The World Mourns Babylon’s Fall “The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’ “And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’ “They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’ “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!” Finality of Babylon’s Fall Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore. The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.” Revelation 18:9-24
The God who created everything will consecrate everything, and He is in control.
Greed, opulence, and wealth all come to naught.
Babylon's gonna make Donald Trump look 'miniscule.'
There's nothing wrong with having wealth, the problem is worshiping it.
Sin cannot win and Faith cannot fail...if you love Babylon, you are following a lost cause.
Lots of Sex Trafficking right here in Austin.
People loves to get all worked up over the internet outrage du jour, but our society doesn't seem to care about children being torn up in their Mama's womb.
Since we know that this is truth, what are we going to do about it?!?
The Fall of Babylon the Great After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.” And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. Revelation 18:1-8
"I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. The Meaning of the Woman and the Beast But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition. “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”" Revelation 17:6-18
The Woman (vv. 7, 15-16, 18) A. Her Identity -- Apostate Religion B. Her Demise -- Expose her moral corruption. -- Beast will turn against her.
The Beast (vv, 8-14, 17) A. The Seven Heads -- Some people believe this is the Catholic Church, but it's unlikely. B. The Ten Horns -- They will kill the woman and will prepare to kill the Lamb
The Saints of God (vv. 14, 17) A. Victory in Jesus -- Matthew 20:16 -- Matthew 22:14 B. The Authority of God.
Highlights:
"This is one of the hardest passages of scripture I will ever preach in my entire life."
That which is unveiled at the apocalypse is preeminently the glorified and enthroned Christ!!!
The Lamb will overcome them.
Woman is connected to a city -- Rebuilt Babylon.
Iraq?!?
"Praise God and one day all the 'ism's' will be 'WASM'S'."
God already knows.
It's not a works religion, but praise God if you're saved you're going to work and you're going to enjoy it!!!
The Proclamations of Three Angels "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.” Revelation 14:6-13
The gospel is gonna continue to be unpopular until Jesus comes.
Just because we disagree does not mean we are discriminating.
Yes it's a message about judgement and it's a message about hell, but it's also a message about blessing and about how God honors His people eternally!!!
Your way is NOT as valied as God's way, and Jesus is the ONLY way to God.
Everyone's gonna hear it, most are gonna reject it.
"I believe Babylon is going to be a city and a force."
Politics, religion, and business all intermingling in a corrupt morass.
Author's Note: Basically, all of the worst aspects of the Capitol in Austin or Washington D.C. on steroids.
If you reject God's final authority, then you will suffer.
"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." Ephesians 5:11
To understand University of Texas Chancellor Bill McRaven, you have to examine his performance in his last job as the head of U.S. Special Forces. Cahnman's Musings has previously examined his role in destroying the bin Laden death photos. We've also looked into his failure to comply with Federal open records laws.
Betrayed: The Shocking True Story of Extortion 17 as told by a Navy SEAL's Father, by Billy Vaughn, details the actions of the government following the Extortion 17 fiasco in Afghanistan in August 2011. It was Navy Seal history's deadliest day. Billy Vaughn's son, Aaron, was on-board.
In May 2011, Seal Team 6 conducted the raid that killed Usama bin Laden. They died less than four months later. Almost immediately, the government's story began unraveling.
Three day's after President Obama's announcement of bin Laden's death, Aaron Vaughn called his family in a panic (44). They needed to instantly close their social media accounts and scrub their presence from the internet. In an astonishing breach of protocol, senior government officials had already blabbed about Seal Team 6's role in the raid (52-3). Because of that, the military was concerned about retaliaton against their family members. This was the beginning of the journey.
Following Aaron's tragic death that August, the government's story became increasingly suspect. They lied to the families about the media presence when the coffins returned stateside (67). Almost immediately, questions arose about both the competence and loyalty of their Afghan counterparts (75). The team was transported into a combat zone "in these slow, outdated troop transport carriers, rather than the usual MH-47 Chinooks that are designed to get in and out of of hotspots quickly" (101). Their number of missions had grown unsustainable (102). Worst of all, the rules of engagement prevented the SEALs from properly engaging the enemy (103). As Billy Vaughn explains, "something was starting to become very clear: weak-willed 'winnning hearts and minds' ideology had taken priority over keeping my son, the men on that chopper, our miliatry, and even our nation, secure" (105).
