Winter 2004

WELCOME to the Net4TruthUSA Flagship Newsletter.
We tell it like it is, we pull no punches, and we’re NOT going to tell you what you want to hear.

I am WebPastor David J. Todeschini, and I am here doing the Lord’s work. I speak my piece, and I’m done with it. My methodology may be a bit unorthodox, but what would this life be like if you always got what you expected? I fully intend here to exceed expectations; to do the unusual, and to speak the unspeakable. The TRUTH is unspeakable these days, and if you listen to the mainstream media, you’re not getting the truth. I already have a reputation for being in-the-face of devils, demons, and corrupt politicians – not necessarily in that order.

The BIGGEST gripe I have for this country is that Americans these days seem to have no sense of priorities, and no sense of what is really important. Jesus said:

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess". – Matthew 23:23 – 25 KJV

We see all of this controversy over court decisions to maintain a feeding tube or withdraw a feeding tube to keep a woman physically alive, who has no hope of recovery into anything resembling a normal life. Don’t get me wrong – this is a terrible decision to have to make on behalf of someone you love, and God willing, I will never have to make such a decision. However, Terri Schiavo’s fate is inevitable, but 4,000 human beings are MURDERED every day before they are born in this country. Let’s put things into perspective here. Scott Peterson (according to the jury) murdered his pregnant wife – AND – there was a second count on the indictment. Who, pray tell, was that second person he killed as the result of killing the one upon whom that life depended? If a fetus is an "unviable tissue mass", then the second count of murder is just padding the indictment. If the second murder is the murder of an unborn baby – a human being that has every much a right to LIFE, and liberty and pursuit of happiness in that life – then it can’t be anything else when that life is ended because it is not WANTED – It can’t be any less of a life because of the WAY it is murdered. You’re pro choice? I take it then that you won’t be visiting my web site anymore. Bye! Murderers and those who condone murder are going to hell. Don’t believe in hell? That’s OK. You can go to hell without believing in it; that will be God’s way of telling you that you’re wrong.

"And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word." - 1 Kings 18:21 KJV

Controversy over "abuse" in Abu Ghraib, the witch-hunt of the Michael Jackson case, and the debate over the ethics of maintaining a feeding tube or withholding it is fodder for the cannon, and fuel for the fire that creates the smoke that hides the TRUE nature of a very sick and totally "out-ethics" society. Sociologists have a name for this; they call it "boundary maintenance"… it is literally straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel. Moreover, where God is not part of the picture, history tells us that the end of that society is just around the corner. It happened to the Greeks, the Incas, and the Romans. We’re next!

Some people cringe when I quote the bible to them. God said that His word shall not come back to Him void, and it will accomplish what it was designed to do:

"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it". - Isaiah 55:11 KJV

Therefore,, don’t fault the messenger if the message is not to your liking. That’s how it goes. Wake up, America – smell the coffee!

In the middle of all of these, what I call "Weapons of Mass DistrAction", we have hundreds of personal tragedies in our midst, like the shootings at Columbine HS in Littleton Colorado, or the more recent one at Red Lake High School on a Native American reservation in the northern Minnesota.

"ACS KIDNAPPED MY BABY". Friends of mine told me that on the previous Monday, she had a bullhorn, and the police had her quit the yelling. I stopped to speak with the woman, since I DO have some media connections (like at Radio Liberty, NY Daily News, and this web site). The woman told me that ACS (a bunch of meddling Sigmund Freud Wannabe Sociologists and Social Workers – Merchants of Chaos, in other words) had broke into her house, took her baby, and just left. There was no court order, and no probable cause, and the child was not being neglected or abused (so she said).

There is no doubt in my mind that these ACS / CPS / CSS Alphabet-soup "child welfare" groups do this sort of thing – How do I know? Let’s just say that I’ve had words with a few, and I have cause to believe that the woman was not exaggerating. Why else would a woman stand out in the cold and rain with a cardboard sign, and get in the face of ACS people. Must be something to it. I had another appointment, so I couldn’t speak with her at length, but I gave her my card, told her to find out WHY the child was taken from her, and if she didn’t get resolution, I’d "blow up the spot" right here on this web site. I’d close Maiden Lane down tighter than a clam’s ass. Believe it! So if she calls me, I’ll post the interview right here in the NEWS section. I await the call. I’m NOT holding my breath.

Question: "If people were committed to a psychiatric hospital by accident, would they be able to convince the staff to let them out?"

David Rosenhan of Stanford University set out to answer this and the related question: "How accurately do psychiatric hospitals distinguish between people who are psychotic, and people who are healthy?" To find out, Rosenhan and several colleagues had themselves committed (Rosenhan, 1973). Entrance to mental hospitals was gained by faking only one symptom. Rosenhan and the others complained of hearing voices which said, "empty", "hollow", and "thud". In 11 out of 12 tries, they were admitted with diagnosis of "schizophrenia".

