The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave

Memorial Day is a day to remember; a day in memoriam.  First called Decoration Day, it was established in 1865 in Charleston, SC by freedmen (freed African slaves) to honor 257 fallen Union soldiers.  It was later decided that this day be a day for all Americans to remember those fallen heroes who paid the ultimate price for the liberty of the people.  

Memorial Day is a day in which we honor soldiers who died for the cause of liberty; a day in which we remember for what it was they fought and died; a day to renew our commitment to protect the very things for which they died.

It might be a good time to list (and remember) the freedoms for which our veterans have fought and died; the liberties granted us by God as inalienable rights, and to renew our commitment to them.  

The First Amendment to the US Constitution

Congress shall make no law respecting the 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 to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Concerning Amendment 1

There are places in the world today where it is considered acceptable to bash verbally one specific religion, but if you bash another, you can be taken into custody before the court system.  Places in which people must be silent on certain subjects lest they be subjected to legal and even criminal prosecution.  Places in which free speech is so limited and denied that people must change their vocabulary or be subject to possible official governmental punishment.

The Second Amendment to the US Constitution

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Concerning Amendment 2

There are places in the world today in which the citizenry is not allowed to posses and carry firearms unless the government allows them to do so; and then only if they jump through the right bureaucratic hoops.

The Third Amendment to the US Constitution

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

The Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Concerning Amendment 4

There are places in the world where the authorities can enter a person’s private home without a warrant.  They can enter for any reason or no reason at all and the people have no right to prevent them from doing so.  The populace can be stopped while walking or driving without having committed any crime and must show identification and prove their innocence before they can continue with their day.

The Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Concerning Amendment 5

There are places in the world where the government can force the sale of private property in order to sell it to another private entity just to receive increased property taxes from the new owner.  There are places in which people can be tried for criminal offenses by the government without a fair trial because the “evidence” against them is secret; the defense lawyers and the jury are not allowed to see the evidence and must take the governments word that the accused is guilty.

The Sixth Amendment to the US Constitution

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

The Seventh Amendment to the US Constitution

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

The Eighth Amendment to the US Constitution

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Concerning Amendments 6, 7, & 8

There are places in the world where enemies are incarcerated by the military and abused physically, psychologically, and emotionally.  The prisoners are not allowed to sleep for more than ten to twenty minutes at a time for years on end.  They are subjected to hanging by their arms in their cells.  They are routinely suffocated and in many cases severely beaten by the guards.  All of this occurs without a trial to find guilt or innocence, but by the mere accusation of another.

The Ninth Amendment to the US Constitution

The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

The Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution

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.

Concerning Amendments 9 & 10

There are places in the world where the people do not run the government.  The government decides what rights the people may and may not have.  The government defines the limits of the laws and how they are to be applied to the people and if the people speak out against such an abuse, they are ridiculed, threatened, imprisoned, and even executed.

The people of the United States have a tendency to become complacent when there is no observable enemy nearby.  As such, most people look at Memorial Day as just another day in the year in which they don’t have to report to work.  It is a day of fun in the sun at the lake; a day of cookouts, bbq’s, ice-cold beverages, and watching the Indy 500 on the television.  Most Americans have forgotten what the day is supposed to be about in the first place.  We have become complacent, thinking ourselves immune to the travesties that take place in the world. 

We honor our fallen dead by living in the freedoms they fought and died to protect.  We honor our fallen warriors by enjoying cookouts, bbq’s, and sporting events.  However, if we do not maintain vigilance, then we dishonor their memories and their deaths.  If we do not act as civil guardians of the freedoms they died protecting, then we make their deaths vain and meaningless.  

Many do not realize that there are events taking place in the world right now, which spit in the face of liberty.  Memorial Day is a day not only to remember our fallen heroes but also to renew our commitment to liberty.
 

The places and events described above are probably not shocking to many.  Most of us know that the greed and avarice of man will lead him to commit horrible crimes.  Most people know that man’s sinful nature will prompt him to search for power and control over others.  Most know that liberty in the world is a rare thing.  What most do not know is that the events described above have taken and are taking place today in the United States of America.  The beacon of freedom to the world has become the pied piper to socialism.

On this Memorial Day, honor our fallen soldiers by living life to the fullest; enjoy your food, friends, and family.  Above all, honor our fallen champions by protecting the sacrifice they laid upon the altar of liberty.  Care for the seed of freedom they planted with their lives and watered with their life’s blood.  Remember their sacrifice and honor it by taking your rightful place again as “we the people”.  

