My read on the Pope's Apostolic letter, which was posibly mislabeled as his attack on the tyranny of capitalism

We got through another 10 or 15 pages of the Apostolic Exhortation, "Evangelii Gaudium".   The original post was removed from my wall???  Here are some of the lines which jumped at me.  My comments are at the end of each quote in brackets.

54.   In this context, some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system.  (Even though the Pope has been absolved of not being anti capitalism, he does seem to talk around the aspects of capitalism.)

56, ,,,,,,This imbalance is the result of ideologies which defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation. Consequently, they reject the right of states, charged with vigilance for the common good, to exercise any form of control.  ......  (He comes off with a jaded  impression of the free market and seems to be calling on government to fix the human heart)

57. ........With this in mind, I encourage financial experts and political leaders to ponder the words of one of the sages of antiquity: “Not to share one’s wealth with the poor is to steal from them and to take away their livelihood. It is not our own goods which we hold, but theirs”.[55]  (As a member of the Byzantine Church, I like his use of John Chrysostom but expecting political leaders to dabble in the market to give to the poor is socialist in my mind.)

70. .............”It is undeniable that many people feel disillusioned and no longer identify with the Catholic tradition. Growing numbers of parents do not bring their children for baptism or teach them how to pray. There is also a certain exodus towards other faith communities. The causes of this breakdown include: a lack of opportunity for dialogue in families, the influence of the communications media, a relativistic subjectivism, unbridled consumerism which feeds the market, lack of pastoral care among the poor, the failure of our institutions to be welcoming, and our difficulty in restoring a mystical adherence to the faith in a pluralistic religious landscape.”  (This scares me the most because, he takes no credit for this exodus from the lack of catechesis from the clergy and Bishops.  The pulpit has been silent and many Catholics see this void but the Pope does not.)

94. .....The other is the self-absorbed promethean neopelagianism of those who ultimately trust only in their own powers and feel superior to others because they observe certain rules or remain intransigently faithful to a particular Catholic style from the past. A supposed soundness of doctrine or discipline leads instead to a narcissistic and authoritarian elitism, whereby instead of evangelizing, one analyzes and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and verifying. In neither case is one really concerned about Jesus Christ or others. These are manifestations of an anthropocentric immanentism. It is impossible to think that a genuine evangelizing thrust could emerge from these adulterated forms of Christianity.  (When I worship in the Roman rite, I prefer the traditional Mass.  This Pope seems to talk down about Catholics who might have a preference for a “particular Catholic style from the past.)

95....In some people we see an ostentatious preoccupation for the liturgy, for doctrine and for the Church’s prestige, but without any concern that the Gospel have a real impact on God’s faithful people and the concrete needs of the present time. In this way, the life of the Church turns into a museum piece or something which is the property of a select few.....  (This is the same cut that he draws on 94.  I predict that he may chase many traditional Catholics to the  SSPX group.)

Do Delegates Normally Respond?

Delegate Elliott:

You are my delegate for Legislative district 4B.  I live in Emmitsburg, and I sent you a letter earlier this year, (April), complaining about the need to provide our social security number just to get a fishing license.  I never received a response.

I was also wondering if you voted for the following bills, and why:
HB 489 which made state and local employees to the protected class, more than regular people?
HB 653, where the General Assembly voted to allow Charles County code enforcers to both find code violations and arrange to have the violations fixed?

Awaiting your response at hargadon4ltg@gmail.com or cell phone 410-245-7857.

Thank you.



Sincerely,



Mike Hargadon

The Christ Goat

Personal revelation is an interesting topic for most Christians.  It often marks decisive times in our walk with the Lord.  It usually does not involve visions or mystical occurrences.  Sometimes Our Lord uses his creation, that we might understand our relation to each other, and to God. 

He recently clarified His salvific nature through a goat.  My friends, the goats, have consistently got a bad rap.  If its not some preacher doing an exegesis on the Final Judgement, with those dastardly goats being separated from those well behaved sheep, then it’s a negative term like “scape goat”.  One of the most incriminating references is the concept of, “Judas Goat”.  The Judas goat is an animal that is used to lead other livestock up the shoot to the slaughter house.  As the Judas  goat approaches the door to the killing room, it is diverted to be used again, as the other animals enter their slaughter.

But, you never hear about the goat that saves other goats?  You never hear about the goat that loves so much, that it melts wrath?  You never hear about the “Christ Goat”?

