Your home for discussing politics, the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and the principles of liberty.
jeanpierre wrote:My awakening began when I learned in 1949 that the United States had shut off aid to the Nationalist Chinese during the Chinese Civil War because the Nationalists would not accept a coalition government with the Communist Chinese, and that a tremendous amount of money and aid in other forms had been and was still being given to the Soviet Union.
I don't suppose the fact that foreign aid is a violation of the U.S. Constitution means anything to many of you.
Juliette wrote:jeanpierre wrote:My awakening began when I learned in 1949 that the United States had shut off aid to the Nationalist Chinese during the Chinese Civil War because the Nationalists would not accept a coalition government with the Communist Chinese, and that a tremendous amount of money and aid in other forms had been and was still being given to the Soviet Union.
I don't suppose the fact that foreign aid is a violation of the U.S. Constitution means anything to many of you.
Generosity is in no way demanded or required by our Constitution or laws, yet it is an inherent part of America's cultural fabric. Compared to the rest of the world, American benevolence is unmatched. China, which boasts the second largest economy in the world, is one of the least generous nations on Earth when it comes to charitable contributions.
- GBHThe Book of Mormon narrative is a chronicle of nations long since gone. But in its descriptions of the problems of today's society, it is as current as the morning newspaper and much more definitive, inspired, and inspiring concerning the solutions of those problems.
I know of no other writing which sets forth with such clarity the tragic consequences to societies that follow courses contrary to the commandments of God. Its pages trace the stories of two distinct civilizations that flourished on the Western Hemisphere. Each began as a small nation, its people walking in the fear of the Lord. But with prosperity came growing evils. The people succumbed to the wiles of ambitious and scheming leaders who oppressed them with burdensome taxes, who lulled them with hollow promises, who countenanced and even encouraged loose and lascivious living. These evil schemers led the people into terrible wars that resulted in the death of millions and the final and total extinction of two great civilizations in two different eras.
No other written testament so clearly illustrates the fact that when men and nations walk in the fear of God and in obedience to His commandments, they prosper and grow, but when they disregard Him and His word, there comes a decay that, unless arrested by righteousness, leads to impotence and death. The Book of Mormon is an affirmation of the Old Testament proverb: "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people"
jonesde wrote:Juliette wrote:jeanpierre wrote:My awakening began when I learned in 1949 that the United States had shut off aid to the Nationalist Chinese during the Chinese Civil War because the Nationalists would not accept a coalition government with the Communist Chinese, and that a tremendous amount of money and aid in other forms had been and was still being given to the Soviet Union.
I don't suppose the fact that foreign aid is a violation of the U.S. Constitution means anything to many of you.
Generosity is in no way demanded or required by our Constitution or laws, yet it is an inherent part of America's cultural fabric. Compared to the rest of the world, American benevolence is unmatched. China, which boasts the second largest economy in the world, is one of the least generous nations on Earth when it comes to charitable contributions.
When someone takes money by force from one person to give to another, it is not generosity... it is a deceptive form of theft. This is what the US Federal Govt does with foreign aid. You don't see politicians standing up and creating an "office pool" to give to someone in need, you see them forcing others to pay for what they think is important, or what will benefit them politically.
Notice how so many wealthy people say "yes, please make me pay more in taxes" or "yes, I would be happy to pay more taxes". That is a subtle deception because they are not saying they want to voluntarily give more to the government, they are saying that they want the government to take more from more people and if that means they personally have to pay a bit more then they are fine with it. It's not generosity, it's a subtly deceptive form of stealing from neighbors for a cause they think is important.
The mainstream media and government PR about foreign aid is quite ridiculous. In a developed nation like Japan there probably was some real help, but in Haiti the word on the ground was that the money, food, and supplies went disproportionately to govt folks and their families and friends, and the people most severely affected by the earthquakes got little or no help. The result is their local oppressive government is strengthened.
In Latin America most foreign aid is used for political purposes. One example you run into all the time down there is free food from foreign aid that is stamped with the campaign logo of whatever politician is lucky enough to be charged with distributing it. In Africa there are many cases of local leaders charged with distributing foreign aid using it to feed their armies and even to buy arms to kill or oppress and control their people.
The USA is the biggest giver of foreign aid in the world, but that's not a good thing. That is a bunch of politicians stealing from people here and using it as part of their PR and campaigning to preserve their political power. That is a government that represents the biggest empire in world history, but one that does not run through direct control. This empire runs on the greed of people in power in foreign governments making it easy for the US Govt to buy them off in creative ways that can't be called "corruption" but nevertheless makes those local leaders and their families and friends extremely wealthy at the expense of the people in their countries. Along with the IMF and World Bank and the UN it is part of a program of oppression and control of the entire world.
A good book on this topic (one of MANY) is "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" by John Perkins. As much as any I've read it does a great job of summing up this global domination pattern without a literal military empire (or without it unless all other control techniques fail, as recently in Iraq, Libya, Egypt, etc, etc, etc and historically in Panama, Iran, and so many other places).
Juliette wrote:OK, This is a worthless Nation who has never done anything right. The politicians have always been corrupt, oh except of course for our founding fathers who wrote the Constitution.
All my life I have wished that I spoke German, because we should have never gone in and worried about Hitler. OH, and I think Japanese is a nice language also..
I understand what you are saying. But can't we give any credit to this great Nation. America is worth fighting for even if its wrong.

