(1) “It’s all about Greed.” (Capitalism is not about greed. Greed is fundamentally a matter of the human heart, not of any economic system. There are greedy socialists and communists too.)
(2) “The Rich Get Richer at the Expense of the Poor” (Capitalism is not a zero-sum game. In market economies, wealth is not static, but is constantly being created. Though 3 billion worldwide remain in poverty, capitalism has lifted 4 billion out.)
(3) “Capitalism leads to overconsumption & materialism” (Materialism is hardly unique to capitalist cultures. No one is more materialistic than a socialist.)
(4) “It makes people unequal.” Said another way, “It creates winners and losers” or “Some have a lot, some have a little.” In other words, “Capitalism leads to inequalities in wealth” (Having a lot is not wrong. The possession of wealth is not wrong, but the means of accumulating it may be. These objections assume there is something fundamentally wrong with inequality. I’m no Kobe Bryant or Michael Phelps, but I’m okay with our unequalness. People have different gifts and abilities. People invest different effort and diligence. God does not hate inequality, but rather injustice and oppression.)
Fox & Friends interviews WWII veteran Richard Kirkland, who authored the book, Wide Place in the Road. (Posted by: Religio-Political Talk) In the interview Mr. Kirkland comments on how our current fighter is hand-cuffed to a politically-correct tactic, “War is hell… you can’t shoot him, but you can shoot him.” This reminds me of the great insight from Ken Jowitt on what it would take to win the war[s] in the Middle-East. Something half of the electorate is not willing to do.
Whether it’s because we end up going over the fiscal cliff or because Republicans agree to President Obama’s plan of not extending the Bush tax cuts on America’s wealthiest earners, the possibility of an effective tax hike means that higher-income Californians may be in for a whopping aggregate marginal tax rate. The super-liberal state already succeeded in approving their own rate hike with Proposition 30 in the November election, and combined with the potential federal raises, they could be looking at a top bracket with a marginal income tax rate of just under 52 percent:
Gerald Prante, an economics professor at Lynchburg College in Virginia, and Austin John, a Lynchburg economics student, calculated marginal tax rates — the highest rates on the highest levels of income — for all 50 states. They combined state, federal and, where applicable, local income taxes, plus payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare and included the deductibility of some taxes.
Proposition 30 added three percentage points to the marginal state income tax rate for California’s highest-income taxpayers, bringing it to 13.3 percent. That action raised California over other high-tax jurisdictions to a marginal rate of 51.9 percent, slightly higher than New York City’s level. Hawaii was the only other place with a calculated rate above 50 percent.
“My husband, Michael, has been deployed for some time. He surprised our daughter at her high school Broadway-themed theater show. It took a lot of planning, but her theater teacher (the woman making the introduction on the video) made it so easy for us. This moment was so moving there was not a dry eye in the room. We really pulled off! ;D”
Rev CL Bryant, creator of the hit film “Runaway Slave” discusses election results and the dependency culture in the black community. Mayor Reed forgets that “Runaway Slave” opened in as #2 film in HIS Atlanta market at the end of July 2012.
Liberals like Jason Whitlock want you to believe that the NRA killed Kansas City Chiefs player Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend. Zo tells you why the NRA is not the KKK, and reminds you who is really to blame for this murder-suicide, in addition to other tragedies in black communities.
Here is the viewable or downloadable version of the letter replicated below in PDF FORM
This is a quick intro [in the green box] of this long letter I sent to both the principle and the teacher. (Other letters went to students in sealed envelopes to give to their parents.)
This is in response to a Saugus teacher verbally announcing that a position taken by my son, or by multiple people in the classroom (which included my son), was racist. This is my response.
A quick note from a concerned parent,
During conversation on hot topic issues, which I do not mind in the least, the conversation of immigration came up in the classroom. I wish to address this particular point of the interaction between my son and the teacher, not to bemoan the teacher — although this is worthy of it — but to inspire more fruitful response in the future and better class management.
Firstly, before the “operation” (often which are painful), I wish to administer some anesthesia.
