Understanding Biden May Not Be Possible

Understanding Biden May Not Be Possible

It is Thursday August 19, 2021.  What has transpired in our Nation since Friday is disturbing, to say the least.  It kept me awake last night wondering.  What will this Administration do next?  When I use Biden’s name, it is not just Biden, but the entire Democrat Party machine that has advised Joe, selected his Vice President, Kamala, and counseled repeatedly on Cabinet posts and other staff positions important to decisions being made from the Oval Office. Many have asked who is behind Biden?  There are many left-overs from the Obama era, or Obama/Biden era, in important roles, more a continuation of the Obama Presidency, policies and ideology.  But what has transpired since Biden’s inauguration and what may happen in the 3 1/2 years left in his term, a pattern already apparent, is problematic for me.  Many with whom I have spoken feel very much the same.  They feel there will be a rise in suicides and depression in America because of the decisions and expected as well as unexpected outcomes that have resulted.  

Today we are seeing first hand the debacle in Afghanistan.  Over 10,000 Americans may be stranded there, Biden unprepared to protect their exit.  For those that supported Biden, as true Democrats or Trump haters, there must be some doubts, knowing too Biden’s history and mental condition in advance of November 2020’s election.   He seldom appeared during the campaign, referred to as ‘basement Joe,’ and drew minimal audiences (never crowds), adequately spaced for Covid fear concerns, when he did.  He mostly spoke from teleprompter and seldom candidly, as when that did occur his stumbles, mumbles and gaffs gave credence to his mental limitations. He was a phantom then, and even now, as last night he needed to return to his Delaware home to his cozy bed.  No wonder he cannot sleep.  There are many Americans having difficulty sleeping with Biden in office, from those that did not vote for him as well as many who did.  The media continues to ignore, deflect and cover for his lack of leadership, and their lack of proper journalism. 

What is disturbing most about Afghanistan is the killing of Christians and missionaries by the Taliban.  Hundreds are being beheaded.  And that has occurred since last Friday.  Their blood is on Biden’s hands. This is an act of cruelty beyond comprehension.  With our military present, even a force of as little as 5000, the whole of Afghanistan’s citizenry, to include girls, women, children, Christians, American’s, NGO’s and other non-Islamists were relatively safe.  Even their President, Ghani, felt secure.  His hasty departure is a demonstration of his awareness of what the Taliban was ready and able to do, much moreso that all of Biden’s remarks and assurances that the fall of Kabul as well as the majority of Afghanistan would not take place due to the 500,000 member American trained Afghan army versus the 75,000 untrained Taliban terrorist organization. In an interview yesterday by George Stephanopoulos on ABC Biden, his vacation tan on display, said he expected the chaos, and made the right decision to withdraw.  If he did expect the chaos, why did he not then properly prepare our military and citizens living there to get out safely and with all the time necessary?  Even anti-Trumper GOP Liz Chaney called Biden’s performance, ‘ignorant and shameful…by an American President.”

On Tuesday he spoke to the American people rapidly leaving his teleprompter, taking no questions from the Press.  It did not make me feel comforted.  You?  The next day he appeared again on TV to discuss mandates for Covid, the new, less deadly, Delta strain.  No mention of Afghanistan.  More Americans will die as a result of his recent decisions than died on 911.  And his mandates are more a power play, demanding masks on children, scientifically unnecessary vaccinations for persons who have had Covid and already have high anti-bodies in their systems, booster shots after 8 months, and attacking Governors for allowing their residents the freedom to choose.  Ron DeSantis of Florida has become more of a terrorist according to Biden than the Taliban.  So Biden did not listen to his advisors on the exit strategy for Afghanistan nor the science on Covid.  And now we know also that hydroxychloroquine works. Knowing that in 2020 could have saved 500,000 Americans from dying of Covid.  

My wife was brought to tears last night as the news showed Afghan women, mothers, being pushed and shoved while holding children in their arms.  They were lifting babies and small children over the fence at the Kabul airport in an attempt to have them taken away, made free.  They knew they would be left behind to possibly die, be raped, have to marry a Taliban militant, and suffer under the dictates and controls of the Islamist Sharia regime.  They did not want this for their children, wiling to give them away, live without them, out of abundant love. What freedom they had during the occupation was instantly gone, their faces to now be covered, their fingers removed if they displayed nail polish applied, and worse.  No thanks to Biden.  

