Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.” Matthew 23:1-3 (KJV)

Notes for Saturday – July 18, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 59 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  3. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools, and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  4. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul pmags 30rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt. (An equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions.),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  8. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  9. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, and
  12. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  4. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  5. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  6. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  6. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 59 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

What Happens After the End of TEOTWAWKI?, by Virginia Visionary

Many years ago, my wife and I were aghast at things the government was doing, and we were talking frequently with friends in the same state. Several years ago, we realized we needed to make preparations for survival because this ride is obviously not going to end well. We were pleasantly surprised to find many of the same friends thinking exactly the same way. Today, we have a lot of our preparations in place, including food, water, protection, debt freedom, and so forth. Achieving this now has me thinking ahead, as should we all. What’s going to happen after the end of The End Of The World As We Know It?

What happens not One Second After but perhaps ten years after is important to me, because I don’t want to be surviving just to be a slave in another failed socialist paradise. I want to see the reemergence of American freedom. I want economic producers to be free to build this country back into a beacon of hope and light. I want our Constitution to be a guide to a moral people. I want children to be able to walk to the store without fear of abduction by perverts. I want children to be educated as their parents see fit. I want to see every family able to pay for their own health care, as they see fit, without even a thought of government interference. I want to see whole, healthy, free communities of every race exploring their potential to the maximum.

This vision is not going to happen naturally, without a lot of hard work, especially after the cataclysm of an imploding United States. We need to be thinking about this now. We need to be talking about this with our friends, now. What good is it to prepare for the bad times and be unprepared for the good times to follow?

What we do, specifically, to rebuild freedom will depend in large measure on what happens during the crash. We don’t know any of those details, and I’m not going to play prophet here. However, there are some major issues that need to be recognized as we move forward in time. Here’s one.

You recognize that the Cloward-Piven strategy is bearing fruit and will most definitely succeed, unless some greater disaster visits us first. This strategy has involved overloading our welfare system to the point of failure, requiring a replacement of our current system with a socialist model (according to their theory). Their goal is to presumably eliminate poverty, but you and I know that is a fool’s errand and will only make us all poor.

The implementation of this strategy in the form of the Great Society has resulted in a huge class of unproductive people, supported by fewer and fewer producers. This trend is accelerating with the outsourcing of manufacturing to China and others. We have about 93 million people on the means tested government dole today. That’s almost a third of our population.

Let’s say that there is some kind of crash and our current representative republic is replaced with a socialist nirvana. Well, if a semi-functioning capitalist system cannot support 93 million non-producing people, do you really think a socialist system will?

I don’t know the specific sequence of events that will take place, but it appears that about a hundred million people are either going to have to wake up tomorrow, realize their error, and get a job; otherwise, they are going to have to be eliminated by the government or other causes. I shudder to consider the magnitude of this horror, but already in the 20th century we saw about a hundred million people killed at the hands of socialists and fascists. In this country, we have seen about 53 million innocent babies killed in government sanctioned or funded abortion clinics. The notion that our socialist leaning government could trim our population by a hundred million is not irrational.

Do a quick search for “population control” and you will find that many high level people are actually advocating for a total worldwide population of only a few hundred million. This attitude is accepted in academic circles and at the United Nations, and these people would have no problem with the elimination of 100 million Americans.

I seriously don’t think we are going to see the end of “the end of the world as we know it” with those 100 million people remaining vertical. What of the plantation poor in other countries? This looming holocaust is a great evil, and we must pray to our Lord for a spiritual awakening and miracle to preserve and honor those lives. Will you pray, daily, about this looming disaster?

Regardless of what happens, I encourage you and your family to work to preserve your lives and health during the coming difficulties. Keep your head down and mouth shut, because we are going to need you and your freedom-loving heart to rebuild after this mess.

There are certainly other looming evils and disasters cooking in the hearts of evil men and women. The forgoing is just one. This is all the more reason to pray.

Fast forward to the time when those difficulties are over, and now’s the time to start rebuilding. There is going to be some kind of government in place, probably openly implementing socialism, which of course means confiscating food and firearms, people disappearing in the middle of the night, and so forth. What shall we do?

The first thing to realize is that the Constitution will have long been abandoned (this is probably the case today), and our “rights” will be long gone. We will all be subject to the whim of the State– a highly centralized government.

I’m not laying out any plans here, but I want you thinking about what would work to rebuild a republic based on the Constitution, in the midst of governance chaos. Storming Washington, D.C. will not be the best option, as it will be fortified beyond measure. The best, most achievable option would be to start at the local level, retaking cities and counties en masse. There are over three thousand counties in the U.S. Each of those contains towns and cities. We have the people and need little training or equipment to do this, and the local socialist presence will be minimal. We may even have sheriffs and chiefs of police thinking constitutionally who will stand with us. Taking the majority of counties in a state will consolidate power and allow the taking of state capitols. From there, a Constitutional national government can be composed. There need not be a shot fired.

