Author: Dennis Linthicum

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Brood of Vipers

Oregon State Legislature sent this bulletin sunday, March 21, 2022, by devadmin

How many snakes make up a brood? How many vipers are in positions of power across America?

I ask this question after watching the ridiculous antics from the Senate Judiciary Committee as they interviewed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, regarding consideration for her nomination to the Supreme Court.

A well-published exchange between Judge Jackson and Sen. Blackburn went like this:

Blackburn:    “Can you provide a definition for the word, ‘woman’?”
Jackson:        “Can I provide a definition?”
Blackburn:    “Mhmm, yeah…”
Jackson:        “I can’t…”
Blackburn:    “You can’t?”
Jackson:        “Mmm, not in this context — I’m not a biologist.”

It should strike all of us as unconscionable that the leftist elites have so bewitched, befuddled and frightened this intelligent lady that she cannot even answer the most obvious questions regarding details of science, biology and basic truth.

Judge Jackson is currently being interviewed as a nominee for one of the highest positions within America’s judicial system, the Supreme Court of the United States. Yet, it appears she is being forced to  k’o-t’ou to the most arcane principles of the malicious left. If this is how the Democrats are striving to impress America, the Senate Judiciary Committee, the legal community, and everyday blue-collar workers then their cavalcade of idiocy deserves to end in chaos and failure.

The underlying tragedy, left unsaid, is the implication that only a certified expert, in this case a biologist, is capable of answering even the most fundamental questions of life.

All of us know better. We know this is not true. We know this is not true just as certainly as we know the difference between dog food, Frisbees and hub-caps. We as humans, go through our daily lives listening to arguments, weighing the pros and cons of disparate sources and making thousands of reasonable assessments about our world. This is the art of successful living.

The problem we face today is that a vast monopoly of corporate techno-giants have an unquenchable appetite for money and will use any means, including censorship, misinformation and propaganda to achieve their goals. They have artificially inflated and intentionally propagandized the needless destruction of supply chains, labor markets, food production and our self-sufficient energy sectors in their endless quest for more clicks, more sales, and more profits. In the meantime, they have successfully promoted dependency on government. The hoards of so-called experts employed by the bureaucratic machine are using tax-dollar lucre for personal and corporate gains and appear unstoppable.

Is my claim outlandish? Is there any proof of this? Would anyone intentionally create fear, destruction, and grief?

The answer, unfortunately, is – “Yes.”

Why? – “Selfish ambition.”

Can we stop them and hold them to account? – “Yes.”

In particular, I’ll point you to an interview where I speak with Dr. Naomi Wolf, Oregon State Senator Kim Thatcher, and Dr. Henry Ealy about our Grand Jury Petition alleging criminal and willful negligence among the upper echelons of the federal healthcare hierarchies.

According to Center’s for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) data, in Oregon, hospitals have been receiving upwards of $220,000 dollars for every hospital death listed as a COVID death. The incentives being used to justify the inflation in the number of diagnoses and implementation of suboptimal treatment for certain patients can only be described, as Dr. Wolf suggests, as a “biofacist approach to medicine.”

Further, Dr. Ealy discusses the irregularities in timeline between when the CARES Act was enacted, in January of 2019, and when the pandemic surfaced. The timeline for these and other important events throughout the pandemic suggest premeditated planning and continued fraud within the public health sector. The combination of civil and criminal offenses that make up this growing scandal are dissected.

Discover the truth about the wholesale plunder of the American people by a small cohort of seemingly corrupt and morally bankrupt individuals who are masquerading as healthcare experts.

Additionally, Western Liberty Network’s, Take the Offensive conference is Saturday, March 26th, 2022, in Klamath Falls. The event is being held at the beautiful Running Y Ranch Resort from 9am-5pm.

Join with others in our community to strengthen our grassroots movements that are taking the offense and holding school-boards, local city and county governments to account for the unconstitutional and destructive actions that enrich the well-connected at the expense of everyone else.

If we don’t stand for rural Oregon Values and common-sense… No one will!

Regards,

Dennis Linthicum
Oregon State Senate – District 28

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“Defund, Dismantle ‘n’ Saddle”

Oregon State Legislature sent this bulletin Tuesday, February 10, 2022, by devadmin

The defund and dismantle wing of the Democrat majority party keeps pushing Oregon towards the brink. It is well known that law enforcement in Portland has been neutered, with the district attorney failing to  prosecute most of the violent criminals that rioted throughout 2021. The unwarranted, non-peaceful, and extremely violent riots that ravaged the streets of Oregon’s largest city are not one-off occurrences but are exploding in major Democrat bastions of control. This illustrates a trend in the dogmatism that claims, crimes committed by the Woke, Antifa or Leftists, of any stripe, aren’t real crimes.

Following this trend, the Senate Judiciary Committee has gone one step further. Senate Bill 1510 removes common-sense traffic safety measures, like functional headlights and taillights and passed out of the committee with the Democrat majority voting in favor and all Republicans voting against.

Despite unprecedented increases in traffic fatalities in Oregon, SB 1510, limits options for traffic enforcement. “A police officer may not initiate a traffic violation stop for unlawful use or failure to use lights”, such as, (a) a headlight; (b) a taillight; (c) a brake light ; (d) a taillight that does not emit red light as required; or, (e) a registration plate light.

