First and foremost, I previously stated that the people of the USA would one day get exactly what they have earned/appropriated over at least the last 100 years. Call it just reward or maybe “you reap what you sow.” Galatians 6:7. This appropriation would be someone in authority who would not ask them what, where, when or how they wanted it but would tell them exactly how things will be in their world. And any objections to those things would be tolerated only to a certain degree or completely ignored, because the powers to be would think they know what is best for all of us and there is nothing we will be able to do make change for the better. These powers to be think most people are to ignorant, uninformed and really don’t care, all based on people's previous behavior. So goes the saying, “you reap what you sow.” This person would be someone who would put themselves, and those like them who they represent, ahead of anything and anybody else. This person will be selfish and self-centered, and their primary consideration will be to themselves and those like them. They will intentionally persecute any who they feel stand in the way of them achieving their objective. Money, possessions, and power will be their God. This person lives in and for the present and gives little to no regard/consideration for the future of anything or anybody. This person would command through intimidation and threat. All of this because of the disinterest, complacency, and apathy of the American people over at least the last century. We have become a nation that takes to much for granted as if things could or would never change. Many people have little to no initiative, feel entitled, don’t want to work, and don’t feel obligated to serve this country in any way. Why is this? Because many have been lulled into an attitude of complacency, and a false sense of security and privilege because of the many excessive unearned and undeserved entitlements, and an inflated sense of self and their country as compared with other people of the world. In a word they are spoiled. If this continues we can all kiss our Democratic Republic goodbye. If this happens it will be a very hard lesson to learn. I like to use the analogy of the spoiled child who has had everything given to them or inherited. They did not have to earn these things in any way. What happens then is they have the belief that they deserve anything they covet/want without exception and protest with bad behavior when life doesn’t reward them in the accustomed way. They place no value on the many things or benefits they have received and consequently allow them to become deteriorated, broken, lost or destroyed. They don’t care because there has always been more. All of the 7 deadly sins of greed, pride/arrogance, gluttony, wrath, sloth, envy, and lust prevail in these people's life. We mustn’t forget there is always a beginning and an end to all things. How these things begin, and end is usually dictated by who or what they place their faith and trust in. It shouldn’t be people.
To begin with I was born in 1946, so I haven’t experienced everything that led us to this point today. If I have left anything of importance out during this message, please remind me and we can add it in later. The only thing I ask is that it be verifiable truth. One important thing I have learned over the years is that no human being knows everything, and I am no exception. At the turn of the last century when this country was still in its relative infancy, we seemed to me to be most focused on self at the expense of building lasting inclusive friendships based on relationship with other nations around the world. Relationships that wouldn’t require Quid pro quo but would be based on the Biblical principle of “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35. This is what Jesus said. I believe responsibility for this attitude of self was birthed out of pride/arrogance and greed along with an attitude of superiority. Something to do with manifest destiny which when looking at it from today’s perspective defines an arrogant attitude of superiority. We see examples of this in the USA today.
In the beginning this country mistreated, abused, and took advantage of the generous hospitality of indigenous peoples and didn’t share the abundance of a very wealthy nation which was actually stolen from its native population. Yes some of the indigenous people didn’t want strangers on their land and they fought to remove them. We would do the same today if negotiation failed. But mostly we used deception and violence to steal their native land. Instead of sharing the new settlers eliminated the competition/opposition by massacring the majority of these people and calling it self-defense. Whatever was left of them remain in extremely depressed areas called reservations without equal opportunity in anything. Without equality they will never be able to achieve equity. The government uses a bandage to cover unhealed wounds instead of lasting healing. Think about these two words: equity and equality. I will speak more on them later.
