Badly Needed -- A Draconian Response to the Drug Epidemic!

It is like a plague! The growing problem of illegal drugs of all kinds is impacting not just the large metropolitan areas but smaller towns and rural areas as well. Here in south central Pennsylvania, which includes the city of Johnstown, there have been large numbers of persons arrested in drug related activity and many deaths taking place as a result of drug overdoses. Adding to this is the fact of ruined lives of persons who are addicted and resorting to criminal activity to get money in order to maintain the addiction.

Attempts to organize a counter offensive plus numerous meetings and discussions have taken place in an effort to deal effectively with the problem. In spite of all the attempts to deal successfully with the issue, the problem with drugs appears with the passing of time to be like a juggernaut that is unstoppable!

However, there is a way that over time will begin to produce some positive results in this war that has been waged for far too long. And just what is this way, one might ask? It is really simple and the most effective strategy we can implement. We begin by putting in place legislation that makes it an automatic death penalty for anyone who sells illegal drugs for money. This penalty would be applied when during the trial the evidence is irrefutable that the individual is guilty of gaining money from the sale of illegal drugs such as heroin, et al! Further, there would be no appeal and the sentence to be carried out within 30 days of conviction! In time, if consistently applied, this measure would get rid of dealers at all levels with a message that says explicitly: “If you sell illegal drugs, are apprehended, brought to trial, and it is proven beyond a reasonable doubt that you are guilty, you will die shortly after the trial!”

Will legislators have enough spine to pass such legislation? It is highly unlikely because of the twisted and distorted value system our culture now embraces. There are a number who claim the death penalty is cruel and inhumane punishment! And there have been demonstrations on behalf of persons about to be executed for violent murders committed. While there has been much sympathy expressed for the criminal and the fact that he/she is going to be executed, very little or no sympathy shown whatsoever for the victims’ families and what they are dealing with by way of grief and hardship!

Anyone want to tell how many lives have been totally ruined and cut short due to a drug dealer peddling his/her illegal wares? Go ahead – how many? A dozen, twenty, fifty, a hundred, a thousand? No, you, nor can I, even begin to fathom the number much less the extent of misery these people who sell drugs have caused!

So, what is your suggestion for dealing with the drug epidemic? Give the offenders a slap on the wrist, do some counseling, and have lots of discussions on what we can do? Too bad we cannot be Draconian in our approach to the issue!

By the way, the Draconian approach as mentioned above should also apply to every person who kills a law enforcement officer!

Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. -- Genesis 9:6 (KJV)

Why More Gun Violence? There Are Reasons Not Acknowledged!

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama vowed to use the bully pulpit for the remainder of his term to draw attention to gun violence following Thursday’s mass shooting on a college campus in Oregon. Mr. Obama, speaking during a news conference on Friday, appeared resigned to getting no traction on gun-control legislation before he leaves office. Instead, he said his primary strategy going forward would be to mount a public campaign. “I’m going to talk about this on a regular basis, and I’m going to politicize it,” Mr. Obama said. “Because our inaction is a political decision that we are making.” …… [Wall Street Journal opening news release of president’s news conference, Friday October 2, 2015]

It happened again with a mass shooting event at a college in Oregon. Before taking his own life the killer took the lives of 9 persons and wounded a number of others. And as could be expected the mainstream media jumped on this more quickly than a cat pouncing on a mouse and continued to keep the pot stirred in a myriad of ways in days following. Constant theme during times such as these is the screaming for more gun control which when translated literally to the bottom line means to confiscate and get rid of all firearms!

Once in a while someone does raise the question as to why we are experiencing more gun violence, especially those happenings that result in the killing of a number of individuals when someone goes on a rampage with more than one or two weapons in hand at the time.

