In 1806, Noah Webster published A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language. What made it so revolutionary was its new style of spelling, breaking away with English tradition (with clear French influences). As Paul Harvey tells it, this was the finishing touch to the American Revolution. Along with its subsequent editions, it established a foundation for words in the American variance of the English language. Not sure what a word means? Just look it up in Webster’s.

Life is no longer so simple or straightforward. Political Correctness, fringe movements that demand ubiquitous recognition, lawyers, educrats and historical revisionists have obfuscated language to the point where people actually say things like “It depends on what your definition of ‘is’ is.” With a straight face, no less. Orwell’s Newspeak has nothing on us hyphenated-Americans.

Patriot

Take the word “patriot” for instance:

A person who loves his country, and zealously supports and defends it and its interests.

Wow, that’s simple, straight-forward. Of course, today it’s been watered-down or rewritten to mean “a citizen”, someone who picks up litter, a community organizer, “citizen of the world”; or (negatively) a nationalist, or simply “idiot”.

Senator Joe Biden defines “patriotic” as paying more taxes.

Dissent

“Dissent is the highest form of patriotism” – Thomas Jefferson Idiot Unknown

Thomas Jefferson is oft misattributed this quote, but there is no evidence to support he actually said it. It is doubtful, not only because it is inconsistent with what he is known to have said, but mostly because it is a nonsensical statement and Jefferson is not known for nonsense.

Do these “patriots” dissent on increasing minimum-wage? Global warming? Universal healthcare? Higher taxes? Daring to ask about higher taxes? Do they dissent with the politicians for whom they voted? Are they so patriotic as to vote for politicians with whom they dissent? Of course not; that would be silly. No, such “patriotic” dissent only applies to anti-war protesting and personal hatred of George W. Bush.

It seems the left has difficulty with patriotism, as Webster defines it. Some talk about loving their country, but need these new pseudo-definitions to give them enough wiggle room to pretend something irrelevant they were already doing makes them patriotic.

Barack Obama

Patriotism, being a form of love, cannot be measured or quantified. Therefore, if someone claims to love America patriotically, we must take their word. After all, only God can look at the heart. All we can do is look at the outward appearance.

For instance, Senator Obama is the Democrat’s presidential nominee. They have decided he is their best and brightest example of everything they believe, stand for and practice. Surely, he is the most patriotic of them all, and his patriotism is representative of theirs.

Barack loves his wife Michelle. Yet would he have sat in the pews so unmoved for decades in a church where the pastor constantly points out her flaws, personally? Would he fail to notice him saying “God d--- Michelle!”? Let’s pretend he was away that week; do you think he might have heard about it? If she told him out about it years later, would he criticize her for “looping” that one quote, and lecture her on where he’s coming from because of his race, and that he could no more disown him than he could disown his grandfather?

What if William Ayers had bombed someone in Michelle’s family? Would he introduce him to their daughters as “a man in the neighborhood”? An “education reformer”? A “courageous individual who rescues hope from despair”? Would his little girls feel safe? Could they trust Daddy to protect them?

Did Barack woo Michelle by wining and dining her at her expense, while telling her he would take her money along with all her family had saved up and “spread the wealth” because she’s not redistributing fairly? And if she had the audacity to ask a question, would his sidekick laugh at her for having the American dream, while government cronies investigate her to shame her for not being properly licensed? Would he make himself look cool to his misogynous peers in San Francisco by talking about her ignorance in clinging to her religion? Would he attend lavish parties at the estates of her fair-weather friends and publically humiliate her, boasting “I’m going to make you a great lady. Why don’t you speak a second language? Why can’t you be more like socialist Europa or communist Chyna? They’re sexy; they’re cool.” Would he remove his ring at these girls’ homes?

Had Barack wooed Michelle in that manner, Oprah would be insisting she have her head examined. Had Michelle Obama suffered such verbal abuse from the pulpit, at her husband’s insistence and complicity, she would not have called it “love”; she would have called a lawyer (and not some constitutional lawyer inventing new imaginary “rights” out of thin air – that somehow magically undermine her rights). No, Barack is protective of his wife Michelle, shielding her from anyone who dares to ask an impertinent question. Suddenly, dissent is far from “patriotic”; it is a racist personal attack.

