on a more Personal Note...

Now that the Fourth of July has come and gone, I'm thinking it's time to get back to my writing here...well, I'm vacillating as to what direction to take. I'd 'scheduled' myself to publish a follow-up post to my Israel piece, one focusing on the Palestinian perspective. I just can't seem to muster up the focus & discipline needed to actually do that!

Here's what happened:

After being immersed in such topics as slavery, Guantanamo, terrorism & counter-terrorism, and diving into other topics such as Presidential issues, earmarks, the Middle East wars, U.S torture policy...and so on and so forth...I needed a break from it all. I needed a break from serious reading and research of any kind, on any topic!! So I did something I haven't done in awhile: I rummaged through my piles on never-read fiction novels, with only one goal in mind, finding something all light and fluff! No serious reading for me, not for awhile. Nothing current events-y, no Revolutionary fare, either. Maybe some Patricia Cornwell, some kind of murder mystery or perhaps a romance with a suspenseful twist...

So that's where my head has been lately.

But as it turned out, I did come across a 'twist'. Just not a suspenseful one - and I found, for me, there really is no escape! Any of my readers familiar with C.S.Lewis will perhaps recall that Lewis referred to God as the great Hound of Heaven, may I say 'doggedly' (?) pursuing him, unrelenting in His quest. Well, in a rather humorous version of such Divine determination, I found myself most surprisingly confronted with the very thing I was (so I thought) escaping - and smack dab in the middle of my escape route too!

I'd unearthed a novel I'd completely forgotten I had, about a subject I rarely read. Its title was two-fold, a kind of lead-in mini novel called "Enchantment", followed by the meatier "Bridge of Dreams". Long story short, we're talking two hundred year-old ill-fated loves & unsolved murders, an ancestral English manor, and its guardian ghost. Not my customary fare. believe me, but I was looking for something different, and let me tell you, this was it! Set in Kent, England, I found the tale most absorbing. The scenarios switch back and forth, from the late 1700's to the present day.

So, the tale is weaving its magic, and I'm ensconced in it, when unbelievably...seriously, folks, unbelievably ! who do you think steps into the room? (the 'room' being Adrian Draycott's study, in 18th. century England) Let me give it to you verbatim -

"...From now on I trust no one." (Adrian speaking.)

"Not even me, Lord Ashton?" The fluid, cultured male voice had something foreign about it as it drifted from the doorway. The speaker was a tall man, with a high, arched nose and eyes of keen, cutting blue.

Gabriel stared at the American statesman who had already made a name for himself in England and France. "Is that you, Jefferson?..."

Just knock me over with a feather at this point! For the next two pages, and sprinkled here and there after that, our Founding Father briefly engaged with the hero and heroine of the novel, racing against time, flying through the night in a horse-drawn carriage, desperately trying to reach safety and save the heroine's life!

Despite my 'need for a break from it all', I was delighted! The story plot actually involved an element of the French Revolution, and that was in part how Thomas Jefferson made his appearance. I didn't see it coming, though! What a treat! Jefferson's time 'on stage' was well-handled, and actually very believable.

So now, I have no gumption at all to pursue Palestinian issues, yet am also loathe to not do so. I don't want to leave the subject unfinished.

Compounding my reluctance to stay 'current', I have begun reading 'The 5,000 Year Leap', (after reading AndyD's review (Political Friends blog) of it & then getting the book!) and the pull to sink back into things Revolutionary is gaining momentum!

So I'm hoping to work this quandary out over the weekend. Stay tuned!

Independence Day, 2009....by His grace!

"...My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." (Luke 1: 46,47, KJV)

As Americans across the nation, from purple mountains' majesty to the congested streets of New York City, celebrate the Fourth of July, as indeed peoples from countries worldwide know of this our great commemoration of freedom, I find myself moved by this freedom as never before in my life.


How precious is our liberty.


How can that which is purchased by blood be anything less? What can compare to freedom?

How great our God, He who designed this plan and He who also brought it to pass. He, the firstfruits, and now we, the favored ones who daily partake of that which has been provided for us. It is true, we yet fight for freedom on foreign soil. But we did not have to fight in that unprecedented American revolution that necessitated the drafting and signing of our Declaration of Independence on this day, two hundred and thirty-three years ago. We, my friends, are the heirs to Liberty! We have been born with that silver spoon in our mouths!

