Politics
Why U. S. and Israel are the Great and Little Satans in Today’s World?
Two weeks ago I took an associate through the Jewish Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. For those who haven’t been there, it’s an amazing four-story multi-media display of how Nazi Germany managed to murder six million Jews during World War II.
The tour begins on the top floor where you watch films and see memorabilia related to the rise of Nazism. By the time you’ve worked your way down the four flights, you’ve walked through replicas of the gas chambers where millions were exterminated.
Most people are silent during the tour. It’s eerie and very thought-provoking. Why were the Jews the object of this type of hatred–not just during World War II, but at other times in history?
Good question.
Then last week I listened to the president of the United States give his “Arab Spring” speech in which he stunned many observers by stating that Israel needed to return to its 1967 borders.
Why did he do that?
Let’s look at the speech, but especially look behind the curtain. There’s another being standing there.
President Obama’s new policy was a stunning change of US position because for decades, the United States has been Israel’s greatest friend in an extremely hostile world. Since the creation of Israel in 1948, the United States of America has stood by Israel as the only real democracy in the Middle East.
But that is changing with this Administration–and the consequences are sobering. No wonder the denunciation of his words were swift and powerful.
Senator Orin Hatch, R-Utah, said of the President’s position, “This is not only ridiculous but dangerous” and promised to sponsor a resolution this week disapproving of the President’s position.
Senator James Imhofe, R- Okla., said, “The President’s position was a slap in the face of our friend and democracy’s only ally in the Middle East: Israel.” He said, “The land belongs to Israel. Period.”
Rabbi Aryeh Sero said, “It’s ironic that the President of the United States, who speaks in humanitarian tones regarding the Palestinians, doesn’t have any humanitarian concerns toward 500,000 Jewish people and families that will be uprooted and deported from their homes…The President of the United States is asking for ethnic cleansing.”
The next day, Israel’s president Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House and rebuffed our American president with these words: “Israel believes that for peace to endure between Israelis and Palestinians, the viability of a Palestinian state cannot come at the expense of the viability of the one and only Jewish state… the 1967 lines are both indefensible and which would leave major Israeli population centers in Judea and Samaria beyond those lines.”
Exactly true.
It would be suicidal in 2011 for Israel’s borders to be changed to only nine miles in width. It would probably lead to another type of holocaust.
In “The Perils of the Pre-1967 Proposal” a Redstate.com gives an important perspective on why Israel’s borders shouldn’t be changed.
“There seems to be some confusion over why the Israelis should be so hostile to President Obama’s suggestion that the two-state solution be achieved by returning the Jewish state to its 1967 borders. The President’s supporters argue that since these borders were previously acceptable to Israel, they should be acceptable now. After all, pre-1967 Israel fought to defend those borders and they were on the table in the 2000 peace talks. Can 45 years make that much of a difference?”
“It is true that 45 years is not so very long in terms of the territorial integrity of the United States. We might even prefer to return to the 1967 context in which our borders were much less challenging than they are today. But what Mr. Obama seems to fail to understand is that 45 years is a very long time for Israel. While the history of the Israeli people stretches back millennia, lsrael itself has only existed for 63 years. What the President is asking is that more than 70% of that history be erased, beginning with the reasons it was deemed necessary to annex the territories in 1967, and continuing on through the failed diplomatic initiatives, UN humiliations and relentless, deadly terrorist attacks of the past decades.”
“While some have considered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s terse response to this proposal disrespectful of the President, Mr. Netanyahu might have some very real concerns that once three-quarters of Israel’s past has been eradicated, would it be all that outlandish to go all the way to pre-1948? Especially under the leadership of an American president who is asking the Israelis to make this concession on the dubious grounds that hope will overcome hate?”
President Obama’s proposal stands in direct opposition to the positive and protective role that the United States of America has maintained with the nation of Israel for six decades.
It should be rejected as folly.
At the least, it’s incredibly naive.
Previous to the Obama announcement, the United States and Israel shared a close friendship and a unique role in history that the media tries to downplay or overlook. And by diminishing those truths, they also reject the main reason the US and Israel have been labeled the “satans” of this world.
So what is unique both about Israel and the United States? And why are they called by many the “Great and Little Satans?”
Let’s talk about Israel first. Three things are completely unique to the nation we call “Israel.”
First, they are a nation whose existence and identity are nothing less than a miracle from God. Israel came into being thousands of years ago when God spoke to an Aramean named Abraham and gave him possession of the land they now inhabit–two millennia later. This happened to no other nation in history. Hundreds of large and small nations have joined the dustbin of history during that same period of time.