Had Obama put his children in harm’s way like that, would the nation be fawning over him or would everyone be screaming for child protective services to tear them away from him and lock him up forever? Fortunately, Obama is a fellow traveler, so his daughters were never in any danger in Ayers’ living room; the terrorist Obama thought was “reformed” is only dangerous to other patriotic Americans and their children.

It appears Obama does indeed care for, protect and even zealously defend those he loves. Sadly, it also appears America is not one of those.

It feels like we are watching a Jerry Springer episode entitled “America: low self-worth, no self-respect; needs a manipulative lover” or “Politicians who hate America and the voters who love them”.

The Cinderella Story

The list goes on and on, but let me wrap it up so simply even kids watching Disney could get it (alas, intellectual pinheads probably won’t):

Suppose Cinderella could vote on her new stepmother. She may not know whether the stepmother is wicked or not, but the ugly stepsisters are not nice, and treat her cruelly. “Dad, can we talk? How about you just get a good life insurance policy instead?”

(Note to all idiots, useful or otherwise: unlike those who trashed Palin’s daughter, I am in no way slamming Obama’s daughters any more than I am implying he will marry George W. Bush. The ugly stepdaughters are Ayers, Wright, Alinsky, Marx, Stalin, Castro, Chavez, ACORN, and more – get a clue!)

The Enemy of My Enemy

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” – Unknown

This ancient military axiom was the reason we allied ourselves with the Soviet Union to defeat Nazi Germany – even as we geared up for a cold war that would last longer and cost more. But to defeat the immediate threat, we had to set that aside until victory was achieved.

But if the enemy of my enemy is my friend, what does that say about the friend of my enemy? Why are so many Americans eager to defend those who mean us harm, those who speak ill of us, or simply look down their noses at us? Why is it more palatable to condemn Joe the Plumber than Hugo Chavez? Why are there fewer preconditions to meet with Ahmadinejad than Fox News? Why are we expected to “understand” radical Muslim/communist/European hatred for America, but not Americans’ love for America? Why must we empathize with Wright’s condemnation of America rather than acknowledge how America continues to be the country everyone else yearns to come to?

Many on the left constantly find themselves distancing – ever so slightly, rhetorically – from those who overtly hate America and mean it harm. But they never come out and condemn America’s enemies with the same passion, zeal and vitriol they express when condemning their fellow Americans who “dissent” with their views.

Who do they consider enemies? And who do they treat as friends?

The Last Refuge

“Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” – Samuel Johnson

Again, this quote is clever, but oversimplified. Brevity is the soul of wit (Shakespeare) but the people who buy into the “dissent” mentality are also vulnerable to reading it as “patriotism = scoundrel”. Of course the flag has been abused to cover up legitimate grievances. As a result, politicians are reluctant to criticize another’s patriotism (but many are quick to be “offended” at having their patriotism questioned – whether or not it is actually addressed).

Even commentators such as Rush Limbaugh, who are not personally running for office, often temper discussions with qualifiers such as, “I’m not questioning your patriotism; I’m questioning your judgment.” These qualifiers attempt to discuss really bad ideas that have extremely unpatriotic consequences but which need to be discussed as bad ideas rather than defending overzealous protestation against questions of one’s patriotism which were not actually asked but come through in the bad ideas proposed against one’s country.

I, however, am not focusing on the bad ideas in this essay. There’s plenty of discussion on that already, despite widespread apathy among those who should be examining platforms and history.

I am focusing specifically on patriotism. On love of one’s country – America, for those “citizens of the world” who resent borders, national identity, and, well, America.

And while I cannot presume to know what’s in someone’s heart, I can make an intelligent appraisal of one’s actions. Webster’s definition of patriotism includes not only loving one’s country, an abstract concept, but it also includes zealously supporting and defending it and its interests. Too often, we see more zealous support and defense of America’s enemies.

It is clear that Obama, and many like him, tolerate treatment of America that they would never tolerate towards their loved ones. And that kind of tolerance is, by definition, unpatriotic.

