Brands and Badges

"A Brand New Man"

A BRAND NEW MAN

Now I lay me down to rest
With a heavy load lifted off my chest
I’m coming home a brand new man
I can do it, YES I can!

These past few months have been pure h***
No one needs to live in jail
You don’t have to act a fool
Just to prove that you are cool

I’ve learned a lot in all these days
And I’ll never forget the price I paid
I can’t say I’d take it back
But I sure can say, I’m done with that!

 Author: Jennifer Starkey

            Vacations, retirements, sick-days were unheard of in my youth.  People rejoiced in accomplishment, hard work and responsible living.

            There is at least one generation, still living, that never knew what it was to draw ANYTHING from government.  There wasn't any social security, entitlements, grants, subsidies or public housing (with the exception of the "poor house") of any type.  Real men, marrying real women, producing real children, took great pride in real homes-churches-communities.  "Daddy" went to work everyday and made enough money to support a family while "Momma" stayed home, in most cases, raising well behaved children.  Every society, culture, and community, witnessed real men anxious to get home at the end of a work day to real families... a well kept house, home prepared food.  These people were not bored.  You never heard the word "bored."  They did not seek entertainment.  They worked in their yard and garden, attended civic club responsibilities, tackled every church opportunity, preferred exercising themselves in local ball games (just imagine men-women-young participating in local ball games, their own municipal facilities compared with today's obese-diabetic-laggards, on the lazy boy, watching young millionaires play ball) and were branded as good tax-paying, voting, God-fearing, law-abiding, citizens. 

            This writer has never been bored one minute in his entire life!  There are too many good books to read, interesting people with which to visit, plans to make and things to do! 

            Too many men and women have sold their souls so cheaply.  Satan always pays off with counterfeit.  Too many convinced that it is "who you know, not what you know."  Too many people taking a short cut of compromise, happy hour instead of quiet time. 

            He was a very pitiful, yet, in every way, beautiful young man.  I was talking with him, and this was in our college days, about family life on the farm.... my hard working parents, grandparents, even the tenants and hired people on the farm... I remember talking to him about the beauty of the soil, crops growing from the soil, the sweat from work, the taste of simple food.  He had come from a very prosperous family.  He told me of the embarrassment of accidently seeing his own father with his mistress... knowing that his own father had fathered a child with another woman, knowing the distress it would bring to his own dear mother.  He said, "This is the way it is with people who put the country club, golf club, promotions and appointments through nepotism, as their first priority.  Their agenda of purpose.  It is so easy, takes so little hard work, just skating and compromising instead of climbing to reach the top of the ladder." 

            This field grade medical Army officer still remembers other Army officers who gained their promotions at the officer's club because their wives "hobnobbed" with the wives of superior officers, and in many cases, their wives actually did more than "compromise" with the superior officer.  One young officer told me his wife paid dearly, in bed with his superior officers, for the husband's promotions.  If the truth were only known, how many politicians compromised every vestige of their own personal morality and value system to get and stay elected.  If the truth were only known about the debts of so many elected politicians owed for political favoritism-campaign funds, we would all be aghast!

            You do wear a brand... you are branded as a disciple of Christ (faith-mercy-committed to God) or as one deceived by the satanic forces of the world-flesh-devil.  Thank God, many have achieved greatness on their own, but many in the world of politics and entertainment have taken shortcuts.  You know it, your family knows and most of the time others will learn.  There are many well known brands which we use... Kraft foods, Nestle, P&G, GM.  Most do not withstand the test of time.  They get taken over, get destroyed by their own failures.  We well remember Eastern and Braniff airlines, Packard, Blackwater, the pay phone, trust/hope chest, and fountain pen.  We could list thousands of things that were a large part of our lives and vocabulary, now a part of our history.  The world's oldest brand is a medicine from India, Ayurvedic, still manufactured today.  How many remember Castoria?  Lydia Pinkems?    

           In the early wild west, ranchers branded their cattle with a hot iron. And, we are all branded, one way or another. Many kept their brand in the closet for many years (homosexuals, mafia, drug cartels). Now, the gay lifestyle and agenda has become a badge of honor, not a brand. Now, eugenics and euthanasia (killing of babies and elderly), has become a badge which no longer shames. Now, divorce, illegitimate children, and welfare checks are flaunted before the public, even at the church house. Welfare queens wear, as a badge, many children from many fathers. Badges which were honorable to boy scouts, police officers, pastors (vestments) and military units, are no longer burying the weight of honor.

            The best example I could ever give to the real difference in a brand of honor and a badge of dishonor is former pastor, Cho Yong-gi, served 750,000 members. "In the early 21st century, the church's goals for next 10 years are to build 500 prayer houses and 5,000 satellite churches in Korea..." Recently, he was sentenced to 3 years in prison for embezzlement.