After being admitted these "pseudo patients" dropped all pretense of mental illness. Yet even though they acted completely normal, none of the researchers was ever recognized by hospital staff as a phony patient. Other patients were not so easily fooled. It was not unusual for a real patient to say to one of the researchers, "You're not crazy, you're just checking up on the hospital", or "You're a journalist."

Rosenhan and the others spent from one to seven weeks in these hospitals before being discharged. The hospitals ranged from very modern and plush, to ancient and shoddy. No matter how good the facilities, or how good the hospital's reputation, Rosenhan found some very disturbing conditions.

{Some clinic conditions and staff attitudes are discussed in the article, which are not relevant here}

A situation that sums up Rosenhan's findings better than any other is his note-taking. Rosenhan began taking notes by carefully jotting things on a small piece of paper hidden in his hand. He learned quickly that hiding was totally unnecessary. He was soon walking around with a clipboard and note pads, recording observations and collecting data. No one questioned his behavior. Note taking was simply seen as a symptom of his "illness". As a matter of fact, Rosenhan found that anything he did was ignored. When a staff member manhandled patient (as happened occasionally) Rosenhan would be right there -- taking notes on the whole incident!

These observations clarify the failure of staff members to detect the fake patients. Because they were seen in the context of mental ward and because they were labeled "schizophrenic", anything the pseudo patients did was seen as a symptom of their illness. To return to the original hypothetical question about talking your way out of a hypothetical commitment, it should be clear that it could be quite futile to say, "Look, this is all a mistake. I not crazy. You've got to let me out." The response might very well be, "Have you had these paranoid delusions for long?"

Many mental health professionals found the Rosenhan's findings hard to believe. This led to a follow-up study in which the staff of another hospital was warned that one or more pseudo patients were going to try to gain admission over the next three months. Thus alerted, the staff at this hospital tried to identify fake incoming patients. Among 193 candidates, 41 were labeled as fakes by at least one staff member, and 19 more were labeled as "suspicious". This only serves to confirm Rosenhan's original findings, since he never sent any patients, fake or otherwise, to this hospital.

It is an important final note that all the normal people who served as pseudo patients in the original studies were discharged as "schizophrenics in remission" (temporarily free of symptoms). In other words, the label that prevented the hospital staff from seeing the normality of the researchers stayed with them when they left...

The point of including this article here, is to illustrate how people - even professionals who are supposed to know what they're doing, and were supposed to be objective in their analysis, are misled by labels and preconceived notions (or paradigms) based on textbook knowledge which tends to categorize people, and put them into "cubbyholes" by reasons and methods which are subjective at best. The psychiatry profession is not an exact science; not by any stretch of the imagination. There are few and far between of those professionals who deal in objective fact, and once a "diagnosis" of mental illness has been made (assumed), there is a plethora of theories to justify. This is a proven fact, and if you refuse to believe it, well, that speaks to your own paradigms. I deal in facts, and I deal and common sense. Anything more is conjuring and theory which as you see, doesn't hold water.

For more information on psychiatry: Write to: Citizens Commission on Human Rights International,
6362 Hollywood Boulevard, Suite B, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Vietnam Veterans, ghetto children, victims of war-torn countries, automobile accidents, and an interminable litany of traumatic events, may suffer long after the trauma has ended... they may have suffered for years, and perhaps decades in silence. The victims of early-life traumas may never even know that they have an engramic aberration that psychiatrists call "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (or P.T.S.D. for short) until someone points out the symptoms to them. Oftentimes, the coping strategies that a person used to deal with the trauma, has integrated itself into their personality un-noticed. This is called a "valence'', which is defined in Dianetics as "a false identity assumed unwittingly".

For purposes here, we will use the commonly used names, to avoid confusion. What is known as "delayed-onset PTSD" is particularly troublesome, because it often is exacerbated by a number of other traumas with vaguely similar elements. The victim may or may not have presented any symptomology, or may have used a variety of coping strategies ranging from being abusive and/or violent, to withdrawal into the emotional numbing of drug and/or alcohol abuse. I believe that these people are the ones spoken of by the prophet Isaiah:

"A bruised reed shall he (God) not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth". - Isaiah 42:3, Matthew 12:20(KJV).

I am a Vietnam veteran, and I'm one of the spiritually "walking wounded" that came out of that conflict. I came home without a scratch, but I was emotionally wounded by being so young and ill prepared for the experience of witnessing so much death, and for having an 8 year-old boy bleed to death in my arms. He looked at me with his big almond puppy-dog eyes, and I felt that I let him down; I didn't know how to handle the grief. I never could put it to rest. After a while, I had forgotten WHAT was bothering me; I had buried it that deep!

Fortunately, I'm not as badly bruised as some of my fellow vets. From several years of "therapy" that made things much worse, and a few days of pastoral counseling that helped tremendously, along with extensive study of the subject of emotional trauma, I wrote a thesis on PTSD and a highly-acclaimed book on my experiences in Vietnam. Writing has enabled me to "get a handle" on my issues, and "talk about" (on paper) things I had never told anybody, for fear "they would never understand". Writing also had two other collateral benefits: A manuscript for a possible best seller, and the opportunity to help others with this problem.

