Last Days of Pompeii (Italy and Greece and Ireland and Spain and Portugal and USA)

Walking down the streets of Pompeii, I remembered Bulwer-Lytton's book, The Last Days of Pompeii, when Vesuvius erupted with hot lava, so fast and so deadly that even the animals in the streets were cemented in time and space. The boiling air was so instantaneous over the city that even the guard at the gate's hands were still on his sword, never drawn from his scabbard. There is no reason not to compare the last days of Pompeii with the last days of the 27 European countries, now in economic chaos, or America, in the throes of economic and social disaster.

It has come slow, but should have been so evident. Many have asked the question, over and over: “how did we get here?”...politics, news media, judiciary, law enforcement, all totally collectivized and totalitarian. Forgetting Judeo-Christian foundations, Christians deserting Christians, even Catholics deserting the churches of Europe (churches being auctioned each day). In Europe, there are more caskets being built than cradles, one of each six pastors is atheist. In America, the church has become more of a business venture than a spiritual inheritance. Pastors, preachers, and evangelicals are more interested in the collection plate than the baptistery; homosexuals in pulpits of Episcopal, Lutheran, and Methodist churches. Everywhere, liberals use the excuse of revolution against tyranny. As London and Manchester burn, riots in many other cities, we are seeing the total decimation of the middle class. Outwardly smirking, but inside cowards to the inevitable.

Certainly in Europe, but more so in America, from a very early age, the citizenry becomes zombies to the hypnotic captivity of television and computers.

Even the unbelievable loss of privacy and security at TSA (Transportation Security Administration) events (airlines and other travel plus athletic events), groping, scanning... offensive in every way. Thugs and bullies, now in law enforcement uniforms. Americans, having learned to accept political correctness, are living in a reality of disbelief. Very blasé, “I smell smoke, I hear the crackling of fire, but I really do not believe my house is on fire”.

A young American volunteers for the military services, not drafted, but volunteering, jumping through every hoop, investigation, examination to serve one's country. We send our very best to other countries, while at home their families and property are molested by the dregs of society. The young doctor, lawyer, engineer is required to show collegiate transcripts, proof of board certification, yet the president of our country produces a forged birth certificate. Licensed investigators can find no trace of his college transcripts, or anything about the man. It seems that no one remembers him at any school which he supposedly attended. He uses the social security card of a dead man (issued in 1890), his wife uses the social security card of a Mexican woman. How long did it take for such insanity to take over...the highest offices of government, control of the news and print media, academics without the desire for knowledge or truth?

One either side of the Cross, spirit-filled individuals have desired and fought for truth, decency, democracy. The demons of deceit and despair have taken over, as in Pompeii and throughout history, most desire to do things right in their own sight. In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25) Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts. (Proverbs 21:2)

The government, the TSA, Homeland Security, IRS, and even the judiciary are a test to every man's freedom. We have become a socially-engineered society. The system of free enterprise, freedom of speech, freedom to bear arms is a challenge. Do you think for one minute that looting, burning, killing would be as widespread, particularly in England, where law enforcement has become an embarrassment, IF the hardworking, taxpaying, producing homeowner and shopkeeper possessed firearms to protect his property? These vagabonds of Satan would retreat if a few looters and burners were killed. Stalin and Ho Chi Minh killed many of their fellow countrymen only after they were weaponless, their firearms had been confiscated. If matches were illegal, only the criminal burners would have matches. Years ago, before his death, at a meeting in New York City, Gus Hall, Chairman of the American Communist Party, in a meeting that I attended, told us that America could be burned down overnight.

8 trips around the world, passport stamped in 157 countries...I believe I have seen more police states than the average citizen. Sure, there is some good in the worst of us, and some evil in the best of us, but as I told my friend Martha, who thought she could salvage gang members (“Tom, God loves them as much as He loves us”), “man is inherently evil and some become more evil with age, some think it is sport to rape and ravage.” In the Seychelles, Syria, and other police states, police dominate society, can go into another man's house, rape his wife or daughter at will, take his things with impunity. I want these sissy, prissy pastors, decked in their vestments, glistening in their piety, to acquire a backbone and warn people about the disaster which is about to overcome them.

Many in this world have experienced hell on earth, our forefathers who claimed our land for freedom, the thousands who have died on foreign soil defending our freedom, in spirit, expect those who live well from God's money to get involved. I expect the veterans who proudly wore uniforms to get involved. The great philosopher Yogi Berra said, “it's not over 'til it's over.”

