The Rule of Law

Others,

The goodness of the law revives the soul.
http://bible.cc/psalms/19-7.htm

The UN convened a meeting to explore the rule of law.
http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/iran-s-ahmadinejad-denounces-israel-u-s-in-speech-to-un-1.968945

“Ban called on all states to apply the law equally, both nationally and internationally, and not allow political self-interest to undermine justice. He also called on world leaders "to uphold the highest standards of the rule of law in their decision-making at all times."”

Ahmadinejad criticized a fake regime regarding the silence that was expressed regarding nuclear warheads. Israel walked out. The US remained. He also pledged to do what he can to end the civil war in Syria.
http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/ahmadinejad-i-will-do-everything-in-my-power-to-end-syria-war-1.970200

 Netanyahu expressed his desire for a red-line for Iran regarding the development of nuclear power in Iran.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/27/us-un-assembly-israel-iran-idUSBRE88Q0GI20120927

Ahmad Vahidi, Defense Minister for Iran, observed that Israel had already crossed their own redline.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j_zxkpzQl5QS6azx8gbHHSqy4Y8Q?docId=CNG.3cd430d3c4377dcc47724222f75a5d76.01

The English bill of rights revolutionized government representation in 1689. The bill included the right to self-defense (bear arms), freedom of speech and a provision against cruel and unusual punishment.

The freedoms of assembly (association) and religion were added to the US bill of rights. It is becoming clear that the freedom to assemble in (non-violent) protest; in association with unions; and in the organization of political parties are not recognized globally. This becomes critically important when people are being shot for protest or for not belonging to “the party.” Not respecting the right to freedom of assembly is a serious human rights violation.

Freedom of assembly provides the basis for oppositional parties that counteract the excesses or deficiencies of a single party. Debate is encouraged in the interest of finding best solutions.

Freedom of religion is an extension that was developed from the treaty of Westphalia in 1648. The treaty recognized the peace of Augsburg (1555) wherein the official choice of the Catholic or Protestant Churches was left the prince of the province, but citizens of the other denomination were entitled to worship in their Church. They were not allowed violent sedition against the crown.

Madison recognized that the choice of religion belongs to the citizen. Congress was not to make any laws that prohibited the free exercise of faith or established a religion as official.

The Rule of Law

Ps.19, Ps.124, James 5

The goodness of law revives the soul.
The testimony of truth is sure.
It gives wisdom to the innocent
so the heart will rejoice.

The rule of law is just.
No one is above it.
The Creator established nature.
The law of the land is to reflect
the intelligence of design.

The law against killing is clear.
It gives light to the mind.
No one can kill another
without consequence.

Murder is a capital crime.
Multiple murders compound
the offense.
Genocide is larger still, but
wars for aggression
are unconscionable.

Respect for the law is good.
It endures with constancy.
Good judgments are true
and righteous.

Fairness is more valuable than gold;
more than much of the finest gold;
sweeter than honey:
more so than honey
in the comb.

If the rule for law was not on our side,
let the people now say;
if the law had not been for us
when contention rose up against us;
the waters of enmity would have overwhelmed us.

We would have been consumed by the flood;
the raging rush would have gone right over us
and dashed us against the hardness of matter.

Freedom in the law of nature
commends liberty in the rule for law.

Freedom of religion recommends
competition for morality
in the economy.

Freedom of assembly allows for
oppositional organization.
Oppositional organization
recommends debate for best solutions.
Best solutions have to be devised
for diversity among the people.
It is not best to limit representation
to the wealthiest.

Objectivity in justice
is non-discriminatory.
It is not absolute in partiality
to any;
not to the rich
or the poor;
the majority
or the minority;
management or labor;
men or women;
the right or the left;
the private or public sectors;
the religious or the non-religious;
the old, the young
or the in between.

Liberty and justice are for all.
They are for each in regard
to the right degree.
They are for the free exercise of faith,
but against the establishment
of religion by the state.

If any among you wander
from the way of liberty with justice
and is brought back by another,
the one who saved the lost
will be redeemed
from many errors.

====================

Austerity is cruel. It measures out provision for less than enough to cover basic needs. Severe austerity refuses to give enough to stimulate growth in the economy to provide for basic needs. Economic sanctions act as a promotion for austerity.

Iran has the right to develop nuclear power as an alternative energy source. The west needs to present a declaration of intent regarding the purpose for the sanctions. What is wanted? Are we looking for a constitutional theocracy? Will they revise their constitution to place the Ayatollah in an advisory position? Will they endorse freedom of assembly for oppositional representation? Will they establish a provision for freedom of religion?

