Rights vs. Theft

I have been musing on comments made this week by the President of the United States (POTUS). His comments should have elicited a response from any Christian that claims to operate from a Biblical Worldview. 

Permit me to explain. A few days ago while giving a speech; the POTUS stated that Healthcare is a Right. Any thinking person, but more importantly every Christian should have taken pause when they heard that. This statement begs the question; exactly what is "healthcare"? Healthcare isn't some nebulous thing that you cannot put your finger on, Healthcare in its basic form is a service provided by someone, or it’s a product (drugs, medicine, equipment, etc...). Because Healthcare is a service or a product, even more basic than that is the fact that it really is someone's property. Our family Doctor provides a service by offering up her intellectual property and her real property that she owns or leases. That property whether real or intellectual is her property, it's not my property, and it belongs to her.

 

Do you smell what I'm stepping in here? Where does it follow that you or I, or anyone else for that matter has a "right" to someone else's property?  I can purchase that property, or I can buy insurance to help me pay for that property, I can even ask someone to lend me some of their property, if they so desire to do so, but how does it follow that you or I, or anyone else has a "right" to take their property. Or how do I have the right to request that my government take it from someone else by brute force and hand it over to me?

The Bible tells us that we are not permitted to steal property from someone else (see 10 Commandments).  The Christian who is thinking from a Christian Worldview needs to reject the godless liberal / socialistic idea that you have some "right" to someone else's property just because a President or some well meaning soul says so.

Christians who pay no attention to everyday events and statements like this from elected officials, in this case the President of The United States, are missing their command to Go therefore and make disciples of Christians (Matt 28:19-20). I’m sure you’re wondering where I’m coming from with that. Let me explain, if we don't know the Biblical principle/positions on issues that pertain to everyday life, how on earth do we make Disciples of Christ and teach them to obey His commands? In this case, the Biblical principle is crystal clear, we have a command against theft, to NOT STEAL ANOTHERS PERONS PROPERTY, and by extension, we ought not cast a vote for anyone that would represent us and permit our government to do so.

The Founders of our great nation placed protection of natural God given rights into the Declaration of Independence as the apex function of our government. We don't get to make up new "rights" at our own whim that violate God given laws.

The 227 Year Old Message From Col. George Mason

Permit me to share a very Important Constitutional history lesson with you. The delegates to the Philadelphia Convention (today referred to as the Constitutional Convention) had been going over every section of every article in the final months of the Convention in 1787. 227 years ago, on a Saturday, just two days before the Convention in Philadelphia completed its work, we find a gem in the notes of James Madison, who took extensive notes just about every day of the convention. This item that I refer to as a “gem” is little known and hardly talked about today. On September 15, 1787, George Mason of Virginia (referred to in Madison’s notes as Col Mason), was alarmed that in the text of Article V (the provision for making Amendments to the Constitution), Congress would have sole power to propose amendments; Mason insisted, as he did earlier in June, that the states have authority to call for conventions. Mason explained that an oppressive Congress would never agree to propose amendments necessary to restrain a rogue, tyrannical legislature. “Col: MASON thought the plan of amending the Constitution exceptionable & dangerous. As the proposing of amendments is in both the modes to depend, in the first immediately, in the second, ultimately, on Congress, no amendments of the proper kind would ever be obtained by the people, if the Government should become oppressive, as he verily believed would be the case.” (See Madison’s notes 15 Sep 1787).

To make sense of that, you must understand that earlier in the summer when the issue of even having an Amendment process was first brought up as a provision in the Constitution, many of the delegates thought it unnecessary. Madison’s notes record the following on June 11^th: “Col. MASON urged the necessity of such a provision [Amendments]. The plan now to be formed will certainly be defective, as the Confederation has been found on trial to be. Amendments therefore will be necessary, and it will be better to provide for them, in an easy, regular and Constitutional way than to trust to chance and violence. It would be improper to require the consent of the Natl. Legislature, because they may abuse their power, and refuse their consent on that very account…”.

By the time the convention reached its final days in mid September, the Amendment provision had been added as Article V, and the provision had two methods; the national legislature (Congress) could propose Amendments and Congress could call for a Convention of States for the purpose of proposing amendments. However, both methods were left in the hands (power) of the national legislature, that’s what Mason meant when he referred in the first quote above as “both the modes to depend, in the first immediately, in the second, ultimately, on Congress”. Mason had objected to this back in June and now as the convention drew to a close, he rose to his feet to forcefully object with his reasons stated above (“It would be improper to require the consent of the Natl. Legislature, because they may abuse their power, and refuse their consent on that very account”). Madison’s notes of 15 Sept tell us that Mason’s motion was accepted and the language was changed in order to require [mandate] Congress to call a convention upon application of 2/3 of the states.