lost ark wrote:I echo the recommendation to read "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man."
However, President Benson is a bit more succinct. And speaks with greater authority.
“There is one and only one legitimate goal of United States foreign policy. It is a narrow goal, a nationalistic goal: the preservation of our national independence. Nothing in the Constitution grants that the president shall have the privilege of offering himself as a world leader. He is our executive; he is on our payroll; he is supposed to put our best interests in front of those of other nations. Nothing in the Constitution nor in logic grants to the president of the United States or to Congress the power to influence the political life of other countries, to ‘uplift’ their cultures, to bolster their economies, to feed their people, or even to defend them against their enemies.” Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p 614.
The American people have a great record of generosity and charity. The US Federal Government has no business, no authority, to be generous with our money.
Juliette wrote:OK, This is a worthless Nation who has never done anything right. The politicians have always been corrupt, oh except of course for our founding fathers who wrote the Constitution.
All my life I have wished that I spoke German, because we should have never gone in and worried about Hitler. OH, and I think Japanese is a nice language also..
I understand what you are saying. But can't we give any credit to this great Nation. America is worth fighting for even if its wrong.
Trying to slap myself awake..

believer wrote:Wow OI. Why don't you just slap her in the face?!!

Original_Intent wrote:We need to be more gentle in our education. I was accused of verbally slapping Juliette around, and I was trying to be nice.
We are not going to wake people up if when we introduce them to the truth we start out by making them feel two inches tall.
I think Juliette is truly desiring the truth. That's all that matters. That's rare, most are so emotionally attached to their "precious illusions" that they don;t even want to know the truth. They WANT the matrix because the matrix is a happy, upbeat place.
I think we should provide the wake up materials but be a little nicer about presenting it and remember that almost all of us have been in the position of being asleep. Did you find the waking up process enjoyable? I felt like I was going to puke for at least 6 months when I was first really awakended (by reading an Enemy Hath Done This by Ezra Taft Benson).
I wasn't trying to be harsh. And I am trying to show Juliette that hating the gadiantons who have seized control of our government is not hatred of the nation, in fact it is motivated out of love for the nation.
We need all the allies we can get as quickly as we can get them. We are shooting ourselves in the foot if we ridicule or are mean to anyone who starts to investigate. Certainly the OP was very naive, and like I said it could have been a presidential speech being regurgitated...I mentioned this to try to show her that she was responding to programming, not to make her feel bad. If we can avoid chasing her from wanting to learn, I am confident that she is going to do just fine. Let's be a little more welcoming, and to the extent that I was belittling I apologize. It wasn;t my intent. But sometimes I do get a little zealous to help someone wake up - sometimes a glass of ice water does the trick, but sometimes it just ticks the recipient off.
lundbaek wrote:"America has a destiny--a destiny to conquer the world--not by force of arms....a conquest that shall bring, through the workings of our owm example, the blessings of freedom and liberty to every people....in a reign of peace to which we shall lead all others by the persuasion of our own righteous example. - Excerpted from a talk by President J. Reuben Clark, 24 February 1944, Los Angeles, California, See "A Glorious Standard For All Mankind" by CS Bentley, Pg. 152
"The U.S. Constitution was God's order of things for the government of men, and it should roll forth to fill the whole earth. - Melvin J. Ballard, October 1918 General Conference, See "A Glorious Standard For All Mankind" by CS Bentley, Pg. 151
From these two statements, from D&C 101:77, D&C 109:54, and from certain other statements by latter-day prophets and apostles, I conclude that the Lord would have like for members of His Church to have espoused and promoted the principles of the US Constitution to an extent that, with His help, they would have flourished in America and served as an example that people in other nations would have wanted and even clamoured for, and ultimately achieved in their own lands.
Instead, however, over the years the large majority of LDS voters have, thru neglect and/or promotion of unconstitutional initiatives, legislation and government programs, contributed to the discarding of the principles of the US Constitution to an extent that without a major "cleansing of America" by the Lord there seems to be no way the principles of the original US Constitution can be introduced to the people in other lands.
So instead of the Lord's blueprint of government being exported to other nations, political persuasions have been and still are being imported into America that are surely abhorrent to the Lord and should be abhorrent to all members of His Church.
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