4th November 2007

Native American Christian Reconciliation Ministry

This excellent and informative video is a segment from one of the Transformations series, dedicated to racial reconciliation found here:

http://www.globalnetproductions.com/

The Native American Resource Network Page is here:

http://www.narnministries.org/economic.html

If you are in Oklahoma or the surrounding region and are interested in developing a fellowship or ministry dedicated to reconciliation and/or preaching Christ among American Indians, contact me. Like the video says… this work is of utmost importance.



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1st November 2007

My Calling to Preach Christ to American Indians


I recently attended the World Missions Workshop at Oklahoma Christian University as I mentioned in the previous post. There I met some good folks and heard many inspiring things. I have exchanged e-mail with a few of the presenters that spoke at the conference now. I expressed my desire to do missions work and plant Churches of Christ among Native American Indians to someone I met there who in turn asked me about my personal history, my family heritage and my desire to reach Indians for Christ. Here is the response I wrote to him, I want to share it with the world:

Well, This is a long story, but I will tell it and tell it as concisely as possible so that you’ll understand my motivations concerning Indians. I am from the suburbs of Oklahoma City, Del City to be specific. I grew up there and now live right next door in Midwest City. I am a life long member of the Del City Church of Christ. I did spend about 12 years in Texas, 3 in Waco and then 9 in Dallas.

I graduated High School way back in 1982 in Del City. I then spent two years at Oklahoma Christian and then moved on to Oklahoma State and OU. My field of study was in Media, Journalism and Radio Television and Film.
I never did get a four year degree. I ended up getting a two year technical degree at Texas State Technical College in Waco. I have many unused college credits and am working on getting into a degree completion program asap. From there I want to get further education in theology and ministry. I had run out of time and money in about 1987 and had entered the work force. In 1987 I lost my support system. My mother and father divorced in 1987 after 29 years of marriage and my maternal grandparents which had lived nearby and always been supportive fell into very poor health and died. All this had a devastating effect on me.

I will return to that, but first let me lay a little background. Before that turn of events my relationship to the lord had been touch and go for quite a while. In high school I was a football player and typical jock. I had discovered beer drinking and women. I carried this affliction with me to OC and with me everywhere for years.
One reason this happened was because I had never been comfortable with the conception of God that I had been raised on.

For starters, I am half Cherokee. Thus, the official version of American history I was presented with at school and even church did not match the political, cultural history of the American Indian as I knew it as a tribal member. At school I was told all about the glory of the U.S. and manifest destiny. At church I was told how God adored the US and had blessed its Christian forefathers and “gifted” them with this land. As a Cherokee I was taught about the other side of the story…The Trail of Tears and the treaty breaking mendacity and graft of these allegedly Christian forefathers. When I visited my Cherokee kin folks I saw the poverty, bitterness, heartbreak and ongoing oppression. It was very difficult for me to understand how God could allegedly condone this situation. I myself harbored confusion, bitterness and rebellion over this. I had also developed a taste for alcohol to fill in the void, so when life got tougher and more disappointing… I drank more. Substance eventually became a real problem.

As I was saying, the Christian God I had been raised on and learned about in school did not hold all that much attraction for me. As I am sure you know, the Church of Christ has in the past been known for its legalism, ultra conservatism and intolerance. In Del City where I grew up there was at the time one the largest Southern Baptist Churches in the country. If you’ll remember, the early eighties saw the rise of the Christian Right and the “reconstructionists” as a political movement with the Southern Baptists leading the charge. As a Cherokee, this reminded me a little bit too much of the politics and policies that led to the near genocide of my Native ancestors. Its also worth mentioning that there is a large Air Force base nearby Del City. As you know, the rise of the “reconstructionist” movement in the Church and American politics and the pro-military-industrial- complex mindset of the Christian-right political movement has gone hand in hand for quite some time now. Add to all that the constant tension between the Church of Christ I attended and the local Southern Baptist crowd and it was a recipe that I was simply not interested in imbibing in. Nowadays, in the toxic political environment that has grown out of all this, when I discuss these matters I am typically labeled as a liberal. I find this ridiculous. The truth is that I am so gospel oriented and biblically orthodox and conservative that people simply think I am liberal because I dare to challenge some of the notions of the so called “Conservatives” that have held sway for 25 plus years now. Enough about that. Simply put, the labels don’t fit.

It was my Cherokee grandfather that eventually pointed me back to Christ- believe it or not. I had always known him as a full blooded, traditional minded Indian. He was also an alcoholic that was abusive to his family and my father in the past. He had also been a “Medicine Man” since the 1940’s. Before, he would never set foot in a “White man’s Church”.

By 1989 my life was out of control and I was exceedingly unhappy. I was estranged from God because of the dynamics and events I wrote about above. Yet, my conscience kept pointing me back to God and telling me I was missing something about Christ and the Church. Then the paranormal activity began. For the sake of brevity I won’t go into all that- but let’s just say some things started happening around me that I did not understand. I eventually learned that it wasn’t just going on around me, but also other members of my family. It wasn’t my imagination. I finally decided to go and talk to my Cherokee grandfather that I had not seen in five years. I knew that he was a Medicine Man and supposedly a spiritual leader that was supposed to know about all this paranormal stuff. I told him stories and poured my heart out to him…looking for answers…looking perhaps for the back door to Christianity and the doorway to Native spirituality. When I was done talking I just looked him in the eye with one question burning on the tip of my tongue.

“What do you know about the spirit world?” was that question.

Before I even asked, he reached into a drawer beside him and pulled out a worn out copy of the Bible. He held it up and said, “The answer to every question and concern you have is in this book.”

That is NOT what I expected to hear. So began my journey back to Christ and my education in spiritual warfare. Reaching my present state of mind, spiritual understanding and relationship with the Triune God has been a long process fraught with many trials and personal weaknesses, but by now, I can keep it to myself no more.

