Yesterday, scott467 posted “I will never, EVER feel ‘guilty’ or ‘uncomfortable about things I didn’t do — because that would be insane.”

https://wqth.wordpress.com/2020/07/14/dear-kag-20200714-not-so-silent-culture-war-open-thread/comment-page-1/#comment-547752

That post got me thinking about the flip side of that coin (or perhaps it’s a die) which was pride, specifically in your particular race.

I ran into a practical, easily understood post on that topic, which follows:

Being Proud of Your Race Doesn’t Make Sense

*https://mystudentvoices.com/being-proud-of-your-race-doesnt-make-sense-ecd88cf2bf2c

I was about 10 years old when the idea of race affected me and my fellow peers. Most kids recite the beliefs of their parents at this age, saying things like “I’m proud to be black,” “I’m proud to be white,” “I’m proud to be Hispanic.” It seemed to make sense, why wouldn’t you be proud of something you are? You’re supposed to own yourself and embrace what you are, or at least that’s what everyone says you should do.

But I was riding in the car one day with my Dad and somehow, the subject of race came up. I told my Dad, “I’m proud to be white.” He looked at me sternly and said, “why?” I was surprised to hear this response; I figured this was just something you were supposed to embrace. Regardless, being the egotist that all kids are, I demanded to be right. I think I tried defending myself along the lines of, “White people have done great things, and it’s who I am. You should be proud too!”

“But son, why are you proud of something you did nothing to achieve? You’re not proud of having two arms, you’re not proud that you have blue eyes, why are you proud of being white? Literally, the only thing you had to achieve was birth, and you didn’t have a choice in that matter. You can only be proud of the things that you have worked to achieve.”

I remember this not making sense as a kid. Not because what he was saying didn’t make sense, but how could all of these people, even adults, be wrong? Seemingly everyone was proud of their heritage, and in school, we read book after book which advocated this belief of honoring your heritage. But it all makes sense now; large groups of people can (and often are), very egotistical.

The general excuse for racial pride is that you can, and should, be proud of your ancestors achievements. But just think about how disingenuous it is to expect credit for the achievements of others. You’re taking your ancestor’s success, or lack thereof, and passing it off as your own in aim of recognition. This is a problem. People want to be respected because they were born a certain way, not because they’re actually respectable. What you’re subtly saying is that you have a high opinion of yourself, or even believe yourself superior in some way, just because of your genetic traits. That’s literally what pride means, a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit,or superiority.

This is the major problem with identity politics. It becomes harder and harder to judge people as individuals, with their own individual circumstances. People want to claim superiority or merit simply because they belong to a specific group, and more specifically, a group they did nothing to become a part of. This can only help to perpetuate racism.

What was posted above certainly is not to say that you shouldn’t be interested in your culture or heritage, or participate in your cultural activities, feel a sense of belonging in your cultural community or thoroughly enjoy all your cultural food. (Well, all except for ludefisk, that is). But we must remember that words mean things; we should not mix up the feelings of belonging with the feeling of pride. Belonging generates feelings of family. Pride demands recognition and superiority.

Now, to wander into a little deeper water here –
If your racial heritage can give you feelings of pride, probably based on your perception of the positive accomplishments or history of your race, then it stands to reason that your racial heritage can give you feelings of regret or even shame based on your perception of the negative events or history of your race. From feelings of regret and shame, it’s only a short hop over to GUILT.

In my mind, the positive associations are just as irrational as the negative associations and both should be assiduously avoided. You can neither take credit nor be assigned blame.

From a Biblical perspective, God’s Word is clear: pride opposes God.

When pride comes, then comes shame;
But with the humble is wisdom. Proverbs 11:12

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverse mouth I hate. Proverbs 8:13

A man’s pride will bring him low,
But the humble in spirit will retain honor. Proverbs 29:23

Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty,
And before honor is humility. Proverbs 18:12

As a last thought . . . guIlt.
Some Christians seem to be consumed by guilt:
They weren’t worthy of being chosen by God (Of course not . . . none of us are).
They didn’t merit having their many sins forgiven (Of course not . . . none of us did).
Their thoughts, words and deeds wander toward sin (Of course . . . all of ours do).
They are progressing too slowly in the Christian life (Of course . . . all of us are).

Pride and guilt have one major thing in common . . . that big “I” in the middle. As a Christian, I don’t believe my focus should be on how I feel about the happenings in life . . . how they impact ME.

We’ve been given two most important commands: Love God and love your neighbor. I don’t see a third command slipped in there about thinking of, talking about or doing things that build up SELF. In fact, we are to die to self and follow Christ.

If our focus is on loving God and our neighbor, SELF can take care of itself.

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.

This Superlative Sanctuary Sunday Open Thread, with full respect to those who worship God on the Sabbath, is a place to reaffirm our worship of our Creator, our Father, our King Eternal.

It is also a place to read, post and discuss news that is worth knowing and sharing. Please post links to any news stories that you use as sources or quote from.

In the QTree, we’re a friendly and civil lot. We encourage free speech and the open exchange and civil discussion of different ideas. Topics aren’t constrained, and sound logic is highly encouraged, all built on a solid foundation of truth and established facts.

We have a policy of mutual respect, shown by civility. Civility encourages discussions, promotes objectivity and rational thought in discourse, and camaraderie in the participants – characteristics we strive toward in our Q Tree community.

Please show respect and consideration for your fellow QTreepers. Before hitting the “post” button, please proofread your post and make sure you’re addressing the issue only, and not trying to confront the poster. Keep to the topic – avoid “you” and “your”. Here in The Q Tree, personal attacks, name calling, ridicule, insults, baiting and other conduct for which a penalty flag would be thrown are VERBOTEN.

In The Q Tree, we’re compatriots, sitting around the campfire, roasting hot dogs, making s’mores and discussing, agreeing, and disagreeing about whatever interests us. This board will remain a home for those who seek respectful conversations.

Please also consider the Guidelines for posting and discussion , outlined here https://wqth.wordpress.com/2019/01/01/dear-maga-open-topic-20190101/

Let’s not give the Internet Censors a reason to shut down this intellectual haven that Wolf has created for us.

The Storm is upon us.
Please remember to Pray for our President.

AND WHAT TIME IS IT?
TIME TO DRAIN THE SWAMP!!!

Our movement is about replacing a failed and CORRUPT political establishment with a new government controlled by you, the American People. ~ Candidate Donald J. Trump

Also remember Wheatie’s Rules:

1. No food fights.
2. No running with scissors.
3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.

And,

On this day and every day –

God is in Control
. . . and His Grace is Sufficient, so . . .
Keep Looking Up

Hopefully, every Sunday, you can find something here that will build you up a little . . . give you a smile . . . and add some joy or peace, very much needed in all our lives.

“This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” . . . “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Waiting with Patience

February 23, 2018 by Pastor Chuck Swindoll
Scriptures: Psalm 26:9–12

As David concludes his song about the grinding pain of unjust treatment and his chosen responses, he then commits to patience.

Resolved: I will patiently stand and wait for relief.

Do not take my soul away along with sinners,
Nor my life with men of bloodshed,
In whose hands is a wicked scheme,
And whose right hand is full of bribes.
But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
Redeem me, and be gracious to me.
My foot stands on a level place;
In the congregations I shall bless the LORD. (Psalm 26:9–12)

There is something about human nature that prompts us to jump in with both feet and quickly work things out. In this section of his song, David implies that such was the activity of those around him. The majority said that they “wouldn’t stand for such a thing.” All sorts of “wicked schemes” and hands “full of bribes” were implemented by others. Not David! He set himself apart with the phrase “but as for me.” In Hebrew, the pronoun is extremely emphatic: “But me . . . as for me!”

He wanted it known that, unlike the majority, he wasn’t going to panic and get all involved in those carnal anxieties and ulcer-producing activities of self-vindication. No way! What does he say? “I shall walk in my integrity.” And he calls upon God to act on his behalf.

There’s a calmness, a quiet confidence in those words.

• As for my present course: “I . . . walk in integrity.”
• As for my defense: “Redeem me . . . be gracious to me.”
• As for my inner feelings: “My foot stands.”

What stability! What admirable patience! What assurance and faith! No sleepless nights, no struggling doubts—just patient waiting.

Look back at that term “redeem.” The Hebrew is padah, meaning “to ransom, deliver.” It is a term of relief—as if in exile. It is the idea of delivering someone from terrible stress and even death. And don’t miss that intriguing phrase in verse 12: “My foot stands on a level place.” The phrase “level place” comes from a single Hebrew term, mishore, which can be traced back to the verb yashar, meaning “to be smooth, straight.” The first term mishore means “level country, a plain.” It conveys the idea of a place that has a high, commanding view, a broad range of vision in contrast to a place that is down in a deep gorge all shut in.

Do you get the picture? David is pleased to wait quietly on the Lord and remain objective. When he waits for God to deliver him, he maintains a panoramic perspective; he is able to look upon the entire process from God’s viewpoint, not from his own limited human perspective. In brief, he is able to maintain wisdom.

You can anticipate the application. When we patiently wait on the Lord’s deliverance, we are able to stay calm, objective, and wise in the midst of mistreatment. We can count on our Lord to be gracious and to deliver us at the right time. All the while, waiting enables us to maintain His perspective.

Look back over David’s six resolutions that will help make mistreatment bearable:

1. I will be open before the Lord.
2. I will remember His love . . . continue to obey His Word.
3. I will refuse the temptation to get even.
4. I will maintain a positive attitude.
5. I will be faithful in public worship.
6. I will patiently stand, stay objective, and wait for relief.

I don’t have much to say tonight, on the “current events” front. It’s about 1 PM here in Colorado and it’s pretty quiet at the moment–and I might not have the opportunity to update this if something big does break.

Let’s see. Sullivan still being an ass, exculpatory information still coming out in fairly large buckets (I can see why some think he’s drawing this out with the knowledge and approval of people on our side). Still got Leftists of various different types running around loose in our urban areas.

And rumors that Durham is simply going to drop his work. I sure hope not.

Reminder of the Most Important Thing about the MAGA Movement

Yes, I am going to harp on this, because it is the most important thing President Donald J. Trump has to do, and he hasn’t really gotten started on it yet.

Our movement is about replacing a failed and corrupt political establishment with a new government controlled by you, the American People...Our campaign represents a true existential threat, like they’ve never seen before.

Then-Candidate Donald J. Trump

Lawyer Appeasement Section

OK now for the fine print.

This is the WQTH Daily Thread. You know the drill. There’s no Poltical correctness, but civility is a requirement. There are Important Guidelines,  here, with an addendum on 20191110.

We have a new board – called The U Tree – where people can take each other to the woodshed without fear of censorship or moderation.

And remember Wheatie’s Rules:

1. No food fights
2. No running with scissors.
3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
4. The gun is always loaded.
4a. If you actually want the gun to be loaded, like because you’re checking out a bump in the night, then it’s empty.
5. Never point the gun at anything you’re not willing to destroy.
6. Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire.
7. Be sure of your target and what is behind it.

(Hmm a few extras seem to have crept in.)

Mandatory Coin

Now it wouldn’t be one of my posts without a coin, would it?

What we have here is one of the rarest coins on Earth, and it’s a “legit” coin. It was intended to be used as money, was released as money, was issued legally, isn’t a pattern, a restrike or a fantasy piece. Many of the more famous rarities (1804 dollars, 1913 Liberty Head Nickels, for instance) fall into one of these later categories–they weren’t made to be used, and may have been illegally produced.

To my knowledge the lowest legitimate mintage for a coin was 24 dimes made in San Francisco in 1894. Ten are still known to exist. In this case, though, 17,796 half eagles (i.e., five dollar gold pieces) were made in 1822. But unless someone kicks over a rock and finds a stash of these things (not impossible), there are three of them today. And the Smithsonian has two of the three. So that leaves one in private hands. Apparently it sold in 1982 for $600,000, and was up for sale in 2016 in an auction but I can’t find any indication as to whether it sold and for how much, so I assume it did NOT sell–the owner was asking too much. (Surely there are people who would pay well into seven figures.)

Why so rare? I don’t know the complete answer to that, but any gold from before 1834 is tough to find. (There are relatively common dates, for instance this particular design, if you do find one for sale, will most likely be an 1813, which at least costs less than a new car even in the lower uncirculated grades.)

But I do know a large part of the reason for this is that although our original laws specified that gold and silver were to be minted at a 15:1 ratio, this had become out of date. What does that mean? That means if you took a pound of silver to the mint, you’d get a certain amount of coins back in return (this was a free service by the US mint, provided you were willing to wait for them to actually make the coins from your silver; if you wanted your coins immediately, there was a 1% charge). If you took a pound of gold in, you’d get back coins worth fifteen times as much. A pound of gold was legally worth fifteen pounds of silver. The problem was, this ratio had been slowly dropping since ancient times. In ancient Egypt, silver was actually worth more than gold; in the mid 1700s the ratio had shifted from 14:1 to 14.5:1. It was pretty much an unbroken trend, and lately the ratio is near 100:1 (sometimes over depending on the specific day).

[Note: as of 13:13 Colorado time, gold is at $1799/ozt, silver is at $18.75/ozt, for a ratio of 95.946666…:1.]

What happened when silver dropped relative to gold? The gold became over-valued. One could accumulate ten dollars of silver coinage, exchange it for ten dollars in gold (as two half eagles, most likely, as eagles weren’t being made then)…and the gold would actually be worth more. So you could melt it and sell it for more than ten dollars’ worth of silver.

So most of that old gold coinage is long gone, much of it now likely in Fort Knox or the gold “eagles” being produced today. Or in your wedding band.

Some people hung onto some pieces, and sometimes the mint or treasury had retained a small group in a vault somewhere, often all of the same date, which is why some dates are still obtainable, and others aren’t. Apparently no one happened to hang onto a stash of 1822 half eagles.

This page: https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1822-5/8130 discusses this coin, and has a picture of the two Smithsonian specimens as well. So now you’ve seen them all. They show prices below, but those can only be educated guesses when the coin, and I do mean the coin, as there’s only one outside of museums, hasn’t appeared on the market in 38 years.

The weight of gold was reduced in mid-1834, with a design change to go with it so you could tell the coins apart, and the problem was solved, for a while.

In the early 1850s, with the economy being flooded by gold coming out of California, the shoe was on the other foot for a change and silver became scarce. The problem was solved by deliberately reducing the silver in coinage (other than silver dollars) so much that now the silver in a coin was worth considerably less than face value, and that was the end of free coinage of silver. (This was in 1853, and the change was denoted by placing little arrowheads on either side of the date.) No more dropping your silver off at the mint to be made into coins, because they could only issue as much silver as there was gold to back it. For the rest of the century, whether or not silver should be freely coined was a huge political issue, and a large part of William Jennings Bryan’s support was from people who wanted free coinage of silver (and then, probably would have complained about the resulting inflation).

This sort of thing is why I don’t believe that we should switch to a bi-metallic monetary system…the ratios of values of the coins shift constant. Unless we set up two different, parallel denominations (silver dollars and gold ducats for instance) and let them float against each other, we’d have all sorts of problems. But there’s no reason we couldn’t go to a single-metallic system.

For some reason, my comment about you getting to look at all of the 1822 half eagles reminded me of a very old joke…from about 1980. You can update it as needed. Pedro and Luis run into each other in Mexico City. They hadn’t seen each other in a couple of years. After getting caught up on happenings in their lives, Pedro says, “Did you know that the US debt is now up to a trillion dollars?” Luis, thinking that sounds like a big number, asks, “How much is that in pesos?” Pedro answers, “All of them.”

And yes, that joke is woefully out of date, especially since our previous two presidents each doubled the national debt. Another advertisement for either a gold or a silver standard, but not both.

Disclaimer: Neither this, nor any other coin I post, is mine. [In this case: DUH!!!] With older coins, I’m going to find the best pic of one on the internet, so even if I happen to have one, it’s not the nicest one on earth…and some coins are worth more than my net worth so I certainly won’t have those!

Important Reminder

Just one more thing, my standard Public Service Announcement. We don’t want to forget this!!!

Remember Hong Kong!!!

中国是个混蛋 !!!
Zhōngguò shì gè hùndàn !!!
China is asshoe !!!