Dear Senator Specter, 2.28.09
I deeply appreciate your letter explaining your position regarding economic stimulus and ,from it, can clearly understand your position.
I had asked that you not vote $1.00 for economic stimulus and this would be the reasoning behind that request:
1. The Bible says to owe no man anything. I believe that the God of the Bible is our creator and ,as such, knows how we best function.
2. My understanding of the financial crisis is that it was brought on by character defects one of which was greed, the desire for more. God tells us to be content with food and covering (clothing and shelter). Everything we do that is contrary to His command has a consequent correction, sometimes immediate and sometimes distant. One of God's correctives for disobedience is suffering. Corrective suffering serves the purpose of bringing us back to a place of obedience. God, though correcting, is merciful to us when we disobey. If He directs that mercy come by human agency it is to come at the hands of other individuals only. Neither the Bible nor the Constitution make provision for mercy to come at the hands of government
3. It is my understanding that the government encouraged the effort to provide housing for people who, considering the normal principles that guide whether or not to loan money, did not qualify as being able to pay back the loan. In so doing the government was going beyond it's God-given function. In so doing it was also, contrary to Scripture, becoming surety - becoming a promisary for the payment of another. The Bible says, 'A man lacking sense shakes hands and becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor'. (Proverbs 17:18)
4. It is reported that much of the money is for 'pork". You state that you are only for income tax reductions and business tax breaks, which one could argue might stimulate the economy, but that you had to compromise or there would be inaction. Had you refused to compromise this would hav been principled, responsible, representative action. I believe that inaction is better than wrong action and am disappointed.
5. According to the Constitution the government has not been given a right by the people whom they represent to become involved in the private affairs of men so long as those affairs do not involve injustice. In passing the economic stimulus bill it seems that the government has not corrected those who have done wrong (greed) but, rather, have joined with them in wrongdoing and then have sought to be themselves the corrective agent for the wrong done.
6. What has been done by the economic stimulus bill appears to be the 'legalized', forcible taking of property from those who are not responsible for the crisis and using this to 'help' those who are responsible.
7. This appears to be taxation without representation breaking the commandment of God, 'Thou shalt not steal' as well as a disregard for constitutional restraints against such.
8. I believe that in passing this bill you have broken your oath to uphold the constitution.
I believe that you are well-meaning in your intention to help out in a very difficult situation, but that you are tragically mistaken for the reasons listed above in so doing. Beyond your role of punishing evildoers and making sure that they are corrected, beyond you and i and every person seeking to help, as individuals, the current resultant need that comes from that evil, my belief is that all we can do is pray for God to have mercy on us and look to Him for help in our need as a nation at this time.
Had you acted accordingly i would been most grateful. Honestly, in light of what has been, and continues to be, done I believe the only honorable thing for you and President Obama, who signed this into law, is to undo what has been done or quit your offices as having failed your Biblical and Constitutional mandates.
I am anxious to hear your thoughts in response. God bless you for all the good you do in representing us.
Sincerely, Stephen Paine
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
2.27.09 SENATOR SPECTER ON ECONOMIC STIMULUS BILL
Dear Mr. Paine:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (H.R.1, P.L. 111-5). This legislation passed the Senate 60-38 and was signed into law by the President on February 17, 2009. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me.
I supported the economic stimulus package for one simple reason: The country could not afford not to take action. The unemployment figures, the latest earnings reports and the continuing crisis in banking made it clear that failure to act would have left the United States facing a far deeper crisis in the future. I carefully weighed the vote on the stimulus package because of the large deficit and the large national debt faced by future generations.
The economy is in a desperate situation. Just in the month of January, 2009 we lost 600,000 jobs, added to the loss of 2.8 million in 2008. There are millions of people who are having their homes foreclosed. The economists tell us that if we do not act that the current severe recession could well develop into a full-fledged depression like 1929. The agreement we reached was the best one we could under the circumstances. We were able to cut out $100 billion from the package. My preference would have been Senator John McCain's proposal, a $421 billion alternative focused largely on income tax reductions and business tax breaks. Unfortunately, this amendment failed 40-57. I voted for the Reagan tax cuts back in 1981 and that would be the best course, but in a legislative body it is important to be able to compromise and pass legislation, as opposed to inaction.
I was impressed with the position of the United States Chamber of Commerce which was for the bill very solidly. The Chamber is for the bill because it supports pro-growth tax initiatives. The Chamber is for the bill because it applauds the inclusion of tax relief. The Chamber is for the bill because many of the spending-side provisions in the legislation will also provide stimulus to get Americans back to work, focusing on infrastructure spending for roads, rails, public transportation, aviation, inland waterways and ports.
Many provisions of the bill affecting small businesses were based on legislation I have introduced in the 111th Congress. The Act delays the 3% withholding tax on payments to businesses that sell goods or services to governments. My bill, S.292, would repeal this withholding tax. For small businesses, the Act extends the Net Operating Loss (NOL) carryback period to five years for 2008. My bill, S.293, which I originally introduced in the 110th Congress, would extend the NOL to five years for 2008 and 2009. The Act also extends two provisions that were enacted as part of the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, and mirror my bill, S. 294. The 50 percent bonus depreciation and the increased $250,000 limit for the Small Business Expensing Allowance are extended for an additional year.
Thank you for taking the time to bring your views on this important matter to my attention. As a United States Senator, it is essential that I be kept fully informed on the issues of concern to my constituents. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office or visit my website at http://specter.senate.gov/.
Sincerely,
Arlen Specter
Thank you for contacting me regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (H.R.1, P.L. 111-5). This legislation passed the Senate 60-38 and was signed into law by the President on February 17, 2009. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me.
I supported the economic stimulus package for one simple reason: The country could not afford not to take action. The unemployment figures, the latest earnings reports and the continuing crisis in banking made it clear that failure to act would have left the United States facing a far deeper crisis in the future. I carefully weighed the vote on the stimulus package because of the large deficit and the large national debt faced by future generations.
The economy is in a desperate situation. Just in the month of January, 2009 we lost 600,000 jobs, added to the loss of 2.8 million in 2008. There are millions of people who are having their homes foreclosed. The economists tell us that if we do not act that the current severe recession could well develop into a full-fledged depression like 1929. The agreement we reached was the best one we could under the circumstances. We were able to cut out $100 billion from the package. My preference would have been Senator John McCain's proposal, a $421 billion alternative focused largely on income tax reductions and business tax breaks. Unfortunately, this amendment failed 40-57. I voted for the Reagan tax cuts back in 1981 and that would be the best course, but in a legislative body it is important to be able to compromise and pass legislation, as opposed to inaction.
I was impressed with the position of the United States Chamber of Commerce which was for the bill very solidly. The Chamber is for the bill because it supports pro-growth tax initiatives. The Chamber is for the bill because it applauds the inclusion of tax relief. The Chamber is for the bill because many of the spending-side provisions in the legislation will also provide stimulus to get Americans back to work, focusing on infrastructure spending for roads, rails, public transportation, aviation, inland waterways and ports.
Many provisions of the bill affecting small businesses were based on legislation I have introduced in the 111th Congress. The Act delays the 3% withholding tax on payments to businesses that sell goods or services to governments. My bill, S.292, would repeal this withholding tax. For small businesses, the Act extends the Net Operating Loss (NOL) carryback period to five years for 2008. My bill, S.293, which I originally introduced in the 110th Congress, would extend the NOL to five years for 2008 and 2009. The Act also extends two provisions that were enacted as part of the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, and mirror my bill, S. 294. The 50 percent bonus depreciation and the increased $250,000 limit for the Small Business Expensing Allowance are extended for an additional year.
Thank you for taking the time to bring your views on this important matter to my attention. As a United States Senator, it is essential that I be kept fully informed on the issues of concern to my constituents. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office or visit my website at http://specter.senate.gov/.
Sincerely,
Arlen Specter
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
2.25.09 SENATOR CASEY ON ECONOMIC STIMULUS
Dear Mr. Paine:
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on the economic recovery plan. I appreciate hearing from you.
The end of the year brought sobering news about the state of our economy. So many working families have suffered under the weight of this recession. In 2008, 3.6 million Americans lost their jobs and unemployment soared to 7.2 percent. In Pennsylvania, 54,300 jobs were lost in a single month between November and December, bringing the state's unemployment rate from 6.2 percent to 6.7 percent. Compounding the bleak employment data is the state's own financial picture. These shortfalls present a danger to communities across Pennsylvania as state and local officials may be required to raise tax rates to meet the looming deficits unless action is taken.