When there’s a problem in America today, the news media whines for Washington to do something about it. They ignore the local and state levels in their centralized socialist thinking. We think like this, too, in error. We need to stop thinking like this and instead think locally, then regionally (state level), and only then nationally. In this way, we can rebuild our nation. We will be leaving in our wake thousands of strong local governments that have the capability to serve the local population even if the state and national levels are dysfunctional.

There are myriad complications, depending on the particular circumstances. Today there are nations that seek to have us fail. If we are weak from an internal crash, we may actually be invaded. What if our country is taken over by a military junta of our own people? What if we experience governmental atrocities that would make Saddam Hussein blush? I have no way to address all these possibilities. I simply want you to be thinking about rebuilding after the crash. The good part of this is that you have built America, and you can rebuild it. I trust you to do the right thing at the right time, because I admire your hard working spirit, moral character, virtue, honor, and decency.

Visualize this. Visualize an America where judges and legislators are revered as men and women of wisdom, men and women of God. Visualize an America where a person can walk down the street at night and not worry of molestation. Visualize an America where your daughter could be a White House intern and not worry of molestation. Visualize an America where the press actually speaks truth. Visualize an America where corporations are in the business of pleasing customers and not lobbying Congress. Visualize an America where families and communities are strong. Visualize an America where economic slavery to the government is abolished. Visualize an America where there is no racism industry, and all peoples behave with love toward one another. This is only possible with God’s help and hard work; it’s not through the singing of some Beatles tune.

I’ve seen this America, in glimpses though not in whole. This is an American ideal that we must pursue. I’m a pragmatist, but we must have ideals and idealists to set high goals.

However, let me warn you of a deception that I have recently recognized. We grew up in a great America for the most part, but all of my life the government has been running huge deficits and operating seemingly off a gigantic pile of credit cards. We have to be honest and admit that much of America’s visible prosperity has been purchased with borrowed money that was never intended to be paid back. The interstate highway system, the schools, state roads, our agricultural system, the rise in the stock market, our medical system, all infrastructure, most all Florida retirement condos, and even the moon shots were paid for with borrowed money, directly or indirectly. Without borrowed government money and the boost it provided to the economy, I would probably be living in a home half the value of what I have today.

Yes, borrowed government money does boost the economy, kind of like the boost a meth head gets from the drug, but there is eventually a price to pay. Have you seen the before and after meth addict pictures? America is the latter.

I say this to make you aware that the America we grew up in might not be the America we must rebuild. Our America today might simply not be possible without hideous public debt. Perhaps this was not the case before WWII, but it has been since. Still, we can build an America based on hard work, family values, and the love of God.

What should we do now? Here’s a list of suggestions:

  • Concentrate on our relationship with God.
  • Pray for all these millions of people who are pawns and dupes of the socialists.
  • Just like we sometimes have to get someone thinking about prepping, we will have to get preppers to think about the period after the end of TEOTWAWKI. Start chatting about this in your community.
  • Study constitutional government. How are we going to assemble one if we don’t know how it works, or should work? Think and read about the ways in which ours has failed, and look for solutions that could work.
  • If the Fed is creating every dollar at interest and loaning it to Uncle Sam, how will our nation ever be free of debt? There is an alternative. Study debt-free money.
  • Talk to your local and state representatives, but talk with them not about rebuilding freedom; just talk about government and what they do from day to day to get an idea of who is pro-freedom and who is pro-socialism.
  • Talk to your local law enforcement people; get a gauge of how they feel about our rights, our country, and our situation; find ones who are pro-freedom. You don’t have to talk disaster scenarios to do this, as there are plenty of examples in the news every day.
  • Talk to ex-military people, and gauge their interest in constitutional issues.
  • Network to find like-minded people, even if you never discuss what happens after the end of the end. You’ll have a group of people in mind when the time comes to rebuild.
  • This is NOT about forming a militia, sporting camo undershorts, or wearing your testosterone patch to the range. This is about keeping your family and community of freedom lovers alive until we can rebuild America according to the Constitution and biblical principle.

No doubt it’s going to be a mess for some years after the end of the end, but if we start thinking and planning now we will be able to rebuild our country along the lines of its founding or even better. In the mean time, we need to PRAY!