It is cruel and unusual to continue economic sanctions for an action that is not an aggressive threat to the security of another nation. The development of nuclear power is a viable option. They will be monitored by nuclear regulations just like everybody else. Another regime change by invasion is out of the question. The physical destruction was immense. The death toll was too large. The economic consequence rocked the world.
http://world.time.com/2012/09/27/how-many-civilians-would-be-killed-in-an-attack-on-irans-nuclear-sites/

The industry for war has been like heroine for the elitists in non-civilized "civilization." War industry numbers indicate that more money is made by destruction, then by diplomacy, stable international relations, commerce and tourism. Invasion for regime change then is being promoted as the modern alternative to colonization. It is the most current “needle” for the “heroine” known as industry profit.

Neil Young – The Damage Done
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ligse2KJPI&feature=related

I’ve seen the needle and the damage done
a little part of it in everyone
but every junkie’s like a setting sun.

The west needs rehab to establish non-aggression as an international law.

Steve K.

Drought

Others,

I will pour water on the thirsty land. Streams will refresh the dry ground. My Spirit will be poured out on your family; my blessing on your descendents.
http://bible.cc/isaiah/44-3.htm

The drought of 2012 may surpass the one in 1936.
http://blog.weathernationtv.com/2012/07/17/drought-of-2012-may-surpass-1936/

Minnesota July 19, 2012
http://www.conservationminnesota.org/news/weather/as-cool-as-it-gets-yet-another-heat-spike-upper-90s-by-friday/

Drought

Ps.54, James 3, recent events

Save me by faith in your name, God.
Defend my cause with your strength.

No rumble
from the thunder drum.
No clouds.
No sign of relief

There has been no rain.
‘No rain’ means ‘more pain.’
Help.

Devastation is seared
into memory.
The curse of a fallen nation
screams out with pain.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
Rock is raining.
Sound is shock
dropping and shaking
first responders
on the ground.
Billowing towers
crumble impossibly
from the top
at close to the speed
of gravity down.

The crushing crash,
this blast of building,
was caused by what?
What cause?
What caused this?
Jet fuel?
Impossible.
But that is what was said.
(It is only true that they said it.)

Toxic fear billows
like smoke from the concrete rubble.
There lies our hope for fairness in world trade.
The dreams of the country
are shattered by the cry
for a war on terror.

Justice must be served.
Those responsible
must be held accountable.

Behind the smoke,
the deception states,
“It was Arab terrorists.”

Experts testified to verify
what had already been determined
to be the case.
The official story, while fictive,
must be treated as true.
There was no investigation
of suspected terrorist events.

Afghanistan was just sitting there
near Iran, Pakistan, China…
not far from the former Soviet Union…
just sitting there on the far side
of the Middle East…
just waiting for the west
to pick up where it had left off
before the communists had decided
that it was too close to their borders
for comfort.

The Taliban, a CIA creation,
had to be targeted as harbingers
of terror, so military presence
could increase influence
for western products.

Iraq had to be attacked.
Saddam Hussein,
the opposition pawn
that had been played
against Islamic Iran,
had to be replaced.
The cry for Zion was used
to turn tensions against Islam.

Two wars during a major tax cut later,
the elitist was heard to ask,
“What crisis?”
He said,
“There is no problem.
The economy is fine
(…from the perspective
of those who profited
from the wars).

Now, there is drought again.
When is there not a lack of rain?
The government has been without revenue.
Social security has been reduced by spending cuts.
The baby boomers have become the elderly.
Disaster relief was cut due to economic stress.
The public sector was decreased to make
unemployment look like it was caused
by the successors to the cause of the crisis.

Have those responsible for the destruction
on 9/11 been brought to justice? No.
They dwell in the protected privacy
of their homes.
Their security is the best
that blood money
can buy.

Hear my prayer, God.
Give ear to the words
from my mouth.

Opportunists have risen up
exploiting elitist exploitation.
Freedom of expression
has been punished.
Privacy in media use
has been compromised.

If watchwords are being used
to seek out plans for destruction,
why wasn’t the Colorado killer stopped?
Why is protest being punished?
Why do partisan politics rule the state?
Why has help through the public sector
been disabled?

The dry land mocks providence. It is desolate.
Wasteland favors crows and insects.

