Fair and Just
Psalm 19:9
9 Reverence for the Lord is good;
it will continue forever.
The judgments of the Lord are just;
they are always fair.
Do you ever stop to consider the words “fair” and “just”? We use them everyday, our children bring them to our attention when we reprimand them. How often have you heard “that’s not fair?” But what does it mean to be fair, or what does it mean to be just? We sometimes link them together, and in ways they have similar meanings, but they are not the same are they?
The dictionary tells us that Just means:
- Honorable and fair in one’s dealings and actions
- Consistent with what is morally right
- Law Valid within the law, lawful
- Suitable or proper in nature, fitting
- Based on fact or sound reason, well-founded
Some of the related words to Just, are:
- fair
- honorable
- right
- righteous
- impartial
- reasonable
Being Just leads to Justice and yet Justice does not always lead to Fair because justice is supposed to treat everyone equally. Treating everyone equally is to hold people accountable for their actions. Lawfully you are bound to obey, irregardless of the circumstances.
“Justice is a certain rectitude of mind, whereby a man does what he ought to do in the circumstances confronting him.” Thomas Aquinas
The definition of Justice is:
- the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments
- judge
- the administration of law; especially: the establishment or determination of rights according to the rules of law or equity
- the quality of being just, impartial, or fair
- the principle or ideal of just dealing or right action: conformity to this principle or ideal: righteousness
- conformity to truth, fact, or reason: correctness
When Solomon was confronted with the decision of who the baby belonged to in 1 Kings 3:16-27, the fairness of his decision was evident and justice prevailed.
1 Kings 3:16-27
King James Version (KJV)
16 Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.
17 And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.
18 And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house.
19 And this woman’s child died in the night; because she overlaid it.
20 And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21 And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.
22 And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king.
23 Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.
24 And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
25 And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
26 Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.
27 Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
And yet unlike our children, most of us know that life itself is inherently unfair. The definition of fairness is:
The quality of making judgments that are free from discrimination.
And yet everything in our lives makes us biased to a degree. Sometimes to a degree that what we do is unfair to everyone involved. Take children’s games for instance. We don’t want to see one child hurt, so we decide that they all are winners. In doing this we encourage the idea that all life has to be fair. The child who wins, loses because he can not claim the mantle of winning, the child that loses, loses more than the race because he loses the ability to understand the value of trying hard and failing. Life is not perfect and what we don’t learn as children is much harder to accept as an adult. It breeds resentment on the part of the child who wins, and an attitude of being owed on the part of the child who lost.
It is neither fair nor just to teach our children that all must be winners and that all must be equal. I am not saying that we shouldn’t teach our children to try to be fair, or that we should not be as fair as possible ourselves. What I am saying is that we need to teach our children to handle life as it is and not as we would like it to be. Nothing on this earth is perfect and never will be until our Lord returns and ushers in His kingdom.
When the Lord comes to rule the earth. He will rule the peoples of the world with justice and fairness. Psalm 96:13
What we think of as fair is not always what is fair. In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus gives us the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
Matthew 20
King James Version (KJV)
20 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.
8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
This example of unequal work for equal pay would make heads spin today. And yet there is a valuable lesson here that is that value is not seen the same way by all, and what is valuable to the owner of the vineyard was getting the harvest in. People who think everything has to be fair would be very disappointed and yet it is one of the most important lessons that all of us need in life. The ones that come in last are just as important to the job getting done, as those who are there from the beginning. It is the same lesson that we learn in the Prodigal Son and many of the other parables.
True fairness and justice will not come into the world until He returns and we are being unfair and unjust to our children if we do not teach them this. I am not saying that we should not teach them to be fair and just, only that utopia on earth is impossible and that we must do our best, but that it is naive to expect that from others. We need to teach them that all men have free will and that there are those that choose to do evil. To expect them to believe that everyone is good and does there best is to expect them to believe in fairytales. We can not protect our children all the time, nor can we keep them ignorant. We need to teach them to protect themselves and to rely on God. We need to teach them to have the complete armor that God has given us.
Let me end with this:
“God has overlooked the times when people did not know him, but now He commands all of them everywhere to turn away from evil ways. For he has fixed a day in which He will judge the whole wold with justice by means of a man He has chose. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising this man from death!” Acts 17:30-31 GNT
― Dennis Wholey
― Svetlana Alexievich, Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster
Pentagon Taps Anti-Christian Extremist for Religious Tolerance Policy
Pentagon Taps Anti-Christian Extremist for Religious Tolerance Policy.
“Today, we face incredibly well-funded gangs of fundamentalist Christian monsters who terrorize their fellow Americans by forcing their weaponized and twisted version of Christianity upon their helpless subordinates in our nation’s armed forces.”
Those words were recently written by Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), in a column he wrote for the Huffington Post. Weinstein will be a consultant to the Pentagon to develop new policies on religious tolerance, including a policy for court-martialing military chaplains who share the Christian Gospel during spiritual counseling of American troops.
Weinstein decries what he calls the “virulent religious oppression” perpetrated by conservative Christians, whom he refers to as “monstrosities” and “pitiable unconstitutional carpetbaggers,” comparing them to “bigots” in the Deep South during the civil rights era.
He cites Dr. James Dobson—the famous Christian founder of Focus on the Family—as “illustrating the extremist, militant nature of these virulently homophobic organizations’ rhetorically-charged propaganda.” Regarding those who teach orthodox Christian beliefs from the Bible, Weinstein concludes, “Let’s call these ignoble actions what they are: the senseless and cowardly squallings of human monsters.”
Weinstein then endorses the ultra-left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), who publishes a list of “hate groups.” Alongside truly deplorable organizations like the KKK, the SPLC’s list includes a host of traditional Christian organizations (for their support of traditional marriage) and Tea Party organizations (for supporting limited government). Weinstein says SPLC correctly labels them all as “hate groups.”
Floyd Lee Corkins—the first person ever convicted of domestic terrorism in federal court under the laws of Washington, D.C.—told the FBI that he chose his intended shooting spree targets from the SPLC website’s map. Corkins was arrested at the offices of the Family Research Council (FRC) after shooting a security guard in August 2012. His court documents state that Corkins intended to kill as many people as possible.
Weinstein also supports Lt. Col. Jack Rich, the Army officer who wrote to subordinate officers that soldiers who hold traditional Christian beliefs agreeing with organizations on SPLC’s “hate group” list are incompatible with “Army values” and should be carefully watched and excluded from military service.
According to Weinstein, “We should as a nation effusively applaud Lt. Col. Rich.” He adds that the nation should “venture further” than Rich’s recommendations, saying, “We MUST vigorously support the continuing efforts to expose pathologically anti-gay, Islamaphobic, and rabidly intolerant agitators for what they are: die-hard enemies of the United States Constitution. Monsters, one and all. To do anything less would be to roll out a red carpet to those who would usher in a blood-drenched, draconian era of persecutions, nationalistic militarism, and superstitious theocracy.”