Are we making the claim that two headlights, two taillights, and two brake lights aren’t important, or are we promoting the same disrepair, disorder and destruction that we are witnessing in our cities onto our roads and highways?

Additionally, Legislative Counsel published an opinion which found language in the bill may allow for racial discrimination. While the bill does not explicitly mention race-based discrimination, the opinion discussed the use of a term, “culturally responsive organizations,” which could be interpreted as a proxy for race. A portion of their review follows:

“[C]ulturally specific organization by definition “serves a particular cultural community [and] is primarily staffed and led by members of that community.” “Cultural community” is not synonymous with race. However, coupled with the Justice Reinvestment Equity Program’s express purpose of “promot[ing] racial equity [and] reduc[ing] racial disparities,” it is possible that in the implementation of the program, “cultural community” could be interpreted as a proxy for a specific racial group, and the program could provide grant funds to an organization based on the organization’s explicit categorization of persons it has served or will serve based on race.”

SB 1510 will go to the Ways & Means Committee for a financial review.

The next bill, Senate Bill 1568 would create a new unelected and unaccountable board to consider the release of criminals from prison. Board members will be appointed by the Governor, without any input or confirmation from the Senate. The board will not include any representatives from law enforcement or victim advocates. The bill also gives the board power to grant criminals  “get-out-of-jail-early-cards” during a declared a state of emergency, like when the Governor shut down businesses and required healthy Oregonians to stay home under the pretense of “being safe.”

The last bill, Senate Bill 1529-2, is the item that rubs salt into the open wounds of Oregon’s unemployed, the bankrupted main-street economy, the students whose schools are closed or saddled with ridiculous masking requirements, and those suffering from hopelessness and depression after experiencing the dramatic unconstitutional attacks on human dignity and liberty at the hands of the elite.

Essentially, the “gut and stuff” Dash-2 amendment saddles Oreognians with another layer of authoritarian hierarchy. The amendment redefines a “Public Health Emergency” to include the determination made by the Public Health Director. This moves the Public Health Director from a position as an advisor to the governor, to the governor’s equivalent when it comes to declaring a health emergency.

This is also a convenient construct to by-pass the our next level-headed Governor, who may be reluctant to whimsically shut-down our main-street and rural economies. The last thing Oregonians need is another out-of-touch administrator telling us how to live our lives.

Let your Legislators know how you feel!

Join with me to Defend Life, Liberty and Property!

If we don’t stand for rural Oregon Values and common-sense… No one will!

Regards,

Dennis Linthicum
Oregon State Senate – District 28

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Finding Good in Classic Books – Trochia

Oregon State Legislature sent this bulletin Monday, September 30, 2020, by devadmin

To help you with this journey, I’ll start by clearing up several questions that popped into my head:

  • What is meant by “good” literature?
  • How does a person get started?
  • Will any book do?
  • If not, what criteria for choosing should a person use?

The definition used by the National Endowment for the Arts will help us.  The NEA asks, “What is literary reading?”  Answer: “It is the reading of novels, short stories, poetry, or drama in any print format, including the Internet.” Therefore, any type of reading, from romance novels to classical poetry, works for our purposes.[1]

The harder question is, “What is meant by ‘good’?” Does “good” refer to an interesting story with good character development? Could it be describing an exciting thriller, an intriguing mystery, or a compelling drama packed with great suspense and adventure?  Certainly, all of these things make reading fun and interesting, but they don’t necessarily make it “good.”  The “good” that I am talking about is “good” in the moral sense.

In, Philippians 4:8, Paul writes, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
If you want to find a “good” book, look for a book that will help you achieve the thought-life that Paul describes above. Paul sets this standard for whatever enters your mind, but I’m suggesting that you start by applying this standard to your reading material. commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.”

Now that we’ve defined good, let’s be deliberate and thoughtful in our pursuit of it.

Raymond Tallis describes deliberate action as an essential part of our humanness, “At the heart of our exceptional nature… is that we are explicit creatures who do things deliberately.  This transforms every aspect of our lives. It lies at the root of so many things that we guide, justify, and excuse…”[2]

Today is your opportunity to make an exceptional choice. Choose today to become an “explicit creature.” Look for books or stories that are good, true and beautiful. Follow Paul’s advice and actively search for the commendable.

To help along these lines, I recommend looking for books written before the 1920’s. I am not saying there are no modern “good” books, but in the past century the literary field has become cluttered.Today, there are so many sources – eBooks, self-published novels, academic literature, that it is much more difficult to distinguish the good from the bad, or the ugly.There are literally thousands of good books from every age. However, I want to help you gain an easy victory.

I want to encourage you to pick up a classic. Start by trying a book by Defoe, Cooper, Dickens, Hugo, Alcott, or one of the Bronte sisters.

Also, sample the book by looking at the preface, author’s note or epigraph (which is the quotation or motto often placed at the opening of a chapter in older literature, designed to give insight into what the book is about). For example, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay” is the epigraph from Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy (1873).