As the Vaughn family's questions mounted, so did their inquiries in official Washington. They were ignored by John Boehner and Harry Reid (106). A staffer for their own U.S. Senator, Marco Rubio, rudely blew them off (107). Further investigation led "to the appalling realization that the mightiest military in the world is being ripped asunder by a regime in Washington, D.C., putrefied with political correctness, moral depravity, and utter corruption" (114). And that was before they learned that the landing zone hadn't been properly secured (131). It's here where Mr. McRaven enters the picture.
In November 2012, the Vaughns attended a Naval function in Florida where Mr. McRaven was the guest of honor. Billy Vaughn wanted to share some of the things he'd learned to prevent future tragedies. Their conversation speaks for itself:
When the admiral finished speaking, I approached him, took off my sunglasses, shook his hand, and said, "My name is Billy Vaughn, you probably don't remember me..."
Admiral [sic] McRaven responded cheerfully, "Well, of course, I remember you."
I asked if I could speak with him privately. Hesitant, he paused, and then agreed to meet me behind the bleachers after he finished shaking hands and taking pictures with people in the audience.
....
As the admiral approached, I spoke quickly, not wanting to was any time with pleasantries. "Sir, I just wanted to know if anything is being done differently to protect the lives of our men in battle."
Since Admiral McRaven told me he knew who I was, I thought I didn't have to explain my connection to the Extortion 17 shoot-down. He had replaced Admiral Olson, as US Special Operations Commander, just a few days after Aaron died, and I wanted to know if the military strategy had changed.
I meant this in the most respectful way, but for some reason he became irritated when he spoke with me, "What's the matter with you? Don't you think I care about every guy we lose?"
I responded respectfully, "Well, Sir, I'm hoping you can share some things that will convince me that you do."
I genuinely hoped that a man in his position would know if anything had changed since Extortion 17 went down. I felt the burden as a parent to make sure that nothing like this ever happened again to our military. Admiral McRaven got defensive, put his hand on my shoulder and drew me closer to him with a smirk on his face, which was quickly becoming a brighter shade of red, and said, "Let me give you a few facts, IF your son did die...."
In lightning speed I raised my tone higher than his and said, "What do you mean IF my son was killed? You said you recognized me, and you knew who I was. I'm the father of Aaron Vaughn and he was killed."
This was not going well. There had not been a single military officer who had shown any notion of disrespect toward me since Aaron had died. He flashed a deer in the headlights look, and then immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you."
I can't remember what he said next, but he gave me the impression that he thought my son was connected to Benghazi. "I'm not talking about Benghazi. My son was killed on August 6, 2011." At this point, I was thinking, "he's just another politician. He pretended to know who I was, and now he's pretending to know something aboput me that he really didn't remember."
I went on, "You can smile and smirk if you want to, Sir, but let me give you three facts..."
Interrupting me nearly mid-sentence, he raised his voice and said, "Okay, I know who you are!"
Ignoring the interruption and it's content, I continued quickly, "Sir, whey was there no pre-assault fire that night?"
He snapped back, "They can get pre-assault fire any time they want it!"
I responded, "Well, Sir, according to the sworn testimony, they can almost never get pre-assault fire."
His next words only fueled the fire. "Well, what do you want to do, shoot up an entire village?"
"No Sir, but according to the sworn testimony, the village was on the ridges of the valley. There had already been a three-and-a-half hour operation underway and the chopper was shot down in the valley. Also, after the chopper was shot down, the Air Weapons Team did not take out the men who shot the RPG because there might have been friendlies in the building below the tower."
In a calmer tone he said, "There were a lot of mistakes made that night. This war is complicated."
The last comment -- sort of a confession -- struck me. There are mistakes made in every operation; I'm willing to admit that. But I was primarily concerned about the ideology causing our men to die needlessly. It was also the timing of the way Admiral McRaven said, "This war is complicated," because I was just previously forewarned by someone in Washington, D.C. that the flag officers, like Admiral McRaven, are known to say these very words when they want to avoid questioning. It seemed to imply that I could not possibly understand if he were to to go into greater detail.
