The Pope Doubles Down on Liberation Theology

Pope Francis has signaled several times that he is a believer in Liberation Theology, and indicated he would like the Church to act as a spearhead for economic change in the world. People who think like the Pope believe that unfettered global capitalism is unjust, and leads to social, political, and economic oppression of the poor. And they want to punish the successful, which (by their logic) will create equalized opportunity for those less fortunate...think "Christianized Marxism"....

The Pope has said indirectly his desire is to 'hold capitalism accountable' for the problems of the world... to punish the 'haves' simply for having...which according to this line of thinking, is a sin. 

"While the earnings of a minority are growing exponentially, so too is the gap separating the majority from the prosperity enjoyed by the happy few. This imbalance is the result of ideologies that defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation," Pope Francis says.

The Catholic Church all but eradicated this ideology nearly a quarter century ago (under Pope John Paul II), which originated mainly in Latin American countries in the 60's and 70's. But Pope Francis, originally from Argentina, never practiced Liberation Theology, though he was certainly shaped by it.

This weekend, the Pope named 19 new Cardinals, 16 of which are considered "Cardinal Electors" or under 80 years old, and therefore eligible to elect the next Pope after Francis either retires or expires. So why is this so significant to the resurgence of Liberation Theology in the Catholic Church?

These new Cardinals are from predominately poor countries, including Nicaragua, Ivory Coast, Brazil, Argentina, South Korea, Chile, Burkina Faso, the Philippines and Haiti...It signals yet ANOTHER move by this Pope to reduce the influence of wealth and money on the Church.

But there is another more long term impact of this move... the ability of these Cardinals to elect the NEXT Pope should serve to ensure the continuation of this Liberation Theology, which has nearly become official Church policy.

As the redistribution of wealth crowd (like Occupy) has been mainly fractured and rudderless, this emergence of the Church as a leader of in kind of thinking is a new and dangerous trend... Papal sponsored Marxism. The economic struggle has mass appeal, and will soon be (if not already) co-opted by those who seek to destroy the world.

Transitional Living Fund

I find myself in a strange place this morning, philosophically speaking. I don't blame most people for struggling in this economy. Unemployment continues to fall, as people stop looking for work. 91.8 Million Americans have fallen OUT of the labor force, a new record. 

Those who find work are typically downgraded into a much lower standard of living, because most of the jobs created have been low wage positions.

Democrats would like to trade the term "Welfare" for "Transitional Living Fund" which signals to me that I am expected to, as a taxpayer, provide for more of the basics for longer, for a variety of reasons. When it's all said and done my effective tax rate is already something like 45 percent... and I am contributing member of society! I help others make money!

Sorry, I don't intend on supporting anything else that digs into my pocket.

Both sides want to blame the other for the problem. Labor says employers don't pay enough. Employers say the government is strangling them and they don't make enough. Who do I blame? Everyone but me, quite frankly.

The manufacturing base in the United States has all but dried up. Government initiatives intended to create jobs, like Cleantech and green energies, have fallen completely flat, and the rush of American jobs leaving the country hasn't abated much in the last decade.

We've seen workers at Fast Food restaurants strike for higher wages. Why, because they are greedy? Some maybe. Mostly it's because at 7 dollars an hour its hard to buy a tank of gas at $4 a gallon, and have money for food, rent, utilities, and any other basics.

But why should we pay them more? If your only marketable skill is flipping a burger, are you worth more than 7 dollars an hour? The truth is, I don't have that answer.

Here's what I do know...the guy who OWNS the McDonald's probably owns a BUNCH of them. And he doesn't worry too much about buying gas or food or anything else. Should I take from him to give to the burger flipper? After all, the owner creates jobs... shouldn't he keep his reward for all that effort? Anyone who owns or runs a business will be glad to tell you how much work is really involved...

Now you understand the basic question at hand: Do businesses have a duty to provide good paying jobs, or is the minimum enough...? Something else to be considered here? If you DON'T provide for the basics, as a business, do we as a society have the duty to fill the gap? Because we are. 

Do you have any idea how many Wal-Mart employees are also on some form of public assistance? Not all of them, but enough to notice and measure. Do you think Wal-Mart employees are the only ones? I don't.

