2013.......The Best Yet

Life is what you make it.  2013 will be what we make it.  John Maxwell told us "Make every day a masterpiece."  That is what I intend to do.  Although I do not plan on it, mistakes will be made along the way.  I just need to do better.  Improve, improve, improve.  That will be one of my mantras.  The best to you too.

If Jesus Wept For Lazarus..............

  Three days ago, a man I truly admired passed away.  He was my father-in-law, Art Lopez.  What a man he was.  What an example for others to follow.  The night before he went home to see his maker, I was sitting next to him.  I spoke to him.  I also shared several positive  stories about him.  Afterward, with the piano playing, we proceeded to sing his favorite hymn, "Fuente De Misericordia." It was composed by a dear friend of his, who went home to see the Lord several years ago. During the hymn,  I remembered how kind and respectful Art always was with me.  I started sobbing.  No problem.  "Jesus wept."  If Jesus wept for Lazarus..........I can weep for Art.

Omnipotent Moral Busybodies?

C. S. Lewis wrote, “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under Omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”

"Omnipotent moral busybodies?  I am not sure what Lewis meant by that term, but it grabs my attention.  Maybe he meant lawmakers who need to stay busy.  Or do-gooders guided by  their opinions only.  Maybe he meant intellectuals who think that by using only human reason and human reasoning, they can help create a better world.  Or perhaps he was referring to activists who refuse  to consider the greatest guide to morality:  The eternal Word of God.  These thinkers/moralists will never replace God's ideas for right and wrong, appropriate and inappropriate.  What is fair?  What is balanced?  One might say: "Well, it depends what century you are living in."  It is a point well taken.  But some things never change. I will march to the drum-beat of things tested and true.  Foolish legislation and Hollywood will not dictate to me how I am supposed to think.  It is not about arrogance and pride.  It is not because I, as a person, think that I am superior to others.  Be it far from me to think that way.  However, the greatest teacher of all time and place told me that I am the "light of the world."  With all my faults: I will take it, I will live it.  "Your Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."  (Ps. 119:105)

The School Shootings And Abortion

Abortion is wrong.  No innocent child deserves to die.   If his dad was a rapist, that does not make the child guilty of any crime.  How in the world did we get so calloused to arrive at the conclusion that killing babies is okay?  Tolerance or intolerance?  It is intolerance.  Intolerance toward  human life.  Do we really care about dead children?  A crazed young man kills 20 children (and 7 adults, including himself).  All of a sudden we hear a cry for stricter gun control laws.  Abortion kills 3000 children every day in this country.  Who is defending them?  There are 104 thousand reasons (at least for this year) for why those 20 children were massacred. Society is screaming out:  It is okay to kill children!  So what is the big deal!

Taking Guns Away From The Citizenry

Taking guns away from the citizenry is dangerous and would interfere with the pursuit of peace. Just because a deranged young man massacred children (with guns that did not belong to him), and with guns he had no permission to use at the time he used them is no reason to take guns away from responsible persons. I have used weapons, I am a former soldier. But I have never owned a weapon nor do I plan to own one. However, the suggested solutions that have been offered lately to prevent a massacre of this type from happening again are not acceptable if they involve the prohibition of gun ownership. Better security measures will provide greater safety in our schools.  Voluntary prayers are also very important.

Sandy Hook/ Prayer Debate

Recently, Miles Mcpherson, Pastor of the Rock Church in San Diego wrote an article in the SDUT about prayer and the importance of it in the aftermath of the Newtown, Connecticut massacre.  Some critics responded to his article.  They offered no solutions, only criticisms.  One sounded like an atheist, another sounded like he believed in  multitudes of gods.  I did not agree with them.  Here is my letter to the newspaper.  It did not get published.

