Really, why keep lying to America?

This quote below is a stunning example of the way politicians lie and obfuscate the truth. This is yet another example of the Democrat party and the Obama administration lying to the American people about what happened in the financial meltdown. 

"Freddie and Fannie ewre not instumental in the decable in the financial crisis," [Geithner] told Fox News. " there's no denying it: we gave motgages in america to people who hadterrible credit histories, who had no down-payment, that didn't have a good. solid work history, that really shouldn't have been given a mortgage. Fannie and Freddie competed for some of those mortgages. They were part of the problem, yes, but the private sector was five times as irresponsible as they were."


Read more: Geithner tells bold faced lie to American people

Here is the truth…

Yes, Fannie and Freddie made bad loans, but to then point the finger at the banking industry and make the childish claim – “But they were way worse!” (Sic.) is only half the truth.

Do you know why banks were making bad loans?

The Clinton administration through Janet Reno’s Justice Department threatened banks and lenders with prosecution if they did not expand President Carter’s initiative of providing loans to people who really can’t afford them.

The banks had no choice but to make the bad loans, knowing that collapse was inevitable.

In the meantime, Chris Dodd and Barney Frank were making out like bandits in the ensuing real estate boom, knowing it was all a fraudulent house of cards. To make matters worse, when George Bush and Sen. McCain actually tried to ward off the impending disaster by entering legislation to stop the practice of sub-prime loans the measures were defeated by, wait for it...the Democrats! Convenient for them that the collapse happened on Bush’s watch so they could blame him and the republicans, when in reality it was a crash of their own making going back as far as Jimmy Carter.

For more on this see US Financial Meltdown Backstory

Once again, the law of unintended consequences puts us on the path of destruction paved with good intentions. (Though that assumes the Dems didn’t want to crash our economy as a means to secure more federal power.)

I am no huge fan of Bush, and am disgusted with the Republicans, and yes, the banks played a role, even if they were coerced, but come on people; the Democrats need to be held accountable for their complicity in this mess and rampant lying.

Community & Secession: what others are saying about breaking up...

Congress is debating whether or not to plunge our nation into greater and greater debt. We have already sold out how many future generations to our inability to delay gratification and control spending? Simply put, if I were to run my personal finances the way the federal, and many state governments do, I would be in jail.

I suppose there are options to us us voters. The most obvious being to stop electing people who promise to provide for our every need, because they have to get the money from us in order to do it. 

furthermore, in addition to their hypocritical approach to money management our federal government continues to encroach on our personal liberties, from TSA checks to what we eat, and thanks to GPS systems even where we go.

So what is an honest citizen to do? Here's an interesting idea from the Front Porch Republic: Taking Secession Seriously - At Last. Give it a read and dream about how life in a "free country" might appear. Here's one possible scenario...

Hmmmm, why not have a few states set up their own country. A country founded on individual liberty, limited government, personal responsibility and an eye toward the promotion of a spirit of community and cooperation. Sound familiar?

It would be an interesting experiment. History seems to bear out that such a country would likely fair well and possibly rise to the top of the heap. It would probably be very popular with people, but unpopular with jealous leaders from other countries.

It wouldn't be easy. People would have to make great sacrifices and probably fight off predatory countries. Ah, but what a beacon of light a "free" nation would be to other nations who would be shamed by their oppression.

What do you think? What might be other, or better solutions to bring about productive, emancipating change?

Pots and Black Kettles

I have been pretty quiet for a while on the blog front. Sure, life is busy, too busy, but more than that I have been thinking about how to "find my voice." In other words, how to write a commentary on life that is not closed but is part of a dialogue with cojourners who happen to stop by. To be sure, I have opinions and as those around me know those opinions can be strong. Still, I don't want to be strident when so many things in life are merely a matter of preference. Additionally I truly believe that "different is not wrong."

So rather than get stuck in paralysis of thought, I have decided to just put it out there and hope that you will be gracious with me, even as I hope to be gracious with you. If we agree to disagree, then so be it and "vive la différence."

I was saddened, though not surprised, when Sen Giffords and others were shot last week. I was not surprised because it seems our "public servants" are not interested in serving the public as much as they are interested in serving their carreers and legacies. I was glad to know that the shooter was a madman and not a conservative or tea party member. If anything it seems he was more of a leftist.

As it turns out he is simply crazy.

How ironic that voices on the left immediately began blaming, condemning, and even threatening people on the right. Actually, more than ironic it was pathetic and hypoctirical.

