Calling Evil What It Is

                The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is the simple fact that evil exists in our world and is growing because it is supported by many people in numerous organizations throughout the world.  I believe it is safe to say that our world is being attacked by secret combinations that have infiltrated the government of the United States and have taken over other countries.  These secret combinations want control and us evil means to progress towards their goal.  Israel seems to be the one nation in the world that understands this principle.

                Arthur Weinreb of Canada Free Press shares the news that yet another person has been forced to resign a position because he dared to call evil what it is and the hypocrisy of those who support it.  Paul Estrin, the president of the Green Party of Canada, penned a 2,200 word essay on his blog about the conflict between Israel and Gaza.  Mr. Estrin resigned from his position because of the many complaints about what he had written.  He recognized evil for what it is and described it, opposing the official party line.  “Estrin opposed the party line and made critical comments about Hamas, a recognized terrorist organization in Canada.  He had the nerve to actually suggest Israel has a right to defend itself from terrorists.  In his post he criticized neither the residents of Gaza, Palestinians or Arabs.  His negative comments focused squarely on Hamas, the terrorists who currently govern Gaza.”

                The statement by Mr. Estrin has been deleted from the Green Party’s website, but he was forced out of his position for telling the truth.  Mr. Estrin wrote the truth about the way Hamas treats the people of Gaza.  Hamas steals the international aid meant to help the people and uses it to attack Israel.  He reminded his readers that the Hamas charter calls for the destruction of Israel and the obliteration of all Jews.  Even though leaders of the Green Party of Canada claim they condemn Hamas as a terrorist organization, they actually support them in attacking Israel.

                Mr. Estrin’s statement can be found at the site of the Centre of Israel and Jewish Affairs for all to read and recognize the small-mindedness of the Green Party of Canada.  Mr. Estrin was a brave man to write the essay, but he became a coward by sticking to the party line. 

                I encourage you to read the complete statement of Mr. Estrin.  He merely wrote about the sadness he feels when he considers the state of affairs in Gaza and how it could have been different without the evil of Hamas.  Israel gave freedom to the people of Gaza in 2005 and even gave them land without peace between them.  Gaza has received international aid for nearly ten years, and Israel continues to give them aid even during the Hamas missile attacks.

                Mr. Estrin closed his essay with these words:  “One day, and soon, I hope that Gaza’s government will act appropriately and show that the life of every single person is precious.  But I fear that our world’s international media, international agencies and all the activists whose noble actions are grossly misplaced, although nonetheless noble, they are simply enabling the terrorists, and so all they are having reinforced is that this is a strategy that works.

                “I hope and pray for a peace.  That the borders will open.  That trade starts up.  That the international airport in Gaza can be reopened.  That Gazans can retake their old jobs and through economic endeavours create and build upon a peace of social and economic unity.  And then maybe the other issues, such as water, air, and environment can be paid the dire attention that is needed.

                “But I feel that peace will take a miracle.  Israel is losing patience, a country cannot live in constant fear without hardliners coming to power … and then, while the world watches, Israel will be forced to conduct a military maneuver, one that perhaps it ought to have made years ago, to then enable reconstruction and a manageable peace.  I pray it will not come to that, but if Gaza under Hamas continues its reign of terror, what choice will Israel plausibly have.”

                All of us are sad about the conditions under which the people of Gaza live; none of us wish to see people suffer and die, particularly women and children.  All of us would like to see peace in the Middle East.  The truth remains:  If Hamas stopped attacking Israel, there would be peace.  If Israel stopped defending its citizens, there would be no Israel.  Hamas desires the destruction of Israel and death of all Jews.  Israel has the right and the responsibility to protect itself and its people.  How would you feel if a declared enemy sent 3000 plus missiles into your nation?  How would you feel if those missiles were fired within a period of three or four weeks?  I – if I would fortunate to live through the attacks - would be demanding that my government do something about the enemy!

                The simple fact remains that we must call evil what it is.  There are two forces in the world – God and Satan.  God brings all that is good into the world – love, peace, cooperation, etc.  Satan brings evil into the world – hate, confusion, war, etc.  The evil that is driving the actions of Hamas comes from Satan.  Evil is real and must be destroyed, but first it must be identified and called what it is!

                

To Kill an American

                I received an email containing the following information apparently written by an Australian Dentist.  We can thank our Australian friend for his succinct words.  He asked everyone to pass this information to others – so please pass it along.  I found his words interesting and true and hope you do also.

