False Science 1

The General Problem

There are many specific examples of False Science, but at the bottom line, most of them have some abuse of evidence.

Science is not the only method for the examination of evidence; and there are kinds of evidence for which science is inapplicable: principally, art, history, and literature, especially poetic literature.

Science is also inappropriate for the formation of ethical and moral, philosophical and theological conclusions.

The Scientific Method

General steps in the scientific method include:

·       The first step is Observation.  The scientist or other person gains experience in any subject area by making observations.  If another person observed, the scientist interviews the experienced observer to gather his or her wisdom.  This observed wisdom of the subject matter becomes the logical starting place.

·       The second step is Hypothesis Formulation.  Hypotheses are best written in the Null-Hypothesis form.  Such Null-Hypotheses are not easy to induce and are frequently left to statistics experts for appropriate wording.  We are not seeking to prove our hypothesis; this would require our ubiquity, which is impossible.  We wish to disprove or rather cast probable doubt on the Null-Hypothesis.  This is to say that under the given set of circumstances, we have a good idea about what happened.  But we don’t pretend to know all the circumstances.  This idea is commonly stated in the Uncertainty Principle of Science: the one thing about which we may be certain is that we will always have scientific uncertainties.  The reasons for this are very complicated.

·       The third step is Experiment Design.  The Experiment’s Design determines and plans what variables will be studied to fit the Null-Hypothesis, how they will be measured, what statistical plan will be used, what controls will be applied, how many repetitions and replications will be required, what locations will be employed, and what blind or double-blind safeguards are employed.

·       The fourth step is Apparatus Construction.  At least one apparatus or mechanism must be built or otherwise acquired that complies with the Experiment’s Design.

·       The fifth step is Experiment Conduction.  The experiments are conducted on the apparatus in accordance with the Design.  If only one apparatus is available, it may be disassembled, moved to another location, reassembled, and the whole repetition-set is replicated at one or more new locations, at differing altitudes and environmental conditions, preferably by different scientists.  With each repetition and replication, all the measurements are taken and carefully recorded.

·       The sixth step is Measurement Evaluation.  Measurements are usually evaluated by applying powerful statistical methods to sort out the influence of each variable: including possibly, human error, humidity, instrument error, location, pressure, temperature, time, and the interactions between all of these.  In this list of only seven variables, there would be 120 interactions, or a total of 127 things to evaluate.  The scientist is looking for things that have a high probability of being causes, usually 10:1 odds (significance) or better.  If one or more significant things are found, the Null-Hypothesis is disproved, and a new discovery may be under way.  Verification experiments may also be performed.

·       The seventh step is Logical Explanation.  The scientist attempts to induce a logical explanation for all the significant events.  Statistical correlation, in and of itself, does not establish a scientific discovery.  For example, something unknown may be confounding the data, creating a false analysis, a false positive.  The scientist then writes everything into a complete report, which is subjected to peer-review by others who are expert in the same field of science.  If the report passes peer review it may be selected for publication in a scientific journal.

Even with all of these careful steps, errors are still made.  The usual outcome at this point is not the unveiling of a new scientific discovery; but new observations, a sharpened hypothesis, improved designs of experiment, construction of a more reliable apparatus, better experiments, reevaluation, and fresh explanation.  Thus, the cycle is repeated, ever sharpening the understanding and focus of the subject matter until a rare breakthrough discovery is finally made.

Unfounded Speculation

When observations are made that might ultimately lead to something.  Then a hypothesis is constructed, based on these observations, but nothing else follows.  Nevertheless, if the hypothesis is published as fact, the outcome is not science; it is speculation.

Moreover, if the original observations themselves cannot even be substantiated, the outcome is dishonest.  Fraud was committed in the name of science.

Neither the original observer, the writer of the original hypothesis or the failure of anyone to follow on with the rest of the scientific method steps are to be blamed.  It may have been impossible even to design an experiment.

But those who published and continue to publish the unsubstantiated hypothesis as fact are culpable of a major crime, have put society to considerable expense, and have done great damage to science itself by undermining the confidence of the populace in a valuable tool.

In each and every case of claimed fact, we must ask the following questions:

·       Can the original observations be substantiated?

·       Is the hypothesis properly formed?

·       Have experiments been correctly designed?

·       Were adequate and appropriate apparatus acquired?

·       Were experiments thoroughly conducted?

·       How were the measurements evaluated?

·       What logical explanations were proposed and approved?

Infinite Extrapolation

Extrapolation is the mathematical technique of predicting an outcome outside of the data set.  Interpolation is the mathematical technique of predicting an outcome inside of the data set.

If we wish to cut a board on a 5° angle and we know for a fact that every 12 inches we need to offset the cut by 1.046 inches more from straight we will have a 5° angle cut (for example 1.046, 2.092, 3.138, 4.184, etc...).  But suppose we want to know what the offset for 3, 6, and 9 inches might be.  Or suppose our board is only 6 inches long.  We could calculate the differences: 1.046 – 0 and 12 – 0 and distribute the ratio evenly getting .261, .523, and .784 with a very small rounding error.  But if we were cutting a curve from the same data, we would have a much larger error of interpolation because we would be evaluating a curve with a straight line.  Although we could find ways to fix that.  So much for interpolation.