I am reminded of how fiercely a pacifist will fight for his/her life and kill rather than be killed.  Anecdotal, I suppose, but there is truth in there even as the saying goes, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” I’ve been in a foxhole. There is something profound about digging what may become your grave.

  

I encourage us all to acknowledge our own hypocrisy. We are all hypocrites. It really is that simple. With that in mind let’s not fight vitriol with vitriol, or think the worst about someone who is different.

To be perfectly honest, the voices I hear on the left,  Olbermann, Maher, Matthews, Maddow, Stewart are truly mean spirited, and arrogant and they seem to have no problem calling for the death of conservatives. Where is the acknowledgement that their speech is hateful, wrong, or hypocritical? Where are the apologies for totally gaffing by blaming the right for the shooting? This is truly a case of "the pot calling the kettle black."

So in the wake of the Arizona shootings where is the space for reflection? Why are voices on the left given a pass for wishing Palin dead, or laughing about the failed attempt on Cheney’s life back in the day? Our time would be better spent in self-reflection and an honest assessment of our part in contributing to the problem rather than blaming others.

What does this have to with community and leadership? I think that honesty, humility, and patience rather than knee-jerk accusations will make us stronger. Think about it.

Remember the Constitution?

Well, the latest version of the U.S. Congress is now seated and in session. I am not sure if that is good or bad. I am inclined to agree with the statement, "That government is best which governs least." (attr. to Thomas Paine) Honestly, I was kind of hoping for a shut down of government. We can talk about the implications and consequences of that in another post.

I will say this, I think that starting each session with a reading of the Constitution is a good idea. It may be the best idea from Congress in decades! Likewise, having to defend bills based on constitutionality will hopefully increase the amount of good legislation and put the breaks on the government takeover of the private sector and personal freedoms. Next, how about having the Constitution read aloud in public schools as well? I say only public because they are under the purview of the government as opposed to private schools, but including all schools would be nice.

My part will be to encourage us all to give the Constitution a read. Honestly, I think it may be a first read for me, as my memory of my social studies classes is somewhat dim.  So whether it is your first time or a familiar passage, give the Constitution a read. Here's the link and let us know what you think or learned!

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html

Yup, first read for me, I admit it. Now, I do have the preamble memorized, thanks to Schoolhouse Rock, but I don't recall reading the body of the document. Be advised, it is a bit dry and written in old English, but don't let that scare you!

Christmas is War!

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http://plainvanillagraphics.com

Christmas is often seen as the season of Peace: angels, a King and the promise of peace. Let’s take a look at Luke’s text from the Bible. Luke was a scientist and historian hired to investigate the events surrounding Jesus' life. As such, Luke had no vested interest in proofing anything other than what really happened and one can presume that he would have a pretty factual take on events in Bethlehem. I don’t think it is too far fetched to say that Luke would have gone and found as many eyewitnesses as he could. At some point he heard about the shepherds and their story. Luke records his findings in Chapter 2 of Luke.

To take a more contemporary read on vs. 13-15…”Suddenly a whole slew of angels pitched up, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men on whom His favor rests.’ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘What the heck was that?!’ ‘I don’t know but let’s go to Bethlehem and check it out.’”

The historical setting for this visitation was the ‘Pax Romana’ or Roman Peace. The longest recorded span of time without war. The reason for that was the Roman Empire owned most of the western and Middle Eastern world making for a large, relatively peaceful dictatorship. Despite this world peace, the shepherds were so moved by the angel’s words they immediately went to see the Savior of the World who brings peace.

Of course, even during the Pax Romana the world was still violent, and people were oppressed. In fact, just two years after Christ was born, Herod sent his troops to Bethlehem. Herod, as king, was threatened by this infant who was proclaimed King of the Jews and set out to eliminate the competition by having all males 2 years and younger in Bethlehem and the surrounding area killed. So much for peace on earth. I wonder what the shepherds thought when they heard about that. Fortunately, Jesus’ parents were warned by angels to flee to Egypt until Herod was dead.

So, what about peace on earth both then and now? Take a look around; we are at war – again. We can’t stop killing each other! It has been estimated that in all of recorded history there have been only 7 years of peace.

Were the Angels lying? Is this God’s idea of a joke? God may have a sense of humor, but he is not a liar. No, this is yet another of the Bible’s many ironies – such as, to live you must die, and to be first, be last. To understand all of these things we need to go beyond our human perspective and try to see what God sees.

