Ramblings of a Conservative College Student

2010-06-24T09:21:00.001-07:00

It looks like some people have already begun putting the iPad in their vehicles.
Doesn't it seem to be similar to the
carbon motors in-dash unit?

Anti-Semitism and Denial Regarding the Holocaust

2008-11-25T22:25:00.000-08:00

Anti-Semitism and Denial Regarding the Holocaust

Many groups around the world today maintain an erroneous way of thinking in denying the existence of the Holocaust, the systematic killing of Jews and other groups by the Nazi regime in World War Two. Well-documented sources, ranging from first-hand accounts to historical records, all add up to the historical accuracy of the Holocaust. The extremist groups denying the Holocaust can neither show nor provide any resounding evidence, which can bring to light the insubstantial claim of the Holocaust being a complete fabrication.

There are two major groups of thought surrounding the Holocaust in regards to the history of the event. The first group is labeled as Holocaust historians. The majority of these individuals have a Ph.D. in the field of History or in an area of study relating to the Holocaust. Their work is in no way unscholarly; in fact, it is quite the opposite. They acknowledge that the Holocaust did indeed happen and they continuously work to uncover new information to bring to light events that are unknown about the Holocaust and information that will help better explain the current accepted facts.

In comparison, Holocaust deniers, also known as negationists or revisionsists, are a group that attempts to rewrite history whilst ignoring proven facts and information surrounding the event. Holocaust denial is in no way scholarly, as it consists of searching for (and sometimes even fabricating) evidence to support their preconceived theories that the Holocaust is a fallacy in more than one way.

Holocaust denial groups and individuals have several claims and theories about the truth of the Holocaust. Three main arguments seem to dominate the theories of most of the groups. First of all, they claim that the gas chambers and crematoriums found at concentration camps did not serve to systematically exterminate the prisoners. Secondly, they believe that the Nazis had no original plan to exterminate the Jews. Finally, the deniers do not believe that six million Jews were exterminated at the camps over the course of the war. Several other theories are voiced, but the predominant theories are the aforementioned.

As previously stated, the claim that the gas chambers and crematoriums were not used in exterminations is one of the main conjectures of Holocaust deniers. There are several theories behind what they were used for, but one of the most dominant is that these death chambers were in actuality used for delousing clothing and getting rid of the prisoners that had already perished. In 1988, a denier named Fred A. Leuchter published The Leuchter Report, concluding that “there had never been homicidal gassings at any” (Lipstadt 163) of the concentration camp gas chambers. His report was constructed after being hired by Ernst Zündel, a revisionist on trial in Canada for releasing Holocaust denial material, to help prove his innocence. “On the stand Leuchter was shown to have little technical training to equip him to reach his conclusions” (Lipstadt 163). In addition, his findings were found to be considered “gross speculation” (163).

Several groups do not believe that the Nazis had an original plan to exterminate the Jews. They believe that it just happened to be a by-product of the war. They also use the argument that Jews were not the only ones in the camp, and that they were not the main target. However, a main argument in Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf is ‘The Jewish Peril,’ which speaks out against the Jews by saying they had a conspiracy to take over and gain world leadership, which in reality, was Hitler’s goal. Although a written document calling for the annihilation of the Jews never existed, the Nazis’ comprehensive plan was a “culmination of a long evolution of Nazi Jewish policy” (Gutman 788). During a speech in Berlin in 1942, Hitler announced, “The result of this war will be the complete annihilation of the Jews. . .the hour will come when the most evil universal enemy of all time will be finished, at least for a thousand years” (Duggar 48).

Some further this claim by arguing that the Nazi party wanted to deracinate the Jews rather than annihilate them. Lipstadt notes, “the Nazi slogan was Juda Verrecke, ‘perish Judah,’ not ‘emigrate Judah’” (107-108). Lipstadt observes in Denying the Holocaust that the Nazis did not intend to annihilate the Jews, rather “they argued that the Final Solution was nothing but a plan to evacuate all Jews from the Reich” (107). Dr. Robert Ley stated the Nazi agenda best with “The Jews have got to be exterminated” (109).

Finally, these extremists do not believe that six million Jews were actually exterminated throughout the course of the war in the concentration camps. The groups have different estimates, but the numbers tend to range from several hundred thousand to around one million, a significantly smaller number than is scholastically noted.

There are several notable denialist organizations throughout different areas of the world. The Nazi party is the most famous of these, as they were the original denialist group during and after the Holocaust. Another well-known institution is the American KKK, or Ku Klux Klan. Some of the other associations disguise their agenda behind a credible-sounding name, such as the Institute for Historical Review. The Middle East regions of southwestern Asia and northeastern Africa also have several countries that take roles in the denial practice as part of their falsified teachings and laws. Perhaps, besides Adolf Hitler, one world leader that has a similar amount of disdain for the Jewish race is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Of course, none of this would have taken place if it weren’t for the original group to deny the Holocaust, the Nazis.

The Nazi Party began in 1919 by a “gang of unemployed soldiers” and was originally the German Workers’ Party. Hitler joined the party soon after its inception in 1919 and quickly rose to the party’s leadership with speeches encouraging national pride, militarism, and a commitment to provide a racially ‘pure’ Germany (Holocaust Timeline). He later changed the party’s name to the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, which was called for short, the Nazi Party.” Fourteen years after the party was founded, the Nazi party became the official legal government of Germany in 1933 with Adolf Hitler as the Führer, or official leader (Holocaust Timeline).