I believe that PTSD has 2 major components: 1) spiritual and 2) intellectual (or mental). Unfortunately, being intelligent and spiritual is a distinct disadvantage, which is validated by the lament of King Solomon, in scripture:

"For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow". - Ecclesiastes 1:18

You see, the spiritual component is the "mechanism" (if you will), by which the guilt or self-conviction comes about. The "program", if I may be permitted a bit of literary license here, according to the Bible, is built into all of us:

"Thy Word I have hid in my heart; that I might not sin against thee". - Proverbs 119:11

The conviction is strongest among those who have the highest moral values, or who develop stronger values as they grow up, mature, and become more spiritually conscious. This "development" can cause guilt to arise, which never bothered the person before, or trigger intellectual rationalizations that lead to the false perception of culpability known as "survivor's guilt", and is considered intractable by psychiatry.

The intellectual component is the other enemy here. If you have PTSD or suffer from Survivor's Guilt, it is far more intractable in an intelligent person, in my humble, unqualified opinion. The cure is not complex; it just takes someone trained to know what to look for in the therapy session patter. The Bible tells us:

"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting, get understanding." - Proverbs 4:7 (KJV).

The intellect is what enables a veteran, or trauma victim to construct increasingly complex rationalizations about why they are culpable for some atrocity, war crime, or death of a platoon member; the interminable litany of "what if" and "if only" of Survivor Guilt which many professionals say, is an intractable condition. I even read a book by a noted Ph. D., which advocated convincing the patient that his moral convictions are wrong so that his conscience wouldn't bother him anymore. To extrapolate and state simply what was being proposed was to say to the patient, "... it’s OK to betray a friend - if it means saving yourself." This idea is contrary to scripture:

"Greater love hath no man than this; that he lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:13

If the only solution to Survivor Guilt is that I must convince myself that it is permissible to betray my friends, then I'll live with my PTSD, thank you. Fortunately, there IS a cure for the condition, but it can only be found at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ.

Post-Traumatic Stress - especially when accompanied by Survivor's Guilt is a spiritual conflict. It is, I believe, a defect in "the Word" that is hidden in our hearts... it is the effect of a relentless and often cruel conscience that knows right from wrong, driven by Satan, who acts as a relentless and unscrupulous District Attorney, indicting us for transgressions - guilty or not (that is why scripture calls him "the accuser of the brethren"). The "Word" that is "wired-in" does not tell us that there is forgiveness and absolution for that guilt whether we are truly guilty or not, and that the forgiveness and removal of the burden is free for the asking:

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". - 1 John 1:9

Of course, there always remains the dilemma of the ubiquitous question: "If kindness and mercy is God's nature, then how can He allow so much suffering to exist?"

I believe the question can be answered when one places life in THIS existence in perspective with life in eternity.

Even the (theoretical) cosmological distances and archaeological ages are infinitesimal in comparison, so it is only our perspective as mortals, that makes it seem that God is cruel, sometimes, because "look at all the suffering that goes on in the world."

We can only learn of these things - we can only put these things into their proper perspective through faith. God calls some of us to Him in what may seem to be very strange ways. We may be bruised, but we are not, by any means broken.

A spiritual condition is "wired into" us at birth. This conscience can only be de-activated by the emotional shutdown known as "emotional numbing", or "flat affect", as it is called by psychiatrists; what the scriptures call "a hardened heart". Alcohol and drugs provided a temporary refuge from the conviction - like being "out on bail". Sooner or later, we must appear before the Judge; eventually, we must all come to terms with what we've done, it would be wise to have the best defense possible - to be absolved from all our sins as though they never happened:

"... for I will forgive thy iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more". - Jeremiah 31:34b

If God himself will not remember our sins, why should we labor over them? If there is a cure for a spiritual problem, then the only way to get healed is to have faith. This is not as easy as it sounds, because intellect gets in the way. Ultimately, you must know that your salvation is real; that it is not something that is "purely in your imagination", as Satan would have you believe. "Faith" is not easy to come by in a "scientific" world that tries to convince us that all of this - all of what was created by the Word of God, just happened "by accident".

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen..." - Hebrews 11:1 (KJV).

Reading the next two verses will convince you that the "Big Bang" theory is by no means a new idea. It happened by the will of God. In order to start to heal from this emotional and spiritual injury, the victim needs closure. Often the transgression underlying the problem happened years in the past, and there is no way to make amends to those who were harmed. However, there IS something that you can do to mitigate the pangs of guilt without convincing your conscience that "it's OK to betray a friend, if it saves your hide", as some psychiatrists will advocate.