Trustworthiness

In other commentaries I have talked about my walking the streets of ancient Pompeii, as have so many since the eruption of Vesuvius. The cataclysmic event was so fast, instantaneously fixing everything in place with lava-cement for eternity: dogs lying in a doorway, food on a table, people in basements, in bed, at work, at play. The guard at the gate of the city, still standing with his hand on his sword, trustworthy to the end.

Citizens of today's world live in a “matrix”, a gauntlet of deceit. Trust and trustworthiness is difficult to find...whether a doctor, pharmacist, mechanic, sales people... even the proclaimers and purveyors in the spiritual world. A husband should have no problem about trusting his wife, nor the wife the husband. Children should have every right to put full trust in parents.

I purchased one of my Manhattan co-op apartments from a member of the New York Mafia. He owned two apartments in this very remarkable building, sold me mine because it was one occupied by his daughter. The daughter and her husband had become drug addicts...the husband had killed himself, and the daughter was institutionalized. The father, the MAFIA member, was in tremendous debt to gamblers in Atlantic City. It was because of his desperate need for money, that he sold the property as cheaply as he did, and I paid him cash. It was necessary to completely redecorate the entire unit because of the couple's sickness.

After I got everything settled, he asked me to come over one night, and we talked for a while over some pizza which he had ordered. He said to me, “you are the only man I have ever met who I feel I can trust. Members of my family, the people with whom I do business, 'supposed' friends cannot be trusted at all. They'd all as soon kill me as look at me, if I do not do everything exactly as specified by the Mafia.” I did not need any involvement with this man, but it was an educational experience. He told me things that I wish I did not know, things that had happened with the Mafia family, not only in Manhattan, but their summer houses in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He told me about the social meeting places of mobsters, for example the restaurant on the corner of First avenue and 59^th street (almost under the 59^th street bridge). I walked there on several occasions just to see the circus..stretch limousines parked in the streets around the place, chauffeurs with engines running, immaculate formally-dressed men and woman arriving and leaving. He had told me that most Mafia members were Catholic...Catholicism does not care as long as they get their cut.

The remarkable thing about this member of the Mafia, highly intelligent, extremely personable (I have never known a con man I did not like), I believe that such people as him are more aware than others that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). Most Christians, whether Catholic Mafia or cotton-mill worker Pentecostal, likes to think that we can bargain with God, that we are special in our God relationship. We like to fight the good fight from an air-conditioned foxhole.

God is not playing with us, expects total dedication. Constantly our minds are crowded with thoughts, from these thoughts proceed action, and these actions show our trustworthiness. This scripture in God's Word gives us His expectation of our trustworthiness. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

In these times of national uprisings, protests, efforts at reformation in many countries, the story is being told of a group of men led by a reformer/crusader. He with his 1000 men had sought refuge in the mountains. The king, the ruler of the country, with his army, had pursued them, sent an envoy to the bandit demanding surrender. The bandit chief told the envoy, “pick out any man behind me and tell him to come here.” The bandit leader said to the chosen young man, “go and jump off that cliff.” The young man jumped, was spattered dead below. The bandit leader said, “call another one.” He said to this young man, “stick this dagger in your heart.” The young man did so and fell dead at the bandit chief's feet. The bandit leader said to envoy, “Go tell your king that I have 1000 other just as dedicated , just as trustworthy as these.” The King and his army turned around and went back to their home, not willing to go to battle against this dedicated group.

Satan is in charge of the “heavenlies”...the earth, the air and everything that surrounds us. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12) We have become a world of weasel words, trite hypocrisy. Dominique Strauss-Kahn was one of the world's best speakers on diversity...rich, sophisticated, with friends in high places, politically correct. The spontaneity, unexpected consequences of diversity of dragging an African girl across an expensive Manhattan hotel room. Just to think you could trust this man with the world's money, and a maid could not trust him in a hotel room. This shows the acceptability of sinners on the world scene. In South Africa, girls are being raped by men to cure their lesbianism, called “corrective rape”.

It takes 51 million Americans to elect a President. There are 64 million Catholic voters. If the Christian/Catholic church actually believed in trustworthiness, actually believed in stopping abortion, gave no credence to same-sex marriage, a Sunni-Muslim president such as Obama would not be in the White House. If the American Jews believed in the trustworthiness of the prophets of the Old Testament, they wouldn't support anti-Christian liberal causes such as abortion, stem-cell research, the homosexual agenda, the most anti-Israel President ever and give the anti-God Democrat party 75% of their votes. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Silence Is Consent

Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote the book The Last Days of Pompeii in 1834. This book describes in detail the happenings in the Italian city of Pompeii just before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. When I walked on the streets of Pompeii, I remembered how quick the city was engulfed by fire and lava. The place is frozen in time, even sleeping dogs were cemented forever.

The incandescent light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison, first patented and tested in 1880. This would be the miracle of miracles for America and the world, all working by the light of oil lamps. I will never forget my family's first light bulb after the power lines had been run through the country Our house had been wired and we had the incandescent bulb hanging down from the ceiling...so it was with the local school house, church house, houses of millions around the world. Wonderful light from the incandescent bulb. Also, the bulb gave off just enough heat that it could be used in a room to keep pipes from freezing, in an area to keep the water pump from freezing, in a chicken house to keep small chicks from freezing.

Today is the day we bid goodbye to the incandescent light bulb, it will no longer be manufactured in America. Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) joined with U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming) to introduce the Better Use of Light Bulbs (BULB) Act. The legislation would repeal light bulb standards Congress included in the 2007 energy law that effectively bans traditional incandescent light bulbs starting in 2012. “Washington needs to stop picking winners and losers in the marketplace and micromanaging how Americans live their lives,” said Senator DeMint, the lead co-sponsor of the bill. (http://www.thestatecolumn.com/state_politics/south-carolina/sen-jim-demint-bill-would-end-ban-on-incandescent-light-bulbs/)

American trend forecaster, Gerald Celente, says America's future has two possible outcomes: terrorism or WWIII. I believe there is a third outcome, if there are enough Americans with the backbone to stand up against the communist take over of America. Last year, $31 billion was spent in America just enforcing useless regulations such as light bulb bans. Just a few years ago, there was a federal procedure, “Knock and Talk”, regulating government housing. Regulators could walk in and look over the property in which the government allowed you to live, determine how you are spending your welfare fund. (All over the world, particularly the Balkan countries, after the communist takeover, I saw the inspectors clad in their brown suits, with their briefcase, inspecting everything in these countries.)

In a matter of a few months time, traveling by air has become a nightmare, scanning of your body. We know that TSA (Transportation Security Administration) is now equipped to scan travelers on highways, to scan large trucks. Each year, 500,000 Americans die from cancer. I cannot help but believe that many of these deaths are unnecessary, radiation from such unnecessary processes as scanning at the airport, or x-rays at the dentist office and other medical procedures.

It is a constant fight not to be overcome by the bondage of bitterness, bitterness toward government in its culture of corruption, bitterness toward news sources in their culture of fraud and phony-ism, such as Fox networks substituting a last year's booing incidence in a recent event. Wikileaks has put out in full view, weaknesses in government, the blasphemy of diplomacy, nothing is sacred or secret anymore. Elitists who should never be appointed to anything are serving as ambassadors, representing America in other countries. To the uninformed, everything is obscure, to those who have risen to the top by political contributions, who they know, not what they now. Our foreign programs, our political futures are in grave danger. Every time I met an ambassador at an embassy overseas, the thought immediate occurred, I wonder how much his ambassadorial title cost him.

Does it ever occur to you: why so many homegrown terrorists? Why the bondage of hatred and distrust of Americans toward their government? Could it be that most of us see more government failures than government successes. Could it be that Americans have seen support for dictators around the world such as the tyrants in Mexico (corrupt government in Mexico, supported by the US, even as millions have escaped across the border to find a better life in America...hard working people, family people). We have seen America support tyrants in Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan, Tunisia, Yemen, Libya. Like the poor and dispossessed in America, those put in uniform to defend this country, the poor and dispossessed in other countries are just used as cannon fodder. 900,000 Iraq and Iran young men killed in that war in 1988-89. Henry Kissinger said, “it is too bad that both sides cannot lose.”

There is always a root and taste of bitterness, particularly to those who have served their country in uniform, who have returned as disabled veterans. Those who have done nothing or disgraced us are the heroes (President Clinton has a $600 million Presidential library).

Those who should be on the front lines for America's battle for sobriety and integrity, often give their consent through their silence. I think particularly of the pastors and preachers of the country. Watching the politics of eastern NC in my long life, I am particularly bitter toward the baptist churches, who, through the silence of consent have allowed the democrat party in this area of the nation to leave them in abject poverty...tenant farmers and cotton mill workers. I have bitterness toward the blacks and particularly the black churches and preachers, who in lockstep, still support the democrat party when they know full well that this party has kept them racially underfoot. The blacks vote 99% democrat, while at the same time taking crumbs from the democrat table after 130 years of democrat rule. The black vote, silence of black preachers and churches, shows their consent to political corruption and lack of empathy, not just for themselves, but everyone else. Is this Christianity?

A Bible scholar told me that 35% of all church members do not have enough knowledge of the Bible to know anything about the prophecies and promises of God's Word. Those who know and love freedom, those who know and love the redemption through Christ, those who know and love the power of God in the history of nations, will not give their consent through silence.