My grandfather went on to tell me how this transformation had come about in him. Due to the years of hard drinking he had had an aneurysm in his esophagus. When it bursted, he had died.. or had one of those near death type experiences. He had been “dead” for several minutes. When he recovered and was aware after a time he asked to see my dad and his half brother, my uncle. Both of them have their own stories and had become Christians many years before. Grandfather told his sons that he wanted to hear more about this Jesus because he had just met him. He said Jesus had told him that he was very sorry about the plight of the Cherokee and all the other Native races… that this had NOT been the will of the Father. He went on to tell him about how Indian people had always known the Father and been loved by him but that now they must “Come through me” to the father.
Grandfather was basically given the same message as in John 14:6-7

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Grandfather was further told to return to his life and begin to teach other Indians about Him. He was given some tasks to perform and told to instruct his people that they did not have to stop being Indians to follow him and to pray in the name of Christ from now on. I know this is a bit of a fantastic story, but, I have to acknowledge the profound transformation in my grandfather and the results it produced.

And so it began. When my grandfather began to carry out what he had been told, so began the spiritual warfare. This explained the “paranormal” activity that had been going on. Simply put, the forces of darkness seen and unseen did not want this change to occur. As I now understand it, the reasons are clear for this dynamic. When everyday, pew sitting, material thinking Christians begin to see the world again through spiritual eyes like the typical Indian does… like Paul talks about in Ephesians chapter 6, in the context of Christian discipleship, they’ll be stomping all over the works of darkness and reaching the unreached like never before. The forces of darkness of course do NOT want this to happen. Unfortunately, the Church of Christ does not have much of a body of teaching about spiritual warfare. It should. My desire to evangelize Indians is wound up in these things and this is why I have the motivation, love and concern to reach out to them.

I find the message of incarnational ministry and its implications very attractive.

I know how far fetched some of this sounds. I have never been entirely comfortable sharing these things in a Church of Christ context because of the heritage of legalism in that group. After all, where I was raised we were so “conservative” it was essentially taught that even the Southern Baptists were Hellbound for their doctrinal liberalism. Can you imagine the amount of prayer and study I have had to engage in to reconcile all these things without falling into syncretism or extra biblical doctrine? By now I have my own body of experiences and insights on spiritual reality and the nature of God and Christ. I have to be able to share these things and talk about them comfortably and have mentors to carry out the calling I have.

I would be glad to hear your thoughts and/or advice.



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31st October 2007

Martin Luther King from WAR MADE EASY



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14th October 2007

Philosophy of Nonviolence: Why Nonviolence Works


Here is another brilliant article that I found at Nonviolence.org

Its sad to me that one of the greatest if not THE greatest proponents of non- violence in history was Jesus Christ and yet the modern voice of Christian non- violence is seriously marginalized and squelched by the more popular positions of “Christian” militarism. I have had a lot to say about both Christian non- violence and “Christian” militarism on this blog. If you are interested… just look around and you will find it.

Meanwhile, enjoy the article:

Part Five. By David McReynolds

Having tried to give some of the background of nonviolence - and I am just going to have to assume you have read the four earlier installments - how is it possible that unarmed people can hope to liberate themselves? First, there is no guarantee nonviolence will work in every case.

This puts nonviolence in precisely the same place as violence. No one picks up a gun to liberate their country - as the Vietnamese did - with a guarantee of victory. History is a bleak record of countless valiant battles for justice - ending in defeat. One case worth mentioning was the struggle in South Africa led by Gandhi’s son, Manilal Gandhi, in the 1950’s in an effort to force a change in policy by the regime. The struggle ended in violence and defeat. In our own country there are thousands of cases where oppressed people have tried to deal with injustice peacefully and have lost.

The first instinct of every sane person is to find a “safe” way to resolve a conflict. The closer you are to a serious conflict - racial, labor, human rights - the more aware you become that people who are already hurting would prefer not to get hurt still more. So a peaceful - nonviolent - solution is almost always the first way chosen. People turn to violence when they feel the oppressor “only understands violence.” As this is being written there is a tragic situation unfolding in Kosovo, where a long and remarkably nonviolent struggle by the Albanian ethnic majority (about 90% of the population of Kosovo, which is a province under Serbian control in former Yugoslavia) is turning violent because a handful of courageous, angry young Albanians started killing Serbian police, the Serbs in turn have killed a number of them, and hopes for a nonviolent resolution may be fading as both sides in this conflict take the position “they only understand violence.”

SOCIAL DISLOCATION

Pacifists try to create conditions under which the opponent is “free to try different behavior”. There are three examples that can be used (and a lot more waiting for the history student, all the way from Finland to Cambodia). One is India. A second is the Montgomery Bus Boycott which began the Civil Rights Revolution in this country. The third is the Farm Workers under Chavez.

CREATING NEW REALITIES

Mahatma Gandhi did two things which were crucial to victory. The first was to give the Indians a pride in themselves, a sense that they were not weaker than the British. (It is common when you are in an oppressed group to feel that perhaps the reason you are oppressed is because you deserve it - the old pattern of self- hatred or a lack of self-respect common to the oppressed, whether black, gay, women, etc.). When Gandhi led the famous Salt March to the sea (to protest the British tax on salt). This simple act - so simple it would have made the British look foolish to try to stop it - let all of India see this man with a handful of followers walk from his “Ashram” across India to the sea. With every step he took all India began to feel a new pride. When he reached the sea and began the process of collecting the salt (which could be had at low tide when the salty sea water had evaporated and left deposits of “raw salt”), he was arrested and jailed. But not before some of his followers had begun to send the collected salt across India where it was auctioned for money for the Congress Party.

At every auction new arrests were made until thousands were in jail. A foreign correspondent talking to a high caste Indian asked if he didn’t find it embarrassing that someone of his social standing faced prison, to which he responded “Oh no, all the best people are in prison.” That was the first step - an open, public defiance of the law. A proof that Gandhi and his followers were not afraid of the British prisons.

