Monday, July 6, 2026

Letter to the Editor: Big A is Too Durable to Control



(Response to Pro-Lifers Must Recognize That Abortion Stops Only If Women Face Consequences)

amthink - schaper - Big A and Big Law - 2026 jul 6

Pro-Lifers Must Recognize That Abortion Stops Only If Women Face Consequences

The Pro-Life movement keeps trying soft approaches to end abortion, but the only thing that will stop the slaughter is for women to know they, personally, are at risk.

The Palestinian Cause: Narrative Over Truth, Every Time

Save California: After the Flag Waving, a Serious Look at Our Troubled Republic

 

Hi Arthur,


For those of us who have witnessed the steady slide of societal decay and have watched with alarm the ever-increasing occurrences of godless, animalistic anarchy, celebrating the 250th birthday of our country is more like celebrating an ideal than a reality.


For if the Constitution of the United States of America guarantees you freedom of speech and freedom of religion and freedom of self-defense and the right to be fairly judged in the courts, and your guaranteed pre-constitutional, God-given, natural liberties are parental rights and property rights and medical freedom, yet today's American culture threatens, oppresses, punishes, or eliminates your rights and liberties, we must ask: Is our constitutional republic alive or dead?

Since most Americans are government-schooled, with today's universities teaching young people to hate America, we're now faced with many "Americans" who actually hate the wonderful goodness that our U.S. founding fathers gave us.


According to a CNN poll released June 17, 2026:


Only 29% of Democrats are "very proud" to be an American

Only 27% of Democrats said they'd fly the U.S. flag on Independence Day


And a June 19-22 survey by The Economist/YouGov found only 8% of Democrats think the United States is the greatest country in the world. As Breitbart reported June 29:


Opinions vary significantly among political parties. Republicans are far more likely to describe America as the greatest country – 52 percent – followed by 28 percent of Republicans who said it is “among the greatest” countries.


Democrats, however, do not feel as proud. Only eight percent of Democrats describe America as the “greatest” country, while 16 percent said it is “among the greatest.” Stunningly, a plurality of Democrats, 23 percent, describe America as “worse than average” compared to other countries, and 15 percent said the U.S. is “among the worst.” Four percent said America is “the worst” altogether.


And to top it off, a June 30 - July 2 YouGov survey found Democrats value the "Black Lives Matter" flag more than the American flag (74% to 72%).


So, did America really reach 250 years, or is that its "body" only, and the "mind, heart, and soul" of America actually died decades ago -- but with God's grace and patience, has a chance to return and be restored?


This question is neither radical nor cynical. Because historically, the average "life" of a civilization is either 200 or 250 years. As researcher Michael R. Cronin wrote:


The Tytler Cycle warns that democracies tend to follow a predictable path from liberty to decline due to human nature and fiscal irresponsibility, with a commonly cited average lifespan of around 200 years. Sir John Glubb’s later research on empires suggested a slightly longer but still finite average of about 250 years. Both frameworks are frequently used today to analyze the trajectory of the United States as it approaches and passes its 250th anniversary in 2026.


In 2016, writer Reginald Pulliam quoted historian Alexander Fraser Tytler's solemn observation that a civilization's decay begins with forgetting God, triggered by the love of money replacing the love of God:


According to Lord Tytler, a Scottish Historian, the average age of the world's democracies is around 200 years. After two hundred years, the nations collapse due to various economic policies and [are] followed by a dictatorship. Lord Tytler identified "Eight Stages of a Democracy", from beginning to end. The eight stages go from bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence, and finally from dependence back to bondage. Life and our universe moves in cycles, and history is no different. So, in our Democratic form of a Republic, which stage do you suppose we are in?


Another valid question is, if the United States of America was founded as a constitutional republic, is it still that today, and if not, when did we lose it?


Our U.S. founding father and 2nd U.S. president, John Adams, a strong Christian, wrote these solemn words: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."


If Adams' words are true, it's arguable and logical that America ceased being a constitutional republic in the early 1900s, nearly 150 years after its founding. Here's evidence suggesting it:


1. Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat who was the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921, disliked how the Constitution limited the federal government, so he brutally attacked and redefined the Constitution.