Are we worthy? Only because He has so declared it. More and more, I marvel, why did God place me in the great United States of America? Who am I, or, as King David so eloquently wrote in the Psalms, What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? It is essentially the same question I ask. My only answer dwells in God's sovereignty, and His Word. He hath done, and He hath said, Amen.

"..this ball of liberty...will roll around the globe...for light and liberty go together. It is our glory that we first put it into motion." ( Thomas Jefferson, June 1795 )


God bless America.

My fellow Americans, may your Independence Day be a favored one.

Israel's Rights vs. "Cast Out the Bondwoman" ?

In recent days, we've learned that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has agreed to a limited Palestinian state. (I myself was taken aback somewhat when I read this, as Mr. Netanyahu has been repeatedly described as 'hawkish'. I'm assuming that his reversal of position here was a result of United States influence/pressure (?) experienced in his latest meeting with President Obama.) One of the conditions is that the Palestinians agree to remain un-armed. Not surprisingly, this is not going over too well on the Palestinian front, last I heard.

Having recently posted on viewing a situation from the opposing side (see article), thus getting a differing perspective from my earlier one, I'm more prone to attempt that same approach in other matters now. I can't say I enjoy doing this, and I believe real caution is in order when so attempting, but in search of truth and justice, such investigations become mandatory. Issues can weigh heavy with me, even if I myself am not immediately involved. Or ever involved ! But sometimes I am compelled, as the apostle Paul wrote in Acts, to "search these things out for yourselves".

President Obama's Cairo address included the topic of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I believe. In posting about that speech, therefore, my thoughts turned in this direction. As a Bible-believing Christian, I pretty much had the basics down pat, I thought, regarding Israel's right to its land. Numbers 34 opens with a clear and definite description of the boundaries of the land (Canaan) promised to the Israelites by God. It's right there, in black and white. In fact, if you back up to Genesis 12, we see that Abraham (called Abram at the time) and his posse "went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came." And at that point the LORD informed him that "...Unto thy seed will I give this land..." All you Bible students out there know the simple math of Abraham, Isaac, then Jacob - whose name was changed to Israel. Biblically, it was in the Divine cards, so to speak, for specific lands to belong to the Israeli people. And if you check out a basic map of this clearly-outlined-by-God territory and overlay it on a map of the Middle East today...do I really need to tell you where we find ourselves? (map)

About two years ago, I was thrown a curve.

Reading an article entitled "American Apocalypse" , I was presented with a perspective on 'Biblical prophesy' and 'end-time events' that seriously contradicted anything I'd ever heard, or been taught. The thing of it was, the article made sense to me. Still, I would've balked, kicked and screamed my way out of it, if relevant Scripture hadn't been included. But it was. Now, I can't quite accept the cut-and-dry version of evangelical, mainstream Bible teaching concerning certain events anymore. And one of those events is the outcome of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis.

It took a little doing to backtrack and locate this article, but I've done so, and am re-reading it. I'd forgotten the whole thrust of dispensationalism factoring into my newly-considered end-times position. I used to work in a Bible bookstore, and I remember seeing that volume (by Clarence Larkin, was it?) about dispensationalism. Never got into it, though. All things are summed up in Christ, and I've always felt that it's all about Him. Other areas of Scriptural study just have never really appealed to me all that much. Too many charts or something, in this one. Plus, don't call me a dispensationalist, or a Methodist, or a Baptist, or any other 'ist', thank you, I believe in Jesus, and Him alone. When it comes to Christ, why do we need to subscribe to the tenets of various movements, organizations, and denominations? Some form of identity security or what?

As I see I'm heading off on a tangent, let me rope myself back in. Because I really, really get aggravated when it comes to 'religious organizations', and rules, thou shalt's and shalt not's, and any other form of structure that can turn a living organism into an organization. Yeah, it's the rebel in me, the wild child, but I want to be free! And when the Son sets you free...you don't need an 'ism' or an 'ist'. His grace is sufficient. (Too scary for some, I know, but He can help you get over that.)

