The Patriot's Flag

The story of “The Burning Bush” is in some headlines.  Surely there are many people who do not know the story or the significance. For those who “missed” it in Sunday School, or for those of other religions who “wonder” at the significance of “the burning bush” … here are some excerpts that will explain the original context and discuss some of the symbolism of The Burning Bush.

The Burning Bush Story, Credit: House and Home: Pharaoh did find out about Moses killing the Egyptian. His guards chased Moses into the desert, but they did not find him. In the desert Moses met a wise man named Jethro and married one of his daughters. During the next forty years he raised his family in the desert.

God Appears to Moses in Burning Bush. Painting from Saint Isaac's Cathedral, Saint Petersburg

The Lord said. “I have seen how cruelly the Egyptians treat my people and the time has come for me to rescue them. I will bring them back to the land I promised Abraham and Isaac so long ago. It is a lovely land, with plenty of water for crops. “Go now, Moses. I am sending you to Pharaoh to lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

Moses said. “Who am I? I’m not important enough to tell Pharaoh he should let our people out of Egypt.” God’s answer to Moses was simple.”I will be with you.” Moses said. “But no one will believe I speak for You. How will I show the people who You are?” God said to Moses. “I Am Who I Am, that is my name, tell the people that. Tell them the God who chose them as a special people has sent you.”

Moses was still not ready to do what God asked him. He made God angry by coming up with excuse after excuse. Moses said. “When I tell them who You are, they will not believe me.” “The older people, the leaders, will believe you.” God said. “Just to prove that I am with you, ask Pharaoh if you may take the people on a three-day journey into the desert. Ask Pharaoh for just three days when the people can worship me. When Pharaoh says no, then I will work miracles and strike down the Egyptians.”

From the Bible: And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground – (Exodus 3:2-5)

From Glenn Beck’s 8-28 Rally: America is at a crossroads: we must decide if those words stand. Who are we? Will we advance or perish? I choose ‘advance’. America awakens again. It occurs all through history: we fall asleep and then wake up, from time to time. It has from the burning bush: Moses, freedom, then they wander in the wilderness till they turn back to God. In Egypt, they prayed for deliverance and Jehovah sent Moses with a stick. Those bringing Freedom were just men—they were just like you! [Glenn has modern handless mic and paces the stage, sometimes coming to the podium.] Coming across the plains they relied on God. America is not good just because God has chosen her — America is good and great because citizens are good and great. Do your part. Look ahead and dream about what we must become. Look to God and make your choice. [Glenn speaks more softly now.] What you ponder is what you become. What are you seeing in the reflecting pool.

The fire is truth. Some say it is God, others say it is simply belief, others say it is finally “sanity” talking to us.  But whatever it is, it consumes what is not true and, as a result, only the truth remains.  Politicians who “lie” eventually become consumed by the ire of the people they attempt to govern … basically, they “get fired!” Pundits in the media who lie slowly are consumed by the consuming fire turning their ratings to ashes as people discover what they are saying is simply not true. JournOlist is an example, Global Warming another.  Are those on the JournOlist ever to be believed again? Is Al Gore credible? How about the IPCC?  And then, there is, of course John Edwards … once a darling until he was tested in “the fire of truth” … and now he’s “truly sorry.” (Sorry, in more ways than one!)

What Beck is saying is, can WE stand in the fire of truth and not be consumed?  If we can, then  what we stand for, believe and are doing is “truthful” … but if we are consumed and destroyed by the truth, then what we are doing is a lie.  Beck then sets the ultimate example and  steps into the flame. He did just that 8-28, a step many people today would not take … and he remains standing, untouched by the fire of truth.   Say what “they” will, they cannot take away from Beck, or anyone with him at the Lincoln Memorial that day, the magic that happened on 8-28 at the Lincoln Memorial.  And the re-emerging symbol of the Burning Bush appears again … (ah, but only for those who can see it!).

Once understood, a calmness comes over you in this critical and frightening political environment.  When we saw the next egregious act, we revolted against it, marched, wrote blogs … we took action to “counter” the latest outrage. However as we come to know and understand the symbolism of the Burning Bush … we begin to see that, under the scrutiny of truth, the lies and those that so glibly tell them will be consumed.  Each day, people will be “enlightened” by the fire of the truth and as they watch the lies and the liars each day diminished. Painfully consumed by the Public Ire in the glare of the Fire of Truth.  People who had not noticed before are attracted to the light of this new flame … and they are seeing more clearly. Hundreds of thousands of them appeared on 8-28.