I was now experiencing this warning firsthand.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to tell him the third fact, and he still never answered my concern on whether he was doing something differently to protect our men in the battlefield. So all I could say was, "Sir, a man in your position, if he had the nuts and the guts, could speak up and change the way we conduct this war, and save our warriors."
Admiral McRaven, who is quite a bit taller than me, then jabbed his finger in my face.
I pointed my finger back at his chest, saying, "Let me tell you something, Sir. You can make a scene if you want, but there are people watching us right now, and I don't think either one of us want that.
He agreed and backed off.
I then calmly said, "What we need to do is get together and have a cup of coffee sometime." In agreement, we shook hands, and he told me to contact his office when I had an opportunity to stop by.
(145-9)
As the Vaughn's dug deeper, they were continually approached by military members who new first hand how the U.S. government's senior leadership was weakening the military; this set the stage for their follow-up visit with Mr. McRaven:
On January 4, 2013, Admiral McRaven arrived in a black SUV with tinted windows. The SUV pulled into my driveway, all the way up to the garage, and Admiral McRaven and a staff member got out. The driver then backed into the street and reversed into my driveway to park. I chuckled because it appeared as though they had intended to make a speedy getaway when our visit was over.
Karen and I welcomed Admiral McRaven and his subordinate into our home. We greeted each other and met his advisor, who was exceedingly polite and gracious. Admiral McRaven was a complete gentleman this time, leading me to believe it would be a positive encounter as I had hoped. He apologized for not knowing who I was. I accepted his apology and appreciated his concern. The four of us then sat at our dining room table.
Admiral McRaven started out by kindly giving us his condolences and expressed that he wanted to answer any questions we had. He told us he wanted to help us with our 'grieving.'
The 'grieving' angle must be a talking point all officers are keyed in on, since we've heard it time and time again. It's dismissive and insulting. It's as though any question or concern you have is only due to your "grief," not the very real possibility your question is valid.
The admiral wanted to emphasize that nothing about the meeting would be political. Karen and I were primarily concerned about our men and women in the military and the questions surrounding Extortion 17, so naturally we agreed the meeting was not about politics.
We started with small talk and about a half hour into the conversation, Admiral McRaven assured us, "I just want you to know that the military would never hold anything back from the parents."
To which Karen very respectfully responded, "What about Pat Tillman?"
Admiral McRaven lunged forward in his chair, his face instantly reddened, his voice churlish -- as though Karen had no right to say such a thing -- he nearly shouted, "What about Pat Tillman? It was just a simple case of friendly fire!"
The room fell silent, stunned.
Of course, it was just a 'simple case of friendly fire.' The problem was that it took the Tillman family three years to get the truth about the events surrounding Pat's death. Three years of being blatantly lied to by the United States military.
It hadn't been Karen's intention, but clearly she struck a nerve. Much earlier in our search for truth, we had spoken with a man who serves on Admiral McRaven's staff. In that conversation...he finally said, "Billy, the damn Army will lie." Then shortly thereafter, he made a statement, which bluntly ended that portion of the conversation, "Remember Pat Tillman."
We didn't know what to say next. The admiral did not realize the full impact of the revealing statement he'd just made. I finally spoke softly, "The military is holding something back from the parents right now."
....
Further into our conversation, the admiral unexpectedly and with no apparent reason began touting the virtues of our current president. After a comment or two, I said, "Well, look, Sir, you are not going to get me to agree with you about President Obama.
Admiral McRaven laughed and said, "Okay, I know."
A short time later, he became more emboldened. "I know President Obama and I see him often. I don't just know him as a president, I know him as a man." He pounded his fist on our table. "And he's a good man."
Politely, I touched his arm, "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you not to mention that man's name in my house."
He said, "Okay." Then the admiral -- who said none of our discussion should be political -- continued weaving the praises of President Obama into our conversation any time he saw an opening.