So...back to dispensationalism.

The prodigy of John Nelson Darby's theology, dispensationalism became more widely known through the publication of Charles Ingersoll Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible in 1909. A key element of this teaching is that all Scripture, especially prophecy, is to be interpreted literally, and Scofield taught that a prophecy may never be 'spiritualized'. With this in mind, then, the land promised by God to Abraham and Israel must ultimately come into their (Israel's) physical possession, exactly as detailed by the LORD. Additionally, it is a Scriptural statement that God's Word will not pass away, and that He never changes, nor lies. So, Scofield and Darby notwithstanding, most Christians would see things this way anyhow. As did I.

"Christian leaders are zealous to ensure that U.S. foreign policy continues to be dictated by the interests of Israel without regard for the consequences in terms of Islamic reaction," writes Stephen Sizer, the above-mentioned article's author. He adds that dispensational belief in the futility of peace treaties between Israel and its Middle Eastern neighbors, and God's blessings on America while she supports Israel in all endeavors, is "deeply destructive" to American interests worldwide.

I remember being floored when I read these statements a couple of years ago. They fly in the face of everything I've ever believed. Yes, they sound logical but are they spiritually accurate? How could I even dare to consider...but as I've moved on in my life, I try to squelch knee-jerk reactions. Give things time, let them marinate a bit...so, bug-eyed and in mild shock, I filed this in the back of my mind, to be re-examined at a later date.

Which seems to have arrived...

No doubt, the world appears to be heading towards an eventual Armageddon. John Hagee made a comment during one of his televised sermons that a weapon has never been developed that wasn't eventually used. (I haven't researched that, but he's an intelligent man, and seems to know what he's talking about. So I'm goin' with, he's right...) And Israel is the hot spot of the world. It's not lookin' good. When all nations converge on Jerusalem, right?

But I've often been unwilling, even unable to concede to what seems obvious to many, if not most. Those twelve spies sent out by Moses judged according to the obvious, and their demise was swift (Numbers 14:37) - but Caleb had a different spirit (v.24), speaking and believing in faith, and lived, entering the Promised Land with Joshua (v.30). (Now, these Scriptures do refer to obtaining the land promised, against all odds - they could be used to in fact disprove the point I'm trying to make. The angle from which I'm approaching this scenario is, not judging according to obvious circumstances. Daring to see a different way.) So I wonder, with the Lord a day is as a thousand years...there may be more time than we think, and it may be that events transpire in a manner other than what we have heretofore believed, or thought. I know this sounds blasphemous, and I am not saying anything other than, I wonder...either way, God's plan and purposes will come to pass, of a surety, know this.

ooo

Now, one thing we all do know is that there exists an old and a new Covenant, Biblically speaking. We are told, in Galatians 4, that Abraham's two sons, one by a bond woman and one by a free woman, represent these two Covenants. The son of the bond woman Hagar was in the same rank with the Jerusalem that then existed, the physical, earthly city, and a type of the old Covenant "...which gendereth to bondage" (v.24). Now that old Covenant was struck on Mt. Sinai, and gave us law. Not grace, people, law...! Be clear on that! "...which gendereth to bondage." Scripture records here, "...Cast out the bondwoman and her son..." (v.30) (as was done to Hagar and her child {Genesis 21:10} ), because the slave child shall not inherit along with the child of freedom, the child of grace and promise, which is the new Covenant, the "Jerusalem which is above" (Gal.4:26).

There are two Jerusalems.


What I wonder is, when the bondwoman and her son were cast out, what they stood for was cast out as well - and since what they stood for was old Covenant, and the physical Promised Land description resides in old Covenant 'territory' language - is it possible that the temporal fulfilment of such language has also been invalidated? If this is so, then perhaps there really is a New Day for the Middle Eastern countries. Perhaps there will be another answer, a different and unexpected door that will open up.

ooo

I had never understood exactly what 'Zionism', or 'Christian Zionism', was. Now, Zion itself, I understand, with rejoicing! But this other...wasn't sure, but figured it must be good...right? Now, I question that cautious conclusion.. Mr. Sizer has this to say: "Increasingly, Dispensational Christian Zionism is being perceived as a deviant heresy which is subservient to the political agenda of the State of Israel." The Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism denounces the movement as 'extreme', 'detrimental to...peace' between Palestine and Israel, and as reducing the Gospel of the grace of God in Christ to an ideology of empire and militarism. It rejects the teachings of Christian Zionism where they facilitate such action and attitude.