After World War Two, Holocaust denial “took hold in Germany with opposition to the Nuremberg trials, which were descried as the “victor’s trials” and seen as unfair and biased” (Shermer 40). The German government still had indomitable skill at misleading the country’s people after the war, and tried to defend what they were doing in the camps. Hitler was such a charismatic leader that after the Holocaust, large sects of the German population still believed that the macabre treatment the Jews received was actually what they deserved. When the concentration camps were soon to be raided, the Germans destroyed their meticulous records with extreme speed, and today since “most of the camp records were destroyed, it is impossible to establish how many persons were executed” (Auschwitz) there. Today, we know the number to be roughly six million executed in one of several grotesque ways.

The American Ku Klan Klan is another group that is very well known regarding Holocaust denial. The KKK is an anti-Semitic group who uses extreme violence as a means to their end. In 2006, the KKK Imperial Wizard David Duke said, “gas chambers were not used to kill Jews” (Fox News KKK). This further solidifies the argument that the KKK is a Holocaust denial group as they, along with more prominent denial organizations such as the IHR, ascribe to one of the many beliefs that unite Holocaust denial groups.

Decades after the KKK was formed, Willis Carto founded the Institute of Historical Review in 1978 with the goal of questioning facts surrounding the Holocaust. The IHR’s clever name gives the facade that the group is a credible research institution. In 1980, the “IHR landed on the cultural landscape by making headlines with its $50,000 challenge for proof that Jews were gassed at Auschwitz” (Shermer 41). A holocaust survivor, Mel Mermelstein, eventually won the reward plus an additional $40,000 in court after the IHR refused Mermelstein’s first-hand testimony as proof that Jews were exterminated in this manner (41). Due to “failure to recruit” new members in recent years to the IHR, the Institute’s current management has “attempted to obtain new financing from the Arab states of the Middle East,” (The IHR) where Holocaust denial is the most prevalent.

Several nations in the Middle East are active in their hatred of the Jewish race and their frequent denial of the Holocaust. Nations such as Saudi Arabia and Palestine all have released statements of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has publicly denounced the Holocaust, but he has stated that he is not an anti-Semite and respects the Jews “very much” (BBC: Iranian Leader).

The reason for the Palestinian hatred of the Jews stems from the fact that they believe the Jews took their land and that they rightfully deserve it back. After the end of World War One, the British took part of the Turkish Empire and gave it to the Jews. They received ten percent of the empire. The other ninety percent was given to the Palestinian Arabs. Zionist settlers first began arriving in the already existing Jewish communities of Palestine in the 1880s, because they were hoping to end the persecution of the Jews after being expelled from Judea and Samaria (today known as the West Bank) two thousand years ago (Horowitz).

Today, most of the ten percent of land that the Jews received from the British at the end of the Great War is known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Ninety-eight percent of its inhabitants are Palestinian Arabs, and the Jews do not control the state (Jordan). In 1948, the Kingdom of Jordan attempted to Annex Israel, which was the other ten percent that they deemed rightfully theirs. Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq all attacked Israel in the feud that became known as the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The Jews issued defense Plan D, a defense plan for Israel that the Palestinians claimed laid out the concrete steps of the Zionist plan to subject Palestine to an ethnic cleansing of Arabs.

Israel succeeded in pushing back the Arab forces and the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty was signed in 1994. However, terrorist attacks still take place against this country from other Arab nations who do not just want their land back, but want to rid the land of the Jews (Horowitz). Several Arab leaders publicly denounce Jews and deny the Holocaust on a regular basis.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the current president of the Republic of Iran, is one of the leading Holocaust deniers in the world. His despicable agenda is characterized by his speeches where he says things such as Israel must be “wiped off the map” (CNN: Iranian Leader). He also claims that it is a “myth that Jews were massacred” and that “the West has given more significance to the myth of the genocide of the Jews, even more significant than God, religion, and the prophets” (CNN: Iranian Leader). He also calls for the Jews to leave their land in Israel and “go back to their countries of origin and allow the Palestinians to return to their homelands,” (Israel’s Jews) even though as we can see from examining history that the area of Israel originally belonged to the Jews. Such hatred of the Jewish race has led the Arabs to become more violent in their attacks against the Jews.

Ahmadinejad seems to contradict himself though, as he later stated at a United Nations news conference that “Jews are respected by everyone, by all human beings,” (BBC: Iranian Leader) and in April of 2006 he stated that he was “sorry for any human being killed in the two World Wars” (Israel’s Jews). Even though he may have released this statement, it is hard to give credence to him and believe that he has completely reversed his mindset on these people, especially considering two years later in 2008 he called Israel a “stinking corpse” which is doomed to disappear (Fox News: Report).

Denying the Holocaust is not only wrong in the sense that it is completely based in peoples racism and bias, but is also insulting to the Jewish race and several other groups of people that were persecuted during the Holocaust. The Nazis not only persecuted Jews, but any group of people that “didn’t agree politically” (Lucaire) with them.

