An Overlooked Line in Declaration Brought to Light

On this 4th of July, allow me to take a moment of personal privilege to congratulate my parents, Robert and Earline Cole on their 74th wedding anniversary. Both in their 10th decade of life still love each other till death do us part. Congratulations.

On its last day in session, the US Supreme Court handed down a ruling in the case of West Virginia v EPA that, without making specific mention, brought to light an overlooked line in the Declaration of Independence. One of the specific grievances against King George was a single sentence of just 23 words.

The grievance reads: “He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.”

It almost appears as if the founding fathers peered into the crystal ball to see the state of our nation two centuries down the road. We brought upon ourselves the thing we hated – the administrative state.

The administrative state is not mentioned in the Constitution. Although it resides in the Executive branch, it is not one of the branches of government. While the Constitution makes no mention of it, the administrative state has grown to enact more rules having the force of law and issues even more guidance documents. A guidance document may not have the force of law but for all practical purposes it carries the weight of law through implication and sometimes intimidation.

Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote a concurring opinion which pointed to the rapid growth of the federal government. In one of his footnotes, Gorsuch noted that between 1970 and 1990 the Code of Federal Regulations grew from 44,000 pages to 106,000. While Congress passes 200 to 400 laws each year, the administrative agencies issue 3,000 to 5,000 final rules. (Footnote 2 in Gorsuch concurring opinion page 7)

Quoting from the Federalist papers, Gorsuch wrote, “the framers believed that a republic— a thing of the people—would be more likely to enact just laws than a regime administered by a ruling class of largely unaccountable “ministers.”

So, as you celebrate another year of America’s Declaration of Independence, keep in mind that it takes more than a mighty military to maintain our freedom. Like erosion slowly moves the earth underneath one grain at a time, our freedom is in danger of being taken over one regulation at a time by “a multitude of New Offices” and “swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.”

Have a great Independence Day and resolve to stay free.

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Show Trials, Freedom, and Kudzu

Her words were reminiscent of a forced confession and apology to the benevolent Communist Chinese government. Her chilling statement; however, was not made in Beijing. It was made in a United States Courtroom in Washington, DC. Continue reading

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Where to Now?

The “Hate Donald Trump” show in Congress dropped the curtain on its final act. Donald Trump was acquitted in the Senate trial and that saga is finally over for now at least.

The proceedings were called an impeachment but that is a misnomer. An impeachment is a trial to remove a current office holder from office. Continue reading

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Relaxing the Grip of Government

Today Georgia takes a baby step toward reopening our state’s economy. To hear some reports, Governor Kemp is flying a crop duster across the state spraying Covid-19.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. Let’s do a little review of what has happened, why it happened, and what this update to the Governor’s executive order really means. Continue reading

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America – Heed the Warning

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”(Genesis 1:1) The opening words of the Bible lay a foundation on which all of mankind stands.

The account of God’s creation unfolds step by step. Everything was building toward this grand finale of the creation. God created man in the image of God.

Man was special. Man was unique. The description of man contains a characteristic unlike any other part of creation. “in our own image.” (Genesis 1:26) Man was stamped with the image of God. He was sanctified by God.

In this perfect environment, with a perfect couple, a tragic event took place. God’s perfect human beings, Adam and Eve, rejected God.

Instead of trusting in the abundant gifts of God in a perfect environment with a perfect relationship, they chose their own path. They violated the one rule that God gave.

With the fall of man, sin entered the world. Adam and Eve experienced fear and shame.

Their first child, Cain, demonstrated the pollution of sin and the fall. He experienced envy, jealousy, rage, and eventually killed his own brother.

When God handed down the 10 commandments, He included, “you shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13) God gave life. His creation was to honor life and treat everyone with dignity and respect.

Even the social consciousness movement against bullying is not a new cultural improvement. God handed down the first directive against making fun of others? “You shall not curse a deaf man, nor place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall revere your God; I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:14 NASB)

The Nation of Israel turned away from the one true God and chased after false philosophies. It led to a downward spiral of the nation that sunk to its lowest depth.

They sacrificed their own children. Their focus of attention was not on the gift of the lives of their children. Their focus was on themselves.

Things are no different today. The self-centered secular humanism has no moral absolutes. As a result, we have a nation that worships itself and fails to see the glaring inconsistency of its own behavior.