I have always made an effort to better myself as a human, and with that, I have seen my ability to earn a living increase. I am not a big fan of "giving" people anything. I don't think it makes for better humans. As I have stated previously, the amazing thing about America is that you don't have to finish in the same place you start. YOU get to decide the path to individual success and achievement yourself. So yeah, it sucks, but if you want to make more than the minimum, you should probably do something to help yourself.

And fortunately for me, I don't have to decide what the minimum a business should provide an employee is. While I would love for everything to be fair and equal, it isn't, and will never be. The only reason I discuss it is so you understand I am not callous and blind to the situation. But unlike some, I reject the idea that Government can make it fair, and I know for certain that bad things happen when Government plays the equalizer.

So, while I don't think the Government should regulate what employers pay, I reject the idea that families like the Walton's should be permitted such enormous profits while a significant portion of their work force is on some form of public assistance.

The only legislation aimed at business I would be in favor of is something that would end that particular practice forever... as for the striking burger flipper? Sorry man, I can't force anyone to give you more. You have to go get it for yourself. Is it a lot of work to pull yourself up? Absolutely. But when is anything worth doing ever easy?

A bridge too far...

You've heard a lot about "Bridge Gate" today. Someone in New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's office shuts down a few highway lanes on the George Washington Bridge, and it becomes a "National Scandal". I would like to remind you of a few other scandals that have fallen off the front page, that we SHOULD be discussing instead:

Benghazi. Investigation of General Patreus. Fast and Furious. Seized phone records of the Associate Press. IRS Targeting of Conservative Groups. Obamacare Website Scandal. NSA Spying on Foreign Leaders. NSA Spying at Home.

What the hell happened to my country? Do you realize we impeached an entire Presidency because Richard Nixon bugged two buildings? This President has bugged THE WORLD, and he gets a Nobel Peace Prize... and on top of it all, we IGNORE the Presidents scandals in favor of a story about a BRIDGE?

Why is "Bridge Gate" a scandal and the others are not? Do you understand yet how the media REALLY works? Christie may run for the Presidency in 2016, so the liberal controlled media will use ANY excuse to tear him down.

Hillary Clinton and Oprah WInfrey popped the bubbly this morning, giggling like school girls, as Christie twisted in the wind today. And what an ego on this guy... an hour long press conference, as if we have NOTHING else to talk about but him??

If he had come out, made his statement, took a question or two, and then beat feet, I would have been impressed. But it seemed that every minute he stayed in front of the cameras, he looked weaker and weaker... guiltier and guiltier...

I've already explained that Christie's moderate approach will ultimately doom him, and so maybe this scandal is a good thing in a way. The GOP will have to see Christie as tainted goods, and run an ACTUAL conservative. Or not... and it will be the end of the GOP and the Country.


So the only question I have left, is Chris Christie our type of guy?

LBJ, Obama, and 50 years of Progressive White Guilt

50 years ago today, President Lyndon Baines Johnson gave a State of the Union Speech in which he and the Democrats, who had until that point done everything humanly possible to oppose any manner of civil rights for blacks, including the filibuster of the Civil Rights Act by noted KKK member (a Grand Wizard) and long time Democrat Robert Byrd...  decided that it was time to stop oppressing blacks, and start "helping them"....

It was the birth of the Modern Progressive Movement, known as "The Great Society"... The speech, by Johnson, was lauded by so called 'liberal do-gooders' and marked the beginning of White Guilt...  the individual or collective guilt often said to be felt by some white people for the racist treatment of people of color by whites both historically and presently. On this day, Johnson declared an unconditional war on poverty in America. 

Sounds good right? Some white people did own slaves, and helping the poorest among us is never a bad thing, is it? Let me explain to you why this is so wrong. 

Sure SOME white folks owned slaves and stood on the backs of the poor to earn their fortunes. Did we all? No we didn't. Should we all be made to pay for those crimes? Should I feel guilty of my success because of the "sins of my Fathers"? Of course not...

Just like you, I am forced to compete in the world the way it is now. I treat people fairly and am responsible for my own actions. I cannot and will not be responsible for the lot of others in life, in the same way they are not responsible for mine.

More importantly, I am an American, just like you. Being an American means I can transcend my starting point and arrive at whatever height of success I choose and strive for. No one gets to DECIDE for me what I will be in life. And they can't decide for you either, unless you allow it... 

Until 1965, 82% of black households had both a mother and a father in the home -- a statistic on par with or even slightly higher than white families. 