As you are aware, Congress has been working with the Obama Administration over the past several weeks to come up with a recovery plan to begin to reverse the economic downturn. The bill, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, includes many components designed to accomplish this goal. For instance, the plan will give tax cuts to 95 percent of American workers, putting money in their pockets as they struggle to make ends meet. It will provide an infusion of capital into projects across Pennsylvania that will put people to work modernizing the Commonwealth's roads, bridges and water systems, creating or saving an estimated 3.5 million jobs nationwide and as many as 143,000 here in Pennsylvania. It provides direct aid to the state to help fill the budget gap, stave off cuts to crucial services and provide additional unemployment insurance for workers who have lost their jobs. For greater detail on the funding specific to Pennsylvania, please visit my website at http://casey.senate.gov.
Although I recognize that this recovery bill is not perfect, I voted for it to help President Obama get our economy moving again, to create jobs and to aid those hardest hit by the economy. As you probably know, President Obama recently signed this bill into law.
This bill will not only create and save jobs immediately, but it help us rebuild America for the future, making us more globally competitive and energy independent. The investments it will make in roads, bridges, mass transit, energy efficient building, flood control and clean water projects will have a lasting effect on our economy. The bill's investments in science and innovation will be used to spur new American-made technology, prevent and treat disease, and tackle urgent national challenges like climate change and dependence on foreign oil.
As the Obama Administration moves forward with this plan, I will work with other senators to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent in an effective and efficient manner. The new law contains unprecedented transparency and oversight provisions that will allow taxpayers to see how their government spends their money. I encourage you to visit a new website, www.recovery.gov, that has been established so that you can track the implementation of this recovery plan.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of importance to you.
Sincerely,
Bob Casey
United States Senator
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on the economic recovery plan. I appreciate hearing from you.
The end of the year brought sobering news about the state of our economy. So many working families have suffered under the weight of this recession. In 2008, 3.6 million Americans lost their jobs and unemployment soared to 7.2 percent. In Pennsylvania, 54,300 jobs were lost in a single month between November and December, bringing the state's unemployment rate from 6.2 percent to 6.7 percent. Compounding the bleak employment data is the state's own financial picture. These shortfalls present a danger to communities across Pennsylvania as state and local officials may be required to raise tax rates to meet the looming deficits unless action is taken.
As you are aware, Congress has been working with the Obama Administration over the past several weeks to come up with a recovery plan to begin to reverse the economic downturn. The bill, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, includes many components designed to accomplish this goal. For instance, the plan will give tax cuts to 95 percent of American workers, putting money in their pockets as they struggle to make ends meet. It will provide an infusion of capital into projects across Pennsylvania that will put people to work modernizing the Commonwealth's roads, bridges and water systems, creating or saving an estimated 3.5 million jobs nationwide and as many as 143,000 here in Pennsylvania. It provides direct aid to the state to help fill the budget gap, stave off cuts to crucial services and provide additional unemployment insurance for workers who have lost their jobs. For greater detail on the funding specific to Pennsylvania, please visit my website at http://casey.senate.gov.
Although I recognize that this recovery bill is not perfect, I voted for it to help President Obama get our economy moving again, to create jobs and to aid those hardest hit by the economy. As you probably know, President Obama recently signed this bill into law.
This bill will not only create and save jobs immediately, but it help us rebuild America for the future, making us more globally competitive and energy independent. The investments it will make in roads, bridges, mass transit, energy efficient building, flood control and clean water projects will have a lasting effect on our economy. The bill's investments in science and innovation will be used to spur new American-made technology, prevent and treat disease, and tackle urgent national challenges like climate change and dependence on foreign oil.
As the Obama Administration moves forward with this plan, I will work with other senators to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent in an effective and efficient manner. The new law contains unprecedented transparency and oversight provisions that will allow taxpayers to see how their government spends their money. I encourage you to visit a new website, www.recovery.gov, that has been established so that you can track the implementation of this recovery plan.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of importance to you.
Sincerely,
Bob Casey
United States Senator
Sunday, February 22, 2009
2.22.09 MAY YOU LIVE FOREVER!
i'm on a mission...it feels like something that is more God-done than me-done. i feel like a fully unfurled sail before a mighty wind. there's many aspects to this, more than could be shared but the part i'm thinking about right now is the mission to do what i ought rather than what i want. this i saw mom live day in and day out. it was kind of like observing a creature from a different world...a world vaguely comprehensible mentally but experientially non-existent. my whole life has been following the muse, butterflying to the next scent, following fully the moment...all that flowery language for doing, as much as possible, what i want! well, God may have other plans. He seems to have me following strange, very strange paths, in an alien world...the world of personal responsibility. lately i am urged strongly to constantly do things i don't want to do. all the old siren songs waft in vain, all the strong passions...are they TOTALLY CASTRATED! i'm not sure. given my track record, next week could find me neck in neck with the next guy following the 'eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow i die' dictum...we'll see.
was praying about going to a 'wild at heart' 3 day conference in the poconos with jim yothers down the block in april. sensed i should be going primarily to have an opportunity to minister in jim's life (i don't know if that is really why God wants me there, maybe there's something else..too). no $..what to do..wouldn't you know it..within several days i had not one but two jobs when i had one bathroom in the last two months...well, in this topsy turvey world in which i now live i have 1 minute and 2 seconds left on the computer...who knows how long it will be till i can talk with you age.....hey, unexpectedly i'm back in touch within 5 minutes! the library was crawling with people so i was 'giving it up' but looked over in an less noticed spot and what should i see...so now i'm happy as a clam to have 56 more minutes to communicate all this stuff you really are dying to find out...i am such a selfish person, this is all for me!....(by the way when you see anywhere from.. to................................................................................ that means either the brain is wandering or i'm thinking about what to say next, or i'm just a little spacey at that point) anyway so i'm going to a place where at last i'll feel truly at home...a gathering of cave men. we men are the warriors of the world..on the inside much weaker than the weakest woman, much more a crybaby...but outside ready for bloody WAR! so should be good...maybe they teach jujitsu moves during the break sessions.
censorship, it seems, may have come to suburban philadelphia. the souderton independent, actually montgomery newspapers, limited me to one 300 word letter per month and then the first one i gave them, on abortion, they have refused to print. have been too busy to call and inquire as to why not. it's sad. freedom of speech was a cool concept while it lasted in the USA (union of socialist associations)...oh hadn't you heard! yea they changed that some time back. this last week they had this tiny piece on global warming from a person in flourtown, 15 miles south. sigh..
on the bright side, God has given me back my mother. she is pani (sp?) anna, a tiny, babushka- wearing little russian mother of iryna one of our missionaries to the ukraine. the Lord put it on my heart to ask her if she would be willing to darn the hole in my warm, wool sweater and the big hole that the washing machine 'ate' in the last mitten that my mom gave me (i didn't know you couldn't put a mitten in a washing machine). she not only did an awesome job darning the both but gave me a two pairs of wool socks and a pair of wool mittens to boot!!! my feet are no longer like two chunks of ice and i can endure the icy, late evening runs quite nicely. actually last night, frigid as usual, my hands SWEAT and i had to hand her mittens up to dry...she is my mother in that she has the same, sweat, tearful affection that i have not seen since my mom was still in her right mind...WOW... i've got to introduce them when we all get there. GOD IS GOOD! He so tenderly and without fanfare meets my needs and overflows beyond when all i deserve is hell. oh jehovah-tzidkenu (the Lord my righteousness) how i praise You.
i may be crazy, but i just bought about 20 different heirloom organic seeds from a place in missouri called heirloom seed acres or something like that. also dropped $70 on a drip irrigation system..had been thinking of this for a while and then saw it..and prayed..and took the plunge. and bought a little book about how to start seeds inside...all this expense at a time when, to my professed thought, the only place for any self-respecting person is prison..sigh..i am just a bundle of contradictions, a work (of God) in process. i may never get to sow them but then again maybe i will.
got 26 minutes to share my am devotional focus from today. was thinking about alot i can't share, pouring out my heart to the Lord to show me if i am blind, to keep the focus on all my sins and crying for wisdom about what to do in a certain thing and i'll share a bit of what came out on paper: oh Lord MAKE ME AN ANSWER (in some small way) TO THIS PRAYER/VISION of Your church-give Your church
a SHEPHERD-WATCHMAN-BARKING DOG-EQUIPPER-DISCIPLER of males
one who follows jethro's advice and not a one man show
fill us with ACCEPTANCE of each other and every person in the world, caring, loving, drawing each OTHER to our heart
help us all be interrelated members of one BODY, don't let no one usurp Your headship!
make us learners of You so we are constantly DISCIPLING others
make us FATHERS trainers of our children
MOTHERS managing their homes to be a godly, outreaching economy
CHILDREN honoring, obeying, serving their parents
a BODY where body life occurs with all sharing spiritual struggles, victories, defeats with one another
all EVANGELISTS preaching the good news of the Gospel to all we touch!