The second step - both in this campaign and in the many others Gandhi led - was to create such disorder that the British were forced to negotiate. One of the actions Gandhi urged on his followers was the weaving of their own cloth, so that they would not depend on the British for imported cotton. (Up to that point the British bought the Indian cotton at a low price, then milled it and made garments in England, which were sold back to the Indians at a much higher price).

THE SPINNING WHEEL AND REVOLUTION

For Gandhi, it was important to have a “Constructive Program” which would involve all Indians in the movement. His use of the spinning wheel was a symbol of “self reliance”. Gradually the British mills began to face bankruptcy as their exports to India fell. As we will see in looking at the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Gandhi was creating a new reality, was “changing the political facts” so that the British either had to engage in massive violent repression, or negotiate. There were many ways in which Gandhi created such facts - massive sitdowns in front of trains, general strikes, the famous “passive resistance” which so fascinated the West in the 1930’s. Here was a little man in a loin cloth, unarmed, and yet able to bring the British Empire in India to a standstill. He could, simply by issuing the call, stop trains from running. (There is an interesting, little known bit of history from the early Bolshevik Revolution, when the Revolution was saved not by force of arms - in the early days after October 25 the Bolsheviks had no armed forces - but by a “battle of the trains”. The White Russians were trying to move their troops to Petrograd, the center of the Revolution, but because the Bolsheviks had the support of the workers running the railroads, the trains carrying the White Russian troops kept having mysterious delays, or were shunted down the wrong tracks. Hannah Arendt documents similar actions by the Italians when, late in World War II, Hitler tried to deport all the Jews from Italy to make sure they were killed - he had lost confidence in the Italians to do the job properly. It was, again, a battle of trains, with the Jews never arriving at the same place as the Nazi transport. (It would have been funny - if the whole event had not been so horribly tragic).

MONTGOMERY 1955

When the Montgomery Bus Boycott began in December of 1955 it seemed hopeless, but it was all the black community could risk. They had no support from the Federal government at that point, and they faced the armed force of the local (and state) police. No one had successfully defied the white power structure in the South - resistance was suicidal. But the black community felt the police would have a hard time coping with something as simple as … NOT riding the bus. What could the police do if people chose to walk instead of ride? And in Montgomery that winter, and that spring, black folks walked. They walked if they were young, they walked if they were old. They walked if they were tired and they walked if they were sick. If they couldn’t walk, the Montgomery Improvement Association arranged for some transport by car.

At first the whites laughed. They weren’t threatened by black people walking!! But King and his co-workers were creating new facts. One of the first facts was that blacks were learning that, even if they were still afraid, they could act. Every step they took was seen as a step forward to a new goal. One of the white women asked her maid, who was arriving at work by walking a great distance, if she weren’t tired to which the maid said “my feet are tired, but my soul is rested”. A change began to occur within the white community, similar to the change Gandhi had been able to achieve in the British community - people who had looked on the Indians or the blacks as barely human, suddenly saw them emerge as people with dignity. With each passing day, the white community grew more restless and uneasy. No bullets had been fired by King’s people. Yet the community in the heart of the capital of the Confederacy sensed something was changing forever. One of the changes was that the bus company said it was losing so much money it would have to go bankrupt - and this meant that no one, black or white, would have public transportation. Faced with this fact, the white community negotiated a a settlement. Long weeks after it had begun, blacks and whites were no longer segregated on the buses. Glenn Smiley (an old friend and mentor, who ran the Fellowship of Recon-ciliation office in Los Angeles when I was a student at UCLA), was the first white man to board the buses arm in arm with Dr. King, as they sat together on a day of victory.

FARMWORKERS AND CHAVEZ

In 1962 Cesar Chavez, himself a migrant worker, began organizing largely Mexican farm workers in California. As with Gandhi and King, Chavez was struggling with the sense of defeat the farm workers had. Migratory, many unable to speak English and illiterate in Spanish, some illegal aliens, the Mexican community in California was considered impossible to organize - a source of cheap, compliant labor. Chavez did what the powerful AFL-CIO had failed to do - he gave the farm workers a sense of dignity and showed them it was possible to struggle and win. At great cost, and against the prejudice of the police and the public, he made the grape boycott into such a powerful symbol that he forced the growers to the bargaining table. In the face of beatings and shootings, he responded with fasts, boycotts, and peaceful marches.

THE KEY IS SOCIAL DISLOCATION

This will have to go to a sixth and perhaps seventh “chapter”, so I will close this “why it works” by emphasizing that nonviolence succeeds because through organized disruption of the existing social structure (sit downs, sit ins, boycotts, etc.) the old order cannot continue to function. It must choose between violent repression and negotiation. Nonviolence doesn’t work because it appeals to the “best in the enemy”, (though it certainly always does make that appeal). It works because the “enemy” is not only treated as a brother or sister, but also because our tactics absorb the pain and suffering even as we create social disorder so great that something must yield. By behaving, always, with dignity we compel our opponent to see us in new ways, making it hard for him to use violence (though violence will be used — nonviolent social changes does not mean no violence — it means we will not use violence but it is certain it will be used against us).

And it works because it changes how the oppressed think of themselves — it gives them pride and confidence. And nonviolence empowers the whole community — it can be used by old and young, weak and strong, professors and those still illiterate. This is in contrast to armed struggle which is usually limited to the young and healthy.

NEXT: PART6: The Basic Rules of Nonviolence

“If we remember that we must try to be honest, and act with courage, we won’t do things in the dark which we wouldn’t do by day. We won’t do things we aren’t willing to be caught doing. Again, there are paradoxes - does this mean that there are times when we might not act in secret?.. Yes, and I’ve tried to stress that there are always contradictions.”

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Debate this with others on the Nonviolence.Org Board

David McReynolds was a long-time staffperson for the War Resisters League. He writes: “There is not a single original idea in this material. Some of the ideas may be new to you, or may be arranged in ways that seem novel. They lack the power to kill, but contain the power to change. Read with caution. They have not been approved by any government authority. You are free to reprint, giving the source.”