During the war, Poland lost six million citizens or about one-fifth of its population: 3 million of the dead were Polish Christians; predominantly Catholic, and the other three million were Polish Jews. In fact, in Israel, the Righteous Among the Nations museum honors the Christians in Poland, numbered around 5503, or one-third of the total, for risking their lives by trying to help rescue Jews during the Holocaust (Lucaire). Denying the Holocaust not only offends Jews but also Christians, who find the Holocaust to be an incident of pure evil.

In the early 1990s, American college campuses became loci of intensive activity by a small group of Holocaust deniers (Lipstadt 183). At the head of this attempt was a man named Bradley Smith who attempted to place full-page ads in college newspapers. He paid the price to advertise, and sometimes had his ad published. Even when his ad was denied, his name became an increasing interest to the student population.

His attempts actually had some very good effects on college campuses nationwide. Campuses had been planning on offering courses on Holocaust studies for some time, and this moved “these courses from the planning stage to the schedule books” (Lipstadt 184). Students who were offended and passionate about this course helped to organize speakers, photographic exhibits, presentations, rallies, teach-ins, and protests against these deniers in order to raise awareness across campuses.

Even before his college newspaper ad attempts, Smith launched the IHR radio project in 1986 in addition to writing for the IHR’s newsletter. He also planned to tour colleges and universities to speak about ‘Holocaust fraud and falsehood’ in order to spread more lies and help to promote his denialist agenda (Lipstadt 185). The IHR even guaranteed paying for some of his costs in order for him to tour the United States. One reason why he was so successful in spreading his information was that in the 1980s the era of political correctness had begun, and his taboo thoughts, even if they were not published, became widely discussed. So even though his thoughts were not circulated, they were broadcast in a sense. They were published as a “seed in students’ minds to discuss with one another” (Lipstadt 189). This discussion led to a healthy discussion of Holocaust truth through classes that were formed shortly after and helped to promote the truth of the Churben.

Nations in the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran, all incorporate teachings of denial and anti-Semitism into the mind of their children and elders. History is incorrectly taught at a young age and is continually reinforced through controlled teaching throughout their entire lives in order to entice the younger generations to believe the lies of hatred that they teach. “Palestinian children are taught that suicide bombers should be viewed as highly admired role models,” a highly dangerous way of thinking to teach young children (Palestinian Education). In some areas, “groups of young children are shown marching in rows, led by their teacher, chanting, ‘We are the suicide squad!’” (Palestinian Education). At young ages, children are susceptible to modeling behaviors. Albert Bandura and Aletha Huston conducted a study in 1961 on transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive role models. They concluded that children who are surrounded by violent behaviors tend to develop violent tendencies (Bandura, Ross, and Ross). Therefore, the children raised in these environments that develop anti-Semetic behaviors can be taught relatively easily that Holocaust denial is true. Whatever their elder teaches them throughout life at early stages, they take to heart as ultimately true.

The Holocaust was one of the most despicable events in human history and is without a doubt, as shown by insurmountable evidence ranging from first-hand accounts to uncovered Nazi records, a true event. Holocaust deniers have existed since the Holocaust began and do not appear to be going away any time soon. Organizations such as the Institute for Historical Review and the Committee for Open Debate on the Holocaust have great influence and credible sounding names, which can lead non-suspecting and ill-prepared individuals astray from the truth of the matter.

The three main arguments of Holocaust deniers, that gas chambers and crematoriums were not used in exterminating Jews, that the Nazis had no original plan to exterminate the Jews, and that the numbers of those deceased in the conflict, all can be proven to be true through historically accepted methods. The denial of these truths is dangerous and can lead to repeating the events later in history. Deuteronomy 32:7 in the King James version of the Holy Bible reads “Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will show thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee,” meaning that we should learn the lessons of the generation that came before us. We must educate people to understand the truth of these events so our future generations can learn from past evils and mistakes in order to take measures to prevent a reprehensible event like the Holocaust from ever happening again.

Works Cited

"Auschwitz Concentration Camp: The Basics." The H.E.A.R.T Holocaust Research

Project. 2007. Holocaust Education and Archive Research Team. 21 Nov 2008 .

Bandura, Albert, Dorothea Ross, and Sheila A. Ross. "Transmission of

Agression Through Imitation of Aggressive Models." Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 63(1961): 575-582.

Duggar, Ronnie. The Texas Observer 1992: 48.

Gutman, Israel. Encyclopedia of the Holocaust. 2. New York: Macmillan, 1990.

"Holocaust Timeline: The Rise of the Nazi Party." A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust.

December 13, 2006. Florida Center for Instructional Technology. 21 Nov 2008 .

Horowitz, David. "A Middle East History Primer." Jewish World Review. April 10,

2002. Jewish World Review. 21 Nov 2008 .

"Iranian leader: Holocaust a 'myth'." Cnn.com. December 14, 2005. Cable News

Network. 20 Nov 2008 .

"Iranian leader 'not anti-Semite'." BBC News. September 21, 2006. British

Broadcasting Corporation. 20 Nov 2008 .

"Israel's Jews should go home: Ahmadinejad." Expatica.com. April 24, 2006.

Expatica Communications BV. 22 Nov 2008 .

"Jordan." The World Factbook. November 20, 2008. Central Intelligence Agency. 21 Nov

2008 .