TRUTH-SPEAKERS, loving one another and the world enough to challenge sin and warn..
PROPHETS all overflowing with God's word wherever we are rather than a single talking head with all other mouths silenced
SALT AND LIGHT out of the inward-looking 'church program' which ghettoizes and keeps us sealed off from the world so desperately in need of God's love
WIDOWS functioning as described in the pastoral epistle
OLDER people teaching YOUNGER people
hilarious, profuse GIVING of self, time, resources rather than caught in the greed of the TAKERS
GOD OVER GOVERNMENT in everything..non-acceptance of ANYTHING from government
a PRAYING, CROSS-BEARING, HOLY, LOVING, TRUTH-SPEAKING, GRATEFUL, EVANGELIZING, DISCIPLING, GIVING, TRUSTING-IN -CHRIST'S-RIGHTEOUSNESS- ALONE, VICTORIOUS CHURCH!
love, dad
was praying about going to a 'wild at heart' 3 day conference in the poconos with jim yothers down the block in april. sensed i should be going primarily to have an opportunity to minister in jim's life (i don't know if that is really why God wants me there, maybe there's something else..too). no $..what to do..wouldn't you know it..within several days i had not one but two jobs when i had one bathroom in the last two months...well, in this topsy turvey world in which i now live i have 1 minute and 2 seconds left on the computer...who knows how long it will be till i can talk with you age.....hey, unexpectedly i'm back in touch within 5 minutes! the library was crawling with people so i was 'giving it up' but looked over in an less noticed spot and what should i see...so now i'm happy as a clam to have 56 more minutes to communicate all this stuff you really are dying to find out...i am such a selfish person, this is all for me!....(by the way when you see anywhere from.. to................................................................................ that means either the brain is wandering or i'm thinking about what to say next, or i'm just a little spacey at that point) anyway so i'm going to a place where at last i'll feel truly at home...a gathering of cave men. we men are the warriors of the world..on the inside much weaker than the weakest woman, much more a crybaby...but outside ready for bloody WAR! so should be good...maybe they teach jujitsu moves during the break sessions.
censorship, it seems, may have come to suburban philadelphia. the souderton independent, actually montgomery newspapers, limited me to one 300 word letter per month and then the first one i gave them, on abortion, they have refused to print. have been too busy to call and inquire as to why not. it's sad. freedom of speech was a cool concept while it lasted in the USA (union of socialist associations)...oh hadn't you heard! yea they changed that some time back. this last week they had this tiny piece on global warming from a person in flourtown, 15 miles south. sigh..
on the bright side, God has given me back my mother. she is pani (sp?) anna, a tiny, babushka- wearing little russian mother of iryna one of our missionaries to the ukraine. the Lord put it on my heart to ask her if she would be willing to darn the hole in my warm, wool sweater and the big hole that the washing machine 'ate' in the last mitten that my mom gave me (i didn't know you couldn't put a mitten in a washing machine). she not only did an awesome job darning the both but gave me a two pairs of wool socks and a pair of wool mittens to boot!!! my feet are no longer like two chunks of ice and i can endure the icy, late evening runs quite nicely. actually last night, frigid as usual, my hands SWEAT and i had to hand her mittens up to dry...she is my mother in that she has the same, sweat, tearful affection that i have not seen since my mom was still in her right mind...WOW... i've got to introduce them when we all get there. GOD IS GOOD! He so tenderly and without fanfare meets my needs and overflows beyond when all i deserve is hell. oh jehovah-tzidkenu (the Lord my righteousness) how i praise You.
i may be crazy, but i just bought about 20 different heirloom organic seeds from a place in missouri called heirloom seed acres or something like that. also dropped $70 on a drip irrigation system..had been thinking of this for a while and then saw it..and prayed..and took the plunge. and bought a little book about how to start seeds inside...all this expense at a time when, to my professed thought, the only place for any self-respecting person is prison..sigh..i am just a bundle of contradictions, a work (of God) in process. i may never get to sow them but then again maybe i will.
got 26 minutes to share my am devotional focus from today. was thinking about alot i can't share, pouring out my heart to the Lord to show me if i am blind, to keep the focus on all my sins and crying for wisdom about what to do in a certain thing and i'll share a bit of what came out on paper: oh Lord MAKE ME AN ANSWER (in some small way) TO THIS PRAYER/VISION of Your church-give Your church
a SHEPHERD-WATCHMAN-BARKING DOG-EQUIPPER-DISCIPLER of males
one who follows jethro's advice and not a one man show
fill us with ACCEPTANCE of each other and every person in the world, caring, loving, drawing each OTHER to our heart
help us all be interrelated members of one BODY, don't let no one usurp Your headship!
make us learners of You so we are constantly DISCIPLING others
make us FATHERS trainers of our children
MOTHERS managing their homes to be a godly, outreaching economy
CHILDREN honoring, obeying, serving their parents
a BODY where body life occurs with all sharing spiritual struggles, victories, defeats with one another
all EVANGELISTS preaching the good news of the Gospel to all we touch!
TRUTH-SPEAKERS, loving one another and the world enough to challenge sin and warn..
PROPHETS all overflowing with God's word wherever we are rather than a single talking head with all other mouths silenced
SALT AND LIGHT out of the inward-looking 'church program' which ghettoizes and keeps us sealed off from the world so desperately in need of God's love
WIDOWS functioning as described in the pastoral epistle
OLDER people teaching YOUNGER people
hilarious, profuse GIVING of self, time, resources rather than caught in the greed of the TAKERS
GOD OVER GOVERNMENT in everything..non-acceptance of ANYTHING from government
a PRAYING, CROSS-BEARING, HOLY, LOVING, TRUTH-SPEAKING, GRATEFUL, EVANGELIZING, DISCIPLING, GIVING, TRUSTING-IN -CHRIST'S-RIGHTEOUSNESS- ALONE, VICTORIOUS CHURCH!
love, dad
Sunday, February 15, 2009
2.15.09 MAY YOU LIVE FOREVER!
the last two days i have almost completed reading a biography of gandhi. i'm reading slowly and thinking alot. he appears in this book very different than he appeared through his own writing. here one sees him waiting. his goal of bringing independence to the people of india had several major roadblocks in his mind, the least of which was the english presence. far more thorny were the problems of different people groups and the universal acceptance of caste. he worked tirelessly to befriend the muslims who were as oil to the water of hinduism. he had untouchable people live in his ashram and at times lived among them when he was traveling. i saw him as much more intense before. he was fighting for people who were already alive to be able to have more freedom, to live a better life...on the bottom end of indian society this meant to not starve to death, suffer the miseries of poverty, suffer oppression or rejection at the hands of others. to attempt to achieve these goals he practiced and promoted various types of non-violent non-cooperation. sometimes he alone did this, sometimes those specifically chosen by him, sometimes, particularly right before indian independence, the whole indian people (those who were of a mind to). he was pursuing a goal which was basically agreed with by 320 million people as against how many english? i don't know but the former had a preponderance. it was a stupendous experiment never before in history atempted, a notable achievement. it brought a new way of relating to government that now can be copied by those who come after.