Letter Re: A Years Supply of Food on a Budget

Mr. Hugh,

Regarding “A Years Supply of Food on a Budget”. This is the plan I am using. We buy our buckets and Mylar bags. We fill the buckets with grain, add an oxygen absorber, and seal the bag with an iron and ironing board. Other buckets are filled using dimataceous earth and rice. We have found creative ways to buy our grain. We buy rice from a local rice silo for $18 for a 50-pound bag. Two bags fill three buckets. We have 2,000 pounds in storage. We have done the same with corn and wheat. We watch the local farmers harvest their corn (non-GMO) and wheat. Then we go to the local feed store where they sell it and buy freshly harvested grain in 50-pound bags. We winnow it several times in front of a fan to remove all the trash and any bugs. Then, we package as above. These farmers don’t want to sell to individuals due to the time required. They sell their grain in 40 foot long grain trailers. – MER

HJL Responds: Early in my prepping, I attempted the same sort of concept. However, I lived in an area that did not have any grains grown natively, so all of the feed grains were trucked in. I purchased 50lbs of oats, 100lbs of wheat, and 100lbs of corn. I hadn’t yet learned that you had to ask for oat groats, so I ended up giving the oats to a friend who had horses. I set the wheat and corn in a corner of the dining room with the intent of repackaging them into 5-gallon buckets. I hadn’t had the grains more than two weeks before the entire house had been infested with bugs. It took a couple of days to trace the origins back to the still sealed feed bags. It was a nightmare that I’ll not soon forget. If you know where the product is coming from and how it has been stored, you probably don’t have to worry about that issue. In our case, the grains had probably sat in some holding silo until either the farmer had to sell or the price was right. Even if you are set up to clean grains, you still don’t know how contaminated or infested those grains are and at some point grains designated for human consumption are usually treated and stored better. The oxygen absorbers definitely work though, because even if the grains have insect eggs in them, the lack of oxygen will generally render them inert.

Of course, the bottom line is how hungry or desperate are you. If I’m hungry enough, those insect infested grains would simply have been cleaned and used.

Economics and Investing:

“Bank Lives Matter” – Obama Administration Makes Another Move to Protect Profits of Criminal Mega Banks – JFJ

o o o

China’s GDP Growth Is a Total Lie – H.L.

o o o

Items from Mr. Econocobas:

China Increases Gold Holdings By 57% “In One Month” In First Official Update Since 2009

Greek Banks Will Not Re-Open Monday Even As Loan To Repay ECB Approved

Markets Wrong Again: QE4 & Higher Gold on Horizon – This is the full length video of yesterday’s Schiff video.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Abortion body parts: Not just for medical research – J.F.

o o o

A Moral Code For The Post-Collapse World – W.C.

o o o

Interview with Syrian Civilian – G.S.

“There is a lot less than you can imagine. Nothing can make you less human than being hungry. We have been under siege for like 2 1/2 years, it’s close to being three years. Any stash that you have hidden has been already spent, and there’s almost nothing left. People have sold everything.”

o o o

The United States is a Dying Country – MtH

o o o

The Rise of Concealed Carry – D.S.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded. If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.” – Numbers 30:1-2 (KJV)

Notes for Friday – July 17, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 59 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  3. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools, and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  4. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul pmags 30rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt. (An equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions.),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  8. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  9. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, and
  12. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  4. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  5. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  6. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  6. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 59 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Married Under God or Licensed Marriage, by G.P.

Three women and two men who wear robes to work` have decided that they know more than God on what marriage is. They have chosen to throw out all that we have known as Godly marriage. I fully and firmly disagree.

Married Under God

What does it mean to be “married under God”? Let’s start at the beginning, at creation.

The Man:

These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, and every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Genesis 2:4-8

Just so we are clear, that was the man, the first one. There were none before him.

The Woman:

And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Also being clear, this was the woman, the first one. There were none before her.

God did not want the first man to be alone but to have one “comparable to him”. She was different in some ways, but she was comparable, not above him nor below him in importance. A companion for life she was made to be. Adam said of Eve that she was “bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.” God saw and knows what the best thing is. A man for a woman and a woman for a man is the divine combination. If God, who knows all, makes a choice, that is sufficient.

V 22 (from above) says “…He brought her unto the man”. This is the first marriage. This is the only marriage in the Garden of Eden.

V 24 says “Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh.” This is God’s description of those involved in a marriage– one man and one woman.

Strictly speaking, the context means a man leaves his home, that of his parents, takes a wife and does the same thing his parents did. They cleave together, and they form a new home. There is no other combination available. The design is for one man and one woman.

Jesus made His own statement as to what God meant for marriage.

And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Matthew 19 4-6

Jesus thought enough of God’s definition of it that He also said the same– the man and the woman were joined and became one flesh. If there was a time for anything else Jesus would have mentioned it, but it was not. They were discussing marriage, defined as the same as the first man and woman– one of each. The context in verse five is the same joining as Gen 2:24 with no other options.

Some people have stated that Jesus never directly dealt with “gay marriage” or homosexuality, and they have said He would have spoken against it if He was. That is a very foolish argument from silence. There was no “gay marriage” among the Jews, and a homosexual pairing was well taught as an abomination for centuries. Jesus had no reason for it in the Mat 19 discussion or any other place. However, He did indirectly deal with it in Luke 17:28-29. That was where Jesus said that God destroyed Sodom. It is where we now get the word sodomy from. Read here how God used fire and brimstone against them:

Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

That was a heavy indirect verse concerning Sodom. Here is the Dictionary.com definition of sodomy:

noun

1. anal or oral copulation with a member of the opposite sex.