But Israel remains at the center of world attention. It’s a tiny piece of real estate with a small population. Most of the that population has forgotten about God, but he has not forgotten them.
Today’s world hates Israel because it is exhibit number one that God exists.
If there wasn’t a God, there would be no Israel.
Secondly, Israel was specially given the commands of God and built their culture upon the principles of His direct revelation (Romans 3:2). They established the world’s first human society on wise, God-given principles. Because of this, they were blessed as a nation for centuries–until they turned away from those principles and lost their nation and sovereignty for a period of time.
But God’s general blessing on the Jews still remains. They are leaders in commerce and business in many nations of the world. Let’s call it an “afterglow” of the presence and principles of God.
A third unique aspect about Israel is that God has great plans for them at the end of the age. One of the final demonstrations of God’s reality and power will be a massive turning of the Jewish people back to God and faith in Jesus the Messiah.
The Apostle Paul explains it this way: “Some of the Jews have hard hearts, but this will last only until the complete number of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved.Do you remember what the prophets said about this? ‘A Deliverer wil come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel from all ungodliness. And then I will keep my covenant with them and take away their sins” (Romans 11:25-27).
We don’t how God will use to accomplish this, but we know that one day, near the close of history (which didn’t happen on May 21), millions of Jews will trust their Messiah Jesus.
So Israel has a unique birth, foundation in law, and will experience a future revival.
Now let’s look at the United States. There are some similarities.
First of all, the U.S. was founded by God-fearing people and through spiritual revivals that brought great freedom and blessing to this nation. Our birth was also unique–a revolution in Christian thinking that launched a patch-work society into greatness and became the envy of the world.
We also built our nation on the principles of God’s Word–just like the nation of Israel. Our pioneers knew that “blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12). Their adherence to biblical principles in family life, business, and human governments made us an “exceptional” nation. Throughout the 20th century and to this day, American is the leading nation in world evangelization.
America also had a unique beginning, biblical foundations, and important role in Christians missions.
So why are the United States and Israel at the center of world attention–and hated by other nations?
Here’s the truth that needs to be heard on network news every night: There is a real Satan who hates God, his special nation Israel, and God’s missionary nation America. Because he hates the image of God in both countries, he is trying to destroy America from within and Israel from without.
Because of this hatred, and his influence in other nations of the world, he has successfully promulgated the lie that America is the Great Satan and Israel the little one. He’s convinced other nations that white is black and black is white.
He’s even given away his own name! That’s quite a powerful deception.
So now you know why America and Israel are blamed for all the bad things in the world. They are strategic targets of the Evil One who wants to destroy millions or billions of people before God wraps up history with a Great End-time Revival.
Pray that President Obama will not be a pawn in his hand.
Pray that the media will tell the real truth: There is a Satan.
But he is not America or the nation of Israel. They are simply unique focal points of his rage against God.
When Water Reaches the Ceiling, Don’t Raise It–Start Pumping!
I believe we need to bring back an important word that people hesitate to use in politics:
Lie.
Have you noticed that politicians usually skirt that little word? The news anchor says, “Do you think you lied about this or that?” The answer usually comes back, “Well, it might be an untruth , but”….or “I wouldn’t call it a lie, but…”
That’s not good enough anymore. We are being told a number of lies by our government because we are in grave trouble and there is much to cover up. We don’t tolerate lies in our personal lives and dealings, and we shouldn’t in the civil sphere either.
The current lie being told is that we need to raise the United States debt limit or go into default. They’re lying to us because because they need to scare us into getting their way–to keep on spending recklessly.
But it’s a lie–and it’s time we called their bluff.
Yes, we can with integrity oppose the raising of the US debt ceiling; No it will not cause a default or put in jeopardy “the full faith and credit of the United States;” And we must oppose it at this hour because our burgeoning debt is grossly immoral and could cause a collapse of the entire world economy.
Now is the time to say NO.
I cannot un-wrap this subject better than Redstate.com and the Heritage Foundation have done in the following articles. Please read them carefully and do everything in your power to oppose the raising of the US debt ceiling.
It’s not time to raise the ceiling. It’s already far too high. We need to start pumping the flood of government debt out of the precious dwelling we call the United States of America.
On April 25, Redstate exposed the debt ceiling lie quite clearly. Here is their take:
“Reporters, Democrats, and even some Republicans have begun repeating an infectious lie in the prelude to the debt ceiling debate. Secretary of Treasury Tim Geithner started it off and it has been repeated by reporters in print, on radio, and on television, including Fox News.”