but when one thinks about it, it occurs that the civil rights movement, though having a degree of white support, might have been a greater achievement. i don't know...there is the unseen factor that someone had done it before, which gandhi did not have. but maybe it was harder. then you think about the 15 people who are in prison for forceful prolife action, the 0 in prison for non-violent, non-cooperation with abortion...where does that come on the scale. gandhi had many who
but when one thinks about it, it occurs that the civil rights movement, though having a degree of white support, might have been a greater achievement. i don't know...there is the unseen factor that someone had done it before, which gandhi did not have. but maybe it was harder. then you think about the 15 people who are in prison for forceful prolife action, the 0 in prison for non-violent, non-cooperation with abortion...where does that come on the scale. gandhi had many who
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
2.11.09 I DID NOT FIND GOD,HE FOUND ME!
sometime during 2008 it occurred to me that there has been something different about me spiritually for the past six years. i have experienced a type of relationship with God unlike any other time in my life. people used to talk about having a relationship with God and i would have agreed that the same was true for me...but now i'm not sure. maybe its more ongoing, more continual, more intense. or maybe i just thought i had a relationship before when i didn't. one thing is sure. i used to look at others like the pharisee in the temple thanking God he was not like other men and reciting his good works as evidence. now i'm much more like the despised tax-collector who sat beside him praying for God's mercy. i used to think that once one was saved he was supercharged in such a way that he, on a practical level, did not need God. now i experience a deep need of Him most every moment. whereas Jesus used to be a distant savior who had forgiven me and given me eternal life and left me on my own, now He is a precious, constant companion as well.
when i was a child i prayed that Jesus-would-come-into-my-heart-and-be-my-savior. i'm not sure. did it ever 'take'? i finally came to see myself as a sinner and become concerned about this when i was 20. there was a crisis of some sort and for the first time the Bible became understandable and, more than that, it seemed as though God was speaking directly to me through it. i always dated my 'salvation' from this time and maybe that's when it happened...but now this tremendous difference from any period before has come. for the first time He is real!
my spiritual roots being in the wesleyan methodist denomination for a long time i believed i could lose my salvation. then one time, during what i will call my pharisee period, i read a two volume biography of George Whitefield, the english evangelist influencial during the great awakening in the 18th century. he believed that man did not choose God but God man. when i closed the second volume i did also. to see a man who believed this and yet had such an undying passion for the souls of men was amazing to behold. i had struggled with romans 9..' it does not depend on the man who wills but on God who has mercy... He has mercy on whom He desires and He hardens who He desires..what if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? He did so in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy which He prepared beforehand for glory...(9.16,18,22-3), no more did i doubt or argue. He evidently changed me imperceptibly as i read. i no longer sit in judgment on Him...why don't You and why do You, etc...i'm amazed that He would forgive and bless eternally anyone and so grateful that He has me.
this past year i have been meditatively reading through 'the spiritual man' by watchman nee and believe God has changed me a bit by this book. there also was a little pamphlet written by j.i. packer, an introduction to 'the death of death in the death of Christ' written by john owen (1684). they both speak deeply to me concerning what i have and continue to experience in Christ. i share them as two, among a multitude of, great blessings God has given in 08.
'God wishes no one to "perish but that all should reach repentance" because He 'desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth' II pet. 3.9; I tim. 2.4 no problem arises concerning whom God wants to save or whom He will let perish. the problem before us is, rather, what is the sinner's attitude towards God's will? if he decides to be a christian because he is naturally inclined towards 'religion', naturally contemptuous of the world or naturally influenced by his heredity, environment or family, he is as far from God and His life as are other sinners. if (he) chooses to be a christian at the moment of excitement or enthusiasm, he may not fare better than the rest. it all reduces itself to this: what is his attitude towards God's will? God loves him, but will he accept this love? Christ calls him, but will he come? the Holy Spirit wants to give him life, but is he willing to be born? his will is useful only in choosing God's will...if man himself commences the search for salvation, he is yet perishing..but if man, upon hearing the gospel, is willing to accept what God offers to him, he shall be saved. in the one case, man originates; in the other he receives. the one does the willing himself while the other accepts God's will.
now j.i. packer..."to the question: what must i do to be saved? the old gospel replies: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
to the further question: what does it mean to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? its reply is: it means knowing oneself to be a sinner, and Christ to have died for sinners; abandoning all self-righteousness and self-confidence, and casting oneself wholly upon Him for pardon and peace; and exchanging one's natural enmity and rebellion against God for a spirit of grateful submission to the will of Christ through the renewing of one's heart by the Holy Ghost.
and to the further question still: how am i to go about believing on Christ and repenting, if i have no natural ability to do these things? it answers: look to Christ, speak to Christ, cry to Christ, just as you are; confess your sin, your impenitence, your unbelief, and cast yourself on His mercy; ask Him to give you a new heart, working in you true repentance and firm faith; ask Him to take away your evil heart of unbelief and to write His law within you, that you may never henceforth stray from Him. turn to Him and trust Him as best you can, and pray for grace to turn and trust more thoroughly; use the means of grace expectantly, looking to Christ to draw near to you as you seek to draw near to Him; watch, pray, read and hear God's Word, worship and commune with God's people, and so continue till you know in yourself beyond doubt that you are indeed a changed being, a penitent believer, and the new heart which you desired has been put within you."
i pinch myself. i can't believe the great God of the Bible has forgiven all my innumerable sins. i can't wait to be with Him forever. i'm so greatful He doesn't cast such a one away. what about you? has He saved you or are you heading unknowingly for hell? i don't care how 'good' or 'bad' you think you are. remember, He will only be Lord of all or not at all. He wants to save you but His will must be yours. it's your call. if you will give Him complete control of your life, call. He promises, whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
if you don't know how, pray this old hymn. ' open my eyes that i may see, glimpses of truth Thou hast for me, place in my hand the wonderful key, that shall unclasp and set me free.. open my ears and let me hear, voices of truth Thou sendest clear, and while the wave-notes fall on my ear, everything false will disappear.. silently now i wait for Thee, ready my God, Thy will to see, open my (ears, eyes, heart), illumine me, Spirit divine!
when i was a child i prayed that Jesus-would-come-into-my-heart-and-be-my-savior. i'm not sure. did it ever 'take'? i finally came to see myself as a sinner and become concerned about this when i was 20. there was a crisis of some sort and for the first time the Bible became understandable and, more than that, it seemed as though God was speaking directly to me through it. i always dated my 'salvation' from this time and maybe that's when it happened...but now this tremendous difference from any period before has come. for the first time He is real!
my spiritual roots being in the wesleyan methodist denomination for a long time i believed i could lose my salvation. then one time, during what i will call my pharisee period, i read a two volume biography of George Whitefield, the english evangelist influencial during the great awakening in the 18th century. he believed that man did not choose God but God man. when i closed the second volume i did also. to see a man who believed this and yet had such an undying passion for the souls of men was amazing to behold. i had struggled with romans 9..' it does not depend on the man who wills but on God who has mercy... He has mercy on whom He desires and He hardens who He desires..what if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? He did so in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy which He prepared beforehand for glory...(9.16,18,22-3), no more did i doubt or argue. He evidently changed me imperceptibly as i read. i no longer sit in judgment on Him...why don't You and why do You, etc...i'm amazed that He would forgive and bless eternally anyone and so grateful that He has me.
this past year i have been meditatively reading through 'the spiritual man' by watchman nee and believe God has changed me a bit by this book. there also was a little pamphlet written by j.i. packer, an introduction to 'the death of death in the death of Christ' written by john owen (1684). they both speak deeply to me concerning what i have and continue to experience in Christ. i share them as two, among a multitude of, great blessings God has given in 08.
'God wishes no one to "perish but that all should reach repentance" because He 'desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth' II pet. 3.9; I tim. 2.4 no problem arises concerning whom God wants to save or whom He will let perish. the problem before us is, rather, what is the sinner's attitude towards God's will? if he decides to be a christian because he is naturally inclined towards 'religion', naturally contemptuous of the world or naturally influenced by his heredity, environment or family, he is as far from God and His life as are other sinners. if (he) chooses to be a christian at the moment of excitement or enthusiasm, he may not fare better than the rest. it all reduces itself to this: what is his attitude towards God's will? God loves him, but will he accept this love? Christ calls him, but will he come? the Holy Spirit wants to give him life, but is he willing to be born? his will is useful only in choosing God's will...if man himself commences the search for salvation, he is yet perishing..but if man, upon hearing the gospel, is willing to accept what God offers to him, he shall be saved. in the one case, man originates; in the other he receives. the one does the willing himself while the other accepts God's will.
now j.i. packer..."to the question: what must i do to be saved? the old gospel replies: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
to the further question: what does it mean to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? its reply is: it means knowing oneself to be a sinner, and Christ to have died for sinners; abandoning all self-righteousness and self-confidence, and casting oneself wholly upon Him for pardon and peace; and exchanging one's natural enmity and rebellion against God for a spirit of grateful submission to the will of Christ through the renewing of one's heart by the Holy Ghost.
