Did You See This Part of the Debate?

This next clip is a songified version of the VP debate. I found one aspect of the debate disturbing. Biden was wrong, he had voted for both the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. How could anyone forget something like that? 

Behold He Comes

The Lion of Judah Is Coming. One reason I like the church I attend is the music. While many "praise and worship" songs are just unsingable congregationally, it is far better than what passes for music in most of the congregations in my tradition. 

The song that inspired this, and the next few blog posts was "Days of Elijah"

Here is the chorus:

Behold he comes

Riding on the clouds

Shining like the sun

At the trumpet's call

So lift your voice

It's the year of Jubilee

For out of Zion's Hill salvation comes 

Behold He Comes, In An Unexpected Way—Bread Lines. While everyone else sang the next song, I just sat down and thought. While the song is about the return of Jesus to the Earth in his second coming, I could only think about a different kind of coming that Jesus will be doing very soon.  

While we should be just as enthusiastic about this soon coming of our Lord, we will not be. For you see he is coming in judgment for our nation. 

Over the next few days I will talk about what I feel are examples in history of judgments directed toward nations. I hope that by looking at these examples we can understand how the pattern will be repeated in our near future. 

Here are the lyrics of the song:

Days of Elijah

These are the days of Elijah

Declaring the word of the Lord

And these are the days of his servant Moses

Righteousness being restored

And though these are days of great trials

Of famine and darkness and sword

Still we are the voice in the desert

Crying, prepare ye the way of the Lord

Chorus:

Behold he comes

Riding on the clouds

Shining like the sun

At the trumpet's call

So lift your voice

It's the year of Jubilee

For out of Zion's Hill salvation comes

And these are the days of Ezekiel

The dry bones becoming as flesh

And these are the days of your servant David

Rebuilding a temple of praise

And these are the days of the harvest

The fields are as white in your world

Still we are the labourers in your vineyard

Declaring the word of the Lord

Chorus

There's no God like my Jesus

There's no God like my Jesus

There's no God like my Jesus

There's no God like my Jesus

Chorus

For out of Zion's Hill salvation comes 

For out of Zion's Hill salvation comes

 [. From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/a/ailua-mamea-lyrics/behold-he-comes-lyrics.html .]

Partisanship

I have a large number of friends and acquaintances that are wearing blinders about the current political horse race. Or, in the terms of a meme I have been talking about, they have a template they are placing over all the facts in the election. I can see someone looking at the issues and evaluating the candidates based on how they weigh the various factors, but the anger of partisanship makes no sense to me. It reminds me of an old joke I heard about two people arguing, one a communist and the other an anarcho-capitalist. One said to the other, “Our Jews are better than your Jews.” 

Be that as it may, I fail to see how this is relevant. 

I have heard it suggested that, based on the nominees, neither party really wants to win. This would include in my opinion small 3rd parties like the Constitution Party and the Libertarian Party. Whoever is elected might end up the overseer of the coming economic and budgetary disaster that is already baked into our government spending cake. While I doubt anyone really thinks that way and actually wants to lose the election, whichever party is elected, they will be blamed if things go badly and might be out of power for a generation. 

The “Darth Vaderizing” of one’s political opponents accomplishes nothing but self-deception. I was self-deceived for years so I understand the process. Both Romney and Obama have placed themselves in political boxes that limit their options. For Romney it is his inability to understand that, as a part of a whole package, military spending must be cut. Obama has built a similar box over entitlements like Medicare and Medicaid.

But what can’t continue won’t continue. 

Romney’s attack on Obama’s “cuts” in military spending is not fair—Obama has proposed no cuts, only slight decreases in the planned increase in spending for the military. Obama’s attack on Romney’s “cuts” to seniors is not fair—Romney has proposed no cuts, only slight decreases in the planned increase in medical spending for future seniors who are 55 or younger. Since I am 58, I support this. 

My great hope is that Romney is an even bigger liar than he appears and will actually accomplish something if he is elected. This is wildly optimistic. Obama seems beyond hope. 

This is not enough reason for me to vote for Romney. I will vote in the election as there are some really odd ballot initiatives in California—one that seems to make the governor almost a dictator, for example. 

But me, vote for Obamney? No thanks. 

How Did He Know The Unemployment Rate Would Drop?

On Facebook I said that the unemployment numbers were fake. This was not well recieved. Here is a Rick Santelli rant on the subject you might find interesting. 

How did he know? He knows how government works. 

Two Short Videos on the Israeli Palestinian Conflict

The first of these videos is from the Palestinian perspective. If you are surprised by the king of Jordan referred to as a Hashemite, understand that his family is not well liked by the Palestinians. 

The second video favors the Israeli's viewpoint. Note that the Hashemite dynasty originally supported the first proposed Palestinian solution. 

Note that one aspect of the establishment of Israel was the purchase of land from absentee landlords. The tenant farmers were then expelled from the land in 1948. 

Personally I think both of these perspectives are mostly accurate.