Five months ago, I invited a big, red, Boer buck goat to spend 6 weeks with my does.  He was a perfect gentleman, and evidently did his job, as was evident in the increasing width of the expectant moms.  As luck would have it, they all gave birth within 24 hours, and two of them in the same large stall area, while I was at work.  A problem arose when two of the resulting five kids, were not welcome to feed on either mother doe.

The widest of the moms-to-be, only wanted to nurse one cute little buck, even though the two does that she evidently cast-off, had to be from her.  She resisted her other two as if they were stealing nutrition away from her only kid.  I tried bottle feeding.  I tried distracting her with sweet feed.  She wanted no contact with these two cute does. 

Finally, I discovered that if I tied her off, and allowed her only son to preoccupy her affection and attention, the two wayward girls were able to slip in, and feast on her bounty.  This little light buck brought out such love, that his mom’s wrath had no outlet.  I pray that we all might approach the Father, in the presence of His Son.  That we might feast on His grace and eternal life, as His son has facilitated our acceptance.

Overuse of SWAT Teams, a Danger?

I wrote this letter to the initial speaker of the Mid-Atlantic Emergency, Preparedness, and Survival Expo which we attended on Saturday, August 17th.  He gave a great talk, but did not mention the danger of having the militarized arm of the state being use against ordinary citizens.  I questioned him later, and he amazingly stated that he was, "unaware of the problem".

                                                                                August 18, 2013
Jay: 

Thank you for your talk on Saturday at the Washington County Preparedness Expo.  I approached you later that morning, and asked about why you did not mention the possible danger in the overuse of SWAT teams?  You seemed to be totally unaware of this overuse of force, and blatant disregard for our constitutional liberties based on suspicion or regulatory offenses.  I provide a few references just to possibly tweak your curiosity for possible future mention in your talk.

Your talk was given in Washington County, where the militarized police set siege on Sharpsburg, which resulted in a formal complaint by the Sheriff, and a bill introduced in Annapolis.   http://articles.herald-mail.com/2013-03-20/news/37882395_1_law-enforcement-swat-teams-bill

Just recently, in another state, the use of a SWAT team was deemed necessary to raid an "organic farmer".  http://politix.topix.com/homepage/7526-swat-team-searches-farm-for-10-hours-seizes-organic-okra

There have been numerous cases, of what I would consider overuse of police/military which has resulted in loss of liberties, injury, and death of pets and people. This is an earlier one from 2008.  http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/swat-team.htm

The subject of militarization of police is discussed in this article: http://www.salon.com/2013/07/13/radley_balko_once_a_town_gets_a_swat_team_you_want_to_use_it/

Here is a letter from Rand Paul to a physician in Florida who was raided by a SWAT team.  Included in the letter he references the raid on Gibson guitar for using a certain wood that was only illegal if we allow foreign nations laws to be enforced in the U.S.  http://solodocssolong.blogspot.com/2013/04/response-from-senator-rand-paul-on-swat.html

Thanks again for your talk, and your reference to spiritual preparedness.  I do believe a mention of the dangers of misuse of this militarized force will only add credibility to your overall presentation.

LAST MINUTE BLESSINGS!

Ever since i got back into chickens, about a year and a half ago, I have been praying for a hen to "set" (set on eggs to hatch).  That is why we bought the "Three amigos", who were originally five amigos.  The original twelve old girls, "sex-links", are egg machines, and supposedly have the egg setting, bred out of them. 

Over the course we have had three roosters in hopes af kicking them in the motherly way.  Due to the excessive crowing we took two roosters to the auction last week.  In their absence, the remaining rooster decided to make up for the lack of noise, from 4 am till whenever.  Feeling as if the hatching eggs was not going to happen, and wanting to open our window for fresh spring air, we decided to take the lone cock to the auction also. 

The night before I was to box him up, I noticed a hen was on the nest at 6:00 pm.  I told Jane that that was rather late to be laying an egg.  We took him the next day, and we officially have a setting hen, one of the old girls. 

Hopefully by the time some of our grandchildren visit this summer, she will be scratching around and clucking with her brood. 

Sometimes, God waits till the last minute to bless us.

Fishing License

Delegate Elliott:

   I, and many of my peers, find it most invasive to be required to provide a social security number in order to get a fishing license in Maryland.  The Social Security number was never inteded to be an identification.  I remember the original card that stated, "Not to be used for identification". 

   As a health provider, I have observed most if not all insurance companies moving away from the use of a SS #, due to issues of privacy, and identity theft.  I believe the 4th amendment states, that we should be secure in our person and personal papers.