John McCain

This is not a resounding endorsement of Senator McCain. He has shown some serious flaws in his judgment. Not the least of which is his foolish approach of “reaching across the aisle” to work with opponents such as Senator Obama, whose unpatriotic tolerance of America’s enemies is intolerable. The friend of the friend of my enemy… gets to be a bit tangled.

McCain is quick to distance himself from anyone who says anything that might remotely be construed as offensive (for example, “Barack Hussein Obama”). But surprisingly, even though he knows lots of people (one of Obama’s explanations/excuses) I’ve never seen him linked to anyone who’s bombed the Pentagon, stomped on the flag, or preached “God d--- America!”

For all his faults, and lo they are many, John McCain loves his country. And he zealously supports and defends it and its interests.

John McCain is, by definition, a patriot.

In this election year where one woman was a candidate for the presidency, and another has become candidate for vice president, it has been noted with much celebration and fanfare that this comes on the 88^th anniversary of American women gaining the right to vote. However, it has also come to my attention that something even more significant coincides with that occasion.

John R. Lott, Jr. recently wrote a thought-provoking article researching just when government began to grow. And he exposes a very direct correlation between the two.

Now, before I have to ignore your charges of sexism and/or misogyny, let me point out that I’m not calling for the revocation of women’s suffrage; this is merely a statement of fact, an observation which will allow me to consider a related topic. Even Ann Coulter, who jokes about the best way to keep government from growing would be to take away women’s right to vote, is gushing over Sarah Palin – because of her policies, not her gender. (OK, the fact that a woman is a rising star while sharing her views doesn’t hurt.)

But seriously, what does any of this have to do with standing? With divorce? With trusting God? As it turns out, a lot.

Babel

From the Garden of Eden, man’s fall has come from failing to trust God, trusting himself instead, believing the fruit would make him “like God.” (Genesis 3:5)

A few generations after Noah, and again man is turning to community to reach out and defy God.

God’s chosen people came to Samuel and demanded “Give us a king; we want to be like everybody else.” (1st Samuel 8:5) Samuel tried to warn them that a king would draft their sons and tax them into poverty (“In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” – Benjamin Franklin); but God pointed out that it was Him they were rejecting.

In time they find themselves under Roman occupation. They pray for an anointed One – a Messiah – to overthrow their despised oppressors. But when God sends His own Son to establish a Kingdom not of this world, they reject Him, shouting instead:

Trust

“Trust in me….” Kaa, The Jungle Book

Whom do you trust? It’s a deceptively simple question. It’s easy to say “I trust in the Lord.”

Abram trusted in the Lord. But he and Sarai decided the Lord needed some help.

The disciples trusted Jesus; but only Peter got out of the boat. And he quickly found himself sinking, crying out “Save me!”

The story is told of a tightrope artist at Niagara Falls. After several successful crossings, he asked the audience if they believed he could make it across with a wheelbarrow. Everyone agreed he could. Then he asked for a volunteer to ride in it. Apparently, there is a difference between believing he could do it and trusting that belief with one’s life.

King Asa had a huge victory early in his reign. A decidedly lopsided David-and-Goliath victory where God gave him victory when he was mismatched ten-to-one. But when the neighboring kingdom began hostile measures, he made an alliance with an unbelieving kingdom, robbing God’s temple to curry their favor.

David, of the original David-and-Goliath fame, took a census in violation of God’s law, bringing God’s wrath on his kingdom. (The census is of able-bodied men of draft age; in other words, he was putting his faith in the size of his army).

Idolatry comes in many forms. In our culture, it is far less common to see people bow down to graven images or burn incense to them. But whenever we put our trust in anyone else, it offends God because it robs Him of His glory – something He does not take lightly:

In the Age of Enlightenment and Reason, we look down our noses at idol-worshippers, while leaning on our own understanding.

Enter Cæsar

No, I’m not talking about the Cæsar, or a Cæsar and certainly not my cousin named Cesar. I’m talking about a spirit of Cæsar. A spirit that whispers to us, like Kaa, “Trust in me….” A spirit that lulls us into a false sense of security in man, in institutions, in government, in leaders.