Pick your favorite pundit or media mogul. Put their words into the Fire … what results?  If their words are of hate, divisiveness and bigotry, the Fire of Truth will consume them, their “ratings” or their “stock” will crash, in the wake of their self-destruction. Example: Beck came away from 8-28 unscathed by his words and actions, Al Sharpton, with his pathetic race-based rally only blocks away walked away diminished and embarrassed. The light from the Fire of Truth made the difference easy to see, at least for those who would open their eyes …

The Bush is Afire with the Glory of God …

…but only he who sees takes off his shoes.

And only he who Knows Truth, then steps close to the fire.

Title of Liberty Flag - Liberty Wins one!

There is a danger of making the Tea Party bigger than it is and a greater danger of belittling the swelling Conservative Tsunami by trying to define it with the Tea Party’s Mission and Core Values. The latter is only a small part of the former.  Confusing the focus of one and the power of the other diminishes the meaning and value of both. A fine discussion happened at “FR”. It turns out we can have both, for all the RIGHT reasons. Worth the time for thought and worth the effort of thinking about it.

From A discussion on the Free Republic:

Comment on Free Republic: You CAN NOT separate social from economical. It is not humanly possible. You can NOT pretend to ignore the crucial, fundamental principles of the Constitution that made this country the best ever and possible for free enterprise. Natural Rights should be the core, because without it, your freedom can NOT exist.

The Patriot’s Flag Response: If I want to deal with social issues, I look to platforms OUTSIDE the Tea Party. The Tea Party is for Fiscal Responsibility and Taxes. That’s where it came from, that is what its mission and core values are about and that is why it was named after the original “Tea Party.” As I said to another poster …If we start including gay rights, abortion, Christianity, and everything else, and try to stuff it into the Tea Party,the result something that looks like the old Democrat Rainbow Coalition.

The COMING of the CONSERVATIVE TSUNAMI.

The Tea Party is only a small PART OF the Conservative Tsunami wave that is forming. It is coming tidal wave with tremendous power that is about to make some major changes on the political landscape. That wave is made up of many groups. Some focus on Anti-Gay, Pro-M/F Marriage, Anti-abortion, Pro-Christianity, Anti-Mosque etc etc etc … and among the “etcs” is the Tea Party, focusing on Fiscal Responsibility. It is a PART of the wave, part of something bigger, but IT IS NOT that bigger thing.

The Restoring Honor Rally: We must not confuse the limited Tea Party’s mission with another far greater mission of a far larger phenomenon. Whatever the heck Glenn Beck did last week “is” that phenomenon. It doesn’t need signs, it doesn’t need rabble-rousing political speeches, it transcends race and even religious differences. It is beyond that, it is bigger than that and it is the God-driven values fueling the power.

This special thing that is happening is not what the Tea Party is, but the Tea Party certainly is a PART of greater wave. As individuals, we can join the “wave” in several ways. The 40 days is one, the Black Robe Regiment another, The Anti-Mosque group or the Anti-abortion group … AND, among those the Tea Party, (the fiscal responsibility group).

In these many groups making up the Conservative Tsunami, all of the Christian and Social values you are discussing and say MUST be there … they are there. The best example is the 8-28 Rally last Saturday. You were looking at the wave … within it were all of the things you say must exist, and in it were Tea Party people … just a smaller (fiscally responsibility driven) group among all the groups there. We don’t want to make the Tea Party into something is not, NOR do we want to belittle the Tsunami rising up (stuffing it into a very limited Tea Party Mission Statement).

Most people still do not realize what is happening or understand the significance the swell rising up beneath the waves. However for some, when we step back and understand what we are seeing it becomes clear and we notice something …

The Bush is afire with the glory of God, but only he who sees takes off his shoes.

And looking around, not everyone is barefoot … YET!

1. Tea Party Movement a Political Tsunami, thanks to the Internet (09.21.10)
2. Krauthammer: Dems tea-party fairy tail (09.27.10)

Title of Liberty Flag - Liberty Wins one!

One of the “purposes” of The Patriot’s Flag is to document the milestones as they move by our window on the world.  This little blog would not be complete if we did not take note of an important milestone that passed by us yesterday … the Restoring Honor rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. The rally was non-political, there were no elected officials made presentations. This was one  of the most uplifting rallies held to date in Washington, DC.  If you missed the rally, the C-SPAN link to the entire 3.5 hours of video is below. The tide has turned, a surge is coming … this is just one more indicator.