I realize first and foremost that the teacher (in the broad sense) is only human, and may have some days that are not “on the mark” and others where they have had a day “gone perfectly.” Life in and outside the classroom can be demanding. Mistakes will be made and there should be understanding in regards to this. I expect missteps from the people that work for me, and I expect I will misstep in my duties at my job. The challenge is — of course — to learn from them.
Likewise, when a seventeen-year-old talks about immigration, it is a subject they most likely know little about, and in-between homework, XBOX, and eating/sleeping, and friendships as well as family events, this 17-year old may pick up bits and pieces of his older brother and I talking about these macroissues. And in his adolescent mind latch onto (wrongly or rightly) a portion and “run with it,” mischaracterizing the issue. It happens with 17-year olds. (I do wish to note that I realize my son can be strongly argumentative, and taking a position strongly with the barest of knowledge. I acknowledge this and only wish the best for the teachers that encounter this aspect of my son. I tell him often he should become a lawyer.)
So when his brother and I discuss, say, that Hispanic/Latino groups who themselves stand against illegal immigration and write about the deleterious effects on their pay rate and the lowered standard of living they face by illegal immigration by standing in line and following all the rules in order to get into this great nation to better their lives and their families lives. My youngest son may have heard his brother and I talk about past immigrants (an older generation) who tell stories about how they or their parents came to the country not being able to speak a lick of English but teaching themselves quickly in order to succeed in the country. They speak of not being able to read in their native tongue and so “forced” to enculturate[1] themselves into the American culture, which is summed up on our coins, ” E Pluribus Unum.” Roughly,” out of many, one.”
Now, I am sure my youngest son would agree with the above positions. But I have a feeling he latched onto the part about listening to immigrants themselves talk about this generation of immigrants talking about how by learning the English language and all the interactions it took to do so, they were enculturated. You know, maybe we should take a break hereand I will share my interpretation a bit about that word, “encuturate,” by me sharing some definitions offered in my seminary classes, taken from a paper or two I wrote. Bear with me a bit… I only write this much for clarity’s sake.
a. – Cultural Anthropology in “missionology” is very important to understand. One author hints at a definition when he says it is “attention to systems of ideas and symbols”,[2] it helps the missionary to “understand the purposes of and differences in the various cultures of the world”[3] in assisting the missionary in understand what the process of cultural differences is about. This process or study of culture is what is called “cultural anthropology.”[4] A refusal to implement this cross-cultural study can cause a failure in the Gospel being communicated successfully by trying to impose one’s own culture on another culture.[5]
[….]
Enculturation “is the process whereby an established culture teaches an individual by repetition its accepted norms and values, so that the individual can become an accepted member of the society and find his or her suitable role. Most importantly, it establishes a context of boundaries and correctness that dictates what is and is not permissible within that society’s framework.” This is the best definition I have found yet.[6]
[….]
Acculturation is key for the missionary to approach a different culture “as a child”[7] in order to learn (become accultured) become accepted by the culture the missionary has gone to.
[….]
In the West not self-disclosing parts of your inner-self seems unhealthy. But some cultures do not view self-disclosure as all that healthy. The missionary needs to be able to respond to these differences and understand them. Also, self-disclosure is usually precipitated by friendship, not weekly meetings.
self-disclosure n. the act of revealing information about one’s self, especially one’s PRIVATE SELF, to other people. In psychotherapy, the revelation and expression by the client of personal, innermost feelings, fantasies, experiences, and aspirations is believed by many to be a requisite for therapeutic change and personal growth. In addition, pertinent revelation by the therapist of his or her personal details to the client can—if used with discretion—be a valuable tool to increase rapport and earn the trust of the client.[8]
[….]
“A bicultural approach simply extends the range of potential situations that can serve as behavior settings for the target skills being taught.”[9] The idea of the “bridge” is the ability of the missionary to somewhat leave his first culture to be able to communicate well in the second culture. It is a “set of relationships between people from two culture[s]… [making in a sense] a new culture.”[10] Mainly it is setting up a community through relationships where the mature missionary can connect on a cultural level.