Generations upon generations, the spirit of Cæsar has sought to teach us how to create a man-made system that is better than God’s. The fruit. The tower of Babel. Give us a king. No king but Cæsar.

We need to expose Cæsar’s lies, contrasting them with God’s truth. Indulge me as I imagine an interview with Cæsar – on truth serum:

Money

I love conspiracy theories that claim the Jews, the Illuminati or the “New World Order” control all the money. It’s a hilarious decoy, because the fact is even if secret societies did control things, I’m still the one pulling the strings.

I create crises then step in as savior. And even as you give me power and authority, I create more crises, and still convince you that I am the answer. Stock Market crash? I’ll save you. Housing bubble? I’ll protect you. Depression? I will create a Great Society. Social Security. Savings and Loan bailouts. Welfare. Affordable housing. Each mess I create, I show up in shining armor to “rescue” you. Suckers.

The banks are too large to fail! Let me ensure the economic welfare of the country.

And in your desperation, like chickens with their heads cut off, nobody checks if I created the mess – nor to see how I “resolved” the troubles before. Your country or another, it makes no difference. I’m everywhere.

Education

I’ll educate your children. In fact, I’ll give them a free education. I will teach them that there is such a thing as a “free lunch” because they’ll never notice the taxes that pay for it.

Of course, if I’m providing the free education, I can’t let them learn about God (like I’m going to give my glory to another!). They can learn about that stuff at home – for now. Instead, I’ll teach them about evolution. I’ll call it “science”. I’ll teach them to be respectful and tolerant of other religions (other than Christianity).

And I’ll teach them Democracy, where they have the illusion of controlling me.

And I will prevent anyone from learning the true cost of my “free” education: the next generation. And the next.

Health

Health care is far too complex today. We have crises such as AIDS, breast cancer, environmental illnesses.

All the power I have gained through Education, I will expand through Health. The people will criticize how I take care of the poor, they will decry my treatment of veterans – and then demand that I care for them, as well.

And once again, my “solutions” will serve to bring people into a deeper dependency on me. You'll die unless I save you.

Environment

The end is near – and you are causing it. Don’t you realize you are destroying the planet? Acts of God? Are you kidding me? There are no more natural disasters, only man-made disasters caused by your SUVs and incandescent bulbs!

Once again, I need to step in and save the world. I will take broad authority over your insignificant lives to keep those pastures green. It won’t be easy, but sacrifices must be made. It might threaten the economy – but lucky for you, I’m there to rescue that as well.

None will be able to buy or sell without an Environmental Impact Study (my seal) in their hands. I will even stop churches dead in their tracks. Who can defy my authority?

Poor

Christians cannot be trusted to care for the poor. They’ll take care of their own first; when they do help others, they impose their “Gospel” as a price for their kindness. Not only is that intolerant, but they actually teach that “The poor you will always have with you.” They have failed as their brother’s keeper. The need me to be his keeper.

I will declare war on the poor. I mean, on poverty. You will trust me to eliminate it altogether. I’ll spread the wealth; redistribute it fairly. I’ll correct the social injustices that cause poverty in the first place. But you know I will create a perfect and “fair” society right here on earth. In your own land.

If you don’t like how I go about doing it, you’re just greedy, selfish. You just don’t want the less fortunate to have a better life. (Or at least a life closer to yours, which is easier to achieve by lowering your quality of life.)

Don’t you dare examine if I have ever achieved success in this domain either; any failures were due to self-interested people refusing to surrender even more power to me.

Justice

Only Cæsar can be trusted to be fair. Seriously, who else can you turn to? In fact, I’m so fair that I will rewrite fairness, redefine justice, and change everything to suit my needs.

Justice is no longer about right and wrong, it’s about “the little guy.” It’s about “rights”. It’s about power. It’s about me.

I will infiltrate all branches of government, legislative, executive, judicial, military. I will give greater rights to unlawful enemy combatants (terrorists) than to law-abiding citizens.

And I will not tolerate charges of perverting justice. What matters is my power.