Restoring Honor Rally

Watch the entire C-SPAN video here:

GlennBeck.com – Photos from Rally

GlennBeck.com - Front Pages of Newspapers

YouTube – God does a “flyover” of the Restoring Honor Rally

Comments and Posts that followed the Event:

From Renew America: “Restoring Honor” – A Huge Success

America’s faithful gathered with the unified mission to Restore Honor within ourselves and our nation. From the steps of the Abraham Lincoln Monument all the way past the World War II Memorial they gathered, straining to hear as numbers exceeded all hopes. Crowd estimates range from 500,000 to over a million as Beck spoke of God and family, of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Between a mix of Gospel and patriotic songs and speakers stood Martin Luther King Jr’s niece, Dr. Alveda King, who bravely spoke in spite of threats and great risk. (Read more…)

Use “Mouse Over” for Quick Summary of each Link

1. Washington Rally shows power of Conservatism in America (08.29.10)
2. Amanpour – the “bitter clingers” scenario from the left (08.29.10)
3. Estimates Vary of Rally attendance (08.29.10)
4. Faith, Hope and Honor at Glenn Beck’s 8-28 Rally (08.29.10)
5. Beck Rally signals election trouble for Dems (08.29.10)
6. CNN: Beck Positions self as Christian Conservative Leader (08.29.10)
7. Martin Luther King would have been Proud of the Rally (08.29.10)
8. Yahoo: Beck: Help us restore traditional American Values (08.29.10)
9. Reuters: Beck, Palin urge patriotic values at DC Rally (08.29.10)
10. AP: Beck: Help us Restore American Values (08.29.10)
11. Surprisingly, Beck’s rally wasn’t a political event (08.29.10)
12. Glenn Beck Rally, a warning to Obama and Democrats? (08.29.10)
13. The Honor of a Great People (08.29.10)

Title of Liberty Flag - Liberty Wins one!

Today I am flying the Title of Liberty Flag … a (new) Patriot Flag I fly when “Liberty and Freedom Wins one!” The “verbal” moratorium declared by Obama was struck down by a Federal Judge, declaring the moratorium “irrational” … so the impending moratorium is, at the moment, lifted saving 120,000 jobs on the Gulf Coast.  What is amazing is that there was no “written document” for the Moratorium … now “verbal” orders from Obama carry the authority of law, an escalation in his stealth Presidency. Well … not quite yet anyway … thank you Judge Feldman.

The “Moratorium” can’t be found … it was “verbal!”

NPR News: A lengthy search through Executive Orders and all other areas of potential documentation will give you “no returned data” for all your efforts.  That is because this “moratorium” declared by the President was VERBAL, not written. One source of confusion is the apparent lack of an original document laying out all the details of the moratorium. Mike Senatore is with Defenders of Wildlife, another environmental group that is suing the administration.

“We have, in fact, been trying to locate and to actually get from the Interior Department something that actually documents that there is in fact a suspension,” says Senatore.  In fact, two Interior officials tell NPR the drilling suspension was not put into writing.  “It was a straightforward verbal order to the director of MMS, which was then transmitted within MMS,” said one official in an email.

Government expert Paul Light of New York University calls the decision not to put this order into writing “so ridiculous that it defies understanding.” It could not be more important to enforce this moratorium and make absolutely clear to the oil industry what is and is not permissible,” says Light. “And yet you have the execution of a critical order that appears to have been basically done through the most casual way possible under federal law.”

Moratorium declared IRRATIONAL

From the Washington Examiner: Judge Martin L. C. Feldman, the U.S. District Judge in New Orleans, has granted a preliminary injunction against the six month moratorium on Gulf drilling imposed by President Obama and MMS Director Ken Salazar.

The Washington Examiner obtained a copy of the 22 page memorandum from the Judge’s desk explaining the decision. Full Text HERE

“After reviewing the Secretary’s Report, the Moratorium Memorandum, and the Notice to Lessees, the Court is unable to divine or fathom a relationship between the findings and the immense scope of the moratorium,” Judge Feldman wrote. “There is no evidence presented indicating that the Secretary [of the Interior, Ken Salazar]  balanced the concern for environmental safety with the policy of making leases available for development,” he said. He also asked, “If some drilling equipment parts are flawed, is it rational to say all are?”

