Behind the scenes of John 3:16

This is from a somewhat surprising source - a movie review of "Olympus has Fallen" on WND.com by Drew Zahn, entitled "How could a loving God create hell?  Original here. 

A pivotal scene in the film, however, prompted me – as it will many in its audience – to ask a question of significance: “What would I do if I were in that one character’s shoes?”

My answer to the question led me further to an epiphany about God, about Christ and about the creation of a place none of us would ever wish to truly ponder, a place called “hell.”

In this pivotal scene – and I surrender no spoiler in discussing it in these terms – the president of the United States is threatened with the prospect of watching his son be tortured or killed. The movie’s villain hopes plying the president’s love for his son will extract from the commander-in-chief a code that can be used to wreak mass destruction on a global scale. The choice threatened: to watch his son be tortured or watch the world burn.

What a brutal choice for a father to face.

Yet what would I, the father of sons and daughters, do in this character’s place? What would I say to my son if he were placed upon the terrorist’s torture block, knowing that negotiating for my son’s life would mean surrendering the lives of millions?

I sat in the parking lot after the film and pondered the question.

Yet it didn’t take long for me to come to an answer. Perhaps my answer would be different in the heat of the moment. I don’t pretend to think I’d have this clarity when my son’s screams were ringing in my ears, but in the stillness of a darkened car in a darkened parking lot, the answer came to me.

What would I say to my son?

“My son,” I heard myself saying, “I love you, and I’m sorry, but remember John 3:16. I am the father, and you are my son, and I love you.”

John 3:16: “For [the Father] so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son …”

The answer settled in my soul – painful, agonizing, but right in my heart. I would not spare my son if it meant the death of millions of other sons.

But I can tell you this much: With the sound of my son’s agony resounding in my mind, I would remember every blow, every howl, every scream. And if I somehow made it out of that situation alive, president or no, if I caught that terrorist who tortured my son, no law, no badge, no gun, no force on earth would shield that man from the full measure of my wrath, burning and heaped down upon his head for all eternity.

And with that thought, I suddenly understood hell.

For the Father did seek to save the world, and the price was the brutal torture and death of His Son at the hands of men.

If God is a God of love, and He loves His Son, then we men, above all, have sound and good reason to fear the Father’s eternal wrath. It could not be otherwise and God to be a God of love.

And in that fury, that imagined rage I felt for briefest moment, I asked myself, what would satisfy my wrath? What would stay this father’s hand from a vengeance most fierce and horrible?

One thing. Only one thing. If my son, somehow brought back to life, were to say to me, “It’s OK, Dad. This one is with me. I forgive him.”

Then, and only then, would that man escape my wrath.

According to Scripture, we are the torturers, the terrorists, the brutal slayers of the Son of God, and the Father’s wrath is in store for us. Not just for those that lived in Jesus’ day, but for the whole of humanity.

Yet so magnificent is the love of Christ for his enemies that He said, “Father, forgive them.”
Somehow, Christ, come back to life, is willing to say to His Father, “It’s OK, Dad. This one is with me. I forgive him.”

The question is, of course, are you with the Son? Have you placed your only hope of salvation in His intercession on your behalf before His Father? Or do you persist in torturing Him?

One great big reason "The Sequester" should happen

From The Washington Post:  Sequester might ground lawmakers

Forget threats of furloughed workers or reduced security at embassies.
Here’s what might be the most powerful incentive yet for members of Congress to come up with a deal to avert the sequester: the head of the Air Force today warned that the spending cuts that will go into effect March 1 could cause the military to eliminate those lovely miljet flights that lawmakers enjoy.

The Shekel - Coins, Law and Commentary: Democrat Cognitive Dissonance On Women And Guns

My friend Aaron over at The Shekel nails the utter foolishness of the biggest gun controllers in Washington:

The Shekel - Coins, Law and Commentary: Democrat Cognitive Dissonance On Women And Guns

Suzanna Hupp testifies again before Congress

Yesterday, Suzanna Hupp testified before Congress on the effects of gun control laws.  This testimony is as moving today as it was in the early 90's when she did it the first time, telling Congress her firsthand account of the Luby's Massacre where the gunman killed both her parents.