Many media outlets are silent on this disturbing new alliance between fanatical secularists and leaders in the Pentagon appointed by President Barack Obama and Secretary Chuck Hagel, under which the U.S. military would officially consult with someone with such foaming-at-the-mouth passionate hostility toward traditional Christians, including Evangelicals and devout Catholics. The military—America’s most heroic and noble institution—includes countless people of faith, and this represents a radical departure from the U.S. military’s warm embrace of people of faith in its ranks.
Yet the little coverage this story is getting is positive, such as this Washington Post columnthat somehow manages not to carry any of these frightening quotes from Weinstein and instead actually endorses the Pentagon’s meeting with him. Sally Quinn’s Post column also approvingly quotes MRFF Advisory Board member Larry Wilkerson as saying, “Sexual assault and proselytizing, according to Wilkerson, ‘are absolutely destructive of the bonds that keep soldiers together.’”
Did you get that? They say having someone share the Christian gospel with you is akin to being raped. Weinstein makes sure there are no doubts, being quoted by the Post as adding, “This is a national security threat. What is happening [aside from sexual assault] is spiritual rape. And what the Pentagon needs is to understand is that it is sedition and treason. It should be punished.” Read the rest at: Pentagon Taps Anti-Christian Extremist for Religious Tolerance Policy.
Nanosponges soak up toxins released by bacterial infections and venom | KurzweilAI
Nanosponges soak up toxins released by bacterial infections and venom | KurzweilAI.
Engineers at the University of California, San Diegohave invented a “nanosponge” capable of safely removing a broad class of dangerous toxins from the bloodstream — including toxins produced by MRSA, E. coli, poisonous snakes and bees.
These nanosponges, thus far studied in mice, can neutralize “pore-forming toxins,” which destroy cells by poking holes in their cell membranes. Unlike other anti-toxin platforms that need to be custom-synthesized for individual toxin type, the nanosponges can absorb different pore-forming toxins regardless of their molecular structures. Read more: Nanosponges soak up toxins released by bacterial infections and venom | KurzweilAI.
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The Darkest Design of Barack Obama
The Darkest Design of Barack Obama.
If this story by Eric Rush is true and I have no reason to doubt it, it is further evidence of the pretense of Christian belief by both Barack Obama and those who are in his administration. China has one of the worst record of persecuting Christians and of forcing abortions, in the world. But this is not the only consideration that this story enlightens us upon. It is further evidence of the lawlessness of Barack Obama and the total lack of any desire to advance the ability of the American people to recover from the mess that we are in. We can not blame this all on him, but the policies and programs that he promotes lead to further debt, more lawlessness, violence, destruction and they further promote a culture of death. It is a policy of divide and conquer and not a desire to lead.
I will not say that we are without hope as Christians because it is not true, our hope does not rest upon anything in this mortal world but only in our Lord Jesus Christ, our home is in heaven as is our treasure. I merely point this out as a notice that the prophecies that have been given us, seem to be in the process of being fulfilled and as instructed by Jesus Himself, it is our job to watch, listen, warn and be aware so that we are not caught unaware. God uses men to accomplish His goals and if this is the time that Jesus will return, God can use Barack Obama to accomplish this. We need to use our voices and warn high and low of the coming difficulties so that followers will not be caught unaware. We know that in the end time that we will face increased persecution and it is happening throughout the whole of the world to varying degrees. We have lost God’s grace by our embrace of abortion, homosexuality and all the other sins of the world, to expect that we would not face persecution would be to fly in the very face of the word of the Lord. Please click on the link above and read the story and please share as well. Thank you and God bless!
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Dividing Society or Condoning Sin
Are certain segments of Christianity exempt from God‘s laws simply because they don’t like them or find them offensive?
Should we as follower of Christ separate people into different classes in order to keep from offending them if what they practice as daily like if against the law of God even if they are approved by current society?
I think to most Christians the obvious answer would be no! We would not except murderers, thieves, or even gluttons into accepted categories of sin. Sin is sin and it is something that we are all guilty of. True murderers and thieves are breaking the law of man as well and if convicted of their crimes, face a mortal court and a punishment here on earth for their crimes. That does not mean that they will not face judgment when they stand before the Lord!
But judgment is not our job, we are specifically warned against judging. But spreading the truth of God’s word is what we are required to do. Sitting silent and letting those who are committing acts that are a violation of the law that God set forth fail to reach out to God and repent or change is our responsibility. We can not make them, they have free will. What they choose to do is their own responsibility. If we do not do God’s will and warn them that they are committing a sin, we will face God’s judgment ourselves.
We are in a time where certain acts are favorable with those in power, murder of innocents in abortion, homosexuality, the sexual abuse of children, stealing money from those who earned it, violence against those who are different color, nationality, faith, or even a different political position. We are living in an increasing violent world where drones are being used to kill people whom some have judged guilty without a trial, where those who disagree with those in power are bullied and shamed regardless of the truth or rightness of their beliefs. Where wars are encouraged because those in power think that some other leadership would do a better job.
A. W. Tozer said:
“Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen
visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but
many), he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will
contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment
of Christendom. Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, blunt- spoken and a little bit angry with the world. He
will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the One and the salvation
of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath.”
Jesus told us to pick up our cross and follow Him, he never said it was going to be easy. He told the woman accused of adultery: ”And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” John 8:11 We don’t condemn those who are practicing sin, we simply inform them of God’s word and that they can come to Jesus and be saved.
Society may accept any type of behavior that they choose. It is shameful that they accept the things that they do. However we knew the world would come to this point. It has to for prophecy to be fulfilled. We may not like to live in it, we are already being persecuted for our beliefs. This does not negate our responsibility to do God’s will and spread the Word to the world. Explaining what sin is and giving people an opportunity to repent, is what God wants us to do.
If we fail to tell someone that abortion is murder in God’s eyes or that homosexuality is indeed a sin, not only will they lose the opportunity to change, but we will lose the opportunity to do what God wants us to do and we will lose as well. Their blood will be upon our heads:
Ezekiel 33:8-9
King James Version (KJV)
8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
This is something that is the responsibility of all followers of Christ. It is up to all of us. It is not just for the Pastors, we are all ministers in the eyes of the Lord. We minister in what we say, what we do and how we act. We don’t stand for ourselves, we stand for Jesus, we don’t live for what the world thinks is right, we live for what the Lord wants.
I have read several posts this morning about Louie Giglio and his disinvite from giving the benediction at President Obama’s second inaugural ceremony and it is simplistic to look at the words spoken on both sides of the issue as simply representing peoples opinion. It is so much more than that. It is a further degradation of the ability of Christians to speak in public in a country that was founded upon the principles of Religious Liberty. It is also a sign that evil is more and more prevalent in our society and that the final conflict is getting closer. It is a warning to all who can see that we must be prepared and we much choose on which side we intend to stand. There is no middle ground.
From Red State
Having to Choose
an excerpt: “
But twenty years ago he gave a sermon that could be considered prophetic. He told Christians of the coming pursuit of an aggressive homosexual agenda and that they must not stick their heads in the sand and let happen what happens. You can hear that bit here.