This epigraph, taken from Romans 12:19 which in turn is quoting from Deuteronomy 32:35, gives you, as a reader, insight into the author’s moral perspective. This is worth noting because Tolstoy is providing his readers with a hint. He has created an intriguing and dynamic story about husbands, wives, lovers and enemies, yet he is opening the door to God’s moral presence. Tolstoy is trying to entice you with a comment straight from God’s mouth. He wants you to accept a worldview that gets its focus from God’s vantage point.

We also get to see into our author’s worldview in the author’s preface. In the typical preface, the author has the opportunity to express his thoughts, ideas and desires. He may even allude to details about a character that might come from another story or book. This will help set the scene and flavor of the piece with more accuracy than the back-cover or jacket-flap. The back-cover is designed to entice you to buy the book. It is not necessarily designed to inform you about the real story, the author’s goals, or his moral intentions. Remember, we should be looking for books that are morally “good,” not books that only have tantalizing cover-art.

As another example, here is the entire preface to Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables (1887) :

“So long as there shall exist, by virtue of law and custom, decrees of damnation pronounced by society, artificially creating hells amid the civilization of earth, and adding the element of human fate to divine destiny; so long as the three great problems of the century—the degradation of man through pauperism, the corruption of woman through hunger, the crippling of children through lack of light—are unsolved; so long as social asphyxia is possible in any part of the world;—in other words, and with a still wider significance, so long as ignorance and poverty exist on earth, books of the nature of Les Misérables cannot fail to be of use.”[3]

In one paragraph, (actually, one long sentence) Hugo has informed the reader of his goals. Hugo’s challenge is directly to you: are you willing to awaken your soul to its natural abhorrence to injustice, class damnation, corruption, poverty and ignorance?

If so, this will be a “good” book for you, but you must be willing to be an “explicit creature.”  You must be willing to weigh your effort, in deliberately finding a “good” book, against God’s Word to measure your success. Remember, our goal is to find real goodness, truth and beauty in the book we choose to read. Victor Hugo writes later in Les Misérables that, the “conscience is the chaos of chimeras, of lusts, and of temptations; the furnace of dreams; the lair of ideas of which we are ashamed; it is the pandemonium of sophisms; it is the battlefield of the passions.”[4]

It’s incredible how well authors like Victor Hugo can bring light to evil and give us cause to rejoice in good, awakening our often chaotic consciences through compelling stories and Biblically-based truth. Astoundingly, more than a century after it was written, Les Miserables continues to captivate us with its story of sacrificial love, honor and justice. Stories are a powerful medium for truth, and through deliberate pursuit of “good” literature do we discover those stories that, as Hugo rightly predicted, cannot fail to be of use.

So, this week, here is your challenge: pick up a book that will challenge your soul. Make the deliberate choice to read something morally uplifting, both to you and to those you discuss it with

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God and Les Miserables – Trochia

Oregon State Legislature sent this bulletin Friday, September 30, 2020, by devadmin

In my last article: Finding Good in Classic Books I encouraged you to read a classic book as a way of thoughtfully pursuing things that are “good” in a Godly and eternal sense. One of the books I recommended was Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, which was recently released to movie theaters as a musical. The success of the movie demonstrates the power of the original story, and in this post, I want to make a case for reading the book as well, because I think that taking the time to read the story will grant you even more insight and fulfillment, rather than simply seeing the film alone.

Yes, the book is more than 150 years old, and it weighs in at 1500 pages – but the eternal themes and the incredible story make Les Misérables one of the best dramatic and romantic novels ever written. Les Mis is a perfect example of what makes a classic story a “classic.”

In Les Misérables, the transcendent themes come alive through the art of story-telling. These themes are eternal because they are not bound by the here and now; they are the self-evident truths that transcend time and technology – they remind us that “eternity is written in our hearts” (Eccl. 3:11) and that God reveals himself in part through the world around us. (Romans 1:20)

This will be easy for you to recognize as you start the story. Hugo tells us that, “Man is not a circle with a single centre; he is an ellipse with a double focus. Facts form one of these, and ideas the other.”[1]  Throughout his novel, Hugo delivers the ideas: moral principles inherent in our God-given natures, juxtaposed with the facts:the specific circumstances in which we find ourselves. Therefore, the focus of Les Mis becomes a story of balance – how does one proceed through life while holding both facts and ideas; while weighing good and evil?

As we also struggle to hold facts and ideas in balance, I suggest that we use this classic story to train our minds, as suggested in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” As we read Les Misérables, it’s easy to identify God’s principles. For example:

Single Parenthood – “The father of her child gone… she found herself absolutely isolated, minus the habit of work and plus the taste for pleasure.”[2] (Prov 21:16-17)

Gossip – “Certain persons are malicious solely through a necessity for talking. Their… gossip… is like those chimneys which consume wood rapidly; they need a great amount of combustibles; and their combustibles are furnished by their neighbors… many [were] jealous of [Fantine’s] golden hair”[3]  (Prov 20:19, Prov 16:28)

Slang – “is nothing but a dressing-room where the tongue having some bad action to perform, disguises itself. There it clothes itself in word-masks, in metaphor-rags. In this guise it becomes horrible.”[4] (Matt 5:37)

True Obedience – For Sister Simplice, who had never told a lie in her entire life(unlike Rahab in the book of Joshua) lies to Javert. “She had lied twice in succession, one after the other, without hesitation, promptly, as a person does when sacrificing herself. O sainted maid!… may this lie be counted to your credit in paradise!”[5] (Josh 6)

In Les Mis, Victor Hugo highlights something that many Christians struggle with –obedience to

God’s law. He points out the folly of living the world’s way and the joy of choosing God’s way. The characters in Les Miserables don’t always get what they want because they do the right thing – Hugo does not serve a simple, easy-to-understand God any more than we do – but they work, love, struggle and follow Christ because they understand that there is more at stake than mere creature comforts. Their hope is not based in this world, but they seek justice and peace that only God can give.

