By Nathan Barton
Today, the 4th of September, 2015, is a national day of prayer. Here are my suggestions for prayer today:
1. Pray for those in prison: whether they are in prison for a real crime or for some other (and often bogus) reason, and especially for those who are in prison because of their faith.
2. Pray for those in power, that we might be protected from their evil actions.
3. Pray for those who believe that they are serving the cause of freedom or protecting people’s lives and property, or our nation: that their eyes may be opened and that they may no longer be the tools of evil men and women.
4. Pray for those who are wealthy, that they may use their wealth for good, and resist the temptation of greed, and to be parasites on others.
5. Pray for those who are poor, that they may have the daily necessities of life and not fall into the temptation of thinking that they deserve welfare.
6. Pray for those who are seeking to do God’s will, even when they are in error, that they may learn the truth and have the courage to change to be in accordance with His will.
7. Pray for those who mistake liberty for license.
8. Pray for those who confuse the state with God.
9. Pray for those who think that it is God’s will that we obey whatever we are told to do by those who claim to be in charge or in power – in government.
10. Pray for those who are addicted to alcohol, tobacco, recreational or prescription drugs, as well as those addicted to television, video/computer games, and other things which destroy lives and harm themselves.
11. Pray for those who seek to forcibly prevent others from doing things that they fear that they might do if someone didn’t control them.
12. Pray for those who use heredity or environment as an excuse for the evil that they do; or as an excuse NOT to do what is right.
13. Pray for each other, that we may do a better job of being friends, neighbors, and self-governors.
There are, of course, many more than thirteen things to pray about, and you may disagree with my thoughts on this; please let me know!
Libertarian Commentary on the News, #15-36B: Fractured and fracturing
By Nathan Barton
No, I’m not referring to “fracking,” the nickname for a common and valuable (though hated) method of completing oil and gas wells.
I ceased long ago to refer to us as the “united States” – preferring to use the phrase, the “Fifty States” to describe the former federal republic that is now dead. Sometimes, there are a fair number of news items that remind us that the once-great nation is rapidly dividing, not by state lines but by often hard-to-define moral and political issues, for which there is little or no possibility of reconciliation or healing.
Mama’s Note: Unfortunately, the united States was never any kind of “great nation,” but always various collectives intent on controlling the ordinary people and everything else. Since that was the original purpose of the constitution, no “reconciliation” is possible. Why would free people want to compromise with slavery?
The endless number of factions attempting to control everything around them will guarantee that there is no healing until that very situation goes away. The sooner ordinary people realize that NONE of these warring factions and big shots have any legitimate authority over them… the sooner things may begin to resolve. Continue reading →