It is noteworthy to point out that this process does not call for a Constitutional Convention; the language specifies calling a convention for the purpose of “proposing amendments”…to the existing Constitution…it would still require 3/4ths of the states (38) to ratify any amendment proposed in this convention.

We owe George Mason and the other framers a huge debt for this...they had the foresight to understand first of all, that we needed an orderly process in which to amend our Constitution (“regular and Constitutional way than to trust to chance and violence” – Mason 11 June). Secondly we owe them a huge debt for recognizing and understanding the depravity of man and the extremely intoxicating effects of years of power in the hands of the same people (hence a need for term limits) and that these power intoxicated occupants of the United States Congress would “abuse their power, and refuse their consent” (Mason 11 June) to any amendments that would “injure” themselves and return powers never intended for the national legislature or any of the other branches for that matter, they would never take steps to return that power on their own to the rightful owner, the states/people (“no amendments of the proper kind would ever be obtained by the people, if the Government should become oppressive” – Mason 15 Sep).

The least we can do as citizens of this great nation today, citizens that do not seem to want to be bothered with taking the time to understand the underpinnings of their liberty, the least we can do is take the time to understand what the framers of this amazing document did for us. When the framers agreed on September 15^th, 1787 to change the text in Article V, they in effect were telegraphing a message to us in 2014, a message to us showing us the way back inside the fence of the Constitution, a way back to what Thomas Jefferson called the “chains of the Constitution”.

What Can You Do?

Post Campaign Thoughts - Part II

Continued from Part I:

From the outset, Curtis would tell me that our prayer needed to be that God would breathe life into what we were doing, that we would stay behind Him and let Him either give life to what we were doing and find favor with it, or we would know that it was not meant to be. In earlier blogs I described to you instances that reveal the true godly character of Curtis, one titled “Observations Worth Considering” and another entitled “Conjecture Or The Rule of Law”. I encourage you to take the time to read those, not so you can find out more about Curtis, but rather so you can see what kind of traits you should look for in a candidate.

When it became clear to the other candidates that the Bostic campaign was beginning to surge, things began to happen that one should I guess expect in a political campaign but nevertheless became a real eye opener for me. We began to take fire, lots of fire. Polling told us we were climbing through the ranks, but the heat from the other top tier candidates was an even greater indicator. I have always considered facts and truth to be fair game to use against another candidate. But probably the most difficult thing for me was to watch flat out lies and mischaracterizations being hurled at my friend. What was even harder to take was the source of most of it, definitely not where I expected it to be coming from. Politics and the quest for power can bring out the worst in individuals and I got to see it firsthand. Conversely, from our side we did everything we could to just run on our record and let the chips fall where they may. It is difficult to do that when the record is continually distorted and you don’t have the means to use media to combat it the way that the other larger political machines could do.

At the outset of our campaign, we were given little to no chance of making much of an impact. I learned a tremendous amount about running a campaign for elected office. Candidates that I thought were men of integrity at the outset, severely let me down with their action when they came under pressure or perceived that they saw the election slipping away from them.

As for me, I have given the last 15 years of so of my life pouring my time and passion into teaching and mentoring high school kids about the United States Constitution and limited government from a biblical worldview. In the last few years I have developed courses and seminars to be taught in churches or other local activist groups so that adults that have never been taught these “1^st Principles” of the founders can be equipped to elect good, constitutional, limited government candidates and so they can have the knowledge and understanding to hold them accountable once they are in office.

I knew what Curtis stood for and I knew that we shared the same heartbeat for bringing our nation back to the Rule of Law. I stood shoulder to shoulder with a man of enormous integrity in the face of withering personal attack. The undertone in a lot of this attack was nothing more than anti-religious bigotry, although those that perpetrated it would probably never admit it. It’s almost as if today, we see so little of what people like Curtis Bostic represent, we see so very little of it, that when it shows up, people feel like it’s just too good to be true and have to tear it down.

I’m disappointed that we lost an opportunity to elect someone with what I consider to be the most important qualities necessary for federal elected office; strong biblical worldview, mastery of the United States Constitution, and the rock solid integrity to execute the office that would be entrusted to him. Before we wrapped things up at the campaign office  this past Tuesday night, Curtis asked me if I would do it all over again. Without hesitation, I told him that I would. Our Constitution, our nation, and our hard fought liberties are worth our time, efforts, resources, and toil.

