FOURTH AMENDMENT BLUES

Just got off the phone (Thur Apr 17) with a pastor friend. It seems a family in his church had a visit yesterday from his state's Dept. of Children and Families (DCF). The DCF agent wanted to inspect the house because of an anonymous tip his office received concerning alleged abuse of a child in this particular family. Fortunately the 17-year-old daughter who answered the door had enough wisdom and courage to deny entry to the agent. She called her father who immediately called the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). An HSLDA attorney guided the father through the process over the phone.

Evidently, the state has ignored the U.S. Constitution and has invoked what they call "justifiable cause" instead of the Constitutionally lawful "probable cause." The DCF agent had been informed the family was abusing an infant by keeping the infant in a closet where it was possibly being smothered by the heat, etc. The father of the family makes a very good living and has a big house and the particular closet referred to is a large "walk-in" type closet with its own separate AC vent. The family had turned the closet into a nursery. There are 8 children, and the older ones are being home schooled. The mother is pregnant with number 9 to be delivered any day.

The DCF agent returned today to speak with two of the sons who were away working yesterday. He informed the family he had to come back because of policy, but after having interviewed the children and being impressed by their conduct and seeing that the "closet" is really a nursery, he declared he would not be back. For that I am thankful, but for his blatant violation of the Constitution I am outraged and fearful of what might become a trend since the supposed "phone call" was made in Texas about the polygamist compound near Eldorado.

Our Fourth Amendment reads, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Evidently, states are ignoring "probable cause" and replacing it with terms that sound like they mean the same thing but in reality do not. It also seems states are now comfortable with anonymous tips which also violate our Constitution. The Sixth Amendment guarantees our right "to be confronted with the witnesses against" us.

Agencies like DCF or Child Protection Services or whatever title a state might choose are good in their intentions. I am for protecting children and families. However, I am not for abusive agencies acting in ways that they are accusing their victims of acting. These agencies are staffed with men whose hearts can be corrupted by power. Sinful men twisting the law in the name of the law is tyranny. As we ignore these attacks on our liberties and look the other way for fear we might lose our security, we really lose our liberty.

May God remember mercy in wrath.

Christianity in the Fast Lane

If you have time, take a look at some thinking on paper (or pixels) about our 21st century rat race.

Someone once told me, "You can take the rat out of the race, but you can't take the rat out of the rat."

Christianity in the Fast Lane

IS THE BIBLE GOD'S WORD?

Is The Bible God's Word? is an old essay of mine, and I would like to republish it serially. Hopefully, I can share it in parts as listed below. Click on the parts to read the entire text of each part.

Starting Points

Inspiration

Debates & Unbelievers

Why Can't They Believe?

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Picked up a copy of the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” the other day. Just in case you’re wondering, it’s a proclamation of the UN General Assembly from December 10, 1948. The declaration considers all people everywhere members of the “human family.” It speaks of the “conscience of mankind” and a lot of other one-world nonsense.

Did you know the UN considers “freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want as the highest aspiration of the common people”? What do they mean by “common people”? Do they mean all the people everywhere in common, or do they mean the people who have to work for a living? The latter would seem to agree with the so-called “freedom from fear and want.” So if the UN rules the world, they will supply not just all my needs but even my wants. This is beginning to look a lot like something competing for the title of God.

The so-called Article 1 says all human beings are “endowed with reason and conscience.” Really? Who “endowed” us with these? God or the UN? The article goes on to say we “should” all act in a “spirit of brotherhood.” And who is our father? God or the UN?

Article 3 reads, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.” Everyone? Even unborn babies? And “security of person” sure sounds a lot like the right to bear arms. So the UN says we have the right to security of person, and if I choose to use firearms to secure my person and be free from fear, then certainly the UN would protect those rights, right? Yeah, right.

God's Law and the New Covenant

Have questions about the place of the Law in the New Covenant? I do. Just for fun click on the LAW link to see some of my brainstorming. Trust me, I'm still searching the Scriptures on this topic.

I will try to add questions in the near future as I have time and new ideas.

Total Inability

Nottmb wrote an essay 20 years ago and tried to explain Total Depravity. He compared Jimmy Swaggart and Roman Catholicism to show the opposite doctrine of free will. If you have time, click on the link Total Inability and see how Swaggart and Rome make strange bedfellows.

Land of the Free

Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless! (Isa 10:1-2)

Have you flown the friendly skies lately? This summer (2007) I had the pleasure to participate in a short-term mission to Hungary. My two older sons went with me. The mission trip was wonderful. The airport experience was frightening.

I could also mention the extreme difficulty I had acquiring a U.S. Passport, but that would take an entire new blog; so suffice it to say I received my Passport within three hours of the scheduled flight departure from New Orleans.

Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr., in a recent April 2007 talk, said “Traveling on airplanes reminds us how much freedom we’ve lost and how we have become accustomed to it.” If you haven’t flown recently, let me help explain a little of what Rockwell is saying.

Our U.S. Constitution protects us from “unreasonable searches and seizures.” Obviously, “unreasonable” is up for grabs. Anybody want to define “unreasonable”? The socialists in D.C. are content with defining anything done at an airport as “reasonable.” After all, they are trying to prevent hijackings, bombings, and other acts of terrorism. So we all just bend over (sometimes literally) and allow government bureaucrats to have their way with us and our belongings.

Don’t think about trying to interrupt the routine. While we were waiting in airports, we were regularly advised over loudspeakers to “report suspicious activity.” You better walk right, talk right, and if you are waiting, you better wait right too, or else someone might interrogate you about your nervous pacing in the boarding area.

Go ahead and empty your pockets, take off your belt, your hat, and your shoes. And don’t forget to put all your toiletries in a clear, one-quart, zip-lock bag. Your liquids and gels are limited to three ounces each. Any violations here and the items will be seized, regardless of how “unreasonable” it might be. Forget about probable cause, don’t worry about oaths or affirmations, and especially don’t bring up the notion of a Warrant.

Maybe we have forgotten our true shield and defender, our God. Maybe we now rely solely on government to protect and defend us. Government will protect our "right" to "feel" safe at the expense of our right to that certain unalienable Right of Liberty. Our own government was founded to secure Liberty--honest--you can read about it in the Declaration of Independence. And our founders knew from whence these rights came, "You have rights antecedent to all earthly governments; rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws; rights derived from the Great Legislator of the Universe" (John Adams, second President of the US).