Extrapolation is a different matter.  Let’s use an automatic pitching machine to pitch balls to a batter.  We look at the tip of the rear sight and the tip of the front sight and line them up so they are exactly on the aiming point we have picked at the plate.  Our extrapolation says that the ball will go there exactly.  Will the ball hit that point every time?  No.  In fact, it may never hit that point.  Gravity will make the ball drop, and wind will make it move laterally, left or right.  It would be a strange accident if the ball actually hit the aiming point.

We are throwing a distance of 60 feet 6 inches with a drop in elevation of 10 inches.  Today the wind is steady with absolutely no gusts, so we pitch a few balls and measure the distance from where balls actually cross our aiming plane.  Then we move the aiming point by that same amount in the opposite direction and pitch a few more balls to verify that we adjusted correctly.  We have an extremely accurate pitching machine, and one-hundred balls in a row are all within 1/8 inch of the exact target point.

To be sure that we are completely accurate we used laser interferometry to make all measurements.  At 60 feet 6 inches, our laser interferometer is accurate to one millionth of an inch, if there are no ground vibrations.  To insure that there are no ground vibrations, the interferometer is mounted on a viscously damped, 5-ton bed and monitored with a digital recording seismometer.  The error of measurement is less that 0.1%.

We have already extrapolated on the order of 5:1 because the sights on our pitching machine are 12.1 inches apart.  But we controlled this extrapolation by using the laser interferometer.

Now let’s move the pitching machine to 121 feet behind second base.  Does anybody believe that we can now maintain our target for one-hundred pitches within 1/4 inch of the target point, or even within a 1/2-inch circle anywhere at that range?  How about at 242 feet?  Can we maintain a 1-inch circle at 242 feet?  Can we maintain a 2-inch circle at 484 feet?  Our extrapolation is now 40:1 and we would be lucky to maintain a 24-inch circle at 484 feet.

No credible scientist is willing to work with extrapolated data of these magnitudes.  Instead, he figures out new methods of measurement and control because extrapolations of this kind are notoriously unreliable.  We add to our list of test questions:

·       Were all measurements correctly taken?

·       Was excessive extrapolation used to estimate outcomes?

Special Evolution

Special Evolution is that observation and hypothesis in biology that species vary randomly within themselves, but not outside of themselves.  A species is defined as individuals within a group that are theoretically capable of (not necessarily actually participant in) sexual reproduction.

For Darwin this was a serious theological question.  Naturalists of his day were concerned about the Biblical difference between the Miracles and Providences of God.  Nowadays, many folks pay little or no attention to the difference between Miracle and Providence, even though both are clearly stated in the Bible.

Miracle:

·       God created the universe by the breath of His mouth.

·       Moses crossed the Red Sea on dry land.

·       Joshua crossed the Jordan River on dry land.

·       Jonah lived three days and nights in the belly of an indescribable sea monster.

·       Daniel’s three friends endured Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace of blazing conflagration un-singed and smoke-odor free.

·       Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary.

·       Jesus Christ raised from the dead after three days.

Providence:

·       The sun shines and the rain falls on the just and the unjust.

·       We have food and raiment, houses and businesses, spouses and children.

·       We are free to attend or not attend church on Sunday.

·       We receive relaxation and rest, medical treatment and medication, entertainment and sport, luxuries we do not deserve.

·       We have jobs and income, police and fire departments, governments and military.

·       We have sewer, water, and light.

We cannot fault Darwin for being concerned about a serious Biblical, theological, and scientific question.

There is ample evidence for Special Evolution.  This theory is thoroughly substantiated by vast mountains of evidence.  It passes all nine of our test questions.  From the Null-Hypothesis, there can be very little doubt species vary randomly within themselves, but not outside of themselves.  Or we might even say that there is no serious doubt that species vary randomly within themselves.  Every person that deals with living things of any kind has at-hand evidence that this is true.

Note: we did not prove that Special Evolution is true.  We demonstrated that there isn’t any good statistical reason to doubt it.

General Evolution

General Evolution is that observation and hypothesis in biology that species vary outside of themselves in accordance with a random rule of “survival of the fittest.”  A species is defined as individuals within a group that are theoretically capable of (not necessarily actually participant in) sexual reproduction.

There is no evidence for General Evolution.  Even the original observations have never been substantiated.  It fails the following four test questions.  From the Null-Hypothesis, there is no reason to believe that species vary outside of and across species boundaries.

 

The perpetuation of the theory of General Evolution is Unfounded Speculation, a fraud, and a hoax.  It has cost untold fortunes to society and wasted the valuable time of scientists.  It has discredited genuine science in the eyes of the populace, and taught children that science is about speculation.

In the form of further philosophical speculation, it has become the breeding ground for Social Darwinism (which should rather be called Social Evolutionism), Communism, and Nazism.

General Evolution is a blight on our society and a deplorable curse on humanity.  There is nothing good about it at all.

When biology in general and General Evolution in particular is used to propose theories of origins over eons based on carbon or other dating methods, both biology and General Evolution commit the further errors associated with Infinite Extrapolation, except that they extrapolate without evidence.  All the evidence is drawn from outside of the hypothesis of General Evolution.