Biden is proving that reversing all of Trump’s decisions may have satisfied the haters, progressives, and himself, as a big boy in big pants move, but those choices have not been in America’s best interests.  CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC and others in the Main Stream Media are doing their best to defend their choice, while more and more viewers are turning to Fox and Newsmax to get the truth, even the facts, so they can then decide, as independent thinking persons, for themselves.  The Wall worked, but now, Biden choosing not to complete it, we have illegal immigrants flooding over our southern border, with Covid as well, and no mask mandate. Democrat run cities are “defunding the police,” with their champion Cori Bush of St Louis and Ferguson fame, now an elected Congressperson, wanting more, while paying handsomely for private security for herself.  ‘With power we can be safe, while we make America less safe.’ appears to be the campaign theme for Democrats.  Why do they hate their own Nation, a nation that has welcomed the likes of Ilhan Omar, so much. And the Squad, all intersectional women, rely on calls of ‘racism' to defend themselves of any criticism for their lack of judgement, callous attitudes towards Jews (anti-semitism), and want for an increasingly dependent and entitlement enriched dumbed down Nation.  

While a humanitarian crisis was unfolding in Afghanistan Biden was on vacation and his spokesperson, Jen Psaki, in a voicemail message, was “out of the office.” Many other Administration officials were unavailable as well.  There were no calls to other foreign leaders to discuss what Biden’s plans included.  Biden was alone at Camp David. As far back as July 8, when a reporter suggested his exit plans reminded him of Vietnam, Biden was emphatic the situation was under control and “This is not Saigon.” Well Biden was wrong again.  He has had a 48 year career in politics and often as a critic of Presidential choices made, often he was wrong then.  And now as President he cannot be a passive critic, but he is actively on display and his incompetence over the years is proving to be fact.  Can we expect anything better from the DNC’s choice for VP Harris? 

How many wish today there was a means to demand a recall election for President as is the case in California for another power filled leader, Governor Gavin Newsom?

Murdering Christians as Islamist terrorists occupy an area is nothing new.  ISIS did it.  And now the Taliban is doing it.  Under U.S. occupation over the last 20 years the Christian community in Afghanistan has grown. I have a missionary friend stationed in Kabul.  I do not know if he has been able to get out.  And it is not just the Christians being threatened.  Non-conformist Muslims will be exterminated too. As the McCarthy era (early 1950’s) on the hunt for Communists in our midst (most often fabricated and without facts) the Taliban will hunt, already going door to door, for any Afghan American supporter or sympathizer, to include the interpreters, to beat them, to kill them, and to rid them from their planned Taliban society.  Afghanistan under Taliban control will be a terrorist haven, lead by brutal dictators and murderers, equipped with over 20 billion dollars worth of left behind military hardware, and funded by Pakistan and heroin sales.  Biden has made the Taliban army strong.  He knew that would happen, call it ‘chaos.’

The USA along with other free nations occupied Afghanistan to prevent the growth of Al Qaeda and find the perpetrators of 911, and for the UK, 711.  The occupation also aided a weak country to become more free, more modern, and more a part of the whole world.  With a small military presence Afghanistan could continue to modernize and become more free, more civilized.  Instead Biden has enabled millions of Afghanis to potentially die, to become captive to a 7th Century barbaric regime, to transform a burgeoning society into a monolithic Islamic State ruled by the Taliban.  The Taliban are neither Islamic scholars nor leaders, they are a band of terrorists out for themselves and the power they can wield by means of the mantra of Mohammad, “fear and violence.” 

We still have troops in Germany, Japan and Korea.  Why not Afghanistan and Iraq?  It can serve multiple purposes in training our service members, and familiarizing them with foreign leaders and nations and thinking.  But it also serves, and maybe more importantly, as an intelligence gathering tool, making us more aware of the world as a whole, attitudes, cultures, societies, and military abilities. 

