Greetings from Tyler,
The scenes that played out this week didn’t have much to do with giving thanks to God. We witnessed a complete breakdown of civil society in Ferguson, Mo with hundreds of people vandalizing property, stealing everything they could carry, and burning businesses that had absolutely nothing to do with their supposed “anger.”
Logic, reason and truth obviously have no place when it comes to the mob mentality. CNN was blatantly encouraging outrage. Anchors suggesting that violence broke out because the grand jury announcement was held until well after dark. While hundreds of looters emptied liquor stores, they had to keep reminding their audience that it was a peaceful demonstration, and the looters and arsonists were a distraction from the real issue. And the real issue was that the “demonstrators” had every right to be angry. Even the president said the anger was “justifiable.”
Eyewitness testimony from black witnesses corroborated the physical evidence and the policeman’s testimony. Since the “gentle giant” wrestled for the cop’s gun inside the car and was shot in the hand, he was leaving a trail of blood drops from that moment forward. That showed that he ran from the car, turned around and charged the policeman who shot him dead. Where’s the “justifiable” anger in that? Clearly the policeman had been attacked in his cruiser. The “gentle giant” dripped blood on the officer’s gun, his clothes and the inside of the car door. But CNN continued to play an interview from Michael Brown’s friend saying that Brown was giving up, hands in the air, a version that was discredited by several other witnesses, and more importantly by the physical evidence.
Obviously, the demonstrations have nothing to do with justice. Where’s the justice in looting and burning the property of their neighbors? Law enforcement is cast as the villain in this whole episode. But we should be able to see that the police and the sheriff’s departments are the only thing standing between civil society and the kind of criminal outburst we see in Ferguson.
America showed that it is not a racist nation by electing a black president twice. We were led to believe that an era of improved relations would result. But then again, we’ve been told quite a few things that weren’t true. Every word spoken, every action taken seems calculated to exacerbate one crisis after the other.
The executive action for the so-called “dreamers” resulted in an influx from Central America, the likes of which we’ve never seen. For some reason, Federal agencies saw fit to shield them from view, transport them secretly to every state in the union. The mid-term elections clearly demonstrated that these policies, and many others, are wildly unpopular with the dwindling majority. So it was followed by another executive order giving a form of amnesty to millions more already in the U.S. illegally. This subject has been treated as if it’s all about poor Hispanics seeking work. No one seems the least bit concerned that there are undoubtedly people from elsewhere that will take advantage of the situation, people who may not have America’s best interests at heart. Fewer yet seem concerned that the action taken is in direct conflict with our Constitution.
The constitutional notion of “domestic tranquility” seems to be at the bottom of the list of the current administration’s priorities, even though it is constitutionally mandated as a primary responsibility. But while “demonstrators” are taunting police here at home, Iranian diplomats are shouting and throwing temper tantrums of their own at U.S. representatives holding nuclear talks in Vienna. Not that trying to negotiate with known liars was the smartest course of action in the first place.
Short of unilateral action by Israel (which isn’t out of the question), Iran will succeed in its quest for nuclear weapons. Europe has been of little help. There seems no empathy for Israel among European leadership, and signs of hatred for Jews are everywhere across Europe. The sentiment there is for Israel to pull back and give the terrorist Palestinians their own state. The EU parliament is poised to “recognize” a Palestinian state, maybe as a ploy to appease restive Muslim populations and tamp down the threat of terrorism in Europe. The cause of truth and justice seem to be collapsing everywhere on earth in the face of violent temper tantrums.
Many are spending this time giving thanks for the peace and abundance that God granted as fulfillment of His Word, and for the purpose of achieving His plan. As a result, we are not only hated by much of the world, but our people, our culture, the whole society has turned away from everything we knew to be good, right and wholesome. What we see playing out here at home and all around the world is the inevitable result. But it is more than just the “Laws of Nature” taking their toll. We should realize that we are nearing the end of a six thousand year era here on earth, and we are seeing the outlines of trouble and tribulation.
Mark Armstrong