            It was true 4000 years ago and is still true today:

            "A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, Favor is better than silver and gold."  - Proverbs 22:1

St. Herod The Great

One of my best friends, when I was in the Army as a field-grade medical officer; was a black medical officer who was born and reared in the delta of Mississippi. This was many lifetimes ago, we were both young, the military was newly integrated, did not have many black doctors. He had an interesting story, born on a delta cotton farm, his family, through every dime they could raise, saw him graduate from college at the black Meharry Medical School at Nashville TN.

Retired, living in Florida with his daughter, he showed up on my doorstep, having taken a flight from New York, stopping off here just to visit me. We went out to lunch, and before he had to leave on his next flight, we talked about many things. I asked, “what has happened to the black population, spiritually, politically, morally?” He said, “because of abortion and AIDS, the black population will rapidly disappear. AIDS, as you know since you have been there, is wiping out the black population of Africa. It is doing the same thing in America, and because of abortion, 52% of all black babies are killed.”

I asked him, “we know the attitude of the liberal, black communist politician...Waters, Rice, Powell, Holder, Rangel, Obama, etc, but what has happened to the black theologians, ministers, black doctors, lawyers, teachers, have they lost their senses through black nationalism, liberation theology, Rules For Radicals?” He said, “they don't care, they do not care what happens to this nation. They cannot get over physical slavery, and so they have substituted it for mental slavery.”

In my youthful questioning of my faith, and others questioning my faith, it was always difficult for me to reconcile God's gift to the world in His only Son, yet the slaughter of so many innocent male children by Herod the Great at the same time. The patron saint of New York City should be Herod the Great, because even more horrific than the murder of 52% of black babies by abortion nationally, this figure is as high as 62% in New York City. On the Avenue of the Americas, New York City, a sign was put up on February 23^rd of this year by the “Life Always” anti-abortion group, showing a beautiful, young black girl in a pink dress with the words “The most dangerous place for an African American is in the womb.” Immediately, black liberals, especially black women activists and Reverend Al Sharpton led protests, demanded that the sign be removed. Black councilwoman Letitia James said, “It is misguided to use Black History Month as a tool to promote this message. Every woman has the right to make personal choices in regard to her body, and I respect many different points of view.” The anti-abortion group, removed the sign, but not to be defeated, the same group put up a sign this month in Chicago reading as follows, “Every 21 minutes, our next possible leader is aborted”, showing a picture of President Obama. Today, there is outrage about this sign.

Americans have a “Las Vegas” mentality, just pulling levers, hoping for the best. If we are invaded by a terrorist nation, could more damage be done? Bizarre moral equivalence, same-sex marriage, division of the denominations because of gay bishops, lesbian pastors (Lutherans, Anglicans). The great television preacher, Dr. Robert Schuller, at odds with his family and choir concerning morality in the church, he wanting to tolerate everything. Dr. Schuller, the church has been too silent, too long, about sin everywhere, in the church and outside of the church. Think of a judiciary unconcerned about the murder of 53 million babies, an effort to force the gay agenda on everyone (don't ask don't tell, same-sex marriage). The family defensive marriage act passed the congress 457 to 81. Already, the defensive marriage act has been thrown out by the corrupt, communist Obama administration.

The exceptionalism of America is built on the foundation of faith and family. We have never understood the deception of family life in Islam...slavery of women, honor killing of children, frightful controls of dress and behavior. The very fact that a Muslim woman cannot drive a car, is so restricted in every activity of womanhood, should bring out brigades of American liberated women to fight for Muslim human rights. But, liberal Democrat women have blind spots about the murder of babies, the enslavement of personhood in other countries.

Ever since the Muslim split in 600 AD, Sunni, Shia. There has been a rafting by responsible societies to escape the misery inflicted on the women and children of this religion (out of sight, out of mind). Only the tourists who have visited these 44 Muslim countries, only academics who have studied this religion, could talk about the insanity involved in Islam. But, the Muslims do not abort their babies, are careful of diet, careful of debilitating habits (drinking, smoking), they honestly feel they are a superior race. According to Chapter 9 of the Koran, they must either convert or kill all infidels, all non-believers in Islam, the last religion. They do not honor any other religion. They actually believe that the rocks and trees will talk to them at the end of the world, telling them where all the unbelievers are, so that at the end of the world there will be nothing left alive except for Muslims.

Is anyone concerned with the ridiculous idea that we can establish a democratic society in such chaos? Has anyone considered that Christians and even members of other faiths, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, should build their belief system on a solid foundation of truth and justice. Christians know that through prayer, all things are possible. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (John 15:7)

I Know Nothing (2009)

Hogan’s Heroes was a television situation comedy running from 1965 to 1971 with 168 episodes. The comedy featured a prisoner of war camp in Germany where American prisoners were adept at managing their own prison camp letting the camp commander, Colonel Klink, think he was in charge. Sergeant Schultz, the jovial, somewhat retarded sergeant in charge who had a line which has been used by Americans of this television generation for nearly 40 years, “I know nothing.” Any time you hear this line, you are talking with a person of that generation and everyone immediately takes reference.