Imagine someone going on a famous talk show. Millions across the nation watch as the parents calmly talk with the host about their latest wonderful religious experience.

They vividly describe how they took their newborn baby into a decorated sanctuary. They bowed before a large statue. Then they turned and handed the infant child over to man dressed in a ceremonial robe.

The man lifted the child up high over his head and uttered words to the god he worshipped. He then placed the baby on a metal grate and turned a large valve. Natural gas freely flowed and then ignited beneath the child.

In seconds the metal grate changed to raging inferno. They reverently listened to the terrified screams of the baby until the screams finally fell to an eerie silence.

Imagine that conversation today before a live studio audience broadcast nationwide. The audience would be in shock and rage at such an event.

But then imagine a woman on the same show saying, “my body, my rights.” No, wait, we don’t have to imagine something like that. We see it every day. Her statement is usually followed by loud applause.

On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that the child in the mother’s womb is not a “person.” Therefore that child has no rights under the Constitution of the United States.

Since 1973 we have seen astounding advances in science and technology. The invention of the sonogram allows someone to learn of the gender of a child long before birth.

This has led to a new line of business for party and event planners. The “reveal party” now is a part of our culture where an expectant couple holds friends and family in suspense before revealing the gender of the baby, still months before birth.

We have a generation of children who grew up seeing sonogram images of little brother or sister. America’s plea of ignorance on the question of when life begins was weak in 1973. There is no basis for a plea of ignorance today.

The five year old brother standing in awe before the refrigerator looking first at his mother’s growing stomach and then at the sonogram image of his little sister taped to the refrigerator door instinctively knows better. We know better too, and we are accountable.

Just a matter of weeks ago, the state legislature in Ohio passed a bill that prohibited an abortion after the detection of a heartbeat in the baby. A heartbeat is a basic sign of life. Checking for a pulse is one of the immediate actions taken by a first responder at the scene of an accident.

Lawmakers in Ohio recognized that basic sign of life. They overwhelmingly passed a law recognizing that a child with a heartbeat had the right to live.

Governor John Kasich, a Republican, vetoed the bill. His reasoning relied on an outdated Supreme Court ruling.

Instead of standing for life and challenging the ruling, he unconditionally surrendered and vetoed the bill. Kasich claims to be pro-life. He ran as a pro-life candidate.

When it came down to it, Kasich thrust aside his trust and reliance in the infallible Supreme Ruler of the Universe. He bowed before black-robed fallible, human beings, and a terribly flawed ruling.

Each of the two major political parties have taken a clear position on an unborn child’s right to life. They published their positions in their campaign platforms for all to see.

The Democrats want to provide tax funding for abortion on demand. The Republican platform stands on the side of the child clearly stating “The unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed.”

Democrats also stand to defend the horrific practices of Planned Parenthood. “We will continue to stand up to Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood health centers.” Republicans call for the defunding Planned Parenthood and “to make it a crime to acquire, transfer, or sell fetal tissues from elective abortions for research.”

As if mere killing was not enough, Planned Parenthood and other organizations determined that if they killed the baby in just the right manner, they could butcher the body and sell the parts to highest bidder. With every innocent life brutally dismembered, there is a terrified, helpless, cry from a child fighting for his or her very life.

Those cries fall on deaf human ears. Be assured that God is not deaf. The cries of the millions of innocent babies callously killed as if a sacrifice to a god of convenience rise to His throne of justice.

Our nation cannot continue down this path without consequence. The just and righteous Creator who watched over us and formed this nation of freedom is filled with grace beyond all measure. He is also a God of justice who will pour out His wrath.

God cares enough to warn those who make fun of a deaf or blind person. How much more does He have to say to a nation with the blood of over 60 million innocent lives on its hands?

Here is a clear warning. “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31) America had best heed the warning.

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Two Days in January – Part 1

There are two significant dates in the month of January that impact America. No, one of them is not the Superbowl. 

One is a day in which we recognize the life of a man who led a movement for justice and freedom. He forced America to face the evil of discriminating against people based on the color of their skin. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is on the third Monday in January. 

The other is a dark day in American history. It is not a federal holiday and is not one to be celebrated with joy. 

On the contrary, it should be acknowledged with repentance and deep sorrow. It should be acknowledged with a cry to the Almighty for forgiveness. 