He went further than that. He admonished Christians that, in dealing with the issue, they must do so without hate, but with love. They must not condemn, but lead to Christ. But he also said they must stand their ground.
In the sermon, Louie made clear that the secular world is against Christians on this issue. But most controversially, he said that gays can be saved from their sin by embracing Jesus Christ, through whom all things are possible. Listen to his statement. Louie Giglio’s grievous and offensive sin is that he dares to believe in sin.
His statement is one of orthodox Christianity. Over time, many Christians have accepted that people can be born gay and that it may not be a choice as you or I might perceive it. If we are all born into sin and homosexuality is a sin, which it is, then it seems to fix Christian orthodoxy that one can be born gay. The problem is that, for orthodox Christians, it is still a sin and the world is increasingly hostile to the idea that any sexual sin should be treated as sin. The world is opposed to moral truth and standards and demands intolerance in the name of tolerance.”
“2 Timothy 4:3-4 notes, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” Secularists peddling a secular agenda in the name of tolerance have declared Truth to be myth and myth to be truth. They hear what they want to hear and condemn what they do not understand as intolerance.”
From Albert Mohler:
“Anyone who teaches at any time, to any degree, that homosexual behavior is a sin is now to be cast out.
Second, we should note that Pastor Giglio’s sermon was, as we would expect and hope, filled with grace and the promise of the Gospel. Giglio did not just state that homosexuals are sinners — he made clear that every single human being is a sinner, in need of the redemption that is found only in Jesus Christ. “We’ve got to say to the homosexuals, the same thing that I say to you and that you would say to me. … It’s not easy to change, but it’s possible to change,” he preached. He pointed his congregation, gay and straight, to “the healing power of Jesus.” He called his entire congregation to repent and come to Christ by faith.
That is the quintessential Christian Gospel. That is undiluted biblical truth. Those words are the consensus of the Church for over 2,000 years, and the firm belief held by the vast majority of Christians around the world today.
The Presidential Inaugural Committee and the White House have now declared historic, biblical Christianity to be out of bounds, casting it off the inaugural program as an embarrassment. By its newly articulated standard, any preacher who holds to the faith of the church for the last 2,000 years is persona non grata. By this standard, no Roman Catholic prelate or priest can participate in the ceremony. No Evangelical who holds to biblical orthodoxy is welcome. The vast majority of Christians around the world have been disinvited. Mormons, and the rabbis of Orthodox Judaism are out. Any Muslim imam who could walk freely in Cairo would be denied a place on the inaugural program. Billy Graham, who participated in at least ten presidential inaugurations is welcome no more. Rick Warren, who incited a similar controversy when he prayed at President Obama’s first inauguration, is way out of bounds. In the span of just four years, the rules are fully changed.
The gauntlet was thrown down yesterday, and the axe fell today. Wayne Besen, founder of the activist group Truth Wins Out, told The New York Timesyesterday: “It is imperative that Giglio clarify his remarks and explain whether he has evolved on gay rights, like so many other faith and political leaders. It would be a shame to select a preacher with backward views on LBGT people at a moment when the nation is rapidly moving forward on our issues.”
And there you have it — anyone who has ever believed that homosexuality is morally problematic in any way must now offer public repentance and evidence of having “evolved” on the question. This is the language that President Obama used of his own “evolving” position on same-sex marriage. This is what is now openly demanded of Christians today. If you want to avoid being thrown off the program, you had better learn to evolve fast, and repent in public.
This is precisely what biblical Christians cannot do. While seeking to be gentle in spirit and ruthlessly Gospel-centered in speaking of any sin, we cannot cease to speak of sin as sin. To do so is not only to deny the authority of Scripture, not only to reject the moral consensus of the saints, but it undermines the Gospel itself. The Gospel makes no sense, and is robbed of its saving power, if sin is denied as sin.”
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The Bullying of Independence
I try not to find conspiracies everywhere but I am sure that some will say that this post is promoting one. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. This post is about a power hungry government gone awry. A government that is more interested in exerting control over the people it is supposed to represent. It is not about right or left, it is about power and control.
The young man in this video below killed himself because he was under tremendous pressure from the government. He was a fighter and supposedly suffered from depression. I am not excusing his actions, I am saying the the bullying tactics used by the government played a part in his death.
We have seen many instances of government bullying recently, it is becoming the favored tactic to silence people, to push the agenda of those in power and to profit the favored and bankrupt the unfavored. Ask yourself if you have read anywhere lately of someone being bullied by the government and search your heart. Is this what we want from our government?
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Feds Charge Activist as Hacker for Downloading Millions of Academic Articles
Welcome to the Future
This is nothing more than intimidation by the federal government, ignoring laws and violating the trust of the people. This video needs to be shared far and wide. The reason for the raid will shock you! The tactics that are used are determined to instill fear. hat tip to my friend D for this post!
A Disturbing Video….Federal Raid On A Water Company!
Warning Signs: Would States Secede to Protect Their Citizens?
Warning Signs: Would States Secede to Protect Their Citizens?.
Debunking the Common Core “The Emperor’s New Clothes” Narrative…. via The Bell News
The following post is reprinted with permission and it is a must read for anyone with children and grandchildren. It is also a must read for educators. Please do take time to check the links and read the other posts available!
Debunking the Common Core “The Emperor’s New Clothes” Narrative….
- by Gretchen Logue
- January 7, 2013
…and why are education reformers/politicians ascribing to fairy tales for policy?
Should Common Core State Standards be considered an educational version of the story “The Emperor’s New Clothes”? The standards are the promise of new clothes for education but is there basis for believing there are any clothes at all? From Wikipedia:
“The Emperor’s New Clothes” (Danish: Kejserens nye Klæder) is a short tale byHans Christian Andersen about two weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes that is invisible to those unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent. When the Emperor parades before his subjects in his new clothes, a child cries out, “But he isn’t wearing anything at all!” The tale has been translated into over a hundred languages.[1]
Christopher H. Tienken, Editor of AAASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice provided commentary in the Winter 2011 publication entitled Common Core State Standards: An Example of Data-less Decision Making.
His research may just expose the standards to be unfit and fallacy to those who are critical thinkers asking for data determining their stated validity. This article should be studied by educators, politicians, taxpayers, to understand the colossal farce Common Core standards are in terms of providing promises of educational improvement for American students as they are unproven and untested.
Tienken writes the standards have not been validated empirically and no metric has been set to monitor the intended and unintended consequences they will have on the education system and children (Mathis, 2010). So why would governors and private trade organizations spend millions of taxpayer dollars on theories instead of verifiable researched data? The CCSS proponents have bought into these two arguments:
- America’s children are “lagging” behind international peers in terms of academic achievement, and
- the economic vibrancy and future of the United States relies upon American students outranking their global peers on international tests of academic achievement because of the mythical relationship between ranks on those tests and a country’s economic competitiveness.
