Armageddon ready! Are you?

Merry Christmas!!!  Hey, what better way to celebrate the birth of the Savior of mankind, than to consider the annihilation of civilization? I mean, is there a better way to express hope for the future than to worry about total destruction? Ho, ho, ho. Stay tuned, more on that later.

Finally; after nearly 40 years of having people think I'm some kind of apocalyptic soapbox bellringer (Who, me? A doomsayer?), I feel a certain sense of vindication: the US government is at least making (quitet) noises about getting back on the train of thought that says a nuclear attack is survivable (with the right mindset and some basic preparation) - unless, of course, you're in the blast zone or utterly fail to do anything to protect yourself.  It is perhaps ironic that the Obama malAdministration is the one putting the word out on this. It is making available a 130 page booklet, Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation. Or, perhaps it is simply another ploy to make us insecure enough to demand more government "protection."

It should be obvious but nowadays we can take nothing for granted, so let me come out and say it: if the government is trying to advance the concept that nuclear war is survivable, it should also be fairly confident that a nuclear attack of some form is likely (can I emphasize it any more?) enough to warrant the effort to warn and educate the people.

Feeling safer yet?  Of course, we all know how much the government is concerned with our safety. It is so concerned, in fact, that it either zaps us with radiation or strips and fondles us at airports. And if we object to such irradiating and/or invasive security measures (which are for our own good, of course)?  Well, in that case, you freedom-addicted ingrates; Homeland Security Commissar Janet Napolitano recently indicated that more changes may becoming, stating, "I really regret some groups (umm....they're called "citizens," Janet) saying, 'We don't want to play a part of that,' " Napolitano said. "I'm sorry to say, if that's their reaction, that's their reaction. If people don't want to play that role, if they want to travel by some other means, of course that is their right. This is the United States." (Good point; except that the government is beginning to put the same apparatus in place for other travel venues including trains, busses and possibly boats as well. Unforttunately, when government gets on to something that brings them more money or power, they are extremely reluctant to let go of it even if they must redefine it to justify it.)

Actually, it's almost funny she should say that, because every day it seems we are becoming less like the United States we grew up in and more like the early stage of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. But don't worry, she's taking our concerns over the greatly increasing invasion of privacy to heart. Well, maybe not for most Americans, but for Muslim women wearing hajibs, she is concerned enough to at least consider alternative treatment such as the CAIR position, which advises Muslim women to request they be allowed to "pat down [their] own scarf," and refuse to be patted down except for the head and neck area.  Let's see; virtually all the terrorism has been committed by Muslims, but Muslims should have special exemptions to security screenings... Yup, no problem here; "These aren't the 'droids you're looking for." Have we already forgotten the tragic case of neck-bomb victim Brian Wells?

But don't you worry about our safety. Never mind that the titular head of national security - who oversees 13 different intlligence agencies - was totally unaware of the Brits breaking up a major terrorist plot, purportedly because he is surrounded by advisors who should be immediately fired for incompetence. We can feel safer now that President Obama has gloated over the repeal of the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, which will allow homosexuals to openly serve in the military. Obama casually dismissed the congressional testimony of Marine Commandant General James Amos, the only member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with the cojones to oppose this stupid and dangerous directive. Yeah, that will do a lot for unit cohesiveness, I'm sure; especially because it was an admitted homosexual soldier who stole and leaked the largest bonanza of classified documents since the Rosenbergs. I can hardly wait to see the news clips of all those tearful airport reunions of men waiting breathlessly to meet their returning 'partners', or to watch the bodies returning of soldiers killed while they were "distracted" with one another while in a foxhole somewhere (somehow, I don't think the Leftist media would show those coffin pictures).  But hey; the Left has succeeded marvelously at changing the culture over time and through a myriad of lies and distortions, so...

All things considered, the United States is rapidly building an expansive and intricate web of companies, departments and agencies which is transforming what used to be the most free nation in history into the most degenerate, most ungrateful, most morally confused (yet intellectually arrogant), potentially the most tyrannical nation since the Dark Ages. And if we continue down this path much longer, our enemies may actually send us into another Dark Age.
I'm sorry; does that sound unrealistic and harsh? I mean, we're talking about the same nation that has legalized the butchery of more than 50 million babies and crippled this nation's future, under the rubric of "choice"; the same nation that had a million or more citizens sympathtetictotheNazis (prior to the Pearl Harbor attack), that has already established prison camps capable of holding large populations (and has used them in the past).

Under the rubric of national security, we are becoming Festung ("Fortress") Amerika, except instead of defending against foreign invasion, we seem to be using the threat of terrorism as a cover to build up what could easily become the most restrictive and invasive government security apparatus in human history. Government is intruding ever-deeper into our food supply, regulating the internet (beginning with "protection" and eventually escalating to restrictions on free speech) and attempting to control the news we receive.

Don't get me wrong; I am all for keeping us safe as a nation. We face many threats from many enemies; and a large portion of those latter live among us, including the most arrogant, most radical, yet yet most detached and least capable malAdministration in our history.

The problem lies in the human condition: we simply cannot trust those who have all the control, and we are surrendering more of the people's control daily. The Founders knew this, and for all their flaws, strove to produce a government that would, ideally, balance and contain itself rather than the people. But increasingly, we are giving up our individual liberties and personal responsibilities to anonymous bureaucrats who only respond to orders from above their pay grade, and often give only lip service (or just lip) to the citizens who actually pay the bills. Unfortunately, those at the top of government are more concerned with numbers and control than they are with the everyday lives and prosperity of the people who make this country work.