So you can see, for conversation sake, that I know a bit more about cultural differences and similarities and how to merge the two into a working society than many parents (maybe) from Saugus. This is not to toot my horn, but as we transition to the tougher topics, I wanted you both (or whomever is reading this) to understand a bit of where I come from.
Okay, “they were enculturated,” picking back up where we left off. These same people with personal stories from their parents or themselves, talked about how they were forced into our culture. Nowadays, with emphasis on “from many, many” (“E pluribus, pluribus,” celebrating every cultural difference and teaching a distorted view of multi-culturalism [I have taken some accelerated courses for a master’s in education for a friend, I know that which I speak]) we find Classrooms geared towards the native tongue, ballots and signs and other ways of communicating in the native languages of the peoples homeland that slow this enculturation process down. You have now, for instance, a whole generation that both a) cannot speak in our cultures tongue, or b) they do not feel the need to. This is sad. This is a “value” of Europe,” and not ours, historically speaking. Ballots, road signs, and more were always in English, and in order to vote well one had to learn the language which also thrust the new voter into the culture of America. He took that or another topic and in a small sound-bite in a classroom environment probably did not express what he believed well.
Or discussions in our home of the very provable impact on the health system from this very large population that raises health costs and options on legal immigrants and their families.
Now, as I discuss these issues with my boys, I realize that they will take away from these brief interactions aspects that they either misunderstood, miss-emphasized, and the like. Even though I may have clearly annunciated my viewpoint, these are still young minds I am dealing with.Whatever the conversation in the classroom is that stems from the home environment, know that a young person will probably not explain it as well as I would or the teacher might, or the student wished he had.
Which brings me to my main issue. As a teacher, after having such a conversation where kids may have not presented what they thought or have learned from home well (again: XBOX, eating, sleeping homework, friends, and the like), they should not hear from their teacher that these positions are racist. Even in jest. BECAUSE, being that a classroom is full of these “muddled” minds, some may take this as a queue from their teacher that someone in the classroom IS racist or holds to racist positions. Again, because of our recent political election and how the word is thrown around in common vernacular, let us look into what this word means. And it is interesting because I just received a review copy of the book from North Carolina University Press, Chapill Hill, the book, Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. This book, among the many others I have read over the years, goes to great lengths to properly define racism. A word too often thrown around.
Webster’s says this: a. belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
So we see that Webster’s main definition (and the one’s that follow) are based on a belief in a genetic superiority of one ethnicity (falsely called race) over another. A more in-depth definition comes from Safire’s Political Dictionary, and reads (in-part):
racism Originally, an assumption that an individual’s abilities and potential were determined by his biological race, and that some races were inherently superior to others; now, a political-diplomatic accusation of harboring or practicing such theories.
“This word [racism],” wrote Harvard Professor J. Anton De Haas in November 1938, “has come into use the last six months, both in Europe and this country… Since so much has been said about conflicting isms, it is only natural that a form was chosen which suggested some kind of undesirable character.” In fact, racism came into use two years earlier, in his 1936 book The Coming American Fascism, Lawrence Dennis wrote, “If … it be assumed that one of our values should be a type of racism which excludes certain races from citizenship, then the plan of execution should provide for the annihilation, deportation, or sterilization of the excluded races.”
Racism, a shortening of racialism, was at first directed against Jews. In the nineteenth century, anti-Semites who foresaw a secular age in which religion might not be such a popular rallying force against Jews put forward the idea of Jewishness being less a religion than a race. Adolf Hitler, with his “master race” ideology, turned theory into savage practice….