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12th October 2007

Ann Coulter on CNBC Show: Jews Need ‘Perfecting’

First- Take note of what proverbs Chapter 6 has to say:

16 There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:

17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,

18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,

19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. __________________________________________________

I have it down that Ms. Coulter is guilty of at least four of these outright including the one at the very top of the list. One could make the case that she could be charged with all seven. Now enjoy the article and the further comments below:

Ann Coulter on CNBC Show: Jews Need ‘Perfecting’

By E&P Staff Published: October 11, 2007 12:15 AM ET updated 1:30 PM ET NEW YORK,
NEW YORK

Appearing on Donny Deutsch’s CNBC show, “The Big Idea,” on Monday night, columnist/author Ann Coulter suggested that the U.S. would be a better place if there weren’t any Jewish people and that they needed to “perfect” themselves into — Christians.

It led Deutsch to suggest that surely she couldn’t mean that, and when she insisted she did, he said this sounded “anti-Semitic.”

Asked by Deutsch whether she wanted to be like “the head of Iran” and “wipe Israel off the Earth,” Coulter stated: “No, we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say. … That’s what Christianity is. We believe the Old Testament.”

Deutsch told E&P’s sibling magazine, Adweek, today, “I was offended. And then, and this was interesting, she started to back off and seemed a little upset.”

Asked to gauge her reaction, Deutsch said, “I think she got frightened that maybe she had crossed a line, that this was maybe a faux pas of great proportions. I mean, did it show ignorance? Anti-Semitism? It wasn’t just one of those silly things.”

A transcript, provided by Media Matters, follows.
*


DEUTSCH: Let me ask you a question. We’re going to get off strengths and weakness for a second. If you had your way, and all of your — forget that any of them –

COULTER: I like this.

DEUTSCH: — are calculated marketing teases, and your dreams, which are genuine, came true having to do with immigration, having to do with women’s — with abortion — what would this country look like?

COULTER: It would look like New York City during the Republican National Convention. In fact, that’s what I think heaven is going to look like. (EGADS!!!!!- S.S.)

DEUTSCH: And what did that look like?

COULTER: Happy, joyful Republicans in the greatest city in the world.

DEUTSCH: No, no, no, no, but I’m talking about this country. You don’t want to make this country — it’s not about Republicans. I’m saying, what would the fabric of this country look like? Forget that the Republicans would be running the show.

COULTER: Well, everyone would root for America, the Democratic Party would look like [Sen.] Joe Lieberman [I-CT], the Republican Party would look like [Rep.] Duncan Hunter [R-CA] –

DEUTSCH: No, no, no, I don’t want — I’m not talking about politically the landscape. What would our — would we be safer? Would people be happier? Would they be more –

COULTER: We would be a lot safer.

DEUTSCH: Would there be more tolerance? Would there be — would women be happier, would the races get along better? The Ann Coulter subscription — prescription. What — tell me what would be different in our fabric of country, because —

COULTER: Well, all of those things.

DEUTSCH: — I can give — I can give you an argument there would be more divisiveness, that there would be more hate –

COULTER: Oh, no.

DEUTSCH: — that there would be a bigger difference between the rich and the poor, a lot of other — tell me what — why this would be a better world? Let’s give you — I’m going to give you — say this is your show.

COULTER: Well, OK, take the Republican National Convention. People were happy. They’re Christian. They’re tolerant. They defend America, they –

DEUTSCH: Christian — so we should be Christian? It would be better if we were all Christian?

COULTER: Yes.

DEUTSCH: We should all be Christian?

COULTER: Yes. Would you like to come to church with me, Donny?

DEUTSCH: So I should not be a Jew, I should be a Christian, and this would be a better place?

COULTER: Well, you could be a practicing Jew, but you’re not.

DEUTSCH: I actually am. That’s not true. I really am. But — so we would be better if we were - if people — if there were no Jews, no Buddhists –

COULTER: Whenever I’m harangued by –

DEUTSCH: — in this country? You can’t believe that.

COULTER: — you know, liberals on diversity –

DEUTSCH: Here you go again.

COULTER: No, it’s true. I give all of these speeches at megachurches across America, and the one thing that’s really striking about it is how utterly, completely diverse they are, and completely unself-consciously. You walk past a mixed-race couple in New York, and it’s like they have a chip on their shoulder. They’re just waiting for somebody to say something, as if anybody would. And –

DEUTSCH: I don’t agree with that. I don’t agree with that at all. Maybe you have the chip looking at them. I see a lot of interracial couples, and I don’t see any more or less chips there either way. That’s erroneous.

COULTER: No. In fact, there was an entire Seinfeld episode about Elaine and her boyfriend dating because they wanted to be a mixed-race couple, so you’re lying.

DEUTSCH: Oh, because of some Seinfeld episode? OK.

COULTER: But yeah, I think that’s reflective of what’s going on in the culture, but it is completely striking that at these huge megachurches — the idea that, you know, the more Christian you are, the less tolerant you would be is preposterous.

DEUTSCH: That isn’t what I said, but you said I should not — we should just throw Judaism away and we should all be Christians, then, or –

COULTER: Yeah.

DEUTSCH: Really?

COULTER: Well, it’s a lot easier. It’s kind of a fast track.

DEUTSCH: Really?

COULTER: Yeah. You have to obey.

DEUTSCH: You can’t possibly believe that.

COULTER: Yes.

DEUTSCH: You can’t possibly — you’re too educated, you can’t — you’re like my friend in –

COULTER: Do you know what Christianity is? We believe your religion, but you have to obey.

DEUTSCH: No, no, no, but I mean –

COULTER: We have the fast-track program.

DEUTSCH: Why don’t I put you with the head of Iran? I mean, come on. You can’t believe that.

COULTER: The head of Iran is not a Christian.