My greatest concern is that Biden is making America less American and more global, mitigating our freedoms, speech and thought, and diluting our societies and culture with the unwanted presence of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, who will not readily assimilate and who also bring with them cultures and lifestyles adverse to our won. Diseases too. There will be less security, more crime, an increase in uneducated non-productive, non-english speaking illegals, more taxes to support dependents, and greater disparities in our education and attitudes to what has made America the greatest nation in the World.  

Biden is failing to maintain our status and strength on the world stage. He turns his back on us, as Christians, as Americans, as soldiers, as humans, as free people, and as citizens. 

I am troubled.

Grace and Peace.  Pray for America and it citizens. 

by

Thomas W. Balderston

Author and Blogger

What Has Happened to Educating our Children

 What Has Happened to Educating our Children

Knowledge

When we are born, what do we know?  Not much.  How do we learn?  First from our parents, grandparents and siblings, then possibly a mentor, our peers, our experiences, our teachers, our ministers (or preachers), our leaders, media and from books and other information sources. Parents are essential.  The majority, the masses, are a mixture of learning styles, influences, and understanding. However we can visualize a pyramid of citizens in any culture.  At the top are the leaders, the teachers, the preachers, the educated, the influencers, those that inspire and those that guide. For a family, a two person family, the peak of the pyramid is Mom and Dad.  As you progress down the pyramid the numbers grow, in the middle are those that are trained, educated, or equipped with skills and talents, and at the base are those gaining knowledge and knowhow, dependent on those above them in how and what they perceive as real, as truth and as important.  For the base to advance upward they need to grow in understanding.  They become part of a culture, a society, and can add or detract from the overall success of their environment. 

As children mature and develop their independence and the God gift of discernment emerge and they can begin to learn and discover for themselves.  Self-motivation becomes a factor, as well as prior conditioning and any limitations imposed by their culture or society.  Parents remain the guardian, unless they are removed from the equation. 

How we learn is determined mainly by and from whom we learn. We can be taught objectively or subjectively. We can be trained and indoctrinated.  As students, or subjects, we can be conditioned according to the will, the desires, or the needs of those that are in charge. The young, the impressionable, are sponges that are ready to absorb, even forced, to accept what they are exposed to, especially if there is little choice as to subjects or curriculum. Parents, if permitted, can guide, and should, but if removed from the avenue to learn, then they are but those that resist or abet those in charge of the subject matter to be taught, and the physical requirements to be met. 

I cannot stress the importance of family in the nature (how, what and where) of that which our children learn.  Bias can be imparted a willing subject.  

When it comes to what and how our children learn, think of a sport, like tennis, where there is a divider between opponents.  The ‘net’ is the point of division.  Each side seeks victory.  However, much different than a sport, or tennis, when it comes to the education arena, a virtual ‘net’ does exist.  The sides can be quite different.  And a parent, more than the child, can choose the side of the divide they prefer their children be taught.  Today we have two sides, mainly, the liberal side and the conservative side.  

Politics in Education

It has become political. Democrats are battling Republicans. This fight for the minds of children and Americans has come to the classroom. Churches are being criticized as being part of the establishment, and Republican, yet many Democrats remain believers.  The social justice the liberals seek, in my view, should be the role of the church, not the government.  In the past both Parties would embrace the American flag, patriotism, God and love of country, but that has changed. The New York Times (NYT) noted on July 3 that “flying a flag…is increasingly seen as a clue…to a person’s political affiliation in a deeply divided nation.” (I added the italics as emphasis). Maxine Waters, a face of the left, claimed on the 4th this year that it is ‘racist.’  Because there was slavery at the time of the Declaration of Independence the American ideal portrayed left out the blacks.  She may have missed her civics classes on the Civil War and the battle to rid our country of slavery, the result, emancipation.   In addition if the ‘establishment’ are the patriots and the churchgoers, then they are to be opposed by the political left.  Why? Well, just because…they are conservatives. This type of thinking obviously impacts what our children hear, see and learn.  It reflects on the opposing sides of the “net.’ And our leadership tends to go along with the social justice warriors, more identity politicos that defenders of our Nation’s heritage and faith base. 