I submit to you that when God considers peace he first sees the need for us to be at peace with Him. It is from peace with God that our experience of peace flows. In other words, spiritual peace leads to emotional peace and then physical peace or peace in community. While that sounds simple enough let’s put it in the context of the annunciation and what was going on behind the scenes, as it were.

In Luke’s account of Christ’s birth we see only some of the angels that night, there are many more and they aren’t singing. There is also another king, and he too is very threatened by this baby King of the Jews.

Let’s take a look at a parallel passage in Revelation Chapter 12. It is called Revelation because it was revealed to the apostle John in a vision while he was living in exile. As one might imagine with visions, this is pretty wild. John gets to see what is going on in the spiritual dimension of reality. So, where Luke recorded the 3 dimensional reality of Christ’s birth on earth, John gives us a look at the goings on in the spiritual dimension of reality.
The angels are at war! The King of this world is Satan. It is clear from this passage that he is not happy about God showing up. Satan hates everything about God – and since God loves us, Satan hates us all the more. It is his personal mission to make us as miserable as possible and that includes stealing our peace, both spiritual and physical.

In a daring move, God establishes a beachhead on Earth in a bold midnight raid led by… an infant! Only God would be so audacious and counterintuitive. What’s more, who is at this beachhead landing with the infant? A choir!

Now, I was in an army band for six years. We had some real soldiers in our unit, expert shots and physically fit. But honestly, in battle we would have been little more than cannon fodder. You just don’t send the band in first unless you hope the enemy will run out of ammo shooting the band!

When we see Xmas as more than God visiting Earth and also see Christmas as an act of war, we are reminded that we are actually living life in a spiritual battle that is played out in out 3 dimensional reality and in the spiritual dimension of reality. Peace for those on whom God’s favor rests – a spiritual reality – a state of mind – peace with God, a hope for 3 dimensional peace as well.

Are you experiencing peace with God this season? Peace with God is the beginning to finding emotional peace, as well as physical peace. And on our spiritual journey we will find seasons of peace, and seasons of turmoil. We will experience violence, hatred, anxiety, depression, because we live in a messed up world and we in turn are messed up. But the message of Christmas is that through Christ we can have peace with God and we enter into a process of becoming more like him.

The angels didn’t lie. If anything, we have had too narrow a perspective. I have found Christmas becoming more and more meaningful as I think of it as more than Christ’s birth, but a daring and bold act of war as God brings the battle into Satan’s back yard.

I encourage you to reflect on your view of Christmas. How might seeing Christmas as an act of war change, and hopefully enhance, your view of Christmas and what God did that night 2000 years ago? Like it or not, you live in a war zone, but are you at war with God or at peace with God?

I always enjoy reading people's comments and the same is true for this post. Agree or disagree, all I ask is that you sojourn with me.

To read more about this concept check out this article by Philip Yancey.

Flashback Friday

I promise, this is the last original song from me.

What would a Christmas song sound like if it were recorded by the Byrds? In 1991, the band I was with, FlashBack, recorded this as an answer to that question.

The pictures are from 2005 when I was living in Singapore and playing drums in... wait for it... a Chinese pop band! No, I don't really speak Chinese but I can count to four in Chinese, which is all a drummer needs to know. I was able to bring my son on tour and we spent ten wonderful days on tour in  China with some great friends and talented musicians. I am eager to return.

I hope you enjoy this week's Flashback Friday!

another Mike

Flashback Black Friday

Back in the early 90s I had the privilege of working with a group of talented musicians in a band called FlashBack. We played classic rock and have the distinct honor of being asked if we were the Doobie Brothers, and a reporter from a major network thought we were the Beatles when he heard our sound check. Granted he couldn't see us, he thought it was on the radio. My last attempt to build credibility in the hopes that you will listen to this recording is that David bowie's bass player needed a back up band, and he asked us to play behind him at Daytona beach during Spring Break - we respectfully declined (one of many decisions I often second guess).

We went into the studio in the summer to cut two tracks for a compilation Christmas album. As a classic rock band we were going for a sort of "Byrds" feel: tight harmonies (which I had NOTHING to do with) and acoustic guitars. Fortunately the studio had an electric 12 string and our guitarist had always wanted to play one. So they let him use it and without practice he laid down a beautiful track. Me? I messed up the drum intro and so they just brought me in on beat 1. 

My wife and I, being frugal, went shopping this morning. This song came to mind amidst the yelling, grabbing, pushing and shoving. It remains one of my favorites and I am privileged to have recorded it with these musicians.

Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

Happy Thanksgiving and welcome to Advent!

another Mike