2. copulation with a member of the same sex.

3. bestiality (def 4).

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sodomy

Jesus also never spoke directly about dealing with pedophiles that we know about, so did that make it okay by Him? No, and it is utter foolishness for those who say things like Jesus did not talk about homosexuality in His teachings. Just in case anyone wanted to ask, those who prey upon children (pedophiles) are also rapists and should be dealt with as such and then some.

Keeping these things in mind, it may now be law of the land by judicial decree to violate what God said, but it never becomes right to do so. We, as Christians, have a higher responsibility to what God has said than to what any man has judged.

Licensed Marriage

Did you ever get a license for your dog? Was it because some agency said if they catch your dog without one they will impound the dog and fine you for having a dog and no license? How about fishing? Did you get a fishing license so as not to be caught with fish and no license? The driving license we can assume was for the same reasons; you did not want to pay the penalty for driving without one.

Okay, maybe the state has jurisdiction over dogs, fishing, and driving. So what does that have to do with a spouse? Can the state really tell us we are not married without getting a license? You may or may not be aware of it, but in 1911, some other progressive (rhymes with oppressive) leadership got together with other like-minded people and made what is called The American Uniform Marriage and Marriage License Act. In part, it reads:

AN ACT Relating to and Regulating Marriage and Marriage Licenses; and to promote Uniformity between the States in reference thereto. [Defining the essential elements of a marriage contract; prescribing the manner of contracting marriages; requiring the consent of parents or guardians of minors; requiring a marriage license in all cases; providing for the issuance thereof, the recording thereof, the form thereof, and the form, delivery and recording of the certificate of marriage; imposing penalties for solemnizing marriages without a license, or without authority of law, for refusing to return or record the certificate of marriage, for refusal or neglect by any marriage license clerk of the duties prescribed by this Act; providing that a certified copy of the record shall be prima facie evidence of any marriage; prohibiting common law marriages; providing for the legitimation of children by ex post facto marriages; requiring re turns by marriage license clerks to the ____ of this State; fixing the fees of marriage license clerks; and repealing, consolidating, and extending existing laws in relation to these subjects.

Section I. Be it enacted, etc., That marriage may be validly contracted in this State only after a license has been issued therefor, in the manner following: …

And it goes on. It is 51 pages long. You can read and download the whole thing here if you like.

But in 1911, it was decided for all of us that we needed to be licensed under the law to be considered to be married. Some states went with it within a few years, and by 1929 all went with the requirement. My problem with that is that at least several thousand years earlier God had already ordained marriage, and there was no license involved because God said that this is the way it should be. There were no marriage licenses issued in 1776, nor when the U.S. Constitution was signed. So, in my own opinion, phooey on the American Uniform Marriage and Marriage License Act and phooey on any agency that thinks that they must require a license on what God has ordained.

Pastor Matthew Trewhella had made some very good points in his pamphlet entitled “5 Reasons Why Christians Should Not Obtain a State Marriage License”, which he wrote before five judges were trying to overrule God. One struck me as very much on the point. He said that under the law if two gays get a marriage license and a Christian couple are married in a church without one, the law will recognize the homosexuals as married but not the ones in the church. I believe Mat Trewhella’s logic in this is exactly right, that the government will do this. They will discriminate against us.

Trewhella also stated that the first U.S. licenses were required so that blacks and whites could not get married. I have read similar elsewhere, and some have added that in some cases judges or other officials in places required a license that they were not willing to issue so that white men who wanted to marry Asian women they brought home could not always do so. Mixed race marriages were called Miscegenation. Late this year, my own wife and I will be married 42 years. She is Asian– a Filipina.

George Washington was married without a marriage license in any case. He did not need one and us neither.

Anyone who is interested can download the full pamphlet by Pastor Trewhella here: http://www.mercyseat.net/pdfs/marriagelicense.pdf

Amendments Violated by the Court

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Some Other Considerations

Some people have said if people do not get “legally” married through the state they live in they will lose tax benefits. I figure if you are getting married with a license because of tax reasons then there are problems already. We would all be better off if the feds and the states dropped the deductions for everyone and everything and stopped playing with people’s lives. A reasonable flat tax, the same for all, would be better anyhow.

Some say that children would not have the benefits of married parents. Is that because a state did not say so? If you were married in a church under God, in front of witnesses hopefully, you are married. There should be no issue in my non-legal opinion.

For those who think they need or want a license, I certainly will not prevent anyone from getting one. I have just reached the point where I have no plans of signing a marriage license that is state or county issued any longer as the officiant or pastor. Not so long as the feds insist on imposing that marriage means something other than one man and one woman. I would be happy to sign a Certificate of Marriage issued through a church.

I am not as familiar with the laws in different places, but some states also issue a Certificate of Marriage after a church ceremony, and I think some do not. Some also issue a Confidential Certificate of Marriage and some call it a Confidential Marriage License. I am not promoting these things, but I am relaying that there are those things out there for those that think they need them.