Where is the source of conflict?
It comes from coveting
for those who have enough.
It comes from deprivation
for those who do not.

Feeling conflict is not criminal.
Acting to cause serious damage
to others, property or self is.
Is increasing unfair advantage
for the wealthiest not a grave offense
against the economy of the people?
It is an advocacy for “legal” crime.

It is conceivably the greatest offense
that a party could propose.
Yet it is being proposed
by the party that would have
us believe that the elitist is
the only one that counts.

Who is listening?
Don’t believe the lies.
Stand opposed to crime,
wars of aggression, oppression,
deception and anything
that causes serious damage.
Feel angry, but do no harm.

Show your faith by your good life.
Show that your works are done
with a gentleness that is graced
by wisdom.

National security depends
upon domestic tranquility.
Social security is the greater part
of national integrity.

Whoever would be first
has to justify a proposal for service.
That which has been done to justify the proposal
is only an indicator of what will be done,
but it is better than betting on a criminal record.
The elitist record has robbed us of resources
to weather hardship caused by natural disaster
from the start of civilization.

Support a plan
that will improve the situation.
Elect responsible leadership.
Watch the news for truth.
Listen for facts.
Choose responsibly.

===================

They arrived in Capernaum. He asked them when they were in the house, "What did you argue about when we were on the way?"
http://bible.cc/mark/9-33.htm
http://www.lifeintheholyland.com/images/bivin/Capernaum%20insulae%20and%20Peter's%20house%20from%20north,%20tb052604018.jpg
http://bibleatlas.org/capernaum.htm
http://www.biblewalks.com/Sites/capernaum.html

Dave Matthews – Save Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-ImSpdQb8Y

I said, "How about a drink or a bite to eat?"
He said, "No, all I need is my faith
and my walking feet."
I said, "Then save me. Save me,
Mr. Walking Man, if you can."

Pray for rain. Support disaster relief.

Steve K.

Restitution

Others,

The state of nature is governed by a law that applies to all. Reason teaches any who will consult the law that no one ought to harm another in life, health, liberty or possessions. There is enough providence for each to obtain provisions for basic needs. There cannot be supposed any such subordination among us to authorize the destruction of another or others.

This is the basic reasoning that supports the law against killing. Killing is identified as the crime of murder because it deprives another of any privilege and all liberty associated with life. Murder is now regarded as a capital crime insofar as it eliminates the ability to render restitution to the offended party.

Wars of aggression, genocide and mass murder stand as aggravated offenses that are greater in damage than the homicide of any individual. Nevertheless, punishment in the modern age requires proportionate restitution.

This restitution is not to be rendered in the brute form of an eye for an eye. It is given in the form of providing payment for treatment affiliated with the party who had suffered damage. Since health insurance supplies a large part of the payment for medical treatment, some monetary retribution is still regarded as a form of punishment in cases that are not as severe as murder.

The freedoms of expression and assembly are believed to be protected when people are protesting policies that are harmful to the community. The condition is that the protest is expressed in a non-violent way. When these freedoms are treated as non-existent, it is a cause for concern.

When the exercise of these freedoms is identified as terrorism and punished with death by the state, the state has been made into an instrument for murder. It is a high crime. When the state exists in dependence upon crime, it is not credible as a representative of human rights for the people. The constitution for the state has to be re-written in a way that affects a change that restores faith in the ability of the leadership to lead in representation.

The current government in Syria stands in desperate need of correction. It has been conducting a war of terror on the people of the majority population.

If Russia is Sending Attack Helicopters to Syria Should the US Arm Rebels?
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2012/0614/If-Russia-is-sending-attack-helicopters-to-Syria-should-US-arm-rebels

The US can arm rebels according to Chinese and Russian foreign policy provided, the US adopt a policy of non-aggression.

The recent protests surrounding the video “Innocence of Muslims” was a planned event. It was planned to protest the American invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. The destructive events in the US on 9/11/01 were used to promote the “global war on terror” in the Middle East.

Muslims can protest the video. They have the right to do so. Civil authority asserts that they don’t have the right to protest violently. The administration for the US has changed. Reparations have been made in the invaded countries. Military presence is only being kept until the government of the country can govern without civil war.

