What Happened to Delegate Impallaria?

"The chieftain chosen to be the friend of the people becomes the enemy of the people;"  G. K. Chesterton

After the 2008 Congressional Campaign, Maryland's GOP allowed their Annapolis office to be used for a meeting of the Republican Liberty Caucus.  This was a formation meeting, and we had a guest speaker.  It was the first time I heard State Delegate Rick Impallaria, who encouraged our participation and activism in the political process.  He spoke about our constitution and our liberties.

Weeks later, I spent a day in Annapolis visiting delegates.  I was attempting to get co-signers onto an Honest Money Resolution, which Impallaria helped introduce.  He knew that we were far from the monetary system our founders had described.  He was not just talk.  He was action!

When a Carroll County group brought Sheriff Mack to Maryland, Impallaria's office was the "go-to" contact, to obtain a box full of Maryland State Constitutions to distribute.  Additionally, Delegate Rick's appearance at the Maryland March for Life, had embedded in my mind, the label of "patriot".

But now, what happened to Delegate Impallaria?  His support of HB 1513, which would empower the Delegates in Harford County to secure a position on the Harford County GOP Central Committee, while prohibiting candidates for the Central Committee, from running for any other office, is not the action of a patriot.  HB 1513 will also allow the Delegate Central Committee members to remove elected Harford County Central Committee members.  Unbelievable!  Is this the same guy?  What happened to encouragement to activism and participation in the political process?  I guess Annapolis does change people.  I liked the former Delegate Impallaria better.

A DIFFERENCE

I had my keys in my hand, but I didn't leave.  We just happened to attend our Byzantine Church today: Final Judgement Sunday.  This is the gospel of the goats and the sheep.

For years now, I have taken exception with several priests, who have insisted on characterizing goats as stubborn, mischievous, and evil.  These clerics seem to fall into this error, as they try to entertain as they unpack Christ's parable of the final judgement.  Matthew 26: 32, 33  "And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left."  Christ goes on to clarify the difference between His followers and  those who do not reach out to our neighbor in need.  Afterwards, Christ continues to those on the left, "Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."  Matt. 26:42

My complaint, is that Christ's point is simply, that there is a difference: a difference between a goat and a sheep, as there is a difference between a dog and a cat, and as there is a difference between someone who lives for Christ, and someone who does not.  That's it: a DIFFERENCE!

I take offense, because I love goats.  They are made by God.  With each negative quality this priest painted on goats, I became more irritated.  But then, when he mentioned how well-behaved sheep are,  I grabbed my keys.

The urban view of goats just naturally makes an easy target for a homily on unacceptable behavior, which is bound to land someone in hell.  I was ready to get-up and leave, when I recalled another quote from Christ, "Forgive them, they know not what they do".   I just wish they would stop!

Are Our Churches Being Used?

 

Are our churches, and church related organizations, being used to sell an agenda or promote disinformation?  This question haunts me as I worship, and live in a somewhat Catholic culture.  The most obvious use, is when the government dumps large amounts of money into a church, to enable the church to do more charitable tasks.  Reports to as much as 67% of Catholic Charities funds, come from the government.  These sums of money create a dependency, and often come with attachments.

Other times, this use of church may be indirect, not quite in our face. Like, how the establishment’s Republican Party, and its pro-life shill organizations, maintain a lock on the anti-abortion message.  The pro-life message is embedded in many churches, which these organizations then wed with the interventionist pro-war policy.  How could all those good pro-life leaders be for a war that is unconstitutional, and immoral?  The war must be just? (Sarcasm)

The most powerful use of church however, is very subtle. The problem is, there is nothing subtle about the truth.  In fact, truth is an absolute!  And for Christians, truth is somebody: Jesus Christ!   The church needs to be in a constant search for this truth: looking at all possibilities, and warning the flock, when a situation does not pass the probably true test.

An example of using a church organization to eliminate possibilities, became obvious with the Catholic Channel Raymond Arroyo’s coverage of the GOP Presidential Primary race.  The Catholic Channel, (EWTN), is the world’s largest religious media network.  In 2008, it reported a viewership of 146 million homes worldwide.  As the last GOP presidential primary began, this charming news spokesperson, Mr. Arroyo, did interviews, and coverage, for the first half a dozen weeks, on all the candidates, and bottom feeders, with the exception of Ron Paul.  Why?  Why were Catholics denied coverage of this pro-life, constitutional religious freedom advocate?

Our government has been harping on the dangers of the flu, and the need for everyone to get vaccinated.  There is evidence however, that the flu is not as lethal, nor is the vaccine as protective, as reports would indicate.  Catholics prior to Vatican II, only received communion on their tongue.  I do not recall the elimination of distribution of communion due to the flu or a bad cold.  In the past few years, dioceses have been known to suspend the use of the cup, and restrict reception of communion on the tongue, due to flu.  Not that colds, and flu do not occur, but changing the means of reception, legitimizes the severity of the pandemic

We have also been indoctrinated into the official story, when the story enters our official prayers.    A huge failure of our church, has been the silence in the face of the 9-11 lie.  How often have we heard prayers, or comments in homilies, about the Muslims who orchestrated 9-11?  There is much evidence however, that casts serious doubts about the official report, but no mention of “uncertainty” from our church.  We are encouraged to poo-poo the “Truthers”, as we wallow in this lie.  Even the head coach for the Seattle Seahawks made the news for publicly doubting the official 9-11 story.  Isn’t the Church responsible to at least mention the weakness in the conclusions?  What about truth?

Now, this use of the church is becoming constant.  EWTN is now producing nightly news.  Similar to how the Weather Channel incorporated the establishment’s news into their weather-only format.  The problem is, who determines what is news?  Who determines what is not worthy of news?  It is the same intelligence community cliché’, “Need to know”.  We are told which wars are to be cheered, and which are to be booed.  We are to accept their conclusions, and disregard the obvious unanswered questions.

I love my faith!  I love my country!  But, most of all, I love Jesus Christ, and he is Truth.  How about some truth?

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.