Where’s the data supporting the CCSS proponents’ arguments? There isn’t much put forth by the education reformers. So why are states and school districts implementing unproven and untested theories? He defines the acceptance/lack of data for the unproven and untested CCSS assessments and implementation allegedly designed to enable students to become “globally competitive” with such sentences/phrases as:
- An unbelievable suspension of logic and evidence
- To believe that economic strength of the United States relies on how students rank on the Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) or the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), rather than reliance on policy (tax, trade, health, labor, finance, monetary, housing, natural resources policy)…”is like believing in the tooth fairy”
- The “critical skills necessary to compete in the 21st century” are repackaged 19th century ideas and skills…they are “inert, sterile, socially static”…the CCSS are stuck in a curricular time machine set in 1858
- Connecting an individual’s education achievement on a standardized test to a nation’s economic future is not empirically or logically acceptable and using that mythical connection for large-scale policymaking is civically reckless…when school administrators implement programs and policies built on those faulty arguments, they commit education malpractice
- More countries with national standards underperformed the US than did countries without national standards
- To think that every student in this country should be made to learn the same thing is illogical—it lacks face validity…we should have learned from the Soviet Union that central planning does not work in the long-run
- Standardization and testing are so entrenched in Singapore that every attempt to diversity the system has failed, leaving Singapore a country that has high test scores but no creativity
- (CCSS) creates a standardizing apparatus…we should respect differences among children, not try to extinguish them…there is a lot more going on here on the societal level than meets the eye…it’s more complex than the creators and vendors of the standards either understand or wish to present
- Children have a right to a quality education. School leaders, those who prepare them, and the people who lead our professional organizations have a duty to help provide the quality…if some education leaders choose to drink the snake oil then they should expect to get sick. If some help sell it, they should resign.
He backs up his findings with 48 independent referenced sources. It is worth your time to read his commentary that destroys the CCSS proponents’ arguments with methodical precision based on actual data. Compare/contrast his research/reference with the data CCSSO and the NGA use:
”
Many school districts or schools have “data committees” that make school-widedecisions based on some type of data. Surely there must be quality data available publically to support the use of the CCSS to transform, standardize, centralize and essentially delocalize America’s public education system. The official website for the CCSS claims to provide such evidence. The site alleges that the standards are “evidence based” and lists two homegrown documents to “prove” it: Myths vs Facts (NGA, 2010) and the Joint International Benchmarking Report (NGA, 2008).
The Myths document presents claims that the standards have “made use of a large and growing body of knowledge” (p. 3). Knowledge derives in part from carefully controlled scientific experiments and observations so one would expect to find references to high quality empirical research to support the standards.
When I reviewed that “large and growing body of knowledge” offered by the NGA, I found that it was not large, and in fact built mostly on one report, Benchmarking for Success, created by the NGA and the CCSSO, the same groups that created these standards; Hardly independent research.
The Benchmarking report has over 135 end notes, some of which are repetitive references. Only four of the cited pieces of evidence could be considered empirical studies related directly to the topic of national standards and student achievement.The remaining citations were newspaper stories, armchair magazine articles, op-ed pieces, book chapters, notes from telephone interviews, and several tangential studies.
Many of the citations were linked to a small group of standardization advocates and did not represent the larger body of empirical thought on the topic”.
Tienken’s report needs to be sent to school boards, superintendents, state educational agencies, educational reform groups, governors and state legislators for their response to his research and conclusions. These private and/or public entities need to asked why they support common core standards and provide the data to back up their beliefs and use of the standards. If you get shocked faces and declarations from these groups/politicians such as “I do whatever _________ tells me to” (fill in the blank: state agency, federal government, governor, etc), you know the right to direct your school’s educational direction is in dire jeopardy.
Tienken writes those who perpetuate bad ideas based on flawed data are practicing poor leadership. If some school leaders and their organizations do not want to stand up for children then they should stand down and let those who are will assume the leadership reins.
How do you believe these organizations/politicians will respond (if they do) to Tienken’s research? Tienken welcomed rebuttal on his 2011 commentary:
“I welcome your rebuttals but please remember: Leave the opinions and ideology behind and bring the evidence”.
Do the CCSS proponents have anything other than opinions and ideology? This commentary was published in Winter 2011. I haven’t seen any data backing up CCSS proponents’ assertions, have you? That’s odd as they state CCSS is data driven. If they insist CCSS should be data driven, shouldn’t the foundational theory of their reforms consist of verifiable data to determine the veracity of their argument?
Dr. Tienken’s academic profile:
Christopher Tienken, Ed.D. is an assistant professor of Education Administration at Seton Hall University. He has public school administration experience as a PK-12 assistant superintendent, middle school principal, and elementary school assistant principal. He began his career in education as an elementary school teacher. Dr Tienken’s research interests include the effect and influence of professional development on teacher practice and student achievement, the construct validity of high-stakes standardized tests as decision-making tools about student achievement and school effectiveness, and curricular interventions used in schools to improve achievement. His research about the effects of professional development on student achievement has been recognized by the Institute of Education Sciences and the National Staff Development Council awarded him the Best Research Award in 2008.
Related articles
Adam Smith — A Man who Saw the Future
Source: political-humor.org via lau on Pinterest
I find it fascinating to go back and read the words from people who were influential in our history. Adam Smith is one that is often quoted and he was a well respected man from his time. What I find truly interesting is how some of things that he wrote are so applicable to what we are seeing today. In the following statement, he could be talking about liberals democrats and even to President Obama himself. I wish I could say that he also gives us an answer on how to deal with the problems that come along with the “man of the system” that we see now. I wish I could totally agree with him that most of them are benevolent. What I see with so many of those who wish to impose their own system upon us, is that they are so fanatic, that they don’t care if they bring down everything in order to apply what they think upon everyone. This type of fanatic is destructive and will destroy everything in order to have his own way.
Amidst the turbulence and disorder of faction, a certain spirit of system is apt to mix itself with that public spirit which is founded upon the love of humanity, upon a real fellow–feeling with the inconveniencies and distresses to which some of our fellow–citizens may be exposed. This spirit of system commonly takes the direction of that more gentle public spirit; always animates it, and often inflames it even to the madness of fanaticism. The leaders of the discontented party seldom fail to hold out some plausible plan of reformation which, they pretend, will not only remove the inconveniencies and relieve the distresses immediately complained of, but will prevent, in all time coming, any return of the like inconveniencies and distresses. They often propose, upon this account, to new–model the constitution, and to alter, in some of its most essential parts, that system of government under which the subjects of a great empire have enjoyed, perhaps, peace, security, and even glory, during the course of several centuries together. The great body of the party are commonly intoxicated with the imaginary beauty of this ideal system, of which they have no experience, but which has been represented to them in all the most dazzling colours in which the eloquence of their leaders could paint it. Those leaders themselves, though they originally may have meant nothing but their own aggrandisement, become many of them in time the dupes of their own sophistry, and are as eager for this great reformation as the weakest and foolishest of their followers. Even though the leaders should have preserved their own heads, as indeed they commonly do, free from this fanaticism, yet they dare not always disappoint the expectation of their followers; but are often obliged, though contrary to their principle and their conscience, to act as if they were under the common delusion. The violence of the party, refusing all palliatives, all temperaments, all reasonable accommodations, by requiring too much frequently obtains nothing; and those inconveniencies and distresses which, with a little moderation, might in a great measure have been removed and relieved, are left altogether without the hope of a remedy.
