Ignorant And Free? Not For Long

No matter how you view it, freedom is fragile.   It requires a great deal of attention.  In a civilization, it does not come natural.  It must be worked at.  Freedom requires two main things in order for it's existence to be sustained.  The two are moral parameters and education.  Formal education creates leaders.  Moral education creates leaders that guide the appropriate way.  Freedom and corruption creates more corruption and demise.  One of the founders of this great nation saw the relationship between freedom and education.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
Thomas Jefferson   (The Outlines of Geography and History)

The Justin Beiber Murder Plot, And Some Advice

I am not a fan of Justin Beiber.  I have never heard him sing.  I know that he is famous and apparently talented, young, handsome and rich.  He has a beautiful, talented, famous and young girlfriend.   Apparently this is all  that was needed to feed an insane jealousy that caused a prisoner to make a phone call to two accomplices, so that they could kidnap, murder and castrate (with hedge clippers) Justin Bieber.  I do not usually pay much attention to this kind of drama.  But this is outrageous.  It reminds me of one of my favorite sayings:  "Leave people alone, and go get your own." In this great nation, in this land of opportunity, many things can be accomplished.  Opportunities abound.  If one makes up his mind, and is determined to do so, a person can become wealthy.  But.........he or she must pay the price.  I have ministered to the encarcerated for over 33 years.  This is what I would tell the young men involved in the plot:

"Everybody makes mistakes.  You guys let the big bad "J" get into your mind and dominate you.  The J crept into your heart first, and you nurtured it.  So, what is the big bad J?  It is something that you have allowed to control your destiny.  It is the "rage of a man."  It is commonly called.......jealousy.  It is one of the ugliest monsters on this planet.  It has caused people to do insane things.  What is the cure for this sickness, this monstrosity?  It is the other "J."  Listen to this J, not the previous one.  Seek this J.  Love this J. Want this J.  Get to know this J real good.  He wants what is best for you.  He wants life for you, not death. He wants you to be really happy, not miserable.  He has all of the power, and He loves you like nobody can ever love you.  He wants you to live forever in glory.  His name is Jesus. He is the only God you will ever see. Absolutely nothing is impossible for Him. He is the almighty.  Give him your life.  Give him your future.  You will never be sorry.  Pray with me right now."

The Sweetwater HS Varsity Basketball Team

I have been connected to the Sweetwater High School Varsity basketball team for the last 3 years.  In what capacity?  Team Pastor.  It has been a joy working with the team, head coach Jesse Aguirre, and all of the other coaches.  Last year, we were Co-Champs.  This year we went to the playoffs.  We faced a team that had a better record than ours:  Eastlake High School.  We played them last night.  If it was not the best basketball game I have ever witnessed, it sure came close.  What a game!  We lost 76 to 75.  We played on their home court.  We lost due to a mistake made by the referees.  I know, I know, it sounds like sour grapes.  In this short discourse, I am unable to describe the intensity, excitement and passion of this game set forth by those two teams.  In actuality, Sweetwater won. Here is what happened:  In the last second, a layup was scored.  The referee motioned that it was good.  The ball had gone through the net,  IMMEDIATELY  THEREAFTER THE BUZZER SOUNDED TO END THE GAME.  Sweetwater won 77 to 75.  However, the referee CHANGED HIS MIND.  Why?  Who knows?  After talking to the other referee, he decided that the time had lapsed.  Both referees were confused due to the excitement of the moment.  Guess who had to pay for their confusion?  Yes, Sweetwater.  It was a great night for Sweetwater.  Those young men played with all of their hearts and they never gave up.  Eastlake got the official victory.  Sweetwater got the actual victory.