and to the further question still: how am i to go about believing on Christ and repenting, if i have no natural ability to do these things? it answers: look to Christ, speak to Christ, cry to Christ, just as you are; confess your sin, your impenitence, your unbelief, and cast yourself on His mercy; ask Him to give you a new heart, working in you true repentance and firm faith; ask Him to take away your evil heart of unbelief and to write His law within you, that you may never henceforth stray from Him. turn to Him and trust Him as best you can, and pray for grace to turn and trust more thoroughly; use the means of grace expectantly, looking to Christ to draw near to you as you seek to draw near to Him; watch, pray, read and hear God's Word, worship and commune with God's people, and so continue till you know in yourself beyond doubt that you are indeed a changed being, a penitent believer, and the new heart which you desired has been put within you."
i pinch myself. i can't believe the great God of the Bible has forgiven all my innumerable sins. i can't wait to be with Him forever. i'm so greatful He doesn't cast such a one away. what about you? has He saved you or are you heading unknowingly for hell? i don't care how 'good' or 'bad' you think you are. remember, He will only be Lord of all or not at all. He wants to save you but His will must be yours. it's your call. if you will give Him complete control of your life, call. He promises, whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
if you don't know how, pray this old hymn. ' open my eyes that i may see, glimpses of truth Thou hast for me, place in my hand the wonderful key, that shall unclasp and set me free.. open my ears and let me hear, voices of truth Thou sendest clear, and while the wave-notes fall on my ear, everything false will disappear.. silently now i wait for Thee, ready my God, Thy will to see, open my (ears, eyes, heart), illumine me, Spirit divine!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
2.10.09 THE REPORTER'S EDIT OF MY 2.5.09 LETTER
nona,
thanks again for taking time over the phone to explain things atthe reporter in regard to the sharing of opinion. thank you also forprinting my open letter to senators casey and specter as well asrepresentative dent. when i saw the letter i realized that i had notshared with you that this was an open letter from myself to my threecentral government reps. i'll try to remember to let you know that ifit occurs again. i think an open letter is much more powerful in manyways, not the least of which is that it has greater ability, i opine,to stir others to do the same. i feel akin to a little boy at the edgeof a blazing forest fire threatening my town with immanentdestruction...with a water pistol. i believe this is a WATERSHED and if passed will usher us away from personal responsibility and freedominto the chains and untold miseries of national slavery.
as you may be aware, we now, with our emphasis on rule by man and not by theunchanging law of the God of the Bible stand in the governmentalspectrum right next to anarchy-totalitarianism. a people reach anarchy(lit. everyone does what is right in their own sight without anyconstraint of law) by progressively turning their back on submissionto law based in the character and commands of the GOD of the Bible anddoing what THEY want. in so doing they rush down the slope ofself-created difficulties and into the arms of a perceivedsavior...alas,just another self-seeking fallible person. when thedifficulties become or are perceived to become too great, this saviormust save the people from themselves and one another by taking awayliberties that have roundly been abused.
this leads to my next thought.i was disappointed that you deleted the part that touched on what president obama is doing by exercisingpersonal oversight of the bailout (including his setting limits onfinancial executives). you see, in so doing, he is acting the part ofa dictator. granted, when a people lose the ability to governthemselves so as not to hurt one another, a dictator is necessary. butnecessary is not, in this case, right. right is to not giving theleading financial houses $25 billion of our money last year only tohave them pay out $26 billion in bonuses to their top men for failure.(the bulletin, 2.6.09) the cure (dictatorial oversight) is much worsethan the disease. we need to be made aware of what is being done andabsolutely deny $1 to bailout anyone and let the market do its ownwork. the market left untinkered with always rewards those who bless others and curses those who curse others...
so i was sorely disappointed that my questioning of president obama's choices in this area did not see print. they need to be scrutinized and continually checked and denied. sigh. however it is possible that we are already so decieved and enslaved as a people that we have not the ability to see or to shake off the chains that currently being forged to bind us fast. God bless you, nona. sincerely, stephen paine
thanks again for taking time over the phone to explain things atthe reporter in regard to the sharing of opinion. thank you also forprinting my open letter to senators casey and specter as well asrepresentative dent. when i saw the letter i realized that i had notshared with you that this was an open letter from myself to my threecentral government reps. i'll try to remember to let you know that ifit occurs again. i think an open letter is much more powerful in manyways, not the least of which is that it has greater ability, i opine,to stir others to do the same. i feel akin to a little boy at the edgeof a blazing forest fire threatening my town with immanentdestruction...with a water pistol. i believe this is a WATERSHED and if passed will usher us away from personal responsibility and freedominto the chains and untold miseries of national slavery.
as you may be aware, we now, with our emphasis on rule by man and not by theunchanging law of the God of the Bible stand in the governmentalspectrum right next to anarchy-totalitarianism. a people reach anarchy(lit. everyone does what is right in their own sight without anyconstraint of law) by progressively turning their back on submissionto law based in the character and commands of the GOD of the Bible anddoing what THEY want. in so doing they rush down the slope ofself-created difficulties and into the arms of a perceivedsavior...alas,just another self-seeking fallible person. when thedifficulties become or are perceived to become too great, this saviormust save the people from themselves and one another by taking awayliberties that have roundly been abused.
this leads to my next thought.i was disappointed that you deleted the part that touched on what president obama is doing by exercisingpersonal oversight of the bailout (including his setting limits onfinancial executives). you see, in so doing, he is acting the part ofa dictator. granted, when a people lose the ability to governthemselves so as not to hurt one another, a dictator is necessary. butnecessary is not, in this case, right. right is to not giving theleading financial houses $25 billion of our money last year only tohave them pay out $26 billion in bonuses to their top men for failure.(the bulletin, 2.6.09) the cure (dictatorial oversight) is much worsethan the disease. we need to be made aware of what is being done andabsolutely deny $1 to bailout anyone and let the market do its ownwork. the market left untinkered with always rewards those who bless others and curses those who curse others...
so i was sorely disappointed that my questioning of president obama's choices in this area did not see print. they need to be scrutinized and continually checked and denied. sigh. however it is possible that we are already so decieved and enslaved as a people that we have not the ability to see or to shake off the chains that currently being forged to bind us fast. God bless you, nona. sincerely, stephen paine
1.10.09 THEY WILL NOT PRINT MY LETTER
the email below to the editor of the souderton independent is in response to her (and mike morsch's) denial to print my letter to the editor (found below at 2.2.09 FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN PUBLIC NEWS).
hi emily, i'm not going to be able to contact you by phone today so wanted to just say that i am thinking that the first and second letters were covering different issues. the first, in my thinking,dealt with the idea of restricting letters to 300 words, the second with restricting to 300 words once a month. i think the readership needs to clearly hear from you editorially why you restrict 'every dayjoe' opinion, normally, to one page per issue (you have more than once told me that my letter could not be printed because there was 'no room' yet very little 'every day joe' opinion appeared in the issue in question. once i believe nothing appeared) and also, failing the appearance of other 'every day joe' opinion, why you feel a need to restrict a regular contributer's letter from appearing. i would appreciate it, if your restriction on me remains, if you would print the abortion letter that was originally denied in january. i'll go to my blog, check it out and re sent it to you shortly. thank you for your consideration of these things, emily. God bless you! steve paine
ps. also, i forgot to mention that i just read a great op-ed by herb denenberg on why newspapers, like the inquirer, are in deep trouble financially and on the brink of going out of existence. one of the many reasons he cited is their shaping of the news which people don't appreciate. he went on to say that most people buy the inquirer only for its coupons and obituaries while they hate its incomplete and biased reporting of news and sharing of opinion. its on the back page of the bulletin, last friday's (i believe) edition. a good read, if you haven't read it already. in my opinion one of the best ways to not shape news is to report facts and opinion on everything without partiality. proverbs says that as iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another. the truth, even if attempted to be covered, in time will alway vindicate itself as true. it's always just a matter of time. so 'facts' need to be constantly sharpened and kept true by opinion offered from a 360 degree perspective so we do not, as a group of whatever size, pay the price for living in accordance with error.
hi emily, i'm not going to be able to contact you by phone today so wanted to just say that i am thinking that the first and second letters were covering different issues. the first, in my thinking,dealt with the idea of restricting letters to 300 words, the second with restricting to 300 words once a month. i think the readership needs to clearly hear from you editorially why you restrict 'every dayjoe' opinion, normally, to one page per issue (you have more than once told me that my letter could not be printed because there was 'no room' yet very little 'every day joe' opinion appeared in the issue in question. once i believe nothing appeared) and also, failing the appearance of other 'every day joe' opinion, why you feel a need to restrict a regular contributer's letter from appearing. i would appreciate it, if your restriction on me remains, if you would print the abortion letter that was originally denied in january. i'll go to my blog, check it out and re sent it to you shortly. thank you for your consideration of these things, emily. God bless you! steve paine
ps. also, i forgot to mention that i just read a great op-ed by herb denenberg on why newspapers, like the inquirer, are in deep trouble financially and on the brink of going out of existence. one of the many reasons he cited is their shaping of the news which people don't appreciate. he went on to say that most people buy the inquirer only for its coupons and obituaries while they hate its incomplete and biased reporting of news and sharing of opinion. its on the back page of the bulletin, last friday's (i believe) edition. a good read, if you haven't read it already. in my opinion one of the best ways to not shape news is to report facts and opinion on everything without partiality. proverbs says that as iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another. the truth, even if attempted to be covered, in time will alway vindicate itself as true. it's always just a matter of time. so 'facts' need to be constantly sharpened and kept true by opinion offered from a 360 degree perspective so we do not, as a group of whatever size, pay the price for living in accordance with error.