There are a few people you meet in life that you know you could charge the gates of hell with using a water pistol; Curtis Bostic is one of them. It was an honor to team with Curtis in this campaign. In my opinion, for whatever its worth, he might have been one of the best candidates for federal office I have seen in my lifetime. If I have one regret it would be that I was unable to convince more people of that fact.

Post Campaign Thoughts - Part I

It was a little over three months ago that I determined that it was not the right time for me to run for Congress and that I would, at the request of my friend Curtis Bostic, team with him to help him become the next United States Congressman from the 1^st Congressional District of South Carolina, the seat previously held by our mutual friend, now Senator Tim Scott.

You can read all about the events leading up to that day by reading my previous blogs in recent weeks. What I want to do here is paint somewhat of a picture of what has happened since then.  When Curtis and I determined to team up for this run, we had been friends for about six or seven years. Over the last three months, through the good pleasure of our great God, a deeper friendship has been forged in the trenches of an extremely fast paced political campaign that was sometimes exhausting, but more oftentimes a blessed experience. From the first meeting we had together, Curtis made it very clear that he wanted a true teammate, the joining of our skills, our expertise, our love for Christ, our desire to return our nation to the Rule of Law under the United States Constitution, and our like-mindedness of vision for what the founders intended for a member of the “People’s House”. It was absolutely amazing to watch God work out his ways in the building of a true grassroots effort of the people, people with the same vision.

People from literally all over the district came to join this effort, people we had never met before that saw what I saw, the opportunity to put up a superb “peoples” candidate. From Charleston to Beaufort, people were energized for the opportunity to help elect Curtis Bostic. Over 50 local pastors from all over the district were bold enough to openly individually endorse Curtis Bostic. Think about that, think about what it means about a candidates integrity and reputation when that many pastors are willing to place their reputations on the line to make a statement about a candidate for political office.

Early on, we knew that we needed to develop a true grassroots effort. In a field of 16, our strategy quickly became clear; we needed to get in front of people, lots of people. With that in mind we devised a strategy to get into people’s homes, living rooms, and community centers. We attended as many of the forums as we could, but frankly…we quickly realized that those were nice, but most of the time the same people showed up…and it was very obvious most already had their minds made up. On advice from our mutual friend, a certain United States Senator, we made a tactical decision to forego a few of the smaller events and focus on getting into homes and in front of everyday people. In essence, bypass the political machinery, and take our message straight to the voters and everyday folks. That is, “grassroots” grassroots if you will. Scores of awesome volunteers opened their homes and invited hundreds of friends, neighbors, and family members to come out and meet the candidate. We published these events on our facebook page and on our webiste. Some groups were small, some were large, but we did this almost every night of the week for three months, and we did it as a team. Curtis would explain his positions and answer questions and with my passion for Biblical Worldview and the United States Constitution, I would talk to the people about the unique qualification of this candidate. People got to meet the candidate in person and get their own questions answered without having to depend on a moderator asking their question. We were criticized heavily for this, some of the other candidates that realized what was happening, began to grumble about us and then started to float the idea that “Bostic is avoiding the forums and avoiding answering questions”. The funny thing is that the exact opposite was true; because of the dozens and dozens of drop-ins and meet and greets, no candidate was more accessible to the masses and answered more direct questions from voters than Curtis Bostic. Anyone and everyone that wanted to find out about Curtis positions were able to find an event to attend to meet the candidate and ask him their own questions.

In a campaign with an unprecedented 16 candidates, it was certain from the outset that there would be no clear winner with over 50% vote in the primary, so everyone knew there would be a runoff.  The polling suggested that Gov Sanford would be a lock for the 1^st position, the same polling however showed him vulnerable in a runoff. The Bostic campaign was written off very early and given little chance to make the 2^nd position, in fact most political pundits cast us as a 2^nd and in some cases a 3rd tier candidate. Therefore, we considered if we could find a way to get a 2^nd place finish, it would be a huge win for us and we felt confident that we had a good shot of beating Gov Sanford in the runoff.

To be continued in Part II....