The good part is, and my heart thrills to this next - the Declaration doesn't stop at just refuting Christian Zionism, but presents to us the better way. We are urged to pursue the 'healing of the nations' through the 'gospel of universal love, redemption and reconciliation taught by Jesus Christ.'

ooo

I suspect that I sound naive and uninitiated. This may be. But truth bears looking into, and one has to start somewhere. In the course of my doing so, I happened upon a site on which a statement was made about the disregard for the plight of the uprooted and homeless Palestinians. Considering this crisis from that perspective, I've began searching out information and articles relevant to this subject. Next on my agenda, approaching from the Palestinian perspective...

Having said all the above, I ask my readers to bear in mind that I'm only putting it out there - thoughts, ideas and questions. And if backed up against a wall, my only response, if one was required, is that I believe that Jesus Christ is the great I Am. He holds the future in His hands.

This Moment in Time: Obama in Cairo

Tomorrow, President Obama will touch down in Cairo, Egypt, to meet with the Egyptian president and address the issue of U.S.-Muslim relations. (By the time you are reading this, the 'tomorrow' of which I speak will be at least yesterday, or the day before...) I had an entirely different set of plans for today, but as I read an online article in USA Today, reporting on Obama's four-nation Middle East tour, a sense of profound import weighed upon me. I have never experienced anything quite like it before.

History in the making, and far more than many, involved in the daily business of life and survival, are cognizant.

This moment in time is engaging me in a way such as I have never been. Though I did not vote for him, from the moment of President Obama's victory, I knew something was different, for me personally, as concerned this new Commander-in-Chief. Though supporting our former President George W. Bush, and though that President was in my heart, I was not engaged with him in the way that I realized immediately I was and would be with Barack Obama. Something has changed. Perhaps it is the man himself, but I tend to think it is just as much, the times. "To everything there is a season, and a time..." (Ecclesiastes 3:1. KJV) We, as Americans, as people, and as a world community are standing at a threshold, about to step over it. We are at a moment when anything, when all things are possible.

***

"What's new here is that people are listening to this president," said Shibley Telhami, a professor at the University of Maryland. "They heard him empathize with their issues. They heard him express an understanding not only of their religion and culture, but their issues." (source)

***

We, too, must be willing to listen. Not carelessly, nor without caution. Not forsaking the call of our heart, nor our God, but I tell you, I read once that the attitude of the Savior is a listening attitude, and New Testament Scripture tells us as well, through the words of the apostle James, "...let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath..." (James 1:19, KJV). This Greek word translated into the English 'hear' involves the element of understanding. (Strong's Concordance, Greek #191). Listening in order to understand, while we hold our tongue and let anger take a hike for quite awhile. These instructions are presented to us in connection with the 'word of truth', from God the Father of lights, the Giver of "Every good gift and every perfect gift..." (v.17). He may have something to say to us, something other than what we expect. We may need to be willing to reconsider previous attitudes and approaches.

President Obama's approach to the Muslim world has spoken to me. I was surprised to learn that "people in Egypt and across the Islamic world want a better relationship with the United States", according to vice provost Ali Hadi of the American University in Cairo. Hadi said that"the entire world, including the Arab and Muslim worlds, was very sympathetic," after the September 11 attacks on the United States. And 76% of the respondents to a recent Gallup Poll indicate the importance to Americans of US-Muslim relations. (The monkey-wrench-in-the works here may be that too many Americans think 'extremist' when they hear the word 'Muslim', and don't realize that only 2-3% of the Muslim population fall into that category. Though the carnage wrought by this percentage is and has been great, the numbers of such violent men and women are relatively small, and we as Americans need to make it a point to remember that.) With American standing improving somewhat in the Middle Eastern world, and hopes in some of those countries rising as concerns our new President's making a difference for good, this may be the time in history when a door is opening that we cannot afford to shut. We cannot shut it with closed minds.