“To Kill an American

                You probably missed this in the rush of news, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper, an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.

                So an Australian dentist wrote an editorial the following day to let everyone know what an American is.  So they would know when they found one.  (Good one, mate!!!!!)

                `An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek.  An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan.

                ‘An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as Native Americans.

                ‘An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim.  In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan.  The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses.

                ‘An American is also free to believe in no religion.  For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, ore to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.

                ‘An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world.  The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God-given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness.

                ‘An American is generous.  Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return.

                ‘When Afghanistan was over-run by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country!

                ‘As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan.  The national symbol of America, the Statue of Liberty, welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed.  These in fact are the people who built America.

                ‘Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11, 2001, earning a better life for their families.  It’s been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.

                ‘So you can try to kill an American if you must.  Hitler did.  So did General Tojo, and Stalin, and Mao Tse-tung, and other blood-thirsty tyrants in the world.  But, in doing so you would just be killing yourself because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place.  They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom.  Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.’”

Nation of Miracles

                On May 14, 1948, an independent Israel was born.  This new state was a miracle of history because Israel was the first nation to be destroyed, its people scattered across the world, and then re-gathered to their homeland to become a distinct nation once again.

                The re-birth of Israel was closely followed by another miracle, “The armies of seven Arab nations marched on the newborn State, boasting that they would `push the Jews into the sea.’  Outnumbered 100 to 1, Israel not only repelled the invaders but acquired more of Palestine than was granted in the UN partition plan.”  Yigael Yadin, Israel’s commander of operations in that war, called the victory a miracle.  This site lists five particular miracles that took place during the war plus other miracles.

                Israel is once again at war and battling for its very survival.  Once again, miracles are taking place.  This article from the Blaze describes two miracles of nature that protected Israeli soldiers fighting with Hamas in Gaza.  Col. Ofer Winter, a brigade commander, described in an interview with an Israeli newspaper a miracle that could have come right from the Bible:  “He said that a predawn raid that was intended to make use of the dark as concealment was delayed, forcing the soldiers to move toward their objective as the sun was about to rise.  The soldiers were in danger of being revealed in the light but, Winter recalled, a heavy fog descended to cover their movements until the objective was achieved.

                “`Suddenly a cloud protected us,’ he said, making a reference to the clouds that the Bible says protected the Israelites as they wandered in the desert.  `Clouds of glory.’  Only when the soldiers were in a secure position did the fog dissipate, he said.”

                The Blaze article described a second miracle that was “reported by a group of religious Jews” who harvested their wheat in accordance with the biblical mandate to allow land to rest every seventh year.  The farmers harvested their wheat without knowing the future significance of their actions.  On July 17, when the fighting between Israel and Hamas was most fierce, “13 Hamas militants infiltrated from Gaza via a tunnel into Israel at the exact spot near Kibbutz Sufa where the men had been farming.  The terrorists were shocked to discover that their natural camouflage – the giant wheat field that they were counting on – had disappeared.  The now empty field allowed IDF surveillance to spot them as they emerged from their holes and to repel their attack by dropping a bomb on them from above.”

                Still another miracle was reported in this article out of Jerusalem on July 26, 2014.  “During the war in Gaza, a bullet was fired from a Kalashnikov rifle towards an IDF soldier.  The bullet was stopped by a hand grenade in his pocket.  The grenade did not explode and the soldier was saved.   Apparently the bullet came from a long distance and with rather low velocity and was unable to penetrate.

                “The grenade is a specially made grenade made by Israel Military Industries and was developed after a series of safety issues causing grenades to explode upon being hit with a bullet or shrapnel.  This special type does not explode because of outside impact.”

                Not only the Israelis believe that God is protecting the Jews.  This article quotes a statement made by a terrorist from Gaza “when asked why they couldn’t aim their rockets more effectively:  `We do aim them, but their God changes their path in mid-air.’”

                With that kind of knowledge, I would expect Hamas to stop fighting against Israel and start learning why God protects them.  I believe God does protect Israel by miracles and will continue to help the Israelis in their battle for survival.  I pity any person or nation that fights against Israel and their God.  Their God – my God – is all powerful!

Booker T. Washington

                Booker T. Washington was an African-American educator, author, orator, national hero, and advisor to presidents of the United States.  For a period of time between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader among African-Americans and has been called “the most famous black man in America” during that period.  