I link to the Website of Jews for the Protection of Firearms Ownership, which has conveniently put videos of both testimonies together for your viewing.
http://jpfo.org/filegen-a-m/movieplay-hupp-congress-swf.htm

I'm probably preaching to the choir, but perhaps someone will stumble across this blog and see these videos of the true impact of gun control and understand how evil and despicable it is to take the right to self defense away from free men and women.

Perhaps even Colorado Rep. Joe Salazar will see this testimony and realize that his idea of women who are about to be raped would be better served by blowing whistles than blowing the brains out of their attacker is perhaps...silly.

I Just have to say it...

Spank!

MSU 75, UM 52

Dear Sen. Feinstein

Setting aside for a moment the fact the Bill of Rights is about rights, not needs, this gentleman answers the question quite directly from his own experience:

A Jew Without a Gun, by Robert J Avrech

Not that the Congress will listen to actual, you know, logic and reason.

Tiananmen Square Survivor reacts to Obama Gun Restrictions

Well, if folks won't believe me when I talk about what the 2nd Amendment means, maybe they'll listen to this gentleman, who has some up-close and personal experience with tyrannical government - Red China.

Musical Interlude #1

This is terrific!

And this one too!

http:\\thepianoguys.com

New Arrest in the War on Terror

A teacher was arrested today at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a compass, a slide-rule and a calculator.

At a morning press conference, the Attorney General Eric Holder said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-Gebra movement. He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction.

‘”Al-Gebra is a problem for us,” the Attorney General said. “They derive solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in search of absolute values.” They use secret code names like ‘X’ and ‘Y’ and refer to themselves as “unknowns”, but we have determined that they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country.

As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, ‘There are 3 sides to every triangle’.

When asked to comment on the arrest, President Obama said, “If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, he would have given us more fingers and toes.” White House aides told reporters they could not recall a more intelligent or profound statement by the President. It is believed that the Nobel Prize for Physics will follow.





http://www.commonsenseevaluation.com/2010/02/15/the-al-gebra-movement/

Republicans Cave

Why do we even differentiate between Republicans and Democrats any more?  They are all the same.  There isn't a dime's worth of difference between them, as evidenced by their total collapse in passing the bills to avert the so-called "fiscal cliff".

There is no principle in the Republican party any more.  They have given the President everything he wanted, and will drive us even more deeply into financial ruin.  Why does the Republican party exist any more - they only do the bidding of the Democrats.  Even when they had the majority, they couldn't do anything with it.  Except be Democrats.

Ban Hammers!!

The Detroit News ran a story today about an Oakland county man who was attacked while he slept by his 19 year old son, who used a two pound hammer to inflict skull fractures and other broken bones.

In keeping with the lessons coming from Dianne Feinstein and her colleagues in the Senate, it is obvious what we must do to stop these senseless hammer crimes. We have to ban these evil devices which have no legitimate purpose. No civilian needs a two pound hammer - no one needs more than a one ounce hammer. And we need to register those one pounders so if they are used in a crime we can track them. Oh, and when you die your estate has to return them to the government for disposal

Sounds pretty silly doesn't it? Well, that's the "logic" of gun banners.

The First Amendment is already under attack

On Saturday I posed the question about the relative importance of the First and Second Amendments to the Constitution, and how the political left is all about the First but not the Second.

Well, as WND.com reminds us today in this article, the left has been attacking the First Amendment since the 2009 passage of Obamacare.

The article reminds us that the free speech rights of the First Amendment have already been compromised by this law, which imposes abortion and contraceptive coverage on all, including those business owners who have deep moral and religious convictions against such practices.  So these business owners are forced to choose between their convictions and bankruptcy, due to the fines imposed by Obamacare.

Friends, the government is not the benevolent force for good that you are expected to believe they are - they are malevolent, always seeking to expand their control over every thing and every one.  Every American MUST fight against these control freaks and their incessant attacks against the rights of free men and women.  The Constitution is the only thing that stands between you and these totalitarian utopianists, and they are trying to get rid of it one Amendment at a time.

A Little History Lesson for Piers Morgan Followers

I watched a YouTube video of Mr. Morgan interviewing Ted Nugent a little over a year ago.  It went something like this:

Piers: Don't you think that not having as many guns available would solve this problem?

Ted:  No.  It is a proven fact that more guns equates to lower crime rates, based on data from the US Government and the UN.

Piers:  Yes, but don't you think that fewer guns would mean fewer shootings?

Ted: No.  As I just said, statistics show that crime drops where there are more guns, and it rises where there are more restrictions.

Piers: Yes, but don't you think that limiting access to guns would mean less crime?

Ted: *sigh*

And so it went.

I haven't seem any of his post-Sandy Hook tirades (although I have heard they are a sight to behold), I understand they take the same line of reasoning:  Less guns means less crime.

Well, it occurred to me that we have an American historical event that we can look to for instructive purposes in understanding what happens when a legal substance that people want is banned.  That event would be the passing of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution in 1919, more commonly known as Prohibition.  At the time, the evils of alcoholic beverages were considered to be so great that the Congress proposed and the States ratified the Amendment.  All except for Rhode Island, apparently.

Well what happened?  One of the results of the ban is that people ignored it.  Speakeasy's popped up everywhere, and people still got liquor, even though it was illegal.  Smugglers, called "runrunners" brought alcohol from places where it was still legal (like Canada and Mexico) into the US, giving rise to a criminal class.  Then there was the rise of Organized Crime, and people like Al Capone became household names for all the wrong reasons, not to mention events like the St. Valentines Day Massacre.

By 1933, the States had had enough of the crime, death, and corruption that went along with Prohibition, and Congress proposed and the States ratified the 21st Amendment which repealed it.  But we still have the criminal classes and the organized crime that it gave birth to.  Lucky us.

It has been generally accepted in the United States the Prohibition was the wrong thing to do, and that banning something by government edict generally doesn't work out very well for anyone.  At least, it used to be when actual history was taught in schools, and the lessons of history logically discussed.

So for you Morganites out there, including your leader, here is a factual lesson of history for you:  Prohibitions of anything don't get you what you want, they only increase the mess you are trying to clean up.  I don't care how good, important, pious, or superior it makes you feel - it only makes things worse.

And Piers - when you result to name calling and insults, it only shows you have lost the debate, and your arguments are weak and don't hold up to intelligent scrutiny.

For you Constitutional Scholars out there...

I have a question for you as our nation seems to be rushing toward restrictions on rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

Why are 2nd Amendment rights somehow less important than 1st Amendment rights?

Why did the "Occupy" people get to go around raping, molesting, and getting high and getting away with it in the name of "free speech" but one whack-job kills some people and suddenly we have to do away with gun rights for everyone?  How does that work?

Until you people calling for the banning of firearms and ammunition can answer this question in a lucid, unemotional, logical manner, you need to go away because you are whining, not discussing. 

Gun Free Zones

For those of my readers who think Gun Free Zones are the answer to events like Sandy Hook, I offer this insightful video:

Choice

Bravo to ProudHillbilly at From the Caer for this one:

I Really Don't Get It

Spineless

Must be the tears and wailing over the Sandy Hook shooter have rusted the iron spine Gov. Snyder showed last week when facing down the labor unions, because today he completely caved in to the Gun Banners on CPL reform.

I didn't want to believe it when others on my side of this issue were wishing Jennifer Granholm was still Governor, but I have to admit, she was better at signing pro-gun legislation than the Governor we have now.

