Tuesday, June 23, 2015

A Nation In Decline

Christianity provided the founding principles that established this country.  You may not believe that but it is without question true.  Christianity gave us divinely provided standards of morality which for the first 200 years proved to be well founded as the country flourished.  These moral principles guided our nation throughout the colonization period, our founding period and through the Civil War but started to wane in the late 1800s. The founders warned us that sustaining national morality based on Biblical principles was a must if the country was to survive.  If you do not believe me check the founder's original documents and recorded dialogue and you will learn that to be the case.  We have lost track of the Founder's and their considerable efforts to estaablish a nation unlike any earlier one.  Our Constitutional Republic was a first.  Sadly, for at least the past one hundred years our national morality has slowly eroded.  Over the past 50 years or so it has accelerated and today is moving rapidly.  The liberal/progressive left comprised of politicians, judicial advocates, academicians, all manner of self appointed know it all's, and other secular elitists have slowly replaced the foundation of Christian morality/principles with their own versions of secular humanism.  That is to say the adhere to moral relativism, or human established morality, based on transient human feelings.  That is not a set of standards.  Instead it encourages and permits advocates for any cause to declare or demand a new morality no matter how specious.  To the secular humanist long standing tried and true historic standards are old fashioned and no longer apply.  They know better and as today's elitists they have relegated to the past what works and replaced it with clearly failing so called truths of their own making. They have replaced Christian morality with changeable feel good solutions and far too often the government is complicit by mindlessly sanctioning the latest fad.  Modern day elitists advocating shiftless morality and ethics not rooted in the past think they know best what is right and wrong.  They believe their superior thinking trumps our nation's founding principles and Biblically rock solid God given standards that long stood the test of time.  Just do a quick review of how low our cultural and moral standards have fallen.  The evidence is all around us.  Any truly honest assessment will establish that we are well along the road to perdition.  Here are some examples of the evidence of our decline.  Repentance and restoration of tried and true Christian principles are our only way out of this flawed man made mess we are in. Please read as many as you can of the below items.  They tell the story and are proof positive that serious problems loom if we do not return to the principles that created this country. 

Peruse these statistics captured by a recent poll dealing with the nation's morality.   http://dailysignal.com/2015/06/04/americas-morals-are-slipping-new-poll-finds/?

Things once rejected by civil society are now being normalized.  Quote: "Former Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan,  writing in his 1993 article “Defining Deviancy Down” posits  “…over the past generation, the amount of deviant behavior in American society has increased beyond the levels the community can ‘afford to recognize’ and that, accordingly, we have been redefining deviancy so as to exempt much conduct previously stigmatized, and also quietly raising the ‘normal’ level in categories where behavior is now abnormal by any earlier standard.” Moynihan was right.  The predicted disaster to our culture is unfolding before our very eyes.   http://www.redstate.com/2015/06/09/daniel-patrick-moynihan-triumph-deviancy/

This item is about a liberal author who writes in her book regarding how left leaning liberals are destroying the country but, according to this piece, she still does not see the forest for the trees.  It is however a very good assessment of the valid points Kirsten Powers makes in her book.  Quote: "Kirsten Powers’ new book, The Silencing: How the Left is Killing Free Speech provides a thorough account of the hypocrisy, intolerance, and just plain nastiness of what she terms the “illiberal left.” It is indeed refreshing to read a self-proclaimed “lifelong liberal” call out the abuses of her co-progressives, even if she breaks no new ground in doing so: informed conservatives are already well aware of what regularly goes on in academia, Hollywood, traditional media, and other environments dominated by the left."    http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/06/disconnect_kirsten_powers_the_silencing_how_the_left_is_killing_free_speech.html

This is where we are and it is a dangerous place.  Quote: "For the last few decades, our culture has warmly embraced moral relativism, where right and wrong are determined based on our feelings, and so there is nothing absolute. Morality is entirely relative, which means that you can have your morality and I can have mine. Today, we have moved from moral relativism to reality relativism, where not only morality but everything is determined by how I feel, so you can have your reality and I can have mine.
This is not a matter of a dangerous descent down a slippery slope. This is a matter of falling off the cliff entirely."      http://townhall.com/columnists/michaelbrown/2015/06/20/from-moral-relativism-to-reality-n2014915/page/full