The conservative side has its leanings, its prejudices, with an emphasis more on independent thinking, strong family values, less government interference in our lives, a strong emphasis on achievement, learning what enables a person to succeed and be objective, favoring competition, and generally with strong ties to faith or the biblical God.  Conservatives also believe, generally, that States should make the decisions regarding educating children in their respective States, not the Federal government.  The Federal Department of Education should be disbanded save for a small contingent that may allocate funds to help State education programs.  

 

An evolved label for the liberal side is progressivism, as if they embrace progress. Today the face of the progressive liberal is composed of advocates for black lives matter, efforts to defund the police and make city streets less safe by not incarcerating criminals (no bail), creating alternate American History that punishes white persons (a collective that actually includes all races of successful people) as historically oppressors of slaves (not all slaves were black mind you), seeing no need for God to achieve success, opposing anything a Republican suggests or puts forward legislatively, even as to persons put up for office, to include the Supreme Court, and ignoring the purpose, value, and importance of family, a home with a mother and father to raise children. 

The progressives want the government to provide for their health, for their livelihood, and for their education. They consider these issues as Rights.  They respond to government as a parent responsible for overseeing they have a good life; responsible for their welfare.  They seek ‘equity’ more than equality.  To them ‘equality’ is a God term, also one present in the Declaration of Independence, written by white men, that declares, “all men are created equal.”  

 

‘Equity’ in fact is a rebalancing by taking from those that achieve and succeed,  living what is defined as better lives in better neighborhoods, and transferring wealth to those considered the ‘have-nots.’ This is all to be done under the aegis of ‘fairness.’ 

The current Administration and its spokespersons use the term ‘equity’ frequently in their penchant to distribute far more than Americans can ever cover under the current tax structure.  Even taking all moneys earned would not pay the indebtedness and for the programs the current authoritarian establishment continues to propose.  

Those that work and earn enough to pay taxes will pay not just for the operations and Constitutional responsibility of the Federal Government, but also for all citizens, primarily those that do not pay taxes.  This is the ‘equity’ todays progressive leaders proffer. 

Progressive liberals find more than the 4th of July, the flag, patriots and God offensive, or divisive, they also find suburbs problematic.  They contest testing that can result in outcomes that may lean towards one ethnic or color group over another as unfair, never considering the role of the parent to have their children succeed and study and thus test well to be able to access better schools and receive the best education possible.  The reason parents motivate their children is so they can take advantage of the equal opportunities our society provides.  But when made less equal, according to the liberals, because there are those willing to work harder and smarter than others, then that is not in ‘equity’ right.   Simply by achieving, no matter the struggle to do so, makes the achiever ‘privileged.’ Those so ‘privileged’ need to share, in ‘fairness.’  This is what is being taught on the left side of the ‘net.’ Beware the words being said and taught by today’s authorities.

As a brief aside.  The 4th of July, referred to as ‘Independence Day,’ may be problematic for the progressives.  They tend to shy away from ‘independence’ in preference for ‘dependence.’ A more dependent society will be beholden to the Federal Government for necessities, and thus vote for those who disregard fiscal responsibility for excessive spending and entitlement offerings.  The Democratic Party platforms tend to identify the wealthy, the achievers, the 1%ers as ‘privileged’ and generate ill-will towards family, God and the successful.  It is as if taking advantage of America’s opportunities is wrong. They also play the Race Card liberally, the target any who have improved their lives, as if those who have achieved look down upon those that have not.  

Bias

When it comes to what our children learn, especially in schools and universities, the bias and opinions of the teachers and professors becomes a critical factor  If they favor teaching only the left ‘net’ side, because of their own development and what they believe, whether true or not, the minds of our youth, as sponges, may be filled with toxic ideas and ideals - poisoned. 

Objective teaching should be a requisite, with staff offering both sides of the ‘net’ so as to enable our youth to grow and make their own choices.  In fact opinions should be left at the classroom door, and only facts, proper history, the good, the bad, such as both sides of the Civil War, need to be explained.  Teachers need not tell their student who, what and why they hate.  