“The lie is very simple: a failure to raise the debt ceiling will cause a default on American debt. This is utterly and categorically a lie. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar.”
“As Senator Pat Toomey noted the other day,
“Next year, about 7 percent of all projected federal government expenditures will go to interest on our debt. Tax revenue is projected to cover at least 70 percent of all government expenditures. So, under any circumstances, there will be plenty of money to pay our creditors.”
‘Moreover, as the Congressional Research Service has noted, the Treasury secretary himself has the discretion to decide which bills to pay first in the event that a cash flow shortage occurs.’
“Nonetheless, the media and Democrats keep repeating the lie. And it is a lie.”
“Veronique de Rugy and Jason Fichtner chronicled debt ceiling fights in the Washington Times and, from their writing, we can categorically show it to be a lie to claim a failure to raise the debt ceiling will cause a default on American debt obligations.”
‘In 1985, Congress waited nearly three months after the debt limit was reached before authorizing a permanent increase. In 1995, 4 1/2 months passed between hitting the ceiling and congressional action. And in 2002, Congress delayed raising the debt ceiling for three months. In each case, the U.S. and the economy survived.’
“Not only did the economy survive, but the United States did not default on its debt obligations, the United States did not lose its credit rating, and interest rates did not go up as a result of the default.”
“To say that failing to raise the debt ceiling will cause a default is a lie and anyone who says it is a liar.”
“If we fail to raise the debt ceiling and do default, it will not because because of a failure to raise the debt ceiling. It will be because Barack Obama and Tim Geithner chose to default for political gain.”
“Again, as Senator Toomey points out:
‘As the Congressional Research Service has noted, the Treasury secretary himself has the discretion to decide which bills to pay first in the event that a cash flow shortage occurs. Thus, it is he who would have to consciously, and needlessly, choose to default on our debt if the debt ceiling is not promptly raised upon reaching it. It takes a lot of chutzpah to preemptively blame congressional Republicans for a default only he could cause.'”
The Heritage Foundation gives this wise explanation to the debt ceiling debate:
“All across Western Europe—the land of platinum-plated social benefits, the 35-hour work week, tony retirement plans and government-funded health care—countries are coming to the realization that they can no longer afford these luxuries amid skyrocketing deficits. Yet here in the United States, as we face a $14.3 trillion deficit, some are calling for increasing our government’s ability to borrow even more money without any concern for spending reform. Congress can’t allow that to happen, lest we become the Europe of the West.”
“The U.S. government is fast approaching its $14.294 trillion debt ceiling — the statutory limit on how much money it can borrow to finance spending. Just how big is that? To put it in perspective, it would take essentially everything that Americans produced in all of last year to pay off the existing national debt. That comes out to $45,000 of debt for each American.”
“Unfortunately, it’s all too common for Congress to reach that ceiling and keep raising its own credit limit, letting itself borrow and spend even more. In fact, Congress raised the debt ceiling from $6.4 trillion in 2002 and nine times thereafter to its present levels. Hopefully, though, this time will be different.”
“Yesterday on “Face the Nation,” Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) said, “I will vote ‘no’ on raising the debt ceiling unless we have comprehensive, dramatic, effective, and broad-based cuts to federal spending including the reform of entitlement spending.” Sen. Kirk’s instincts are right. The solution starts with Congress. David Addington, Vice President for Domestic and Economic Policy at The Heritage Foundation, writes:
‘Federal spending has been out of control for decades, and federal borrowing has therefore also been out of control for decades. America has amassed a giant, unaffordable debt and a giant, intrusive government. This did not happen by accident. Congress passed all the laws that made it happen. Fortunately, Congress has under the Constitution all the power it needs to solve the problem it created. It needs only the will to do so and the support of the American people.'”
“Here’s how Congress should use that power. As Addington writes, Congress should not increase the debt limit until it puts the government firmly on the path to financial responsibility. And it can get there by cutting current spending, restricting future spending, and putting a more effective federal budgeting process in place.”
“The Heritage Foundation identified $343 billion of potential spending cutsthat could be made on top of the cuts passed by the House in February and the repeal of Obamacare appropriations, which the House approved in January. When it comes to future limits on spending, Congress can impose enforceable caps on out-of-control entitlement programs and pass a balanced budget amendment. The budgeting process should be reformed, too, by making it more transparent and imposing new limits on federal agencies. Merely raising the limit without reforms is the worst option, Addington says:
‘The least acceptable outcome is for Congress to continue to raise the debt ceiling over and over, doing nothing to drive down federal spending and borrowing, and to pile trillions of dollars in debt upon the shoulders of America’s children and the generations to follow.'”