Something else to consider is a Covenant Marriage. It can be written or verbal, but it is a covenant under God, which is more than a contract, between a man and a woman. I have officiated at Covenant Marriage ceremonies. Here is part of the definition you can find on Covenant Marriage in the Legal-Dictionary.

A legal union of Husband and Wife that requires premarital counseling, marital counseling if problems occur, and limited grounds for Divorce.

I located a website called Covenant Marriage. I have no tie or affiliation with them, but I like what they have in mind– one man, one woman under God. I very much like what they have in their “What we believe” section. It says this:

Believing that marriage is a covenant intended by God to be a lifelong fruitful relationship between a man and a woman, we vow to God, to each other, our families and our community to remain steadfast in unconditional love, reconciliation and sexual purity, while purposefully growing in our covenant marriage relationship. Our Vision In recognition of the movement of God to restore the sacredness of marriage, we purpose to call individual couples, families, churches, communities, the nation, and the world back to an understanding and practice of marriage as covenant, which is the foundation of society, for God’s glory. Our mission is to restore churches and society to an understanding and practice of marriage as covenant by applying the timeless principles of God’s Word.

I very much support Covenant Marriage over a federally-defined marriage that attempts to overrule God. Such a federal ruling invites even more judgment. The feds and many others do not care, but I do.

Franklin Graham had this to say, and I agree 100%.

Franklin Graham Warns Gay Marriage Ruling Will Lead To Christian Persecution

By Todd Starnes, Fox Nation

Published June 28, 2015

One of the nation’s most prominent evangelical leaders issued a dire warning for the nation in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s ruling on homosexual marriage. “I believe God could bring judgment upon America,” said Franklin Graham in an exclusive interview. Graham told me that Christians should be prepared for persecution in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s ruling on homosexual marriage. “You better be ready and you better be prepared because it’s coming,” Graham said just moments after the court handed down its ruling. “There will be persecution of Christians for our stand.” Graham, the president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse, said he was disappointed in the 5-4 Supreme Court ruling. “I’m disappointed because the government is recognizing sin,” he said. “This court is endorsing sin. That’s what homosexuality is– a sin against God.” Graham said regardless of the ruling, he will refuse to marry any same-sex couple. “I will never recognize it in my heart because God gave marriage between a man and a woman and that’s what marriage is,” he said. “And I don’t think the court – since it never defined marriage – doesn’t have the right to redefine it. God gave us marriage. Period. And God doesn’t change his mind.” The Supreme Court’s decision means gay rights now trump religious liberty. And if you think the cultural purging of the Southern States has been breathtaking, wait until you see what LGBT activists are about to unleash on American Christians. “If pastors are going to be forced to provide marriage services for gay couples, I’m not going to do it,” Graham declared. Churches and faith-based business should prepare for lawsuits and government investigations. Pastors who refuse to perform gay marriages and preach from the Bible should prepare for hate crime charges. All dissent will be silenced by the government and the activists. But I believe that an overwhelming number of Christians will defy the law. Governor Mike Huckabee posted this message on Facebook: “I will not acquiesce to an imperial court,” vowing to “resist and reject judicial tyranny.” In closing, I am reminded of something the late Charles Colson wrote: “If we’re not willing to fight this, even to the point of breaking the law, or refusing to recognize the law, then we will lose everything.” Given the choice of obeying God or the government, I believe Christians will obey God – even if there is hell to pay.

Like Franklin Graham, I will defy this judicial law also.

Related Scriptures

Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Leviticus 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

Leviticus 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Jude 6 & 7 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Romans 1:24-31 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

I Corinthians 6:9-11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Last Words

If you follow the federal judges on this matter, you may be okay for awhile with the tyrannical leaders, but it will never end. They will always want more. They will always come to take from you again. And you would not be okay in God’s eyes.

This might be the beginning of the end for our nation. God did not make me a prophet, so I can say only what it looks like from here. As more than one family or friend and I have discussed, America is not listed in Scripture. My tendency is to think either we will not be here as a nation or we will be broken into smaller parts or just not important enough to mention.

In the meantime, none of us should be surprised if we are persecuted in our churches by members of our own government. The media could go after you. You and your church could be called a hate group. In the extreme, you could get locked up or fined. You have some choices to make. I have made mine.

Godspeed,

Letter Re: Don’t Tread On Us

HJL,

In his “Don’t Tread On Us” contribution, BJ says SCOTUS erred in not treating gay marriage as a states’ rights matter. The states agreed, in 1868, via the 14th Amendment, that they would provide equal privilege, immunity, and protection of the laws to all citizens. The 14th Amendment reads, in part: “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Plainly stated, government can’t provide benefits and privileges of marriage to some people, and deny them to others.