The man whose public spirit is prompted altogether by humanity and benevolence, will respect the established powers and privileges even of individuals, and still more those of the great orders and societies, into which the state is divided. Though he should consider some of them as in some measure abusive, he will content himself with moderating, what he often cannot annihilate without great violence. When he cannot conquer the rooted prejudices of the people by reason and persuasion, he will not attempt to subdue them by force; but will religiously observe what, by Cicero, is justly called the divine maxim of Plato, never to use violence to his country no more than to his parents. He will accommodate, as well as he can, his public arrangements to the confirmed habits and prejudices of the people; and will remedy as well as he can, the inconveniencies which may flow from the want of those regulations which the people are averse to submit to. When he cannot establish the right, he will not disdain to ameliorate the wrong; but like Solon, when he cannot establish the best system of laws, he will endeavour to establish the best that the people can bear.
The man of system, on the contrary, is apt to be very wise in his own conceit; and is often so enamoured with the supposed beauty of his own ideal plan of government, that he cannot suffer the smallest deviation from any part of it. He goes on to establish it completely and in all its parts, without any regard either to the great interests, or to the strong prejudices which may oppose it. He seems to imagine that he can arrange the different members of a great society with as much ease as the hand arranges the different pieces upon a chess–board. He does not consider that the pieces upon the chess–board have no other principle of motion besides that which the hand impresses upon them; but that, in the great chess–board of human society, every single piece has a principle of motion of its own, altogether different from that which the legislature might chuse to impress upon it. If those two principles coincide and act in the same direction, the game of human society will go on easily and harmoniously, and is very likely to be happy and successful. If they are opposite or different, the game will go on miserably, and the society must be at all times in the highest degree of disorder. Read more at Online Library of Liberty
Candidate Suspended Who OKd Mandatory Abortion of Disabled Children | LifeNews.com
A society that views the disabled as something to get rid of, is a society that has degenerated to something that is inherently evil. I am glad that the views of this person were not in agreement with the people of Canada. God has a judgment coming to those who have killed these precious ones!
Candidate Suspended Who OKd Mandatory Abortion of Disabled Children | LifeNews.com.
The Tricks of the Magician
SATAN SAYS (Photo credit: rafaelm)
“1 Corinthians 14:20
King James Version (KJV)
20 Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
Ephesians 4:27
King James Version (KJV)
27 Neither give place to the devil.”\
Have you ever watched a magician? It is amazing at how fast their hands are and at how good they are at the art of distraction! While we watch one hand they are doing something totally different with their other hand. As children we think that they are really performing magic, as adults most of us realize what they are doing and yet still admire their skill and ability, even if we are not sure how they do it. That is the thing, we recognize that it is not real, that it is simply illusion. And yet it seems that more and more people are not recognizing the illusions of this world and are simply accepting them as fact.
Islamic Terrorism Is Over If You Want It (Via American’s Stand with Israel)
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2012
In time for Christmas, the National Intelligence Council is predicting that Islamic Terrorism will end by 2030. And that seems reasonable. What room will there be for headchopping barbarians in the enlightened world of tomorrow where food comes in pill form, flying cars take you around the country in a minute and everyone follows international law.
By 2034, the last murder will have taken place and by 2042, a scientific cure will be found for crime. By 2051, even bad thoughts will have been eliminated, and by 2062, work as we know it will be abolished and everyone will mediate all day on the serious questions of life. “Why are we here? What is our purpose in life? How can there be a National Intelligence Council so devoid of intelligence?”
In the real world, by 2030, there will be thousands of emirates, many no more than small terrorist groups, but some of which control sizable territories. Mali is a reminder that a dedicated Islamist militia backed by oil money can create its own Afghanistan anywhere it likes. And once it has its emirate, then like any good bunch of robber barons, the Islamist militia will take a cut of the drug trade, kidnap the sons of the wealthy for ransom and shake down the international community for foreign aid.
Western countries are already paying their Jizya as foreign aid, trading cash for the promise of stability. The United States and its allies have paid out fortunes to Afghan and Iraqi militias during the past two wars. And that doesn’t even begin to take into account the sheer amount of money spent on development in the Muslim world. It is likely that the United States has spent more on Jizya, the traditional protection money payment of the Dhimmi to the Muslim, than every other nation had throughout all of history. And that’s just the down payment on the big bill.
Back when the Marines first saw action against the Barbary pirates, most nations found it easier to pay the savages than fight the savages. There are countless such private deals that have been made already and there will be countless more made to allow Western countries, and their companies and NGOs to function in territory controlled by Islamist Emirates. And that territory will include international shipping lanes. Read more at American’s Stand with Israel
Number of muslims in Europa by National Intelligence Council (Photo credit: Wikipedia)d with Israel
Evil Will Fall to the Lord
Stained glass at St John the Baptist’s Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus’ description of himself “I am the Good Shepherd” (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: “To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs.” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
We are searching for a reason that a young man walked into a school and killed 26 people, most of whom were children. As these are being buried and mourned, people search for something to cast blame upon and truly there is enough blame to go around, some would say it is guns, others, video games and violence on TV, and yet others blame mental illness and drugs. Truth be told there is something to all these. First guns, the gun didn’t kill the children and teachers, the person holding the gun and pulling the trigger killed them. The young man made a choice, if he truly wanted to kill, he would have found a way. And if there were no guns, perhaps he would have chosen something that would have taken even more lives such as a bomb or fire. When a person makes a choice for evil, evil finds the way. And yes I do believe that evil exists!
Now for those who blame video games and TV, there again, the object is not at fault however it does make people less sensitive to violence and death, sure this had a impact on this young man. We have reports that he was mentally ill, and reports that he was on drugs for this. Perhaps it is time for a serious discussion about the influence of video games and violence in the media, on the mentally ill. Perhaps we need to have a serious discussion about what causes mental illness and how we as a society deal with it. Perhaps we need to allow support for the parents of the mentally ill to be available in the schools, even if this support is of the Christian faith…
We can all find some way to assign blame, why not spend a little time praying for answers and getting together with our churches, after all we can all see how the level of violence has increased in our schools. I would dare say that if someone did a serious study, they would find that the changes made in the last fifty years in our schools, have had a negative effect on our children. I doubt that those in government would be willing to do this, but much as they would like to believe that they have the right to decide what is taught, they only have what we give them. Isn’t it time that we as parents and grandparents took a real look at how our schools are being run and what our children are being taught. Ultimately it does fall to us to care for our children and we are the one that the Lord will ask, “What have you done?”