Alright, it is now time to do some common sense thinking for a while. For a few decades now we have been programming our young folk with constant exposure to violence! Electronic games, movies and television have been saturated with themes that are portrayed in violent expressions! Most of this garbage shows the killing of persons or at the very least extensive physical injuries inflicted. With highly developed technology the viewer is treated to slow motion splattering of blood, guts and brains all over the place! There is an endless parade of this junk available at all times.

The young with constant exposure to this kind of “entertainment” are brainwashed and ushered into a state of mind and attitude that when some frustrating moment confronts them – someone has done something or said something that angers them, then the way to settle that issue is to resort to acts of violence. In a milder form it takes place in the form of bullying but when it has reached full bloom then an act of violence is the way to settle it against those guilty of the offence! The gun is the object that gets the most publicity but other objects can be used such as knives or even a ball bat! A recent news report told of a person who, using a cast iron pipe wrench, hit another person on the head, causing severe injury!

Another bitter “fruit” of this process is the increase in what are described as “road rage” incidents. Violent acts have taken place because someone did something in traffic that highly offended another driver. At times this resulted in a shooting incident because the offended person happened to have a firearm with him in his vehicle!

An additional aspect of this problem is the fact that growing numbers are getting hooked on illegal drugs. The brain gets badly messed up and desperation sets in due to the need for drugs each day and the way one is going to get the money to feed the deadly habit. Guns often become involved in this activity and again it is not uncommon that killing takes place. Big city “missionaries” come into the small towns and rural areas peddling the stuff and there are many willing to traffic in it at any time! It can be expected that gun violence will be a side “benefit” of the illegal drug business throughout the “land of the free and the home of the brave!”

Can this be turned around? That is highly unlikely because now we like our violence and because of money involved the pressure would be to continue as we are down the road of increased violence in our entertainment and gaming industries! In this sense we are very much like the Roman Empire centuries ago – its entertainment was mild and rather non-violent at first but then the lust for more violence crept in as time passed. Finally they reached the point of where it was great to see two gladiators go at it until one was defeated – if not killed by his opponent, the loser was prostate on the ground writhing in his pain from wounds and all eyes were on the emperor to see his reaction – if emperor gave a thumbs up, it meant the defeated one had put up a good fight and so deserved to live. But if the emperor considered the battle rather dull and the defeated one had not really fought valiantly, then thumbs down and the victor ran the loser through with his sword! Seems there were more thumbs down conclusions than thumbs up in these contests. Equally, if not more exciting, was watching the Christians being thrown to extremely hungry lions in the Coliseum. That was entertainment par excellence! And if it came to a vote in present day U.S.A. there likely would be some votes to have the lions vs. the Christians thing repeated once more in the 21st Century! With the growing hostility against Christianity it would be entertainment that would be financially profitable, wouldn’t you say?

What you have just read will be vehemently denied by the majority. Constant exposure to violence from the time they can look at a screen, either held in their hands, or sitting on a desk, or in a theater seating a few hundred people has absolutely no effect on our young people and will not influence them in any way when they become adults! Or will it?

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. [2 Timothy 3:1-5(KJV)].

Do You See the Red Flags Flying When Hollywood Jumps on the Bandwagon?

Hollywood's A-list was out in force at a fundraiser for Barack Obama with stars including Leonardo DiCaprio helping to amass an estimated USD 9 million for the Democrat's White House campaign. A dinner in a Beverly Hills mansion costing about 300 attendees USD 28,500 each also attracted director Steven Spielberg along with a bevy of actors such as Jodie Foster and Tobey Maguire, and comedian Chris Rock, reporters saw….. Singer-actress Barbra Streisand crooned at a USD 2,500 per-head reception at the swanky Beverly Wilshire hotel after the dinner, where the stars ate goat's cheese, roasted potatoes, filet mignon and asparagus. --- from Internet news release of September 17, 2008

Do you see those red flags flying – in fact, it’s like a sea of red waving in the breeze, is it not? Why are they there? Didn’t you know? Hollywood is jumping on B. O.’s bandwagon – it’s like a mass stampede!