Monday, February 9, 2009
2.9.09 ITS ABOUT THE LACK OF CHARACTER STUPID!
What imperils our nation much more than the destruction of the twin towers is our disregard for the triple principles. The God of the Bible tells us: OWE NOTHING to anyone except to love one another in Romans 13.8; if anyone is NOT willing to WORK, then he is NOT to EAT either in II Thessalonians 3.10; if we have FOOD AND COVERING with these we shall BE CONTENT in I Timothy 6.8. No amount of bailout will keep us afloat as long as we have these three holes in our national character.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
2.5.09 FREEDOM OF CHOICE ACT (FOCA)
pete, this is a letter i sent to the two pennsylvania senators and our local representative. FOCA, i am now hearing, will not be attempted as FOCA but rather there will be an attempt to pass it piecemeal as amendments to and parts of other, possibly unrelated legislation. so this still remains valid as a list of things with which we disagree however they are passed. any questions, 215-721-9821. God bless you, steve
dear representative dent,
i understand that president obama has promised to push for passage of FOCA (freedom of choice act) which will codify abortion as well as DO AWAY with current COMMONSENSE LIMITATIONS such as:
1. those coming for abortions need to understand clearly what they are doing (they need to see an ultra sound of their baby as well as a video of an abortion being performed along with showing what comes out). this we know as INFORMED CONSENT.
2. they need to have a TIME FOR REFLECTION (at least 24 hours) to seriously consider whether or not they really want to do this and, to a degree, escape any pressure being put on them by others so that this is truly their own decision.
3. if they are minors they need PERMISSION granted BY THEIR PARENT, verified by identification, in person just as they would for any other operation.
4. the currently UNLAWFUL abortion proceedure that induces labor of a late term preborn baby whose skull is punctured, brains vacuumed out, skull crushed while still within its mother and then pulled out ( PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION).
5. the requirement that a LICENSED MEDICAL DOCTOR PERFORM the ABORTION just as would be required for any other operation.
6. the MINIMUM HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARDS required by law for all other operations.
7. that TAXPAYERS, WHO MORALLY OBJECT TO ABORTION as an infringement on their belief that God has told us, 'thou shalt not kill', NOT BE REQUIRED TO FUND such killing with their taxes. (the hyde amendment being done away with) also taxpayer money goes to support planned parenthood, the largest provider of abortions in the country, which was more than $1,000,000,000 profitable last year.
8. that ABORTIONS may NOT be performed AT MILITARY HOSPITALS.
9. a RESTICTION ON medical INSURANCE COVERING ABORTION FOR GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES for the reason listed in #7 above.
10. BANS ON ABORTION of preborn babies AFTER VIABILITY.
11. LIMITS ON the use of PUBLIC FACILITIES, such as hospitals and medical schools at state universities, for PERFORMING ABORTIONS.
12. PROTECTION FOR THOSE individual health care providers and private businesses (ie. pharmacies, etc.) WHO DECLINE TO PARTICIPATE IN ABORTION.
13. PROTECTION FOR THOSE roman catholic and other religion-based hospitals and clinics WHO WILL NOT PERFORM ABORTIONS for the reason stated in #7 above.
if passed FOCA would strike down over 550 state and federal laws now limiting abortion and would not be pursuant of the stated goal of making ABORTION SAFE AND RARE. would you please let me know your position on abortion in general and what your vote would be should FOCA be presented in the house of representatives for a vote.
thank you for all you do for good and may God bless and help you in so doing. sincerely, stephen paine
dear representative dent,
i understand that president obama has promised to push for passage of FOCA (freedom of choice act) which will codify abortion as well as DO AWAY with current COMMONSENSE LIMITATIONS such as:
1. those coming for abortions need to understand clearly what they are doing (they need to see an ultra sound of their baby as well as a video of an abortion being performed along with showing what comes out). this we know as INFORMED CONSENT.
2. they need to have a TIME FOR REFLECTION (at least 24 hours) to seriously consider whether or not they really want to do this and, to a degree, escape any pressure being put on them by others so that this is truly their own decision.
3. if they are minors they need PERMISSION granted BY THEIR PARENT, verified by identification, in person just as they would for any other operation.
4. the currently UNLAWFUL abortion proceedure that induces labor of a late term preborn baby whose skull is punctured, brains vacuumed out, skull crushed while still within its mother and then pulled out ( PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION).
5. the requirement that a LICENSED MEDICAL DOCTOR PERFORM the ABORTION just as would be required for any other operation.
6. the MINIMUM HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARDS required by law for all other operations.
7. that TAXPAYERS, WHO MORALLY OBJECT TO ABORTION as an infringement on their belief that God has told us, 'thou shalt not kill', NOT BE REQUIRED TO FUND such killing with their taxes. (the hyde amendment being done away with) also taxpayer money goes to support planned parenthood, the largest provider of abortions in the country, which was more than $1,000,000,000 profitable last year.
8. that ABORTIONS may NOT be performed AT MILITARY HOSPITALS.
9. a RESTICTION ON medical INSURANCE COVERING ABORTION FOR GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES for the reason listed in #7 above.
10. BANS ON ABORTION of preborn babies AFTER VIABILITY.
11. LIMITS ON the use of PUBLIC FACILITIES, such as hospitals and medical schools at state universities, for PERFORMING ABORTIONS.
12. PROTECTION FOR THOSE individual health care providers and private businesses (ie. pharmacies, etc.) WHO DECLINE TO PARTICIPATE IN ABORTION.
13. PROTECTION FOR THOSE roman catholic and other religion-based hospitals and clinics WHO WILL NOT PERFORM ABORTIONS for the reason stated in #7 above.
if passed FOCA would strike down over 550 state and federal laws now limiting abortion and would not be pursuant of the stated goal of making ABORTION SAFE AND RARE. would you please let me know your position on abortion in general and what your vote would be should FOCA be presented in the house of representatives for a vote.
thank you for all you do for good and may God bless and help you in so doing. sincerely, stephen paine
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
2.3.09 IS A GOVERNMENT ECONOMIC BAILOUT CONSTITUTIONAL?
dear senator casey, 2.3.09
thank you for the detailed response to my concern about the economic bailout. therein you state that:
1. TARP (troubled assets relief program) was set up in the fall of 08.
2. on 10.3.08 EESA (emergency economic stablization act) became law and provided TARP 700 billion.
3. TARP funds were first used to purchase troubled assets from financial institutions which you report restored confidence and prompted lending.
4. secretary of treasury paulson then shifted direction injecting capital directly into financial institutions to increase liquidity and you report that disturbed you because of lack of transparency and accountability. you report 300 billion spent in TARP, i'm assuming, during president bush's remaining time in office.
5. president-elect obama requested 350 billion TARP funds be made available. he has promised that:
a. the funds will be used for the purpose outlined in #3 above.
b. he will personally oversee this distribution.
c. he will provide clear/transparent explanation of how they are being used.
d. the impact of such funds will be measured, monitored and tracked with the results shared with the people paying for this.
would you please respond to some questions this raises?
1. why did congress vote for something that resulted in an individual controlling billions of dollars of taxpayer money with no, as you say, transparency and accountability?
2. shouldn't every taxpayer dollar that is spent be spent under the direct accountability of an elected official?
3. isn't this taxation without representation?