World Peace? Come On, Get Serious

The desire for world peace is a noble one.  "World peace"...... it sure sounds good.  Are you the world?  I am not being sarcastic.  Of course you are the world .  We are the world.  We live here don't we?  There is a saying that I have not heard in a long time.  "Peace begins with me."   No  person, no political leader  from this earth is capable of bringing to us world peace.  Some of the people  I know who speak of world peace are actually violent.  Some have ongoing feuds with their neighbors and/or relatives.  Their attitudes, words and actions actually represent an antithesis of their philosophy.  Change is good, if it is an improvement.  I have said this before, in other blogs, because I really feel strongly about it. It is a maxim.  I do not have any idea when or where I heard it.  Here it is:  "If you want to make a better world, then make yourself a better person, and then the world is automatically improved."  Sometimes I think that those people who are constantly complaining because we do not have world peace are avoiding the real issue.  They concentrate on "world problems" so they can ignore, and therefore, not deal with their personal issues such as bad tempers, unhappy marriages, unruly children, bills and other financial problems, drug and alcohol related problems, broken friendships, marital and family problems, and other people-related problems at work and socially.  World peace?  Great.  Let us start this way:  Bring peace into your heart.  When that happens.......look out, because great things will start happening!  Now you'll respond:  "Yeah, but how?  Easy, just find the Prince of Peace.  Peace is His specialty.  (at least one of them)

Then Get A Job

The following letter was recently posted in the Waco Tribune Herald, Waco, Texas.  It was written by a 21 year old woman who is tired of the fraud, waste, and dishonesty connected to the state welfare program, and obviously the cost.  She views her ideas as common sense, and I suspect many agree with her.  I do not foresee government taking this direction.  Especially when many of those who benefit from welfare actually need it, and many vote.  This is probably the reason for the last paragraph. 

PUT ME IN CHARGE . . .
"Put me in charge of food stamps. I'd get rid of Lone Star cards; no cash for Ding Dongs or Ho Ho's, just money for 50-pound bags of rice and beans, blocks of cheese and all the powdered milk you can haul away. If you want steak and frozen pizza, then get a job.
Put me in charge of Medicaid. The first thing I'd do is to get women Norplant birth control implants or tubal ligations. Then, we'll test recipients for drugs, alcohol , and nicotine. If you want to reproduce or use drugs, alcohol, or smoke, then get a job.  Put me in charge of government housing. Ever live in a military barracks?
You will maintain our property in a clean and good state of repair. Your  "home" will be subject to inspections anytime and possessions will be inventoried. If you want a plasma TV or Xbox 360, then get a job and your own place.
In addition, you will either present a check stub from a job each week or you will report to a "government" job. It may be cleaning the roadways of trash, painting and repairing public housing, whatever we find for you. We will sell your 22 inch rims and low profile tires and your blasting stereo and speakers and put that money toward the "common good.."
Before you write that I've violated someone's rights, realize that all of the above is voluntary. If you want our money, accept our rules. Before you say that this would be "demeaning" and ruin their "self esteem,"
consider that it wasn't that long ago that taking someone else's money for doing absolutely nothing was demeaning and lowered self esteem.  If we are expected to pay for other people's mistakes we should at least attempt to make them learn from their bad choices. The current system rewards them for continuing to make bad choices.
AND While you are on Gov't subsistence, you no longer can VOTE! Yes, that is correct. For you to vote would be a conflict of interest. You will voluntarily remove yourself from voting while you are receiving a Government welfare check. If you want to vote, then get a job."

"The One I Feed"

To me, it is nothing but common sense.  I appreciate the illustration, and symbolism.  The metaphor is almost perfect.  But the powerful part is that a person is fighting an inner war.  The good versus the evil,  the flesh versus the spirit, the id versus the ego,  the inclinations versus the discipline, or even the wise decision versus the foolish decision.  I will get right to the point. Yes, feed the good wolf.  By all means feed the good wolf.  The big challenge is......how?   Just keep on seeking, learning and doing.  You can only win.  If you feed the other wolf, destruction is guaranteed.

A Native American grandfather was talking to his grandson about how he felt about a tragedy. He said:

“I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is the vengeful, angry, violent one. The other wolf is the loving, compassionate one.” The grandson asked him, “Which wolf will win the fight in your heart?” The grandfather answered, “The one I feed.”