These characters give us an engaging, story-based example of Hebrew 12:1-3:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Through Les Miserables, Hugo weaves a myriad of unique and memorable characters into a “great cloud of witnesses”. This story continues to speak to us because it gives insight into man’s debauchery, while sharply contrasting our fallen natures with the majesty of God’s work in the world and the Holy Spirit’s nudging to our hearts.

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Biblical Truth and Careful Thinking

Oregon State Legislature sent this bulletin Thursday, September 30, 2020, by devadmin

I was recently elected as a County Commissioner (a.k.a. County Supervisor) in South Central Oregon, and in the process, had become interested in the ideas that forged our Nation’s Constitutional Republic. Although most of us are familiar with the names of our founders – Jefferson, Adams, Washington, etc., and even know a few important dates – have you ever read any of their original writings?

I hadn’t either, until I decided to investigate, and I was amazed and fascinated by what I found. Biblical truth tied with careful thinking dominates the pages of these older books. The technological limitations of the day (the feather quill, ink-pot and blotter) forced these writers to craft their arguments far in advance of taking their seat at the writing stand. This seeming hardship actually created a bounty of well-reasoned writing.

Today, we perhaps rely too much on our technologies. Our reliance has led to complacency and laziness because we have allowed technology to invade our humanness and our thought-life is suffering. Sometimes I fear that we don’t think through our beliefs carefully enough, or work out our worldviews with solid logic and reasoning, and we are thus unprepared for the attacks of modernism and post-modernism on our faith and life.

Therefore, my goal is to mine these older books to help bring Biblical reality and careful thinking back into our hectic lives. God’s truth is all around us and it is evident in literature from every age. For example, here is a piece of advice from Benjamin Franklin, written in 1733:

“Reading makes a full man – meditation a profound man – discourse a clear man.” [1]

Consider for a moment, how closely Franklin’s advice follows Biblical principles – read, meditate, discuss, share and live out. For example:

“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”    (Joshua 1:8)

Or,

“You must love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength. These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, and you must teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, as you lie down, and as you get up.”    (Deuteronomy 6:5-7)

Certainly, our Lord cares about what we read. Otherwise, why read the Bible and not Hustler magazine? This website is called “Trochia” ( trociav) and most of you are familiar with its definition. It is the New Testament Greek word for a path, like the track of a wheel, or figuratively, a course of conduct. Our conduct will be influenced by our thought-life and our thought-life by what we ingest in various forms of media, such as good books (or, not-so-good magazines).

The Old Testament Hebrew equivalent to “trochia” is “derek” ( Krd ) meaning way, behavior,  journey, conduct, deeds, direction, routes, lifestyle and destiny. It is used in Deut. 6:7: “as you walk along the road.” This is the essence of our journey. Our calling is to think and live beyond the mundane. It is a moral, decision-making journey and there are God-given principles we should be following.

God has called each of us into unique positions, both as individuals and as members of the church. “Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him.” (I Cor 7:17)

Whether you are a programmer, plumber or paralegal, each of us is in a unique situation with uncommon relationships and exclusive conversations. This is Martin Luther’s powerful concept of vocation, but it is not the mundane world of work. Instead, it is a calling to relationships.

Consider your relationships – family, friends, co-workers, service providers, kids in the neighborhood.  No other person will encounter the myriad of unique individuals that you will. This is your “calling.” It is God requesting your life’s commitment.

This “calling” brings me back to my fascination with old books, and with improving our thought-life through meditation, reading and discourse. Only through careful thought can we truly impact those relationships, for as 1 Peter 3:15 says: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

Let’s take the time to read and think carefully about what we’ve read. Ask questions of yourself and wonder. Wonder out loud – discuss your ideas with others.

Over the next several weeks, I will continue thinking about authors, books, and how beautifully matched we are to the calling that God has given us. I’m suggesting God’s glory is all around us and that we will discover it more readily if we listen to old Ben Franklin, who, in turn, was listening to God’s counsel, “Reading makes a full man – meditation a profound man – discourse a clear man.”

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How to Find God’s Glory in a Good Book – Trochia

Oregon State Legislature sent this bulletin sunsday, september 30, 2020 by devadmin

In my last article about Biblical Truth and Careful Reading, I wanted to spark your interest in good books, authors, and your own personal meditation on the things that you read. God’s glory is all around us and we can discover it more readily if we read, meditate, discuss, share and live according to Biblical principles.

In Romans we read that God’s glory can be clearly seen throughout the world. The Apostle Paul writes:

“… because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20)

If this is a true claim, that, “God is not hidden and God’s invisible attributes can be seen,” then it seems that Scripture is telling us that God is able to be discovered, so finding Christ in every facet of our lives shouldn’t be as hard as we might think.