Note also that the above started to get into what Hitler thought. Evolutionary thinking at the time was that mankind evolved in three separate groups, in differing local on our planet. The Caucasoid, the Negroid, and the Mongoloid “races.” This teaching (espoused from higher learning to high-schools) went a long way in fortifying this thinking:
“The stronger must dominate and not mate with the weaker, which would signify the sacrifice of its own higher nature. Only the born weakling can look upon this principle as cruel, and if he does so it is merely because he is of a feebler nature and narrower mind; for if such a law [natural selection] did not direct the process of evolution then the higher development of organic life would not be conceivable at all…. If Nature does not wish that weaker individuals should mate with the stronger, she wishes even less that a superior race should intermingle with an inferior one; because in such a case all her efforts, throughout hundreds of thousands of years, to establish an evolutionary higher stage of being, may thus be rendered futile.”[11]
I think a better word to use (but I do not even think this word applicable to the conversation), since very few today are racists — i.e., believe in the genetic superiority of one race over another — would be “prejudice.”
which Webster’s defines as: an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason.
Now, my son has heard the mainstream meaning and response to our immigration issue from me, from immigrants, and from conservative leaders like Marco Rubio. But these are only in passing. So, while he may even have seemed prejudiced in his repeating of what he latched onto (rightly or wrongly), he was merely being a teenager. As such, should get the grace and understanding that is involved in being such. Maybe even a verbal reinforcement that they may not be addressing the issue as well as they would wish, leading to good in class management.
[SIDE-NOTE: even if presented with a truly racist event in the classroom, much like certain t-shirts not being allowed on campus do to the inflammatory nature that can cause young people to react to it emotionally… so to is it the teachers responsibility to diffuse the situation so that outside the classroom there is less of a chance that issues will be dealt with by young, emotionally driven persons versus reasoning adults. In this case I think the opposite happened.]
Being a person of faith, I will share my personal beliefs and history to make clear my position before going further. I was born and raised in Detroit. the neighborhood I grew up in was almost all black. I was the proverbial “white friend.” All my friends and buddies were black. I have a black grandmother and (obviously then) cousins and the like. So my background is full of people I love from a differing ethnicity.
Also, my theology informs me as well.
In Numbers, chapter 12, we read about Moses marrying a “Cushite” woman (Cushite’s were the early tribal members that founded Ethiopia). So a Hebrew was marrying an Ethiopian. Miriam, Moses sister, spoke out against this interracial marriage and she was struck with a form of disease that turned her skin “ashen.” God only took that curse away till she repented of her sin and recognized what God had already blessed.
I would also be called a “fundamentalist,” in that my personal belief is of a young age of the earth. Now, you may not agree with this position, that is more than understandable. But holding to a position one agrees with or disagrees with does not say anything about whether or not such a position has in it positive or negative societal aspects. So, for instance, what is not often realized about “young earthers” by those who do not study worldviews is that we hold to an aspect of mankind that is the least racial. In other words, the Bible says in Acts 17:26 states: “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth.” We view Genesis and the Hebrew word for “clay” that God used to make man from to mean “red earth” (literally, “red clay” in the Hebrew), which supports the many creations stories from all over the world that mentions the first man and woman being “red” in color. And that much like the genetics in eye-color, the genes turning on and off our cells that produce color/melatonin give us our small differences. Fundamentalists believe that over time culture and familiarity caused people to seek after “like minded” [culture] or “looking” [familiarity] persons. And that as we [mankind] traveled this globe, environment dictated places where one could survive and others not (darker ethnicities by the equator, lighter away from).
So, while I am sure some scoff at the “fundamentalist” ideals I hold to, and talk over with my kids, You can see that from my history and faith I would be the least racial (as well as my kids) in a situation that required a teacher to say “that is enough of the racist comments” in class, after my son struggled to make his point.
Now we enter into an example of a modern day racist to make the point (a non-important point really, but one I feel needs to be hashed out). This is from a recent conversation challenging the use of the word “racist” in dialogue with friends and family in this very political environment. This was in response to a friend saying Karl Rove was racist. And while he [Rove] is not part of the conversation, my response is… because if the teacher is a Democrat that has very liberal biases and see’s her classroom as a place to express these views, then she needs to answer me about the following…
… and let me say something. I have lived a full life, from a drop-out from Bowman Nights at Saugus, to a three-time felon, to a father and husband to a degreed “theologian.” I have accumulated over 5,000 books in my home library, have written a book, and have passions in regards to comparative religious views and philosophies (current and past). I study history, science, philosophy, economics, current affairs, political science, theology, education, world religions, cults and the occult, and more.