Our leaders have no hesitation in turning to prayer after a tragedy but the real tragedy is that sometimes things can be prevented if we turn to prayer before it happens. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our leaders exhibited that same faith and turning to God before the next tragedy to befall our country? We have no promises of a pain and tragedy free life, but we do have promises that God will be our shelter and strong tower. Proverbs 18:10
The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
Evil does exist, but it isn’t just on one level. We need to open our eyes and see it for what it is. We must take responsibility for our children. We must take our schools back and make sure that the teachers that we hire teach the values that we want our children to learn. God didn’t leave us, we left Him and it is time to go back. As the title says “Evil will fall to the Lord.”
The following is a repost!
Evil exists, no matter how much we would like to deny it or how much we would like to turn away from it. Sometimes it slips up and knocks you down and you have to admit it. That is the case of what just happened in Aurora, Colorado. The motives of the person are truly irrelevant. The end results of their beliefs or failure to believe in anything, has bearing only on the fact that it let evil in the door.
We long for peace and happiness. We long for security and stability. This is the reason that we have governments. But the truth is that no matter how strict the government, evil finds it’s own way. Whether it is the sanctioned abuse of women and children in countries in the Middle East, or the evil of drug use which alters our minds and makes it easier for evil to take root.
Sadly, there is no cure for evil except death. It exists as a part of life and the only way for it to die, is for us to die. I am not talking about a literal death, although in the end, that is necessary as well. But I am talking about the death of the person that we were and the rebirth of the new person that understands what love, faith, and surrendering to God, is!
Colossians 3:1-8
1 You have been raised to life with Christ, so set your hearts on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right side of God.2 Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth.3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.4 Your real life is Christ and when he appears, then you too will appear with him and share his glory!
The Old Life and the New
5 You must put to death, then, the earthly desires at work in you, such as sexual immorality, indecency, lust, evil passions, and greed (for greed is a form of idolatry).6 Because of such things God’s anger will come upon those who do not obey him.[a]7 At one time you yourselves used to live according to such desires, when your life was dominated by them.
8 But now you must get rid of all these things: anger, passion, and hateful feelings. No insults or obscene talk must ever come from your lips.9 Do not lie to one another, for you have put off the old self with its habits10 and have put on the new self. This is the new being which God, its Creator, is constantly renewing in his own image, in order to bring you to a full knowledge of himself.11 As a result, there is no longer any distinction between Gentiles and Jews, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarians, savages, slaves, and free, but Christ is all, Christ is in all.
The people killed and hurt in Aurora were victims of evil! Nothing that they did was their fault. Evil exists as a part of the reality that we have here on earth. We can do our best to prevent it, but it is going to find a way to erupt. The only hope that we have is in our creator who has promised us a better future. A future where evil will not be able to cause us the tears and suffering that we have now.
I pray that those who are suffering will find the peace and strength to deal with the problems that they are facing. I pray that they recognize that the evil they have faced if not of any fault of their own! I pray that those who are survivors do not live their lives in fear and that those who have lost loved ones will have the faith they need to live their own lives and not believe that all else is lost.
Psalm 59
A Prayer for Safety[a]
Save me from my enemies, my God;
protect me from those who attack me!
2 Save me from those evil people;
rescue me from those murderers!3 Look! They are waiting to kill me;
cruel people are gathering against me.
It is not because of any sin or wrong I have done,
4 nor because of any fault of mine, O Lord,
that they hurry to their places.5 Rise, Lord God Almighty, and come to my aid;
see for yourself, God of Israel!
Wake up and punish the heathen;
show no mercy to evil traitors!6 They come back in the evening,
snarling like dogs as they go about the city.
7 Listen to their insults and threats.
Their tongues are like swords in their mouths,
yet they think that no one hears them.8 But you laugh at them, Lord;
you mock all the heathen.
9 I have confidence in your strength;
you are my refuge, O God.
10 My God loves me and will come to me;
he will let me see my enemies defeated.11 Do not kill them, O God, or my people may forget.
Scatter them by your strength and defeat them,
O Lord, our protector.
12 Sin is on their lips; all their words are sinful;
may they be caught in their pride!
Because they curse and lie,
13 destroy them in your anger;
destroy them completely.
Then everyone will know that God rules in Israel,
that his rule extends over all the earth.14 My enemies come back in the evening,
snarling like dogs as they go about the city,
15 like dogs roaming about for food
and growling if they do not find enough.16 But I will sing about your strength;
every morning I will sing aloud of your constant love.
You have been a refuge for me,
a shelter in my time of trouble.
17 I will praise you, my defender.
My refuge is God,
the God who loves me.
Family Security Matters
The Future of Liberty in a Post-Literate Culture
by PETER FARMER December 14, 2012
“The danger to America is not Barack Obama but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president.” Prager Zeitung newspaper, Prague, Czech Republic
“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free…it expects what never was and never will be. If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed.” Thomas Jefferson
“Words are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas?” Josef Stalin
Everywhere one turns these days in this networked world, it seems as if there is someone using a smart phone, tablet computer, or similar digital device. This writer has now learned to be wary of motorists who believe that they can drive and text at the same time, and when walking in the local community it is now an everyday occurrence to run a gauntlet of people walking with their heads down, each person focused on the glowing screen in front of him.
Read more: Family Security Matters http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/the-future-of-liberty-in-a-post-literate-culture?f=must_reads#ixzz2FJelYttT
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
Paragould Daily Press: Serving Greene County, Arkansas > Top Story (Police State in a Small Town)
Paragould Daily Press: Serving Greene County, Arkansas > Top Story.
I am truly sorry to say that this is happening in my state!
Remember 2 Timothy 3
English: Jesus Christ – detail from Deesis mosaic, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
2 Timothy 3
Good News Translation (GNT)
The Last Days
3 Remember that there will be difficult times in the last days. 2 People will be selfish, greedy, boastful, and conceited; they will be insulting, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, and irreligious; 3 they will be unkind, merciless, slanderers, violent, and fierce; they will hate the good; 4 they will be treacherous, reckless, and swollen with pride; they will love pleasure rather than God; 5 they will hold to the outward form of our religion, but reject its real power. Keep away from such people. 6 Some of them go into people’s houses and gain control over weak women who are burdened by the guilt of their sins and driven by all kinds of desires, 7 women who are always trying to learn but who can never come to know the truth. 8 As Jannes and Jambres were opposed to Moses, so also these people are opposed to the truth—people whose minds do not function and who are failures in the faith.9 But they will not get very far, because everyone will see how stupid they are. That is just what happened to Jannes and Jambres.
Last Instructions
10 But you have followed my teaching, my conduct, and my purpose in life; you have observed my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance, 11 my persecutions, and my sufferings. You know all that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, the terrible persecutions I endured! But the Lord rescued me from them all. 12 Everyone who wants to live a godly life in union with Christ Jesus will be persecuted; 13 and evil persons and impostors will keep on going from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived themselves. 14 But as for you, continue in the truths that you were taught and firmly believe. You know who your teachers were, 15 and you remember that ever since you were a child, you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful[a]for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living,17 so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed.
- 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful; or Every scripture inspired by God is also useful.