"KKK's David Duke Tells Iran Holocaust Conference That Gas Chambers Not Used to

Kill Jews." FOXNews.com. December 13, 2006. Fox News Network. 21 Nov 2008 .

Lipstadt, Deborah E.. Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and

Memory. Don Mills, Ontario: Maxwell Macmillan Canada, Inc., 1993.

Lucaire, Edward. "Holocaust: 3 Million Holocaust Victims Were Non-Jews."

Holocaust Forgotten. 2002. 23 Nov 2008 .

"Palestinian Education: Schools for Hate." Target: Israeli Children. 2002. State of

Israel: Ministry of Education. 24 Nov 2008 .

"Report: Ahmadinejad Calls Israel a "Stinking Corpse" on its 60th Birthday."

FOXNews.com. May 8, 2008. Fox News Network. 22 Nov 2008

Shermer, Michael, and Alex Grobman. Denying History: Who Say the Holocaust

Never Happened and Why Do They Say It. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press, 2000.

The Holy Bible, King James Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Cambridge, 1995.

"The IHR: Splinters on the Lunatic Fringe." The Holocaust History Project.

September 5, 2002. The Holocaust History Project. 25 Nov 2008 .

All Gave Some...Some Gave All

2008-05-25T23:26:00.001-07:00

"The best and and the brightest are not necessarily on campus or in the corporate boardroom right now." ---They are fighting or have fought, and maybe lost their lives, for us, the American people.

As Monday the 26th rolls around, Memorial Day, I sit in my living room sweating due to a broken A/C unit, listening to Billy Ray Cyrus' "Some Gave All." Here I am complaining about 80 degree heat in my house while our brave servicemen and women are overseas in the desert baking at temperatures over 100 degrees, putting their lives on the line for me....and for you.

"Take a long hard look (at our military). What you see standing out there is representative of the noblest strata of our society. They...are a small segment of our population that guard the national wall of defense. and as arrogant as this will sound...it's what makes them better than the average young man. Not better in a material, snide, or arrogant sort of way, but better as one who is doing something versus hanging out in a coffee shop talking and criticizing. "

The military, in my personal belief, is one of the highest callings that one can ever get, and it is not for everyone. All of our soldiers, seamen, marines, and airmen have been led to the choice in their life to serve and protect our America by different means. Some due to an undying patriotic desire to serve, some to start a better life for themselves, some to gain clarity in their person, some to define their character, some to carry out tradition, and some were even drafted. But all who arrived from the busses as civilians served as brothers and sisters in arms. Doctors, lawyers, chefs, riflemen, pilots, drivers, engineers, and many others all serve daily and have died...daily...for our right to live freely in this great country.

"Anyone can talk about what should be done in a given moment, but most won't do anything about it. You see it every day in your television screens, all kinds of so-called experts, with great sounding titles and all kinds of articles that have been published. They're always ready to give advice, but never ready to pick up a rifle, ruck up, and close with the enemy."

All military personnel, past and present, should be honored today, especially those who have lost their lives fighting to allow us to choose where we work, to choose what kind of car we drive, to choose our friends, to choose our spouse, to choose our leaders, to choose how we practice religion, to choose what we believe is right, regardless of what others may think, and without fear of consequences. We so often take for granted this country, our fighting men and women, and our free lives. These people cannot be thanked and praised enough. But yet, they serve not expecting or desiring a single thank you. They do it because it is what they feel is right.

"On my money, there are two kinds of men that walk the earth. Men of action....and all others. (These are) Men of action...I'm not talking about a random, haphazard sort of action, I'm talking about a deliberate, measured, and when required, intensely focused action. To be sitting in the safety of your home several years into a war, subjected to the 24/7 media coverage of that same war and it's brutality, and then to decide to go and sign up for the (military) says an awful lot about a man's character. To stick it out when so many in our society look daily for a reason to quit says a great deal about a man's heart, the support he gets from his family, and his ability to see a larger picture. Anyone can start, but not everyone has the heart to finish."

When you see a service member, what do you see? I'll tell you. You see brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, cousins, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, the high school nerd, acquaintances, or in my case, several of my very best and closest personal friends. People that have the tenacity and courage to be members of the world's greatest military. Friends that I have the utmost respect and love for. Many of you have lost friends or relatives in conflicts seen round the world, but they did not die in vain. They died to preserve liberty, and to see the the United States of America makes it through to the next day in this uncertain world.

"Not one (service member) really wants to go into harm's way and risk it all, but their moral clarity won't allow them to sit back and let someone else provide the blanket of freedom that we here today cherish, and so many others take for granted."

So do me a favor today while you stuff your face and watch the sporting events on your big-ass cable television in your air conditioned house. Stop for a moment and say a prayer for our troops, or if you see one give him or her a smile, shake their hand, thank them for their service--and let them know you mean it. They're here now and always have been and always will be. God bless them all.

"I have never apologized for being an American, and you don't have to either. We're number one, don't ever apologize for it, just be damn proud of it." - LTC Randolph C. White Jr., United States Army.

---Matt

Dr. Martin Luther King....I'm Sorry, Man.

2008-01-23T13:17:00.001-08:00

It was in 1953 that Dr. King began his civil rights activism, specifically in 1955 with the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He led several civil rights marches and events and was a great addition to the civil rights movement. His heroes were obviously people like Bayard Rustin and Mahatma Gandhi. Don't get me wrong, Mr. King was a great man. But, don't you think people have been giving him way too much credit for far too long?