Feds and Education

Unfortunately the Federal Government has become all too involved, bringing politics into the classroom.  States Rights as to what a given State can decide to teach children was stripped from States under Jimmy Carter’s Presidency (39th), along with Energy, when the liberals created a National Department of Education (and Energy).  50 experiments for proper education, even the choice of a State a parent might decide to live in because of the education offered, was removed from the American scene.  Now the political party at the helm, should they choose, can dictate what is being taught nationally.  Today we have the ‘net’ divided over Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project, teaching, respectively, hatred towards achievers, considered all ‘white’ and ‘supremacists,’ and altering history and the honored July 4, 1776 start to our Republic and Constitution.  The date Congress endorsed the Declaration of Independence, when we were free at last, is critical to remember.

But there are elements within our free society that want your freedom. They are encouraged at the highest levels. They want to change history.  It was said in 2020, at the time of Independence Day as riots were spreading in major cities in our great nation, the progressives are conducting “a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children.”  Atop the ‘net’ as projected from the progressives is a banner that reads ‘racism.’  This is the divider today, and a constant theme of one side of the political spectrum.  It is voiced without any allowance for objectivity.  We are all subject to this constant discourse and leftist obsession, having ignored any progress, in fact all progress, America has made towards its stated National objective of ‘equality’ for all. 

 

And the Main Stream Media are mostly clones for the progressives, having grown up drinking the same ‘koolaid.’ They have been restricted in their learning to the left side of the ‘net.’ Had they learned from both sides they may be more open minded and willing to have a dialog. 

At the apex of America’s leadership pyramid we have today a President that has been catering to the progressive side of his Party.

You Gotta Have Faith

The world has little of lasting quality.  It struggles with the material elements and the many temptations. They may be nice for a while, but then fall apart, age, or find a substitute, are discarded, and in many cases become a disappointment.   Humans are fickle.  To deal with the challenges we face daily faith is necessary.  Through faith, and for me a relationship with Jesus, we can see the proper side of the ‘net,’ that which separates truth and fiction, liberal attitudes and conservative attitudes, and make every effort to stay on that side. 

 

When it comes to the thought of God, the biblical God and the Word as a guide to our lives, the liberals are like the serpent in the Garden of Eden.  The serpent told Eve nothing will happen should you eat the fruit of the forbidden tree, even though God said, anything but that tree.  There is a heavenly ‘net,’ as it were, with God battling daily, Satan, the forces of good versus the forces of evil.  So it boils down to a preference of the side of the ‘net’ to be chosen, that of good, or that of evil, that of resistance to the many temptations of life or simply accepting the temptations as if no harm will result. This is where parenting is essential.  Parents are the first instructor as to what is good.   If they should decide, ignoring that which is good, which they in their own lives may do, they leave a child adrift in a sea without the needed propulsion to take them safely to shore. This is when spiritual leadership is also needed.  A child of God can find a safe footing when all else dissipates.  Being educated on both sides exposes our children to all truth, as well as consequences.  Biblical teaching should not be neglected. 

Love America

I disagree with the July 3 NYT published piece describing ‘patriotism,’ our love of America, as divisive. This really depends on what side of the ‘net’ you are on.  What is more unifying, more patriotic than 4th of July celebrations and displays. Our Flag, America the Beautiful, Glory Glory Hallalujah, the Star Spangled Banner, Stars and Stripes Forever. Come on man!  We celebrate our freedom.  Let history show and be taught as to how America was founded, what our discoverers left, and why, and about the role of religion in our founding.  Let our youth know those who died fighting for our right and desire to be and remain free. And the same applies to freeing us from slavery. Thousands of white men died to eliminate any form of slavery in America. It was a States Rights issue too.  We are neither communist nor marxist, not even a socialistic nation to be dictated to by an autocrat, or autocrats, or even one Party. 

Yes, we are a Judeo-Christian nation.   It is where freedom reigns.  Teach what that means.  Let the Bible be one of the text books used in our schools.  