Other False Theories Employing Infinite Extrapolation

·       Geological Theories of Origins of the Universe

·       The Big Bang

·       Theories of Origins of the Universe from Physics

Conclusion

My dear brothers and sisters, let us cease speculation about what we cannot and do not know.  If we must know, let us consult with Someone Who is an Eyewitness of creation.  Are you such a person?  No, of course not.  Then, be silent.  Do you personally know such a Person?  Yes, but the world will not believe you, you cannot prove it to them because they are blinded by unbelief.  So pray that they might believe, and be silent.

“A fool convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”

Let us comfort our hearts with our prayers and if time permits, we will talk of the proofs among ourselves.  God bless you.

Yours in Christ
Herb Swanson
aka Augie

Forgive us our Debts 5

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I'm republishing this old letter because of our current national emergency.  I dressed up the type styles for you and reedited it.  What Moses and Jesus command is not optional.  This is a Christian problem.  I pray that we take it to heart.

Yours in Christ,

Herb Swanson aka Augie

Originally written around Wednesday, April 18, 2012

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Forgive us our Debts

Dear family and friends in the Lord Jesus Christ,

A recent magazine article in Consumer Reports, “Student debt: Your threat” caught my eye (May 2012, page 29ff).  Here is a snapshot:

Consumer Reports is not an organization known for its use of hyperbole, so I take its advice very seriously.  I’ve used it for years as a faithful guide in making purchasing choices.  It’s the first place I go to evaluate a new product.

The article features a one-third page drawing of a diploma shaped hole, which someone is futilely trying to fill, one shovelful at a time, with sand.  The sand is not accumulating at the bottom of the diploma scroll, but falls endlessly into the black void below.  The article has lots of useful statistics and seven handy suggestions for getting out from under debt at our level.  It’s an article well worth reading.

It’s an Old Problem

The first time I was made aware of this problem was way back in the sixties.  Our Federal government began huckstering and shilling college education loans to gullible college students and their equally gullible parents.  The sales pitch went something like this.  When the Federal government gives or promotes loans to college students, more students will graduate, graduate incomes will go up, tax revenues on increased incomes will multiply, and the Federal government will earn back all its loan money with a handy profit.  “What’s good for America is good for Americans.”  Right?

Wrong!  Dead wrong!  Even way back in the sixties anybody that passed first year algebra in high school and had even a casual grasp of the Laws of Supply and Demand could see that this wouldn’t work.  The demand for college graduates could not increase substantially; certainly not in pace with the increasing flood of new graduates.  The supply would quickly overtake the demand, the value of graduates would go down, tax revenues would crash drastically, and the system would inevitably bankrupt.  Yes, that’s right, it will inevitably put system America and Americans out of business, as we see it doing before our very eyes today.

It’s an Outrageous Problem

A word or two about lending money to gullible teenagers....  This is Statutory Rape[1] and it ought to be against the law.  Moreover, those who have had their hands in this filthy crime should be put out of business and severely punished for their culpability in this felony.  But no, they still lead us, and will continue to lead us because we’re not going to do anything about these crimes against society.  This is Statutory Rape and it’s not even against the law; but it should be.

An Even Older Problem

Nor should we be surprised.  Our Federal government pulled the same stupid stunt on American farmers in the previous generation.  The new scientific farming methods were sold, largely through the A&M systems we all love.  Thousands of farmers leveraged into new tractors and the irresponsible application of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides.  This battle still rages, but it has been greatly sobered up.  Nobody foresaw the damage that DDT would cause.  Or the decades it would take to clean up the mess.  Actually, DDT may have gotten a bad rap, but it is the one illustration that everybody understands.  America was in love with science, bad science.  Thousands of farmers went bankrupt.  Fortunately, to their credit, the A&M systems have been working as hard as anybody to pick up the pieces and undo the damage done by the irresponsible application of science.

We Survived

Somehow, we’ve managed to survive as a Nation.  Hanged if I know how we made it through, but we did.  But it ought to be perfectly clear by now that the cure for a bad hangover is not another day and night of binge drinking.  Eventually this debt cycle will kill us.  It’s just a matter of time and chance, like playing Russian roulette with five out of six chambers loaded.  The odds are going to catch up with us.  Actually, it’s worse than that.  We live with the delusion that we’ve made it through the first two rounds unscathed.  But, the cirrhosis of the liver, lung cancer, and chronic bowel problems are all in advanced stages.  It’s just a matter of time.  There ain’t no chance to it.  Radical surgery is necessary to save the patient’s life.

The Utopian Fallacy

I wish that this were not the tip of the iceberg.  College changes the way young people think.  It creates in them, higher and unrealistic expectations of wealth, living conditions, and lifestyle.  So, for example, the kid that might have been tickled to have a “32 Deuce Coupe” and work hard to get it, now wants a “Beemer” or Mercedes that he can’t afford: so, of course, he borrows money to get it.  After all, money does grow on the Federal government tree.  College teaches something else; it teaches how to loathe work.  Many college graduates don’t want to go to work, many have forgotten how to work; frankly, some are even unfit for work.  The simple joy of working has taken a damaging hit.  Becoming a painter or a welder is no longer a God honoring life goal.  Who wants to dig ditches for a living?

The Global Economy Fallacy

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, our same Federal government, despite the screams of union and other skilled workers, was busily pumping jobs out of this country into other nations.  We don’t need these jobs, our new education programs will replace them with better jobs.  American can manage the world.  The rudest awakening came for me when I discovered that even engineering jobs were being outsourced overseas.  Isn’t it clear that we’re being sold down the river by our own leaders, both Democrat and Republican.