 Native American Story

The BSA

The Boy Scouts of America started in the year 1910. This means it is 103 years of age.  It has always upheld Biblical, moral and family values. This is how it started, and has continued to this very day.  It need not yield to the pressures of political correctness.  The BSA has not been immune from scandal.  The irony is that the scandals have always had to do with the practice of homosexuality among it's leadership.  The BSA takes the stand that homosexuality is immoral.  It needs to continue this stance.  It needs to continue this stance because it is the proper thing to do.  The Boy Scout Oath reads as follows:   "On my honor, I will do my best, To do my duty to God, and my country, and to obey the scout law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong;  Mentally awake, and morally straight."   I would like to make one thing perfectly clear:  My discourse has absolutely nothing to do with hatred, inclusion, exclusion, or prejudice.  It has to do with an organization's moral code that is 103 years old.  It has to do with the practice of freedom.  A critic might say something like: "Hey,  it is time to be up to date.  It is time for  modernity.  Change with the times."  To that I will respond that there is absolutely nothing new about homosexuality.  It's evil had taken over two entire cities that were large.  That was a long, long time ago.  God destroyed those two cities because of the sin of homosexuality.  "To do my duty to God, to keep myself morally straight."  What does that mean?  It means exactly what it says.  Albeit, they are objectives, goals and standards.  Who can possibly be "morally straight" all of the time?  We need to make the effort.  We do not need to take adolescent boys who are going through immense changes physically, mentally and emotionally and put them with homosexual boys in an organization that says: "It is perfectly alright to be like that or to engage in that type of sexual conduct."  Absolutely not.  I pray that the Boy Scouts of America not change their standards.  Let them do their "duty to God."  Let them pray.  Let the BSA not worry about anything.....especially money.  So what if they have lost some of their funding sources.  There are plenty of people/organizations who are happy to support young men in their quest for character development and morality.

Gov. Perry Visits California

I don't recall ever seeing this happen before.   I suppose governors of states visit other states for different reasons.  Recently, however, Governor Rick Perry visited California to recruit businesses, and to encourage them to leave California, and go to Texas.  He used the fact that Texas has no income taxes.  He claimed that Texas is more business friendly.  Maybe he has a point.  For the last ten years, Texas has been so competitive, and so attractive to business, that it has been adding jobs more abundantly than any other state.  I see nothing wrong with that.  Yes, some businesses have already left California, and gone to Texas, Arizona, Florida and other places.  I suppose, in some cases, it hurts to leave California.  But for the business person, the "bottom line" triggers the decisions.  In other words......profit.  I view Governor Perry's actions in a positive light.  Business is about competition.  If Governor Perry is successful in luring businesses out of California and into Texas, well, good for him.   Maybe California (politicians) will then change some laws and help make the Golden State more business friendly.  Speaking of that,  Mr. Perry's actions upset California Governor, Jerry Brown.  I found that to be rather humorous.  Jerry Brown is too liberal for me.  However, he can be very comical.  I like his "laid back" style.  I just don't like his politics.

We Need To Fix It

Do you know what is killing this country?  It is not necessarily tax and spend or war, illegal immigration, gangs, drugs or crime.  It is not the high cost of living , disease, violence or legal weapons.  It is not our schools or our government.   All of the aforementioned are factors.  They are influencers.  They are realities.  But as I see it, it is the destruction of the family, and it is killing this country. And when I say "killing," I mean it literally and figuratively.  The destruction of the family has so much damaging potential that it can turn this country into a third world country.  All of the education, technology, science and knowledge.....and still, the divorce rate keeps going up.  Would you believe me if I told you that 100% of the deranged shooters in the school massacres and other places came from broken homes where divorce was preeminent?  I will go ahead and simplify something that is complex.  A human being thrives on love and relationship.  One does not need to be a genius, sociologist, psychologist or social scientist to understand this.  The family is considered to be the best nurturing social institution known to humankind.  It is the oldest institution known by the human race.  Divorce has harmed this nation so seriously that it is probably impossible to judge and/or evaluate the negative repercussions it has caused throughout the land.  I have 8 questions for those couples that fight so much. 1) Why do you fight so much?  2)  Is it really worth it?  3)  Why do you fight in front of your children?  4)  Can you stop getting loaded and/or breaking the law?  5)  Is it possible for you to quit being so selfish?  6)  Can you quit being unfaithful to your spouse?  7)  Can you speak to your spouse with respect?  8)  Can you just try a little harder to make this work?  (including responsibility, work, kindness, respect, love and forgiveness).
If I were to suggest to a couple that the home be a place of safety, refuge and love.  It would be reasonable for that couple to inquire of me:  "Cool, but how am I/we going to achieve that?"  The first thing is that you must want to achieve it.  Because if you want to achieve it, you will find a way to achieve it.  Because if you want to achieve it, you will look for a way to achieve it.  And if you "seek, you will find."  Please remember two things:  1) Marriage is work.......I mean one must work at it.    2)   Love your kids.  Do not divorce the parent of your children.  You harm them very much when you do it.  It is so harmful, it can cause the demise of this great nation.
I will close by making the most important suggestion.  Ask God this question.......yes ask Him this:  "God, what do you want me to do about my marriage?"  Seek an answer.  You will find it.