Could it be that Biblical truth is, indeed, everywhere? Could it be that you and I are simply unfocused or too distracted to see it?

Our culture is constantly bombarding us with ungodly messages via the Internet, TV, magazines and movies, so becoming distracted is all too easy. One of the ways that I think we can learn to look for the divine in the midst of the seemingly mundane is by measuring our Biblical knowledge through our reading. Reading quality literature allows us to turn our focus back towards those things that are true, good, and beautiful. You might be wondering, how? And, why books?

When reading a book, you are in charge. You become the director; you control the flow, tempo, volume, and texture of the voices. The author provided the details, but you’re in charge now. You get to tell the story. Think of a story told in movie, or video format. It will be told through the director’s eyes. It will be told with the speed, tempo and music that he envisions.

When you read a book that connection becomes your intimate opportunity. You gain control. You get to slow down, meditate and reflect on the characters in the story, and this is extremely important. This is where we avoid conforming to the patterns of this world and become transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). Our desire should be to fit every loose thought, emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). You can accomplish this by using God’s Word to help focus your mind as you contemplate what you’ve read.

After you’ve read a bit, stop and think about the characters, their circumstances and their interactions. Why did they say what they said? What decisions were made and why? How do you see God working in the story, even when there is no allusion to God’s active involvement? Do you see honor, integrity, or fallenness?

Take for example, Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, a story oft mistaken as a children’s book. In the very first chapter, our hero describes his dilemma, “in which I do not heed my father’s advice”:

“[Facing perplexing circumstances] …my head began to be filled very early with rambling thoughts… my inclination… led me so strongly against the will, nay the commands of my father, and against all the entreaties of my mother and other friends…

“But one day… I went casually, and without any purpose… I consulted neither father or mother… without asking God’s blessing, or my father’s, without any consideration of circumstances or consequences, and in an ill hour, God knows.”

Now, in your mind’s eye, try to recall memories that echo these circumstances – self-centered desire and will, wise counter-counsel, obstinacy or casual enticement without appropriate consideration. Are these events similar, or dissimilar, to anything you’ve experienced? Do these words describe a friend or family member’s recent situation?

Defoe’s crisp moral insights provide us with a timeless perspective encased in an engaging story. In fact, these paragraphs could easily be used to describe any of us in high school, or college. Or, maybe these words fit an episode in your life where you are currently perplexed.

Our goal should be to interpret what we read through a Biblical framework. We should think critically about the stories we hear and read through the prism of God’s Word.

For example:

Can you relate these paragraphs to any Bible verse?
Any from the New Testament?
Any from the Old Testament?
In your reading, do you recognize characters that relate positively to Biblical truth?
Do you find any encouragement in the realization that others have faced the same spiritual struggles that we face today? (Young Crusoe, in the mid-1600’s, faced dilemmas familiar to each of us.)
Your thoughts are worth sharing and discussing. Are you willing to engage others?
Even young Crusoe meditates on his experience, which I’m sure many of us can relate to, and he recounts his thoughts, as follows:

“I began now seriously to reflect upon what I had done, and how justly I was overtaken by the judgment of Heaven for… leaving my father’s house, and abandoning my duty; all the good counsel of my parents, my father’s tears and my mother’s entreaties came now fresh into my mind, and my conscience, which… reproached me with the contempt of advice, and the breach of my duty to God and my father.”

By reading a fictional story about a headstrong young man and his adventures at sea, I found pieces of wisdom regarding thoughts that I could take captive to Christ. These observations, in turn, become powerful reminders of my own personal journey as a believer.

I challenge you to give it a try with a good book. Endeavor to see Him in everything. Try using literature as a tool for focusing your thoughts and looking for God’s glory in all things. Then, watch and see how your view of the world changes. Your journey, relationships and conversations should reflect transformative qualities when seen in the light of His attributes.

In my next post, I’ll help you walk through more of these truths by using other illustrations from timeless literature. Along the way, remember to share your thoughts with others, as we continue this journey together, discovering the mind of Christ in all that we encounter.

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Parental Rights Under Attack

Oregon State Legislature sent this bulletin monday, august 21, 2020, by devadmin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 10, 2021

Governor Erodes Faith in Public Health Institutions
With New Mask Mandates

SALEM, Ore. – Governor Brown has issued two new mask mandates just weeks after lifting them. This time, for K-12 students – the group least likely to become seriously ill, be hospitalized, pass the virus to others, or die from COVID-19 – and state employees.

The death rate for children is lower than that of seasonal flu, for which the Governor failed to implement mask mandates in years prior. The new K-12 mask mandate requires everyone, regardless of vaccination status or natural immunity, to wear a mask at school.

Senator Dennis Linthicum (R-Klamath Falls) issued the following statement:

“The Governor and her administration have a responsibility to cut through the panic and provide the evidence, datum, and succinct scientific analysis that tells Oregonians what they can expect. Instead, OHA, like the CDC,  have constantly shifted goalposts and undermined Oregonians’ faith in our public health institutions.