Judge Andrew Napolitano explains the damage that Woodrow Wilson did:


America from its founding to the early part of the 20th century more or less enjoyed the James Madison model for the federal government.


Under this model, the federal government could only legislate, regulate, spend and govern in the 16 discrete areas of human behavior that the Constitution delegated to it. All other areas of human behavior were left free to individual choices or governance by the states.


From and after Wilson’s presidency, the Madisonian model was replaced by the Wilsonian one. Under this model, the feds could legislate, regulate, spend and govern in any areas of human behavior for which there was a national political will, except for those areas that are expressly prohibited to them by the Constitution.


It would take another generation before the courts fully caught up to this, during which they gradually permitted Congress basically to write any law, regulate any behavior, spend any money, tax any event and intrude upon any relationship so long as it did not confront an express constitutional prohibition.


2. Then, Democrat Franklin Roosevelt became president in 1933, and quickly grew a mammoth-sized federal government and eliminated the gold standard.


As Conservapedia reports:


...FDR remains a hero to liberals and heavily criticized by conservatives for shifting the nation to the Left, growing the federal government, imposing regulations on business, following a no-growth economic policy, catering to labor unions, and building a permanent New Deal Coalition. Conservatives further disagree with Roosevelt's concealment of his declining health from American voters in the 1944 election, and Roosevelt's weak stance towards the Communist Soviet Union which enabled it to gain control over Eastern Europe for the following half-century.


His New Deal was a very large, complex interlocking set of programs designed to produce relief (especially government jobs for the unemployed), recovery (of the economy), and reform (by which he meant regulation of Wall Street, banks and transportation), as well as Reelection (in 1936, 1940 and 1944) and Realignment of the Fifth Party System. Conservatives strongly opposed many, but not all, of the New Deal programs. Conservatives abolished most of the relief programs when unemployment practically ended during World War II. Most of the regulations on business were ended about 1975–85, except for the regulation of Wall Street by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which still exists. The major surviving program is Social Security, which Congress passed in 1935.


Conservatives at the time denounced his bids for presidential power, including building a national political machine through the WPA (it lasted from 1935 to 1943), attempting to take control of the Supreme Court by adding new liberal judges (an attempt which failed, 1937), and trying to purge the Democratic party of moderate-to-conservative congressmen (an attempt which failed in 1938). The failures of those attempts can be attributed to the Conservative Coalition which emerged in Congress in 1937 as a coalition of most northern Republicans and most Southern Democrats.


3. And then in the early 1960s, the Democrats and RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) on the U.S. Supreme Court killed off corporate Bible reading and prayer in American "public school" classrooms.


Is it any wonder that theft is rampant today? For the majority of American schoolchildren, through the 1950s, were taught the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20:1-17 -- until the unconstitutional SCOTUS redefined "establishment" and "religion" in the First Amendment.


As accurately reported here, in 1947, the U.S. Supreme Court redefined "establishment" in order to begin banning Christianity in the laws:


On June 25, 1962 and a year later on June 17, 1963 this country has staggered from a wound that it has never really recovered from. You might scratch your head and wonder what that might be. These two dates will live in infamy in this nation along with one from February 10, 1947. These dates are when Christianity in America was rejected in the public square and in the schools.


In February 10, 1947, the US Supreme Court decided the case of Everson v Board of Education. It changed the Establishment Clause in the 1st Amendment’s meaning from not establishing a National Religion to the current interpretation. The way the US Government treats religion is that one can’t practice it in public. The Court used 8 words out of context of a President Thomas Jefferson Letter that was written to the Danbury Baptist Church in 1801. This decision is one that the US Supreme Court needs to overturn along with the ones above from 1962 & 1963.


On June 25, 1962, the US Supreme Court decided that a 22 word prayer was unconstitutional in the case of Engel v Vitale.


“Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence on Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our country.” — the 22 word prayer that was the subject of the school prayer ban.


On June 17, 1963, the US Supreme Court decided in Abington School District v Schempp that Bible Study could not occur in Public Schools.