For the asking, your sins and transgressions have been forgiven and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. Symbolic atonement is something each vet and each trauma victim can do to relieve the helpless feeling that comes with Survivor's Guilt. You may have been helpless when the traumatic incident happened, but you are not helpless now! As a human being, with the faults and limitations we have, we must seize the opportunity to do good whenever and wherever we can. We help ourselves when we help others:

"For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe unto him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up".
- Ecclesiastes 4:10 (KJV)

"And whoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward". - Matthew 10:42 (KJV)

The time for healing has come. We may be bruised, but we are not broken. In the trials of life, we are tested in the fire, purified, and tempered. In each other, we have strength when we ask God to bless us. PTSD must be treated holistically - it is a "mind and spirit" thing. Trying to rationalize without treating the spiritual injury avails us nothing - it is an exercise in futility. To heal the soul - where the core of the injury lies, requires the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, in which we have great abundance and grace. It is up to us to accept our own pardon, which has been secured for us on Calvary's cross.

For excellent articles written by prisoners and former prisoners worldwide, see:

You simply MUST listen to "The News behind the News; The story behind the story"…
Radio Liberty with Doctor Stan Monteith – web site: http://www.RadioLiberty.com
Radio Liberty, P.O. Box 969, Soquel, CA 95073
E-Mail radiolib@aol.com 1-(800) 544-8927

By far, the most enjoyable time we adults can have is being in the company of an inquisitive and curious child. Second only to his instinctive need (and I stress the word "need") for love, affection and attention, a child needs to have, what may seem to be (to us adults, anyway) silly questions answered. Most adults don't understand that when a child asks a question on a subject he is not familiar with, he has no point of reference. If you were to walk into a nuclear physicists convention, could YOU carry on an intelligent discussion?. Could you even ask a question that didn't tip them off immediately that you don't "fit in" with the crowd? Most people couldn't.

A typical 8 to 12 year-old will go through several (for lack of a better term) phases in the course of a 24 hour period. During the day, when there is lots to do, he may get into mischief as he explores new things (like hunting for frogs), at times testing the patience of his elders. During the late afternoon, as the energy reserves dwindle, he may become cranky and cantankerous, getting bored, wanting to do something else, or wanting to stay up late, etc. At bedtime is usually when the child's mind is still racing, going over the activities of the day and usually thinking about tomorrow's adventures (or planning the morning's mischief). This can be difficult for an adult who wants the child to sleep. Understanding what is going on, even though the child is incapable of communicating it to you, is the key to keeping your nerves from getting worn down to the synapses.

Over the years, I have developed an ability to relate to kids. After being Scoutmaster of a troop of up to 70 boys for 5 years and being around children constantly, it has become almost instinctive or "second nature". Dispensing with the "fad" theories of the day, I can tell you what works for me.

Be a friend, not a "grownup". Every human being has the instinctive need to "belong". The desire to be part of a group, and accepted by peers probably ranks right up there with the need for affection. If you want the child to respond to you, be his peer, not some overwhelming authority figure ready to respond with harsh sanctions at the slightest infraction. Any child will respond more positively, wanting to please and to share his delight with someone he looks up to and admires, rather than out of fear of being punished.

Never get angry with the child. This can be most difficult at times. Children respond to anger by withdrawing. Once you get angry, once you start intimidating or threatening, he will become defensive. If you do loose your cool, try to regain your composure quickly. Take the child aside for a few minutes.

Talk quietly with him. Be rational. Let him know so that there can be no shadow of doubt, that you love him, but make sure he understands that his behavior is not acceptable. Ask leading questions that cause him to admit that what he did was wrong, then ASK him to promise to not do that again.

Be a "KID" yourself. Hey, you only live once! Lighten up! Have FUN. Don't be such an "old fogey". The most fun you'll ever have in your adult life is to see the world through a child's eyes. Keep your adult sensibility, but give in to the child's desire to do silly things. Climbing a tree, swishing across a river on a "Tyrolean Ferry", or exploring a cave may be mundane to you, but to a 10 year old, it's the adventure of a lifetime.

Heighten the adventure. This is particularly easy to do with outdoor sports. Rappelling down a cliff face using a Petzl Stop is really not all that dangerous, if you take reasonable precautions. Make the trip or the task SOUND as dangerous, as adventurous, and as difficult as the child will accept. He will talk about it for months, and remember it forever.

Always keep your promises. don't break any promises you've made in the past, as punishment or in retaliation for a recent misdeed. Children aren't stupid. If you break your promise as a punishment for something, the child will resent it, figuring you're just using the punishment as an excuse for not keeping your word.

Almost never use physical force when disciplining a child. I say almost never, because there will be some times where the need for a wee tap on the backside is absolutely warranted. You should never actually hurt the child, and if you do find yourself having to get his attention this way, always hug and cuddle him afterwards. Don't make a habit of doing this however; as the child will learn, that your mood and demeanor are unpredictable from one moment to the next. He will respond either by becoming introverted in your presence or by emulating you, by developing equally unpredictable behavior. Spanking is definitely verboten, is embarrassing and humiliating to the child, borders on child abuse, and is the typical knee-jerk response of a bona fide idiot. Spanking a child will instantly cause the child to lose any respect he may have had for you. He may actually hate you. For many children, the first time a parent spanks him is the first time the child experiences the feeling (however tempered by love), of genuine hatred. He may suppress it, he may not articulate it, but you will most definitely have opened a rift between you and that child that may never completely heal.