In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. led a march on Washington. It was called the "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom." Coincidentally, that same year, before being assassinated, JFK gave a civil rights address, broadcast on national tv and radio. His proposal started what would be the Civil Rights Act of 1964. When President Johnson took over the presidency in 1963, after Kennedy's assassination, he got Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Interestingly enough, the democrats were the majority that actually OPPOSED passing this act. In the House, Howard W. Smith (D-VA), the Rules Committee (which determines under what rule bills come to the floor of the House) chairman, wanted to keep the bill off of the floor. President Johnson finally helped the bill to the floor where 96 democrats voted against it alongside 34 republicans (a total of 302 voted for it). When passed to the senate, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, James Eastland (D-MS) seemed determined to keep it off the floor there as well. Finally, the Senate drafted a second version which they deemed appropriate. 22 democrats voted against it alongside 6 republicans (a total of 73 voted for it). When passed back to the Senate, 91 democrats voted against it alongside 35 republicans (339 voted in favor of it).

Dr. King was part of a party that wanted to repress him more than the republicans. Irony? Anywho, back to present day... Martin Luther King once said, "Let us be dissatisfied until that day when nobody will shout, 'White Power!' when nobody will shout, 'Black Power!' but everybody will talk about God's power and human power." Executive Order 10925, signed by President Kennedy in 1961 began affirmative action. It stated for government contractors to "take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin." Great idea, right? We can all agree with that can't we? Dr. King's dream was slowly taking form after that executive order was passed. Racial equality was beginning to take its form, slowly, but surely.

But what happened? What happened to the equality? What happened to the joy of talking about "God's power" that he spoke about and demonstrated so passionately? How did affirmative action, Executive Order 10925 turn into something that sounds like, "Give one race preference over another again, but this time make the opposing race able to be deemed a racist if they complain about it?" When did Dr. King's dream turn into such a convoluted mess? What would he say if he was here today? Would he shed a tear because so many people such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have continuously pulled the race card on everything and blamed the white man for everything, thereby becoming huge racists themselves? Would Martin Luther King Jr. cringe at the way that they use the bible to promote their agenda, not Dr. King's original desire for equality, but their quest for power? How would he feel about the young people who blindly follow these huge figures but don't think for themselves?

I would like to do my part to apologize to Dr. King if he was here. I would like to apologize to those who, like me, respect his work, and see it being torn down by our society. Dr. Martin Luther King...I'm sorry, man.

Is It That Hard to Think for Yourself???

2007-11-30T15:39:00.000-08:00

I had a very enlightening conversation with one of the triumvirate last night. He spoke of news agencies, no matter the agency, of skewing the news to a point at which people don't even need to form an opinion of their own after reading it. I was quick to point out that even though FoxNews is a more conservative agency, more than half of their staff are self-described "liberals." He made an even more valid counter-point that that still doesn't change the fact that that particular news agency still has a tilt to the right. Now as I'm a self described conservative, and there are apparently no non-biased news sources out there, I will stick to trusting FoxNews on the issues.

The point that I am getting at here is the fact that we, as a country, have fallen into a pattern of believing only what we are told, and not thinking for ourselves. Our founding fathers were radicals. They came over here and established a new country! They came over with ideals that they held dear and felt were important to a country. They were brilliant thinkers, outstanding leaders, and always asked questions. All we ask for today are the answers. We don't care how or why. I, as all of us are, am guilty of doing this at one point or another. Maybe we don't care why our car isn't working and we just want it fixed. Maybe we don't care how to work a math problem, we just want it given to us. Maybe we don't care to study the constitution, we just expect others to interpret it and us agree. Maybe we don't care to look into the news, and just want the reporters to give it to us (no matter the bias).

How have we become so lazy in our personal convictions America?! How have we become so indecisive and begun to blindly follow the latest trends?! I see this especially in Christianity! People no longer believe in the breathed word of our God, but rather say it was "God-inspired" and "not completely true." How can Christians be supporting the killing of innocent babies? How can Christians be openly supporting homosexuals in church leadership positions? How can we be blindly following society and not sticking to our convictions?! We have become so incredibly lazy, America, and frankly, it makes me sick.

I can have a political discussion with an individual and they tell me an opposing view, but when I ask them to support it and SHOW me the argument and reasonings behind it, they cannot provide them. They have just followed blindly in the words of another. When I talk about my faith with fellow Christians (who, mind you, read the same good book as I) they cannot support their personal views and only have them ingrained in them because that is what they were told by someone, because it was easier than making up their own mind! Where are the parents in this? Why are they not encouraging us to not blindly follow the trends, but to look into our country and its actions, see the wrongs, and encourage us to find the truth and light that will guide us in the right direction?!

Of course, as with everything, you have the exception to prove the rule. Several of my closest friends do not ascribe to this method of thinking, rather they use their God-given brains and intellect to make intelligent conclusions about the issues that we face. But all I really have to say to the liberal-biased (and conservative-biased) information sources that we have (universities, grade schools, television, newspapers, etc.) in our country is to stop forcing your opinion down your student (or reader/viewer)'s throats as the only acceptable conclusion. Allow everyone to make their own decisions. Of course we won't all agree in the end, but we are a democracy after all. Inevitably, we will not all always agree on everything (but that doesn't stop each of us, including me, to feel like we're right :D). Let's learn to think for ourselves America, and not always just believe what we hear.