It is interesting to note that Sanford J. Madigan offered absolutely no suggestion that would attempt to prevent another Sandy Hook massacre. All he did was criticize Pastor Mcpherson's article. The Pastor was in no way attempting to "exploit the Sandy Hook tragedy." He was offering a powerful suggestion, and not a foolish one. Prayers of faith are powerful. And God is not an "unseen dictator." "The fool has said in his heart there is no God." (Ps. 14:1) Also, I suggest we all read II Chron. 7:14. It is for us today. And Mr. Mullin: "Whose God?" There is only one. Please do not believe that old lie that there are many gods. There is only one God. Please read Isaiah 9:6. It is particularly relevant this month. There is only one "mighty God."

Robert Dominguez
Chula Vista

Hazing

The following letter was sent by me to Town Hall as a response to an article that dealt with a male student who was hazed at a high school in the  boy's PE locker room.  A pencil was stuck up his anus.  Most of the responses to this letter were positive.  However, oddly enough, some respondents did not agree with my evaluation of the situation.   They had a "boys will be boys" perspective.  I say no way.  I say "boys will be taught to not do extremely foolish and dangerous things."

"Hazing may be a tradition in some areas, but it needs to stop. A person's body is not the "toy " of someone else. Especially in a public school, and especially the type of hazing that took place.  Hazing needs to stop. It is criminal behavior. Leave people alone. Conduct your activities. Play your sports. Learn, grow, participate. Stay away from the anuses of others. Yes, stay away. Respect others. Fire teachers and coaches who encourage perversity.  These matters are particularly affected due to the facility of taking photos with a cell phone."       RD

A Gun Carrying Asst. Principal

In 1972 I worked at a high school in South Central Los Angeles.  Believe it or not, the Asst. Principal packed a 38 special in a shoulder holster.  I had no idea whether there was an official policy regarding this practice, and I did not bother to ask. I remember he pulled his gun  out one day and marched an unruly gang member to the office. That particular school experienced shootings and actual gunfights.  One particular student was allowed to carry a weapon in a briefcase because he feared for his life. While I was there, no students lost their lives through gunfire at school,  however some did get wounded.  At that time the school enrollment was 100% Black.

Newspapers Get A Bad Rap, I Agree

The media is generally liberal.  Newspapers often leave things out.  They leave news out that is relevant.  Often times when a newspaper writes, it writes what it wants to and not what acually happened or what was actually said.  Is not a newspaper a "news" paper?   So.....write the news.  Below are just  three of many, many  quotes made against what newspapers have done (or not done).

"A newspaper has three things to do.
One is to amuse, another is to entertain
and the rest is to mislead."
Ernest Bevin            British Foreign Minister

"Journalism is popular, but it is popular mainly as fiction.
Life is one world, and life seen in the newspapers is another."
Gilbert Keith Chesterton           (1874-1936) British essayist, critic, poet, and novelist

"In the United States there is no phenomenon more threatening to
popular government than the unwillingness of newspapers to give the facts to their readers."
 Nelson Antrim Crawford         (1888-1963) American writer, editor, author

Same-sex Marriage Nixed In Nevada

 Heterosexual marriage is the foundation of society, and the state of Nevada has chosen to uphold it.  Same sex marriage is neither recognized nor valid in the state of Nevada.  How would Nevada benefit if same-sex marriage were legal?  Is it a civil rights issue?  No.  Nevada offers domestic partnerships to same-sex couples. I know what many same-sex couples want.  They want their marriage to eventually achieve legitimacy.  Some things are legal and legitimate.  Some things are legal and illegitimate.  For example:  abortion is legal, but it is an illegitimate way to end a life.  Same-sex marriage is a contradiction in terms, an oxymoron.  It cannot be marriage.  It will never be marriage.  You can call it that if you want to, but it does not make it so.  Apparently, Nevada understands that.

Tonya Reaves

Maybe it was on CNN.  I didn't see it.  Maybe it was a headline somewhere.  I didn't see it if it was.  A few months ago, A Black young woman died on a Planned Parenthood-referred operating table.  She was getting a second trimester abortion.  Mistakes were made by the abortionists.  Tonya bled to death.  The autopsy revealed that a Chicago area Planned Parenthood killed the 24-year old woman in a botched abortion.  Why was this not on the news?  Is there an on-going cover-up of Planned Parenthood's actions?