There is a saying that has been floating around for many years; Freedom is not free. I believe this is what the American people were beginning to forget probably even before the turn of 20th century. This saying is important but how we acquire and maintain that freedom is equally important. Here is that attitude of arrogant superiority I mentioned earlier. We thought we were invincible, untouchable, and just better. Where in the world have we heard this before? This country was founded on Christian principles and precepts. This includes the writing of Declaration of Independence, our Preamble and our Constitution. God was consulted on all of these and was a major factor in, I would have to say, most decisions that guided this fledgling country on the path to power and prosperity unlike any country before, with the possible exception of Israel. But as time went on we slowly drifted away from our Creator God’s council and became the Captain of our own ship, with few exceptions. We couldn’t exercise patience and wait on God to give us direction and wisdom. This is where arrogance, pride, envy and greed took priority in many lives. Self-indulgence became more important. Many people wanted or coveted only the pleasurable things life had to offer and were not willing to work or sacrifice for them, usually taking what looked like the easiest or shortest path to obtain them. Take a look at the roaring 20’s where in general America was seeking self-gratification and liberality in all things. This came after World War 1. Dates were 7/28/14 until 11/11/18. The war to end all wars. The USA originally didn’t want to be involved and didn’t enter until it looked like Germany was going to win. Entered 4/6/17. Then they entered and helped win, primarily I believe, because their domestic and foreign interests were in jeopardy. Then what did our leaders do but conspire with their allies to bleed Germany dry through reparations which starved and deprived her people of essential necessities, humiliated them and guaranteed the eventual resurgence of a charismatic leader determined to seek retribution. Why have the victorious nations always persecuted the civilian populace of countries after a war instead of leading them into a more prosperous and friendly relationship? Leadership of these countries which actually initiated the war are the ones deserving of persecution, not the populace. Now we have Adolph Hitler and Germany in World War 2. Not only that, but these allies also dishonored Japan during these meetings after WW 1 about reparations by not being inclusive and thereby ostracizing Japan, creating animosity/contention instead of friendship. Not to mention the bad example we gave to them and the rest of the world. Honor is a major social factor in Japanese society and we can see where that led. How about prohibition when the government attempted to regulate alcohol consumption. Prohibition ran from 1/17/20 until 1933 through the passage of the 18th constitutional amendment and was repealed by the 21st constitutional amendment. Forget about making an effort to educate the people about the dangers associated with over consumption and promoting moderation in all things. How often have we seen examples of people telling other people what they can’t have just to see them intentionally pursue that very same thing? Just use your kids for an example. Just try to shove some new law down everyone’s throat based on controversial evidence and see where that gets you. What did that get us, organized crime and a thriving black market with the eventual overturning of this new law, but not before incurring many deaths. Remember Al Capone? And then this attitude of greed and self-satisfaction abruptly ended with the great depression. Why? People in leadership positions were thinking and acting out of greed and self-interest instead of a cautionary approach based on evidence gained through historical observation, forethought and asking God for direction. How was the future of America being considered? How did this happen: in a word deception that caused the common man and woman much suffering and misery. Our enemy Satan knew where our weakness lay and he wanted to destroy us. He came only to lie, kill and destroy. John 10:10. So we made it through the great depression where unemployment soared to over 25% and bread lines were everywhere. People were destitute. Many people moved about the country seeking help and employment and today just the memory of it causes emotional strife. Thankfully we had a president who made significant strides in relieving some of the hardship. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected in 1932 and began the New Deal. This included the WPA, Banking reforms, emergency relief, and agricultural programs, among others. Also most significant was the Social Security Act of 1935.
Unfortunately, just as The USA was beginning to thrive and come out of the depression era along comes the threat of WW 2 because of Adolf Hitler and Germany’s resurgence. WW2 time period was from 1939-1945. If we are looking for a reason, I believe I already gave you one. We attempted to stay out of that one to, until it looked like Europe would eventually capitulate. The US troops arrived in Britain in January 1942. That would have been devastating for us and would have signaled that the USA might likely be the next in line. And then along came Pearl Harbor on Dec.7, 1941 where the Japanese almost completely destroyed our Pacific Fleet. Now we had no choice but to engage our enemies on two fronts, and we were not entirely prepared to do so. Thankfully God was still showing us His grace and favor by allowing favorable circumstances for us to eventually achieve victory. The American people stepped up and out on all fronts and led us to victory. There were many ways that God showed us favor during this time and it would take at least a complete chapter to recount most of them, so I advise if you are interested, study history. My question after and during this time is, did we thank God for His blessings?
World War 2 was eventually won by the USA and its allies. Much death and destruction occurred leading up to the final surrender of Germany and Japan. Yes, there were many fighting men and women who lost their lives but the vast majority of life was lost, once again, by the civilian populations. That’s what war does; it punishes the innocents who have nowhere else to go. Germany capitulated first and Hitler committed suicide at the very end. We all know the story. I believe his gravest errors were in his persecution and murder of 6 million Jews and others he didn’t think fit into his description of the perfect human race, and his decision to invade Russia and not cross the English Channel into England. This was to the benefit of the entire world. Many other very long conversations about Germany can be had but my final opinion is that it could have been avoided through proper diplomacy and consideration after WW1. Not long after Germany came the surrender of Japan but not before 2 atomic bombs were dropped on unsuspecting civilian populations which killed approximately a quarter million civilian people. The Pacific war also could have been avoided in the same way by consideration and diplomacy. I didn’t intend to leave out Italy, but they were a relatively insignificant force in WW2. They were defeated even before Germany and Japan and their civilian populace used vigilante justice to end Mussolini. So, the war ended and once again diplomacy failed in how the USA and the Europeans treated the civilian population of Germany. Germany was divided up and that is what created the Berlin Wall. We all know how that turned out don’t we? Germany and Japan eventually recovered and became economic powerhouses although the United States has maintained military bases in both of those countries to this day. These countries have been able to achieve economic superiority in the world partly because they haven’t been required to establish and support a large military presence. The USA has assumed a broad range of responsibility for maintaining world peace but that hasn’t stopped aggression from Russia, China and some others.