                Booker Taliaferro Washington was born a slave on April 5, 1856, on a small farm in the backcountry near Hale’s Ford, Virginia, to Jane Ferguson.  As a child he worked in the salt furnaces and coal mines of West Virginia but was determined to get an education.  He attended Wayland Seminary (1878-1879) and Hampton University (1875.  He was a good student and did well under the guidance of General Samuel Chapman, head of Hampton.  Washington was teaching at Hampton when General Armstrong told him about a letter he had received from some “gentlemen in Alabama” requesting a recommendation for a white principal for a colored school they wished to open in Tuskegee.  Washington founded Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute in 1881, using the Hampton model.  He began with a broken down building and turned it into a model school.

                Washington married three times:  Fannie N. Smith (1882-1884, her death), Olivia A. Davidson (1886-1889, her death), and Margaret James Murray (1893-1915, his death). His children include Portia M. Washington, Booker T. Washington, Jr., and Ernest Davidson Washington.  Washington died at age 59 on November 14, 1915, in Tuskegee, Alabama.

                The following quotes from Washington  show that he was intelligent and had common sense.

                “Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.”

                “If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”

                “I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed.”

                “Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.”

                “Associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than in bad company.”

                “Character is power.”

                “Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him.”

                “Success in life is founded upon attention to the small things rather than to the large things; to the everyday things nearest to us rather than to the things that are remote and uncommon.”

                “If you can’t read, it’s going to be hard to realize dreams.”

                “One man cannot hold another man down in the ditch without remaining down in the ditch with him.”

                “At the bottom of education, at the bottom of politics, even at the bottom of religion, there must be for our race economic independence.”

                “There are two ways of exerting one’s strength:  one is pushing down, the other is pulling up.”

Right to Counsel

                The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday comes from the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution:  “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right … to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.”    This means that any person accused of criminal intent has the right to have an attorney guide his defense.  If he cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to assist.

                W. Cleon Skousen explained, “Provision is made in each judicial district to have certain attorneys available (often the younger, less experienced ones) who can be appointed by the court to assist the accused.  Of course, if the case is technical and the offense is serious, the court will appoint one of the more experienced attorneys in the area to defend him.

                “It is indicative of the maturity of the American judicial system that in recent years there has been an increasing emphasis on the necessity of having the assistance of counsel both before and during the trial.”  (See The Making of America – The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution, p. 709.)

                Don Dripps of The Heritage Foundation explained, “By affording a right to assistance of counsel, the Founders specifically meant to reject the English practice of prohibiting felony defendants from appearing through counsel except upon debatable points of law that arose during trial….

                “History does not speak so clearly to the related but distinct question of whether a defendant who is too poor to retain private counsel has the right to a lawyer paid at public expense.  Self-representation appears to have been common at the time of the Founding, but representation by professional lawyers became more frequent during the first half of the nineteenth century….

                “While there can be no doubt that the Framers valued the right to counsel, their primary purpose lay in removing legal obstacles to representation by lawyers privately retained by defendants who could afford lawyers.  Not until 1938 did the Supreme Court hold that the Sixth Amendment required court-appointed counsel for defendants too poor to afford private counsel, or a knowing and intelligent waiver of court-appointed counsel by the accused….  The Sixth Amendment, however, applied only in federal cases.  As late as 1963, several poorer states, all in the South, refused to provide appointed counsel for all indigent felony defendants, many, if not most, of whom were black.  Prior to 1963, the Supreme Court had addressed the question of counsel for the indigent accused persons in state cases under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, rather than under the Sixth Amendment, which deals specifically with the right to counsel.  In the state cases, beginning with Powell v. State of Alabama in 1932, the Court read due process to require appointed counsel in capital cases, and in felony cases when they presented special needs for legal advice.

                “The modern law interpreting the Right-to-Counsel Clause really begins with the 1963 decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, holding that the Fourteenth Amendment incorporates the right-to-counsel guarantee of the Sixth Amendment, making it applicable in state as well as federal cases….”  (See The Heritage Guide to the Constitution, p. 357.)

Holiness to the Lord

                The words Holiness to the Lord are placed on every temple built by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  They are put in an obvious place where everyone who enters the temple can see them.  I have read those words many times as I attend temple sessions, but I have not really considered what they meant to me personally until the past few days.  What does holiness to the Lord mean?  Is it necessary for us as individuals to be holy in order to enter the temple?  Is it even possible for us to become holy?  What does it mean to me to be holy?