By the time of this meeting, I had been personally reviewing the redacted files we received at Virginia Beach for almost a year. I was very well up-to-date with the material, but felt I'd receive a fuller picture of the shoot-down through Admiral McRaven's eyes. Would they have the answers to my questions? I didn't know -- but I had been hopeful.
That didn't last long.
....
After a few seconds, I asked, "Why was there no pre-assault fire before Extortion 17 went in, you know, just to soften then landing zone?"
With absolutely no hesitation, the admiral replied, "The Operation was already over. By that time, the Rangers were already in the questioning phase of those they'd detained in the earlier raid and nothing else was going on."
Was this all Admiral McRaven had for his defense? If Operation Lefty Grove was "already over" then why was Extortion 17 sent in at all? Why was the IRF (Immediate Reaction Force) spun up with such hastiness that routes and landing zones were being determined after the chopper was already in the air? And why was the landing zone considered hot?
....
The misinformation continued and suspicions rose.
Around this point came yet another interjection about President Obama's qualifications and great, fearless leadership; this time it was in reference to Operation Neptune Spear.
The admiral explained to us that the president had nothing to gain from taking out Bin Laden. He then elaborated on the fear factor behind the president's brave decision to do so, telling us "There was only a forty percent chance that Osama was going to be at the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan."
I told Admiral McRaven, "I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one. I don't think the president had any choice but to go after Osama [sic] bin Laden."
He quickly replied, "How so?"
"Because the CIA had located him, and if people learned that Osama bin Laden was there, and it leaked that Barack Obama still refused to take him out, it would have devastated him politically."
At some point, the conversation shifted back to the matter at hand. I asked, "Why were our men on the wrong chopper?"
His countenance became a bit haughty and even defiant towards me.
....
And then came another round of praise for President Obama when I expressed a very painful concern, "It's hard for me to admit this, but I'm afraid my son's death is going to be in vain because the president has decided we're going to lose the war in Afghanistan."
His response caught me off guard, "Well I can't guarantee how Afghanistan is going to turn out, but I can tell you that President Obama is getting us out of Afghanistan."
Only two months earlier in our discussion at the Navy SEAL Mueseum, he'd snapped at me when I'd said the same thing. His response then: "We're winning the war in Afghanistan."
Had something changed in the previous two months or had he only been honest in one of our two conversations? I came back at him with a little frustration, "Yeah, but at what cost?"
His answer blew my mind: "President Obama got us out of Iraq!"
Unable to contain myself I blurted out, "And look how well that turned out. Now Iran is transporting weapons through Iraq to Syria and threatening Israel, our greatest ally in the Middle East."
Still to this dat, I cannot believe what he said next, "Well, you know George Bush got us into the war in Iraq!"
This statement literally shook me. It was a childish argument and very unbecoming of a man of such high stature.
....
We were now faced with the heavy realization that one of the most powerful men in the special forces world had no intention of changing a single method of operation. [Author's Note: Which is EXACTLY what he did with Bill Powers.]
(154-67)
All this from the man openly rumored to be on Hillary Clinton veep short list:
Bottom Line: Before he carried water for Bill Powers and Joe Straus, Bill McRaven carried water for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The Extortion 17 fiasco was well known by the time the U.T. system brought Mr. McRaven in as Chancellor. For the scandal-plagued U.T. politburo to hire someone with Bill McRaven's record at this moment in it's history tells you everything you need to know about the U.T. politburo.
Today is the anniversary of the Ft. Hood jihadist attackworkplace violence. Obviously, tomorrow is election day. Given this juxtaposition, now is an appropriate time to review his record.
One Note: Whoever wins tomorrow, we need to reconfigure our strategy in this conflict. Obviously, Obama's approach has been a treasonous disaster, but the alternatives advanced by George W. Bush and Ron Paul aren't satisfactory either. I've outlined broad principles here.
Failed to stop the Christmas Day 2009 pantybomber despite having been warned by the guy's father six weeks before the attempted attack; despite this, Janet Napoletano said 'the system worked.'
Speaking of which, don't get me started on how much worse the TSA has gotten under Obama; the silver lining is that, in Barack Obama's economy, people can't afford to fly anywhere in the first place.