Getting back to the end of WW2 we see many servicemen and women coming home, leaving the service and looking for work. It was difficult at first because the war production economy was no longer needed. But things turned around quickly and business eventually was booming in the USA. People wanted jobs, families, houses to raise them in, automobiles and other material goods to make a more comfortable and secure life and future for their children. I remember many people who had suffered thru the depression saying they would never want their children to experience what they went through. They would provide for them everything they had been deprived of. Unfortunately, this backfired as the children grew up and many hadn’t learned how to provide for themselves because they hadn’t been taught a proper work ethic or given room to grow, be responsible, accountable, and think for themselves. We can look at our society today and see the consequences. The pendulum never seems to find a good balance point. We go from one extreme to another and suffer the consequences. During this time in the early fifties President Eisenhower recognized a need to form modern infrastructure and along came our interstate transportation system of highways connecting this country like never before. Great foresight. Just as the country was recovering from WW2 along comes the Korean war. The Korean war period was 30 June 25, 1950-July 27, 1953. This didn’t disrupt our nation or the economy like WW2, but it did have some impact. Many servicemen and women once again were called to go to war in a foreign land and suffer and die for the promise of Democracy in another land. When will it end? That war ended with a compromise we can’t actually call a victory, and we are still living with the consequences of it today. SEATO was initiated and signed on September 8, 1954, and then dissolved on June 30, 1977, so we no longer have that coalition of nations as a hedge against aggression in the far east. So, the USA gets through that one and a few peaceable years go by, and we enter another war.
The Vietnam war was a tragic and very unnecessary war that I was a part of. Of course I didn’t realize this at the time. During this period the US lost President Kennedy through assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King to assassination, and eventually Robert Kennedy to the same fate. A sad time in America. All of these men were able to make significant change in America, but their lives were cut short by people who didn’t want change. The USA stepped into Viet Nam in 1955 after the French withdrew after their many years of involvement and we had advisors there for a few years before actual direct military involvement starting in 1965 thru 1973. I learned after the fact that we actually initiated this war but of course at the time we were told the No. Vietnamese started it with the Gulf of Tonkin incident. Lies and deception on the part of the US authority. The US presence actually was from 1955-1975. That should have been enough time to come to the understanding that we weren’t going to bring our form of Democracy to this region. Not through force anyway. However, the mighty US industrial/military complex, motivated by pride, arrogance, and especially money maneuvered us with their might and influence into that war. President Eisenhower warned us about this before he left office, but we didn’t listen. So once again thousands of American service men and women died and were permanently disabled and wounded for life. Often being described as cannon fodder. No disrespect intended, but the truth can be very difficult to swallow after such sacrifice and suffering all due to deception and other people's world view. And those people rarely, if ever, face death on the battlefield. How much better would the world be if we used negotiation and compromise to set the example that world peace can be achieved by putting this first place instead of war. The USA has so many other means of being convincing than resorting to violence.
So the Viet Nam war ended along with all the reasons for protests and demonstrations, at least about that. Now all the military personal would be coming home and trying to return and adjust to civilian life with very little or no chance to acclimate. Regular jobs, wife, kids, etc. and dealing with people every day using people skills many of them had forgotten or put on the back burner for years. We all know how that turned out because many are still dealing with the consequences today.
So now we move through the remainder of the 20th century dealing with presidents who abused or misused the power of their office and the consequences for that. With unrest in the middle east and once again conflicts with the Gulf War in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia and the list continues to go on and on with the US continually being involved in one way or another. I couldn’t even begin to guess how our intelligence agencies are involved because I just don’t know, but I am convinced they are and have always been. Trying to be the good news of American Democracy, if that even entered into the equation. I think it’s more of an interest in protecting the world position and interests of the USA.
As I look at the world today I see one world power that has for many years been planning and developing a course of action to become the primary force that will one day be telling the rest of the world what, where, and how to act and respond, and what we can safely speak. That world power is China. They have been quietly, and patiently, but not silently, developing the capability to dominate the world. They watch and listen to other countries of the world expend their resources and capabilities on many other distractions and all the while they infiltrate and take advantage of every strategic opportunity. They want the world to eventually be completely dependent on them. And they want to achieve this without firing a single shot. Are we going to let them? Not if I can help it. Thank God we have a strong NATO in Europe.
I believe the USA is in denial about the realities of other countries desires and abilities to dominate planet earth and beyond. Our leadership appears to be more focused on what they perceive as domestic enemies and keeping this country as divided as possible instead of working to unify all people. We cannot progress as a world power unless we learn to unite, discover reconciliation and practice the great commandment of God. Matthew 22:37-40. Our leadership has to learn to be more open and transparent with the common everyday man and woman on the street. As I stated before the people of this country have over the last ¾ century become fat, lazy, complacent and apathetic. If the world worked in the way God desires, we wouldn’t have to be so attentive to everything and about everyone, but the world does not function the way God intended. At least not in the majority of it. We, as a country, have to remain alert, focused, and ready in all ways to combat the forces of evil that are constantly plotting our demise. We have to do this in the most humane way possible, giving every opportunity for conciliation to the forces aligned against us. Using deadly force only as a last resort. God bless. Love and Peace, Amen. We will speak again soon.
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