***

"We are a growing minority, and we are misunderstood and misrepresented," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "The president is helping to undo and break down stereotypes of Muslims and also break down stereotypes of Americans." (source)

***

About a year ago, a man showed up at my place of employ, with whom I one day got involved in a conversation about then-candidate Obama. This man told me that Barack Obama would win the election, which I already believed anyway, so that wasn't so unusual, except for the certainty with which he said it, and what else he added to his prediction. He told me that Barack Obama was 'from above', and was sent to fix America's problems.

After this conversation, I never saw the man again. No one else that worked with me recalled seeing him. He hadn't been there that long, so perhaps that wasn't so unusual either, but...I think it was.

Like many, I have also heard that President Obama is the Anti-Christ. Around the same time as the above incident, I was given a print-out of an email, sent by a pastor's wife, declaring absolutely that this was so. The message had an alarmist quality to it, frantically calling all to prayer. I was wary of the message, and essentially disregarded it, but kept it on a 'back burner'. There have been moments when I've thought, Hmmm...I can see how this may be true. If it is, I don't think any amount of praying will stop such an event. I don't think. However, I do think that the best course of action at this time is to heed the Scripture that tells us to "...judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts..." (1 Corinthians 4:5, KJV) There comes a moment when God shows up, and you know.

In the meantime, I wonder if it might not behoove us to avail ourselves of this declaration from the celebrated 1 Corinthians 13, that love (charity) "...believeth all things, hopeth all things..." (v.7). This may be the only way America can be restored, and move forward. It may seem foolish to some, but God uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.

***






Thank you for stopping by....please return for my next post, in which I will address, briefly, the Israeli-Palestinian situation.

Depending on your Point of View...

In my reading and studies of our nation's beginnings, I am frequently struck by an angle or viewpoint that may not be the one usually pursued.

It is said that there are two sides to every story, right? (Personally, I maintain there are at least three...!) Have you ever considered viewing the American rebellion years leading to the events of 1776 from the perspective of the English monarchy? Not, of course, that England was in the right - it just makes for, may I say, an interesting approach. From our viewpoint, perhaps 'absurd' would be a better word, in light of where America stands today... I just find it intriguing how a situation, or an individual, can be perceived so very differently by those involved, or by on-lookers, based on...based on what? Needs? Desires? Duty? How we can be so absolutely certain of a thing, but time may soon tell us that we were mistaken...

Of course, we want to be sure, we want to be certain...it can be uncomfortable and unsettling, if not down-right hard, to be unsure of what one believes, or what one should do. Decisions eventually must be made, action must be taken at some point. One cannot waffle forever. So how do we know? Often, we don't. Then it becomes, whether minute or major, a risk. Risk can be scary. To move forward, risking, invites bolstering one's self with the certainty of the belief motivating the risk. So we're back at Square One! Do we refuse doubt? That can be foolhardy...but if we don't...can we move forward?

At that point, I might dig into my mental pocket and pull out Scriptures, a favorite being "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5, KJV) This can be difficult to do, though! And when the building still falls down around you, then what? That's where the business of your own "understanding" needs to be re-evaluated. Your and my idea of loss, defeat or even disaster, and our reactions to these things, are probably not the way God is looking at it. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 55:8, KJV)

George III, King of England during those early Revolutionary years, believed God was on his side. He believed this with all his heart. Consequently, it only made sense that England should and would triumph. How wrong was that assumption!

Conversely, Americans came to see George III's rule as being any number of cruel, unjust and tyrannical elements, deliberately being applied to deprive them of the freedoms and the life which they wanted. There could be no justification for being bowed down by them, enslaved to them...yet the King could see no justification for the colonies not being subjected to him and his rule. On July 5, 1775, one year plus one day before the signing of our Declaration of Independence, King George III made his own declaration, in a letter to his Prime Minister, that "no consideration" would cause him to "depart from the present path which I think myself in duty-bound to follow." ( John Fortescue, ed., Correspondence of King George III ) He would "trust to Providence" as he followed this course, "compelling obedience" from the colonists. (David McCullough, 1776)

The English monarch did not want to war against his own subjects. Addressing Parliament at the Palace of Westminster, in October of 1775, the King explained that he had hoped to prevent the bloodshed and calamity "inseparable from a state of war", and expressed his desire for the people in America to recognize that being a member of British society, being his subject, was to be the "freest member of any civil society in the known world." ( William Cobbett, The Parliamentary History of England from the Earliest Period to the Year 1803) Ah, but we have come to know better...