                While in Salt Lake City recently I purchased a small book by Wendy Watson Nelson entitled What Would A Holy Woman Do?  Sister Nelson shares her experience of traveling with her husband, Elder Russell M. Nelson, to Tonga in November 2007.  He was assigned to rededicate the Tonga Temple.  They “walked through the temple so [Elder Russell] could assess if the remodeling had been completed as requested.  Upon close inspection, everything looked perfect.  However, as [they] walked out of the temple, [they] noticed something was missing – something which would prevent the rededication of the temple.

                “Specific words are placed upon every temple, written in the local language.  The words are `House of the Lord, Holiness to the Lord.’  However, on the Nuku’alofa Tonga Temple that day, those words were missing….”  The temple could not be rededicated without those specific words.

                Sister Nelson returned to Salt Lake City but continued to think about holiness – the meaning of the word and the placement of the words Holiness to the Lord on our temples.  She wondered what she would need to change in order to have the words Holiness to the Lord placed upon her life.  She understood that holiness is not a word that is frequently used.  What did it mean anyway?  She decided to ask several of her friends for help and sent out an e-mail message.  As part of her message, she asked her friends to consider a three-day exercise to determine how a holy woman would act.  She asked them to consider the following questions:  “How would a holy woman start her day?  What would be on her `to do’ list?  How would a holy woman approach a difficult assignment or a new overwhelming project?  How would she read to a child, or exercise?  How would she talk with a friend, or shop, or play, or pray, or do laundry?

                “How would a holy woman handle a conflict or avoid a conflict?  What would she read, or say, or listen to, or watch, or wear?  What would she do in really difficult situations?  If someone said something to her that was confusing, or hurtful, or demoralizing, how would a holy woman respond?  What would she do?  If she were betrayed, or misunderstood, or falsely accused, what would a holy woman do?

                “How would a holy woman respond to her own success or failure?  How would she respond to the successes and failures of others?  How would a holy woman use her time and energy and money?  How would she prepare to partake of the sacrament each Sunday?

                “How would a holy married woman welcome her husband home?  Or how would she help him to welcome her home so they both felt loved, adored, wanted, and needed?  How would a holy single young woman date, or use her time when not dating?”

                Sister Nelson asked her friends to choose “one thing a day for three days – a different thing each day or the same thing – you can’t do this wrong.”  The sisters accepted the challenge and discovered new things about themselves as they became more aware of acting as holy women.  

                I too accepted the challenge but am only part way through the three-day period.  Yesterday was my first day to try acting as a holy woman as I attended the temple.  Even though I had been home for just over twenty-four hours, I paid particular attention to the endowment session and accepted the cancelation of the sealing session with grace and even gratitude for ending my temple service early.  I called my son’s wife to see if I could take my granddaughter for a few hours and learned that both of them were having a difficult time.  My daughter-in-law was tired and trying to pack for a trip; my granddaughter was having a meltdown.  My desire to spend time with my granddaughter was a blessing to both mother and child.  We spent a delightful afternoon just doing things together instead of my rushing trying to catch up on things at home.

                For my second day I went fishing with my husband.   I do not particularly enjoy fishing. I would not choose to go fishing and am not very good at it.  My husband however loves to fish, and he loves for me to go with him.  Today was a beautiful day with lots of sunshine and no mosquitoes, a perfect day to enjoy Alaska.  We flew into a lake and caught our limit of Red Salmon within an hour, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  What made the difference?  I wanted to act as a holy woman would act and began my day with prayer and scriptures; I kept a good attitude about fishing even though I do not enjoy fishing.  It was a pleasant experience:  the weather and surroundings were beautiful, the fish were cooperative, and my husband was pleased.

                Tomorrow will be my third day; it is also fast Sunday.  How would a holy woman handle the bodily stresses of going without food for twenty-four hours?

                I know that Heavenly Father wants all of us to become holy.  In fact, He commands us to “practice virtue and holiness before me continually” (Doctrine and Covenants 46:33).  Sister Nelson explains in her book that in the verses leading up to the one quoted, the Lord commands us to seek gifts of the Spirit, gifts that will help us become holy.  In Doctrine and Covenants 60:7 the Lord says, “I am able to make you holy….”  As we seek spiritual gifts, we become holy.

                We sometimes sing a hymn about holiness in our meetings, a hymn that teaches how to become holy.  We can learn about holiness by paying attention to the words of the hymn More Holiness Give Me (words and music by Philip Paul Bliss, 1838-1876).

                More holiness give me, More strivings within, More patience in suffering, More sorrow for sin,

                More faith in my Savior, More sense of his care, More joy in his service, More purpose in prayer.