That day is January 22, 1973. On that day that the Supreme Court of the United States shook its fist in the face of the Supreme ruler of the Universe by ruling that unborn children were not persons, therefore did not have the unalienable right of life. 

What an irony of American history. One day celebrating the righting of the terrible wrong of racism. Another day, that ruled that an unborn child had no more rights than a housefly crushed to death with a swat as a mere nuisance. 

That dreadful decision unleashed the holocaust of abortion. Planned Parenthood and other abortionists have brutally killed millions since that decision.

This commentary is focused on the day we recognize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On January 15, 1929 a mother gave birth to a boy in Atlanta, Georgia. At the age of 39, his life was cut down in Memphis, Tennessee by the bullet fired by James Earl Ray, a hate-filled, evil, cowardly, sniper. 

I just read Dr. King’s, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” dated April 16, 1963. It is his response to a published statement by eight clergymen It is said that he wrote it on the margins of a newspaper and on scraps of paper. 

Tweets, memes, and 30 second sound bites are the basic literature of today’s culture. They usually degrade to name calling and insults. 

We should regularly set those temporary blurbs aside lest they drag us down along with them. We should take the time to read on deeper, more thoughtful, literature, such as the Bible, biographies, and the writing of great thinkers and leaders that will stand the test of time. 

King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is one of those writings that will stand the test of time. I was particularly impressed with a section of his letter that addressed the state of the church in American society. 

It was written over a half century ago. It could have been written yesterday. I have highlighted phrases of particular impact. 

There was a time when the church was very powerful — in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being “disturbers of the peace” and “outside agitators.” But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were “a colony of heaven,” called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be “astronomically intimidated.”By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests.

Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an arch-defender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church’s silent — and often even vocal — sanction of things as they are. 
But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century.

If I attempted to add anything to his commentary on the church, it would only dilute the power of the message. I encourage you to read Dr. King’s complete letter. You can find it here: “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” 

On Tuesday, I will address Roe v Wade, the day of sorrow for America. 


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Democrat Houses of Cards Are About to Collapse

Monday, September 17, 2018 will be recorded as a bad day for Democrats. They have built houses of cards that are about to collapse.

First, the accusation of Brett Kavanaugh. It began to break before the weekend from Senator Dianne Feinstein of a serious report of an anonymous incident by a person who wished to remain anonymous.

Senator Feinstein had the information since July but never said anything about it until the hearings were over. That alone proves her disingenuous intent.
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Georgia Bureacrats Run Amok in Maniacal Ignorance of Religious Freedom

Last year Governor Nathan Deal vetoed a reasonable bill to defend religious freedom in Georgia. He knew about instances of Georgia government leaders making decisions relying on political correctness instead of the law.

Early in Governor Deal’s administration, the Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources ordered that all Gideon Bibles be removed from the hotel rooms of state park lodges and hotels. Governor Deal, himself, had to step in to overturn that foolish decision.

Now, the State of Georgia is entangled in a federal discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed by an African American former District Health Director for the Department of Public Health in 2014.

Dr. Eric Walsh came with stellar commendations from his position in California. He happens to be a 7th Day Adventist lay minister. Continue reading FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

Governor Deal Vetoes HB 757 Free Exercise Protection Act

Governor Deal vetoed House Bill 757, commonly referred to as the Religious Freedom Act. His stated reason was that the law was not necessary in Georgia. He referred specifically to requiring someone to participate in a religious ceremony, including marriage ceremonies, if it was contrary to sincerely held religious beliefs.

“While most people would agree that government should not force such actions, there has not been a single instance of such taking place in Georgia. If there has been any case of this type in our state it has not been called to my attention.” Continue reading

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Is the GOP Killing the Goose that Laid the Golden Egg?

I first saw the post on Facebook from Erick Erickson. Then Todd Rehm wrote about it in his morning update in the Georgia Pundit. On the last day of the session, a conference committee sent a bill (SB 127) that regulates anyone spending money on any “election advocacy and election targeted issue advocacy.”

Section 19 of the bill targets “any communication made at any time that: (A) Contains express words, such as ‘vote,’ ‘oppose,’ ‘support,’ ‘elect,’ ‘defeat,’ or ‘reject’, …. (B) Otherwise refers to or depicts one or more clearly identified candidates, political parties or bodies, or constitutional amendments, referenda, or other questions submitted to the voters.” Continue reading FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather