Think-A-Minute: Character Trumps Policy

Note: This post is largely inspired by completely ripped off from Wall Builders.

Governments, like clocks, go from the motion men give them; and as governments are made and moved by men, so by them they are ruined too. Wherefore governments rather depend upon men, than men upon governments. Let men be good, and the government cannot be bad; if it be ill, they will cure it. But, if men be bad, let the government be never so good, they will endeavor to warp and spoil it to their turn.

I know some say, let us have good laws, and no matter for the men that execute them: but let them consider, that though good laws do well, good men do better: for good laws may want good men, and be abolished or evaded by ill men, but good men will never want (lack) good laws, nor suffer ill ones.

-William Penn, Frame of Government of Pennsylvania, May 5, 1682


Can a country last long which elects as it's rulers those of low character, even if they proclaim wise policy? Not according to William Penn. His argument is clear, no matter how good the laws, it is the men & women in office that enforce them. And if those men & women are of low character, they whey will "warp and spoil government" to their benefit.

It therefore behooves us to ensure only good people achieve office and then to watch closely to ensure they remain good.

Think about that. And remember it whenever you're called upon to select leaders.

Think-A-Minute: Catastrophic processes? Inconceivable!

Everybody knows the earth is billions of years old. It was formed through slow geological processes that take, for example, a million years, or so, to lay down a layer of rock one or two millimeters thick. And even longer for a river to cut a channel through it, which eventually becomes a canyon like, oh let's just say Grand Canyon. And the reason we don't see it happening is that it's such a slow process, and our lives (and for that matter all of recorded history) are so short.

And then along comes the Mt. St. Helens eruption of 1980, and catastrophically lays down thousands of layers of lava, debris, and ash in a matter of hours. Then, two years later, a smaller, mid-winter eruption melts the snow and ice in the crater causing catastrophic mud flows that carved out a mini Grand Canyon through the stratified rock layers in a few short days. It's as if Someone wanted us to know that millions of years are not required, just catastrophic circumstances.

So, if the long ages are not geologically necessary, why are geologists so adamant about their interpretation, clinging to the age-old rocks like The Man In Black dangling at the brink of the Cliffs of Insanity? And what other supposed long, slow geological processes could be better explained by catastrophes (or one big catastrophe)? I do not think it means what they think it means.




Dig deeper:
Mt. St. Helens and Catastrophism
Mount St. Helens—evidence for Genesis!


Photo Credit:
Image lifted from Google Image Search. Originally from The Princess Bride (1987), directed by Rob Reiner.

The Stranger

My father forwarded this message to me in an email. I'm not sure who wrote it, but the sentiment is... worth thinking about.

Long.

And Hard.

---

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Michigan town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger...he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries, comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... Not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol, but the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular Basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name? We just call him 'TV.'

Incidentally, he has a mistress now named Social Media, but we just call her "Socials".

Thank You for Your Service

This is a heart felt thank-you to all of the faithful men & women of the U.S. armed services, here at home and abroad. We appreciate your dedicated service and sacrifice, not just on November 11th, but all throughout the year. As Christmas approaches, I pray that Almighty God will protect you and keep you safe, comfort you and your families during your seperation, and bring you home safely.



Photo Credit:
John Tlumacki, staff photog for the Boston Globe