4. do you believe that the constitution is an unchanging legal document or one that can be altered without the alteration being radified by an amendment voted by the people as stated in the constitution?
5. where does the constitution allow congress to spend taxpayer money for helping failed businesses and individuals who have engaged in taking what belongs to others, who have failed to keep their promises etc.?
6. what part of the constitution allows president obama to do what he is doing? why are you enabling him to do this if there is no constitutional basis?
7. including president bush's economic stimulus during the summer of 08, how much taxpayer money has congress authorized to be spent to bail out our failed economy?
8. do you believe in caveat emptor, personal responsibility, the inviolability of private property, the working of supply and demand to guide economic affairs?
9. doesn't every official elected to the national government swear to uphold the constitution?
thank you, senator casey, for taking the time to respond. may God be with you and help you. stephen paine
thank you for the detailed response to my concern about the economic bailout. therein you state that:
1. TARP (troubled assets relief program) was set up in the fall of 08.
2. on 10.3.08 EESA (emergency economic stablization act) became law and provided TARP 700 billion.
3. TARP funds were first used to purchase troubled assets from financial institutions which you report restored confidence and prompted lending.
4. secretary of treasury paulson then shifted direction injecting capital directly into financial institutions to increase liquidity and you report that disturbed you because of lack of transparency and accountability. you report 300 billion spent in TARP, i'm assuming, during president bush's remaining time in office.
5. president-elect obama requested 350 billion TARP funds be made available. he has promised that:
a. the funds will be used for the purpose outlined in #3 above.
b. he will personally oversee this distribution.
c. he will provide clear/transparent explanation of how they are being used.
d. the impact of such funds will be measured, monitored and tracked with the results shared with the people paying for this.
would you please respond to some questions this raises?
1. why did congress vote for something that resulted in an individual controlling billions of dollars of taxpayer money with no, as you say, transparency and accountability?
2. shouldn't every taxpayer dollar that is spent be spent under the direct accountability of an elected official?
3. isn't this taxation without representation?
4. do you believe that the constitution is an unchanging legal document or one that can be altered without the alteration being radified by an amendment voted by the people as stated in the constitution?
5. where does the constitution allow congress to spend taxpayer money for helping failed businesses and individuals who have engaged in taking what belongs to others, who have failed to keep their promises etc.?
6. what part of the constitution allows president obama to do what he is doing? why are you enabling him to do this if there is no constitutional basis?
7. including president bush's economic stimulus during the summer of 08, how much taxpayer money has congress authorized to be spent to bail out our failed economy?
8. do you believe in caveat emptor, personal responsibility, the inviolability of private property, the working of supply and demand to guide economic affairs?
9. doesn't every official elected to the national government swear to uphold the constitution?
thank you, senator casey, for taking the time to respond. may God be with you and help you. stephen paine
Monday, February 2, 2009
2.2.09 FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN PUBLIC NEWS
to the editor:
Last month I spoke several times with Mr. Mike Morsch, the executive editor of the Montgomery Newspapers of which the Souderton Independent is one. In the first conversation he stated that he did not want to make the Independent my bully pulpit and that he wanted me to keep my letters 1. less preachy 2. short 3. local.
One further letter was published in which I encouraged Mr. Morsch to make it standard policy to give two full pages each week to the opinions of every day people. The next letter i sent to the editor of the Independent, Emily Morris, was not able to be published with the reason given that Mr. Morsch has said that only one letter of 300 words length could be considered for publication every month. This Mr. Morsch has not said to me but evidently only to Ms. Morris. What he did say was that some papers have that as a limit.
When I called Mr. Morsch he did not seem to be open to publishing all that came in in a given week to the two page limit and I'm sure he does not see his policy as a limitation of the freedom of speech. I think he said that he had been limiting single writers who contributed often, such as myself, in a similar manner for years.
He also shared with me a recent example from one of the papers in the Abington area where there were a great number of pro-Obama letters during the campaign. He said that people started to call and ask if the paper was pro-Obama. Instead of saying 'we publish everything we get and these are what we are getting', he indicated to me that they started to withhold some of those from publication. I indicated that I was of the opinion that everything received should see light, whether from one person or 1000, whether from one viewpoint or 1000.
I guess we don't see eye-to-eye but I feel this is an issue of foundational importance. I don't think a publication should pose as 'public' and not reflect 'public' viewpoints but those shaped by narrower interests. stephen paine, 54 w chestnut st., souderton 215-721-9821
Last month I spoke several times with Mr. Mike Morsch, the executive editor of the Montgomery Newspapers of which the Souderton Independent is one. In the first conversation he stated that he did not want to make the Independent my bully pulpit and that he wanted me to keep my letters 1. less preachy 2. short 3. local.
One further letter was published in which I encouraged Mr. Morsch to make it standard policy to give two full pages each week to the opinions of every day people. The next letter i sent to the editor of the Independent, Emily Morris, was not able to be published with the reason given that Mr. Morsch has said that only one letter of 300 words length could be considered for publication every month. This Mr. Morsch has not said to me but evidently only to Ms. Morris. What he did say was that some papers have that as a limit.
When I called Mr. Morsch he did not seem to be open to publishing all that came in in a given week to the two page limit and I'm sure he does not see his policy as a limitation of the freedom of speech. I think he said that he had been limiting single writers who contributed often, such as myself, in a similar manner for years.
He also shared with me a recent example from one of the papers in the Abington area where there were a great number of pro-Obama letters during the campaign. He said that people started to call and ask if the paper was pro-Obama. Instead of saying 'we publish everything we get and these are what we are getting', he indicated to me that they started to withhold some of those from publication. I indicated that I was of the opinion that everything received should see light, whether from one person or 1000, whether from one viewpoint or 1000.
I guess we don't see eye-to-eye but I feel this is an issue of foundational importance. I don't think a publication should pose as 'public' and not reflect 'public' viewpoints but those shaped by narrower interests. stephen paine, 54 w chestnut st., souderton 215-721-9821
Sunday, February 1, 2009
2.1.09 MAY YOU LIVE FOREVER!
well, the Lord provided just over 21 hours of work in january for which i'm grateful. joel and jan just called to ask for some help painting their bathroom so i hope to get over there tomorrow evening to see what's involved.
got all my taxes done and paid so that's a good feeling. this month besides working on that i have dedicated quite a bit of time to finally getting the filing system in order. i'm getting there but it's a big job. i'm praying that the Lord will give me the insight into how to set it up so that i am able to retrieve what i'm looking for in an efficient manner.
the month has been extremely cold to me maybe because i have been running a no-heat-in-the- house experiment remembering that uncle hugh had only activated his heat when the water in the toilets began to skim over with ice. actually there is heat. i just keep the thermostats set at the bottom (40 degrees) and in theory, if it gets to 40 then the furnace will keep it there. the thermometer got as low as 41 in the back of the house but so far the furnace has not operated other than when eddie turns it on for an hour or so to warm his room (kept so with the door closed). in catching my bank statements up i realized that though i had contracted over the phone with the oil company for 300 gallons at about $4.40 a gallon, just over $1300, they had failed to complete the transaction. so i took that as a miracle of God's watchcare over me. my decision to try to not turn the heat on unwittingly turned out to be very helpful. we still have between a quarter and half a tank left and so, Lord willing, will be able to get thru without buying any oil this year.
the other day when eating it came to me that when i am eating something i enjoy (which is everything i eat!) that my heart needs to turn from the flavor to the One who made the flavor and be grateful. also, it came to me this week how much of my experience with the church has had one layer we could call 'display', the great desire to see and be seen. as usual, as in so many things, this has been spiritualized as the desire to 'minister' to others. the Lord led me to pray specifically that this week there might be a total focus on Him during worship - thinking about every word sung, spoken, heard in an attempt to have Him magnified above me. it went ok today in the first experiment. hadn't realized how much i paid attention to the sound and volume of the voice and to many other things other than Him alone. may You help me Lord to truly come into Your house and focus only on You hopefully so that petitions and praise of a more genuine nature will come to You. was reminded again this week why heaven is anticipated. if we are made in God's image and we have a sense of humor wouldn't it stand to reason that among all the quitessences of God He would have to have the best sense of humor around! that's one of the many things that will make being with him at close range amazing.