This is a sad commentary of the lack of interest a huge swath of our population has for reading.  It is likely than many have such poor reading skills that it is not something they want to do.  A major drawback is that it limits their ability to be really informed on topics important to them, their families, their communities and our country. Many, maybe even most, fall into the category of uninformed voters - it is well established that these are voters specifically targeted by huge Democrat campaigns. This is a travesty visited upon us by progressive policies and far too many failing schools.   Quote: "Going from bad to worse, there are entire segments of the American population to whom books, in any form, are alien creatures. We have entire cities where the art of reading is as dead as the Dodo Bird, and this disease of the intellect is growing, not declining. The number of people who do not read books has tripled since 1978 (taken from our reluctant PEW people’s report – and this even includes audio books). The problem is exasperated by the fact that the fastest growing segments of our population, i.e. Middle Eastern immigrants and African Americans are at the bottom of the reading for pleasure (or reading for anything) scale. We are rapidly creating a new class of Americans who have no interest in the written word, other than being able to sign their names on their welfare checks. Inner city schools put little or no emphasis on reading for pleasure, and the results are obvious. Amazon.com is the Mecca for reading in this country. Its top 100 best-sellers for 2014 were composed almost equally of men and women, but not one of them was written by an African American. That statement silently shouts our dilemma."      http://eaglerising.com/19402/readingand-the-decline-of-america/

Thoughtful, insightful and on target.  Quote: "A civilized society's first line of defense is not the law, police and courts but customs, traditions, rules of etiquette and moral values. These behavioral norms -- mostly transmitted by example, word of mouth and religious teachings "  The author argues that it was the Greatest Generation that failed to pass along those timeless attributes to the next generation.  To make his point he asks us to consider "What are the massive government spending programs that threaten to bankrupt our nation in the future? The answer would have to be Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Over 50 percent of today's federal budget is spent on these programs. Around the time when many in the so-called Greatest Generation were born (1920), there were no such programs, and federal spending was $53 billion. In 2014, federal spending was $3.5 trillion."  http://townhall.com/columnists/walterewilliams/2015/06/17/culture-and-social-pathology-n2012686/page/full

The elitist in our culture do not listen to what children of same sex marriages have to say.  The New York Time did a piece that ignored those children that want a mom and dad.  Quote: "I wish the voices of Katy Faust and Heather Barwick would have been included in that New York Times piece. For all of the Times’ concern about the benefits of redefining marriage on children of same-sex couples, there’s little concern about the suffering inflicted on children raised in such relationships. A relentless focus on only one side of this debate has left us astonishingly deaf to their cries."   http://dailysignal.com/2015/06/16/new-york-times-ignores-children-of-gay-parents-who-want-a-mom-and-dad/?

The ACLU is intent on promoting things that destroy long standing cultural norms.  This item lists and briefly discusses only five of their many priorities.  People with a conscience will not like any one of them.    http://patriotupdate.com/articles/is-the-aclu-trying-to-destroy-christianity-or-just-america/

This item expresses an opinion regarding TV coverage of and exploitation of unfortunate people all the while calling it news.  It is confirmation that so much of the media is an instrument of America's cultural decline.  This is the view of many, including me.   http://townhall.com/columnists/lindachavez/2015/06/05/trash-tv-shouldnt-be-news-n2008457/page/full    Miley Cyrus is emblematic of the current day cultural decline.  See what she has to say in this piece.  Should she be a role model for our children?   http://godfatherpolitics.com/22992/miley-cyrus-sex-with-animals-and-consent/   And this item provides a summary of the consequences of the permissiveness and moral relativism of our modern day progressive led society and academic institutions.   http://humanevents.com/2015/06/19/the-creepy-consequences-of-oppression-chic/?   And consider this discussion of the impact of liberal/progressive ideology on our culture.  

This is a tragedy that must be reversed.  Far too many children grow up without a father in the home.  The negative consequences are clear for all to see.  Regarding the recent incident with "...why Rachel Dolezal—a 37-year-old adult Caucasian woman—pretended to be black for the past 20 years."  The author blames "... her father, Larry Dolezal. I blame him in order to make a bold point: we must stop blaming the police, sexism, racism or even our own children every time our children go wild. Instead, we need to develop, hold accountable and appreciate great fathers.  Research shows that a girl’s father—more than her mother and certainly more than the local police department—shapes how confident and mentally secure she becomes later in life." http://townhall.com/columnists/katiekieffer/2015/06/15/white-or-black-girls-go-wild-without-fathers-n2012049/page/full   Many experts lament that this is also a major problem leading to the decay in moral and civil behavior in boys, regardless of race.

This synopsizes the voter condition we are in and how the problem got started and how it is continuing.  Quote: "At the precise moment in history when the United States abandoned any attempt to transmit American values to its own citizens, never mind immigrants, the 1965 immigration act began dumping the poorest of the poor from around the world on our country."     http://humanevents.com/2015/06/17/first-mary-jo-kopechne-then-america/?