Al Assad’s Last Stand
Syria (Photo credit: ewixx)
By Omar Lamrani
The battle for Damascus is raging with increasing intensity while rebels continue to make substantial advances in Syria’s north and east. Every new air base, city or town that falls to the rebels further underlines that Bashar al Assad‘s writ over the country is shrinking. It is no longer possible to accurately depict al Assad as the ruler of Syria. At this point, he is merely the head of a large and powerful armed force, albeit one that still controls a significant portion of the country.
The nature of the conflict has changed significantly since it began nearly two years ago. The rebels initially operated with meager resources and equipment, but bolstered by defections, some outside support and their demographic advantage, they have managed to gain ground on what was previously a far superior enemy. Even the regime’s qualitative superiority in equipment is fast eroding as the rebels start to frequently utilize main battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, rocket and tube artillery and even man-portable air-defense systems captured from the regime’s stockpiles.
Weary and stumbling, the regime is attempting to push back rebel forces in and near Damascus and to maintain a corridor to the Alawite coast while delaying rebel advances in the rest of the country. Al Assad and his allies will fight for every inch, fully aware that their power depends on the ability of the regime forces to hold ground.
The Battle for Damascus
Visit our Syria page for related analysis, videos, situation reports and maps.
It is important to remember that, despite considerable setbacks, al Assad’s forces still control a sizable portion of Syria and its population centers. After failing to take Damascus in Operation Damascus Volcano in July, the rebels are again stepping up their efforts and operations in the Damascus area. However, unlike in their previous failed operation, this time the rebels are relying on an intensive guerrilla campaign to exhaust and degrade al Assad’s substantial forces in Damascus and its countryside.
After the last surge in fighting around Damascus in July and August, the regime kept large numbers of troops in the area. These forces continued search and destroy operations near the capital despite the considerable pressure facing its forces in the rest of the country, including in Aleppo. Once the rebels began to make gains in the north and east, the regime was forced to dispatch some of its forces around Damascus to reinforce other fronts. Unfortunately for the regime, its operations in the capital area had not significantly degraded local rebel forces. Rebels in the area began intensifying their operations once more, forcing the regime to recall many of its units to Damascus.
Aware of the magnitude of the threat, the regime has reportedly shifted its strategy in the battle for Damascus to isolating the city proper from the numerous suburbs. The rebels have made considerable headway in the Damascus suburbs. For example, on Nov. 25 rebels overran the Marj al-Sultan military air base in eastern Ghouta, east of the capital. Rebel operations in the outskirts of Damascus have also interrupted the flow of goods to and from the city, causing the prices of basic staples such as bread to skyrocket.
Rebel Gains in the East and North
Damascus is not the only area where the regime is finding itself under considerable pressure. The rebels have made some major advances in the last month in the energy-rich Deir el-Zour governorate to the east. Having seized a number of towns, airfields and military bases, the rebels have also taken the majority of the oil fields in the governorate. They captured the Al-Ward oil field Nov. 4, the Conoco natural gas reserve Nov. 27 and, after al Assad’s forces withdrew from it on Nov. 29, the Omar oil field north of the town of Mayadeen. Al Assad’s forces now control only five oil fields, all located west of the city of Deir el-Zour. With the battle for the city and its associated airfield intensifying, even those remaining fields are at risk of falling into rebel hands.
The rebel successes in Deir el-Zour have effectively cut the regime’s ground lines of communication and supply to Iraq. They have also starved the regime of the vast majority of its oil revenue and affected its ability to fuel its war machine. At the same time, the rebels are reportedly already seeking to capitalize on their seizure of the eastern oil fields. According to reports, the rebels are smuggling oil to Turkey and Iraq and using the revenue to purchase arms. They are also reportedly using the oil and natural gas locally for power generators and fuel.
While all of eastern Syria may soon fall into rebel hands, rebels in the north have continued to isolate al Assad forces in Idlib and Aleppo governorates, particularly in the capital cities of those two provinces. After overrunning the 46th regiment near Atarib on Nov. 19 following a two-month siege, the rebels are now looking to further squeeze remaining regime forces in Aleppo by taking the Sheikh Suleiman base north of the 46th regiment’s former base.
The Rebels’ Improved Air Defense Capability
Isolated and surrounded, regime forces in the north are increasingly relying on air support for both defense and supply. However, this advantage is deteriorating every day and is increasingly threatened by the rebels’ improved air defense arsenal and tactics.
The rebels first attempted to acquire air defense weaponry by seizing heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft artillery. They captured a number of air defense bases, taking 12.7 mm DShK heavy machine guns, 14.5 mm KPV heavy machine guns and even 23 mm ZU-23-2 autocannons. Over time, the rebels became more proficient with these weapons, and an increasing number of Syrian air force fixed-wing and rotary aircraft were shot down. The rebels also formed hunter-killer groups with air defense equipment mounted on flatbed trucks that provided them mobile platforms for targeting regime air and infantry units.
As more and more regime bases were taken, the rebels were able to bolster their air defense equipment through the capture of a number of man-portable air-defense systems. At the outset of the conflict, the Syrian military maintained a large inventory of shoulder-fired air-defense missiles, likely thousands of missiles ranging from early generation SA-7s to very advanced SA-24s. These missiles were stored in army bases across the country. There are also unconfirmed reports that Qatar and Saudi Arabia may have transferred some man-portable air-defense systems to the rebels through Turkey.
The rebels tallied their first confirmed kill with shoulder-fired air-defense missiles Nov. 27, when they shot down a Syrian Arab Air Force Mi-8/17 helicopter near Aleppo city. The weapon system used in the attack was likely an SA-7, SA-16 or SA-24 captured from the 46th regiment. The surface-to-air missiles are a serious upgrade in the rebels’ air defense capability.
The Fight Continues
Having isolated al Assad’s forces in the north and made substantial advances in the east, the rebels are poised to push farther into the Orontes River Valley to relieve the beleaguered rebel units in the Rastan, Homs and al-Qusayr areas of Homs governorate. For months, regime forces have sought to overwhelm the remaining rebel forces in Homs city, but the rebels have managed to hold out. The rebels are also set to begin pushing south along the main M5 thoroughfare to Khan Sheikhoun and the approaches to Hama. However, first they need to overwhelm the remaining regime forces in Wadi al-Dhaif near Maarrat al-Numan.
Alternatively, the regime is fighting hard to maintain its control over the Orontes River Valley around Homs in order to keep an open corridor linking Damascus to the mostly Alawite coast. Not only is this corridor at risk of eventually being cut off, but the regime is also facing a substantial push by rebel forces into northeastern Latakia governorate from Idlib. Rebels have advanced in the vicinity of the Turkman Mountain, have taken control of Bdama and are now fighting their way down in the direction of Latakia city.
While events in Damascus and Rif Damascus are increasingly worrisome for the regime, al Assad’s forces in the rest of Syria are also under considerable pressure from rebel advances. It is by no means certain that al Assad’s forces are under imminent threat of collapse because they still hold a great deal of territory and no major city has yet been completely taken by the rebels. The retreat and consolidation of al Assad’s forces also allows them to maintain shorter and less vulnerable lines of supply. However, it is clear that the regime is very much on the defensive and has been forced to gradually contract its lines toward a core that now encompasses Damascus, the Orontes River Valley and the mostly Alawite coast. With the regime’s situation rapidly deteriorating, even the attempt to stage a gradual withdrawal to the core is risky.