The great comedian, Will Rogers, was quoted as saying, “All I know is what I read in the newspapers.” Since I dictate these articles, “all I know” is what I remember from a very different world, 50 years ago, when I had eyesight, could read, observe and keep up with things. I lost my eyesight as an Army medical officer during the Korean War era. When I could last see, women looked like women, effeminate, manicured, well groomed.  They wore dresses, heels, jewelry, perfume. I understand that men now have taken on these traits. I understand that men now wear earrings, have long hair, are shaped more like women than men. Most men have always been attracted to femininity. Women have always been attracted to masculinity.

I saw this coming in the military, 50 years ago.  I was on the staff of the Army Hospital at Fort McClellan, Alabama, The Women’s Army Corp (WACS) Training Center.  It bothered me to see these masculine-type women come in for treatment wearing male clothes even to brogans (laced-up boots). In their effort to be masculine, they forgot personal hygiene.

In recent years, since there is an integration of women with men in all military units, people I still know in the military tell me that the worst thing that could possibly have happened to this military super power is the influx of women who want to be treated like men, but in God’s sexual economy, cannot meet the requirements of the men. I understand that if a woman is pregnant, she stays on light duty and that in many cases, like the Canadian Eskimos (I learned all about the Canadian Eskimos when traveling through the Canadian Western Provinces.) They are treated like eunuch pets. Gloria Steinem said, on one of her better days, “Women need a man like ‘a fish needs a bicycle.’”

The most pitiful young man I have ever known worked for me in one business I owned for several months. His lesbian mother lived with her lesbian female friend and they had raised this young man. He needed a man to talk with desperately and talk he did. He described the perverted torture in coming of age (with all the chaos of sexual identity in youth) in such a debilitating environment.

Another young man who also was an employee told me at length about his masochistic “wannabe man” mother. One girl, who worked for me told me how, in coming home from school to her house, her mother would come to the door and tell her to go to a neighbor’s house because her mother was “entertaining.” She did not want to go to the neighbor’s nor did the neighbor want her there. She said, “I want nothing to do with my biological mother,” and so was the same expression from all of those I have known. In the several gay men I have known, not one has ever referred to his father. Do the biological parents living together or single (37% of all mothers are single) understand the psychosis of sexual identity? Since I had considerable eyesight problems while still on active duty, I was used as a psychiatrist in listening and, I hope, helping young women trying to escape the memories of their childhood abuse. Only a priest, could show upmanship on me as to what he has heard.

The greatest evil in the world is the evil of abortion, the taking of the most innocent of human life. Next to that, is the evil sexual promiscuity with same sex couples trying to rear an innocent child who probably has sane, unperverted sexual desires and, sane aspirations for life.

I asked a Catholic priest recently about so many priests leaving the priesthood, Catholics voting for abortion, effects of pedophilia in the ranks. He said, “Thank God it is such a small percentage but ’you just get used to it.’” My mind was not wired, I cannot get my mind around the morality of compromise with actions which I know to be wrong. When I was in school, we, as future doctors, were embarrassed to talk of abortion. Doctors who did abortions were the dregs of society. My Christian convictions limit my even considering acceptance of homosexuality and same-sex marriage. It is beyond comprehension that anyone who has ever read, perused God’s word, particularly a minister who attended a Bible college or seminary, who knows anything at all about the Church being the Bride of Christ, the biblical requirements of a bishop as found in Paul’s Letter To Timothy, the historical scholarship of all religions including natural law, could refute this or natural law.

Even in tribes, untouched by civilization and Christianity, a man has one wife and they have children. They have things and other people do not steal their things. Some laws written and unwritten make sense. The Bible is a law book. The Children of Israel lived under 613 laws, the greatest, the Ten Commandments. Christ came to fulfill these laws with just two commandments, Love For God and Love For Neighbor.

In the agnostic, world of atheism, world in which your children will be indoctrinated, Satan wants them to have academic freedom and freedom of inquiry. This is the mantra of Father Jenkins, President of Notre Dame, in inviting against the wishes of the people and the bishops, Obama to speak at the May 19 Commencement. Why should a Christian school, as a matter of prestige or show of academic freedom, invite a non-believing, anti-life speaker, President or not? IF CHRISTIANS WERE WILLING TO LIVE THEIR FAITH BEFORE THE WORLD, THE WORLD WOULD ALREADY HAVE BEEN CONVERTED TO CHRIST. Instead of the Church changing the world, the world has changed the Church.  Mahatmas Gandhi, who could have led millions of Hindus to a knowledge of Christ, said, “I would have been a Christian if I had not known so many Christians.”

Mark Twain said India is the ultimate travel destination. I have traveled India many times. In Goa, I met the most fascinating man on earth. He was a Tibetan refugee, a warm, sensitive Buddhist. But, he knew more about Christianity than most Christian theologians. He had memorized much of the New Testament.  Like a Jewish scholar had told me earlier in my life, “There is nothing more beautiful than the love of God portrayed in the Gospels and the Epistles.” “God’s word is forever settled in heaven.” (Psalm 119:89) . Hear it, read it, study it, memorize and meditate, get it in your mind.