Election Day Thoughts

Just over three months ago, on a Saturday morning, the Saturday before Christmas to be exact, I saw a notification come up on facebook announcing that Curtis Bostic was considering a run for Congress in the recently vacated seat for the 1^st Congressional District. It caught my attention for two reasons, first, I had already announced to many of my circle of friends that I was considering running for this seat, and secondly, Curtis Bostic is a friend of mine who holds what I would consider to be the three very most important qualifications for holding federal office. Without hesitation or thinking, I reached for my phone and dialed his number. Curtis picked up the phone on the other end and after exchanging greetings, I asked him if he was serious about running for this seat. I explained to him that I had also been contemplating a run for this seat. We talked that day about both of us running and committed to begin to pray for each other. He and I discussed the possibilities of both of us running…incredible if you stop and think about it…two potential candidates speaking openly about their strategies…but that’s the level of trust we have come to have in each other. For the next three weeks we discussed this many times and continued to pray for each other, truly for a decision that it would be led by the Lord. That was the desire of both our hearts.

After much prayer, thinking, and seeking some very wise counsel, Patti and I came to the conclusion that God was making it clear to us that the timing was not right for me to run in this election. I had known Curtis for about six years; and have known him to be a Godly and wise man with an incredible heart for serving God. When Curtis told me that he was considering this race, I immediately knew that if I determined not to run, he was the ONLY person that I could energetically and enthusiastically support. Those of you that know me know that I have been speaking out very forcefully about the need to make sure we DO NOT elect anyone to federal office that does not have the basic requirements. I have made the case to you that these requirements include what I refer to as a command understanding of the United States Constitution, the framers intent of Limited Government, and the Christian Worldview that is needed to put it all together for service under the Rule of Law. I want you to know that I have spent many hours with Curtis discussing the things that you know are VERY important to me. What I say next I don’t say lightly. Not only is Curtis Bostic the best candidate in this field for this Congressional seat, he is the ONLY candidate in this field that has the entire package of what I have been talking about and teaching about what we need in candidates for federal office.

But I want you to know more about this man and this campaign that I have poured my life (time), fortune (money), and sacred honor (my name) into for over three months now with almost every waking hour of my day beyond my own fulltime job. Many of you don’t know this, but after Patti and I made our decision not to run, Curtis and I met to chart a course forward as a team. It was during that meeting that God solidified the conclusion that Patti and I had made not to run. I sat in Curtis’s office one Saturday morning and my good friend Curtis told me that if I determined to move forward with a campaign, that he would not run. Not only would he not run, he told me that he would “stroke me the first check” for a campaign donation. I was floored. The humility of my friend astounded me. I left there that day and went home still humbled by my friends offer. Later in the afternoon, Curtis called me back up and told me that he wanted to reiterate to me that those were not just words, he told me again that he meant what he said, that if I determined to run, he would not run against me and that he would be the first to offer financial support. It was at that point that God clearly spoke to me. I could take him up on his offer, take his support, and at the end of the race, I could “feel” good about running in a United States congressional campaign, and I would have effectively removed from the running what I have concluded might be the best candidate for federal elected office that I have ever come across.  As stated above, I have been teaching and speaking about what we need as the “right” kind of candidate for a VERY LONG time, so for me to say that someone might be the “best candidate I have seen” is a VERY, VERY strong thing for me to say.

Let me conclude by saying that, during these three months, my conviction about Curtis being the best candidate has been absolutely confirmed. From the time the first distortions, disparaging attacks, and outright lies about my friend began to be aired I have seen my friend again and again, stop and remind me that we would not “return fire”.  We had determined from the outset that we would run this campaign on Curtis record, on his name and integrity and let the chips fall where they may. There have been times where we were on the road campaigning, and we would stop to pray and I have heard my friend praying for his opponents. When the attacks ramped up, we would have been well justified to set the record straight and expose the perpetrator. We both knew that we would have been entirely justified in doing so. Curtis would tell me “Bob, we can’t do that and keep a clean heart before God”. He simply felt that even though we would be justified in exposing the truth, he was concerned about what would be “in our hearts” when we did it.

I could go on and on with event after event where I have witnessed firsthand the character and integrity of my friend Curtis Bostic, but I will leave it at that. Curtis would be the first one to tell you that he is only a man, a fallen man, and no different from the rest of us. But friends, character matters, integrity matters, and when the pressures come from those that would disregard and hold our United States Constitution in contempt; I want this man representing me as our United States Congressman.

Whatever happens at the end of the day, we will hold our heads high tomorrow and give praise to almighty God for his marvelous works. To Him be the Glory!

