With each passing day, the government controls more and more of our lives.  Apparently, Obama is about to issue an executive order to ban large parts of recreational fishing.  It’s considered harmful to the resource.  "Recommendations for the Adoption and Implementation of an Oceans, Coasts, and Great Lakes National Policy" is the title of a document that has been created by some wacky people.  Under the guise of 'marine spatial planning' entire watersheds could be shut down, even 2,000 miles up a river drainage from the ocean.  What will Obama think of next, or what will someone who has Obama’s ear think of next that restricts our lives still further?

    If the federal government isn’t enough control over us, it has been quite unpleasant to deal with the local city government.  You’d think that folks who live in the same city with us would have the same loathing of government control of every aspect of our lives as we do.  Not so.  My experience since starting a church in Amarillo is that local bureaucrats have the same kind of mind set.  After considerable hassle in regards to remodeling and getting everything worked out to their satisfaction, now we have to make changes to our elaborate expensive sign.  Never mind that you spend a big chunk of money buying the equipment and software necessary to make your sign displays do all sorts of things to attract attention, the city passed an ordinance that forbids us and many others from using many of the features of our signs.  Of course, it’s all in the name of safety.  What we call “attracting attention” is what they call “distractions”.  

    Have you noticed that every time a government worker or politician slaps more restrictions on your life and takes more of your freedom away that it is for the “public good” or “for the safety of the environment”?  They evidently have it within their power to do just about anything they want.  Perhaps, you and I should be sure to thank God today for the freedoms that we still have.  I have a feeling that next month and next year, we’ll have less freedom than we do today.  At least for now, I can still spout off about it.  I suppose that someday they’ll figure out a way to stop us from doing that, too.

I heard Glenn Beck talking about two aspects of “lies”.  At one level, we have politicians and governmental leaders who lie to us.  Mr. Beck illustrated with video proof that we were lied to by Nixon and Clinton in the past, and by Pelosi, Reid, and Obama in the past few months.  The lack of honesty and integrity leads to all kinds of speculation and conspiracy theories regarding our government, some of which are quite outrageous, such as believing the government of the United States participated in and planned for the murder of thousands of our own citizens in the 9/11 attacks.  People who believe that are often called “9/11 truthers”.

    Another aspect of “lies” is people who believe the lying politicians, utterly ignoring the obvious lies of the people in powerful positions that influence our lives.  When people such as Pelosi, Reid, and Obama can blatantly lie and be believed by people, they can do awful things to the country without being held to account.

    Shakespeare said, “This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”  How sad it is that people so frequently refuse to be true to their own selves because they believe in a political agenda.  So, they become willfully blind, and support corrupt people.  It is also sad that people in the church often lie to themselves and hold to beliefs that aren’t in agreement with Scriptures.  Let us be people committed to truth.  Jesus said that if we would continue in the Word, we would know the truth, and the truth would set us free.

I read from an op-ed piece of Leonard Pitts on the radio this morning that all groups have their extremists.  His position is that moderate Muslims are periodically required to keep denouncing the radical terrorists, but that conservatives rarely denounce the radicals on the right wing fringe.  

    Have you ever noticed that liberals, like Mr. Pitts, have difficulty telling the truth?  I asked on the air this morning for someone to call and give me even one example of a Muslim ever denouncing the radical Muslim terrorists who kill people.  Since this happens frequently, there are ample opportunities for them to denounce it.  I pay pretty close attention to the news every day, and I’ll have to admit that I missed it when the moderate Muslim denounced the terrorists.  And, to say they are “required” to denounce them is quite a stretch of credibility.  Required by whom?

    On the other hand, we conservatives have denounced crazies on the right wing fringe many times.  It doesn’t take us any longer than it takes to get back on the air to denounce someone who kills an abortionist, or who advocates some type of violence.  I have recently been quite vocal in denouncing the folks on the right who promote the idea that our government deliberately planned and arranged for our fellow citizens to be killed on 9/11.  

    Liberals are not only wrong in their positions.  They are typically deceitful and dishonest with their so-called facts.  Sometimes, I don’t know if they are so deceived that they believe their canard to be the truth, or if they very well know the truth and are just straight-up bald-faced liars.  For some reason, Nancy Pelosi came to mind when I wrote that last sentence.

The drawing from blog-reader’s entries for the Gaither Homecoming tickets will be done on Monday, March 1st.  I will draw 2 names to receive a pair of tickets each.  Blog-reader’s, get your name in for the drawing if you want to get a chance to get a free pair of passes to the upcoming Homecoming Concert in Lubbock on May 1st.  E-mail us, or go to the Contact page on the website, or call us to enter your name.

    A lot of things bother me about Barak Obama, but two things (both observed again yesterday in the “healthcare summit”) annoy me to no end.  One is the way he proceeds to lecture everybody else as though he is the person who knows everything, and no one else knows much.  He treats the American people this way, and he even treats people who have been in Congress half his life that way.  He is always talking down to everybody else, it seems to me, and holding his head and displaying body language in an arrogant manner.  Have you noticed that, or am I alone in thinking that?  The Bible says that God hates a proud look, and if Obama doesn’t have that, someone please tell me what a proud look is.