Heteronormative - The Cultural bias in favor of opposite-sex relationships of a sexual nature, and against same-sex relationships of a sexual nature. Phallocentric - Centered on men or a male viewpoint, especially one held to entail the domination of women by men.
Yesterday, Barack Obama's campaign released the following ad:
Rush Limbaugh discussed this ad at length today. I offer dittos to everything Rush said. There is, however, one point Rush missed.
This misogynistic ad is heteronormative and phallocentric.
Why should this gal lose her 'v-card' to "a great guy;" couldn't a woman "care whether or not you get health insurance and specifically whether you get birth control"?!?
(That's voting card, you pervert.)
This misogynistic ad propagates the power structure of LGBT subjugation!!!
Or maybe it's Friday afternoon and I just wanted to use the phrase heteronormative and phallocentric! :-)
One of my pet peeves this election season is that people aren't being aggressive enough in U.S. Senate races. Of the 33 seats up this cycle, two thirds are held by Democrats. Of the seats held by Democrats, thirteen are in states that are neither in New England or on the West Coast.
(Author's note: Obviously, this analysis is based on the Republicans holding the seats they currently possess; with the possible exception of the open seat in Maine, they should do that without breaking a sweat.)
North Dakota (open) -- Heidi Heitkamp vs. Rick Berg -- This race is similar to the Nebraska race listed above. Barack Obama is so hated in this state that incumbent Democrat Kent Conrad chose to retire. This is also a state with a massive oil boom. Barack Obama, obviously, hates oil. Mitt's coattails alone should get Berg across the finish line.
The first purpose of a strong military is to prevent war.
No flexibility for Vladimir Putin.
Endorses Palestinian State (barf!)
Bottom Line: On the biggest issues of Peace through Strength, Trade, Iran, Russia, and standing up for our friends, Mitt did a really good job. Unfortunately, the strong parts of the speech were mixed in with too much George W. Bush style "freedom agenda" talk. That being said, the strong parts of the speech are solid, and I think, over time, conservatives can disabuse Mitt of the notion that greater 'democracy' (ie. Sharia) in the Middle East is an American interest.
Several years ago, Wall St. Journal columnist James Taranto introduced an idea that came to be known as the Taranto principle, it states:
the liberal media often ill serves liberal politicians by creating a feedback loop in which both sides reinforce each other's prejudices while public opinion goes its own way.
I think the 2012 election could become the biggest vindication of the Taranto principle since Paulene Kael in 1972. At a minimum, the Obama re-election campaign has based its strategy around liberal myths about George W. Bush's 2004 re-election that leave it disconnected from reality.
The liberal 2004 mythology can be summed up as follows: "after a horrific first term for Bush, thatrottenSOBKarlRove(tm) knew Bush couldn't win so he brought in the Swift Vets to trash warheroJohnKerry(tm) and thatrottenSOBKarlRove(tm) also ginned up anti-gay sentiment to get his base to turnout." All of the preceding statements are false. Consider the following:
The Swift Boat Veterans were telling the Truth -- It's impossible to overstate the importance of the Swift Boat Veterans to the myths leftists tell themselves about the 2004 election. Heck, leftists have event turned 'swift-boating' into shorthand for an underhanded smear campaign. Unfortunately, for the left, the reason the swift boat veterans charges stuck is because they were true. Leftist attacks against Mitt, by contrast, are laughably false. That's why the over these over the top attacks aren't working.
Homosexual 'marriage' wasn't a particularly important issue in 2004 -- First things first, Karl Rove didn't make homosexual 'marriage' a campaign issue in 2004, the Massachusetts Supreme court did. That being said, homosexual 'marriage' wasn't particularly important. Most of the states that had marriage referendums were solidly Republican and, in Ohio, the marriage referendum passed with a wider margin than Bush's victory. Bush's 2004 voters weren't motivated by homosexual 'marriage,' they were motivated by post-9/11 national security issues. Fast forward to 2012 and you see why the 'War on Women' narrative has been such a flop against persistent unemployment and embassies going up in flames.