In a society truly committed to liberty, a voluntary relationship between two consenting adults, where neither violates the rights of others, is simply not the business of government. Unfortunately, the government plays all kinds of “carrot and stick” games with the concept of marriage, which takes us into the legal arena. An objection based on faith, traditional views, or any other subjective measurement of what marriage is or isn’t, does not weigh on this as a legal matter. I would encourage people to continue to treat marriage as their faith and beliefs dictate. If two homosexuals choose to marry (in the eyes of government), you don’t have to view that marriage as sacred. View it however your beliefs dictate. Looking to government for guidance on this matter is foolhardy. It says nothing about what marriage is to you. That’s between you and your creator.

One hundred sixty years ago, many U.S. state governments wouldn’t allow marriage between different races. There were many people who thought it was a profound offense to the creator, against the natural order of things. While there may be some holdouts, few think that way anymore, and most couldn’t imagine our government interfering in such a choice.

Don’t force your beliefs on others with the help of government. That’s a double edge sword you don’t want swinging back in your direction. Instead, work to minimize government intrusion into every citizen’s life, and limit the amount of power and coercion government can apply to anyone. We’re all better off for it. – R.S.

HJL Responds: This issue is much more difficult than just minimizing government intrusion into our lives. The SCOTUS is attempting to redefine something that they did not define in the first place and that they actually have no right or even ability to define at all. By applying the 14th Amendment to marriage, the SCOTUS is attempting to usurp the authority of God Himself. Long before the SCOTUS existed, and even long before governments defined by man existed, God defined the boundaries of marriage as a covenantal relationship between one man, one woman, and God Himself. As part of the definition of that covenant, there exists the ability to build a home, raise a family, designate property sharing, educate your children, and generally conduct business to the benefit of the family unit within an ethical structure. Along with those abilities comes the responsibility to administer justice in a just and righteous manner as well ensure the safety and security of that family.

Since God is the architect of marriage, it follows that He is the one that gets to define what the boundaries and rules are surrounding it. Part of those rules are about how other people (fellow believers, the church) are given the authority to administer correction in a just and righteous manner over that same marriage and individuals within that marriage when the leader of the home is not administering it as he should. The government stepped in a long time ago under the guise of administering the property sharing rights and has continued to enlarge its claim over marriage as they claim social safety of children, et cetera. Most of this intrusion has not been met with the resistance it should have received until now. While the government should have the right to set rules and boundaries for contractual agreements between people, marriage should be off limits to them because they have no authority in a covenant that they did not take part in. If the SCOTUS had chosen some other vehicle to define what they wanted, such as “civil unions”, I doubt there would have been as much backlash as what you see today.

It is clear, in light of the ruling by the SCOTUS only a few years ago, that DOMA was unconstitutional and that marriage was a “states right” and now the ruling that effectively reverses that ruling, claiming that it is not a “states right” but a federal issue, that they are simply playing political games, exceeding their authority, and furthering a progressive agenda. The truth of the matter is that not even states have the right to meddle in the definition of marriage. If they want to create a civil union that grants privileges similar to marriage, that is their right to do so, but they cannot usurp God in redefining what marriage is. Truth is truth whether they like it or not and it does not matter what they call it. Any law that is unconstitutional is wrong and is in effect self-nullified, and thus we have an obligation not to obey it. But further than that, any law that is contrary to God is wrong, and we have an obligation to not follow it either.

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

Economics and Investing:

Health Insurance Prices Take Off: Worker Pay Stagnant – H.L.

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DANGER! The Federal Reserve Is Very Afraid Of A Stock Market Bubble.

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Items from Mr. Econocobas:

Trader Slams Schiff: You Make ‘Outlandish Predictions’- This is just kind of funny… Could be part of the next Schiff was right youtube video…

This Is Yellen’s Response When Asked If The Fed Is Too Worried About The Stock Market

Debt Is The Barbarous Relic! Not Gold

Odds ‘n Sods:

Venezuela Is Suddenly Intent on Annexing Two-Thirds of Neighboring Guyana – H.L.

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Chattanooga Shooting: 4 Marines Killed In Gun Free Zone (Video) — Shooter: Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez – T.P.

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Once You See What’s Attached to the End of This Drone, You May Think It’s the Coolest or Scariest One Ever – JBG

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Immigrant who is a convicted felon accused in fatal stabbing – P.M.

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Biohackers Aim To Make Homebrew Insulin, But Don’t Try It Yet – K.B.

Notes for Thursday – July 16, 2015

July 16th is the anniversary of the death of Hugh John McCall, in Rhodesia, in 1979.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 59 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  3. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools, and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  4. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul pmags 30rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt. (An equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions.),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  8. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  9. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, and
  12. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  4. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  5. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  6. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  6. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 59 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Don’t Tread On Us, by B.J.

This past July 4th was a somber day for us. We spent the day reflecting on the state of our country, not the least of which was the recent Supreme Court actions and the world and sacrifices our founding Fathers endured. Later in the day my wife and I decided to get off the farm and go to town for a burger. We passed a large city park that was packed full of people making merry. I wondered, “What independence are they celebrating?”