Afghanistan has a constitution with rights.
http://www.afghan-web.com/politics/current_constitution.html#chaptertwo
It is well written. It is better than the US bill of rights in the comprehensive composition of expression. It has an explicit provision against discrimination. It has a provision against torture and punishment contrary to human integrity. It proposes to provide education up to the BA level. It has documented all our rights and added some. The only flaw is expressed in Article 45:

http://www.afghan-web.com/politics/current_constitution.html#chaptertwo
“The state shall devise and implement a unified educational curriculum based on the provisions of the sacred religion of Islam, national culture, and in accordance with academic principles, and develops the curriculum of religious subjects on the basis of the Islamic sects existing in Afghanistan. (Ch.2, Art.22)

This is comparable to asserting that the US educational curriculum should be based on the provisions derived from Christianity. It is not an affirmation of freedom of religion. It is a restriction to Islam that institutes sectarianism as a national right. The provision should affirm the right of a non-sectarian education.

Islam is the predominant religion. Provisions from it will be used in education. It is not  good to limit the plan for national government to one religion. Where is the representation for minority religions? Where is the representation for the minority Islamic sects? If the plan for government does not represent the minority groups, there will be problems with discrimination.

Article 149 is also lacking support for freedom of religion.

http://www.afghan-web.com/politics/current_constitution.html#chapterten
The provisions of adherence to the fundamentals of the sacred religion of Islam and the regime of the Islamic Republic cannot be amended.

Their constitution is so good it could be used as a model for revising the US bill of rights except for the lack of freedom of religion in the provision for education and the provision against amending Islam as the state religion.

The Iraqi constitution is well-written as well, but it has similar problems regarding freedom of religion. It also has a requirement for absolute agreement that is problematic. Will the majority agree with minority populations when the minorities are more correct or is the expectation that the minorities will always agree with the majority because that is what they would expect if they were the majority? If the majority uses weapons to force consensus, then the “absolute” consensus was not chosen. Where is the liberty in that law?

The west has leadership in regards to the provisions for correction and freedom of religion, but we need to adopt the non-aggression pact. Invading foreign nations to solve their problems for them is not in the best interest of international cooperation. This said, there is the provision against invasion that allows for defense of allies.

Let liberty in the law rule.

Steve K.

  

The Teacher

Others,

Jesus and his disciples went to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. He asked them on the way, “Who do people say I am?” He was seen as a prophet by the people. Peter named him as the Messiah or Christ. The name Jesus means “God saves.”

Map and History of the Area
http://www.keyway.ca/htm2000/20000831.htm
http://www.bibleplaces.com/banias.htmOutline of Historical References in Luke
http://www.eborg2.com/BibleNT/42-Luke/0-Luke03.htm

Arctic Monkeys - Mardy Bum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss85tLK9MX0

Whatever people say I am, that's what I'm not.

Outline of Historical References
http://www.eborg2.com/BibleNT/42-Luke/0-Luke03.htm

Survival is regarded as a property of goodness in life. Salvation isn’t limited to survival, but surviving life threatening events is celebrated. Salvation by faith is about the preservation of goodness in society. Faith is personal and social. It includes immediate perception, but conceptual analysis allows for connection with others within the historical perspective.

Quality of life is compromised by tyranny. Tyrants use destruction with the threat of death to rule over people. The testimony to goodness will not allow tyranny to destroy life. Life as it is known is risked for the sake of goodness in society. Personal testimony acquires a supra-personal aspect in promoting change for the better. It becomes a living social testimony in the life of others.

While many people have been killed in Syria, many others have escaped as refugees to another country.

Angelina Jolie Visits Syrian Refugees in Jordan
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/angelina-jolie-jordan-visit-syrian-refugees-17202414

The following re-write addresses salvation as our teacher. God saves.

The Teacher

Ps.116, Proverbs 1, Ps.19,
Wisdom of Solomon 7, Isaiah 50, James 3

The cords of death entangled me.
The grip of the grave was pulling me down.
I felt great grief and sorrow.

I called to you.
“Please save my life.”
You rescued me.
My eyes were delivered from tears.
My feet no longer stumbled.

I love you LORD.
You listened to me.
You heard my request.
You answered when I was in distress.

I will walk in the presence of the LORD
in the land of the living.

Wisdom cries out in the street.
She raises her voice in the marketplace.
She makes her statement at the busiest corner.
She speaks out at the entrance to the city.

She sings.
The heavens declare the glory of God.
The earth shows the intelligence of design.

One day tells the tale of time to another.
One night shares secrets which others
will dare to share if you care.

While they speak without language
and their voices are not heard,
their song is sung in all lands.
Their message rings out
to the ends of the world.