Gov. Snyder - as of today you are just another politician who won't listen to common sense and sound reason.  There is only one way you get my vote next time around:  Get with Sen. Green, write a better bill (this one had some real malodorous parts), and get it passed by June.  Here is what it must do:

1. Eliminate County Gun Boards.  Most of us wanted the Secretary of State to be the issuing authority for CPL's, but would accept Sheriffs being the issuing authority.  The bill you just vetoed had some good provisions to keep anti-gun sheriffs in line and should be included.
2. Eliminate Gun-Free Zones.  As Sandy Hook proved yet again, Gun-free zones only increase the body count.  Compare Sandy Hook to New Life Church and see what a difference a good guy (or in that case, woman) with a gun and the will to use it will make.  Schools, Hospitals, Sports Arenas - all of them - no longer prohibited.  There is no reason to require extra training or extra anything.  CPL holders in Michigan have proven themselves to be levelheaded and serious about the responsibility we take on when we carry that gun.  Extra training is superfluous.
3. Make it clear that Private Property rights will be maintained.  If a church or business or person wants to prohibit firearms on their property that is their right.  But there should be no opt-outs for schools or other public entities.  If you get state or local funding, you may not prohibit the carrying of firearms.
4. Make it clear that State preemption laws apply to MSU, UM, and Wayne State University.  They don't get to supersede state law.
5. Leave open carry alone.  If nothing else, it is what protects you if the wind blows your cover garment up and people see your pistol and call police, who then hassle you about your pistol and threaten to charge you with brandishing.
6. Eliminate the Permit to Purchase and the resulting pistol registration.

And one more thing, which can't be written into law but should be written in your mind every day:  Stop listening to whining bedwetters who go into a panic whenever something bad happens and immediately want to ban guns.  The problem is not guns - the problem is evil.  And at some point evil needs to be addressed forcefully.

Boehner Must Go

As reported by several news outlets this weekend, Speaker of the House John Boehner is now advocating for a "Millionaire Tax".  Thus the Republican Establishment begins the cave-in to the President on taxes.

John Boehner must not be re-elected to the Speakership in the new Congress.  He is weak and has no core values beyond getting himself re-elected to his cushy congressional job.  Whatever it takes.  Including deals with the devil.

Jeff Feiger on Right-to-Work in Michigan

So I'm driving home from work last night, and I hear a commercial come on the radio that starts out like this:  "Hi.  This is Jeff Feiger".  Instant double-take on my part, as Jeff has been quiet for a while. 

Thus began an irrational spewing of doom and gloom and the same tired old jargon the Jeff and his leftist buddies have been spewing for years.  How Michigan is doomed, and how could we have done this to ourselves, and it's all because of greedy corporate interests that this happened.  And his last three words:  "God help us".  Seriously - he said that. 

Then, this morning, I turned on the radio while getting ready for work and heard him again live on The Paul W. Smith Show spewing the same hogwash.  "Who will want to live here?  It will be nothing but smokestacks!" (whatever that means) And what to him must be the ultimate insult:  "We'll be Mississippi!"  (Honestly Paul W. - why do you keep bringing this guy on?  He is completely irrational, and irrelevant to what is going on in Michigan.)

I don't know if you noticed Jeff, but nobody bought this twaddle when you ran for Governor (John Engler cleaned your clock, and even your own party wanted nothing to do with you), and the number buying it has been steadily decreasing since then.  Your union pals proved that this year by getting drubbed on the two union-backed ballot proposals.

Now, I will give Jeff this much - he is paying for the ads with his own money.  Because our Constitution recognizes your right to sound like an idiot whenever you want, and spend your own money doing it.  It doesn't guarantee that anyone will take you seriously.

More Right-to-Work Hypocracy from the Left

So today the entire Democrat congressional delegation from Michigan flew in to Lansing to lobby the Governor against Right-to-Work, according to The Detroit News.

They are very concerned that this legislation is being brought up and passed in Michigan through some "sneaky parliamentary process", according to Rep. John Dingell.

Umm, folks - may I suggest that you pull the plank out of your own eye before you start working on whatever speck of dust may be in Gov. Snyder's eye?  This is exactly how you shoved Obamacare down our throats, only more so.  Parliamentary tricks, misdefinitions, and stretching of the truth beyond the breaking point, not to mention the Constitution.  Such that the Supreme Court had to set you straight on what you did (yes, it really was a tax, not a fee).

So don't go crying about mean ol' Gov. Snyder and his tricksterism.  Indeed, the republicans have been straight up about what they are doing, not couching it in phony semantic flim-flammery.