Reaction:

• Jindal: Moratorium is [now was] a man-made disaster (Economic Times)
• Big Oil plays “Jobs” Card to fight drilling moratorium (Grist)
• Barbour: Judge did right thing to block drilling moratorium (Miami Herald)
• Obama will appeal judge’s order lifting moratorium (The Oval)
• Lawmakers (mostly) criticize judge’s decision (OnPolitics)
• Moratorium [would have] hurt oil demand (EconomicTimes)
• NOIA Encouraged by Fed Court Decision on Moratorium (Benzinga)
• Judge halts oil-drilling ban … says Obama misled public (Washington Times)
• Judge drills holes in deepwater ban, Obama will appeal (ABC)
• 8 out of 15 Obama experts not consulted, disagreed with Moratorium (CNS News)
• Salazar seeks to reimpose drilling moratorium (AP)
• Ruling mocks offshore ban (Politico)
• After apology to experts, Salizar lies in court again (WashExaminer)
• Obama accused of defying court (what’s new?)(Politico)

It is amazing that a “verbal” order from Obama caused this potential loss of 120,000 jobs and a total disruption in on-going oil production in the Gulf of Mexico.  More predictable was that Obama would use any excuse necessary, especially the spill “crisis” to shut down Big Oil and further do anything he can do destroy the economy of the USA and further the intentions of the Left Wing Wackos.  Once again demonstrating he never lets a crisis go to waste when it can advance his left-wing agenda.

There always seems to be some underlying, not-quite-visible innuendo or nuance in everything Obama does. And so it is with this drilling moratorium. It was bad-enough on its own merit. We all “heard about it” because the “state-run media” reported on it and each of us reacted to it accordingly. But when you search for the “document” that verifies the moratorium, you discover it does not exist.  Wouldn’t this be a REAL JOURNALIST’S starting point?  Obama usually skirts the law and the Constitution with an executive order, this time he did it with a verbal order, faithfully reported to us by the Main Stream Media as “law.”  This is an escalation in the “stealth” we keep encountering (after the fact) with this administration, and it also demonstrates the continuing complacence of the “watch dog press” ever-faithfully supporting his agenda. “Watch dogs” that allow the burglar a pass all too often. We saw the stealth and back-room dealing it in the “made up” figures and lies of the health care bill, we saw the “transparency” of closed-door meetings, reported as “bi-partisan.”   Facts don’t matter to this President unless they fit his agenda. This is getting more frightening every day.

But something to consider, since this order was given verbally, and now has been declared “not rational” … one could begin to draw conclusions about many things Obama says.

Title of Liberty Flag - Liberty Wins one!

Today I am flying the Title of Liberty Flag, a (new) Patriot flag I fly when Liberty overcomes Tyranny!  The House in South Carolina has passed the affirmation of the 10th amendment with an added bonus amendment that reaffirms the 6th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The Sovereignty Resolution passed the State House of Representatives today (2/2/10); however, since it was amended, it most go back to the Senate for approval.

On Sept 29, 2009 I posted a blog “Got State Sovereignty?”  This post covers the subject of State Sovereignty with many links for proofs and references. From that post, here’s a review:

What is State Sovereignty?

When the Constitution was being ratified during the 1780s, the 10th Amendment was understood to be the linchpin that held the entire Bill of Rights together. The amendment states: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

First of all, it is the new political “buzzword” replacing “States Rights,” a term used mostly during the era of desegregation And from that time acquired a relatively negative connotation. Renamed, “States Rights” (which is still valid) is now being  called  “State Sovereignty.” Same valid concept, just a different name.  To fully appreciate the concept and reasons for State Sovereignty, we must initially look into the wording of the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, also part of the Bill of Rights. The Amendment is surprisingly short and straightforward:

The Item had passed the Senate, and now has passed the house … it now goes back to the Senate for final adjustment and should be passed and signed soon.  Here is the wording of the recently passed legislation for the reaffirmation of the 10th Amendment with the attendant reaffirmation of the 6th Amendment.

• The 10th Amendment clearly states:
  • “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

S. 424–ADOPTED AND RETURNED TO THE SENATE WITH AMENDMENTS

The following Concurrent Resolution was taken up:

S. 424 (Word version) — Senators Bright, S. Martin, Alexander, Campbell, Fair, Knotts, Cromer, Mulvaney, Verdin, L. Martin, Shoopman, Rose, McConnell, Thomas, Cleary, Courson, Coleman, Davis, Reese, Campsen, Grooms, Ryberg, Peeler, O’Dell, Bryant and Massey: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO AFFIRM THE RIGHTS OF SOUTH CAROLINA BASED ON THE PROVISIONS OF THE NINTH AND TENTH AMENDMENTS TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION.