The Great Disaster Amplifiers

Even with this multiple punch: mounting debt, foolish expectations, dislike of work, and the massive disappearance of jobs, we’ve scarcely begun to examine the problem.  We’re still above the waterline of the iceberg.  Under the water are the great amplifiers, the real sinkers of the unsinkable steamship America, still on her maiden voyage.  I’m not absolutely sure which ones are biggest, or even if I know them all.  Of course, there is the false salesmanship of corrupt leadership, which must be defeated.  We’ve already seen how utopianism is the mental, psychological driving force behind debt, foolish expectations, dislike of work, and the massive disappearance of jobs.  The great amplifiers are in addition to all that.  This is what I think their order of importance might look like from the top down: inflation, taxes, and unearned entitlements.

But the, still unnamed, greatest amplifier of all, is the vanishing belief in and respect for God.  God will be obeyed, no matter how little we think of Him.

Hostile Parasites

Inflation, taxes, unearned entitlements, and a bajillion other things are parasitic to the American economy.  To be blunt, these parasites are sucking the lifeblood out of us, and don’t know how to stop, and won’t stop until they kill us.  They don’t care.  Their own selfish goals are all that matter to them.  They don’t care that they are killing the Goose that Laid the Golden Egg.  And these parasites are evidently too stupid to realize that, when the goose dies, they die also.  Or, maybe we are the ones being stupid.  Maybe the parasites, just hole up all the real money in Swiss banks and move on to a new host victim.

Inflation

We all know that inflation works by simply printing new worthless paper or electronic money.  Inflation goes up, the value of the buck in our pockets goes down.  We get taxed or robbed without realizing it.  It’s invisible, painless, and ruthless.  Nobody’s going to complain about it.  It’s even against the law to complain about it.  We’ve all had our fill of the tax discussion for another year; but long haul, one way or another, taxes are going up.  As business collapses, taxes must be increased to  maintain the great Federal government, power monopoly.  Unearned entitlements are just another tax aren’t they?  What these things all do is get a grip on debt and other problems and make them tens, hundreds, thousands of times worse than they really are, all by themselves.  In fact, we could have looked at debt as a problem amplifier as well.

Our Own Criminal Government

But isn’t speaking out against the Federal government Anti-American somehow?  And being Anti-American is somehow or other Anti-Christian, as well.  If we still had a democratically chosen, representative parliamentary constitutional government, “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” I suppose, that would be true.  Unfortunately, that government is long gone.  But, I’m an incurable patriot.  I served a few days short of eight years in the American military.  And, I’m trying to figure out, what happened to our country, because it’s 90% gone.  Criticizing this Federal-level-leadership lust for power grab, which is sustained by utopian dreams, unbridled spending, and endless giveaway programs; is not, cannot, and never will be Anti-American.  In fact criticizing this parasitic Federal mess is the single most important Pro-American and Pro-Christian thing that I can think of doing right now.  The fact is, that our Constitution is being raped too.

It’s The Lord’s Prayer

Yes, this rape is also Anti-Christian.  These essays started out as applications on the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our debts....”  The application, intent, and clear meaning of the Lord’s Prayer was reinforced by considering the Sabbatical Years and the Year of Jubilee as taught by Moses himself.  The teaching of Moses was then related to the teaching of Christ in Luke 1, “The Magnificat,” Luke 4, “Christ’s declaration of Jubilee,” Matthew 18, “The Unforgiving Steward.”  If anyone is still not convinced, or thinks that Matthew 18 is too strong, maybe reading all of Matthew 25, but especially verses 34-46, will help.

Yes, It Certainly Does Mean That

Tell me one more time that the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our debts....” has no physical or temporal meaning.  Are we going to continue to live in denial until the end comes.  This is exactly what the Lord’s Prayer teaches and we are in default of our simple Christian obligation to our brothers and sisters.  Moreover, we are being two faced about it, and have become a bunch of phony hypocrites in the bargain, because we are so silent.

False Preachers Don’t Help

Thousands of Christians watch their favorite TV evangelist every night while he spins out yarns about utopian dreams, and scary Armageddons.  So we, gullibly, continue to expect the spectacular and catastrophic; while, in reality in the chair beside us, the patient is bleeding-out one drop at a time.  We’ve become like the little Dutch boy.  Except we refuse to put our finger in the dike and plug the hole. 

Worse yet, even with our finger in the hole, we steadfastly refuse to yell for help.  Our silence is both deafening and damning.  Christ cannot be happy with us.

But all we must do is keep on screaming for help, until help comes.  Thirty million or more Christians can make a lot of noise.

This is Statutory Rape and it’s not even against the law; but it sure should be.

Yours in Christ,

Herb Swanson
aka Augie, short for Augustine

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[1] The author is well aware of the contradiction of terms, which are used throughout for emphasis.  No crime can be statutory unless it is against the law.  It is outrageous to live in a society where, children, widows, the aged, and the weak are not protected from being preyed upon by the crafty, glib, and strong.  What is true of the sexual abuse of teenagers, ought to be equally true of financial abuse.  Many adults are not adequately equipped to see through these immoral and unethical instruments of theft.  Deceitful language buries and hides fees and penalties deep within contractual documents so that even trained lawyers cannot find them.  This is wrong, and it ought to be criminal.