I hate racism, and talk to people a lot about changing their life from this muddled thinking to one that is on a firm foundation. What is below should scare the normal individual who would surely be the harbinger of such warnings if a Republican held to these beliefs (as would I). But if one dismisses the following, then that merely speaks to his or her dogmatic views viewed through their rose colored lenses.
[…..]
… our current President went to a church for twenty years that sold anti-Semitic/racist sermons in their bookstore by Louise Farrakhan during the entire time he attended. Farrakhan believes in the genetic superiority of the black race over others. They put him [Farrakhan] on the cover of the church’s magazine (that is mailed to about 20,000 people’s homes) three times and invited him INTO church to award him a “lifetime achievement award.” A man who teaches that the white man was created 6,600 years ago on the Island of Cyprus, thus bringing all evil into the world (via the white man).
Side-Note: They also put on the cover once Elijah Muhammad, founder of the Nation of Islam… who said:
“…they are a prey in the hands of the white race, the world’s archdeceivers (the real devils in person). You are made to believe that you worship the true God, but you do not! God is unknown to you in that which the white race teaches you (a mystery God). The great archdeceivers (the white race) were taught by their father, Yakub, 6,000 years ago, how to teach that God is a spirit (spook) and not a man. In the grafting of his people (the white race), Mr. Yakub taught his people to contend with us over the reality of God by asking us of the whereabouts of that first One (God) who created the heavens and the earth, and that, Yakub said, we cannot do.”
Elijah Muhammad, Message to the Blackman In America, p. 9
“White religionists are not capable of perceiving the blackness of God, because their satanic whiteness is a denial of the very essence of divinity. That is why whites are finding and will continue to find the black experience a disturbing reality.” quoted from James Cone’s book, A Black Theology of Liberation, page 64.
This is eerily similar to Hitlers own writing:
“The personification of the devil as the symbol of all evil assumes the living shape of the Jew” ~ Adolf Hitler – Mein Kampf
This author was regularly pushed by Reverend Wright (who himself was a former Nation of Islam minister) on TV appearances, like this one: YOUTUBE (link set to start at main-point)
Pictures of Michelle Obama hanging out with Farrakhan’s wife, also a racist anti-Semite.
Not to mention that recently “A former top deputy to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan tells Newsmax that Barack Obama’s ties to the black nationalist movement in Chicago run deep, and that for many years the two men have had “an open line between them” to discuss policy and strategy, either directly or through intermediaries.”
Yet you feel it necessary to forgo the righteous indignation of these facts and say that (out of the blue) Rove is racist? Why is he? Did he attend a racist church for twenty years? If Bush attended a church like that (with roles reversed, inviting in “David Dukes” for awards and the like — Christian Identity teaches that the Jew was created when Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden… having sexual relations with the serpent [the Devil] and birthing out the “evil” Jews… not too dissimilar to Obama’s buddy), heck, I would lock arms with you on getting this guy out of office, assuming the media would even allow him into office in the first place.
Apply to your side what you would expect others to apply to theirs.
Thank you for your time and patience, SeanG
FOOTNOTES
[1] A definition for conversational clarity is coming up.
[2] Paul G. Hierbert, Anthropological Insights for Missionaries (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1985), 21.
[3] Ray Arnold, The Missionary In Culture (Tacoma, WA: Faith Seminary Publishing House, 1995), 2.
[4] Idid.
[5] Ralph D. Winter & Steven C. Hawthorn, eds., Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader (Pasedena, CA: William Carey Library, 1981) 517.
[6] WIKIPEDIA (last accessed 7-18-08), cf., enculturation.
[7] Ray Arnold, The Missionary In Culture (Tacoma, WA: Faith Seminary Publishing House, 1995), 6.
[8] Gary R. VandenBos, ed., APA Dictionary of Psychology (Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2007), cf. self-disclosure, 829.
[9] Adrian Furnham & Stephen Bochner, Culture Shock: Psychological Reactions to Unfamiliar Environments (New York, NY: Methuen & Co., 1986), 240-241.