In his speech that day, the English monarch used phraseology that put me in mind of words from our first President, George Washington, the leader of truly the freest civil society in the known world. Speaking of the "fatal effects" (to his realm) of American success in achieving independence, King George presented a picture of the British nation as one abundantly blessed by God, favored, vigorous in growth and prosperity, of which the colonies were a part as well as a result. Washington, in unused Inaugural notes, (cited in my sidebar) spoke of Divine favor and abundant blessing and resources burgeoning upon our continent, bestowed for the emerging young nation of America to do that very thing, emerge! The similarity in the sound of the words is, however, disrupted by a singular difference: George III was more than loathe to relinquish the colonies, whereas Washington saw the "salutary consequence of which shall flow to another Hemisphere & extend through the interminable series of ages...{he anticipated} the blessed effects which our Revolution will occasion in the rest of the world..."

I have done more reading than most about George Washington, and from that, I know that he trusted to Providence. King George, as referenced above, trusted to Providence as well. Both men were key leaders, one way or another, who believed absolutely in their cause, even more so as that cause reached crisis level. Yet only one led to the victory desired, the triumph most precious of freedom won. As my regular readers know, and my blog title explains, I see the hand of God in America's beginnings. Obviously I would believe that it was His will that brought to pass this victory, though not easily, nor without great suffering and bloodshed. Yes, I do believe that American victory was Divinely intended in this Revolutionary War. But I see another principle here, resident within that intention. Though "... sincerely believ{ing} he was defending Britain's constitution against usurpers..." (Conservapedia) , George III, the King was fighting as well to HOLD ON to property and wealth. He fought for the tangibles. George Washington, the General fought for so much more than that - though tangibles were definitely a part of the Revolutionary cause, that army fought for the intangible. They fought for liberty. Their fight was for the unseen, and "...the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Eternity marched with Washington's troops.

Surrender of the Hessians to General Washington

.

announcing, one more time...Guantanamo!

The Senate has rejected the funding requested by the Obama administration for shutting down Gitmo. Until the fate of its 240 prisoners is clearly and in detail determined, nobody, no how, is getting any money for it.

Is anyone else beginning to suspect that the Guantanamo prison may end up not being closed down?

Well, I am.

I'm so excited about that prospect that I'm almost giddy. I would probably be dancing around the room right now if I wasn't sitting at my computer typing this post. Time will tell, of course, and there's that whole not-counting-your-chicks-'til-the-eggs-have-hatched thing...

But -
behold the following excerpts from an article in today's Washington Post...

- "he {FBI Director Robert S. Mueller} said he was generally concerned that released detainees could "support" terrorism, provide financing, radicalize others or even participate in attacks in the United States."

- "Democrats under no circumstances will move forward without a comprehensive, responsible plan from the president." He added, "We will never allow terrorists to be released into the United States." (Senate Majority leader Harry Reid-D)

- "But their {Senate Democrats hoping to get at least part of Obama's $80 million request to close Gitmo} resolve crumbled in the face of a concerted Republican campaign warning of dire consequences if some detainees ended up in prisons or other facilities in the United States, a possibility that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has acknowledged.

- "Republicans said they will continue to press for even tougher language aimed at forcing the military to keep the Guantanamo site in operation.

- "The bottom line is, there are things down there {Guantanamo} that we can't replicate anywhere else," said Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) ...Keeping the facility open and operating within U.S. legal norms, "is by far the best option."

- "...some {Senate Dems} are even echoing the GOP assertion that the state-of-the-art facility should remain open."



