Thus spake Thomas Jefferson whose sole military feat during the American Revolution was seeing how swiftly he could flee Richmond when a British raiding party approached during his tenure as governor of Virginia. If he had served some time in combat in the Continental Army I doubt if he would have spoken so glibly about the “blood of patriots”.

Unfortunately, a piece of paper such as the Constitution, will never serve as an adequate method of preserving the rights of us “cows”. The only thing that will ever protect us and our rights from our “gods” or leaders is the threat of rebellion. To protect human rights and affectuate positive change peace resistance has sometimes worked, Ghandi and King, but more often than not it has taken more forceful action or resistance.

Quod licet jovi, non licet bovi.

If he did, if Obama’s minister did, so what! Why should this goverment be immune from the fate of all other human and earthly governments/institutions that have existed since time immemorial?

“[W]hat country can preserve it’s liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon & pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.” – Thomas Jefferson to William Stephens Smith, Paris, 13 Nov. 1787

Every Sunday thousands of right wing white preachers (following in my father’s footsteps) rail against America’s sins from tens of thousands of pulpits.

So every right wing preacher in America has “tens” of pulpits? Since when?

Look, I don’t think Obama believes what his pastor believes, but this line of defense is appalling and ridiculous. Obama screwed up here; anyone who has followed his campaign has known that his church could be a problem for him, and he certainly knew it. If you are going to run as the post-racial candidate, you can’t have a member of your advisory team spouting black nationalism.

I’m sympathetic to the Pastor; he has reasons (some valid, some laughably invalid) for his positions. There are plenty of congregations with similar beliefs. Wright should never have been put in this position by Obama.

Nevertheless, taking cheap shots at a guy who died 24 years ago does not help Obama out of this mess, and it speaks poorly of his supporters.

Obama can still pull out of this if he apologizes, hedges about how aware he was of his pastor’s views, and gives a great speech tomorrow. If anyone can do it he can.

“If there is a legitimate reason for the use of force [against the US government]… then at a certain point force is justifiable.

Here’s that quote again, in context:

“If there is a legitimate reason for the use of force, and if there is a vigilant precaution against its overreaction in practice, then at a certain point the use of force is justifiable. We should recognize, however, that overreaction can too easily become the ugly horror of sheer violence. [...]

What kind of force is Francis Schaeffer envisioning, then, to counter the forces of secularism and the culture of death?

At this point in history, protest is the most viable alternative. … after all the normal constitutional means of protest have been exhausted, then what could be done? At some point, Christians could refuse to pay some portion of their tax money. Of course, this would mean a trial. Such a move would have to mean the individual’s choice under God. Happily, at the present time the Hyde amendment has removed the use of national tax money for abortions, but that does not change the possibilty that in some cases such a protest would be the only way to be heard. One can think of, for example, tax money going to Planned Parenthood . . .

Francis Schaeffer goes to advocate resisting entanglement and interference with the secular state through home-schooling or private [religious?] schooling.

Guess which party leans on the side of home-schooling and vouchers for private schooling?