The greatest depth of darkness
proclaims the coming of the dawn.
The light springs forth with the fastest speed
to foretell the procession of the sun
as its source.

The law of the LORD is brilliant.
It revives the soul.

Wisdom is a reflection of eternal light.
She is a spotless mirror for creativity.
She is the image of goodness.

God loves nothing
so much as someone
who lives with wisdom.
She is more beautiful than the sun.
She excels every constellation of the stars.
Her light is succeeded;
then preceded by darkness.

The Lord GOD has given me
the tongue of a teacher
to sustain the weary with a word.
Morning by morning my ear
is wakened to listen to those
who are willing to be taught.

All of us make mistakes,
yet perfection provides
continual incentive
for improvement.

Speech is the expression of mind.
The tongue is a medium for the expression.
Bits are put in the mouths of horses
to guide them in the desired direction.
Rudders are used by boats
to give the vessel the right heading.
Wheels are used in cars
to drive to a destination.

So the tongue is used as a small member
to express big thoughts with simple sentences.
It is a powerful device.
It can set fires
or put them out.
We use speech to bless God
and curse distress.

Jesus asked his disciples on the way
to the villages around Caesarea Philippi,
“Who do people say that I am?”

They answered,
“Some say John the Baptist;
others Elijah; and still others another prophet.”

Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
He warned them not to tell anyone.

He began to teach them that the Son of Man
would suffer rejection by elders, priests and scribes.
He would be accused of a capital crime.
He would be punished by torture
and killed.
This was not spoken as a parable.

He would rise again after three days.
He said this plainly.

Peter took him aside and tried to rebuke him.
He turned and looked at this disciples,
rebuked Peter and said,
“Get behind me, Satan!
You are not setting your mind
on divine things.”

He called to the crowd
to join with his disciples.
He said to them,
“If anyone wants
to become faithful,
deny yourself.
Take up your cross
and follow me.
Those who want
to save their life
will lose it.
Those who are willing
to lose their life
for my sake and
for the sake of the gospel,
will save it.

What will be the profit to gain the world
to forfeit life to belief in death
and the way of destruction?”

================

Salafists were rioting in Cairo, Tunis and other locations in the Middle East this past week. The video “Innocence of the Muslims” was created to incite violence in an unstable region of the world.

Now is the time for judgment. Now is the time to cast the tyranny of violence out. Those who created the video should be charged with inciting riot.

Those who killed four Americans need to be prosecuted for murder in Libya. Those who harm others need to be prosecuted for assault. Those who damaged property need to be charged for the damage. Those who protested non-violently did so within their legal rights.

Protesters Target US Embassy in Tunis
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/14/tunisia-us-embassy-attack_n_1884068.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

The US and other constitutional democracies have two major differences with the countries that claim to be Islamic in the Middle East. Freedom of religion and the provision against cruel and unusual punishment (cruelty or laxity) stand out as critically important in the government’s representation of human rights. A citizen should be able to choose his or her religious affiliation. A citizen should not have to worry about being destroyed by the accusation of criminal behavior.

The provision for correction started out as against cruelty. It has since become clear that the existence of partisan politics affirms that the provision is against laxity as well. Those outside “the party” are treated as expendable. Those in “the party” are regarded as beyond the need for correction. The offender had simply been victimized by the opposition according the laxity nexus of law.

The US and other western coalition countries have something important to learn from China, Japan and Germany. We had a policy of non-intervention that was protected by the investigation of suspected terrorist events up until 9/11/01. The investigation needs to be re-instituted, but a non-interventionist policy contributes to isolationism. We need to adopt the non-aggression pact.

The west had become content with the aphorism “The east is the east and the west is the west. Never the two will meet.” We are part of a global community. Commerce is an international activity. Human rights are not limited to specific nations. Justice has standards that are global in import. We can’t afford to turn a blind eye to what is right about the non-aggression pact even though it was imposed on the nations who lost WWII. The world economy says that it is better to have the non-aggressive military foreign policy. Two of the nations that had lost have become the leaders of the world.

This presents a problem for the “white hat” view of western society. The runaway cowboy wants to ride in on a white horse and save the day. George H.W. Bush accomplished the last hurrah in that regard. The invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi forces threatened the independence of all the nations in the Middle East and western allies. If Saddam Hussein had captured the resources of its wealthy neighbor, he was on the road to repeating what had been done by Adolph Hitler prior to WWII. When resources are channeled into the military machine, the machine picks up a lot of momentum.