It seems that, as the actual event of releasing hard-core, America-hating terrorists/suspects moves closer, people are getting nervous. The Democrats who want to close Gitmo are getting nervous. NOBODY wants these detainees in this country. Who in their right mind would? They are dangerous. Whether people are for or against the Afghan-Iraqi war, for or against torture, for or against Obama or Bush, I think it's a pretty safe bet to repeat: NOBODY wants anyone with even the scent of terrorism clinging to them, in a prison in this country, or released and roaming free in this country. It is incredibly, incredibly, and I repeat for the third time incredibly stupid to release these detainees into this country. "We, the people" do not want them here.

Reading this piece in the Post, I had this ludicrous impression of the big, bad Wolf (actually, the Republicans) huffing & puffing & blowing the House down! (Dems trying to close Gitmo). Me having mental images of a political caricature is in and of itself...well, a first! But that's how it looks to me...

Returning to Things Jeffersonian...

It was a close call. The recent release of the CIA memos was pulling me in the direction of 'commentary', but while eating, I leaned down & picked up a book lying on the floor nearby, to read & stir up my mind a bit. Get some creative juices flowing! Picking up where I'd left off in "American Sphinx: the Character of Thomas Jefferson" proved to be...well, stimulating is a good word, but not the one I'm looking for. As I read about the Windsor chair in which Jefferson sat, and the specially-made desk on which he wrote the Declaration of Independence, in a brick building on the corner of 7th. & Market Streets, in Philadelphia, I actually sat up straighter, almost thrilled, & started to cry joyful tears. I don't know if that building is still standing, but if it is, I'm heading there on my upcoming vacation.


And, just like that...it's back to Thomas Jefferson!
ooo

I had been writing about Jefferson's background of learning, where and when he was exposed to the ideas and roots of ideas that were, ultimately, so powerfully instrumental in the shaping of America and its systems of law and government. And I want to continue in that vein. But, while reading about him last night, several other topics presented themselves, I took notes, and while these ideas are still fresh, I want to expound on them a bit. So, let me get those notes...

First, let me just say - I am almost bedazzled by the mind and personality of this man. I found myself grinning inwardly, (if that's possible) and I'm talkin' BIG grin here, as I watched Thomas Jefferson's mental prowess unfold, through the words of author Joseph J. Ellis. And I suppose I should admit some of that 'warm fuzzy' I was feeling was because I could understand what Jefferson was doing, and how he operated. I almost feel as if I've met a kindred spirit...my heart goes out to his thin-skinned touchiness towards, and jealousy of his literary endeavours. Jefferson didn't take kindly to its criticisms. He nourished & cherished his works, he birthed them in solitude and they were his, not to be picked on, tampered with, or re-adjusted by others. As Ellis puts it "he regarded all critical suggestions as unwelcome and misguided corruptions." Jefferson had to endure a certain amount of it, but he did not have to like it.

(At this point, I've realized those notes are, so to speak, history! Can't find 'em! So, until and if I do, let's get back to business...)

I don't want to neglect emphasizing the early-years' learning influence on Jefferson's thinking. Seeds planted back then, in a fertile, active mind, produced much more than just concepts and formulas. And Jefferson's seemingly unquenchable thirst for knowledge factors into the equation as well...in today's society, he may well have been labeled a 'nerd', considering the amount of time he actually preferred to spend with his books, instead his friends! A close college chum has reported that during his two years at William & Mary College, Jefferson would "fly to his studies", leaving friends in the dust, and family tradition indicates those studies often took up fifteen hours of his day! (Wikipedia, Thomas Jefferson, Section 1.2 - Education)


Fast-forwarding, from the vantage point of a major player in the creation of the new nation of America, Jefferson was the embodiment of the kinds of knowledge needed for such a monumental endeavour. All of the amazing men whom today we call a Founding Father, (or who, though we may not recognize their names, took part in our beginnings), were vital and indispensable to such a profound event. Each had his part. But the mentality with which Thomas Jefferson was equipped, and whose life's learning and experiences had produced that mentality, brought to the table that which would cement forever in place all those individual parts. The pillars of American government, and its liberty, were thus secured.