Marriage

Covenant is an archaic word. In fact, the whole concept is archaic. It’s too rigid, restrictive. I will replace it with a license – granted by my authority. You know, like a driver’s license, or a dog license. I will reduce marriage to a contract with me, rather than a covenant with God.

In fact, since marriage is taught to be in the image of God, I will reshape it in my own image. Gay marriage? Sure, why not! Pre-nuptial contracts? Hey, it’s just a rider on a secular contract. Temporary marriage? Why bother; just shack up! I’ll still give you similar rights. In fact, I’ll reward you with a tax break.

Divorce

I love divorce! First of all, anything God hates, I’m going to love. Here’s a perfect opportunity to destroy those He made in His own image, by destroying the union He made in His image. Double the destruction, double the fun. How delicious!

Come unto me, all you who are burdened with an inconvenient covenant, and I will promise you rest. Happiness. Peace.

A lifetime? God doesn’t understand being married to someone so difficult, so impossible. But I understand. It’s an unreasonable demand. Irreconcilable.

Oh, the worship, the adoration. Rejecting God and His covenant for me and my destruction. What power that gives me! What authority. Why bow down to a graven image when you can sign on the dotted line and declare me to be sovereign even above God? You have no idea how thrilling that act is for me:

I said that way back when, and you prove it when you choose me over Him.

But wait, it gets better! Not only do I get to play God, to be God, but it’s the gift that keeps on giving. I get such powerful access and authority into your life with that act of idolatry. I’ll seduce you to believe that my way is the only way, then I’ll torment you with guilt over it! (I do that, you know.)

Don’t forget all the money I’ll take as you have to pay your lawyers, court costs, alimony – er, maintenance, child support, counseling, relocation, that second job you have to take to support all these expenses but actually costs more than it’s worth. But remember, I’m your savior there, too! (This is so rich!)

If you were testifying of God’s greatness, or His sovereign authority in your life, I just stole all your credibility. People will see my greatness in your life, my sovereign authority to fix things – as I see fit. In my image.

Best of all, the children. You failed to show God’s love to one another, so you have no idea how important that pure reflection of Him in your marriage is. Especially to your children. You just convinced them God’s love is not everlasting, that it cannot be counted on. But I will be there. For you, and for them.

Here I am doing my best in the public schools, but I could never be so successful in this one key area. Thanks to you, I achieve it in grand style. I’m working hard to steal the next generation, and you gift-wrap them and serve them on a silver platter.

Hope… Change…

Smoke and mirrors. Window dressing. Lipstick on a pig.

Sure, I’ll sell you hope – in me. And when your hope is disappointed, I’ll sell you more of the same. There may be nothing new under the sun, but I have marketing strategies that make it seem new and improved.

But in the end, it’s all the same: imitation god. God-lite. Non-fact sugar-free artificially-flavored pseudo-god. Idolatry.

I really don’t care how I get you to trust in me, or which sales pitch you buy. I don’t care which image of me you vote for. So long as you trust me rather than God.

Rebellion

Yes, my libertarian principles and independent mind do make it tempting to become a rebel-without-a-clue, and I have had to repent on more than one occasion. With practice, it is getting easier to read through Romans 13.

And despite the oft-forgotten fact that this nation was born out of a tax rebellion, I am not suggesting such defiance. There are humorous comparisons/contrasts out there between libertarians and anarchists (Anarchists ignore the IRS; Libertarians hire accountants and attorneys to fight them. Libertarians are organized in a political party; anarchists aren’t organized in anything. Anarchists ignore elections; Libertarians run for office, vote and lose.) and I am making a deliberate point of not condoning rebellion, especially on a spiritual level.

My point is not about obedience but faith, trust:

As we perform our patriotic duty in the voting booth this Tuesday, Cæsar is constantly tempting us to trust in him, that if we vote him more power, he will make our life better; he will save us.

Rather than voting on how “my government shall supply all your needs according to its riches” (see Philippians 4:19), remember that all Cæsar’s riches were originally ours. Rather than voting for how Cæsar promises to care for you from cradle to grave, remember you dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of your life. Rather than focusing on all the government promises to “fix” the nation, say with the psalmist,

And when Cæsar tempts you to trust in him, remember Jeremiah’s warning: