This 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’s an opportunity to let the events of this world grow increasingly dim, while we focus on things above – God’s glory and grace.

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

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The Infallible Posture

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:10-11)

We look at the struggle of life in the light of Paul’s great revelation that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and powers, the rulers of this world’s present darkness, the spiritual hosts of wickedness in high places.”

We see that all that happens to us in our lives as Christians which discourages us, defeats us, confuses us, or renders us indifferent to the great truth of God is part of this great struggle. It is a manifestation of this conflict in which we are engaged.

We are aware of failures, of problems, of weakness, of obstinacy and stubbornness, of rebellion, and other things in our life of which we are not proud. These again have been manifestations of this great struggle in which we are engaged.

We are coming now to a time of conflict, another time of struggle. What can we do about this? How can we fight back? In practical terms, what can we do about the struggle we face?

First, we put on the armor of God. Paul says, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” The clear implication is that if we do not put on the whole armor of God, we will not be able to stand. If we are doubtful about that, life itself will prove it to us. We cannot stand without this armor which represents what we are in Christ and what Christ is to us now, in very practical terms.

Everything rests ultimately on that first piece of armor, which is Jesus Christ as the truth. Let us gird up our loins with the girdle of truth. All Christian faith relates to and derives from the authority of Jesus Christ. He is the truth. That is the first thing. We are to put on the whole armor of God.

Second, he tells us we are to pray. Not merely put on the armor, but also pray. Not only to think about what Christ is and the great truths he reveals, but also to talk to God about them, to lean on his help, to hold conversation with him, to engage ourselves directly and personally with the God who is our strength and our help. We can talk to him and pray about all things.

Now we come to the third and last thing in the apostle’s admonition to us in this passage. It is given to us in but one word, but a word which is repeated four different times throughout this entire passage. It is the word stand.

Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil…Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore. (Ephesians 6:11, 6:13-14a)

Everything aims at this, that we might be able to stand. What does it mean, “to stand”?  We are to refuse to move from the ground of faith we have taken, refuse to yield ground, stand. Now why does the apostle put it this way? Why does he not say fight? Having done all, fight! Put on the whole armor of God and advance, charge. Why does he not use some military term that speaks of moving out?

We must take these words seriously, for, after all, these are not play words used lightly. These are serious commands given in a very serious fight. The apostle uses the word stand because it is the only proper word to use. It is the only word which describes the final attitude we must have to insure absolute victory.

As we look at this word more carefully, we can see that it touches on three aspects of the struggle of life: First, the use of this word stand reveals to us the intensity of the struggle in which we are involved. We are told to stand because there are times when that is all we can do. The most we can possibly hope to achieve at times is that we should simply stand, unmoved. The intensity of the conflict becomes so furious, so fierce, there is nothing else we can do but simply hold oue ground. That is what this word implies to us.

Paul has already spoken in this passage about evil days which come. These are days when circumstances simply stagger us, when we face some combination of events, some disheartening tragedy or circumstance that almost knocks us off our feet and we can do nothing else but hope to stand where we are. There are times when doubts plague us. We are exposed to intellectual attacks and we find we have all we can do to assert any degree of faith at all. There are situations and circumstances into which we come when we are overwhelmed with fears and anxieties and we scarcely can keep our heads, because we are under pressure. There are times when indifference seems to sap our spiritual strength so much we lose all our vitality. It drains away our will to act, our motivation, and we seem unable to make ourselves do the simplest things to maintain faith.

This is all part of the struggle. We get disturbed when we see our growth in the Christian life apparently stopped. Our ministry or our witness seems to be impossible or ineffective. All the challenge and keenness of our spiritual life is gone. What are we to do then? Paul says we are to gird up our loins, put on the whole armor of God, pray, and having done all, stand! Stay right where you are until the attack lessens. This is the final word.

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,” (1 Timothy 4:1). We read that as though it were a prediction of the closing moments of the age. But the “latter times” means the whole of the age, from our Lord’s first coming until his second. Paul is not talking about one particular time of trouble reserved for the last moment; he is talking about troubles which come throughout the whole course of these latter days.

But the Word also makes clear that these troubles become fiercer in intensity and more widespread in their impact as the age draws to its close. There is a growing awareness in our day that we live in a one-world community. We are no longer separated from other peoples by great distances of thought or time. What happens on the other side of the world today affects us tomorrow. We are very much aware of this.

The vaunted solutions of men are not working. The approaches to these problems upon which men pin their faith — such as education, scientific discoveries, economic improvements, better legislation — these things are not working.

It is getting worse, because, as we have seen all along, the issue never lies in these superficial, surface realms. It lies much deeper, in the hearts and souls of men under the domination of cruel and resistless power that dominates the world, whom Paul calls “the world rulers of this present darkness.” Only the delivering strength of Jesus Christ is adequate to deal with them.

That is the world we are facing, and because of it, there are many who are faltering. God is permitting this in order to separate the phony from the true. He says he will do this; the Word makes it very clear. There is a passage in Hebrews where we are definitely told that the things which can be shaken will be shaken. God is allowing these testings to reveal the genuine and to remove what can be shaken in order that what cannot be shaken might remain.

Therefore, evil days come. When they come into your own personal experience you will need to remember that the Word of God to you is to put on the whole armor of God, to pray, and then stand. Perhaps you will realize that there is nothing else you can do, but that you can win if you stand.

There is a second aspect of the struggle indicated by this word stand. It indicates to us the character of the battle the Christian faces. We are to stand because this is a defensive action, primarily. The proper defense will win the day. If a castle is under attack from an army, the battle is not won by those in the castle venturing forth to overwhelm the army outside. The battle is won by repelling all invasion. This is a picture of our Christian life. This is a defensive battle, not offensive. We are not out to take new ground; we are to defend that which is already ours.

In the Christian battle the offensive work was done almost 2000 years ago at the cross and the resurrection. The Lord Jesus is the only one who has the power and strength to take the offensive in this great battle with the prince of darkness. But he has already done that. All that we possess as believers is already given to us. We do not fight for it. We do not battle to be saved, or fight to be justified, or forgiven, or accepted into the family of God. All these things are given to us. They were won by another, who, in the words of Paul in Colossians, “took principalities and powers and nailed them to his cross, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:14-15), and led them captive who had held the world captive.

We are to hold on to that which God gives us and not let any of it be lost or taken from us, as to our use of it. This is what the phrase “contend earnestly for the faith” means.  It means to hold on to what God has already given you and utilize it to the full. As Paul writes to the Corinthians, “Stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong,” (1 Corinthians 16:13 KJV). Do not surrender an inch of ground, even though others do.

The Christian who learns to stand, to give up no segment of his faith, but to put on the armor of God and to pray and thus be immovable, is the only Christian who in any way will reflect the love of Christ in the midst of unlovely situations.

There is a third aspect of the struggle suggested by this word. It is the certainty of victory. If putting on the armor of God and prayer makes it possible to stand unmoved and immovable, then nothing more is required to win. After all, if a castle cannot be taken, the attacking army has nothing left to do but to withdraw. There is nothing else it can do. It is defeated, beaten.

Any saint, any believer, even the newest and weakest, who stands in the strength of Christ, puts on the whole armor of God, and, in dependence upon the presence of God in prayer, stands, then the devil is always defeated.

The devil ultimately must be defeated if anyone will simply stand on what God has said. It is his fate continually to be defeated by the very weapons he tries to use against God and his people.

The cross is the great example of this. The cross looked like the supreme achievement of the devil, the supreme moment of victory when all the powers of darkness were howling with glee as they saw the Son of God beaten and wounded, rejected and despised, hanging upon a cross, naked, before all the world. It looked like the triumph of darkness. Jesus said it was: “This is your hour,” he said, “and the power of darkness,” (Luke 22:53b). But it was that very moment when the devil lost. In the cross all that the devil had risked was defeated, beaten down, and the devil and all his angels were disarmed and openly displayed as defeated by the power of Jesus Christ.

This is what God does all through life. The devil sends sickness, defeat, death, darkness, pain, suffering, and tragedy. It is all the work of Satan. But that is not the whole of the story. God takes those very things — those very things! — and uses them to strengthen us and bless us, to teach us and enlarge us and fulfill us, if we stand. This is the whole story.

This is what it means to stand. One of these days, the Bible says, the struggle will end. It will end for all of us at the end of our lives, but it can end before that in the coming of the Lord. Someday it will be over, there is no doubt. And someday it will be said to some, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Adapted from *https://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/ephesians/the-infallible-posture

Well, one hopes there won’t be too much posting today…on account of the Mega MAGA Rally. A post is planned for that one, or so I’m told.

Justice Served At Last?

I’m genuinely surprised the Left hasn’t gone apeshit over this. We’ve been hearing that having an Antifa dirtbag shot or otherwise harmed by one of their intended victims is precisely what they want…so why aren’t they trying to use this?

https://twitter.com/ninoboxer/status/1273044398226444290

We’ve heard nothing. Not about the intended victim/shooter, and not about the aggressor/shootee. Some of the comments claim the shooter was arrested, and none of the Antifa thugs was.

But some digging reveals a few things: Per the Albuquerque Journal, the shooter is Steven Baca, 31, and Baca was apparently charged with felony aggravated battery and unlawful carry of a deadly weapon. The shootee was Scott Williams, 39, and he has survived.

Apparently, before this video started, Baca had assaulted three women and what you see here is him being pursued by their friends. If so they went over the top swinging blunt objects at him, but people would tend to have sympathy with them.

This would only help the Left push the line that they are righteous and being attacked by the mean evil Right.

So why isn’t the Left pumping this for all it’s worth?

A Reminder Of Today’s Issues.

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

And if one wants the full, polished video:

Lawyer Appeasement Section

OK now for the fine print.

This is the WQTH Daily Thread. You know the drill. There’s no Political 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.)

Coin of The Day

The figure of Justice, complete with balance scales, goes back a long time. It appears on the 2015 commemorative issued for the 225th anniversary of the US Marshalls (who I hope are getting busy now). Though they did omit the usual sword.

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dqu9IGFTbtA/VJ13FODF8AI/AAAAAAAARL4/q8BeB1xA-yU/s1600/2015%2BU.S.%2BMarshals%2BService%2B225th%2BAnniversary%2BCommemorative%2BClad%2BProof%2BCoin%2Breverse.jpg

There’s another rendering on this coin from Niue, a Pacific Island country that seems to make all of its money from selling coins to collectors. This time she has a sword.

https://firstcoincompany.com/S/image/cache/data/IH/AUR/niue-island-lustitia-1-aureus-series-gold-printing-silver-coin-2014-proof-first-coin-company-reverse-900×900.jpg

Notice though the applied gold coloring–it’s a reproduction of a Roman coin that appears to be from the reign of Vespasian, 69-79 CE (IMPCAESAR VE…NVS AUG; the dots are what’s covered by the rendering of the other side of the coin; I am guessing the word in full is “VESPASIANVS”), with “IVSTITIA” (Justice) on the reverse. Vespasian, before he became emperor, beseiged Jerusalem.

Here, she’s not holding scales but sometimes is seen on Roman coins doing precisely that. Like on this next coin:

This apparently was from the time of Trajan (98-117 CE), as in “Trajan’s Column,” as in “Dacia,” modern Romania. Trajan’s column still stands in Rome, and its construction was a notable feat of ancient engineering.

Obligatory PSA/Reminder

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

https://youtube.com/watch?v=L3tnH4FGbd0%3F

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

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“God’s Light vs. Evil’s Darkness”

Isaiah 42:1…7
Acts 10:34-38
Matthew 3:13-17

My Brothers and Sisters in the Lord –

There is darkness in the world. However, that particular darkness is not the absence of daylight. It is the darkness of evil. It is the antithesis of anything good, true, and beautiful. It is a powerful force – But not so powerful that a pinprick of light cannot penetrate it.

One of the ways that this darkness expresses itself is in the violence of our modern society. And of particular note is the way that many people resist something they dislike.

The behavior of many Americans has become increasingly dark and violent in the way that they will demonstrate their protest. Protest is not bad in itself. However, when it becomes violent or destructive – when it disrupts free speech – it does more harm than good.

Our First Amendment protects the freedom of speech. But this does not mean violently demonstrating or violently counter-demonstrating when someone else has a legitimate forum from which they speak!

Moreover, we can usually judge any cause or idea by the behavior of those who champion it. If they use violent or destructive means to get a hearing, then there is something wrong with what they espouse.

Jesus Christ was sent into the world to liberate the human race from the darkness of sin, ignorance, and the power of evil. Several hundred years before Jesus came, Isaiah prophesied the behavior Jesus would exhibit and the kind of person he would be. He would bring justice to the nations and to the world. Yet, he would do this in a non-violent way: “not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street”! He would be especially mindful and patient with the wounded and the vulnerable. He would be full of care for those who were trying to overcome their brokenness – or only beginning to grasp the goodness, the truth, and the beauty of God’s plan and will.

Isaiah goes on to prophesy that Jesus would be a light for the nations – He would also bring light for our personal blindness, freedom from the prison of our fears – and liberation from the guilt and despair of our sinfulness!

Then Jesus finally came. He was all that Isaiah said he would be – and even more than Isaiah could have imagined. Isaiah only knew and thought of our limited, material world and our life here. Whereas, Jesus came from and operated on behalf of that other dimension which is eternal life with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

In the Gospel passage, we learn that Jesus came to John to be baptized. Jesus had no need to be repentant, because he had lived a perfect life without sin. However, Jesus wanted to give us an example of humility and complete submission to the will of the Father.

Submission to God can be a struggle. It means opening ourselves to God’s plan and will. Often it means giving up our preconceived plans and ideas. It means admitting our sins and breaking with the evil, the lies, the grotesqueness of our personal darkness – all of which we may be only vaguely aware.

Nevertheless, if we do so, then wonderful things can begin to happen. For then, we live up to our dignity and potential as God’s son or daughter who was chosen like Jesus. We also come to understand that, like Jesus, we are beloved by God – and that we have a purpose and a mission during our life here under the direction of the Holy Spirit!

Brothers and Sisters, if God made us to show forth His goodness – then we all have a vocation to manifest God’s goodness wherever we find ourselves. We must bring goodness, truth, and beauty into the lives of those throughout our sphere of influence. We must demonstrate with quiet power in our actions and lives against those forces of darkness and evil which are everywhere. Because in the non-violent way of Jesus, we help him deliver others from the darkness, the blindness, and the chains which will destroy them.

So, let us pray, today, that we will never falter in this endeavor. And may we always be pleasing to God as His beloved children!

Amen.

Msgr. Russell G. Terra, Parish Homilies, February 16, 2020
Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Redding, CA

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God’s Orchard

Our world is an orchard God planted and grows,
With deep, dark, rich soil and water that flows.
We are His trees, all growing in God’s fields,
And each is unique with different yields.

God gave us His Spirit to show us the way
To grow fruit for Him, each and every day.
This isn’t just for you, it’s also for me,
But I have to ask, what’s growing on your tree?

Love is he foremost of God’s fruit.
Love God, and our neighbors: all hate refute.
Love the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul,
And love our neighbors – those must be our goals.

Joy is the fruit to make our poor hearts glad.
God plan is our happiness, not to be sad.
Believing in Him, inexpressible joy,
Now and forever, His presence to enjoy.

Peace, God’s peace, a harmony of mind,
A fruit to be treasured for all of time.
Let the peace of Christ rule in our heart
And our fears and worries will all depart.

Patience we show when we wait on the Lord;
Waiting and trusting are special rewards.
Goals, plans and steps are all made by man,
But all will be done by God’s perfect plan.

Kindness to others, as shown through our life,
Is our protection from discord and strife.
For just as God gave His kindness to us,
We can give others our kindness plus.

Goodness is uprightness of life and heart,
One of the things setting Christians apart.
The world might call it having a good name,
But we credit God, from Whom goodness came.

Faithfulness leads to God’s blessings, it’s true,
A faithful servant, the best we can do.
For Jesus was faithful, in life and death,
There, on the cross, to His very last breath.

Gentleness and meekness should grow on our tree,
As we walk with our God in humility.
Though we crave honors, it must be reversed.
Forever in God’s eyes, the last will be first.

Self-control will keep us on God’s path,
Not seeking the world and incurring His wrath.
The Kingdom of God is not worldly pleasure,
But righteousness, peace and joy in good measure.

Hate, anger, impatience, cruelty and strife
Are what the world will chain to us in life.
Wickedness, betrayal, wantonness, and pride
Will be bound to us, so we must decide.

Will we live life for Him, for all of our days,
Praising and thanking and walking in His ways?
It is for freedom that Christ set us free,
So search your heart now, what’s growing on your tree?

---

It’s not just a difference of political viewpoint.

The Gospel is hidden to those who are lost,
whose unbelieving minds the god of this world has blinded.

---

This 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’s an opportunity to let the events of this world grow increasingly dim, while we focus on things above – God’s glory and grace.

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

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

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

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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

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Also remember Wheatie’s Rules:

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

---

And,

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On this day and every day –

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

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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.”

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The Signs of the Times

WuFlu Spreads – Nursing Homes Decimated – Isolation – Social Distancing

Excessive Force – Racial Prejudice – Riots – Looting – Burnings – Injuries – Death

Throw Water, Then “Shakes” – Then Bottles, Bricks, Bullets and Bombs

Hands Up – Take A Knee – Defund Police – Sign Black Agenda

Demonstrate In Parks, Then Streets – Occupy City Hall, Then Precinct

Antifa – Black Lives Matter – Marxists – Socialist Bureaucrats

Lying Media – Corrupt Politicians – Traitors – Anarchists

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Millions in the U.S. either personally believe or support people who believe that:

• Although the threat of spread of COVID-19 requires that businesses and churches must be closed, families isolated in their homes, people prohibited from using parks or walking alone on a deserted beach, it’s acceptable for thousands of people to gather together for hours to protest police use of excessive force, and, in the process, killing and injuring people, looting and burning businesses.

• Although 3,000 Black Americans are murdered by Black Americans every year without public protest, it’s acceptable to riot, causing multiple deaths, hundreds of police injuries, and hundreds of millions of dollars of damage, because systemic racial prejudice by police is baselessly assumed as the root cause of the death of a drug addicted, porn acting, counterfeit money-passing career criminal with multiple convictions and jail sentences.

• Although pets and other animals must be treated with care and compassion, it’s acceptable to strike people you disagree with politically with bike locks, hammers, 2 x 4s and the like.

• Although micro aggressions must be identified and stopped because they’re hurtful, it’s acceptable to loot and burn down businesses as a means of protesting policies or actions you disagree with.

• Although COVID-19 requires that extreme isolation and quarantine actions be taken to prevent its spread, it’s acceptable to require that COVID-19 positive patients be placed in nursing homes with elderly patients with comorbidities who are the most vulnerable group for death in the U.S. population.

• Although your psychological health and physical well-being must be protected, it’s acceptable to mechanically tear apart babies in the womb or cut the spinal cord of their exposed heads with scissors to kill them, and then to sell their body parts for thousands of dollars.

• Although Socialist leaders and regimes have ruined the lives and caused the deaths of millions of people in the last century, it’s acceptable to insist on more and more Socialist policies be included in the laws and services of our democratic constitutional republic, the most successful government on earth.

These “Although” and “it’s acceptable” examples are just a few of the many inexplicable dichotomies that are integral to the destructive mindset of millions.

Most of us are bewildered at the lack of facts and logic that are inherent to this mindset.  We can’t comprehend how these harmful views can be held by any rational person, let alone millions of them.

Our laws are generally based on our Judeo-Christian heritage, principles and beliefs.  And therein, I believe, lies the root of the problem.

The two great principles that form the basis of Jewish and Christian thought and practice are:

Deuteronomy 6:5  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Or, more expansively,

Deuteronomy 10:12-13  And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good?

And,

Leviticus 19:18  You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.

Leviticus 19:34  The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.

And, of course, as summarized by Jesus,

Matthew 22:36-40  Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?  Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Love God and love your neighbor.  These are simple in concept, but, because we are weak, flawed and fallible humans, impossible in practice. 

But, these are God’s commands for us and, because He knows they are impossible for us in practice, “He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  This is the Gospel that forms the beginning and foundation for our Christian beliefs.

If you try to apply general Christian teachings to support any of the “Although” and “it’s acceptable” examples above, you will fail.

Do we have Christian principles that tend to support forming crowds to protest certain actions . . . crowds that are first merely disruptive, but then lead to disobeying police, physical violence, looting, burning of businesses and injury and death?

1 Peter 2:17  – Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

Romans 13:1 – Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

Romans 12:18  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 – I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

Do we have Christian principles that would in any way condone policies that endanger then result in deaths of thousands of elderly?  The elderly are not people who have become a burden on society and who are now subject to removal.

Leviticus 19:32 “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

Do we have Christian principles that even remotely permit the killing of a baby in the womb, let alone allowing a born baby to dehydrate and die over a period of days after birth?

Job 31:15  Did not He who made me in the womb make him, and the same One fashion us in the womb?

Jeremiah 1:5  Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you;

Do we have Christian principles that mandate or support Socialism as a form of government?

There are many Biblical examples for those that have material goods to remember and even be generous to the poor.  But there is nothing that mandates or supports local government in confiscating the wealth of those that have more and distributing it to those that have less.

We are guided in our ethics, our morals, and our sense of right and wrong by God’s Word, our parents, our pastors, our friends and associates and the influence that God’s Word has had on society as a whole and our general precepts and specific laws.

But, referring back to the destructive mindset, there are millions in our country who don’t seem to be influenced by Judeo-Christian principles.  They seem to live at a different level of understanding than we do.  They don’t need and won’t accept facts or logic that contradict or show the negative consequences of their destructive mindset.

It’s as though they have fallen under the influence and control of something or someone else.  Well, perhaps that is exactly the answer.

John 1:5  The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Romans 1:28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.

1 Corinthians 2:14  But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4  But even if our gospel is hidden, it is hidden only to those who are lost, whose unbelieving minds the god of this world has blinded, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

And that, I believe, is why it is entirely appropriate to label the violent demonstrations, the physical attacks on police and on the people supporting President Trump, the looting and burning of businesses, the resultant injuries and deaths, the recent calls to defund or disband those that enforce our laws, . . . all these actions operating in opposition to the Judeo-Christian principles that guide our lives . . . as evil, absolutely evil.

We may sooner or later get out of the messes that are near or at the level of a direct threat against the continued existence of our country, but we must not forget . . .

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

---

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps;
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps,
His day is marching on.

I have read His fiery gospel writ in rows of burnished steel!
“As ye deal with my contemners, so with you My grace shall deal!
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,”
Since God is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him; be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me;
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free!
While God is marching on.

---

It sure does seem like we are feeling the first few raindrops of our Storm. Which is about dang time, because for the last few weeks, we’ve been dealing with their Storm.

Let’s have them reading horrific news on a daily basis for a change, instead of us reading about their damn “demonstrations” (really riots) and their disbandings of police forces, and whateverthehell silly–no, dangerous–crap Nancy Pelosi is trying to pass.

But speaking of crap that is both dangerous and silly, I have to just laugh at CHAZ, the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone in Seattle, allegedly with no rulers.

It’s dangerous because it’s a direct de jure affront to the rule of law. They are actually trying to secede from the United States there.

It’s also silly, because as I have said, there is no such thing as anarchy any place where there are people.

Someone will always step in and become the ruler. It’s a government at that point, though not one like we are accustomed to, that can trace its origin back to something established by consensus of the people. It’s a thugocracy, run by the biggest bully on the block. (See “Third World Shithole” for bigger examples, though even there they have more of a facade of legitimacy than CHAZ does.)

I read an excellent “thought experiment” on this once, way before Al Gore didn’t invent the internet, and I’ve not been able to find it. I thought it was in Ayn Rand’s writings, but it’s not there. I eventually found it in Robert J. Ringer’s Restoring the American Dream (1979). And as it turns out, he was mostly talking about the concept of having property be owned in common (like, say, the Marxists advocate), but it’s directly parallel to the issues that would arise with no government. The following is my recounting of what the dead tree book next to me says, with some adaptations to also cover the issue of “no government.” If I don’t have it right it’s my fault, not Ringer’s.

Let’s say everyone owns the beach. No one can own beachfront property for themselves.

What happens if you and I both want to sit on the same part of the beach at the same time? One might say that’s unlikely to happen, but if not you and me, it seems inevitable that there will be situations like that when property is owned in common by everyone.

What, indeed, would prevent some gang from going to the beach every morning and staking out 50 yards of their favorite piece of shoreline?

After all they’re free to use it, just like everyone else. Is this what the commies have in mind–first come, first served? And there’s no mention of a time limit (and with no government, no way to enforce it).

Heck, why should they be expected to have to come in first every morning? Why not just have them keep a couple of guys there to guard it overnight?

Technically, they’re still just using common property, as is everyone’s right…it’s just that it’s continuous. And with no government around, who’s going to argue with them? Heck, they could even build a house on it–temporarily, of course.

But, de facto, that bit of beach is their property now. And they are enforcing their property ownership, so they’re acting as a government, too.

It’s an example that might be useful to you, the next time you argue with some custardhead who asserts property should be held in common. Because people can easily imagine that in the absence of legally enforceable property rights–people will create them and it won’t be through a government that answers to us.

So I wasn’t surprised to see some bully assume control of the CHAZ. After all, Antifa seems to attract that type.

There is a branch of libertarianism called anarcho-capitalism. Its adherents seem to imagine that government is unnecessary, especially if people can defend themselves. But, you see, there are some other services that government must provide, even if you can somehow manage to prevent a big gang from taking over because no one individual can fight them off–you have to form your own gang in self defense.

But leave that aside. Imagine you own some real estate. How do you prove you’re the owner? You have a deed. Who issued the deed? Well, here, it’s the county government that does that (there’s a surveyor, an assessor, and a treasurer, and I’m not quite sure how the responsibilities are divvied up).

The anarcho capitalists imagine that this service can be left completely up to the market. And by that, I don’t mean by private people under contract with the government. I’m talking about a private company that sets itself up and sells the service of providing deeds.

But with no government, I could conceivably create my own title deed registration company…and register my deed for your land. Now we’re both holding a piece of paper that says I own your land, and I might even come by and kick you off by force. No government to stop me. But wait, your deed is registered with the real company, mine is some shell company I created.

But who is to say which of those two companies is a “real” company, and make it stick? Basically, the biggest gang. And they become “the government.”

This reduces to absurdity, and I trust I’ve made my point: that there must be a final authoritative source. That would be a government. Sure, if 99 percent of people were reasonable in an An-Cap environment, there’d be no issue–but when was the last time, in the real world, 99 percent of people agreed on anything? This is why you have courts. Whose decisions are final (you can appeal within the system but the system’s final decision is final).

The AnCap response–or at least the response by the people in my favorite AnCap science fiction, entertaining but not taken seriously by me–is that there are indeed courts, but they are private, and if the first judge–chosen by agreement of the parties–can’t resolve things to everyone’s satisfaction, he must pay for a second judge, and if that judge can’t do it, he must pay for a third judge…whose decision is final. Interesting, there’s a whole procedure that has to be followed…and no real enforcement!! It sort of presupposes that people will be reasonable and will voluntarily follow the procedure–or that enough people in society agree with that procedure to be able to compel them to.

I knew someone, once, who had a neighbor who kept tearing down the boundary fence between their lots and building a new one. That neighbor had bought a quarter-quarter section and believed he had a right to 40 acres, not one bit less, especially not because a road ran along the edge of his land and took up two acres and was specifically excluded from his deed. So he took it out on my friend, who took him to court, got a judgment, and the guy still wouldn’t give up. I don’t know how it turned out, but does this sound like the sort of reasonable person who would help pick a first judge, a second judge, and a third judge if he got into a dispute with you? And what if he’s got eight brothers meaner than he is, and they like to say “blood is thicker than water?” You’d be SOL, unless you could get a ton of people willing to get into a gunfight to, essentially, risk their lives to kill the guy when they don’t have a dog in the fight. That’s what it will take, because he and his family are clearly the type who won’t give up once they’ve convinced themselves of their entitlement–any more than a mugger will give up his sense of entitlement to other people’s property. That property is HIS property in his mind, even before he takes it from you.

So this is my rather rambling way of my saying anarchy is nonsense, and especially anarcho-capitalism. Capitalism requires the rule of law to function properly. And if there is no law, someone you probably won’t like will make it exist, and it will benefit him.

Here’s a quote from Ayn Rand, who understood that government is a necessity albeit one that bears close watching (so does Ringer, but he seems a lot less happy about it).

If a drought strikes them, animals perish–man builds irrigation canals; if a flood strikes them, animals perish–man builds dams; if a carnivorous pack attacks them, animals perish–man writes the Constitution of the United States.

Ayn Rand

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

Or, because I think it’s an important video (and Q would seem to agree with me) here’s the video that came from that rally:

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?

http://news.coinupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/1792-Half-Disme.jpg

The 1792 Half Disme is actually a very controversial coin.

(I’m going to apologize in advance for this long ramble, much of which really doesn’t have to do with this coin…but I find the history to be interesting, and if you don’t agree, you can…go jump in a lake.)

The US Mint and the US monetary system was established by law in 1792. Before the Constitution was passed, states could make their own money, and each state did things differently. In a way our federal coinage was the 18th century EuroZone, except that just about everything else still legal tender, including English and Spanish coinage. (In fact the Spanish piece of eight was were we got our dollar, and the name ultimately comes from “Joachimsthaler” since that town, now in Czechia, is where a large silver coin of that approximate size was first invented; “thalers” and “crown sized coins” became popular across Europe after that). We could do that because money back then was coined precious metal; guidebooks were published to tell people how much silver or gold there were in various coins so they’d know how much to accept, say, a British half crown for as payment (somewhere around fifty cents).

Our original system was defined as: ten mills to the cent, ten cents to the disme, ten dismes to the dollar, and ten dollars to the eagle. Coinage of copper half and one cent pieces, silver half dismes, dismes, quarter, half and full dollars, plus gold quarter, half and full eagles was authorized.

The only remnants of those authorized coins are our dime, quarter and half dollar. Other denominations are either dead now, or changed beyond all recognition–they’d laugh at our puny modern cent made out of zinc with a phony layer of copper on it. And of course the dime, quarter and half dollar today have no precious metal content at all. The silver dollar was originally 416 grains (the same grain you use to measure powder with) with 371 1/4 grains of it silver, the rest copper. Later on, in 1837, the copper content was reduced by 3 1/2 grains, so that the coin would be precisely 90 percent silver…and that silver dollar lasted until 1935. (The other silver denominations were reduced significantly in weight in 1853, minutely adjusted in 1873 to make their weights metric, and lasted at those weights until 1964.)

And yes, to be clear, the half disme was a silver coin–half the weight of a disme. Half dismes and dimes were, and are today for those that have survived, pretty small coins.

Anyway, to return to the 1792 half disme:

There is an “old wives’ tale” that George Washington donated some of his silver, a hundred dollars worth, to have two thousand of these made–that ultimately came from a man who had been at the mint almost since the beginning.

But there is much newer research (printed in the August 2017 issue of The Numismatist) that suggests Thomas Jefferson was the driver. (Note, however, that people have argued against this since it came out.) I will follow that account from this point forward.

George Washington approved the purchase of the property the First Mint would be built on, on July 9th, 1792. 1500 (not 2000) half dismes were likely produced on July 11-13. Even Donald Trump can’t build a building in three days, and as it happens the property didn’t even have its old structures demolished until the 19th. So these were probably made in someone’s basement, and that someone was likely a man named John Harper, who was a contractor for the Mint.

The new research points to Jefferson’s personal memoranda, which indicate that Thomas Jefferson withdrew about 100 dollars worth of silver from the Bank of the United States, probably in the form of Spanish dollars, and had 75 dollars worth of that made into these half dismes. Then, as he left Philadelphia to go home to Virginia on a vacation, he records spending money here and there, in multiples of five cents. The first of these was in Chester, Pennsylvania, where on July 13, he tipped “servants” [likely: slaves] in the amount of 30 cents at the inn he stayed in that evening. From that point forward, he notes many expenditures in multiples of five cents, but this ceases on October 5, after he had returned to Philadelphia.

Why were multiples of five cents such a big deal? Because the Spanish dollar was really an 8 real coin. You could find 1/2, 1, 2 and 4 real pieces too…but that works out to 6 1/2 and 12 1/2 cents for the smaller pieces. There was no way to get to any multiple of 5 other than 25 and 50 with those coins. And English coinage would be just as difficult–a shilling of 12 pence was worth (roughly) 25 cents, and you could divide 12 by 5 and get 2.4 pence = 5 cents (roughly) but there was no way to get 0.4 pence out of British money. You had half pennies (0.5 pence) and farthings (0.25 pence), no way to get to 2.4 pence…and it would be roughly equal, not equal, in any case.

Was that night in Chester, PA, the first time when the first coinage of the United States was spent?

When I read this article, it seemed pretty compelling–but people have mustered plausible alternate explanations since then, even for the multiples of 5 cents. So the caveat is, this might all be untrue. Like I said, this is a controversial coin.

Apparently, by looking at the coins, you can see the dies they were made from degrading from use; the people who have no life and look at these things define six “die states” and Jefferson’s 1500 coins (if this is true) would be the first four of the six. So if you can find and buy one of them, you own an artifact that Jefferson actually handled one time. What of the other two die states? (Who knows, perhaps Washington had those made from his silverware.) We know that there was indeed a second striking of anywhere between 200-500 pieces, but don’t know much about it, other than it was at the new Mint building on October 9th. (That building had gone up in less than 20 days, so perhaps Trump was there to help.)

But it has also been pointed out that whoever made these, from whatever source of silver, they were of dubious legality. The Mint act called for the officer in charge of gold and silver coining to post $10,000 bond, and no one was actually able to do that; the number got lowered by another act of Congress in 1794, and that’s when we could finally mint silver and gold. (Copper began in 1793.) So how is it that people were banging out silver coins in someone’s basement, while we were waiting for the First Mint to be built? (The current Philadelphia mint, which faces the same park Independence Hall faces, the same park that houses the Liberty Bell, is the “Fourth Mint.”) On the other hand it may have been deemed “OK” because the Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson was likely there to watch it being made. And, interestingly, at the time the Mint was part of the Department of State, not Hamilton’s Department of the Treasury. George Washington had set things up that way, partially to not give one man a monopoly on all things monetary, and partially because our coinage system at the time was largely based on Jefferson’s concept of having weights, measures and money be decimal. (Jefferson even came up with a system a lot like the metric system, but with names coming from our traditions–however, this wasn’t adopted.)

The first US Mint director was David Rittenhouse, who at the time was a very famous and respected scientist, albeit not quite a bona fide world celebrity like Benjamin Franklin, who had become world famous even before the Revolution. Rittenhouse would likely have been there too, for the coining of these half dismes.

So the coin is shrouded in mystery. We don’t know for certain why it was made, or whose silver it was made out of. What seemed like solid research published in 2017 still hasn’t settled anything.

But the rest of the story on the half dime, as a denomination.

The letter “s” was dropped from “disme” sometime around 1800. It’s hard to be sure precisely when because we didn’t put the actual word on a coin any time between 1794 and 1807–during that timespan coins were typically identified by size and weight, with no actual denomination on the coin itself (the quarter dollar was an exception with “25 C” on the reverse). Collectors today argue over how “disme” was pronounced and many will say “half deem” when talking about this coin.

The half dime as a denomination was discontinued in 1873. The modern “nickel” had been invented in 1866 and, since silver wasn’t circulating in the aftermath of the Civil War, had taken over the job of being a five cent piece. So the half dime was deemed redundant.

If you want to get a half dime, and don’t care about the date, you can find examples from 1850 or so, and later for less than 300 dollars, in a “choice” uncirculated condition (MS-63 in technical parlance). (There are pretty ratty-looking coins out there that are technically uncirculated, MS 60 and 61, for a bit under $200–it’s probably a false economy; if you want uncirculated, go for something better.) Higher circulated grades, perfectly acceptable as curiosities, run from $35 (XF-40) on up. Ones in very low grade (Good-4) go for as little as $18; again, I’d suggest spending the extra 20 bucks–there is a world of difference between Good-4 and XF-40, and almost as much difference between XF-40 and AU-55 (which can be had for just under $100 if you pick a “common date”). AU 50 will look perfectly pleasing without a magnifier. Another factor is that any coin worth above $50 or so will likely be in a big sealed plastic holder; if you want a coin you can hold in your hand, either get a cheap one, or buy a more expensive one and crack it out of the holder.

Standard Disclaimer: None of the coins I show are my coins, not even the cheap ones. In this particular case, the coin shown is the finest known 1792 half disme and is probably worth more than my house and certainly is worth much more than my entire coin collection.

Reminder Of One Basic Fact

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

https://youtube.com/watch?v=L3tnH4FGbd0%3F

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

Praise God

Praise is bestowing compliments “on a person for his personal virtues or worthy actions …”, as Noah Webster explained it. Psalms is the Thankful praise book of the Bible with the word “praise” mentioned 132 times.

It is very important to God, and should be to us, to praise God for all the wonderful things He has done in our lives.  He never tires of our praising Him. We are to praise Him, as we are reminded in Psalms, because:

He is righteous.

“And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.” Psa. 35:28 
Also: 7:17, 48:10.

He deserves it!

“I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.” Psa. 9:2 
Also: Psa. 69:34, 71:8,  98:4, 107:32, 135:3.

He is powerful and mighty!

“Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.” Psa. 21:13  Also: Psa.22:23, 28:7, 150:2.

All of His creation praises Him, and so should we.

“Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.” Psa. 148:3 Also: 146:10, 148:2.

Of His working in our lives and in this world.

“I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.” Psa. 9:1 Also: Psa. 52:9, 107:15, 21, 31, 118:21, 139:14, 145:10.

I trust Him, and everything He says in His Word.

“In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.” Psa. 56:4  Also: Psa. 56:10, 63:5.

He has given us joy!

“And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.” Psa. 40:3 Also: Psa. 42:11, Psa. 43:4,5.

We are not proud to tell others that we have a relationship with Him.

“I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.”
Psa. 22:22 Also: Psa. 44:8.

We want others to know of Him, and experience His love and help in their lives!

“I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.” Psa. 45:17 Also: Psa. 57:9, 66:8, 67:3,5, 74:21, 86:12, 108:3, 109:30, 113:9, 117:1.

We are grateful for His love and help.

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Psa. 100:4 Also: Psa. 30:12, 69:30, 79:13, 106:1, 107:8.

Praising God is a way to show that we are grateful to Him for all He has done.  We all have so much to praise Him for.  God is so good to us; certainly better than we deserve.

https://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/psalms/praise-god/

Praise Him! Praise Him!

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory;
Strength and honor give to His holy Name!
Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children,
In His arms He carries them all day long.

Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness;
Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song!

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
For our sins He suffered, and bled, and died.
He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation,
Hail Him! Hail Him! Jesus the Crucified.
Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows,
Love unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong.

Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness;
Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song!

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Heav’nly portals loud with hosannas ring!
Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever;
Crown Him! Crown Him! Prophet, and Priest, and King!
Christ is coming! over the world victorious,
Pow’r and glory unto the Lord belong.

Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness;
Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song!

Fanny Crosby, pub.1869

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

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

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

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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

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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

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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.”

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Resting in the Lord

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

The latest lunacy from the left is mind-boggling: COVID-19 is such a threat to the existence of society that we must live our lives in lockdown, not even being permitted to attend church services or walk with your dog on a deserted strip of beach,

BUT . . .

It’s perfectly OK, even psychologically healthy, for crowds to gather by the thousands, assaulting citizens, and looting and burning businesses all with the pretext of honoring the life of a drug abusing, porn acting, counterfeit money passing individual considered the victim of excessive police force.  And, likewise, it’s OK to encourage a million man mob to form in Wash., D.C. to possibly spread disease and mayhem on an enormous scale.

This latest bit of insanity got me thinking of how my involvement with these events are actually effecting my life in these times.  Here.  Now.

What am I missing? I’m missing the whole concept of “Resting in the Lord”. That concept is fairly well fractured on a daily basis these days and that’s what I’d like to explore a bit this Sunday.

For years, I’ve had in my mind’s eye what, for me, would be an idyllic, restful setting:

I’m sitting in an old, rather worn recliner (that fits me like a glove) on the covered back porch of a small log cabin buried deep in a pine forest.  The heady scent of the pine pitch is strong in the air and the sights and sounds from the woodland creatures, and those from the lake just a few yards away, lend a fairy-tale aspect to the sight of the red rising sun, just appearing through the trees on the ridge nearby.  The sun draws a red path through the lake, across small ripples from the gentle morning breeze.

At this cabin, I have all I need.  My health is good, my retirement income is ample, and I own the cabin outright.  My larder is well-stocked, I’ve plenty of practical clothing for all four seasons and a big woodpile, and nothing, nothing impacts my life that would cause anger or even concern.  I’ve got goodwill in my heart for all, man or beast, and a pleasant feeling of contentment, not involving any of my own accomplishments, but from being in this restful place with a feeling of gratitude for the same.

Now this tale, with a few adjustments, embodies my general feelings of resting in the Lord.

We are where we are in this country, and we have all that we have courtesy of a generous Provider Who is our Creator.  He owns the cabin, the pines and the lake and graciously allows me to stay there, without charge, if only I acknowledge Him as my Provider and trust in His Son as my Savior, which I am pleased to do.  (Jehovah-Jireh: The LORD Will Provide)

He has given me my health, and provided my larder, clothing and woodpile.  Because of my trust in Him, I will not let myself be overly concerned by the machinations of the world outside of the forest.

My Provider has written some principles that He has advised me that I should develop in my life, but He wants me to accept these principles, not as imposed and enforced rules, but as a way of life that I realize is best for me and also for those around me.

The two major principles are general: to esteem and honor my Provider and to seek the higher good for others.  A few of the personal characteristics my Provider specifically mentions are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  He has more principles such as justice, mercy, forgiveness and humility that He wants me to follow and examples for me that He has written in a Book that he left for me.

My Provider also wants me to know that He is controlling the events of this world according to His perfect plan in which all will work out to my benefit.  He does ask that I be still, quiet and rest easily in the confidence that He is in control of everything.

I also read in the Book that my Provider has some great plans for me in the future.  He is preparing a place full of joy and peace, and so wonderful and delightful that it is beyond my imagination, a place in which I will be able to stay for a very, very long time.

When the Big Crazy starts closing in on me, I find that I can escape it with a quick trip to the cabin in the pines, never losing sight of the fact that it is my Provider that has made it all possible, in spite of my unworthiness of the privilege, and giving Him the thanks, the praise and all the glory.

When peace, like a river, flows swiftly away,
And troubles like sea billows roll;
In You I’m steadfast, from Your arms I’ll not stray,
For it’s well, yes, it’s well with my soul.

  ~ apologies to Horatio G. Spafford

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

FYI – Some of the other names for God in the Bible
(There are many more)

EL, ELOAH: God mighty, strong, prominent
ELOHIM: God Creator, Mighty and Strong
EL SHADDAI: God Almighty
ADONAI: Lord
YHWH / YAHWEH / JEHOVAH: LORD
YAHWEH-RAPHA: The Lord Who Heals
AHWEH-M’KADDESH: The Lord Who Sanctifies, Makes Holy
YAHWEH-SHALOM: The Lord Our Peace
YAHWEH-ELOHIM: LORD God
YAHWEH-TSIDKENU: The Lord Our Righteousness
YAHWEH-ROHI: The Lord Our Shepherd
YAHWEH-SABAOTH: The Lord of Hosts
EL ELYON: Most High
EL-OLAM: Everlasting God

Warfare has changed over the millennia. It has gone from hand-to-hand with clubs and blades, to involving archery, to firearms. And as that has been going on, it has also involved naval warfare, because seas were (and are) excellent means of delivering supplies and soldiers, so control of the seas became essential. And, over the last century-plus, this has become true of the air, with the added bit that air is an excellent place, too, for reconnaissance. And now we’re moving into space, which has largely (so far) been a place useful for reconnaissance, navigation and communications, and therefore, inevitably, will be fought over.

But–please correct me if I’m wrong–the last time huge armies of literally millions of people got together and duked it out for the survival of their major-power countries was World War II.

Probably the biggest “conventional” war since World War II was the Iran-Iraq war, with total military dead over the nearly eight years it ran being anywhere from 300,000 to 1,100,000 people. Even there though the forces in the field at any given time were considerably less than a million, total.

What killed the “big” duke-em-outs between major powers? The nuclear bomb. Two major powers will never get into that kind of fight again, because the side that thinks it’s losing will push the button, and the side that would be winning knows this. Not that they don’t fight…they just do it by other means, hoping to weaken the other side, but knowing they can’t annihilate them without being themselves annihilated. (And of course the Soviet Union bent every effort to get us to give up our nukes, so that they could then blackmail us.)

World War II was the last time we’ll see such massive carnage on a battlefield. One hopes. And there was plenty to go around; we had some positively brutal battles in the Pacific. The Soviets had an even rougher time of it, losing tens of millions to the war and more millions to their own government. We fought the Nazis, too, in Africa and Italy before…well, before D-Day.

[Now I have to stop right here and smack some Commies upside the head. The post-war Soviet Union loved to depict the US contributions to the war as absolutely minimal; I once saw a propaganda movie intended to depict us as doing nothing more than running a few exercises, blowing up ships we were about to scuttle anyway. Even today, sometimes the Russians like to minimize our efforts. That is, of course, a Terex-dump-truck-load of bearded dragon shit.

But by the same token, one must acknowledge that what we went through, though great, was less than the Soviet Union did, and no, not all of it was Stalin’s deliberate doing, and it’s not even the case all of it was Stalin’s incompetence. It does not minimize our efforts to acknowledge that what they suffered was even bigger.]

Which brings us, finally, to D-Day. In order to win the war against an intransigent enemy, we had no choice but to invade. (Bombers are very useful, but have never conquered anything.) That meant sending our troops directly to places where the enemy, which had had months or even years to construct fortifications, was waiting for them. We managed to blunt the impact of this with disinformation, the sorts of things we did to convince Hitler that the threat was to Calais, not Normandy. He moved forces that would have made mincemeat of the invasion, otherwise. (Even after the D-Day landings, Patton was kept in Southeastern England until July, to deceive Germany into thinking there would be an additional “main” landing at Calais. He was a victim of his own success in battle.)

The cost of picking Normandy was that our forces would have to travel farther to Germany, and farther across the English Channel. Germany knew this of course, and Calais was a much more obvious target for us. All of this convinced Germany to throw its resources elsewhere–plus, of course, most of its forces were fighting the Soviet Union.

But did I say “to blunt the impact of this”? If this was “blunted,” I’d certainly not wish a non-blunted version of it on anyone!

Most of us have seen Saving Private Ryan. That opening scene was a small taste of the reality. Anyone who was there, or on any of the other beaches, deserves our undying gratitude. Because of what they did, not only was the evil of Nazism extirpated–by this time that would have happened anyway; Hitler was already losing to the Soviet Union–but the western half of Europe was saved from the ravages of Communism. For Stalin would certainly not have stopped at the Elbe.

Imagine a post-war world where the Iron Curtain was the coast of Europe, rather than running down its center. I’m not sure the Soviet Union would ever have fallen. And what would have happened to the UK?

The Landings Themselves

D-Day remains the largest amphibious assault in history. 160,000 were landed on D-Day, with subsequent reinforcements bringing the numbers up to 875,000 by the end of June.

There were five beaches: Omaha, Utah, Gold, Juno, and Sword. The first two were American, the last three were invaded by British and Canadian soldiers.

By far the worst meat grinder was Omaha, with 2000 dead, followed by Gold with about 1000 dead. All told, on D-Day, 4,414 allied troops died, with a grand total of about 10,000 Allied dead and wounded. (The Germans lost about a thousand men, which is not unexpected proportions for a defending force.)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/Map_of_the_D-Day_landings.svg/1280px-Map_of_the_D-Day_landings.svg.png

Those casualty numbers, bad as they are, could have been much, much higher. And I imagine if we fought like the Soviets fought, with utter disregard for the lives of their own troops, they would have been.

Without D-Day, we’d live in a very different world. World War II was pivotal in history, and D-Day was pivotal within World War II. Thank You to all who fought there, and in Africa and Italy before, and Western Europe afterwards, and also to those who fought in the meantime in the Pacific.

Let’s just hope we can dish out domestic justice as well as we dished it out to the Japanese and the Nazis. It’s the least we can do for them, to let this continue being the sort of country they fought for.

A Reminder Of Today’s Issues.

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

And if one wants the full, polished video:

Lawyer Appeasement Section

OK now for the fine print.

This is the WQTH Daily Thread. You know the drill. There’s no Political 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.)

Coin of The Day

Now it wouldn’t be one of my posts without a coin, would it? In fact, I’ll do four. The US, UK, Canada, and French commemorations of D-Day.

https://www.jakesmp.com/assets/images/potpourrie/pp10232013-13.jpg

https://media.atkinsonsbullion.com/AtkinsonsBullion/media/product/agco8567/agco8567_1.png

http://news.coinupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/canada-2019-dollar-d-day-anniv-gold-pair.jpg

https://www.nunofi.sk/images/sklady/france-2014-2-euro-normandi.jpg

Obligatory PSA/Reminder

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

https://youtube.com/watch?v=L3tnH4FGbd0%3F

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

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