Read more: Al Assad’s Last Stand | Stratfor
“Al Assad’s Last Stand is republished with permission of Stratfor.”
“<a href=”http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/al-assads-last-stand”>Al Assad’s Last Stand</a> is republished with permission of Stratfor.”
The Spiritual Emptiness of Abundance
Source: blogs.courier-journal.com via Mairin on Pinterest
Deuteronomy 8:3
King James Version (KJV)
3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.
Have you ever been hungry? Really and truly hungry? If you have you discovered something when you ate. It was that the simplest food tasted wonderful and it satisfied your hunger. And yet, when you have plenty of food to choose from, the taste is no longer the same. Either you search for something to fulfill that desire or you decide it isn’t worth your time.
America‘s beginnings were in hunger. Her people were hungry for freedom to worship the way that they wanted. That hunger established a country that appreciated the freedom and desire to worship our God. And in our desire to make it that everyone should be able to worship freely, we opened our doors wide and told the world to come on in.
What we didn’t realize is that in opening our doors, it was not only those who truly wished to worship that would enter, but also those who wished to pervert and prevent the worship of the very God we are so blessed to worship. Our abundance became gluttony. A church or two on almost every block here in my own state and a variety of choices to please anyone. Shopping for a church is almost like deciding what ice cream flavor that you would like. And then if it doesn’t taste the way that you think that it should, just choose another.
Going to church is no longer even thought of by many as a privilege, it is treated as an expectation. Something you do every Sunday, like eating your next meal. Abundance and yet no longer fulfilling for so many. So they start new churches that tell them as long as they accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they can do anything that they want, that any prayer will be answered, that Jesus was a wonderful man, but really just a man you know, that it’s okay to force others to do what you do because you are right and your salvation depends on making them do the right thing, that the Bible is really just a history book written by men and really who knows if any of it is right or not.
This is where we are!!!!! A nation filled with rot!!!! Abundance of faith is becoming our own cesspool of destruction. We have become so full of ourselves that we fail to see what God has given us.
And yet it hasn’t always been this way. There were periods where churches and faith in God grew tremendously. Take the Great Depression for instance. This was a time of great hunger and fear. But the hunger wasn’t just for food. It was also a hunger for God. It was a time when churches were filled and miracles happened. If you listen to the people who do missionary work, they will tell you how hungry the people that they visit are for God. Why? If you truly pay attention you will notice how little material possessions they have. Like abundance, hunger seems to turn people either to God or to evil. Light and darkness! That dividing line is always there! And yet one very obvious thing becomes apparent, people want more when they have less.
The people of Israel wanted freedom when they were slaves, our founders wanted freedom to worship, people in India, China and other places, are looking for God because they have been denied that chance. God let Israel remain in slavery until they truly hungered for freedom. Our founders got the opportunity and established this beacon to the world. God is sending people throughout the world with His message for the hungry.
But what of us? Have we lost His grace with our gluttony and the perversion of His word? Have we lost His grace with the practice of sanctioned murder of the innocents with abortion, or the forcing of perversion upon our children with the increase in the teaching that homosexuality is appropriate and perfectly acceptable?
If hunger is the driving force that makes us truly desire God, I am afraid that we are going to go through a period of time where we are going to suffer a great hunger. We are already headed down that path. And I don’t mean just spiritual hunger because we will have lost our ability to worship freely and to share our faith with our children. The path that we are on is one that will call for sacrifice and hunger on a material plane as well. We will be like the prodigal son. After all, he didn’t return to his father because he was fulfilled, he returned because he was hungry and he knew that his father would feed him even if he were a slave.
Luke 15:14-19
King James Version (KJV)
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
Matthew 5:6
King James Version (KJV)
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Luke 6:21
King James Version (KJV)
21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
Luke 6:25
King James Version (KJV)
25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
Philippians 4:12
King James Version (KJV)
12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
Refiner’s Fire
Source: google.com via Linda on Pinterest
The Refining Fire: “In the pain, the agony, and the heroic endeavors of life, we pass through a refiner’s fire, and the insignificant and the unimportant in our lives can melt away like dross and make our faith bright, intact, and strong. In this way the divine image can be mirrored from the soul. It is part of the purging toll exacted of some to become acquainted with God. In the agonies of life, we seem to listen better to the faint, godly whisperings of the Divine Shepherd.” Pres. Faust
Malachi 3
King James Version (KJV)
3 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.
2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.
4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.
6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.
12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lordof hosts.
13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?
14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?
15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
16 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.
17 And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
Refiner’s Fire (worship video w/ lyrics)
A Warning from Nahum
Source: google.com via Jane on Pinterest
For the past several months I have felt that God is sending the United States a message. Either turn back to him or face the same destruction that Ninevah faced. When Jonah warned them, they turned to God and begged for redemption. But the redeeming did not last very long. Perry Stone pointed out the similarities in the last few videos that I have posted by him.
However, I still feel that God is wanting us to be prepared. Showing us what will happen so that those who are listening and believe in Him, will know what to do. Please do not take this warning lightly. When God rains destruction down, even the believers can be in the path of the storms. But as long as we are right with Him, we have no cause for worry. God bless you and be aware.
Nahum 1
Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
1 This is a prophecy about Ninveh, the book of the vision of Nachum the Elkoshi:
2 Adonai is a jealous and vengeful God.
Adonai avenges; he knows how to be angry.
Adonai takes vengeance on his foes
and stores up wrath for his enemies.
3 Adonai is slow to anger, but great in power;
and he does not leave the guilty unpunished.
Adonai’s path is in the whirlwind and storm,
and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
4 He rebukes the sea and leaves it dry,
he dries up all the rivers.
Bashan and the Karmel languish;
the flower of the L’vanon withers.
5 The mountains quake before him,
and the hills dissolve;
the earth collapses in his presence,
the world and everyone living in it.
6 Who can withstand his fury?
Who can endure his fierce anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire,
the rocks broken to pieces before him.
7 Adonai is good,
a stronghold in time of trouble;
he takes care of those
who take refuge in him.
8 But with an overwhelming flood
he will make an end of [Ninveh’s] place,
and darkness will pursue his enemies.
9 What are you planning against Adonai?
He is making an end [of it];
trouble will not arise a second time.
10 For like men drunk with liquor,
they will be burned up like tangled thorns,
like straw completely dry.
11 Out of you, [Ninveh,] he came,
one who plots evil against Adonai,
who counsels wickedness.
12 Here is what Adonai says:
“Though they be many and strong,
they will be cut down, they will pass;
and though I have made you suffer,
I will make you suffer no more.
13 Now I will break his yoke from your necks
and snap the chains that bind you.
14 Adonai gave this order concerning you:
you will have no descendants to bear your name;
from the house of your god I will cut off
carved image and cast metal image;
I will prepare your grave,
because you are worthless.”