After 1965 the presence of black fathers in the home began a precipitous decline; today, the American black out-of-wedlock birthrate is at 69%.

The policies instituted 50 years ago today have done incalculable damage to black families...

How about that whole "helping the poor" angle? Has to be some good there right? 

President Obama, who has continued the Liberal Progressive policies of LBJ, basically giving people free stuff, extending unemployment again and again for people who don't even look for work anymore. Has that lifted people out of poverty? No way. 

In fact, the poverty level under Obama has broken a 50 year record. 50 years of Progressive Social Policies and we have MORE poor, not less. 

Johnson promised that his Progressive Administration would be efficient, honest, and frugal... Has that happened? 

Efficient, Honest, and Frugal. Do I even need to discuss this? To call the Obama Administration ANY of these things is to insult the English language. Words would have no meaning anymore.... 

Iif this sounds to you like a racist rant, you're dead wrong. You're also a progressive, you can't be helped, and you should move along. Liberalism, after all, is a mental disorder... 

But if this topic is something you think we should have an debate on, then you are not Republican or a Democrat, you're not a liberal or a progressive, you're an independent thinker... And I have one simple question: Is social programming ruining America? 

UK Spy Agency given access to Data Records gathered by Secret US Spy Program

Hope your ready for this one folks... it was pretty bad to learn your 'private' data isn't so private at all. Under a program operated by the Federal Government called 'prism'... the US has been collecting your phone, email, and internet records without a warrant, without you being accused of a crime.

This morning, we have learned that not only are your 'private' data records being seized en masse by the US... they have been SHARING the information collected with OTHER GOVERNMENTS.

Read on... 

US uses Cell Network to Spy on Americans...

(click the photo for the story...)

I don't generally "update" posts.... I had intended to write a little about this story, but I didn't have a chance until now.... It's very simple. From a HISTORICAL standpoint I am thoroughly disgusted that I am being forced, through a cruel trick of fate (and bad timing), to stand by and watch as this horror of Orwellian tracking comes into existence. But what choice do we have?

If you think this isn't already a done deal, you simply don't understand the cage that has been built around you. You are but a fish, unaware of your own tank. You can beat yourself to death on the glass if you feel like crying foul over things like this current era of journalists being investigated, and data being mined....but you would be, as the fish in the tank: floating, dead, at the top of the bowl. What did you accomplish with your protest? Nothing. 

Simply put....you are safest by not doing, saying, writing, thinking, discussing, or reading about anything that might 'trouble' those in power (at the time). If you aren't 'guilty' of anything, you have nothing to worry about. Don't concern yourself with the 'rotating target of guilt', as determined by those in 'control'.

It's a sad fact...Democracies don't act against authoritarian rule until it is too late... only this time, it's us. Hope you're ready....the Future is here. 

Here is why President Obama's National Security Advisor had to go....

WHY DID OBAMA'S NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR HAVE TO GO??

SIMPLE... FOLLOW THE BOUNCING BALL....

DIANE FEINSTEIN WAS ON A HUNT FOR A 'LEAKER' WHO WAS RELEASING INFORMATION THAT WAS EMBARRASSING OR DAMAGING TO THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, INCLUDING THE US INVOLVEMENT IN THE STUXNET VIRUS THAT ATTACKED THE IRANIAN NUCLEAR PROGRAM.

THE CALIFORNIA LAWMAKER SAID SHE WAS CERTAIN THAT PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, WHO RECEIVES A DAILY INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING, ISN'T DISCLOSING SECRET INFORMATION, BUT SHE WAS UNCERTAIN ABOUT OTHERS AT THE WHITE HOUSE. "I DON'T BELIEVE FOR A MOMENT THAT HE GOES OUT AND TALKS ABOUT IT," SHE SAID.

NOW OBAMA HAS GOTTEN RID OF TOM DONILON, HIS NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR, AND BY SOME REPORTS, THE SUSPECTED LEAKER, AND MOVED IN TO THE POSITION SUSAN RICE, THE LIAR…. BUT STAUNCHLY LOYAL TO OBAMA ADMINISTRATION…

THE DONOLIN MOVE LOOKS LIKE IT IS INTENDED TO REMOVE AN ENEMY FROM WITHIN…SOMEONE WORKING INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE AGAINST THE ADMINISTRATION….