-Matt

Big Mother and Big Father

2007-11-07T09:38:00.000-08:00

I remember back in my high school days, when all of the other parents were constantly demanding to know where their kids were going, calling every hour, or even more, mine asked me once where I would be and left me alone until I came home. The exception is right after I got my license, they asked for me to call when I would get from point A to point B (which I never understood, because they would find out anyway if I died...but that's what loving parents do). Moving back a few years into middle school, I remember that I would go and hang out with friends, and they asked for me to be back at a certain time. I could have been selling pure, uncut cocain on the side, but I wasn't. They trusted that I would not do anything stupid, and if I did, I would learn from that mistake (such as the times I thought it would be neat to jump off bike ramps with my roller blades, or the times I thought it would be cool to jump out of the big tree over there, or how it is REALLY dumb to walk over to the country club and run around their swimming pool). In elementary school, I basically played at the house, so that has nothing to do with this at all.

But in high school, I can vividly remember my friends calling their parents on the dot every hour, or they would get a screaming parent calling asking "WHERE ARE YOU!?!?!?!" Thank God my parents were sane! That may have turned me into a serial killer! My point is that the loving, family friendly image of parents watching over their kids is turning into some dark and stormy horror picture of parents spying on their kids. For example, I did not have a cell phone until I was 15. I was close to 16 when I got it. I would not have received it until I was 16 and driving except for the fact that my dad had then gotten a business phone and no longer used his cell. I can walk through the mall today and even see 7 and 8 year olds with phones, and the majority of middle schoolers have them. Not only can the parents ALWAYS call and make sure their kid is where they say they are (which they normally aren't and will completely lie about it because of this), but some phones are now going as far as putting in GPS so that the parent can watch their child's location from a computer. Some companies such as wherify can even let you track them from YOUR cell phone, while you are on the move.

There are several other spy gadgets out for parents to track their children like dogs. There is a jacket out now with a GPS that sells for somewhere in the price range of 500 bucks (in addition to a 20 dollar monthly monitoring fee), there is a program that will tell you if the child got below a certain "acceptable" grade in school, there are instant messenger monitors (which could be needed in the case your kid is a pot-smoking, sex-addicted hippie). There is a program that lets you monitor the speed your child is driving, and if it is above a certain level, it will make the horn honk and lights flash until they slow down. There is even a Verizon wireless program that will let you know if a child leaves an area that you have designated for them to stay in!

I remember when I was little my parents kept me in line by: 1) Using their eyes. 2) Prayer that I didn't do stupid things. and 3) Using neighbors to watch out for each other's kids. Don't get me wrong, I do realize thousands of kids do stupid things every day and need to be monitored. But a lot of those problems could be fixed by 1) TALKing to them. 2) Not forcing them to talk. 3) Not expecting they can raise themselves. 3b) SPEND TIME WITH THEM. Most kids like to rebel against their parents when they are teenagers because it is the cool thing to do. The parent's job is not to give up and just monitor their every move, but rather to still be there for them, and not give up when it requires more effort than just buying them a new Power Rangers toy. I'd like to thank my parents for realizing that is the way to do it when I was younger and now I have the ability to make better choices now that I am an adult. Thanks to all the parents out there who did it right. Hopefully we will raise your grandchildren in a similar manner and won't give in to "technological substitutes for good parenting."

--Matt

Welfare: A Reward for Nothing!

2007-11-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

"If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

Thank you Mr. Roosevelt for your outstanding New Deal policies! Now we have a great system of high taxes so that we can hand out money to freeloading Americans unwilling to make something of themselves. Now, I do understand our current welfare state was really not transformed into this soul-sucking giant until the 60s...but it had to start somewhere, right?

"If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

In fact, since 1964, the US government, in it's infinite wisdom on this matter, has transferred over five trillion...TRILLION...with a T...from taxes on the rich and middle class to the poor and unemployed. This money was just handed out, with nothing expected in return. What am I getting at? WE, the MIDDLE CLASS WORKERS are paying for the POOR of this country to live. Welfare was designed to help the poor and get them to stand on their own feet. Yes, some people deserve this help. Examples range from disabled veterans, orphans, handicapped, mentally retarded, and other people with disabilities. This does NOT include people who just don't WANT to work. Some families are becoming third and fourth generation welfare families! They have the ability to work, but they do not have the drive. Should they be living off of us who DO work? "But Matt, that is not not a very Christian thing to say...Christians should ALWAYS help the poor." On the contrary, we need to look to the Bible about this situation.

"If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

Lets take a gander at 2 Thessalonians 3, verses 6-12. I can summarize those verses with the last 10 words of verse 10: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." That is a pretty straight forward verse. There is really no other way to take that statement. And considering the Bible is the breathed word of God, and doesn't just contain God's word, we know this must be a law we should follow, yet we don't in our society today. In Timothy 5:8 he says, "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Before this welfare state got out of control we had families help one another, not the government.

"If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

1 Timothy 5 speaks about this when it comes to widows. "But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God." This is for widows over 60 years old, as stated in verse 9; If they are younger, they should remarry, so that society does not have to pay for them. Today, we refuse to help each other in our family because we feel it is not our responsibility, even though we have clearly been told that it in fact is.