“Schools have been shown to have lower case rates than the broader community, yet the message from the Governor is that our schools are one of the most dangerous places for them to be. That is an unsound and anti-scientific view. Many Oregon schools have been operating all summer with no masks and no significant outbreaks.

“All teachers, staff members, families and students over 12 have had ample time to choose to get vaccinated. Moms and dads, families and individuals all have a right to choose which medical procedures they engage in and to force kids needlessly into masks is abusive.

“Oregonians are tired of these dictatorial mandates from the Governor. One moment, she is pro-local control. Next, she puts forward unfounded and anti-scientific decrees like these. These newest mandates come with no limiting principle. COVID’s death rate is the lowest it has ever been thanks to the ever-growing herd immunity of Oregon’s population. Does the Governor expect Oregonians to take on and off the masks as she says until we have zero cases?  If so, this proves the Governor has a unrealistic mindset based on nothing but myths and fairytales.”

If we don’t stand for rural Oregon Values and common-sense… No one will!

Regards,

Dennis Linthicum
Oregon State Senate – District 28

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Latest Gimmick

Oregon State Legislature sent this bulletin Wednesday, august 11, 2020, by devadmin

Governor Kate Brown has successfully strangled Oregon’s health and vitality through unprecedented overreach regarding SARS-CoV-2. Her actions might have been “well-intentioned” but, regardless, they are fatal.

This year’s number of tragic deaths from suicide is outpacing prior year trend-lines. Additionally, suicide deaths currently exceed deaths caused by SARS-CoV-2. Pneumonia and influenza deaths also exceed SARS-CoV-2 deaths. Hospital utilization rates are being maintained at stable levels which are far below the numbers that would overwhelm our healthcare system. In other words, the SARS-CoV-2 “curve has been flattened.”

But the Governor is not one to be stopped by success. The latest gimmick is a proposed travel ban.

Yet there is no data suggesting Oregonians have been subjected to SARS-CoV-2 coming inbound from out-of-state sources. Air travel through Portland’s International Airport is nearly non-existent. Counties along Oregon’s borders with other states have suffered far fewer cases and deaths than the metro areas. There is no documented case-count spike due to wagonloads of settlers seeking a new life in our beautiful state.

Instead, U-Haul caravans are headed out-bound looking for freedom in other parts of our great nation.

The Infringements committed by the Governor, with the Democrat super-majority’s blessings, are too egregious to ignore. The executive branch’s preposterous parade of medical elites, bureaucrats and their media cohorts have needlessly frightened the people of Oregon.

Together we must stand against these unconstitutional, unwarranted and harmful actions. We must take a courageous stand for our sacred, God-given and Constitutionally guaranteed rights. The People of Oregon have already suffered too many indignities at the hand of the Governor and the Democrat super-majority.

Now is the time for change!

If we don’t stand for rural Oregon Values and common-sense… No one will!

Regards,

Dennis Linthicum
Oregon State Senate – District 28

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Heart-warming or Dirty?

Oregon State Legislature sent this bulletin Wednesday, February 5, 2020 by devadmin

I recommend that you read a couple of paragraphs from President Trump’s State of the Union:

“As the world bears witness tonight, America is a land of heroes. This is a place where greatness is born, where destinies are forged, and where legends come to life. This is the home of Thomas Edison and Teddy Roosevelt, of many great generals including Washington, Pershing, Patton, and MacArthur. This is the home of Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Amelia Earhart, Harriet Tubman, the Wright Brothers, Neil Armstrong, and so many more. This is the country where children learn names like Wyatt Earp, Davy Crockett, and Annie Oakley. This is the place where the pilgrims landed at Plymouth and where Texas patriots made their last stand at the Alamo.”

“The American nation was carved out of the vast frontier by the toughest, strongest, fiercest, and most determined men and women ever to walk on the face of the Earth. Our ancestors braved the unknown; tamed the wilderness; settled the Wild West; lifted millions from poverty, disease, and hunger; vanquished tyranny and fascism; ushered the world to new heights of science and medicine; laid down the railroads, dug out the canals, raised up the skyscrapers. And, ladies and gentlemen, our ancestors built the most exceptional republic ever to exist in all of human history, and we are making it greater than ever before.”

“This is our glorious and magnificent inheritance. We are Americans. We are pioneers. We are the pathfinders. We settled the New World, we built the modern world, and we changed history forever by embracing the eternal truth that everyone is made equal by the hand of Almighty God. America is the place where anything can happen. America is the place where anyone can rise. And here, on this land, on this soil, on this continent, the most incredible dreams come true. This nation is our canvas, and this country is our masterpiece. We look at tomorrow and see unlimited frontiers just waiting to be explored. Our brightest discoveries are not yet known. Our most thrilling stories are not yet told. Our grandest journeys are not yet made. The American Age, the American Epic, the American adventure has only just begun.”

“Our spirit is still young, the sun is still rising, God’s grace is still shining, and, my fellow Americans, the best is yet to come. Thank you. God bless you. And God bless America.”

President Trump’s message should have been heard as a heart-warming tribute to all Americans and our collaborative efforts to build a nation where people are free to pursue individual liberty. But all is not well in DC because the final scene from the televised event was Nancy Pelosi tearing up her copy of the speech.