                More gratitude give me, More trust in the Lord, More pride in his glory, More hope in his word,

                More tears for his sorrows, More pain at his grief, More meekness in trial, More praise for relief.

                More purity give me, More strength to o’ercome, More freedom from earth stains, More longing for home.

                More fit for the kingdom, More used would I be, More blessed and holy, More, Savior, like thee.

               

                I encourage you to ponder the words Holiness to the Lord.  Think about what they mean to you and why they are on every temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Consider taking the three-day challenge of Sister Nelson by choosing a regular activity and asking, “What would a holy woman [or man] do?”  I promise you that considering this question and accepting this challenge will change your perspective for the ordinary things you do every day!  I also know that acting as a holy woman will help me to bring more holiness into my life.

Teach Patriotism

                Teaching patriotism in our homes can strengthen our families, communities, and nation.  Since the family is the core unit of our society, what we teach in our homes will have a great effect in the world around us.

                In 1976 Robert K. Thomas and Shirley Wilkes Thomas wrote an article in honor of the 200^th anniversary of the founding of the United States.  The title of their article is “Declaration of Dependence:  Teaching Patriotism in the Home.”  I discovered the article recently and found it very interesting as well as very appropriate to our nation today. 

                The article began, “Citizenship may be more than a matter of birth or formal naturalization.  For unless one truly promotes the common welfare of his country, he is an alien in the oldest sense of that term - that is, estranged from his fellows.  Citizenship is a declaration of dependence upon one another, a recognition that only in unity is there strength and a security that is moral as well as physical.  The natural expression of that identification and that security is patriotism.  As with many other attitudes, patriotism is easy to feign.  Its usual expressions, such as saluting the flag or acknowledging the civil rights of others can be little more than gestures.  Yet, at their best, the outward manifestations of patriotic feeling can be deeply satisfying and binding symbols.

                “The heart of patriotism, however, lies in attitudes that are rooted in family relationships, for the family unit, in microcosm, undergoes most of the stresses which test the larger societies that make up a nation.  The qualities that distinguish patriotism are all of the `homely’ variety:  respect, integrity, loyalty, self-sacrifice, consideration, fairness, appreciation, and devotion.  No exhortation to respect his country’s flag can mean much to the youngster whose casual, permissive upbringing has left him with little respect for anything.  And the child who equates freedom with indulgence may never understand the consideration for others that is fundamental to a workable democracy.”

                The article suggests several ways to teach patriotism.  I particularly like the idea of using the Bill of Rights to teach our children.  “Formal study of the Constitution of the United States often begins in grade school, but the guarantees of personal freedom that the first few amendments detail should come as no surprise to the young student who has seen the Bill of Rights demonstrated and respected in his own home.  In fact, several thoroughly enjoyable and informative family home evenings could be spent in relating the Bill of Rights to family responsibilities and relationships.  If not all of these basic amendments are directly applicable to the home, a surprisingly large number of them are precisely meaningful in a family context.  For instance, Article IV talks about the rights of privacy and personal possession which citizens of the United States should be able to count on.  Using this as a starting place, parents might well involve their children in a frank discussion of the responsibilities as well as the privileges of having one’s own room – or even one’s own record player.

                “As one develops pride in being accountable for personal possessions, he becomes able to appreciate the property rights of others and, finally, to accept appropriate responsibility for the upkeep of the parks, roads, and national preserves which he holds jointly with his countrymen.  One sure sign that patriotic lessons are being learned is family sensitivity to litter in the areas that are part of the public domain.”

                The article reminded me of several ways parents can teach patriotism.  I come from a large family of twelve children, and my family lived in a small home with little personal privacy.  Each child had one or possible two dresser drawers that were sacred. Our parents insisted that we respect the privacy of our siblings and parents by staying out of their dresser drawers.  This simple lesson – emphasized over and over – taught me to respect the property and privacy of other people at an early age

                Another personal example happened this summer when my daughter brought her four children to visit for a few weeks.  My four-year-old grandson calls the Stars and Stripes “the America.  Each morning when I put the American flag out, my grandson insisted that we say the pledge of allegiance to the flag, and he knew the pledge.

                I encourage you to read the entire article, which ends:  “We arm our children against those who would demean patriotic sentiments – or even constitutional government itself – by demonstrating our own identification with those political, economic – and especially – religious principles upon which this nation is founded.”

                When we understand and live patriotism, we can teach our families in word and example to love and appreciate our nation.  By teaching patriotism, we can strengthen our families, communities, and nations.