Forgive us our Debts 4

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I'm republishing this old letter because of our current national emergency.  I dressed up the type styles for you and reedited it.  What Moses and Jesus command is not optional.  This is a Christian problem.  I pray that we take it to heart.

Yours in Christ,

Herb Swanson aka Augie

Originally written around Saturday, March 17, 2012

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Forgive us our Debts

Dear family and friends in the Lord Jesus Christ,

I just wanted to make sure you’re there and you’re okay today.

But, I’m so concerned about overthrowing our debt-slavery in America, that I’m now involved with it every day.  I guess I’m now writing to over 50 people a week, but I need to be reaching thousands and thousands.  Maybe you can help me with that.

The Nature of Salvation

Only the blood of Christ matters.  Everyone’s sins, without exception, are forgiven (1 John 2:2, John 3:16).  But so many people, having been healed of their sins, turn away from Christ; one way or another they say, “No thank you.  I don’t need it.”  So, they refuse the cup of salvation (Psalm 116:10-19) that gives them eternal life, and they go to eternal Hell because they just didn’t want the forgiveness they had already been granted.  But this great salvation is offered for the human spirit, mind, and body; not just the spirit.  The problems of this life, both mind and body, can not all be fixed; but, we still have a Gospel obligation to try to help each other with them.  And when specific sins threaten mind or body, and we begin to understand these sins, simply by reading our Bibles, we have an obligation to try to destroy them.  Every person alive on this planet has been set free from slavery to sin, we are not supposed to be living lives of slavery: not to false idols, not to each other.  Sadly, so many people love their lives of slavery.  They refuse the cup of salvation that gives them eternal life.  Of course, we cannot defeat every form of slavery, but we have an obligation to try.  We sin grievously when we are silent about such sins.

The Size of the Problem

I’m not a prophet at all, let alone a prophet of doom.  I’m just a guy who reads his Bible, watches the news, and prays.  I’m a happy-go-lucky kid who thinks it’s fun when other people are happy.  But I don’t need to have the gift of prophecy or be a genius to figure out that America is in serious trouble.  For example, the government bailouts are no longer running a few hundred bucks per man, woman, and child; they are reaching into the thousands of dollars; and soon may reach much higher, even as high as a million dollars per working family.  Gee, everybody who hears, reads, or sees the news knows that.  I haven’t got a clue what will happen to my family or yours, when we get a bill for a million bucks.  But I’m pretty sure, it won’t be good.

The Utopian Social Gospel Won’t Work

I don’t believe in the social gospel either, that we can win the world for Christ by just doing nice things.  I don’t believe in any utopian plan.  Only the shed blood of Jesus Christ fixes all of life’s problems: now and in eternity.  But the blood of Christ requires obedience among His disciples.

Other Problems

Federal bailouts are not the only problem facing America.  There is the national security problem, the whole death-culture problem, the business collapse problem, the job loss problem, the real estate problem, and a half-dozen or more other big national level problems.  All of them demanding and yelling to be fixed right now.

The Root Cause

But from the news, and by reading my Bible, I’ve come to believe that the root cause of all of these problems is debt.  That’s no special revelation either.  Lots of people are saying the same thing in the news every day.  “The greatest threat to national security is our debt.”  And on, and on, and on....  Blah, blah, blah....  And, they continue to talk all around the debt problem every day.  But no national level leader, no political candidate, no one is addressing the debt-slavery problem head on.

Deal with the Root Cause First

If the core, root cause problem is debt, let’s deal with debt.  We have to get out of debt, before it destroys America.  We’re all going to die anyway, we can’t stop that; but, we don’t have to die cruelly from war in our streets, famine, or defeat by a foreign power.  We don’t have to die, sinking into a Godless idolatry, becoming an unthankful, bitter, God-hating people.  We can see these things as enemies, fight them off, by the grace of God, and embrace death for what it is, the entry into a new and better life in a new and better place.  In the mean time, it’s not really in our best interests, selfishly and thanklessly to destroy the beautiful America that God has so generously given us.

We just have to break this debt-slavery.  Get out of debt ourselves.  Help our families, friends, and neighbors to get out of debt.  Yes, charity does begin at home.

How to Break the Root Cause

If we were only willing to listen to what Moses, all the Prophets, and Christ Himself so clearly preach.  If we were only willing to break our code of silence.  If we, the Church, would only rise up with one voice, our government would be forced to listen.  Our government can be pressured into writing debt-forgiveness and anti-usury laws patterned after the Jubilee, Sabbatical, and anti-usury Laws of the Bible.  Yes, Laws.  Moses did not write the Ten Suggestions.  Christ did not preach that we would be admitted into the Kingdom of His Forgiveness, even if we insist on being a cruel, heartless, unforgiving people who are willing to see our neighbors enslaved under the thumb of debt-slavery.

Forgiveness is not an option, it is the Law of the Kingdom of Forgiveness.

This debt-slavery can be stopped in its tracks.  Federal bailouts should stop.

Bailout money should be redirected: first toward crushing the debt and usury of the working poor and middle classes.

After all, it’s workers who pay all the bills anyway.  Let’s take this monkey off their backs.  Then we can work on business and government debt.  After all, the non-working poor and idle rich aren’t much in debt, but let’s show them mercy as well.  Then, maybe God in His rich mercy will let the jobs and freedom come back.