gerard-that's his irish given name- actually gerry, a fellow who pickets and prays at the warminster planned parenthood said on friday that God propitiates but doesn't expiate. i haven't had an opportunity to look at the first but did a word study on the second this morning which is about 90% complete and learned some interesting things. my memory of propitiation is that it refers to Jesus' sacrifice of Himself which satisfied God's wrath. the english word expiation only occurs once in the old testament. looking that up in strong's concordance i learned that the hebrew word is kaphar which was defined: to cover over, pacify, make propitiation and it's root kopher: the price of a life, ransom. so it seems just from that that somehow propitiation and expiation are parts of one whole. then i got the hebrew lexicon and looked up the appearances of kaphar in the old testament.
it is first used in genesis 32:20 where jacob APPEASES esau with a present when he comes back to palestine. then it occurs a good number of times in exodus 29-30 and in leviticus 4-10 in references to ATONEMENT being made for the priests who were to offer the sacrifice, the altar where the sacrifices where offered and the people whose sin moved them to bring their innocent animals as sacrifices in accordance with the stipulations of the law. the overall focus in all this is the blood of the innocent animals which is summed up in leviticus 17:11 - 'for the life of the flesh is in the blood, and i have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for you souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement'. interestingly atonement is used for the scapegoat (the animal that was let go into the wilderness who symbolizes how the Lord removed the sins as far as the east is from the west), in numbers 5:8 it is used in a situation with confession of and restitution for the sin involved, of one who failed (sinned) unwittingly (15;22,25) and in a situation where, discovering that the people had not fulfilled the law's requirements for eating the passover, king hezekiah prayed, 'the Lord pardon' and their sin was atoned. later king david said to the gibeonites, whose men king saul had unjustly slaughtered, 'how can i make atonement that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord?'
MONDAY A.M. as with many things in the old testment law they are simple teaching pictures. the innocent animals' blood is the picture of Jesus' innocent blood. hebrews 10.1f says for the law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers perfect. for then would they not have ceased to be offered? because the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. but in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. wherefore when Jesus cometh into the world, He saith, 'sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not, but a body hast Thou prepared Me. in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast had no pleasure.' then said I, 'lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do Thy will, o God. so john the baptist rightly said of Jesus when he first saw Him, 'behold the lamb of God Who taketh away the sin of the world'.
king david seems to have seen that there was something more than killing innocent animals. in ps. 65.3 he says 'as for our transgressions Thou shalt purge (kaphar) them away'. ps. 78.38 says, 'but He, being full of compassion, forgave (kaphar) their iniquity'. ps. 79.9 'help us oh God of our salvation...and purge away our sins, FOR THY NAME'S SAKE. i could go on thru the rest but time fails. we quiquagenarians can get wordy sometimes!
this morning i was missing the little reddened cross i wear around my neck. last week i lost the pack of ephesians verse cards i am currently trying to memorize. when i was completing my letter to the editor of the souderton independent earlier inexplicably a single sentence added during my reread of the letter for some weird reason refused to 'stick' to the amended published text - not once but twice...sigh. i think i am having the beginnings of 'going off the edge' like mom did...sigh. it came to just accept what happens..commit it to Me...don't fret..don't 'need' anything you don't 'have'. alright, well if i'm still sane, Lord willing, i'll be talkin' to you by e again. have a good week. love, dad
got all my taxes done and paid so that's a good feeling. this month besides working on that i have dedicated quite a bit of time to finally getting the filing system in order. i'm getting there but it's a big job. i'm praying that the Lord will give me the insight into how to set it up so that i am able to retrieve what i'm looking for in an efficient manner.
the month has been extremely cold to me maybe because i have been running a no-heat-in-the- house experiment remembering that uncle hugh had only activated his heat when the water in the toilets began to skim over with ice. actually there is heat. i just keep the thermostats set at the bottom (40 degrees) and in theory, if it gets to 40 then the furnace will keep it there. the thermometer got as low as 41 in the back of the house but so far the furnace has not operated other than when eddie turns it on for an hour or so to warm his room (kept so with the door closed). in catching my bank statements up i realized that though i had contracted over the phone with the oil company for 300 gallons at about $4.40 a gallon, just over $1300, they had failed to complete the transaction. so i took that as a miracle of God's watchcare over me. my decision to try to not turn the heat on unwittingly turned out to be very helpful. we still have between a quarter and half a tank left and so, Lord willing, will be able to get thru without buying any oil this year.
the other day when eating it came to me that when i am eating something i enjoy (which is everything i eat!) that my heart needs to turn from the flavor to the One who made the flavor and be grateful. also, it came to me this week how much of my experience with the church has had one layer we could call 'display', the great desire to see and be seen. as usual, as in so many things, this has been spiritualized as the desire to 'minister' to others. the Lord led me to pray specifically that this week there might be a total focus on Him during worship - thinking about every word sung, spoken, heard in an attempt to have Him magnified above me. it went ok today in the first experiment. hadn't realized how much i paid attention to the sound and volume of the voice and to many other things other than Him alone. may You help me Lord to truly come into Your house and focus only on You hopefully so that petitions and praise of a more genuine nature will come to You. was reminded again this week why heaven is anticipated. if we are made in God's image and we have a sense of humor wouldn't it stand to reason that among all the quitessences of God He would have to have the best sense of humor around! that's one of the many things that will make being with him at close range amazing.
gerard-that's his irish given name- actually gerry, a fellow who pickets and prays at the warminster planned parenthood said on friday that God propitiates but doesn't expiate. i haven't had an opportunity to look at the first but did a word study on the second this morning which is about 90% complete and learned some interesting things. my memory of propitiation is that it refers to Jesus' sacrifice of Himself which satisfied God's wrath. the english word expiation only occurs once in the old testament. looking that up in strong's concordance i learned that the hebrew word is kaphar which was defined: to cover over, pacify, make propitiation and it's root kopher: the price of a life, ransom. so it seems just from that that somehow propitiation and expiation are parts of one whole. then i got the hebrew lexicon and looked up the appearances of kaphar in the old testament.
it is first used in genesis 32:20 where jacob APPEASES esau with a present when he comes back to palestine. then it occurs a good number of times in exodus 29-30 and in leviticus 4-10 in references to ATONEMENT being made for the priests who were to offer the sacrifice, the altar where the sacrifices where offered and the people whose sin moved them to bring their innocent animals as sacrifices in accordance with the stipulations of the law. the overall focus in all this is the blood of the innocent animals which is summed up in leviticus 17:11 - 'for the life of the flesh is in the blood, and i have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for you souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement'. interestingly atonement is used for the scapegoat (the animal that was let go into the wilderness who symbolizes how the Lord removed the sins as far as the east is from the west), in numbers 5:8 it is used in a situation with confession of and restitution for the sin involved, of one who failed (sinned) unwittingly (15;22,25) and in a situation where, discovering that the people had not fulfilled the law's requirements for eating the passover, king hezekiah prayed, 'the Lord pardon' and their sin was atoned. later king david said to the gibeonites, whose men king saul had unjustly slaughtered, 'how can i make atonement that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord?'
MONDAY A.M. as with many things in the old testment law they are simple teaching pictures. the innocent animals' blood is the picture of Jesus' innocent blood. hebrews 10.1f says for the law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers perfect. for then would they not have ceased to be offered? because the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. but in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. wherefore when Jesus cometh into the world, He saith, 'sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not, but a body hast Thou prepared Me. in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast had no pleasure.' then said I, 'lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do Thy will, o God. so john the baptist rightly said of Jesus when he first saw Him, 'behold the lamb of God Who taketh away the sin of the world'.
king david seems to have seen that there was something more than killing innocent animals. in ps. 65.3 he says 'as for our transgressions Thou shalt purge (kaphar) them away'. ps. 78.38 says, 'but He, being full of compassion, forgave (kaphar) their iniquity'. ps. 79.9 'help us oh God of our salvation...and purge away our sins, FOR THY NAME'S SAKE. i could go on thru the rest but time fails. we quiquagenarians can get wordy sometimes!
this morning i was missing the little reddened cross i wear around my neck. last week i lost the pack of ephesians verse cards i am currently trying to memorize. when i was completing my letter to the editor of the souderton independent earlier inexplicably a single sentence added during my reread of the letter for some weird reason refused to 'stick' to the amended published text - not once but twice...sigh. i think i am having the beginnings of 'going off the edge' like mom did...sigh. it came to just accept what happens..commit it to Me...don't fret..don't 'need' anything you don't 'have'. alright, well if i'm still sane, Lord willing, i'll be talkin' to you by e again. have a good week. love, dad
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)