 Demand that our representatives truly represent us and return to the rule of law of the Constitution.  Take your country back again, and learn what it is to live truly free.  We have shown the world that we have been the Land of the Free, and it has watched as we have allowed our freedoms to all but vanish.  Today, we should begin to show the world that the United States of America truly are the Home of the Brave!

The young finch asked the old one why he wept: "There's comfort in this cage where we are kept."
"You who were born here may well think that's so…But I knew freedom once, and weep to know.

—Ignacy Kasicki

It's been a while...

So...it's been a while since I posted and I really don't have any excuse.  Nevertheless, let me begin formulating my excuses to explain why I have been absent in posting.

Excuse #1:  I'm lazy
Excuse #2:             ...?


By way of catching people up that might (or more likely probably are not) following this blog, I have been a bit busy the last several months.  The one thing that has taken a bit of center stage was a conference that I helped set up and was the final speaker at during the first weekend of May.  Battle for the Soul: DiaPrax in America was a conference that was centered on the idea that the enemy of our soul has developed a systematic approach to manipulate, deceive, and ultimately control how people think.  Once you control "how" people think, it is easy to control "what" they think.

The keynote speaker was Mr. Dean Gotcher from the Institution for Authority Research.  Other speakers were Pastor Paul Mowery of Harvest Fellowship in Leo Indiana, Steve Rea of IAR, our very own Mark Turney of the Reality Check, and me.

Dean spoke for three one-hour sessions, detailing how the process began and has been inculcated into the modern world through the educational establishment and elucidated on the penetration of the process through other areas of our world.  We kept Dean to three one hour slots to make room in everyone's head for all the great information he has to present.  He could probably hold forth for 30 hours if we had the time to go through it all.

Pastor Mowery kicked the session off teaching on the biblical warnings concerning false teachers and false prophets.  Showing how things have worked throughout history and how they continue to work out today.  The main emphasis was upon recognizing the wolf in sheep's clothing and reconciling what they say to the Word of God for authority.  By instilling in people's minds the importance of the immutable standard of the Word as the first, middle, and final authority by which we judge truth and reality, Pastor Mowery set a beautiful tone for the conference.

After Pastor Mowery, Mr. Gotcher spoke for his first of three one-hour sessions and then we retired for the night eager to get back on the next morning to begin afresh.

Saturday morning started with Dean's second and third installments on the dialectic process in education.  Having done thousands of hours of research and reading on the process and coining the phrase "DiaPrax", coming from the words "Dialectic" (dialogue) and "Praxis" (practice) Mr. Gotcher is the foremost authority on the entire process.

Everyone had lunch together as part of the conference after Mr. Gotcher's second talk and then when everyone was done, Mr. Steve Rae began telling his story.  He showed how the educational system is databasing children and performing illegal psychological testing upon them to determine how to change the "how" of their thought process.  He found the databasing process being used on his daughter and fought a hard-won victory in court, proving his case against a team of lawyers.  He took it to the highest court in his home state of Ohio, and won, much to the chagrin of his opposition.

Our own Mark Turney was up to bat next and expounded on DiaPrax in Worship.  Mark's session was most like to step on people's toes and he revealed both 'liberal' and 'conservative' "Christian" leaders who had abandoned the Word of God and replaced it with something that was more palatable.  He then detailed for the attendees the difference between praise and worship.  Praise is an offering of musical adoration to God, and worship is a lifestyle of obedience, not simply to be relegated to 30 minutes on Sunday's and Wednesdays.  Then began his critique on the songs we tend to sing at church and call 'worship'.  He demonstrated the Biblical pattern of praise and songs that are more based upon the experience of the singer and their emotional state and how these songs we not praise songs and did not belong in the 'worship' service at corporate gatherings.

I, Mark Long, gave the final talk of the conference entitled: "What Now?  A practical guide to defending against DiaPrax."  While I did the speaking, much of the information and the systematic approach to this defense came from the hours of work and research by Darren Turney and myself.  We have developed a system to train others to defend themselves in verbal altercations.  This system we titled with the Latin word Tutela, meaning teaching and defending.

The basics of this talk came from a contrast between WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) and WDJD (What Did Jesus Do?)  Making the Word the final authority, not our notion of what seems to be right.  I went through the identification process, and then a three-step solution.

#1  Identify the Standard in Question
#2  Define the Terms in the engagement
#3  Reconcile to the Stand of God's Word

I followed all of this up with some back and forth with the conference attendees to make the final session one of practice and application, more akin to workshop than a seminar.

We are continuing with our video endeavors, and hope to be adding a great deal more content in the very near future.  Please keep us in mind and pray for us as you are directed.

Thanks and God Bless!

Solo Deo Gloria