Living Life Upside Down

"A sample of Mars drilled from a rock by NASA's Curiosity rover and then studied by onboard instruments "shows ancient Mars could have supported living microbes," NASA officials announced Tuesday in a statement and press conference."

Ok, so let me get this straight, so we're supposed to get excited about the remote possibility that maybe...somehow....some kinda way...there "might have been" a microbe on a planet that is 33.9 million miles away from us. But at the same time, we have fully formed little children, that just happen to be growing in the womb....separated from us by just a few centimeters of flesh and we not only dont get excited about them...we celebrate the butchery of them....and call it "personal choice".

Tell me we are not living life upside down.

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/03/12/mars-could-have-supported-life-nasa-says/

Conjecture or The Rule of Law?

Periodically I have taken the time after one of our Bostic for Congress campaign events to write a little about what I observed to kind of give you an idea of why I am working with Curtis. Last evening at one of our drop in events I observed a perfect example of why Curtis Bostic is the best candidate by far for us to elect as our next Congressman to represent the 1st Congressional District of South Carolina. An individual asked Curtis a question about his views on gun control.  This is where there is CRYSTAL CLEAR separation between Curtis Bostic and ALL the other candidates in this Special Election.  I'm not necessisarily  referring to his pro 2nd Amendment position, becuase most of the candidates are or at least purport to be pro 2^nd Amendment. Coincidentally, I might add...it's rather silly for us to even say someone is "pro 2nd Amendment" because it really doesn’t matter if someone is “pro 2^nd Amendment” or not.  The 2nd Amendment is part of our nations Rule of Law.  The United States Constitution (which includes all 27 Amendments) is not supposed to be subject to the whims of men.  The reason I stated above that this is where we find CRYSTAL CLEAR separation between Curtis and the other candidates has more to do with his understanding and ability to accurately articulate the principles behind this liberty to those that do not have understanding in this area or any other constitutional area for that matter. This issue really goes to the core of our campaign and what we believe.

Curtis answered this individuals question by explaining that he would probably lose their vote once they heard his answer, but that he was going to tell her the truth of his position. Folks, I’ve been out on these events almost every night for the last two and a half months and I have seen the other candidates in action. Many will tailor their answers to questions like this to whichever audience they are talking to….the clear mark of a politician.  This individual tonight wanted to know what Curtis’s “thoughts” were pertaining to banning certain firearms and certain types of firearm magazines in response to recent events. I put the word “thoughts” in quotations for a reason. I want you to see something that I notice very often on the campaign trail and at candidate events and what I hear from the other candidates.  People want to know what they “think” of this issue or what they “think” of that issue.  Now, I’m not implying that there is not a place for having thoughtful positions on important issues.  We need to have well thought out positions on the issues.  However, when the issue in question is an issue that is already settled in the Rule of Law (Constitution), then it’s really not up for debate or conjecture what anyone’s “thoughts” are on that issue. The only way we can have a discussion about our “thoughts” on an issue that is already enumerated in the Constitution is if we are having a discussion about changing something through the deliberative process outlined in the Article V process for amendments.

I listened tonight as Curtis explained all of this to this individual and explained that as a United States Congressman, his oath and therefore his responsibility would be to uphold the Rule of Law. This fact is either completely lost on most in office today or they simply have no regard for that fact.  In this field of 16 candidates I have heard all of these candidates many times over…and none of these candidates has this grasp of the principles of liberty like Curtis does. Indeed, I can honestly say that few have any grasp of this at all because I have heard them explain their positions and in most cases those positions are more in tune with their “thoughts”, “ideas”, and conjecture more than they are with the principles and enumerated powers outlined in the federal Constitution.

Friends, first principles, the principles of Liberty and the United States Constitution are in my "wheelhouse", this is my expertise...so I know it when I see it.  This is why I am teamed with Curtis Bostic...not simply because he is my good friend, indeed there is another candidate in this race that is a friend of mine. I'm teamed with Curtis because I am convinced that he is exactly the type of candidate that we MUST elect if we want any chance at pushing this government back inside its constitutional fence. We have a rare candidate for this Congressional seat in the 1^st District of South Carolina right now, men like Curtis Bostic that have a grasp of these first principles and mastery of our Constitution coupled with rock solid integrity are very hard to find these days.  The ability to articulate these principles is crucial for a congressman in order to be able to explain it to his colleagues in the United States Congress as well as the citizens of the 1^st District.

Let’s get it right on March 19^th, vote for Curtis Bostic to be the next Congressman from the 1^st Congressional District of South Carolina.