The condition against military invasion then is a major provision in the non-aggression pact. If a foreign nation invades another for any other reason than defense of independence by alliance, then the nation can be driven out by another alliance.

Truth be told, the US did not have the right to invade Afghanistan. Many already agree that Iraq should not have been invaded, but the invasion of Afghanistan was initiated only after a superficial commercial investigation had already endorsed the call for a resurgence of the industry for war.

This resurgence of the war industry has taken its toll on the public sector for the US. Economic hardship has been visited upon those who were working in people programs. The hardship has been so severe that it pushes the demographic fringe into dangerous levels of economic dependence.

Why is the unemployment rate so high in an election year? The government has been without revenue for over ten years. Partisan politics has been driving the private sector. How are public sector workers supposed to work in a hostile employment situation in the private sector? How is any worker supposed to function in the hostility of the social environment generated by partisan politics?

The cords of death entangle me. The grip of death is pulling me to the grave. I feel grief and sorrow. LORD, please have mercy and save me.

Survival of a near death experience often drives desire for conflict out of personal perspective. There is however a strengthened desire to avoid stereotypical categorization. It is like two lovers seeking to avoid prying eyes and wagging tongues from those who move around them.

Arctic Monkeys – Mardy Bum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss85tLK9MX0

“Whatever people say I am, that’s what I’m not.”

God saves, but participation in the law of liberty is required.

If the desire to find happiness in obtaining provisions for basic needs is not satisfied, it will be resurrected with faith.

Have faith, but elect responsible leaders. The correction has not been achieved. Health care reform was only a start.

Steve K.

Healing

Others,

Melqart (translates as King-City) was the god for Tyre (translates as Sour), a coastal city in Phoenicia (present day Lebanon) that was under Roman jurisdiction during the time of Jesus.

Melqart was assimilated with Hercules after Alexander conquered the city. Sailors valued physical prowess as the sea provided demanding challenges that required strength and courage to overcome. The competition among sailors produced some men that were “god-like” in terms of physical conditioning. This general regard for strength contributed to commerce with other people and settling in other areas.

http://www.ancient.eu.com/Melqart/
http://www.ancient.eu.com/Tyre/
http://tyros.leb.net/tyre/

David Bowie – Heroes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JOvgfOkxgQ

“I, I wish you could swim
Like dolphins, like dolphins can swim.
Though nothing, nothing will keep us together.
We can beat them forever and ever.
Oh we can be heroes, just for one day.”

=================

Sidon translates as fishing. The men of the city-state were reputed to be the first to sail at night and navigate by the stars. Melqart was associated with Hercules during the Seulcid period and Hercle with the Romans.

http://bibleatlas.org/sidon.htm
http://www.sidonexcavation.org/ht/ht_excavation.html
http://www.middleeast.com/sidon.htm

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Fishing in the Dark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVL2NGpkUGE

"You and me going fishing in the dark
Lying on our backs and counting the stars
Where the cool grass grows"

The following links connect to stories that are relevant to Lebanon in the present. Right now, the crisis in Syria is a cause for concern.

Lebanon to Preside Over Arab Foreign Minister Council
http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArchiveDetails.aspx?ID=433407

Lebanon Feels Threatened
http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFBRE8840TH20120905

This re-write is about how Jesus continued his ministry for healing during a time of tyranny. Life under the imperial domination was threatened by torture or death for insurrection under a code of law that was characterized by cruelty towards the dominated and laxity for the dominators. A major part of the "healing" required the realization that the way of destruction was not the law of nature according to the benign plan of Nature's God.

g/sidon.htm
http://www.sidonexcavation.org/ht/ht_excavation.html
http://www.middleeast.com/sidon.htm

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Fishing in the Dark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVL2NGpkUGE

You and me going fishin in the dark
Lying on our backs and counting the stars
Where the cool grass grows

Lebanon to Preside over Arab Foreign Minister Council
http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=433407

Lebanon Feels Threatened by Violhttp://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFBRE8840TH20120905TheThHealing
Mark 7, Proverbs 22, James 2, Ps.146

Herod Antipater ruled
Galilee and Perea
during the ministry of Jesus.
He had been appointed
as a successor by his father
who had been named
the king of Judea
by the emperor in Rome.

Reports of miraculous healing
had reached the tetrarch.
The popularity of the healer
stimulated the fear of insurrection
in the unpopular leader.

Jesus left Galilee
and traveled to a location
near Tyre.