Yet, neither you nor I, nor anybody we know, has ever heard a single sermon on this subject.  Our silence is sinful.

Historic Punishment

So when I read in my Bible that God put both Israel and Judah out of existence as nations for these very same sins of Godlessness, unthankfulness, and cruel slavery of their own brothers and sisters; I have to believe that America is not far behind.  Please, we just don’t have to end this way.

A Personal Confession

I’m sorry I’m so caught up in this, but I’ve been guilty of being silent for so long....  Now, I have to speak up.  I wish that I had more time to spend with the people that know and love me, I owe them, big time.  But, this is a matter of life and death.  Thank you, and friends like you, for being patient and understanding with this poor fool.  I really do need to know that you’re okay.  At a very basic level, this message of debt-forgiveness, cannot exist or continue, without knowing that you’re there and okay.  This message is all about loving my neighbor, and I have around 309-million American and 7-billion World neighbors, every single one hurt by debt-slavery, but charity begins at home with just one neighbor at a time.  You’re it.  And I don’t mean that we’re playing tag.

Yours in Christ,

Herb Swanson
aka Augie, short for Augustine

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2012 National Research Survey

Americans for Prosperity (AFP)
2012 National Research Survey
and
Donation Request

Thursday, September 13, 2012

The Source of the Question

No, it’s not the Association for Financial Professionals annual survey.  It’s another one of those aggravating political instruments disguised as a public interest issue.  This one was obviously from Republicans.  Let’s go over the survey together.  Perhaps it will help those of you who don’t yet believe that our nation is in financial trouble to arrive at a well-informed and reasonable opinion, either for or against.

Before we begin, let’s be perfectly clear about one thing: namely party politics.  I’ve got no use for either party whatsoever.  As far as I’m concerned, they’re both a bunch of crooks that don’t know how to stop stealing.  The fundamental financial policy of the Democrat party is “TAX and SPEND.”  The fundamental financial policy of the Republican party is “SPEND and TAX.”  Both parties are selling the utopian lie.  Neither party is willing to go for the throat of the problem.  Both parties work together to hide their deceptions and lies behind elaborate smokescreens.  Chronic obfuscation is the order of the day.

No, I did not make this up.

·        http://americansforprosperity.org/oklahoma/

·        http://www.capfederalspending.com/donate (This is an electronic version of a slightly different survey I got in the mail.)

·        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americans_for_Prosperity

The Survey

Part A: Question 1

How much out of every dollar you earn do you think is fair for the federal government to take?

My Answer: 10%.  That’s the limit placed on the Israelite/Judaic king in the Old Testament.  Three tithes or tenths were required of Israelites and Jews: one for the Church, one for the poor, and one for the king.  While we have no right to be legalistic about this, I believe that this describes a well-balanced and well-ordered society: one in which necessarily parasitic factors are not, and cannot be allowed to overtax the general populace and reduce it to a state of slavery.  Pick your own number.

This is a misleading question.  It hides the fact that our debt will be resolved, one way, or another.  The usual method is to print more money and inflate the dollar.  Inflation is a hidden and insidious tax amounting to much more that 10%.  It is an uncontrollable monster as long as the dollar’s value has no worth in real property: for example, gold, silver, land, etc....  The American dollar is a cleverly devised myth; it has no value whatsoever; it’s not even worth the paper on which it’s printed.  It only works because of the faith its users have in it.  That faith is on the brink of destruction.

Question 2

If politicians in Washington continue this spending frenzy, how long do you think it will be before we see a total economic collapse in America?

My Answer: Less than 5 years.  Actually, nobody knows.  However, it is a well-known statistic that federal bailouts are occurring roughly every eight years and increasing exponentially in magnitude.  This is not hard for you to research on your own.  Just type, “federal bailouts,” into your search engine and see what pops up.  Statistically, we are due for another Tsunami of financial disaster within another 5 years or less.  The next one will probably sink us.

This question is deceptive because it is misleading.  It puts up the smokescreen of “spending frenzy” instead of dealing with the real problem.  The real problem is debt.  Granted, “spending frenzy,” is a problem; but it’s more of a symptom than a core issue, and harping on it is little more than a Band-Aid.  Worse yet, the Band-Aid looks like a cure, but is actually a smokescreen covering up the very real wound.

Question 3

How would you rate Barack Obama’s performance as President in terms of handling the economy?

My Answer: Other.  This is just another misleading question designed to create a smokescreen.  It is obfuscation.  Obama is not the problem.  National, state, business, and personal debts are the problem.  Don’t be misled by these sorts of sidetrack questions.  Stay on point with the real problem, debt.

Our federal government has been promoting and selling these bad loans for decades, perhaps nearly a century: farm loans, school loans, business loans, home loans – all bad.  We were gullible enough to accept them.  These are just the tip of the iceberg that we’ve been creating for a century.

Question 4 (Question 2 on-line)

Do you think America's standard of living is being lowered because of Washington's failure to control its spending?

My Answer: Other.  The question should have read, “because of Washington's failure to control borrowing and lending.  This is just more obfuscation.  The “issue summary” suggests that the federal debt “is now worse than Greece.”  For those who have not been following the issue, Greece is now in total financial meltdown or bankruptcy, and Greek’s bad debts are being written off as a loss.  The key operative word is bad.