I’m not suggesting that Trump’s speech should have been gold-leafed, framed and placed in Pelosi’s living room. Yet, we know that her purposeful televised shredding of those papers was meant to be divisive. When questioned about her actions she responded that she thought the speech “dirty.” Pelosi said, “I tore it up. I was trying to find one page with truth on it. I couldn’t.”

Given these two contradictory views for America, how do you think Speaker Pelosi would answer the following question? Which form of government would she prefer? Which would you prefer? Choose one, A or B:

A) People should govern government; or,

B) Government should govern people.

Now, back to Oregon, how do you think our Democrat-party super majority enclave would respond?

The reason I ask, is because of a much larger battle that is being waged across America.  It is a battle for ultimate control – control over the life of the individual.

Will the individual (AKA – the smallest possible minority) be allowed to run their own life? Or, will the powerful continue to manage, control, regulate, fine and tax that life for their own benefit?

Based upon the initiatives that were brought up during Oregon’s 2019 legislative session and the wave of new bills scheduled during this 2020 short “fix-it” session, the super majority’s appreciation for big government is undeniable.

The onslaught facing Oregonians is similar to a scene described by Homer, in his legendary masterpiece, the Iliad. He writes, “It is as when the ass breaks into a field and eats the standing corn, and the children of the village beat him with sticks. Their arms are weak, and the sticks are broken on the beast’s back, for he is slow in going, nor do they drive him out till he has eaten his fill.”

I wonder if this donkey will ever be full. Probably not…

Oregon’s super majority appears unconcerned about the growth of government and its own internal agencies that multiply faster than rabbits. Every session new organizational units are conceived on a bed of Utopian ideals. While each of these agencies has a limited scope and function, when administered in concert with thousands of other rules and regulations liberty becomes debauched.

The tangled web of controls, economic dislocations, and market interventions are skillfully crafted to lavish rewards on one group while taking from another. This is nothing more than robbing Peter to pay Paul. The well-connected receive their rewards in the form of projects, contracts, licensure, subsidies, protective regulations and monopolistic franchises that ensure the well-connected stay gorged at the honeypot.

Aided by well-heeled experts and powerful special interests, the onslaught of government growth is slowly dismantling our private property rights, local jurisdictional autonomy, independent decision-making and free-market choices. The result is a more virulent collectivism which demands higher tax rates, subservience to needless regulations and sacrifices of our individual freedom in the name of safety and security.

The aftereffect of this degraded liberty forces other businesses to lobby for their own legislative protections, or advantages. In turn, you, I, our families and our businesses are being slowly divided into groups of rulers or ruled, taxers or taxed.

Remember, Thos. Jefferson, cautioned the majority of his era with this message, “to be rightful, [they] must be reasonable.” Because, “the minority possess their equal rights, which equal laws must protect, and to violate which would be oppression.”

Now the question facing us is, how reasonable is the super majority?

Are they being reasonable with regard to gun control (must be locked at all times, can’t hand to another user, etc.), cap and trade (11% utility rate increase; 72¢ gas tax), mandatory vaccinations (for restrictable diseases), gross sales taxes (CAT), mattress taxes (for the homeless), auto-sales  taxes (for carbon-offsets), privilege taxes, hotel taxes (20% increase while renting a pillow), home-sales taxes, and new construction taxes?

Does the state of Oregon need more revenue? On the contrary, Oregonians need more freedom! Freedom from excessive taxation, regulations, fees, redundant licensure requirements and government agencies interfering in their families and businesses.

Our Oregon Constitution echoes this thought claiming, “all power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority, and instituted for their peace, safety, and happiness.” Government’s charter is for the expressed defense, support and protection of the individual along with all of his undeniable, self-evident natural rights and human dignity. The state, in our Founder’s conception, is meant to be the servant of the individual.

Join me and thousands of hardworking, law-abiding, Oregonians at the Capital building, all-day tomorrow morning, Thursday, February 6th.

Join with us to rally peacefully, stand up for our 2nd Amendment Rights, our private property rights, our right to run our own lives and businesses, our rights to earn an honest living for our families and our futures without punitive taxes, fees, and regulatory burdens.

Remember, if we don’t stand for rural-Oregon values and common sense… No one will!

Dennis Linthicum
Oregon State Senate 28

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Dispensing Favors; Wielding Power

Oregon State Legislature sent this bulletin Tuesday, January 21, 2020 by devadmin

Big problems are on the horizon with the Democrat super majority’s Short Session Swindle, otherwise known as the Cap and Trade Bill (LC19). The most troubling is the unrelenting control and absolute authority that will be handed over to non-elected bureaucrats over the 30-year life-cycle of the program.

Bureaucracies are most irksome and troubling when agency and department heads pursue agendas that vary from the goals of those elected to office. Elected officers can be held accountable whereas bureaucrats are free to reign. Administrative agencies become another branch of government. They exercise vast amounts of power and authority. They write rules, compliance obligations, sanctions, penalties and the methods for adjudicating discrepancies.

These issues will explode with exponential fury when the statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) agenda is set for the next three decades by people who will be long-since gone. The alphabet soup of agencies chartered to control Oregon’s productive economy may outlive as many as 7 future governorships. These agencies will saddle businesses with untold complex, capricious and unachievable goals while dispensing favors and wielding power. The bill’s effectiveness will not be judged by the stated emission targets but by the underlying controls handed to the bureaucracies and the dizzying tax revenues.