Rep. J. E. SMITH proposed the following Amendment No. 8 (COUNCIL\AGM\19805AB10), which was tabled: Amend the concurrent resolution, as and if amended, page 4, immediately after line 22, by inserting: Whereas, the Sixth Amendment to the United States provides “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district where in the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense”; and
Whereas, by guaranteeing a speedy public trial for criminal offenses, requiring trial by a jury, guaranteeing the right to know the charges against the accused, guaranteeing the right to legal counsel for the accused, and guaranteeing that the accused may require witnesses to attend the trial and testify in the presence of the accused, the Sixth Amendment provides every South Carolinian peace of mind in knowing the wrongly accused is protected from the tragedy of wrongful conviction, imprisonment, or other punishment. Therefore, the protections afforded by the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution are of upmost importance to the Citizens of South Carolina and the State of South Carolina; and / Amend the concurrent resolution further, page 6, immediately after line 13, by inserting: Be it further resolved that the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina, by this resolution, affirms its support of the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution. /Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.

Rep. J. E. SMITH spoke in favor of the amendment.  Rep. BEDINGFIELD moved to table the amendment.

Rep. J. E. SMITH demanded the yeas and nays which were taken, resulting as follows:

Yeas 60; Nays 38

Those who voted in the affirmative are:

Bannister              Barfield               Bedingfield
Bingham                Bowen                  Brady
Cato                   Chalk                  Clemmons
Cole                   Cooper                 Daning
Delleney               Duncan                 Erickson
Forrester              Gambrell               Hamilton
Hardwick               Harrell                Harrison
Hearn                  Herbkersman            Hiott
Horne                  Huggins                Kelly
Limehouse              Littlejohn             Long
Lowe                   Lucas                  Millwood
D. C. Moss             V. S. Moss             Nanney
Parker                 Pinson                 M. A. Pitts
Rice                   Sandifer               Scott
Simrill                Skelton                D. C. Smith
G. M. Smith            G. R. Smith            J. R. Smith
Sottile                Spires                 Stewart
Stringer               Toole                  Umphlett
Viers                  White                  Whitmire
Wylie                  A. D. Young            T. R. Young

Total Yeas –60

Those who voted in the negative are:

Agnew                  Alexander              Allen
Anderson               Anthony                Bales
Battle                 Branham                Brantley
H. B. Brown            R. L. Brown            Clyburn
Dillard                Funderburk             Gilliard
Govan                  Gunn                   Hayes
Hodges                 Hosey                  Hutto
Jefferson              Kennedy                King
Mack                   McEachern              McLeod
Miller                 Mitchell               J. H. Neal
J. M. Neal             Neilson                Parks
J. E. Smith            Stavrinakis            Thompson
Weeks                  Williams

Total Nays = 38

SC Sovereignty Flag

A little history for South Carolina: The use of the 10th Amendment in conjunction with nullification garnered much attention in 1828, when the federal government passed a tariff that southerners believed affected them disproportionately. When the 1828 tariff was complemented by another in 1832, Vice President John C. Calhoun resigned the Vice Presidency to lead his home state of South Carolina in pursuit of an “ordinance of nullification,” which was no less a declaration of the sovereignty of each individual state within the union than the declarations now being made.

Calhoun was simply exercising what he recognized to be his state’s right to defend liberty within its borders by rejecting the dictates of an overbearing central government. While his efforts culminated in a tense affair referred to as the “nullification crisis,” which saw everything from threats of a federal invasion of South Carolina to an ongoing and near union-rending debate over national power vs. state’s rights, they also succeeded in turning back the tariffs that had been passed in spite of the Constitutional limits on federal power.

The 10th Amendment Center is, without a doubt, the best current refer to site for 10th Amendment information. If you have an interest in this subject, you should go there and discover all the related issues to this central issue.

With an out-of-control Federal Government, the 10th Amendment is a recognized Constitutional Barrier between total federal tyranny and the basic liberties and freedoms that were guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.  It is more important than ever to re-affirm this part of the Constitution first as a warning to Federal imposition and second as a legal barrier to Federal imposition.   We cannot afford the mandates being placed on taxpayers by the Federal Government.  If the “blue” states want to pay for the mandates, that is their “right” … in South Carolina, we are deciding we do not want to pay for the Federal mandates.

• On a local note: State Senator Tom Davis will be speaking at the Hilton Head Island Tea Party Constitution Class on Feb 20th, 2010, and his subject will be State Sovereignty.  This meeting has been “filled” attendance-wise, but more classes are scheduled. You can get the information HERE.

1. The 10th Amendment Center Best source of 10th Amendment information.
2. The 10th Amendment Center Raising the bar for Nullification

Title of Liberty Flag - Liberty Wins one!