Since those cases SAT & ACT scores have taken a nose dive.


So, as we celebrate the 250th "birthday" of our country, let's remember the Bible-based founding of America, which made America great -- and blessed by God.


Because the Bible defines “freedom” to mean a) freedom from the bondage of sin, and b) freedom to obey God without punishment. 


This second definition was the rallying cry of our U.S. founding fathers, who desired biblical values rather than the tyrannical theft committed against them by the British Crown. Our founders called this independence.


So, Americans don't need "freedom" as the world defines it (which is to do whatever you want, which is the modus operandi of criminals and anarchists). Instead, we need freedom from sin.


Because, for this nation to be protected and blessed by God again, people need to see the Bible as their standard of truth, confess and repent of their sins, trust in Savior Jesus Christ to forgive them, and experience true freedom from the bondage of various sins.


And then, if most Americans, as John Adams described, become "a moral and religious people," they can give us back our constitutional republic. It's definitely worth fighting for!

A lady asked Dr. Franklin Well Doctor what have we got a republic or a monarchy—A republic replied the Doctor if you can keep it.

From Secretary of War James McHenry's journal of the 1787 Constitutional Convention


Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

Jesus Christ, Savior of the world and God in the flesh, in John 8:34-36

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Sunday, July 5, 2026

The Shot (Not a Mere Shout) Heard Round the World

 

 


"Concord Hymn" by Ralph Waldo Emerson

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

 

On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set to-day a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

 

Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.

 

On July 4, 1837, American Transcendentalist poet Ralph Waldo Emerson composed the Concord Hymn to commemorate the 1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battle of the American Revolution.

While all of us can connect to this moment because it gave birth to our new nation, Emerson had family and personal ties, as well. His grandfather, William Emerson, was the minister of the Concord church, and he was an eyewitness. Emerson's home, the Old Manse, overlooked the battlefield and the Concord River.

It’s a moving poem, whose devices and images should inspire us to this day to revere our country and recognize the immense sacrifice of farmers, blacksmiths, and humble colonial men who stood up to tyranny, asserted their rights as Englishmen, and forced a new country in the end.

In true Transcendental form, Emerson transforms the first bullet fired in the battle of Lexington and Concord into an eternal harbinger. Emerson invokes the Spirit of America, the American citizen, and the restless rustics who defeated the British Empire and beat out a path of freedom for the future. The legacy of individual liberty under the rule of law, which the British Empire neglected and then violated, animated our forefathers to demand redress for grievances from the Mother Country. When she refused, the colonists fought for their freedom and for a new country.

The first symbol of the hymn centers on the "flag to April's breeze unfurled." Our American banner of rebellion and revelation serves today as the signal to the world that the order of tyranny gave way to liberty. The "embattled farmers" were not sowing seed, but shedding blood, with their first shot "heard round the world."

And it was a shot. Not a mere shout.

The mythic history of the Americas starts with the Columbian proposition that the world is round, and now, "round the world," the New World fires away at the Old World. Another symbol connects tradition to truth, a timely action to a timeless legacy; the bridge that the Concord farmers crossed bore witness to their refusal to let the natural order of power and hierarchy diminish their righteous call for liberty.

The bridge "arched the flood." The arch represents the technological advances of centuries past, the wisdom of ancient men, which bolsters man's desire to be free from the forces of fallen nature. "Flood" suggests the great flood in Noah's day. Which wiped away the sons of God who slept with the women of this earth. The mighty progeny who menaced the earth so displeased God that He reached out to the last man, one who found grace in his sight. God bore him and his family above the floods. The waters washed away the wickedness of an old, corrupt order for renewal, much like the Americans did with the British Empire.

From the all-noticed "shot" that awoke the world to a new order, in which imperial giants fall before free men, the second stanza identifies "The foe long since in silence slept." Emerson defines the Enemy in vague terms, denouncing every subduing power seeking to subvert the proper substance of man: his free spirit.

Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;

Despite dispirited early days of the America Revolution, colonial forces rebuffed the Empire's attempt to empty the American colonists of their rights. "The conqueror silent sleeps", no longer having to guard their hard-fought freedom. Instead, the poet longs for a harder ground for the memory of what they did.

And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.


Not the Spirit of Liberty, but the force of time has ravaged the same "arched" bridge. The means of victory have disappeared, so the poet sings of the farmers who fired back so no one forgets. "The dark stream" can remind us of the inevitable oblivion of man's memory. Yet the next generation can prevent this loss and withstand the force of Time, just as the American colonists resisted tyranny.


Time wears, Nature works, but we can withstand both to remember those Farmers and their heritage which made our country.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set to-day a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.


The green banks and soft streams are novel, yet constant, eternal and enduring. Emerson wants us to treat our history of Independence with the same reverence.

Not a flag, not a bridge, but a stone of remembrance will stand in place to stop the eroding forces, similar to the Twelve Tribes of Israel, which established twelve such markers to remind the Israelites that their forefathers left Egypt to enter the Promised Land. No bridges were needed then, and for the writer of the Concord Hymn, instead of a bridge, a votive stone reminds the people what the Concord farmers did.

"Deed" and "Redeem" with cutting assonance, command our attention, and every historical marker seeks to do the same with every event.

Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.


The American Spirit inspired the farmers who fired "the shot heard round the world." They "dared to die" not just for themselves, but for their children. Let us commit to the same future.

On Independence Day, let us honor those farmers who withstood the British Empire, firing the shot that unleashed a new world. Following seven years of setbacks, near-misses, and finally consummate victories, the American colonists created the United States of America.

Though some suggest that America, the City on the Hill, has dimmed, they should remember that all it took to ignite the fight for liberty was "one shot heard round the world".

Let us leave the “Concord Hymn” with this parting thought.

It was a Shot, not a Shout, that the world heard. Shouts are easy to drown out—consider the October Revolution, the Nuremberg Laws, and Tiananmen Square. A bullet cannot be so easily ignored, but rather can overthrow the despot and the enemy.

It was a Shot, not a Shrug. The farmers risked their lives when their rights were at stake. They didn’t complain then retreat to their little farms.

It was a Shot, not a Shower. The fight for freedom is not easy, and the fundamental right to keep and bear arms ensured that the founders of the United States endured as a free country, not a vassal state of declining tyranny.

Why is British Somaliland Stable Compared to the Rest of Somalia?

  



(from Google AI)

Somaliland’s relative stability stems from three core factors: its unique legacy of indirect British colonial rule, a bottom-up peace process utilizing traditional clan elders, and a deliberate decision to re-establish independence along its original 1960 colonial borders. [1, 2]
Here is how these distinct elements created a functional, self-governing entity:
1. Distinct Colonial Legacy
Unlike the rest of Somalia—which endured the highly centralized, bureaucratic, and settler-focused rule of Italy—British Somaliland was administered with a light touch. Britain’s policy of indirect rule allowed local clan leaders and customary laws (known as xeer) to remain largely intact. This prevented the erosion of traditional, community-based leadership and helped establish a distinct political identity. [1, 2]
2. Grassroots, Clan-Led Reconciliation
When the military dictatorship of Siad Barre collapsed in 1991, plunging the rest of Somalia into civil war and state failure, the northwest took a different path. Through the Somaliland Grand Conferences, clan elders and the Somali National Movement (SNM) utilized traditional conflict-resolution methods to disarm militias and establish an inclusive, hybrid government that blends modern democracy with a traditional council of elders (the Guurti). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
3. Reverting to Original Borders
The territory declared its independence by dissolving the voluntary, 1960 union between the former British protectorate and Italian Somalia. Because it is largely populated by the Isaaq clan and their neighbors, it lacks the complex, localized clan rivalries and competition over central resources that have continuously destabilized the south. [1, 2, 3]
While it lacks formal international recognition, Somaliland operates as a fully functioning de facto state with its own constitution, currency, military, and history of peaceful, democratic elections. You can read more about how this divergence is viewed in discussions on the Reddit Geography or Quora forums. [1, 2]