A new term has been introduced by the left apparently designed to further advance their PC control over civil debate.  Quote: "The concept of "micro-aggression" is just one of many tactics used to stifle differences of opinion by declaring some opinions to be "hate speech," instead of debating those differences in a marketplace of ideas. To accuse people of aggression for not walking in lockstep with political correctness is to set the stage for real aggression against them."    And, "In a sense, the political left's attempts to silence ideas they cannot, or will not, debate are a confession of intellectual bankruptcy."     http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2015/06/16/micrototalitarianism-n2012793/page/full   High profile comedians are starting to rail against political correctness...GOOD FOR THEM.  Maybe they will even help beat back the harm PC is doing to our society and civil discourse.   http://hotair.com/archives/2015/06/15/bill-maher-and-don-lemon-join-the-anti-pc-crusade-to-save-speech/?

Is illegal immigration the same thing as cultural genocide?  This item discusses that question.  http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/06/colonization_and_cultural_genocide__and_they_call_it_immigration.html

Total PC insanity in the Oregon school system.  "Harvey Scott K-8 School, a public school in Portland, Oregon, has become a nationwide controversy–after the school’s principal, Verenice Gutierrez, declared the childhood favorite “racist.”
Her logic? Peanut butter and jelly is racist–because some immigrant groups don’t eat them."   http://www.libertynewsnow.com/principal-declares-pbj-sandwich-racist/article1597 


Why is it that so many on the left decry Christian morality?  Reverend Franklin Graham made a proposal that Christians avoid spending money in businesses that support things they consider immoral.  Many on the left came unglued.  Why?  Is it that they prefer/accept immorality rather than embrace morality?  One can only conclude so.  Quote: "The idea is simply this: if you can help it, don’t spend your money at businesses that don’t support your moral beliefs. Liberals do this all of the time with companies like Chick Fil A and Hobby Lobby (among many others), so we could probably afford to do the same when we shop."   http://eaglerising.com/19480/reverend-franklin-graham-attacked-for-defending-christian-morality/   Another good discussion of Reverend Graham's position.   http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/06/franklin_graham__how_dare_he.html

Anyone who thinks this decadence is acceptable is dead wrong.  But, it is but just one marker that illustrates the erosion of sexual morality.  But raising up deviance the way the media does invites this kind of consequence.   http://eaglerising.com/19276/more-than-100-people-arrested-in-a-florida-child-prostitution-sting/    The worst continues to unfold.  Cartoons for preschoolers now promote homosexuality.  Quote: "Hulu is broadcasting a cartoon meant for children about a boy who rescues a prince and a princess but then chooses to marry the prince. Yes, the prince, the BEARDED GUY in the photo below.  This effort to teach children not only the joys of gay marriage but also borderline pedophilia is simply reprehensible. It's especially obscene to start in on this topic with preschoolers."  http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/06/new_versions_of_fairy_tales_being_used_to_teach_toddlers_about_homosexuality.html 

And get this, "One of the largest school districts in the country is going to start teaching children that there’s no such thing as boys or girls.  Fairfax County Public Schools, just outside of Washington, D.C. in the Northern Virginia suburbs, has more than 180,000 students. It’s the tenth largest school district in the country.  Now, kids as young as seventh grade–just twelve years old–will be learning all about liberal “gender identity” in their sex ed classes. And tenth graders will learn that the concept of sexuality is a broad spectrum–essentially."  The liberals are on the warpath against normal human sexuality.  This is insanity!  Another quote: "The big lesson, according to Fox News’s Todd Starnes, is “the idea that there’s no such thing as 100 percent boys or 100 percent girls.”   http://www.libertynewsnow.com/teachers-to-7th-graders-theres-no-such-thing-a-boy-or-girl/article1599  

Use of psychiatric drugs is a common theme when confronted with mass murders like the recent one in Charleston, SC.  They more than guns seems to me to be a major part of the problem.  Yes guns deliver the bullets that kill or injure but mind altering drugs used by the perpetrators are known to cause violent thoughts.   http://www.infowars.com/charleston-shooter-was-on-drug-linked-to-violent-outbursts/?   More here.   https://www.lewrockwell.com/2015/06/edward-group/antidepressants-and-violent-behavior/    

This item examines a piece by the writer for Salon.  It begs the question does the entire Salon meet the definition of the left's self identified personification of what it means to be "tolerant"?   It is clear to me that neither the editors of Salon or their contributors have an ounce of tolerance for anyone who does not agree with their bigoted ideology.  Quote: "In the end, however, Tayler's motives are beside the point, which is that he feels not only free to unleash this kind of slander against the belief system of the majority of Americans but also that there is no risk that he will be considered, much less called, a bigot or intolerant for doing so. That's because in the leftist-dominated media culture, you can, with limitless vile, insult individuals and groups outside those protected by political correctness with impunity and often with confidence that you'll be praised."     http://townhall.com/columnists/davidlimbaugh/2015/06/16/for-leftists-its-open-season-on-christians-n2012894/page/full    