Question 5

How concerned are you that the U. S. economy will soon look like Greece or even a banana republic if our federal government fails to control spending?

My Answer: Very concerned.  However, I’m even more concerned that the question distracts and again misleads by diverting attention away from debt and toward spending.

Questions 6 through 9

These are not questions.  They are promotions for a “Spending Limitation Constitutional Amendment.”

My Answer: Other.  The points made are all moot because they fail to address the fundamental problem of debt.  Sure, it’s nice to have a responsible budget.  Every family should have one.  But, the federal government has been promoting fiscal irresponsibility for a century.  Our own government has promoted the idea that money grows on trees in a dozen ways: mostly cheap federal loans to gullible citizens, but also peddling utopia alongside the loans.  What the government has promoted it has also practiced, government by debt.  The debt has been covered up by removing gold and silver backing from the dollar and by inflation caused by printing empty worthless money.  Nowadays, they don’t even bother to print it; they create it electronically.  So, it’s out there, in “cloud computing” somewhere, and you don’t even get a piece of useless paper in your pocket.

This should not bring us to despair.  We have each other.  We have our houses, farms, and factories.  What we must do is kill the debt snake and put these real tangible assets back to work.  Doing that will require a lot of faith and love.  However, we can work for nothing if it produces real food that our children need to eat, and real products that shelter us from the elements, and real transportation that gets us where we need to go.  So we should not despair.  We need to trust each other, not the government, and love each other, instead of blaming and hating each other.  Politics will never be redemptive.  Jesus Christ alone is redemptive.  We need to follow Him.

Exactly what spending are we going to cut?  Are we going to cut military spending?  We’re at war for Pete’s sake.  Do you want your child to go into combat with a bullet shortage?  I don’t.  I don’t want to fight, but if we have to fight, I want plenty of top quality arms and ammunition, and lots of soldiers with real moral fortitude (guts, stones).  It’s time for America to grow a set.

Oh, let’s cut education spending.  Well, education spending is a lot like pounding sand down a rat hole or shoveling against the tide.  Fact is that teachers are already grossly underpaid, while administrators are overpaid, do nothing productive, espouse silly utopian causes (like no child left behind, and college for all), and wield near dictatorial authority.  Squirrels cannot be taught to fly and eagles cannot be taught to climb; it is the teacher that deals with this priceless individuality on a daily basis.

Or, let’s cut the infrastructure budget.  Who cares if a few more bridges fall down killing hundreds, the unbridled Mississippi kills more, or we have to face one more forest fire, grass fire, flood, or mudslide without adequate forethought and preparation.

Let’s cut some medical programs.  Or, Social Security.  Or, Medicare.  Or,....

The reality is that there isn’t a lot of fat to cut.  The fat that is there is going into the pockets of those who are already stealing it and are in charge of managing it.  How are we ever going to fire the entire executive, judiciary, and legislative government with all of its employees.  We’d need to fire the good with the bad and start completely over, and that would not ensure an honest government, only an incompetent and inexperienced one.  That might not be so bad after all.

Part B: Questions 1 through 15

These are all questions about constitutional ideology.

My Answer: Of course, I support the Constitution of the United States with its Bill of Rights.  I do not wholeheartedly agree with some of the more modern Amendments; they are there; they are law; I obey them.

The problem is that very few elected officials or their employees do support the Constitution of the United States.  Worse yet, clever people have figured out how to circumvent the clear intent of the Constitution and twist it to their own agendas.  This is true of both Democrats and Republicans as well as many behind-the-scenes, power players who don’t really care about Party affiliations.  For these power players, Parties are just another tool to cloak their devious behavior

Part C: Questions 1 through 6

This is just the pseudo-patriotic buildup to a request for a donation.

My Answer: Not one thin dime.  This questionnaire is going in the shredder.  I am a patriot.  I spent seven years, eleven months, and twenty-three days in military service.  Our eldest son went to Tikrit, Iraq.  I will not put up with this kind of obfuscation.  Rather, I will do everything in my power to expose it for the fraud it is.

Conclusion

The problem is debt.  Debt eventually crushed Egypt, resulting in widespread slavery.  When Moses led the Israelites and Jews out of Egypt, it was “out of the house of bondage,” out of the house of slavery.  The Ten Commandments specifically prohibit all things, which promote slavery: namely,

·         False Worship,

·         Manufacture of idols,

·         Obeisance to idols,

·         Service to idols,

·         Using God’s name in an empty way,

·         Failure to rest after God’s example,

·         Murder,

·         Adultery,

·         Dishonest gain,

·         Dishonest legal testimony, and

·         Wanting things that don’t belong to us, and acquiring them through avarice.

Moses proceeds to require that in the event of financial disaster, lending will be limited to seven-year periods at 0% interest.  You can read how Moses’ plan works and why it is sensible in the books of Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.  That law doesn’t apply to us: this doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea, or that it doesn’t manifest excellent principles of government and social economics.

One might believe that having been slaves in Egypt the Israelites and Jews would never be dumb enough to fall into such a fatal trap.  Nevertheless, in the Prophets we are bombarded with the constant complaint that wealthy Israelites and Jews are oppressing poverty stricken Israelites and Jews with a cruelty of slavery which would make even the ancient Egyptians blush.