When the Clinton's left office, their staffers utterly trashed and vandalized the White House on the way out the door, damaging and stealing government property and, in their invictiveness, even removing the "w" characters off the computer keyboards. We now have a "leadership" that, by all evidence, came in with the motive to destroy the United States as a leader nation; to ruin our economy, strain our defenses to the breaking point, continue to sow racial and economic divisiveness among us, and jeapardize the economic future of all Americans. So far, they have enjoyed considerable success at these nefarious goals, notwithstanding the near-heroic resistance and efforts of conservative Americans, as exemplified by the Tea Parties, conservative talk radio and Fox News. If conservatives - by the grace of God - succeed in saving the republic, all those people (and their future generations) who have been the unthinking backbone of an otherwise spineless but galling leadership will owe conservatives a debt they will undoubtedly neither recognize nor admit.

Not smart enough to be 'grunts'?  Since this week's theme seems to be running toward security, consider this: According to a newly-released study, 23% of high school graduates trying to enlist in the US Army are unable to pass the entrance exam. When nearly a quarter of potential enlistees are either intellectually or physically unqualified to join the Army and defend this nation, what does that mean for the future, as the failure stats only continue to rise?

According to retired Navy Rear Admiral Jamie Barnett, "If you can't get the people that you need, there's a potential for a decline in your readiness." And with a resurgent communist, nationalistic and militaristic buildup in Russia, Islamic terror attacks, an increasing global perception of our weakness and reluctance to act intelligently and aggressively, and a tidal wave of illegal and often criminal immigrants flowing across our border, having fewer qualified people will eventually require lowered standards for enlistees (or, if some Demoncrats get their way, draftees).  In an age where physical fitness, intelligence, tech-savvy and good judgment are more important than ever before for the demands of modern military life (and, incidentally, war), this scenario can get downright scary because the government will necessarily begin recruiting lower-qualified people who may substitute personal aggression and a dependence on government for their sustenance instead of reason, respect, and intelligent restraint; just the sort of people a despotic leadership would want to patrol our own streets to keep the 'rebels' in order.

A Light in the darkness.  For those pitiful few who actually stuck it out long enough to get through all my gloom-and-doomism, I'd now to take another track. It's geared toward those who don't really know much about the meaning of the event, so the "choir" can just sit back as I preach to others.

As you may have guessed by now, a lot of what I write about is bad news, because I think you need to be aware of it. But I believe in balance, and I believe firmly in the Good News that can save us all.  Even as most of us now celebrate Christmas, it is worthwhile to remember that no matter what happens on Earth, there is Someone higher up who has a plan that is guaranteed to work. Of course, that Someone is God - the One and Only, the real thing; and any doubts we might have about Him in no way diminishes the truth of His existence. The downside is that we don't have a clue as to what our individual part in that plan might be; I certainly don't. As hard as we might try to direct our path, we really only have that control which He gives us.

The great thing is that God told us part of the plan in His instruction manual for the human race; and it's the part that says there isn't anything we can do on our own to make it happen. In fact, He sent the only One He could trust, His own Son. Actually, Jesus is more than simply God's child, He is one-third of the very essence of God Himself.

Anyone who has ever taken a serious look around will notice that mankind, on average, isn't very kind at all. Actually, humans are in general selfish, deceitful, dishonest, and often, downright mean. Ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed the one rule for living forever in his own garden, humanity has been a fallen species, with only one hope of redemption. And that's where Jesus comes into the picture; for us who believe, at least.

Jesus, the Christ, was born of a woman for two purposes: to demonstrate the standard which God requires through His life and illustrate it through His teachings, and to provide our only way of bypassing that virtually impossible standard. Jesus was born to show us not only how we should live - that is, perfectly - but also to recognize we cannot do it ourselves because each of us is imperfect in our actions and in our thoughts.

You think you're a good person? Have you ever had even a fleeting thought of committing a sin? Without Jesus, you lose. He came to Earth to save your (and my) sorry butt. And He came to do it the hard way, by suffering torture and a horrible death at the hands of sinful man - the Perfect being punished by the hypocritical imperfect (i.e., all of us). You cannot earn points by doing good, by never cursing, stealing, murdering, lying, praying or going to church seven days a week. The ONLY way you can be saved from eternal damnation (the Second Death - and you thought one was bad enough?) is by accepting the free gift of salvation through the atoning blood of Christ Jesus, who willingly surrendered His own earthly life so that we might live forever in a place that never sees corruption.

Now, after a glimmer of enlightenment, if you're beginning to understand, and if you're anything like me (really: God help you!) you'll think to yourself, "Self, you're not worthy to live forever in Heaven. You're a lowlife dirtbag, and you'd probably be bored there, anyway." OK, I know some of you won't admit to the dirtbag part, but in His eyes, we all are. The great thing is that we will be changed when we arrive at the 'pearly gates'; we will receive new bodies, new names, and a new outlook that fits - dare I say it - perfectly with that heavenly environment. Jesus - the Perfect Lamb of God, LORD of Lords, the Alpha and Omega - declared, "Behold, I make all things new."

OK; I know by now even you few (both?) stalwarts who hung in there this far are getting tired of reading my rantings, so I'll stop, and leave the rest up to you. You can only receive eternal salvation by choosing to accept the gift. That's the great difference between Christianity and certain other 'belief systems'. Critics of Christianity will tell you it is illogical, unreasonable to believe it all, but reason is the very reason I finally came to believe, after decades of not believing. I believe because it is rational, it does make sense, so it must be true.  Think about it. Study it. Figure out for yourself why it makes sense, why it has changed the lives and eternity for billions of people over the past two millenia; why Christians have, on average, produced more good for the people of the Earth than any other faith (or non-faith).  Be warned: it isn't easy, and you will find no perfect Christians along the way. But the journey is exciting, and the destination is...perfect.