow government that has now put the Congress itself in a state of paralysis and fear.

Campus Recruiting or Spying?

http://texascivilrightsreview.org/wp/2098/author-warns-about-the-cia-on-campuses-short-interview-with-philip-zwerling/

http://www.counterpunch.org/2005/03/12/the-cia-s-campus-spies/

Government agencies recruiting on college campuses is nothing new but there have been several stories in the post-2001 era that are a little troubling in light of all the new surveillance data that is being made available through Snowden and Wikileaks.

Tailored Access Operations

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/the-nsa-uses-powerful-toolbox-in-effort-to-spy-on-global-networks-a-940969.html

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/29/der-spiegel-nsa-hacking-unit-tao

If the NSA is interested in monitoring you more closely we now have information that they will actually intervene in the retail process and physically get a hold of purchased hardware in order to insure their spyware is installed.

Why the Christian Media isn't overly interested in the CAR conflict.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/interview-with-central-african-republic-president-samba-panza-a-955403.html

There's sure been plenty of focus on South Sudan and the struggles of American ally Kenya, but the 'Christians' in the Central African Republic are getting little notice.

CRH and Schumer: A window into the Military Industrial Complex at work

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/05/us-usa-fiscal-airforce-helicopter-idUSBREA2406E20140305

Just because a Senator has the label of Democrat attached to his name it doesn't mean that he's not part of the Imperial project or that he's somehow out to undermine and destroy the country.

Conspiracy in Turkey: The Cyber-threat to Government Stability

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/07/turkey-erdogan-facebook-youtube-ban-elections

Governments in crisis and especially a government like Turkey with a long history of shadowy conspiracy are terrified by social networking.

The ICC and Lack of Credibility

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/07/us-warcrimes-congo-katanga-idUSBREA260GZ20140307

Of course it's a good thing that some of these murderers are being taken out of circulation and removed from command. The atrocities in Africa quickly multiply in part because of the remote locales (like Katanga) but also because few in the West seem to really care. I'm certain investigative journalists must at times completely despair over the seeming futility of their work.

Some Historical Notes on Music in Worship

http://lavistachurchofchrist.org/LVarticles/AmazingHistoryOfInstrumentalMusic.htm

Obviously the Bible is the ultimate standard. But we don't live in a vacuum. Our ideas are deeply imbedded and without realizing it many of the categories we embrace stem from extra-Scriptural thinking.

A key part of Sanctification is the 'renewal of the mind'. We are regenerated but we are also being regenerated and we need to learn to think through... everything.

Some Comments on Theonomy

For some helpful and entertaining commentary I recommend the essay available here:

http://theonomists.blogspot.com/

While few Theonomists wish to still lay claim to the name, the general concepts are alive and well.

Forgotten Moldova

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/russia-tries-to-keep-moldova-from-getting-close-to-eu-a-956597.html

With everything going on in the Ukraine I've been wondering why there hasn't been more discussion about Transnistria, Moldova, Abkhazia and the 'game' going on in Central Asia. A larger perspective on the geopolitics and history since the end of the Cold War would help people to understand why the US/EU and Russia are in this tug-of-war over Ukraine.

Bitcoin Creator Exposed?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/07/us-bitcoin-inventor-idUSBREA252D820140307

Of course he doesn't want to be identified!

With as many curses as the Internet has brought and all the potentialities for government power, there are also the blessings and opportunities.

Multinational Industrial Agriculture: A Spoke in the Imperial Wheel

Through Wikileaks we learned that the Bush administration wanted to punish EU countries that wouldn't accept the importation and use of genetically modified (GM) crops. This wasn't the first time the administration went to bat for Monsanto and the 'Big Agra' conglomerates.

Even a blind squirrel gets an acorn every once in a while.....

But in the case of Palin I don't think she really got an acorn. I too used to live in Wasilla Alaska but just living there didn't make me an expert on geopolitics.

An ICBM test turned into a propaganda point

Several times today I heard an example of irresponsible news reporting.

The Russians just tested an ICBM and of course this made the news because of the current crisis in Ukraine... or 'the' Ukraine depending on your politics.