DEUTSCH: No, but in fact, “Let’s wipe Israel” –

COULTER: I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention.

DEUTSCH: “Let’s wipe Israel off the earth.” I mean, what, no Jews?

COULTER: No, we think — we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say.

DEUTSCH: Wow, you didn’t really say that, did you?

COULTER: Yes. That is what Christianity is. We believe the Old Testament, but ours is more like Federal Express. You have to obey laws. We know we’re all sinners —

DEUTSCH: In my old days, I would have argued — when you say something absurd like that, there’s no –

COULTER: What’s absurd?

DEUTSCH: Jews are going to be perfected. I’m going to go off and try to perfect myself –

COULTER: Well, that’s what the New Testament says.

DEUTSCH: Ann Coulter, author of If Democrats Had Any Brains, They’d Be Republicans, and if Ann Coulter had any brains, she would not say Jews need to be perfected. I’m offended by that personally. And we’ll have more Big Idea when we come back.

[...]

DEUTSCH: Welcome back to The Big Idea. During the break, Ann said she wanted to explain her last comment. So I’m going to give her a chance. So you don’t think that was offensive?

COULTER: No. I’m sorry. It is not intended to be. I don’t think you should take it that way, but that is what Christians consider themselves: perfected Jews. We believe the Old Testament. As you know from the Old Testament, God was constantly getting fed up with humans for not being able to, you know, live up to all the laws. What Christians believe — this is just a statement of what the New Testament is — is that that’s why Christ came and died for our sins. Christians believe the Old Testament. You don’t believe our testament.

DEUTSCH: You said — your exact words were, “Jews need to be perfected.” Those are the words out of your mouth.

COULTER: No, I’m saying that’s what a Christian is.

DEUTSCH: But that’s what you said — don’t you see how hateful, how anti-Semitic –

COULTER: No!

DEUTSCH: How do you not see? You’re an educated woman. How do you not see that?

COULTER: That isn’t hateful at all.

DEUTSCH: But that’s even a scarier thought. OK –

COULTER: No, no, no, no, no. I don’t want you being offended by this. This is what Christians consider themselves, because our testament is the continuation of your testament. You know that. So we think Jews go to heaven. I mean, [Rev. Jerry] Falwell himself said that, but you have to follow laws. Ours is “Christ died for our sins.” We consider ourselves perfected Christians. For me to say that for you to become a Christian is to become a perfected Christian is not offensive at all.

DEUTSCH: We will let the audience decide then, won’t we? Ann Coulter. New book. More Big Idea straight ahead.

See the exchange HERE.

——————————————————————————————–

S.S. says,

I have no idea whether Ann Coulter is an anti- semite or not although its pretty clear that she offended someone with her rude and mouthy style. I will say that Ann Coulter should not be speaking at all about Christian virtue because she is about as Christian as the toaster oven on my kitchen counter. Just because somebody claims to be a Christian means nothing. What matters is what they do. By the way, I do love Ann Coulter as my enemy. I am not judging or condemning her. I am simply stating that she is not a real Christian. Her own words demonstrate that quite clearly.


Note these:

* Ann Coulter stated in her December 21 column that “I think the government
should be spying on all Arabs, engaging in torture as a televised spectator sport, dropping daisy cutters wantonly throughout the Middle East and sending liberals to Guantanamo.” (this is about as un-Christian as it gets- but wait there’s more)

* Commenting on radio host Melanie Morgan’s assertion that if New York Times executive editor Bill Keller were convicted of treason she “would have no problem with him being sent to the gas chamber,” Coulter said, “I prefer a firing squad, but I’m open to a debate on the method of execution.” She later suggested that Times staff members should be “executed.”

(Suspicion must always fall on those who attempt to silence their opponents.
~Ian Buckley)

* Coulter said of the media: “Would that it were so! … That the American military were targeting journalists.”

* Coulter suggested that Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA) is “the reason soldiers invented fragging,” — military slang meaning the intentional killing of a member of one’s own unit.

* Coulter argued that the national debate during the Monica Lewinsky controversy should not have focused on whether former President Bill Clinton “did it,” but rather “whether to impeach or assassinate” him.

* Coulter said of Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens: “We need somebody to put rat poison in Justice Stevens’s créme brulée.’’

* Fox News host Sean Hannity* asked right-wing pundit Ann Coulter how she would propose to end Iran’s nuclear activities if she “were president.” Coulter replied: “How about we just … carpet-bomb them so they can’t build a transistor radio?” As Media Matters for America recently noted, Fox News host Neil Cavuto similarly wondered how a “President Ann Coulter” would view certain diplomatic overtures toward Israel from Hezbollah’s leadership. Coulter noted that her “first act in office … would be to deport all liberals” and then “deal with Israel.”

* Hannity’s response to this was jocular.

There are literally dozens if not hundreds of similar quotes in Ann Coulter’s media resume’. And yet she has the gaul to talk about Heaven looking like the Republican National Convention in New York- packed with happy, TOLERANT Republicans. Sadly, a lot of people are in synch with this garbage she spews. I call it blasphemy and heresy.

Now, here is what Jesus had to say in juxtaposition to Ann Coulter’s style so as to back up what I just said:

Luke 6:27- 49;

Love for Enemies

27“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ lend to ’sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Judging Others

37“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

39He also told them this parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.

41“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

A Tree and Its Fruit

43“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

The Wise and Foolish Builders

46“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

Footnotes:

  1. Luke 6:18 Greek unclean

Now take a look at these verses from Proverbs 8:

12 “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.

13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.

14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
I have understanding and power.

So… I she a Christian and a godly person or is he something else?