[10] Ralph D. Winter & Steven C. Hawthorn, eds., Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader (Pasedena, CA: William Carey Library, 1981) 381.
[11] Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, translator/annotator, James Murphy [New York: Hurst and Blackett, 1942], pp. 161-162.
BONUS MATERIALS
An important documentary about this in higher education can be found here on this very same topic:
Residents in a Newhall senior apartment complex are protesting an order from management to remove their beloved Christmas tree from the community room because, they were told, it’s a religious symbol.
On Tuesday, Tarzana-based JB Partners Group Inc. sent a memo to staff at The Willows senior apartment building demanding they take down Christmas trees and menorahs in communal areas.
The company has owned The Willows for four years, but this is the first time it’s given such a directive to staff.
On Wednesday, two dozen residents in the 75-resident complex gathered in the lobby to place a neon green sign that read: “Please Save Our Tree.” “We’re all angry. We want that tree,” said Fern Scheel, who has lived at the complex for nearly two years. “Where’s our freedom? This is ridiculous.”
The Willows staff and JB Property supervisor Wethanie Law declined to comment.
JB Partners Group owns apartments in California, Oklahoma and Colorado.
Resident Edna Johnson said Law had told her the tree had to be taken down because it’s a religious symbol.
“We could put out Easter baskets, have turkey for Thanksgiving but no tree for Christmas because it has Christ’s name in the beginning of Christmas,” Johnson said.
Frances Schaeffer, who is Jewish, said she doesn’t understand the property management company’s stance.
“This tree is a symbol of reverence that we can all enjoy regardless of our religious beliefs,” she said.
Max Greenis who has lived at the complex for a year with his wife, Bonnie, said he’s considering withholding his rent in protest of what he calls an abomination of the holiday tradition.
“I’ve got grandkids and they come here and now they’ll ask, `Grandpa, where’s the Christmas tree?’ Then I’ll have to explain that someone said we couldn’t have one. What kind of message is that sending to the kids?” Greenis asked.
After the protest – really more of a gathering over coffee and doughnuts to angrily air their concerns – some residents got so riled that they began taking the tree apart themselves. Some even took parts of the artificial tree back to their apartments in defiance.
“For some folks this is the only Christmas tree they’ll have all season,” resident Robert Troudeau said. “There are people overseas fighting for our freedoms and dying and we’re here fighting over things like this. It’s a shame.”
Today is the Feast Day of St. Nicholas. A day millions of Christian children around the world will wake up to shoes filled with small gifts and candy. In some regions, the day includes elaborate festivities of symbolic rituals to honor and celebrate the goodness and generosity of a great man born centuries ago.
Who is St. Nicholas?
The St. Nicholas Center tells his story,
The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus’ words to “sell what you own and give the money to the poor,” Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.
Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for the real criminals—murderers, thieves and robbers. After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church, where a unique relic, called manna, formed in his grave. This liquid substance, said to have healing powers, fostered the growth of devotion to Nicholas. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration, St. Nicholas Day, December 6th (December 19 on the Julian Calendar).
Through the centuries many stories and legends have been told of St. Nicholas’ life and deeds. These accounts help us understand his extraordinary character and why he is so beloved and revered as protector and helper of those in need.
[…]
Widely celebrated in Europe, St. Nicholas’ feast day, December 6th, kept alive the stories of his goodness and generosity. In Germany and Poland, boys dressed as bishops begged alms for the poor—and sometimes for themselves! In the Netherlands and Belgium, St. Nicholas arrived on a steamship from Spain to ride a white horse on his gift-giving rounds. December 6th is still the main day for gift giving and merrymaking in much of Europe. For example, in the Netherlands St. Nicholas is celebrated on the 5th, the eve of the day, by sharing candies (thrown in the door), chocolate initial letters, small gifts, and riddles. Dutch children leave carrots and hay in their shoes for the saint’s horse, hoping St. Nicholas will exchange them for small gifts. Simple gift-giving in early Advent helps preserve a Christmas Day focus on the Christ Child.