It was reported on September 17, 2008 that B. O. attended a fund raising event at a Beverly Hills mansion in which those present paid $28,500.00 each to be in the presence of the Democratic presidential candidate. Later in the evening Barbara Streisand sang at the Beverly Wilshire hotel where many of the Hollywood elite were present. Again, raising money to help B. O. get into the White House in January 2009 was the objective.

It is estimated that 9 million dollars came into the Democrat Party’s pocketbook in these two gatherings and if so, would set a fund raising record for one night.

Why mention of the red flags – a kind of warning to us citizens in the republic of the U. S. A?

Keep in mind the following about the Hollywood bunch:

• they have made more than a tid-bit amount of contribution to the moral corruption of our culture by their example of playing musical beds and conceiving children out of wedlock accompanied by drug and alcohol abuse! All this amounts to a ton of grist for the rag sheets at check out counters which are gobbled up by people of all ages.
  
  
• they have manufactured what is supposed to be “entertainment” which is packed full of excessive violence, sexual immorality, and foul language including almost non-stop usage of the infamous “f” word!
  
  
• by lifestyle and life accomplishments in their works they have had an extremely negative impact on our culture, especially our youth and children. It’s been like feeding the young a daily diet of poison with the final result being their destruction.
  
  
• philosophically, these people have egos which make Mt. Everest look like a tiny mole hill by way of comparison and a world view which intentionally ignores the claims and call of a holy God Who created this mighty universe for His pleasure and purposes. If they took those claims and call seriously, the example they set and the work in which they are involved would be as different as a bright sunny day is from night at the midnight hour!
  

There are those who would quickly try to defend Hollywood to a point by saying there are some who do not live as described above and there are some who are involved in the producing of G-rated films etc. Granted, there a very few who may fall into this class, but it’s a bit like giving me a drink with a lot of arsenic and strychnine in it – you tell me those two ingredients are in the drink, but also quickly add that there are some vitamins also in the mixture and these are good for me! Thank you, no, but I don’t believe I will be helped because there are a few “good” things in such a deadly drink!

For the person who gives some thought to the issue – what Hollywood gets excited about, and is willing to pour millions of dollars into an “agenda,” is it good for us or will it lead to ultimate disaster further down the road?

"You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice." --- Exodus 23:2

At Last -- Barry Bonds Rides off into the Sunset!

There were those who said it would be just a matter of time -- well, the time has come and the newly crowned home run "king" finds himself with a lot of tarnish and corrosion on his long sought "crown of glory!"

Barry Bonds has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. As might be expected his lawyers and fans are quick to support him in spite of evidence indicating he was getting some outside help in pursuit of breaking Hank Aaron's home run record. That "help" came in the form of drugs that "enhance" one's athletic performance. The word "steroids" is an extremely bad word when it comes to athletes ingesting the same -- it's profanity dressed up in athletic attire -- football, baseball, basketball or whatever and always gives the obscene gesture to the public in general and to sports fans in particular!

If found guilty the home run "king" will be wearing his crown in prison for a time -- but who knows -- since the ethics displayed by too many lawyers in their style of operation is of cess pool quality at best, they might get him off in spite of his being clearly guilty -- in the course of time we'll all know due to the fact that the outcome will make big headlines either way!

The greatest tragedy here is the kind of role model example which has been set -- it's bad enough to be driven by the demon of greed, which controls a lot of professionals, but when it comes to the lowest level to which one can sink -- how many young lives will be shipwrecked by this debacle? And how many fans of what has been referred to as "America's greatest past time" now have intense nausea in the stomach area? And each time it is noted as to the breaking of Hank Aaron's record will that nausea so intensify that one starts running to the commode to heave?

And, Barry, can you punch that horse in the ribs and speed him up a bit so that he gets you into the sunset a bit faster?

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man; and birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. --- Romans 1:20-25