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21st September 2007

One Tree Hill - U2

We turn away to face the cold, enduring chill
As the day begs the night for mercy love
The sun so bright it leaves no shadows
Only scars
Carved into stone
On the face of earth
The moon is up and over One Tree Hill
We see the sun go down in your eyes

You run like a river, on to the sea
You run like a river runs to the sea

And in the world a heart of darkness
A fire zone
Where poets speak their heart
Then bleed for it
Jara sang - his song a weapon
In the hands of one
whose blood still cries
From the ground

He runs like a river runs to the sea
He runs like a river to the sea

I don’t believe in painted roses
Or bleeding hearts
While bullets rape the night of the merciful
I’ll see you again
When the stars fall from the sky
And the moon has turned red
Over One Tree Hill

We run like a river
Runs to the sea
We run like a river to the sea
And when it’s raining
Raining hard
That’s when the rain will
Break the heart

Raining…raining in your heart
Raining into your heart
Raining…raining into your heart
Raining, raining…raining
Raining into your heart
Raining…
Raining your heart into the sea

Oh great ocean
Oh great sea
Run to the ocean
Run to the sea



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20th September 2007

Little Big Town "Bones"

This one makes the hair stand up all over my body. Electrifying.

Lyrics:

What goes around comes around
Feel it breathin’ down heavy on you
You made that bed you’re layin’ on
Deeds that you have done
Now you can’t undo

You’ve got bones in your closet
You’ve got ghosts in your town
Ain’t no doubt, dear,
They’re gonna come out
They’re waiting for the sun to go down
You can’t hide from your demons
Feel them all lurking around
You’re runnin’ scared cause
You know they’re out there
They’re waiting for the sun to go down

It’s a long and hard row to hoe
When seeds that you sow
Grow by the wicked moon
Be sure your sins will find you out
The past will hunt you down
And return to tell on you

You’ve got bones in your closet
You’ve got ghosts in your town
Ain’t no doubt, dear,
They’re gonna come out
They’re waiting for the sun to go down
You can’t hide from your demons
Feel them all lurking around
You’re runnin’ scared cause
You know they’re out there
They’re waiting for the sun to go down

Oh, it stands to reason
Every dog will have his day
Your day is leaving
Better hold on tight
Here comes the night

You’ve got bones in your closet
You’ve got ghosts in your town
Ain’t no doubt, dear,
They’re gonna come out
They’re waiting for the sun to go down
(Waitin’ for the sun to go down)
You can’t hide from your demons
Feel them all lurking around
(They’ve got ya runnin’)
You’re runnin’ scared cause
You know they’re out there
They’re waiting for the sun to go down

They’re waiting for the sun to go down
Down
What goes around comes around
Feel it breathin’ down heavy on you



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19th September 2007

He Reigns- Newsboys

I have been suffering and struggling for the last few days with some of my own private tortures. I had dinner tonight with my father and had a wonderful and relevant conversation. I was just driving home from dinner and my mind began to unravel a bit with the things I have been wrestling with. I felt on the edge. I was cruising through the radio stations looking for something to distract me or else give me a bit of hope or encouragement … something to dull the pain… I caught the very beginning of this song… a song I had never heard before. After a few bars I began to cry… I cried in mixed joy and sweet pain. I nearly had to pull over. It was a powerful, cleansing cry. I needed that. What an awesome tune. It was just what I needed. It brought me peace. I am grateful.

He Reigns lyrics:

It’s the song of the redeemed
Rising from the African plain
It’s the song of the forgiven
Drowning out the Amazon rain
The song of Asian believers
Filled with God’s holy fire
It’s every tribe, every tongue, every nation
A love song born of a grateful choir

It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns

Let it rise above the four winds
Caught up in the heavenly sound
Let praises echo from the towers of cathedrals
To the faithful gathered underground
Of all the songs sung from the dawn of creation
Some were meant to persist
Of all the bells rung from a thousand steeples
None rings truer than this

It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns

And all the powers of darkness
Tremble at what they’ve just heard
‘Cause all the powers of darkness
Can’t drown out a single word

When all God’s children sing out
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
All God’s people singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns



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1st September 2007

What is the worst thing that can occur? (an echoing in eternity)

I have decided… actually I hit DSM up many moons ago about this…

I have decided to post some of the e-mails from the volumoinous, dusty archives of the ongoing conversation between D.S. Martin and myself. I chose this transmission to lead with because;

A. Its a good one.
B. I am not sure if I answered any of these questions- at least not well, because I found them deeply penetrating, insightful, tough, perhaps pre-mature in our conversation… at least pre-mature for where I was really intending to go in the alotted timeframe we were working with.
C. I wonder if the answers DSM was pondering for these questions has changed from the time he asked them.

Here is the first installment of: Quantum Contemplations: Dialog Flucuating In Eternity

E-mail entitled: More Questions to consider

Scott,

There are some questions that I have pondered over the years in various contexts and by which I have been personally challenged.
These questions will directly impact our discussion about “Christianity” bringing horror to your ancestors and others.
I would like to know if you, personally, have answers to these questions, but even if you do not, I think that the questions are valuable to contemplate.
My formulation of the underlying question came about as a result of my struggle with the issue of Capital Punishment by a government.
If Capital Punishment causes the death of “innocent” people, which I know it does, (I put ‘innocent’ in quotes because the term is relative. Thus, no adult is innocent in real terms.), would there be an overarching value in allowing the individual to remain alive for a few years, yet, nevertheless to go to hell?
This question, obviously, would be directed to an omnipresent, omniscient, omni-benevolent, merciful, and just God.

1) What is the worst thing that can occur to any human being, man, woman, or child?

2) If torture and death is the worst thing that could happen, Where does this put damnation to hell?

3) If hell is the worst thing that could happen, Where does this put torture and death?

4) If hell is the worst thing that could happen, What level and/or number of tortures and death would make salvation of one solitary soul untenable?

5) If there is no level of torture and death that could justify the salvation of one solitary soul, What does this imply for Jesus’ suffering torture and death?

6) If there is an acceptable & narrowly restricted level of torture and death that would make the salvation of one solitary soul acceptable, Where is that limit?

7) What is the fundamental value a soul who rejects God and will forever embrace Satan?