    The second thing that annoys me so much is his habit of addressing U.S. Senators by their first name.  He calls Sen. McCain by the name of John, for example.  He calls Sen. Alexander by the name of Lamar.  During the campaign against Sen. Clinton, he constantly addressed her as Hillary.  Other Senators call each other by the title of Senator.  To me, this is a very disrespectful way for Obama to act toward people who are not his subordinates.  Our government divided our system into 3 branches, none of which are inferior to the other branches.  The Senators deserve to be addressed in a respectful manner, just as he is.  It would be rude for a Senator to address him as “Barak”.  They correctly address him as Mr. President.  Why does he get away with this?  I wish one of these guys, in his own Party, would call his hand on this.

    I have many preacher friends.  Some of these ministers are people that I consider close friends.  There are few that I address by their first names.  Even my Board members are men whom I have known for years, but never address by their first names.  There are a couple of ministers whose given names I use, but most of the time I address pastors as Pastor Somebody (Pastor Loper, Pastor Nickell, etc.).  Although these men are peers and dear friends, to me, it is a matter of respect for the positions they hold.

    Does Barak’s habit bother anyone else besides me?

Just 4 more days, counting this one (February 25th) to get your name in for the early drawing for the Gaither Homecoming tickets.  Remember that the Homecoming Friends are coming to Lubbock on May 1st.  The early drawing is happening on March 1st for those of you who have read the blog here on the website and called or sent a note to get in on this first drawing.  The chances for your name getting drawn are better if you get in touch with us now because fewer people respond to the blog than will respond to the radio announcement coming up next week.

    On the radio on Thursday, I talked about the 87th District race for State Representative.  Victor Leal and Four Price are opposing each other.  I complimented Four Price on the air last Saturday for not making the residency issue an issue because it is a non-issue in my opinion.  I think it is a diversionary tactic some are using to try to defeat Victor Leal without staying focused on the actual issues.  Four Price said, “Thank you” when I complimented him, leaving me with the impression that he believed the focus should stay centered on real issues.

    Unknown to me, but obviously known to Four Price, was the fact that he had a letter prepared which was dated the day before my compliment in which he made the residency issue the issue in the week just before the election.

    I believe Four Price is a Christian man, whose priorities in life center around his faith and family.  I was much impressed with him on the radio.  However, I was disappointed that he did indeed decide to focus on the residency matter, using what I believe is a scare tactic to try to plant into the minds of voters the idea that if Victor defeats him that the Democrats may capture the seat by making the residency issue a major issue in the general election.

    Perhaps Four Price was “on the spot” with my compliment, not knowing how to actually respond in the moment of “live” broadcasting, but I think that his integrity should have prompted him to say something besides “Thank you.”  Perhaps, he could have said, “Well, there are some concerns which I have addressed in a letter that will go out next week.”  But, he didn’t.  Surely, he would know that someone would give me a copy of the letter, or at least tell me about it.  If he would have even said something to me “off the air” following the interview, I would have felt better about the integrity issue, although I would have still been disappointed that he decided to make the residency matter an issue, when it isn’t.

    I believe Victor Leal is a man of integrity and honesty, and I would like to know (just out of curiosity) if he actually did move so that he could run for this office.  It is perfectly okay if he did because the Constitution requires that a person holding this office be a resident of the District he serves.  It doesn’t matter if he moved into the District only for the purpose of running for and holding the office.  Again, it is an integrity matter.  If he moved there so he could run, but says it was for another reason, it would bother me – not because he moved, but because he didn’t state the honest reason for moving.  I have no reason to believe that he didn’t move into Potter County for the reasons he stated.  One of the reasons he said he moved into Potter County is that he might be closer to his business which has been in Potter County for several years.

    At any rate, constituents should hold their elected representatives accountable.  Ask them questions.  Express your concerns.  They work for you if they get elected.  Don’t let them forget that.

Primary election time is here.  Early voting has already started.  Are you informed about the candidates?  We have a non-partisan voter’s guide from Liberty Institute regarding the Texas election races.  Contact us for a free copy of the voter’s guide.

    Did you hear my interview this morning with Debra Medina, candidate for Governor?  She is trying to unseat Gov. Rick Perry and defeat the other candidate in the Republican gubernatorial race, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.  Personally, I am not impressed with Ms. Medina’s demeanor.  She indicates that she believes there are questions pertaining to the involvement of the government in the taking down of the buildings on 9/11, and she says the 9/11 Commission implies that the buildings were compromised before the attack.  In other words, she won’t just bluntly state that she believes the government had nothing to do with killing its own citizens, but she says it isn’t an issue in this Texas election.  She doesn’t want us to talk about it.  I was not happy with her handling of this matter.