“President Barack Obama and White House officials have warned of global economic Armageddonif Congress does not act now to raise the debt limit. Their warnings, though, are reckless hyperbole. A greater threat is the U.S. government’s unchecked expansion of unsustainable deficit spending. Congress must break its pattern of borrowing more and spending more by acting now to cut spending and get the government’s fiscal house in order. Only then can it avert a real crisis.”
Now that’s the TRUTH about the grossly immoral US debt and debt ceiling.
No more raising the lid. It’s time to drain the swamp to salvage the nation we call “home.”
Congressional leaders: Just say NO.
President Obama and Administration: Don’t tell us a lie.
Forget the debt ceiling and start pumping! We’re ready to help you with the clean-up and re-building of our once financially prudent nation.
But the buck stops (being borrowed and cheapened) with you.
The Worst Congress in History–Should We Look in the Mirror?
I think we just lived through the worst United States Congress in history. Since the American Republic has been around for 234 years now, that is saying something.
Of course, I wasn’t there to observe 177 of those years, but I’ve kept a pretty close view on the past thirty or forty–and nothing compares to the deception, ineptness, radical nature, and horrific policies of the 111th United States Congress.
The 80th Congress (1948) was called the “Do-Nothing Congress.” The 109th Congress (2006) has been labeled the “Vacation Congress” because they only met for 100 days. Various congresses in the 18th and 19th centuries were either extremely raucous or bitterly divided (such as over slavery).
But nothing trumps the just completed 111th Congress.
They should be named the “Destroy Everything” Congress.
I believe we need to open our eyes–and also look in the mirror.
We elected these people.
What does that say about us?
It wasn’t that long ago that you didn’t hear much about the US Senate and House of Representatives in the daily news. They weren’t much of a factor or presence. Yes, every twenty to thirty years they made a controversial decision or passed a bad bill. But that was the exception, not a daily occurrence.
Of course, 24/7 cable news and the Internet have greatly increased the spotlight on national governance. But technology does not determine the character of those who lead.
During my lifetime, most senators and congressmen were decent people regardless of party. I generally vote Republican because of the GOP’s general commitment to Judeo-Christian principles which bring liberty. But I’ve liked and supported many Democrats as well including Senators Scoop Jackson and Henry Magnuson, and President John F. Kennedy. Sam Rayburn was a heck of a House Speaker and Tip O’Neill was a decent guy who shared a congenial, after-hours relationship with President Reagan.
So the issue is not partisan. It relates to the people in office.
The elected representatives of the 111th Congress were the worst national legislators we’ve ever had. Don’t believe the spin of the past couple of week. It’s just a desperate attempt to resurrect the discredited progressive agenda. The majority of Americans aren’t buying it.
Take a look at the most recent Gallup Poll on the 111th Congress. The graph is quite enlightening:
“PRINCETON, NJ — Americans’ assessment of Congress has hit a new low, with 13% saying they approve of the way Congress is handling its job. The 83% disapproval rating is also the worst Gallup has measured in more than 30 years of tracking congressional job performance.”
“The prior low approval rating for Congress was 14% in July 2008 when the United States was dealing with record-high gas prices and the economy was in recession.”
“For the year, Congress averaged 19% approval among all Americans, tied with the averages for 1979 and 2008, and one percentage point above the 18% average for 1992. Those years were all marked by difficult economic times for the United States.”
Gallup asked another question in a July 22, 2010 poll. It had to do with which institutions give people the greatest confidence. The poll found Congress ranking dead last out of the 16 institutions rated this year. Eleven percent of Americans said they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in Congress, down from 17% in 2009 and a percentage point lower than the previous low for Congress, recorded in 2008.
So according to Gallup, the 111th Congress approval rating is 13% and confidence rating is 11%.
That’s pretty bad.
Why?
Let’s first look at the people and then at the policies they’ve enacted.
THE PEOPLE OF THE 111TH CONGRESS (just to name a few)
Nancy Pelosi – She will probably go down in history as the worst Speaker of all-time. From ultra-liberal San Francisco, she ruled as if everybody in America wanted to move to her progressive haven. A blank slate on America’s heritage and principles, she drove her own Congress into the electoral ditch with the greatest turnover of seats in sixty years. Her most famous quote (among many) referring to Obamacare: “We need to pass the bill so that we can find out what is in it.”