God shows mercy to those
who speak and act with respect.
Even those who come from a land
enmeshed in a history of battle
whose children have been brought up
in the midst of rage
can experience
the healing power
of forgiveness.

A woman said,
“Please cast the hatred out of my daughter.”

Jesus replied,
“Let the children be fed first. It is not fair
to take their food and throw it to dogs.”

She said,
“The dogs under the table eat the crumbs
that fall from the plates of the children.”

He said,
“You have spoken with respect
for faith in healing.
The hatred has left your daughter.”

She went home and found her daughter well.
The raging anger had left her.

We are the daughter.
We have been liberated
because we have chosen liberty.

Freedom is chosen.
Rights for one
are implied in the declaration
of rights for others.
The rights that are earned
are owned by showing respect
for those of others.
Liberty within the law
reflects the state of nature.

Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity.
The rod of destruction will fail.
Those who are generous
are blessed with generosity.
They share their bread with others.

Do not blame the poor for poverty.
Do not attribute affliction to the afflicted.
Do not condemn the victim for victimization.
Do not trust the rule of cruel aggression
nor the domination organized for greed.

The rich and the poor have
this in common. The economy
forms status for our society. Changing
the economy with respect for basic needs
changes our status.

When those who are lacking provisions
feel that basic needs will be satisfied,
ability grows with faith in capacity.

Say to those who fear,
“Use fear to build strength.”
Judgment will be without mercy
for those who have shown no mercy.
Mercy rules judgment.
Speak and act as those
who are to be judged
by the law of liberty.

Then, the blind will read and work;
the deaf and mute will use signs to speak;
the lame will rejoice in what can be done;
the disabled will celebrate ability;
the prisoners will be redeemed and set free;
immigrants will be shown respect;
orphans and widows will be sustained;
the way of destruction will be destroyed;
repairs will be made for the damages.
Waters of love will break forth for the thirsty world.
Streams of joy will run where there was no fun.

Praise the LORD, O my soul!
I will praise God as long as I live.
I will sing praises while I have my being.

Jesus journeyed further north to Sidon.
He was avoiding the cruel scrutiny of Herod.
He was taking the long way back home.
He traveled to Decapolis,
the league of ten cities
loyal to empire,
east of the Jordan River.
The region did not have
a single ruler. It was an alliance
of city-states.

A man was brought to him who heard
nothing, but imperial dogma.
His mind was closed
to the law of nature
by belief in the way of destruction.
He had been so convinced that nothing
could be affirmed for goodness that he could not
agree with anything that was agreeable.

The people begged Jesus to heal him.

Jesus took him aside, looked in his ears
and examined his throat. He had the man
clean his ears with the spit from his mouth.
Then, he looked up to heaven, sighed
and said, “Ephphatha,” meaning “Be opened.”
His ears were opened. His tongue was set loose.
He began to speak plainly.

Jesus told them not to speak of the healing.
They were astounded beyond measure.
They could not help but to exclaim,
“He has done everything well.
He even makes the deaf hear
and the mute speak.”

Praise the LORD!

===============

The healing of the deaf man was reported to have taken place in Decapolis.

http://www.bible-history.com/maps/decapolis_cities.html
http://followtherabbi.com/guide/detail/a-far-country-decapolis

Much of Decapolis was located in the country now known as Jordan.

An American woman was recently murdered in Jordan.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57508517/jordan-u.s-teacher-stabbed-to-death-by-teenager/

Raging hormones can feel like madness to the person who is experiencing them. Was the teen who was accused of killing the American woman feeling a raging desire to possess her? Did he feel that he had to take something from her in order to control her, rather than his feelings for her?

Muse – Madness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek0SgwWmF9w

“I can’t get these memories out of my mind
and some kind of madness has started to evolve.”

How is it that the feeling of love can be so strong? This song by Muse represents a process of grappling with that which is overwhelming about love for another.

The feeling is not about possessing the other person.

It is about admitting to the value of the feeling. As with any feeling that is overwhelming, the person can sublimate the energy to find constructive ways to build relationship with others. It is the recognition of that which is general about the special relations that builds social status with good health and happiness.

Often enough, that which is new about love, anger or other strong feelings can be used as a prompt to change the way of looking at knowledge as the means for working with that which is believed to be known.

Sing a new song or sing the old song with new life. It will change your life for the better.

Steve K.