Cap and Trade schemes are attractive to governments because of a contemptible contrivance that generates revenue through bureaucratically set goals, taxes and penalties. These arrangements become “pay to pollute” virtue signaling efforts. Oregon will make money regardless of GHG emissions compliance. In essence, companies are free to pollute as long as they pay the state’s ransom.

LC19 states, “it is the goal of this state to achieve a reduction in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions levels in Oregon:

(a) To at least 45 percent below 1990 emissions levels by 2035; and

(b) To at least 80 percent below 1990 emissions levels by 2050. … to prepare for the effects of [global warming] climate change.” [strike-out in original text]

Global cooling went out in the 80’s. The global warming ‘hockey-stick’ was a disgrace. Now climate change is the new toxically undefined term that is being used to scare our children. Additionally, what scientific evidence proves that an 80% emission level below 1990 levels is the right target for a date 30 years into the future? Why was 1990 chosen?

The date arises from AGENDA 21, a worldview which captured the minds of the statists in Oregon leading up to United Nations Conference on Environment & Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The AGENDA 21 preamble states, “Its successful implementation is first and foremost the responsibility of Governments. National strategies, plans, policies and processes are crucial in achieving [its goals].”

Disguised under the global banner of foremost government responsibility, we can see the easily abused keywords: “plans”, “processes”, “strategies”, and “policies.” All of which combine to mean that you and I, as individuals, no longer count. It is the bureaucracies and their goals that matter.

If the term “statism” designates concentration of power in the state at the expense of individual liberty or business, then LC19 is a perfect storm of statism. It does not represent a new approach to government. It is not consensus government. It is merely a continuation of political absolutism where those with power keep their power and the rest pay their dues. It is no different than the absolute governments, monarchies, or random tyrannies that have plagued most of human history.

Our Founders, the Declaration and our constitutionally federated Republic argue for the individual, with Jefferson noting, “the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride.”

But the super majority sees things differently–they believe it is not up to you to decide whether vaping, vaccines, plastic grocery bags, straws or firearms are appropriate tools for your life and happiness–the government should make that decision for you.

Am I being over-zealous and bombastic?

Here are some recorded statements of AGENDA 21 policy promoters:

  • “Current lifestyles and consumption patterns of the affluent middle class – involving high meat intake, use of fossil fuels, appliances, home and work air conditioning, and suburban housing are not sustainable.” – Maurice Strong, Secretary General of the U.N. Earth Summit, 1992.
  • “Ski runs, grazing of livestock, plowing of soil, building fences, industry, single-family homes, paved and tarred roads, logging activities, dams and reservoirs, power line construction, and economic systems that fail to set proper value on the environment are not sustainable.” – U.N. Biodiversity Assessment Report.
  • “We must make this place an insecure and inhospitable place for capitalists and their projects – we must reclaim the roads and plowed lands, halt dam construction, tear down existing dams, free shackled rivers, and return to wilderness millions of acres of settled land.” – Dave Foreman, Earth First.

Do you wonder why the four dams on the Klamath River have been slated for removal; why the Pelican Butte Ski Resort was never approved; why your farm and water rights are under constant attack; why your electric rates are climbing higher; or, why there are new bike-lanes instead of new auto-lanes?

The current mindset has been in the global-socialist kettle for more than 70 years and has been percolating within Oregon for the past three or four decades. Governor Goldschmidt (D) created the Oregon Task Force on Global Warming in late 1988. The task force was composed of 12 state agencies charged to review current scientific knowledge and assess how global warming could affect the state.

In 2004, an advisory group created by Governor Kulongoski (D), chose the global warming target date, 1990, based on recommendations from another United Nations organization, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The advisory group notes, “This target is based on limiting CO2 to double the level that existed prior to 1750.”

Doubling the colonial population would get us to a US population of 8 million. This is far below today’s population where 320M people produce nearly $20T in GDP and export food, goods and services to the world.

Despite the hype, there are no renewable technological solutions that can get Oregon’s economy to a carbon neutral, carbon free, or fossil free state. Without high net-energy fuel sources, which solar and wind sources are not, our capabilities will quickly regress toward the past, perhaps, circa 1750.

In their mad rush for money, Governor Brown (D) and the super majority appear unwilling to acknowledge the technological constraints facing top-down bureaucracies. A free-market approach, where men and women can exercise their entrepreneurial spirit and sequester innovative breakthroughs, is the best hope, along with carbon sequestration through good forest management. Good stewardship comes from private resources combined with clear and well-structured property rights. Mobs and crowds are not good stewards, individual are.

Therefore, Oregon should preserve capital accumulation for businesses and families so that our collective prosperity can lead to better stewardship for Oregon and our planet. Otherwise, you and I, our businesses, our jobs, our families and our communities will no longer be welcome in Oregon.

Stand with me and other steadfast Republicans in stopping this bill or be prepared for the “the re-wilding of our communities.”

 

If we don’t stand for rural-Oregon values and common sense…  No one will?

Dennis Linthicum
Oregon State Senate 28