In 2004, you had a reasonably successful, if unspectacular, incumbent (whose real policy disasters were still in the future) going against a challenger who told serious fibs about himself. In 2012, by contrast, you have an incumbent with a disastrous record going against a challenger who has, if anything, undersold his own record. Team Obama cannot replicate George W. Bush's 2004 re-election strategy, largely because they don't understand how Bush's victory happened in the first place.
The other day, I discussed how the United States will continue to be at war for the foreseeable future. The bad guys, for reasons of their own, need to remove the United States from the picture. Regardless of what we do, they're going to continue coming. We are both the Great Satan and Vladmir Putin's primary obstacle, whether we like it or not. The United States must restore global dominance within the reality created by other global actors pursuing their interests.
We can do better. Thinly veiled appeasement, neoconservative democratization, and Ron Paul style isolationism aren't our only options. I offer the following principles as guidelines against which to assess future policies.
A Growing Economy -- Getting our economy moving is step one to restore American dominance. With robust economic growth, our current problems become much more manageable. The greatest military in the world is much easier to afford in an economy growing at 4% than in one limping by on around 1.5%; that's even truer if said military is deployed overseas, which ours, realistically, will continue to be. A crucial component of a growing economy that will also aid our foreign policy is...
Free Trade -- International trade is a frequently overlooked way to minimize wars. Under Obama, free trade has taken a backseat to union pandering. Open global trade is the low-hanging fruit of geopolitics. Unfortunately, many problems exist that we cannot solve through economics. When those more difficult problems occur, our first step is....
Priorities -- After determining what we can afford, the United States needs to prioritize the greatest threats and devote our resources to them. Right now, the United States squanders too much energy in areas that are irrelevant to our national interests. In my opinion, the primary threats to U.S. national security these days comes from Iran, Russia (yeah, I know), and our Southern Border. Egypt and Libya could, unfortunately, become top-tier threats before Mitt's inauguration. Once you establish priorities, it allows you to project....
Credible Threat of Force -- This is where peace through strength conservatives differ from libertarians. Peace through strength conservatives understand evil exists in the world; if we don't defeat evil, evil will grow. That's not to say every recent U.S. military action has been well advised or prudent (*cough* Libya *cough*; *cough* Kosovo *cough*). Peace through strength conservatives support military action where it advances American interests, NOT gauzy humanitarian bull-crap. Regarding Afghanistan and Iraq, most peace through strength conservatives believe we were right to remove the Taliban and Saddam Hussein, but we stayed too long and tried to do too much. This is important, because a credible threat of force needs to be tempered with....
Realistic Expectations -- George W. Bush's second-term "Freedom Agenda" is the direct antecedent of today's chaos in the Middle East. Yes, Obama's treasonous misconduct made the situation immeasurably worse, but Condoleeza Rice's State Department let this cat out of the bag. If there's one lesson America has learned the hard way this decade, it's that the United States cannot change an Islamic political culture that is theologically incompatible with with Adam Smith and John Locke. In Iraq, for example, the United States would have been far better served by installing Ahmed Chalabi and drawing down to 30,000 shortly thereafter. One we've tempered the credible threat of force with realistic expectations, we must....
Fight to Win -- The rules of engagement in Afghanistan have been an issue since Obama took office. In the Egyptian embassy attack, our Marines weren't allowed live ammunition. Heck, this is the administration that invented a military award for 'courageous restraint.' That's ridiculous, once we deploy our military under the circumstances described above, we need to unleash its full force and get the job done. Unfortunately, fighting to win requires a cultural shift at the top of the Pentagon that we will only achieve if we....
Clean out the State Department -- I can't prove (yet) that Huma Abedin is a traitor. I can, however, say with full confidence that the State Department bureaucracy is infested with hard-line leftists who advance a progressive internationalist agenda no matter who holds elected office. From Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush, recent Republican Presidents have had their agendas stymied by the State Department bureaucracy. While I cannot prove it, I strongly suspect the State Department bureaucracy was behind George W. Bush's "Freedom Agenda." Once America cleans out the State Department, we will be able to....