People who cannot tell fake news from the real thing expose their limited intelligence, willingness to show it and demonstrate their intolerance of people who counter the fake news with facts.  That they have it all wrong matters not so any intelligent conversation is impossible.  Here is a good example.  http://patriotupdate.com/articles/when-real-boobs-consume-fake-news/

Behavior of this type is indicative of a nation that has lost its soul.  Quote: "In recent days, the nation has been shocked by the story coming out of Texas: a 14-year-old girl was raped, her baby forcibly aborted through pills and a lengthy, brutal beating, and then, the stillborn baby was burned on a grill and later disposed of.  While this story couldn’t be more horrific, America needs to realize that forced abortions are not uncommon. Abortion giant Planned Parenthood has been accused of forcing women to end the lives of their own children."    http://liveactionnews.org/stories-of-forced-abortion-all-too-common/

The differences between poor and rich have a number of causes.  This provides a brief discussion of some of them.   http://dailysignal.com/2015/06/14/the-lie-obama-keeps-repeating-about-the-poor-in-america/? 

Bill Maher, a far left atheist, feels quite free to spew his hatred for Christians.  He is unquestionably a hate monger who does not deserve even the tiniest bit of the acclaim he receives.  His senseless and unconscionable rants in no small part are part of the problem we have in this nation.  Anyone with only a modicum of conscience should agree.  And his antics actually highlight the very fact that is the liberal left are the intolerant rather than Christians and conservatives. It does nothing to promote anything good.  Rather it is destructive to civil discourse.  http://www.redstate.com/2015/06/09/bill-mahers-malignant-mockery-persecuted-christians-repugnant-humanity/  

Not the same thing as the above item but related is how the left has a propensity to shut down debate with those having different opinions.  Here is a piece that addresses that very point.  http://dailysignal.com/2015/06/11/how-the-left-shut-downs-debates-an-interview-with-guy-benson/?

This illustrates the intolerance and frankly the total disregard the liberal left has for free speech and the simple human right to have an opinion different from someone else.  Clint Eastwood should be a beacon for all of us to follow instead of the politically correct Hollywood elites this article addresses.   http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/06/no_freedom_of_speech_for_the_politically_incorrect_clint_eastwood.html

What does one think of the US government's "gesture" to Islam by moving traditional July 4th celebrations to June 4th.  Yielding to Islam just gives them more incentive to further intrude into US interests and our culture.  This is not an act of being nice.  It is a cowardly act that emboldens Islamists to continue forcing their culture on others.   http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/06/us_embassy_moves_fourth_of_july_celebration_to_june_4_out_of_respect_for_ramadan.html   When was the last time you heard of any yielding to the interests of others by any Islamic state or group?

An example of government over-reach.  Put yourself in these parents place and see if you think it is okay for the government to do what they did to them.   http://eaglerising.com/19589/government-takes-child-and-charges-parents-with-felony-because-son-was-playing-in-the-yard-unsupervised/  

Ever since President Obama took office he has intruded into the military in such a way as to undermine its historic tradition of "honor, duty, country".   Here is just one example.   http://www.redstate.com/2015/06/11/us-army-institution-corrupted-core/   

This is a true but sad commentary.  Wish it wasn't so.   http://patriotupdate.com/articles/how-liberals-distort-american-history/

Contrast this view of art with that prohibited by Islamists at the cost of deathly outrage.  Yet our government, so called sophisticated academics and elitists of all stripes try to convince us these are people we should embrace.  Study what is happening around the globe and tell me exactly what evidence is there that we should dispense with Christianity and embrace Islam.   http://www.1776coalition.com/featured-content/new-york-times-smearing-christians-in-dung?

This Walmart greeter always has nice things to say.  But at least someone was "offended".  When society reaches this point it is really sad.   http://preservefreedom.org/walmart-bans-greeter-from-saying-bless-you-what-they-do-next-is-even-more-unexpected/ 

This is now a socially accepted sexual classification despite significant evidence it is, instead, an emotional problem.   http://hotair.com/archives/2015/06/03/bruce-caitlyn-jenner-im-the-new-normal/?  Here is a bit more insight. http://townhall.com/columnists/brentbozell/2015/06/05/bowing-to-the-big-lie-of-bruce-jenner-n2008409/page/full

It is now normal to claim those with whom you disagree should be punished, even put in jail for simply having a difference of opinion.  http://patriotupdate.com/2015/06/senator-use-rico-laws-to-prosecute-global-warming-skeptics/

George Burns




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