Since Jesus fulfills all the Law of Moses for us, we might expect Him to be silent about fleshly, worldly financial issues.  Instead, fiscal corruption is among His favorite sermon topics.  Luke 1 (the Magnificat), Luke 4 (the Jubilee sermon), and Matthew 18 (the whole chapter, but especially the unforgiving steward, who is certainly going to Hell for this sin), these are only a few places where Jesus deals with the problem.

We regularly pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”  Matthew 18 specifically identifies and connects financial and spiritual debt, they are opposite sides of the same coin.  No unforgiving person will ever get into heaven.  This means money and offenses.

If these aren’t convincing enough, perhaps we will listen to Shakespeare as he criticizes and mocks cruel lending practices in the character Shylock.  Or in, Hamlet, Act 1 scene 3:

“Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

Or, “I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.”   — Thomas Jefferson  Yep, that’s the killer, now what are we going to do about it, now that we’re trapped.

Ultimately, bad debt must be written off.  As Shakespeare notes, the lender should consider himself lucky if he recovers any of his principal, and none of the interest.  Lenders of this ilk only stay in business by preying on the gullible and weak.  There is no excuse or place for this kind of debt slavery in a civilized culture.

No lender, who fails to realize that clinging to this sort of bad debt will only lead to his own destruction, should consider himself a righteous person.  Such people are just not worth their salt.  In the first place, the debt cannot and never will be paid.  In the second place, this debt suppresses the whole economy, and prohibits recovery.  So the very means by which a lender makes a profit is defeated: namely, a fair rate of interest on a good loan.  All the bad debt does is drag the good loans down, and cause them to fail as well.  It is past time to realize that we are wallowing in a sea of bad debt, as ten-million Americans on the brink of losing their homes can readily testify.  The vast bulk of student loans also qualify for this criticism.

No public leader, who continues to tolerate or promote this sort of outrageous bondage, should consider himself a righteous person.  Such leaders are simply not worth their salt.  Yet the bulk of our Constitutional leadership have made themselves into Shylock like lenders: promoting one utopian, enslaving debt swindle after another: farm, housing, business, college, etc.  Our Congressmen, not only tolerated this outrage, they promoted it, and when the fat coffers of many avarices were filled, these Congressmen were first to steal from it: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Goldman Sachs, etc., etc., etc.

Take Heed to Our Urgency

If our town were immersed in flood, none of us would feel put upon if we had to throw sandbags for sixteen hours without pay.  We would endure the sweat and pain, then give thanks to almighty God for the free sandwiches and coffee distributed by the Red Cross.  We would make new friends and feel honored that we were allowed to help rescue our town.  We would be, and feel like, heroes.

Neighbors, we have each other.  This is going to hurt.  We’re going to have to roll up our sleeves and do a lot of work without pay.

This is an urgent matter.  It is our house that is on fire.  We need to take immediate action to save lives.

If we are silent, then we are accessories in your death, and guilty of murder.  We are terrified of our own silence, and hasten to end it.

My Proposed Solution

It’s not my idea, it’s God’s idea, and it will work.  Our job is to obey what we already know is true.  If we don’t obey, we will sink our own ship and perish.

Make extended, long-term debt against the law.

Force the pay-off or write-off of debt in short periods of time.

Stop bailing out the big institutions first.  Typically, they grab the money, pay out absurd executive bonuses, and continue to stiff their smaller clients and customers.  Bail out the little guys first and if the big institutions sink, they sink: too bad, so sad, you made your prophets by corruption and lost them through incompetent mismanagement.  Bail out the guy with a $20,000 first home mortgage, that just lost his job because of this corruption, and is about to have his house taken away.

Declare all lending interest unlawful.

Only investments in functioning businesses could earn a portion of the profits, and in the case of business failure, all investors would face the same risks, losses, and penalties together.  A house or private car could not be mortgaged under these conditions because neither one is part of a functioning business.

Foreign investors, even lenders to our government will face the same rules of debt write down.  Sorry, you should have made better investments.  We will pay back ten cents on the dollar if that’s what we can afford; but, if necessary,we will use force of arms to stop this illicit lending practice.  You’ve been living out of our pockets and our fat markets for a good long time now, and that is going to stop.

Borrowers should pay back just loans, as they are able.  Let’s face the fact that many of these loans are not just.

·         They intentionally preyed upon human gullibility and weakness.

·         They charge exorbitant rates.  Houses typically cost three times their value.  The cost of cars is doubled.  Some credit cards exceed 20%.  Hidden penalties are outrageous.

·         In many cases, the lender does not deserve to get more than his principal back.  If he has already recovered his principle and some interest, cut him off without another cent.

The government should be forced to clear its books.  When we studied this problem in the late 50’s a large portion of the federal debt was money it owed itself.  Are you kidding me?

Debt forgiveness and zero interest will cure most of America’s problems in a few years.  The debt problem will be solved.  The national security danger will be greatly reduced.  The housing problem will disappear.  Industry will recover and fix itself.  Jobs will be created.  This debt problem drives virtually every other social problem in America.  When the debt problem is solved and maintained by debt time limited forgiveness and zero interest, we will be able to see the other problems more clearly and solve them more easily.

The only reason we do not get results is because we do not love God, or each other, enough to obey what we know is right.