"If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

Now don't get me wrong. I am strongly against the current welfare state, but I do not think that we should completely desolve it by any means. By giving out entitlements to the poor (free handouts), I believe we are weakening them. They do not learn the value of self-discipline or hard work. They should not be depending on the government to give them OUR money for FREE. Instead, I propose we begin to switch to a revised system of workfare. The money is not handed out for free. You receive your benefits when you do work. It is a small amount of work at first, and will gradually build the individual up so that they can become a productive worker in our society. We should make the states responsible for their respective citizens, and make them responsible for distributing the funds for these people. Also, illegals should have no right to our welfare system. They are here ILLEGALY, therefore they should not have equal treatment as a citizen would.

"If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

We are throwing billions of dollars each year at this "problem" of the poor, and the situation has not improved. In fact, poverty is increasing. That MUST mean that something is wrong with our system. I know from what I have been told from people who work at welfare agencies that people come in in name brand clothes, driving nice cars and demand their welfare check or their food stamps. This has to stop. People should not expect to get a free ride through this life.

"If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

Anti-Murdering-of-Innocent-Children (Infanticide)? Me Too…

2007-10-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

As I was reflecting on the constant degradation of our American society, I became incredibly depressed when I read an article in Memphis’ Communist Appeal. (http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2007/oct/26/abstinence-first-ok-for-areas-sex-ed/) Apparently, in addition to our increasingly corrupt high schools, our American middle schools are beginning to support the decaying moral interior of this country. Yes, this school has begun to distribute birth control. You may think that this is quite a normal progression in our rotting society, but it becomes even worse when you consider the age group that I am talking about: 10-14. That is enough to make you sick to your stomach. The lack of belief in an Almighty and the lack of responsible parenting in this country have led to, once again, another level of moral corruption. The next few steps in this despicable process I’m willing to bet will be on-demand abortions in the school clinics.

One of the major social issues affecting this country right now is the case of abortion. Bluntly stated, Roe v. Wade needs to be overturned. I don’t see how the murdering of innocent children in the womb can be considered legal. The proponents of abortion tend to say “Well, it is not actually a human, it is a group of cells” or “Well, we can’t prove that this is a person with science.” Well, you know what this country is lacking today? Faith. You have to have faith. Read that sentence again. Jeremiah 1:5 states, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” That was God speaking by the way, and I’m quite positive that the Maker tends to know more about what is going on than we do. We can skip a few books back and when we arrive at Psalm 139, David says in verse 16, “You saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” The Bible is the breathed Word of God…it is God’s word! Therefore, these statements cannot be falsified. You have to have faith!

In our society of sex and drugs, abortion seems like the logical way out to many people. But look at an even more literal example: the birth of Christ. The very fact that the Son of God was conceived in Mary’s womb shows that the unborn Christ was not just a lump of cells, but was the very Son of God, who came to redeem us from our sins! I dare not even think about Mary having an abortion, the whole concept is just sickening. As for those who have been raped, do not counter that crime with a second crime of murder. There is already too much of it in the world. Only if the mother is in life-threatening condition due to child should this even be remotely considered. And these cases are quite few and far between.

If you end up getting pregnant, use your brain. God gave it to you for a reason. Freedom to choose good (going through with the pregnancy and if you cannot provide, putting the child up for adoption) or freedom to choose evil (punishing an innocent child with brutal murder). That’s what it is, America. It is murder. Do not punish a possible future Einstein, Franklin, or Reagan J for your mistakes. It is something you can live with, and something they deserve to live with. There are several great families waiting patiently to adopt such a child. Allow them to bring up the child in a loving home if you can not. But please, do not kill them.

Now, to those who have had an abortion. I hope you have realized your transgressions and are repentful for your sin. There is no possible way that abortion can be right. Either way you look at it, it is murder. But, you must remember that “The grace and love of God is stronger than any human weakness and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). God forgives if you truly repent. God is by your side to help you through these pains. God is there to help your eyes be opened in your decisions. Have faith…God is there.

--Matt

Marriage and OH MY!!!! Divorce...

2007-10-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

Here is the big "D" word that no one likes to talk about anymore, but has become so commonplace that it is just flat out sad to me. We, as an American society, as an American culture have become so desensitized to the true meaning of this institution. We have people demanding that we allow gays to be married. We have people claiming that marriage is not a religious institution (what kind of man of God marries two atheists!?). Marriage licenses are what people base their marriage "commitment" on, and not the covenant they make before the Lord Almighty.

My first instincts when this topic comes up is to go right to the good Book, as I do with pretty much every problem that I have (because it is the guide to our life, correct?). Marriage is a pretty big deal in God's eyes. In fact, our first Christian Church, the Roman Catholic Church realized its importance and actually made it one of their sacraments. In Matthew 19:6, Matthew writes "So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." Yeah...that sounds pretty sacred to me.

Today we have strayed so far away from the true BIBLICAL meaning of marriage. In fact, this started a long time ago. I know the Catholics will disagree with how I state this, but the Latin-based church felt marriage was a distraction from a deeper walk with Christ, so they began to require a celibate priesthood. The church came up with this idea, and it was not biblically written which is why the LCMS disagrees with it. The Catholic Church gives the right of interpreting the word to the pope, which is how this came to be (correct me if I'm wrong, someone...I'm not trying to be disrespectful). But I digress.