At one time in our history there were but two texts in schools, the Bible and the Eclectic Primer.   Education is about reading, writing, and arithmetic, then comes history, and literature. Respect for each individual, should be a given.  These skills will enable our youth to live their own lives.    

What value has teaching Critical Race Theory to an elementary school student or high school student, and how will CRT knowhow help a college student get a job. What value has teaching the alphabet as if it is LGBTQ?  I did not have sex education until high school.  Then it was about what happens when we have sex, how babies are formed, and born. Contraception was more abstinence, be careful and not be using Planned Parenthood as a condom after the fact. Hatred must be left out of the class room, with the doors open to working together, cooperation, love of neighbor, your fellow student, a love of knowledge, a desire and willingness to work, to apply oneself, and achieve no matter a person’s background. We are equal. We are equally free.  What we are not is all the same. Inherent in society, across all ethnicities, cultures and skin colors, is diversity. That is the diversity we need to embrace.  It is this mixture that makes America great.   We can learn about each other, respectfully.

Our leaders are in charge of education of all citizens in what they say, how they act, the issues they support, and the appreciation they have for our history, our success, our flag, and our unique independence and freedom.  It is the leaders that must be in the fight to maintain that which the founders created.  The founders created America for all of its citizens.  Certainly there were prejudices, and there still are, but they are being mitigated as we continue to blend into one another as united citizens of a free Nation.  Almost everything made today is made better, works better, and is easier to deal with than in years prior.  Call it all more modern.  So too is our culture and society.  We continue to progress, to modernize, and that takes a committed, God loving, family loving, person (leader, influencer, mentor, parent, friend, teacher) to instill the truth, the facts, the reality, and the proper tone in us all. 

That which is essential for a leader and teacher is to impart wisdom to the many, the multitudes that require proper guidance and correct information. They cannot be deceivers. They are to motivate, encourage, and incentivize and have the majority gather to be filled, and fulfilled, with a love, faith and dedication to one another. We are a Nation of God’s children, to be led by God and equipped to resist the temptations to be free without faith.  Such freedom can lead us in the wrong direction.  For many today, that is what is taking place. It is easy to corrupt.  It is difficult to build up a citizenry to be unified.  That is what makes for a healthy house.  And God needs to be in the house with us. Our leaders as advocates must only be for the good of society, that which makes our Nation great. 

Teach the differences or not, just decide what your children should and can be taught.  Do not allow the system to be your educator, as that creates ‘systematic’ biases.  Parents need to be in charge and remain in charge.  Do not allow the system to become your child’s parent and dictate what they must know. There is no substitute for Mom and Dad.

Freedom

Are you on the side of being free or not?  Are you on the side of love or hate?  Do you prefer a balanced education, even viewpoints when in balance or allowed to be objectively debated?  Encourage children to embrace history, embrace literature, to read, and to become motivated to explore on their own.  We do not want a Muslim culture where any who read, even own a bible, are to be punished. Allah as a leader was, as noted in the Quran, ‘the best of deceivers.’ That is not what a great leader can be. We must allow children to learn about the leaders, the good and the bad, especially our Presidents, the warriors, the victors and the defeated, the Ulysses Grants and the Robert E. Lees, the Jeffersons, Lincolns, Tafts, Roosevelts, Clintons, Reagans and Obama’s.  How did America form, the States and even Emancipation?  Why did the explorers travel West from Europe and not East to trade with sources then known?  And never forget God. 

….

Our Education system was once much better.  We need to go back to the structure prior to the Carter Administration’s taking the Right of each State to educate its children according to the will of the people of its State. Educating our children to be open minded, objective, willing to debate, respectful of one another and to think, is critical.  Let the Blue States be Blue and the Red States be Red, and the parents choose in which State they want their children to learn. 

As the graph pictured shows as students get older, instead of being more interested and enthused about education, they are less.  This is a failure of our teacher and system. 

Note:  As this is published Oregon announced a program to reduce the level of education standards, proficiency, in math, reading and writing, to graduate high schools.  This to level the playing field and deal with ‘white supremacy.’  Article being written for future posting:  ‘Proficiency Deficiency.’ 

by

Thomas W. Balderston

Author and Blogger

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