Harry Reid – The Senate majority leader from Nevada. He strong-armed Obamacare through the Senate by altering the rules and making back-room deals against the express will of the American people (Louisianna Purchase, Cornhusker kick-back etc.). Reid’s Senate didn’t pass one budget item during the past year while giving full vent to vast liberal wish lists of spending. His most famous gaffe among many: “The War is lost!” (When our fighting men and women were in harm’s way and the surge in Iraq was working.)
Barney Frank – His lack of regulation over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (which continues to this day) was one of the major factors in the collapse of the real estate market and the financial difficulties we’ve experienced since 2008. Frank is a foul-mouthed, militant homosexual whose “partner” once ran a gay prostitution ring out of his D.C. apartment.
Responding recently to President Jimmy Carter’s assertion that America is ready for a homosexual president, Franks bellowed: “It’s one thing to have a gay person in the abstract. It’s another to see that person as part of a living, breathing couple. How would a gay presidential candidate have a celebratory kiss with his partner after winning the New Hampshire primary? The sight of two women kissing has not been as distressful to people as the sight of two men kissing. And because of the Defense of Marriage Act, it’s not clear that a gay president could use federal funds to buy his husband dinner. Would his partner have to pay rent in the White House? There would be no Secret Service protection for the paramour.”
Yuck.
And this man was one of the powerful men in Washington, D.C. during the 111th Congress?
The list could go on and on–but I think you get the point.
POLICIES OF THE 111TH CONGRESS
First, they wastefully threw an 800 billion dollar stimulus program at the nation that did nothing to create jobs. The unemployment rate continued to climb because government spending does not stimulate capital creation and entrepreneurship. This was the biggest pork barrel bill in the history of the nation. Much of it went to prop up liberal causes, state governments, and unions. It was an utter waste of nearly one trillion dollars.
Then they spent an entire year going against the will of the American people and finally jamming through Obamacare last Christmas–the first step toward socialized medicine in the United States. This nearly three thousand page monstrosity is probably the worst single piece of legislation ever enacted on American soil. As a result, doctors are vowing to retire; Companies are raising rates; Over 250 groups have been exempted from the program because they’re favorites of the Administration; And this is a giant take-over of one-sixth of the American economy.
Because of the radicalness of this and other income re-distribution programs, the Tea Party Movement was born and swept many state houses, legislatures, and Congressional members out of DC in the November 2 elections.
After the election, the chastened 111th Congress should have humbly returned to their D.C. offices, voted to keep the tax rates in place, funded the government, and gone home. They had been soundly defeated and told they were taking the nation in a wrong direction.
But in a brazen, in-your-face manner, they did just the opposite. First they pushed to raise taxes on the wealth creators in America, lost, and finally capitulated. Then they pandered to their homosexual base and sent shock waves through the US armed forces by callously rescinding the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy–again against the wishes of the people and especially those on the front lines.
They also tried to slip in a controversial immigration bill, and pushed for a major nuclear arms treaty with Russia that is hurtful to the United States. They have no business even treading in these waters.
But this Congress doesn’t care. They have an agenda–and they stuck it to the American people.
Rush Limbaugh described the 111th Congress this way in his radio commentary on December 16, 2010:”The damage being done by this Congress is disastrous. They are hi-jacking our country right before our eyes. We are in the middle of being raped and they know it. We said “No” in November but they are still destroying and hijacking our country right in front of our eyes. They don’t care about the country.”
That’s why I call them the “Destroy Everything” Congress.
Fortunately, in a few days, they will be gone and the 112th will take their place.
But their destructive rampage should lead us to some necessary introspection.
Many of these people, including Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and Barney Frank were re-elected in 2010. They will be diminished, but are still in office.
What does that say about us–that we could elect people such as this to guide the affairs of our nation?
In olden times, God used prophets to explain to people why they were given good kings–when they followed God and lived right–and why they were sent bad kings as judgment for their sins.
We don’t have unelected kings in our day. We don’t need an explanation. We live in democratic times where our leaders are a reflection of us.
We the people–elected the 111th Congress. They were the worst in history.
But that consequently means that we, too, just might be the worst generation in American history who elected the worst leaders.
We need to change, live good lives, and elect good leaders.
Start with yourself. Look in the mirror.
Humble yourself. Ask God to forgive you, and live a changed life.
If enough Americans do it, we just might turn our worst time into one of our best .
“If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will from heaven , forgive their sins and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).