Over eighty years after the creation and signing of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson's masterful sculpting of principles, arguments and ideas gave to "abstract truth" a form so powerful and enduring as to more than merit this high commendation:

"The principles of Jefferson are the definitions and axioms of free society...All honor to Jefferson - who...had the coolness, forecast, and capacity to introduce...an abstract truth,(emphasis mine) applicable to all men and all times...in all coming days, it shall be a rebuke and a stumbling-block to the very harbingers of re-appearing tyranny and oppression." - Abraham Lincoln

So I don't think it is in any way an exaggeration to stipulate repeatedly just how large a part Thomas Jefferson's studies played in the formation of the American way. Indeed, the way which yet today stands as that beacon of glorious liberty to which the whole world looks. Many, in hope, some with longing, and others, sadly, in hatred...but still America stands. In God's will and by His grace and mercy, for sure..but it was His will to so prepare the mind and heart of Thomas Jefferson that, resident within him was the extraordinary compilation of knowledge that made all things possible for America past, America present and may it still be His will, America future...

ooo

Let's examine some of Jefferson's educational history.

At the age of nine, young Thomas was being taught Greek, French and Latin, at a local school.
(Now, I don't know about you, but to me, nine seems a bit young? for Greek, French, and Latin?
( I must say,though, that is impressive.) And, as it turns out, the "study of Latin and Greek,... greatly reinforced {the} understanding of grammar..", which is important for many reasons, one of them being to "acquire as many words and manage as many concepts as possible so as to be able to express and understand clearly concepts of varying degrees of complexity". (Wikipedia, Classical Education Movement, 1.1.1 Grammar) I ask you: are we talkin' Revolution here, are we talkin' government and politics here, are we talkin' Declaration of Independence here? You bet we are.

Skills the man would need were being implanted in the boy. God took no chances.

For two years, from 1758 - 1760, Thomas boarded with the family of the teacher at a school in Fredericksburg Parish, Virginia, twelve miles from Jefferson's home. There he was given a 'classical' education. I was going to gloss over this aspect of Jefferson's education, it seemed inconsequential compared to bigger and better things! but fortunately I had second thoughts. A classical education supplies a student with grammar, logic and rhetoric skills. He learns how to reason, how to "to critically examine arguments and to analyze {his} own." He learns how to express his reasonings through debate and composition, to present his arguments well, and to use every available means of persuasion to do so.

(I won't repeat my 'are we talkin'? bit here...but it does seem like a handwriting-on-the-wall kind of scenario...)

Other phases of classical education involved the study of history as a context, illustrating political and military developments. The presentation of situational conflicts and problems leading to their own answers through forward-moving actions was a primary result of such teaching. And I don't think you can get much more 'forward-moving action' than a revolution for independence from tyranny. How interesting is it that the study of what has gone before can be what leads us into our future.

Included in a classical education was the concept of 'paideia', a Greek word meaning 'education' or 'instruction'. Greek citizens of ancient times believed in self-government, therefore such instruction was, rather than for an art or a trade, instruction for liberty. 'Paideia' encompasses more than this one aspect, but my point is that the seed of liberty was being planted and watered in young Jefferson's thinking.


While at William & Mary College, Jefferson enrolled in the philosophy school there, and was introduced to the writings of John Locke (1632 - 1704). Among other things, Locke was an 'opposition political activist, and finally a revolutionary whose cause ultimately triumphed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.' (link) Sound at all familiar? Though I have not read any of his writings (yet), this source tells us that Locke's work "is characterized by opposition to authoritarianism. This opposition is both on the level of the individual person and on the level of institutions such as government and church." Again...familiar? Locke advocated the use of reason to seek truth, thereby determining legitimate versus illegitimate functions for institutions, thus leading to optimal individual and societal well-being.

Even in just brief research on John Locke, I can see how deeply intrigued one could be by his writings, and how profoundly affected. As, it appears, was Thomas Jefferson.

There is, of course, more - much more - to say about this subject of Thomas Jefferson's education, and I may continue in this vein in my next post. Jefferson is constantly cited as being a man of the Enlightenment, and perhaps that will be next...

Swine Flu got You Scared?

"It is... likely that it will fade away in a couple of weeks, because the flu season is nearly over, and there is no evidence that there is anything unusual about the way this virus behaves."



Read this excellent article, written by medical sociologist Bart Laws, posted on AlterNet this morning, & be encouraged...

http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/139588/much_ado_about_the_flu:_is_the_media_frenzy_justified/