Response from Premier Klein

I got what I considered a fairly encouraging letter back from Premier Klien in response to my letter to him a couple of weeks back concerning the issue of Marriage being redefined by Ottawa. Read them for yourself if your interested:

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Their bounds are set...

Last night I was reading in D&C 122 and found some comfort and hope. I've been learning some things about global conspiracies and it can become depressing and worrying when one considers some of our freedoms being so encroached upon and plotted against.

As I was pondering these I came across D&C 122:9. This verse comes right after Joseph receives the counsel that all his trials shall be for his experience and good and admonishes him that "The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?". Usually I stop there and ponder that deep pronouncement. But on Sunday, someone pointed out the verse after, verse 9.

"Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever."

As I read that I felt peace. The Lord is in charge! Despite all the calculations and scheming's of men and devils, the Lord has set their bounds and they will NOT be allowed to go beyond them. I decided to search this subject more. From cross references, I found myself in Job 11, 12. These are powerful chapters that outline the same theme. I really enjoyed chapter 12:16-25

16 With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.
17 He leadeth counselors away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools.
18 He looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle.
19 He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.
20 He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged.
21 He poureth contempt upon aprinces•, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty.
22 He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.
23 He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.
24 He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to awander• in a wilderness where there is no way.
25 They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.

Truly it is most important to be standing for the right things despite seeming hoplessness and whether or not it appears to be making a difference. By doing so and through righteous living, we call down the powers of Heaven in our defence and can know that "They that be with us are more than be with them".

Monthly Discussion - "The Law"

"The Law" - Frederic Bastiat

This month's discussion group was about Frederic Bastiat's "The Law". I had read this small book 5 months ago, and although I enjoyed it and it opened my eyes a little, reading it again for this discussion rang even truer. I found myself grabbing my pencil again and again, underlining and noting comments in the margin on almost every other page. The sign of a true classic is one that you want to read again and that every time you read it you learn something more. This is the case with this work. Bastiat presents sound arguments proclaiming the necessity of Law to remain within its proper bounds and solely provide for the protection of life liberty and property.

He denounces especially two things:

1. "Legal Plunder" and gives a measuring stick of how to detect it..."See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing that which the citizen himself cannot do without comitting a crime". Can you imagine if we were to eliminate all laws that don't measure up to this simple standard.

2. "False Philanthropy" - This is the concept that essentially causes men to rationalize the forcing of human thought and action "for their own good". Here are Bastiats words about this:

"The Seductive Lure of Socialism - Here I encounter the most popular fallacy of our times. It is not considered sufficient that the law should be just; it must be philanthropic. Nor is it sufficient that the law should guarantee to every citizen the free and inoffensive use of his faculties for physical, intellectual, and moral self-improvement. Instead, it is demanded that the law should directly extend welfare, education, and morality throughout the nation.
This is the seductive lure of socialism. And I repeat again: These two uses of the law are in direct contradiction to each other. We must choose between them. A citizen cannot at the same time be free and not free. "

Some great discussion came out of this reading. Topics ranged from rationalizing our own participation in social programs (paternity leave, EI, Health Care, etc) to private property rights. For example, we debated what the right approach would be to dealing with a neighbor who we observe bringing into his home implements and materials to fabricate an atomic bomb. Say we knew for sure that this is what he was building! What would be our duty and right in this situation? At what point would we infringe upon his right to private property? After some debate, I became convinced that we could NOT infringe upon that right. If we could, then it would make just as much sense to say I could go in and take all his knives and guns! As Bastiat claims in his book "Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place.".

I highly reccamend this reading to anyone who wants to more fully understand the true and proper role of Law.

Is it ok for the Government to be charitable?

For a good analogy check out this great article "Not Yours to Give".

This is something to ponder especially with current events.