8) What is the cumulative value of a finite number of souls who reject God and will forever embrace Satan?

9) If hell is the worst thing that could happen, Could the preservation, for a finite number of years, of a finite number of souls who reject God and will forever embrace Satan, be preferable to the salvation of one solitary soul?

10) Has a single solitary soul attained salvation by Jesus as a result of the horrors of “Christianity”?

11) If a soul prayed to God for “the way” and the Lord answered the prayer and sent an evangelist to explain the way of Jesus (Like Cornelius’ answered prayer in Acts 10), but which also brought torture and death to them and many others as well, Would the answered prayer be unjustified?

What do you think? Are there answers?

DSM



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1st September 2007

My Favorite Red Jacket (A speech by the Chief)



Text of Chief Red Jackets speech, given in 1805 in Seneca Falls, NY. to a group of Christian missionaries:

“Friend and Brother: It was the will of the Great Spirit that we should meet together this day. He orders all things and has given us a fine day for our council. He has taken His garment from before the sun and caused it to shine with brightness upon us. Our eyes are opened that we see clearly; our ears are unstopped that we have been able to hear distinctly the words you have spoken. For all these favors we thank the Great Spirit, and Him only.”

“Brother, this council fire was kindled by you. It was at your request that we came together at this time. We have listened to attention to what you have said. You requested us to speak our minds freely. this gives us great joy; for now we consider that we stand upright before you and can speak what we think. All have heard your voice and all speak to you now as one man. Our minds are agreed…….”

“Brother, listen to what we say. There was a time when our forefathers owned this great island. Their seats extended from the rising sun to the setting sun. The Great Spirit has made if for the use of Indians. He has created the buffalo, the deer, and other animals for food. He has made the bear and the beaver. Their skins served us for clothing. He had scattered them over the country and taught us how to take them. He had caused the earth to produce corn for bread. All of He had done for His children because He loved them. If we had some disputes about our hunting ground they were generally settled without the shedding of blood.”

” But an evil day came upon us. Your forefathers crossed the great water and landed on this island. Their numbers were small. They found friends and not enemies. They told us they had fled from their own country for fear of wicked men and had come here to enjoy their religion. They asked for a small seat. We took pity on them, granted their request, and they sat down among us. We gave them corn and meat; they gave us poison in return.”

“Brother, our seats were once large and yous were small. You have now become a great people, and we have scarcely a place left to spread our blankets. You have got our country, but are not satisfied; you want to force your religion upon us.”

“Brother, continue to listen. you say that you are sent to instruct us how to worship the Great Spirit agreeably to His mind; and. if we do not take hold of the religion which you white people teach we shall be unhappy hereafter. You say that you are right and we are lost. How do we know this to be true? We understand that your religion is written in a Book. If it was intended for us, as well as you, why has not the Great Spirit given to us, and not only us, but why did He not give our forefathers the knowledge of that Book, with the mean of understanding it rightly? We know only what you tell us about it. How shall we know when to believe, being so often deceived by the white people.”

“Brother, we do not understand these things. We are told that your religion was given to your forefathers and has been handed down from father to son. We also have a religion which was given to our forefathers, and has been handed down to us, their children. We worship in that way. It teaches us to be thankful for all the favors we receive, to love each other, and to be united. We never quarrel about religion…..”

“Brother, we do not wish to destroy your religion or take it from you. We only want to enjoy our own.”

Editorial Comment by borgo - With very simple words and in a very simple style -Chief Red Jacket conveyed his message that I think should last for the ages…

SOURCE:

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1143380

ANOTHER SPEECH:

RED JACKET’S SPEECH[Communicated.] -1822

The Chiefs of the Seneca Nation of Indians lately held a Council in this village, (Batavia) and requested several of the citizens of this place to attend; when their celebrated chief and orator, Red Jacket delivered the following eloquent address. The publications which lately appeared in the Niagara Journal, and several other papers, signed by five Indians of the Christian party, Jasper Parish and H. Jones, it appears called forth from Red Jacket the following justification of himself and nation. He addressed himself particularly to Judge Ross, of this village, who happened to be present:–

My Brother and Friend–The Great Good Spirit who governs the world, and who knows our thoughts and actions, whether they are good or bad, has placed within the Indian bosom and the white man’s bosom, a certain monitor which regulates our conduct, which prompts us to do good, and makes us sensible of our crimes when we do wrong, now tell me to speak to you.
I have lived many years, and have always been beloved and respected by my red brethren, for my love of peace and justice; a sincere honor and happiness, and an upright and honorable opposition to my change in those manners and customs which it first pleased the Good Spirit to give to us, his red children. I have from my youth up to the time that I now address you, always been considered as the friend of the white man, and I say it without the fear of contradiction, (and the Great Good Spirit knows without vanity, or any desire to make the world believe that I have more influence with my red brethren, than I in reality have,) that I have at all times had it in my power, (for such is their belief in my honesty and attachment to their interest,) to control their passions and their feelings, so as to excite their love or indignation for their white brethren, or to abide by or breach the treaties made by us with the people of the United States. But I now feel hurt, and grieved at heart, to think I know that my character and reputation has been so wickedly and wantonly assailed-that it has been represented to be a compound on everything that is vile and wicked, and published in papers, which I am told are sent not only through the whole United States, but even over the great waters to Europe, and that too by parish and Jones, men that we have always loved until we found they were unfriendly to us; men who had every reason to love us, and be true to our interests. They were nursed and fed by us in the wilderness. We protected them in their infancy, we educated them like their white brethren, that they might not feel themselves or appear to their white brethren like the wild Indians of the forests; we gave them lands and made them rich, yes richer than any of their white brethren, and for what? because we loved them, they were dear to us, yes, dear to us as the parent to the child that loves him. They were adopted parents, and to them we looked for counsel and advice, in all our difficulties.