War Is Cruelty

I am not defending war.  War is one of the most terrible things that the human race has ever experienced.  There  have been attempts to define and/or  describe or measure  the loss, damage, harm, destruction and heartbreak that it has caused. But they have fallen short. I could say that there is no need for war.  Or I could say  that it must be avoided at all costs.  But I suspect that I would be wrong.  I don't like war.  I don't love war.  However, I avoid calling it an evil thing.  It might be.  It might be considered evil or wicked........perhaps that contributes to its' fascination by many.  War destroys life and property. Because of that, the victors in war are considered heroes.  They receive glory.  that is, no doubt, part of the fascination with war.   It appears that all societies have their pacifists.  Pacifists have died in war.  Children have died in war.  Non-combatants have died in war.  Are wars fought for freedom?  Yes, but not always.  These days wars are generally fought for economic and political reasons.  They can be fought for greed, control and power.  Is it possible that wars can be fought for religious reasons?  Of course, but I will need to elaborate on that in another blog.  The sad thing about war is that it is not going away.  Sometimes I talk to people who tell me that they hate war, and that they will never support it.  They think that they are for peace.  But in their own world, they hate others. They are stubborn.  They refuse to talk to certain relatives, and at times they are troublemakers.  They tell me that they are for peace.   Well.....maybe they are.  I won't judge them.  Oddly enough, one of the greatest warriors to have ever walked this earth was for peace.  Yes, he was for peace.  But he could not avoid war.  Sad, but true.  He explained the situation in one short verse. 

"I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war." 
(David,  Ps. 120: 7)

Strangely enough, the two quotes below were made by two men who were heavily in support of war.  One was a battlefield General who is known for his destruction of many square miles of the South during the American Civil War.  (William T. Sherman)  The other quote was originally stated by the one who is considered the most intelligent President the United States has ever had.  He was against war in philosophy only.  (so, who isn't?)  (Thomas Jefferson)

"War is an instrument entirely inefficient toward redressing wrong;and multiplies, instead of indemnifying losses."   (Thomas Jefferson)

(1743-1826), US Founding Father, drafted the Declaration of Independence, 3rd US President

"War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it."  (William Tecumseh Sherman)
(1820-1891) General Commander of the United States Army

My Letter To The SDUT On 2/1/13

Today, I wrote a letter to the San Diego Union Tribune because of a huge beer ad that took up the whole page of the newspaper. It was impossible for the ad to have been bigger.  I was annoyed.  I let them know how I felt.

 U-T NCT


I saw the gigantic ad this morning on page B3 of your newspaper and I was disappointed. You are not doing your part to curb alcoholism in our fair city. To advertise a product is indeed part of business. Why is this particular ad so huge? Do you realize the amount of DUIs, death, destruction, broken homes and heartbreak that beer and other liquors cause? Police departments throughout the county set up check points to determine if someone has had even one drink. Your ad does not represent freedom to me. It represents hypocrisy. You know the dangers of liquor. You report the consequences/tragedies. An ad that size is expensive. Did Greg Koch get it free? If so, why? Beer is not the "best thing" of any county, or any section of any county. Beer causes alcoholism. Young people see those ads. It is the biggest ad possible on one side of a page. What a shame. Please think about it.

Robert Dominguez

Chula Vista