Have a genuine interest in what the child is doing. How big that tadpole is may not be interesting to you, but to him, it is absolutely fascinating. Letting the child share his enthusiasm with you about such little things and being genuinely and equally enthusiastic rewards the inquisitive mind and the learning experience becomes FUN.

On the other hand, making snide remarks like "So what?" or brushing this spark of innocent enthusiasm aside, dismissing it out of hand as insignificant, absolutely kills the FUN the child is having being naturally curious and sharing his newfound knowledge. Something that's fun is twice the joy if it's shared. It is a hundred times as joyous if it's shared with someone who cares and takes an active part. When you're wrong, admit it, then apologize to the child. Oh, this may scrape the nerves of some of you authoritarians out there who think you're above apologizing to a kid, but if you want to evoke good behavior from a child, try setting the example yourself.

"Lord, grant me the strength and the courage to change those things which cannot be changed, the motivation and the concern to change those things that should be changed, and Lord, please grant me the insight and the wisdom to change those things for the better, that I might enjoy the serenity of knowing that I have been used as an instrument of your peace." - Get a PDF POSTER of this revised Serenity Prayer

You will pardon me for changing the ubiquitous "Serenity Prayer'' around a little bit^[2]... the old one was a cop-out from the first line, which says that we should accept the things we cannot change. Obviously, I disagree. There is nothing which man has done under the sun, which cannot be undone, short of bringing back the dead... but give it time.

The trouble is my friends, that people these days, more than ever before in history, have mistaken apathy for serenity. In that sense, ''serenity" or the quest for it, has led to the most gruesome and vile atrocities in human history; the Holocaust of WWII, the genocides in Bosnia, Iran and Iraq, the massacres in Africa, starvation in Bangladesh, the persecution of Christians all over the world, and other atrocities, including the 9-11 attacks. This is because "serenity" dictates that it is wise to know that one person acting alone, cannot change these things, and shouldn’t bother to try...it may disrupt one's serenity. God forbid!

"Serenity", or what has been mistaken for it, has led to the leviathan of a government we have in this country (US) today: a political and military leech that consumes over half the value of our personal incomes, and has its grimy paws in every aspect of our personal lives. The courts can order parents to give their children dangerous mind-altering drugs,^[3] and take the child from them if they don't comply^[4]... Certainly, it is time to start thinking about picking up that Remington 700 and getting some attention.

While true Christianity teaches the principle of non-resistance, some see this and interpret it to mean absolute passivity, which I, personally disagree with. We cannot be "Our Brother's Keeper" if we do not rise up to defend him. Can we change the things that (seemingly) cannot be changed? We can, if we don't trip over our "serenity'' in the process. All of us can have our serenity in a tent or a log cabin, way off in the wilderness, alone with God, the nature He created, and our thoughts and quiet prayers. When we return to society, it's time to get busy.

Where would our society be today, if Rosa Parks did not defy the system, decided that she couldn't change it, and for the sake of the serenity of Memphis, she should sit in the back of the bus like all the other "niggers"?

Where would we be if Martin Luther King did not pursue his dream of equality for all? How many starving children were saved by the tireless efforts and ministry of Mother Teresa? "All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to sit around and do nothing." That's what the whole world did just before World War 2, and it led directly to the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler, and the most infamous evil empire ever to exist on the face of the planet.

Too often, that is so true! In the name of "freedom'', it seems we can do as we please, as long as enough of us want to do it. If 60% of the country decided that they were all going to light up a joint and march down to Washington DC and have another Woodstock festival on the front lawn of the White House, how are they going to stop it? Put everyone in jail? I don't think so! Mr. Clinton would probably join the crowd, and take a few tokes, although he wouldn't inhale :-)

Seriously, folks, we as God-fearing Americans can no longer afford to look at a moral issue and say, "Well, you can't fight City Hall'', and let them have their way. We've let it go much too far already, and our collective departure from basic decency, and the power of unity that rallies around the desire to engage in depravity, has cost us the lives of 40+ million souls who have been murdered in vivo by "choice"; aka: abortion on demand. This carnage exceeds the lives lost in WW1, WW2, Korea, and Vietnam combined! Where is "the wall" for them? The Supreme Court decided^[5] that an unborn child is NOT a human being with the Constitutional "right to life". A simple passage from the Bible proves them wrong:

"...For Lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy." - Luke 1:44 KJV

If you believe in God's word, AND you agree with the Supreme Court, then you must concede that an "unviable tissue mass" (which is how the court described an embryo) "leaped" in Elizabeth's womb "for joy" in the Bible story. This is, legally speaking, a non-sequituer^[6]... It is a boldfaced contradiction... The Supreme Court's view is what psychology would call "a cognitive distortion", and is diametrically opposed to the concept of "One nation under God."

The analysis is simple, yet powerful. I have attacked this issue several times; in this article, in books, and other articles on my web site, because I believe that it is at the core of what has gone terribly awry in this country.