In the book of Malachi, second chapter, 14th verse, Malachi writes, "...she is your companion and your wife by covenant." Well there you go: Marriage is a COVENANT, not a CONTRACT. Therefore, you should not take this kind of commitment lightly. This is a lifetime commitment that will join you with another human being for life, not for as long as you WANT to be together.

Divorce rates are among the highest that they have ever been, and the numbers are quite staggering. According to Enrichment Journal, divorce rate for first marriages is 41%, second marriages are 60% and third marriages are 73%. Please reread those numbers, and if you did not get incredibly depressed please go see a psychologist. Almost every one in two marriages end in divorce! And every year, the numbers continue to grow!

But God, being omnipotent as he is, realized that since marriage is between two humans who were born into sin, and continue to sin divorce would indeed happen. In Matthew 5:32, it is stated "But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery. ADULTERY!?!? Divorce is a sin, pure and simple, EXCEPT in the case of marital unfaithfulness because marriage is a COVENANT.

Ok, big deal...what is my point, right? Well, divorce in addition to being a sin, is just an ugly thing, plain and simple. You end up in an emotional struggle with another human being, and it even puts you (mostly men) at a greater risk for suicide (http://archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/03/15/divorce.suicide.wmd/index.html). In addition to all of my reasons stated above in this lengthy commentary, I have also seen second and third hand what a divorce can do to the children of a family. These "adults" tend to act like children towards one another, and the children oftentimes have to "choose" which parent they like best. There is a constant struggle between their desires to be with each parent, which is made even more difficult if the parents live out of state. The children have to travel back and forth.

I know every person I have talked to that has been the innocent child victim of a nasty divorce has hated every single part of it. The court cases, the simple fact that now they may have more than two parents, the fact that medical bills and doctor visits can get so complicated that the victim stops caring and can end up getting sicker rather than try to go through the extended effort to get an appointment with the doctor. It is all disgusting, and it always tends to be a battle between the two sets of parents where they try to win, whether than actually worry about the kids that they are victimizing. They just want to come out on top.

How about we get back to our roots, read the Bible, and learn some morals, people? Marriage is not just something that we do off a whim. Marriage is a serious covenant that you will live with your entire life, whether you get divorced or you actually stay together like intended. Marriage is serious, America. Your values, on the other hand, apparently are not.

--Matt

Sick of the Racism? Me too...

2007-10-25T08:23:00.000-07:00

So every day that I work or go to school, the first thing that I do is to either pick up the Communist Appeal (the Memphis news rag) or the Daily Helmsman (the UofM student run paper). And every day, it never fails; within the first couple of pages there is something about race. Whether it is comparing blacks and whites or complaining about whites, or complaining and blacks, I am just getting sick of it.

The first article on the front of today's Helmsman was "U of M fails at graduation." You think, "Oh my, this is not good." But, then you look at the chart pasted above the article, and as usual they are comparing blacks to whites. Just like everybody in this God forsaken city. I continue on, and when I turn to page six, my eyes spot "The 18th Annual Ebony Man Scholarship Competition." Don't even get me started on all the black scholarships. Yes, I admit there are those who need it. But let me say this quite bluntly: JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE BLACK IS NOT A REASON FOR THEM TO HAVE A SCHOLARHIP. People say "but they went through a living hell growing up!" Well guess what? So did many, many, many whites in the city. But if we start white scholarships, THAT IS RACISM. That may be, but these black scholarships are racism as well. Many poor whites deserve the money more than well off blacks who just get it because of their skin color. Please, make these scholarships need-based, not color-based.

I look on the front page of the Communist Appeal and what do I find? Yes! You are correct! Another article about racism lays before my eyes. A lady in West Virginia who was beat by six white people because they "just wanted to hurt a black person." That is just horrible. Please learn to respect one another. I am not racist. That last statement was directed at the white attackers. And don't even get me started on the Jena 6. First off...it is pronounced JEE-NA. Secondly, how do these people think that beating the ever living crap out of a guy, no matter his color, should not be a crime? I personally think it is one of those things that just catch on with the college crowd for something they can complain about. Yes, the white guys committed a "hate crime," but for Pete's sake, learn to control yourself. We don't go beating up people when they do something wrong. That is not how it works. I will say that those white students did get suspended. I thought that was a fitting punishment. It will be on their records for life.

These are just some of the issues, and I am just plain sick and tired of both sides of the equation. Even our "esteemed" Memphis mayor, King Willie (and I use esteemed quite sardonically) is a blatant racist. Instead of acting like a professional, he looks at every problem in the city in White (wrong) and Black (right) terms instead of seeing that we are a city of PEOPLE. We are a city of AMERICANS. Sure the blacks in this country are descendants of African immigrants...so what? I am a descendent of a German immigrant. You are an American, not an African-American just as I am not a German-American. Do us all a favor America. Stop thinking of each other in black and white, red and green, purple and blue. We are all red, white and blue. Now let's start acting like it instead of some group of kindergarteners who can't get along at recess. Take your racism, and swallow it. It is only here because you are still allowing it to be.

--Matt