But they have been grateful to us for all favors and presents? No, gratitude is a stranger to the white man’s bosom. Like the cruel and ferocious Panther of the forest, when a whelp, it is feeble and helpless as the Puppy. The Indian takes it to his hut. He feeds and nurses it with the food he has provided for his children. It acquires strength, vigor and activity, and unmindful and ungrateful for what has been done for him, he falls upon and devours his benefactor and helpless infants.
But my friend, let us see if we can find any excuse or justification for their conduct. They accuse me of drunkenness and lying, and say that I was drunk 2 days during the Great Indian Council held at Tonnawanta. I say this is false, and I again repeat it, that the whole of the facts which have been published by me and the Chiefs assembled at that Council, are true; whereas the statements made by Parish and Jones in the piece printed by them, are false, and I will prove it.

True it is, that I sometimes drink, and perhaps too much for my own good. But ought this to be published to the world? is this a public act? does it interfere with the treaties made between us and the people of the United States? No, it is only a private act. It concerns no one except myself and the Great Good Spirit, who, I know, will not approve, but knows of it. And here I wish to say that I myself know it is wrong. That in doing so, I set a bad example before my red brethren. But it is a habit which I unfortunately, with too many of my red brethren have caught from the white men, before we knew the fatal wicked and pernicious effects of this too delicious but strong water. But let not my Red Brethren follow my examples. Let my conduct in this respect be to them like the blaze emitted by an hundred dry hemlocks on the heights of the Allegany, to the wild beast of the forest warning them to fly far away,, and avoid danger and death. Examine then my public conduct through life, and see if you can find one blot or one stain to blacken my character. Look at the treaty made by me in behalf and for the Six Nations of Indians, with General Washington. Look at the treaty made between myself and Pickering at Canandaigua, examine them closely, and see if I have ever broken any agreement made by me in these treaties or any treaty made between the Indians and the President of the United States, wherein my name was signed to such treaty, or my faith was pledged for any tribe or any nation of the Six Nations of Indians, although I again repeat it. I have had at all times sufficient influence to persuade my red brethren to break them.

I have round my neck a silver plate, presented to me by General Washington, which he told me to preserve and wear so long as I felt friendly to him and the United States, as an evidence of his friendship for me. If I have ever violated any treaty or any agreement made by me, why has this not been taken from me. You see it here yet. I say I never have so done.

But as Parish and Jones, are not contented with what they have said about my private character, they say that the Indians are opposed to them because they are friendly to the christian religion. This is not true, because he has told me repeatedly that the “Black Goats did us more hurt than good, and that we ought to drive them away.” When the Great Good Spirit made the world, he put in it the trees of the forests, the birds of the air, all kinds of animals, and fishes that live in the waters. To all these he gave their respective shapes, colours, natures, actions, &c. Although those are all fixed you see and are immovable. They cannot change, colour, nature or their actions or customs. He also at the same time made the White Man, the Red Man, and the Black Man. To the White Man he gave one way to worship him and certain customs; to the Red Man another, and his customs and way to live; and to the Black Man others still. Now I say we can’t change our religion or custom, because they are fixed by the great good Spirit, and if we attempt to do it we shall offend our Great Spirit and he will punish us for it.

From the rising to the setting sun examine all the different tribes of Indians, and see in what a condition you find them. I have travelled far. I have been from the Atlantic to the shores of the Pacific, and I know the habits, customs and situation of almost every tribe and nation of Indians. And I say that it is a fact, that whenever you find a tribe of Indians that have been christionized and have changed their custom or habit, which the Great good Spirit gave them, you will see that they are a poor, worthless, lying, ragged, miserable and degraded set of beings; and instead of becoming white men, as they expected to have become by changing their customs and habits, they have formed connections with the blacks, and have become black men in their actions and conduct. I say, therefore, that the Great Spirit will not suffer his Red Children to change their religion or custom. But when they attempt to do it punishes them by turning them into Black Men. It is not because the White Men love the Indians that they want to make them christians, it is because they want to cheat them out of their property. The Black Coats that they send among us with honey on their tongue, have always proved themselves to be dishonest; they are an ignorant, idle set of creatures, incapable of getting a living amongst their white brethren, and are therefore sent amongst us to get a living. They bring along with them a worthless set of White Men who steal our horses and seduce our Squaws.

One thing more my Brother. Parish and Jones since they have become such good christians and pretend to do so much honesty, before they accuse me of being dishonest _ them clear themselves of the charges which we have brought against them, and not answer our statements which are true by abusing me. Let Jones return to the Indians the lands which he cheated Little Beard out of or at least give them to his Indian on, which he had by Little Beard’s Squaw, after he had cheated his father. I have before stated, I am dissatisfied with the conduct of both Parish and Jones, and wish that Parish may be turned out of his office, and in saying this I am not alone, it is the voice of the whole Six Nations of Indians. We have put up with the _ treaties from these men for three years past. We have watched them narrowly and never have made any complaint until the whole matter had been submitted to a full council on the whole Six Nations of Indians held at Tonawanta. When the proceedings of that meeting were made known Parish instead of proving the accusations made by us as false as he ought to have done if it was not true, got four or five Indians who hold no place in our Councils to sign a false and abusive piece about the private reputation of the Chiefs who signed the proceedings of that Meeting and then published it to the World.
He thought by this course, to frighten me into silence and subservience to his measures. But in this he is mistaken–so long as the Great Good Spirit will suffer me to live among his red children, I know it is my duty, (for a certain something within me tells me so) to watch over their interest, and as far as I am capable to protect them, from the cunning and avarice of the white men.

I have only one thing more to say, and it is this:–We wish the President would appoint as our agent in the room of Mr. Parish, (for we are determined that he shall no longer be our agent,) either James Gnash, Mr. Joseph Annin, Mr. John Z. Ross, or Ethan B. Allen, Esq. With the appointment of either of the above gentlemen we shall be satisfied, and wish to have it done immediately.

Source: Republican Advocate, Batavia: November 15-1822



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