A parallel can be drawn from the court's decision, to the mentality that is required for war. Calling a living soul "an unviable tissue mass" is not that much different than calling an enemy soldier "Kraut", "Jerry", "Charlie", "Gook", "Slant", "Dink", "Slope", "Zipperhead", ad nauseum, which makes them less than human in our eyes. It is therefore easier to kill without conscience, when a "higher authority" justifies our distorted thinking, or more precisely, inflicts the evil upon us by "legalizing" what is intrinsically wrong. Society then hides its collective depravity behind a false veil of "morality", by the persecution of innocent people, and thereby can claim that they are "protecting children".

I could go off on a tangent here, but I won't; I'll just mention the fact that Roe v. Wade (1973) came into play on the heels of the Vietnam war, and the ten years that it took that conflict to claim 58,149 American lives, and over 3 million Vietnamese lives, is far surpassed by the fact that over 150,000 living souls per month (in the US alone), are murdered before they are born. A baby that can "leap for joy" in the womb is, despite any name you wish to call it, or any status nine Court Justices may arbitrarily bestow upon it; a fetus, unviable^[7] or not, is a living soul, and a human being who has the same right to life, liberty, and freedom as you or I. At some point it becomes sentient enough to "leap for joy", and feel pleasure and pain. Terminating that baby's life is murder, and infanticide.

Politicians, as you will learn, are not concerned with immutable moral principles. Such a stance would preclude their being elected. In that sense, even John F. Kennedy would have to compromise his principles; when you don't, you end-up out of the realm of "serenity", and like JFK, you may end-up murdered for your trouble^[8].

The bottom line to all of this is that "accepting the tings I cannot change" is a coward's cop-out; it is an excuse to fail; it is a set-up for failure. To "compromise" on certain issues may be acceptable, but on other issues, it is NOT. War may be a "necessary evil" to defend our country against aggression, but it should stop there. If the US government wants to control population, it is none of their business. Where in the Constitution does it authorize the government to do this? By enacting laws that legislate morality, or more precisely, remove the natural consequences of immoral or irresponsible behavior, it has, in my opinion, created a self-fulfilling prophesy that requires the law to insure that over 1.5 million people per year (that are the victims of abortion) are NOT added to the US census. What is needed is a Renaissance, and an 'en-masse turning to God.... I am loathe to say it, but don't hold your breath!

"Serenity", as expounded in the original "Serenity Prayer" is nothing more than an illusion; an apparency. All of the "Anonymous" organizations; Alcoholics, Gamblers, Sexaholics, Narcotics, et al., have adopted the [old] Serenity Prayer, and outwardly, these organizations are very effective at keeping people from returning to their addictions. However, it is questionable whether the underlying problem that drives the person to his anomalous behavior is ever addressed. It has to be a living hell for an alcoholic to fight the urge to drink; the organization telling him that he has "an incurable disease"; that it is inherited, and that he will be "in recovery" for the rest of his natural life. I don't have a "magic answer" outside the grace of God, but THEIR "answer" without God; with their secular, politically correct ''higher power", is certainly wrong.

Those who are most successful in their "recovery" are those who turn to Jesus Christ for help. His grace is sufficient^[9]. It is ludicrous to believe that serenity can be brought about by just "accepting" anything life throws at you. The prolific author, the late L. Ron Hubbard wrote: "A man is only as sane as he is self-determined." I fail to see, under the [old] "serenity" philosophy, how one can be self-determined if he or she walks the path of serenity towards Stoicism.^[10]

This book (land of Childhood's Fears) is the result of many, many years of pent-up dissonance, held back by a wall of acceptance. I could not allow that acceptance to continue, and so you read what you see here. That being the case, I wish you NOT to travel the same road I have, but I DO want you to arrive at the same spiritual destination.

Acceptance and "putting your life in God's hands" - without trusting in God; relying on your own understanding - has to have a limit. It is unreasonable to expect that a moral man would not raise a finger to keep his family from harm... Or to protect his neighbor from harm. Those who will not are not doing what the Bible says; they are not allowing God to use them as a vessel of His peace. Unfortunately, sometimes, in order to have peace, you have to kick some serious ass. A man who will do nothing on his own, expecting God to manage the details of his life is just lazy; he is apt to take his car down the highway one day and say "Here, God, you take the wheel for a while, I need a catnap." God will not do what we can and should do for ourselves. We can't answer EVERY question with "I have faith in God", and shirk our responsibilities behind a cloak of acceptance.

No, my dear friends, I do NOT accept a lot of things in this life. I do NOT accept the answers about the JFK assassination, the Vietnam war, or the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001-and as sure as I'm sitting here writing this, I certainly take everything the mainstream media tries to tell me with TWICE the proverbial grain of salt. I DON'T condone abortion on demand,[11] sex education, or Outcome-Based Education, or believe that Attention Deficit Disorder is anything but a figment of a twisted imagination, and a corrupt profession.^[12] I don't believe that Public Schools, the Federal income Tax, Welfare, or Social Security is authorized by the Constitution, either. Why do we have them? - It’s a matter of "accepting the things we cannot change", that's how! I can't change it all - not in my lifetime, but I won't accept it because everyone else seems not to want to rock the boat. I'M ROCKIN' THE BOAT!... I'm "stirring the turd"! Perhaps this will get people to start thinking... If it does, then I'll consider this worth the effort. Perhaps I'll start preaching, I don't know. I'll do whatever it takes; whatever is in my power to do, and my "Serenity" will consist of knowing in my heart that I did the right thing. I won't sit around while evil triumphs and moral antinomy^[13] prevails.