Know who our friends are -- One of the best decisions George W. Bush made as President was telling the UN to pound sand over Iraq. America should not give the a fore mentioned progressive internationalists, or a corrupt French President, a veto over U.S. action. That does not mean, however, that America should actually follow the left-wing straw man and 'go it alone.' America has allies and friends we must honor and with whom we should work closely. Barack Obama's cavalier destruction of longstanding alliances and friendships is another dangerous aspect of his legacy. America must diligently and unapologetically rebuild those relationships. Finally, America MUST....
SECURE THE DAMN BORDER -- Don't get me started, but it needs to be done.
Again, I am not (yet!) advocating a set of policies. I'm outlining a set of principles to guide future policy-making. This strikes me as a good start....
"Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation./He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved" Psalm 62:1-2
Today is the eleventh anniversary of 9/11; on this occasion, I want to comment on the biggest mistake our nation made in it's aftermath.
We didn't turn back to God.
One of the great cliches in life is that adversity doesn't build character, adversity reveals character. The cliche is still true. After 9/11, our nation plunged deeper into the idolatry that already plagued us. Church attendance spiked briefly, but didn't last. Far too many of us were more interested in shopping and baseball; we placed our faith in politicians.
Rudy Giuliani is the best example. No one (credible) disputes that Rudy acted heroically during and after 9/11. Rudy's calm, stoic leadership helped prevent a panic, which could have been worse than the attack. Rudy brilliantly finessed the transition from a rescue mission to a recovery operation. I still get choked up thinking about Rudy and the funerals. Unfortunately, instead of getting on our knees and thanking God for blessing us with a leader like Rudy Giuliani, we built Rudy into an idol.
In my own life, I turned the New York Yankees into an idol. Where I had previously been a fan, after 9/11 the Yankees became an unhealthy obsession. The results speak for themselves. The Yankees lost the 2001 World Series. Except for 2009, they've endured a stagnant decade. Heck, they even lost to the Red Sox. Lesson (belatedly) learned. Baseball teams are a hobby, NOT a substitute for Him.
It's not exactly a secret that things haven't gone as planned since 9/11. From Iraq, to Katrina, to the 2008 financial market crisis, to Obama's spending and debt, to the horrific situation on our border, it's just not working. While we absolutely need better public policies and higher quality leaders, step 1 is our personal relationship with God.
Fortunately, it's never too late with God: if we follow the instructions in 2 Chronicles 7:14, then He will bless us with 2 Chronicles 14:7.
In looking into Paul Ryan's record on national security issues I was amazed at it's thinness, especially for someone who has been in Congress for a decade and a half. Paul Ryan supports standard Republican boilerplate on Afghanistan, he voted for some sanctions against Iran, and he opposed cutting and running in Iraq five years ago. That being said, Paul Ryan has maintained remarkable silence on many national security issues, from border security, to domestic Islamic subversion, to Vladimir Putin's Russia.
Paul Ryan does deserve credit, however, for his position on Obama's War in Libya. Last year, Paul Ryan said:
"[Obama] didn't go to Congress, didn't ask for authority, the leading from behind strategy at NATO I think was very strange, and I don't think they had a mission well defined.
This is important, because it demonstrates that Paul Ryan understands that the issue of Congressional approval supersedes any discussion of the merits or demerits of the policy.
I had hoped Mitt would pick Alan West or Michele Bachmann, both of whom have demonstrated national security leadership in the past year. That obviously didn't happen. Paul Ryan's addition to the ticket tells us nothing about the national security policies of a Romney/Ryan administration.
Bottom Line: Paul Ryan is a blank slate on National Security. Unlike Barack Obama and Joe Biden, however, neither Mitt Romney nor Paul Ryan is actively committing treason against the United States. That's good enough.
Last night, I got into a conversation on Facebook about the election. In the discussion, I listed all the elements of Barack Obama's record that he has to defend. Looking over it, it's incredible how much Barack Obama has to defend.
Feel free to keep this post in your back pocket. Anytime you need to refer back to Barack Obama's record, it'll be here.
Passed a Defense Authorization that, even if some of the internet conspiracy theories are untrue, still gives the government waaaaaaaaaay too much leeway to detain citizens without cause.