   Please draft, or allow me to draw-up, legislation that would remove this unconstitutional requirement for something, as everyday, as a fishing license.

Sincerely,

Michael T. Hargadon DDS, MS

Clear as a Bell

    The hit piece on Frederick County’s constitutional sheriff titled, “Jenkins fans the flames around gun control proposal”, was biased and disrespectful of one for our republic’s treasured offices. 

    You attack his description of this increasing conflict over armaments, as “extraordinarily distasteful”,… “to invoke the deaths of law enforcement officers to bolster his political argument.”  Well how about the “good people” who refuse to be disarmed?  Would you find invoking their deaths distasteful? 

     Rather than reporting on the conflicting information presented at the hearing for SB 281 by one of the lead proponents of O’Malley’s gun grab, Baltimore Co. States Attorney Shallenberger, you take issue with our sheriff’s clear and well stated position.  Shallenberger’s statement, to the effect that this bill will deter a similar incident like at Sandy Hook where a Bushmaster, assault style rifle was used to kill children, conflicts with a report by a major news outlet!  MSNBC's correspondent, Pete Williams stated that only hand guns were used in the incident, and the rifle that was found in the car, never entered the school.  Talk about flaming a fire?

    We are blessed in Frederick County to have a constitutional sheriff.  Jenkins clearly stated: “My job as sheriff is not only to uphold the law, but also to uphold and protect the constitutional rights of the citizens of Frederick County.”  You were right about one thing, “He is the chief law enforcement officer in Frederick Co.”, and as such, he is expected to ignore any pretend legislation that is obviously unconstitutional. He doesn’t need to, “clarify what he means” to your paper, or to anyone else.  He means what he said, and he said it clearly.

Undelivered testimony on SB 281

My name is Michael Hargadon. 

I do not want my 2nd amendment rights infringed!

I have practiced dentistry for 30 yrs. in Maryland:  East side Baltimore City,  West side Baltimore city, Carroll County, and Frederick County.

One of ten children. My dad was a Baltimore City Police sergeant.  He carried a gun, and we all knew not to touch it.

About 25 years ago, my assistant and I were threatened by a man at my East Baltimore Office.  I went out the next day, bought a gun, took lessons, and carried it on my person, in my office, for several weeks.

Gun safety, and personal defense are essential, but this bill threatens the spirit of our 2nd amendment: Defend ourselves against tyranny.

Paul Craig Roberts, a former Reagan staffer, and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury summarized the danger we face today in, “America’s Future is Death” http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2012/08/20/amerikas-future-death-paul-craig-roberts/

He asks questions such as:

Why does the Department of Homeland Security need enough ammunition to shoot every American 2.5 times?

Why is Homeland Security equipping itself with full-body armor? 

Why are other federal government agencies such the Fisheries Office ordering large orders of ammunition?  

Why has the Social Security Administration ordered 174,000 rounds of hollow-point bullets?

Hollow point bullets are for killing people.

Military use of hollow point bullets is actually banned under the Hague Convention of 1899, which prohibits the use of expanding bullets.

As if this arsenal is not enough, a new army manual for “Civil Disturbance Operations” describes how the military is to be used domestically within the US to put down protests, confiscate firearms, and kill citizens.

Mr. Roberts concludes that

“The purpose of the police state is to terrorize US citizens.”

So!  Why isn’t this legislature concerned about the terror this federal police state poses to Marylanders? 

Maryland legislature was jailed before the Civil War, because they represented Maryland, and not the Feds.  The war is over, and our representatives are no longer imprisoned by the feds. 

Thank you to those senators who oppose this legislation. 

Shame on those senators who proposed, and or support, this disarming of our Freestate. 

Please kill this bill!

Evil From Frederick County

Over three years ago we moved to Frederick County and have been delighted with the agricultural culture, the rural lifestyle, and a constitutional sheriff as law enforcement.  Like anywhere though, all is not good in Frederick County.  SB 40, introduced by our own Senator Young, and cross filed by Delegate Clagett as HB 171, entitled, “Motor Vehicle Administration- Organ Donation- Presumed Consent”, strips our inalienable right to life. 

With the bill’s presupposition that the State owns your organs, this bill, will allow the medical, transplant business complex to harvest your vital organs, before clinical death, without your consent.  It strips our right to life until natural death, and requires a person to request that one’s right to life not be trampled.  This bill is arrogantly offensive and makes one wonder how these sponsors can justify this bill with our constitution.  This bill is evil.