A Winner’s Philosophy

In every adversity, lie the seeds of an equal or better benefit. Anything the mind can conceive and believe can be achieved. Stupidity is the pursuit of ignorance. A man with a little bit of ability who will use a lot of it, is much better off than a man with a lot of ability who won't use much of it. When you put your head above the crowd, you get all the tomatoes...you learn to enjoy tomato juice... it ain't bad! Winners will do what losers won’t. All true success is built upon helping others achieve success. There is NO CHANCE for success, where there is not also a chance for failure. You can't be AFRAID to fail. There can't be a victory without a struggle. It is not all the temporary failures and setbacks, but the LAST GREAT VICTORY that makes any difference. Be humble enough to learn from your mistakes. God would not give you the desire, unless he also gave you the ability to gain what you dream of. Never take advice from a broke man, unless he has a dream. Education will NEVER take the place of determination and persistence...the world is full of educated derelicts. Beside every successful man, stands a woman with a dream...One plus one equals eleven. There is a big difference between WILLING, and merely WISHING...willing requires ACTION! Success is not a destination it's a journey. Nothing in Nature is static...If you are not in the process of growing, you're in the process of dying. If you are not planning to succeed, you are automatically planning to fail. Procrastination is the foundation of failure. Do it NOW! No decision at all, is worse than a BAD decision. The LOVE of money is the root of all evil, not the money itself. A man's idea of success and a woman's idea of success are two different things. Compliment and enhance each other. Get it together, TOGETHER. There is no force on Earth that can stop a man and a woman with a dream. A man without vision shall perish. Dream BIG, and believe. Faith can move mountains. Faith changes things. Things never change faith. Plan your work, and then work your plan. You live as you speak. Words are power. You are hung by the tongue, snared by the word. Garbage IN, garbage OUT. Never grow tired or weary with things that WORK... keep working them. Something can happen still; it ain't over yet! It ain't over YET! You will soon win, if you don't give up.

"But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." – Genesis 50:20

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." – Romans 8:28

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." – Malachi 3:10

FOOTNOTES

^[1] Excerpted from Introduction to Psychology -- Denis Coon -- West publishing Co. ISBN # 0-8299-0134-5
^[2] Also see "Little and Little'' in my forthcoming book "Our True Colors"- see: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Net4TruthUSA/ for availability.
^[3] See: http://www.cchr.org
^[4] Buffalo (NY) news-November 12, 2000 - the case of Kyle Carrol, pg. A-12
^[5] Roe v .Wade, 410 US 113, 93 S. Ct. 705 (1973)
^[6] Non-sequiteur (Latin, legal) - "it does not (logically) follow"
^[7] Unviable - incapable of sustaining life without the mother.
^[8] See; "Vet's Rap Session 5 & 6" and "Could it be true?" in my forthcoming book "Roots & Wings – Faith, friendship, and the Vietnam War" see: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Net4TruthUSA/ for availability.
^[9] "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." – Paul of Tarsus – 2 Corinthians 12:9a (KJV).
^[10] Stoic - tending to bear up well.
[11] See my book: "Psychiatry, Mind Control, Genocide, and Infanticide" on http://www.lulu.com/content/92111
^[12] See: Psychiatry pamphlets (free download) on http://www.cchr.org and http://www.freedommag.org
^[13] Antinomy - a paradox caused by a contradiction; "Catch-22" see; "Moral Antinomy and Respondeat Superior" in my forthcoming book "Our True Colors"- see: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Net4TruthUSA for availability.

"Justice" has been defined as "... The action taken on an individual by the group when he fails to take appropriate ethics actions himself."^[i] - Id at 868

Now how is it that we can take an "action" upon an individual when the Bible teaches us: "... Be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake, has forgiven you." - Ephesians 4:32

If I was to tell you to "just forget" all of the injustices done to you, it would, perhaps, be a hard pill to swallow, even though the Lord God commands it. However, in order for true justice to prevail, all of us must forgive, as we also seek to be forgiven by those whom we have offended.

Presently, our system of justice is vindictive; it seeks to teach people that it is appropriate to seek vengeance upon an offender, and that revenge (i.e.: "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" - Exodus 21:24) is justified, as long as it is done through the court system. This is the Bible taken out-of-context: "...vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." - Romans 12:19

The Bible does not contradict itself with the two verses just quoted; you need to read it in context.

That a victim's need to forgive is just as great, if not greater than the offender's need to be forgiven, was demonstrated by the majority of the families of the victims of the Oklahoma City Murrah (FBI) building bombing, who protested against the execution of Timothy McVeigh, saying that they forgive him.