Did I miss something? Have we solved the pesky little problem of unreasonable searches and seizures in this country? Do we really enjoy freedom of speech in the country? If you think so, tell that to the former CEO and co-founder of Foxfire who was fired for making a contribution to a political cause of his liking. Fortunately, we don’t have to endure taxation without representation in this country, like our founders did. (I’ll turn the cynicism off now.) I know a lot of people, and not one of them thinks that there is any person in Washington D.C. that represents them. Then there is the matter of the recent Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage that you so appropriately addressed in your piece titled ”A Dark Day”.

I want to make a point about that ruling that I believe has been missed. This country was founded as a Republic (not a democracy) that supported states’ rights. As the saying goes, “let Texas be Texas and Vermont be Vermont.” Due to an overreach at every level of federal government, states’ rights have been trampled on, and this ruling was the final nail in the coffin. To be consistent with the Constitution, the ruling should have been that this is not a federal matter and each state needs to work it out for themselves. That obviously isn’t what happened. What most people think happened is that the court ruled that gay marriage is now legal nationally, but I would argue that what actually happened is 9 or 5 or 1 unelected persons (take your pick) mandated gay marriage in the country. King George would be proud!

When asked “Doctor what do we have a monarchy or a republic?” Ben Franklin said, “a Republic if you can keep it.” Well, it’s official now; we didn’t keep it.

So what do we do now?

Redress our grievances?

In my opinion, there are three things we should NOT do now, and then I will list some things I think we should do now and in the near future. If it is any consolation to the reader, I am a direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson, my family and I live on our homestead within the American Redoubt, and we have been hard core survivalists for a dozen or so years.

  1. If you think that if we just “get out the vote” and “vote the bums out” or if enough of us call and write our Congressmen that we can get this ship back on course, then you are sadly mistaken. It is decades past the point of that working. I have worked for the United States Congress recently, and I can tell you that by in large they really don’t care what you think. Yes, on some issues that are not core to their voting base, they do tally calls and letters, but they will never read your letter or consider what you have to say in a call. It’s just X number of contacts were against this and Y were in favor of it. That being said, 100 million people could call Diane Feinstein’s offices to discourage draconian gun legislation and it wouldn’t change a thing. Stating our grievances so that we are clear on them and the powers that be have been put on notice as to what they are is a good idea, but that is different. So, don’t waste your time writing, calling, or getting out the vote at the national level. You are wasting your breath.
  2. As Captain Rawles has stated on this blog, now is not the time to take serious steps towards secession. As he says, it will be squashed. The time may come; in my opinion, it probably will come, but now is not the time. However, we should have a plan of how to proceed, if it does come to that.
  3. Now is not the time to take up arms. That day may come also, but it will not be of our choosing; that destiny is being chosen for us. How will we know when that day has come? We will know it when we see it, but primarily we will NOT back down from our God-given inalienable rights. We don’t answer to man.

Then what should we do now? Many of you are frustrated, I know; I talk to you. It’s not the time to go forward, and we can’t go backwards, which is frustrating, but be patient.

  1. Know who you are and where we as a country came from. What do you stand for? Who do you answer to? None of us would ever sanely choose what we think is coming, but then we haven’t been given the choice. Our personal plan, until recently, has been that when the collapse occurs we are just going to keep to ourselves, fend for ourselves, and help our neighbors where we can. There are some problems with that though that each person has to work out for themselves. I am in my early 50’s, which in reality means I am about two-thirds of the way through my expected life span. I live the “treat your neighbor as yourself” doctrine and have many good works to my name. Have I changed the lives of people along the way? Maybe, hopefully. Have I changed the world that my grandchildren will inherit? No, I have not. I can keep them fed and safe through extended times of trouble, but that’s a different proposition than influencing the world they will live in. So, I for one, when the time comes, am not going to kick the can down the road to stay safe and comfortable.

    Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

  2. Network, recruit, and prepare. If you aren’t in a safe place, pray about it as the time is at hand. People will take issue with me I am sure, but to my mind there are only four places in this country that are worthy of consideration. First and foremost is the American Redoubt, which is why we relocated here from central California decades before it was named that. Second is Texas/Arizona. Third is the south– the Carolina’s, Ozarks, Appalachians, et cetera. Finally, there are sections of Northern California, such as the Red Bluff and Redding areas. I personally think the American Redoubt is superior to those other locations, but the point is if you’re not in one of those areas now, please pray about what God would have you do as you may be in jeopardy
  3. List your grievances so that they are clear in your head and you can articulate them to those in your center of influence. A few examples of mine would be:

    • an overreach by every level of federal government,
    • the trampling of states rights (that most states have gone along with so they can suck at the hind tit of the free money flow),
    • the militarization of local police,
    • and the insistence that we are the threat to the society,
    • encouraging mass illegal immigration to get votes to stay in power that calls into question the very legitimacy of the federal government itself,
    • spending money that is not theirs to spend that can now NEVER be repaid.