Prosperity

Others,

Islam is peace, but peace imposed by martial law is not chosen.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/egypt-has-chosen-who-to-identify-with-and-it-s-not-iran.premium-1.461774

The state of nature is governed by a law that applies to all. Reason teaches any who will consult the law that no one ought to harm another in life, health, liberty or possessions. There is enough providence for each to obtain provisions for basic needs. There cannot be supposed any such subordination among us to authorize the destruction of another or others.

This is the basic reasoning that supports the law against killing. Killing another human being is identified as the crime of murder because it deprives another of any privilege and all liberty associated with life. Murder is now regarded as a capital crime insofar as it eliminates the ability to render restitution to the offended party.

Wars of aggression, genocide and mass murder stand as aggravated offenses that are greater in damage than the homicide of any individual. Nevertheless, punishment in the modern age requires proportionate restitution.

This restitution is not rendered in the brute form of an eye for an eye. It is given in the form of providing payment for treatment affiliated with the party who had suffered damage. Since health insurance supplies a large part of the payment for medical treatment, some monetary retribution is still regarded as a form of punishment in cases that are not as severe an offense as murder.

The freedoms of expression and assembly are believed to be protected when people are protesting policies that are harmful to the community. The condition is that the protest is expressed in a non-violent way. When these freedoms are treated as non-existent, it is a cause for concern.

When the exercise of these freedoms is identified as terrorism and punished with death by the state, the state has been made into an instrument for murder. It is a high crime. When the state exists in dependence upon crime, it is not credible as a representative of human rights for the people. The constitution for the state has to be re-written in a way that affects a change that restores faith in the ability of the leadership to lead in representation.

The current government in Syria stands in desperate need of correction. Assad needs to stand trial for his crimes against the Syrian people.

Prosperity

Song of Solomon 2, Mk.7, James 1, Deut.4, Ps.45, Ps.15

Listen to the voice of beloved light.
He sings over mountains.
He rings through the hills.
The sound of music resounds
with love throughout life.
Look, he stands outside
your window, shining
so you can see.

Arise my love.
Meet the day.
Night has past.
Birds are singing.
It is time to be on our way.

Listen and understand.
Nothing external defiles a person.
It is the corruption of free will
that goes from bad to worse.
Protect your heart
from defilement.

Be a doer of the word,
not a listener who does not hear.
Those who look into the law of liberty
and persevere in it
will be blessed
by the action.

The moral precepts of the commandments are ideals.
Love God. Love others. Love your enemies.
Love is the foundation for life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness.

Faith, hope, wisdom, courage, self-control
and justice are virtues that transform
what was wrong with the past
into what is right for the future.

There are actions that do not show love.
Do not produce actions
that lack respect for life.

Do not create gods. Do not kill others.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not covet property. Do not steal.
Do not lie or falsely accuse any other.
These things cause damage.

Do no harm. Seek goodness.
Honor your parents, your friends,
your community and your people.
Respect those who are different.

Punishments for breaking the precepts must be aimed
at correcting correctly. Cruel punishment is not correction.
It seeks to destroy those accused of offense.

Laxity does not correct injustice either.
It allows aggression to run rampant.

Justice balances experience with potential.
She looks at the forces of the heart
that defile the person in order
to correct them.

Pride, murder, adultery, avarice, deceit, envy,
theft, slander, pride, promiscuity and the like
corrupt free will and turn the offender
from respect for liberty
within the law.

No one is above the law.
Any who acts as though
it were so, stands in need
of correction.

God has anointed you
with the oil of gladness.
Freshness of fragrance
radiates from you.
Music from the heart
of creativity makes you glad.
The dignity of nature is yours.

You dwell in the sanctity of love
so you may speak truth with your heart.
Observe the commandments of God
to live long and prosper.

==================

The opportunity for a non-violent solution to the political conflicts in Syria has passed.

Dave Matthews – The Dreaming Tree
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KKvRSP5MJU&feature=related

“The air is growing thick
a fear it cannot hide;
the dreaming tree has died.”

The dream for a peaceful transformation has died…for the time being. The death of the dream heralds the end of the state that had been. It is time for the Syrians to draft a new constitution with a document that will represent respect for the rights of all. Iran and Syria could use the Constitution for Afghanistan as a model for the change.

Democratic systems don’t specify the number of parties required for operation, but it is inconceivable that a single party state can act with representation for all the people. There is too much diversity in a body of people for resolutions to be drawn without debate supported by documentation for the freedoms of expression and assembly.

Celebrate liberty in the law.
Entertain debate.
Look for the best solutions
to conflict.

Steve K.