This is not a dementia on the part of a victim who has suffered a tragic loss; it is a real need that is the only road to healing. We might not want to invite someone who has terribly offended us into our home for dinner, but the least a victim can do for him / her self, is to forgive the offender, and in the interest of the victim at the very least, the State should not only permit it, but reconciliation should be encouraged whenever it is possible. (Wow! what a radical idea, huh?)

Of course, it is useful and possible only if the State permits such a thing, which it currently does not. For such a process to be efficable, the offender should take responsibility for his actions. As soon as he does, however, the State takes the "confession", and uses it as an opportunity to heap more persecutions upon him. In many cases, "confessions" are coerced in violation of the US Constitution,^[ii] and a retired police lieutenant is getting rich selling books to his fellow police officers, teaching them how to get away with Miranda Rights violations^[iii].

As a result, many false arrests and wrongful convictions have resulted. The judges know this, and go along with it because it is politically expedient to appear to be "tough on crime"; a policy, which can be proven statistically and historically, that, makes the crime problem worse.

A review of "Restorative Justice" appearing in Nov - Dec 2001 issue of the newsletter Justicia:^[iv]

"... We can take a lesson from Navajo peacemaking. Navajo people believe that harm is done when someone loses "connectedness" with the extended family. That "connectedness" can be restored by talking together with the whole extended family, including the one who harmed. Through cooperation, compassion, and placing responsibility, they can regain connectedness with those harmed, and the one who harmed... In Restorative Justice, even the labels of "victim" and "offender" are harmful. These labels tend to separate us from them, and separate them from the community". ^[v] - Id at 5, ¶ 6, 7

For the offender, a meaningful means to make amends to those hurt or harmed is precluded by the courts. Forget about the offender for the moment; this robs the victim of his / her need to bring closure to the trauma by reconcilement and / or forgiveness. The State is guilty of perpetuating "the contamination of aberration", by feeding more (emotional) traumas into the dispute. The proof that our entire "justice" system as highly touted as it is as "the best in the world", is really a joke, is the answer to the question: "The best at what?" It is a dismal failure on all accounts; it hasn't caused crime to diminish, it doesn't rehabilitate offenders, and it certainly does not encourage reconciliation. So pray tell, what is it good for? Any attempts in the past to "fix" it, has only made it worse; turned it into a spaghetti-bender's paradise of contradictions and legal antinomy. What needs to be done is to completely replace it - get rid of all the Hick-Farmer Sigmund Freud Wannabes who play god with people's lives in the schools, the courts, and the prisons. What we need to do is BAN the practice of psychiatry within the borders of the United States. (You read that right; the practice of psychiatry should be illegal in the US - a B-Felony, if I had anything to say about it) In order to become a sane nation once again (if indeed we were ever "sane" to begin with), we must get rid of the people who are literally driving us insane. God and compassion must be restored, and the DSM^[vi]burned.

Remorse, or "being sorry", changes nothing. "'Sorry' and fifty cents gets you a cup of coffee from the "roach coach". Remorse is crying over milk that cannot be un-spilled - the proper word to use, and the right frame of heart and mind to have, is the spirit of Repentance. Remorse carries with it, nothing more than regret over having incurred the consequences of our actions; we had, in many cases, brought ethics in on ourselves!

Repentance is self-judgment God-ward; it is a Metanoia[vii] change; an about-face and turning away from previous behaviors, and repentance carries with it, the need to make meaningful amends by accepting responsibility for our actions, and as L. Ron Hubbard wrote: "... Find a real means to right their wrongs..."

The fact that we can sincerely repent and seek to reconcile with our God and our fellow man, is the final proof of our true nature, and is irrefutable evidence that man - all of us, are basically good, although sinners. We are basically good because we are created in God's image, and what conscience is evidence of - is that our true nature strives to do the right thing.

But the Bible says also, that "... the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately [incurable, intractable] wicked... " - Jeremiah 17:9 (brackets mine) and we had better take that fact to heart, and use that knowledge to keep us on the straight and narrow path.

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FOOTNOTES

^[i] The Scientology Handbook - ISBN# 0-88404-899-3 see www.bridgepub.com ^[ii] See: "Police Interrogations Should Be Taped" - Felix Lapine, Esq., in "Justicia" July-Aug 1999 ISSN# 1077-6516
    Judicial Process Commission, 285 Ormond Street, Rochester, NY 14605 (585) 325-7727
^[iii] See: "We Get Confessions" - Lt. Al Joseph, ret. (review on www.amazon.com)
^[iv] "Restorative Justice" - Criminal Justice Press, PO Box 249 Monsey, NY, 10952 (800) 914-3379
     ISBN# 1-881798-31-3
^[v] See "Restorative Justice" - Criminal Justice Press, PO Box 249 Monsey, NY 10952 (800) 914-3379
     ISBN# 1-881798-31-3
^[vi] DSM - Diagnostic Statistical Manual - Psychiatry's catalog of 347 "mental disorders".
[vii] Metanoia - (Greek) – To have a complete change of heart and mind for the better.

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