    What’s on your list?

  4. I am calling on the leaders of the Christian Patriot Survivalist Prepper community, both within and without the American Redoubt, to begin meeting to create a framework for a regional provisional governance system in case our current Federal or local governments are not able to provide such leadership. If God forbid a nuclear bomb took out D.C. or an EMP attack occurred (for example) and decapitated our federal government, we need a plan of regional and multi-state governance until a legitimate federal government resumes control.
  5. As part of that plan, if a calamitous event occurs and our federal government cannot protect us and provide for our safety, then we need to have plans in place to do so for ourselves until they can. That may mean raising militias to provide for our safety, in which case plans need to be in place to provide for them. I am also calling on the Christian Patriot leaders to secure a food storage location not unlike our federal government used to do and what the Mormons do for their faithful in case of emergency. This should be on private property in a secure undisclosed location somewhere in the heart of the Redoubt. Surely somebody in Idaho or Montana has an available pole building or suitable barn that could be used. When a facility is procured, I will make the first donation of one ton of wheat, one ton of corn, and one ton of beans. What will you donate?
  6. Our friends and heroes in the active duty U.S. military need to know exactly where we stand. A few decades ago, serving in our military rarely if ever produced a conflict of which master you were serving. Today things are different, and as I hope you know, you cannot serve two masters. If the day comes that you are given illegal orders or orders that violate a citizen’s God-given inalienable rights, then you will have choices to make. I hope you choose wisely, as your eternity may depend on it. Specifically, we expect you to uphold each and every one of the ten amendments known as the Bill of Rights. Illegal King George-type edicts, such as the NDAA, do not justify ANY violations of the Bill of Rights. I pray for each and every one of you in our military. I see that some of you have your eyes open. I see some of you have gone dark, and some have scrubbed all social media of any personal information or indications of your uniformed service. I know some of you are concerned about what the future holds also.
  7. Lastly, I call on all pastors, but especially those with churches in the Redoubt, to shed your 501c3 status. No, I am not the first person to call for this; I am not even the first person on this blog to call for this, but allow me to add to the discussion. I have recently asked two pastors if their churches enjoy 501c3 status, and they both happily asserted “YES!” I guess thinking that this fact might entice me to make a larger contribution than I might otherwise so I could enjoy the tax break. I questioned them about this fact, especially in light of the recent Supreme Court rulings. The answer I got from them was essentially “our members very much benefit from the tax deductibility of their contributions”. To which I would say, I doubt it. I will explain why in a minute, but there is a bigger picture. You, too, cannot serve two masters, and your Uncle Sam Master has just thumbed his nose (I can think of a better descriptive, but this is a family-friendly blog) at your God Master. Where is your line in the sand? Which one will you serve?

    Most people, including pastors, are pretty clueless about taxation. The conventional wisdom is something like this. Let’s say you have a family of four with a family income of $100,000 per year, and they tithe $10,000 in a year. They are in the 25% marginal tax bracket, so they get a $2,500 tax break for their $10,000 contribution. The church gets the $10k, and after the tax break they only had to truly spend $7500 so everyone is happy, right?

    Well, first if the plan was to tithe ten percent, they didn’t do that, but more importantly, if you believe my example above is relatively accurate then for most tax payers you just failed taxation 101.

    The IRS allows taxpayers to choose either the standard deduction or if they wish they can use Schedule A to itemize deductions. Schedule A allows you to write off things like medical expense, mortgage interest, some taxes, and charitable contributions are the primary ones. You only get to “write off” your charitable contributions if you file a Schedule A. For 2014 the standard deduction for a married filing jointly return was $12,400. So it only makes it worth itemizing if your deductions are greater than $12,400. Then, if you do itemize the marginal benefit is not the full amount of your Schedule A deductions; The benefit to the taxpayer is the amount they itemize that is above $12,400 because that was a given going in. So, in my hypothetical example above, if the $10,000 tithe was the only event on their tax return that could have been itemized, they would have lost money by “writing off” their contributions. Or let’s say that in addition to the $10,000 in tithing they had $5,000 in mortgage interest. So in total they could itemize $15,000 (10k tithe + 5k interest). So the actual benefit to them is then how much? Right, it’s only $2,600. ($15,000 – $12,400). That’s a far cry from them being able to “write off” the whole $10,000. This may be complicated for some, but suffice it to say that most church goers don’t enjoy huge benefits from the tax deductibility of their contributions. Then how do you quantify the growing numbers of us who will not attend and will not contribute to churches who have 501c3 status?

    So again, I join the chorus that pastors should make a statement and shed their 501c3 status.

In conclusion, none of us knows what the future brings, but I would encourage all of us to start thinking in a bigger picture than we have previously. Pray that you are in the right place, doing the right things, and never forget that “if God is for you, who can be against you?”