Two Sad Days At West Point

I am convinced that The United States Military Academy at West Point is the greatest military training facility on the planet Earth.  It was officially established in March of 1802.  What a glorious history it has.  What excellent training it offers.  It has a curriculum that offers training/teaching in the areas of academics, the military, physical, and moral and ethical training.  I am of the persuasion that it has prepared  and continues to prepare our nation's greatest military leaders.  But alas, all great institutions have their sad days.   For two weekends in a row, in late November, West point has hosted two same-sex wedding ceremonies.  One in the Cadet Chapel, it is the landmark Gothic church that is reputed to be a center for spiritual life at the Academy.  The other ceremony was held in the Old Cadet Chapel in West Point's cemetery.  Both couples were females.   I suppose all were "brides."  All 4 women know each other.  They are friends.
This is sad news as far as I am concerned.  However, I see one good result, I am determined to pray harder for this great nation, for our leaders, citizens, inhabitants and all of our institutions.  Homosexuality and lesbianism are sins before God.   I wonder how the military chaplains are responding to this rejection of God's Word?    "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."  (caps. mine)
(Rom. 1: 26) King James Bible. 
Think about it, God says it is against nature.  The government supporting and facilitating "vile affections"?  .
This is a serious mistake.  Do we know more than God knows about marriage and relationships?  Where do you stand?

Those Who Cast The Votes

"Those who cast the votes decide nothing.
Those who count the votes decide everything."

 Josef Stalin

It would be great if everyone in government (our government leaders) were honest, full of integrity and untarnished.  Sorry, but that is not going to happen.  I am not bitter, hateful or outright distrustful of government.  It is just full of human beings.  Some are extremely arrogant, egocentric and have a type of phony righteousness about them.  Power harms them.  Power corrupts them.  But we must have government.  There is no other way. We must have government, even it it is crooked. When we find  crooked politicians, expose them....get them out.   We need to  deal with things the way they are, not the way we wish they were.  It is a tough job.  It can be confusing.   It is not an ideal world.  People need order.  Well then, how about having a theocracy? No.  We  do not need theocracies to run national governments  because there is too much false religion out there.  Religion that steals your liberty.  Religion that lies to you.  Religion making false proclamations and premises. Religion with heirarchies who claim to not have them,  or religion with too many secrets about their leaders and leadership.   The fact of the matter is that even religious leaderships can be corrupt.  Nevertheless, no leadership that claims to use the democratic process to fill its' positions need abide by the way Stalin proposed. 

Words Of Chief Tecumseh

The following poem is from a movie entitled  "Act of Valor."  This particular poem truly caught my attention.

"Live your life so that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about his religion.
Respect others in their views and demand that they respect yours.
Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life.
Seek to make your life long and of service to your people.
Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend,
or even a stranger, if in a lonely place.
Show respect to all people, but grovel to none.
When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light,
for your life, for your strength.
Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.
Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools
and robs the spirit of its vision.
When your time comes to die,
be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death,
so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time
to live their lives over again in a different way.
Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home."          

 Tecumseh

A Christian Is A Soldier

It is a good fight.  It always will be until we are with our King.  A good fight is a fight we win.  When we pass over to the other side, and the battle in this flesh ends,  the fight will be over.  Then we will truly reap the benefits of war.  Then we will truly reap the benefits of obedience and faithfulness.  Will we have been wounded?  Of course.   How can one pursue a life of righteousness and holiness without getting wounded?  But they are good wounds.   They are wounds that build, not tear down.  They are wounds that heal, restore and instruct.  What if one surrenders to the enemy?  He is then guilty of rejecting the one who truly loves, protects, provides for, restores and guides.  He chooses to reject the truth. He chooses to reject the best way of existing.  He chooses to reject life.  He threw his weapons away when he rejected the truth.  Could there possibly be a bigger mistake made?   No.

“In heaven we shall appear, not in armour, but in robes of glory. But here these are to be worn night and day; we must walk, work, and sleep in them, or else we are not true soldiers of Christ.”

(William Gurnall)