Sometimes Satan Leaves a Fingerprint

     Satan is sometimes subtle in his workings in the world--a little disinformation here, a whisper there. He is especially subtle when working to tear apart, or render ineffective, Christians and churches. A twist of scripture, his old standby since Eden, a wave of wokeness to wash away Biblical standards. In places where there are fewer Christians to influence their culture, Satan works more or less overtly, though by many different names. So I think it is both interesting and ironic that abortion rights supporters use the word "enshrine" to describe their efforts to counteract legislation of states like Montana that have narrower abortion requirements. Why not say guarantee? Secure? Why enshrine? Look at the following definitions.

shrine

noun as in tribute to a god, idol, or spirit

enshrine

verb (used with object)

 en·shrined, en·shrin·ing.

 

1. to enclose in or as in a shrine

2. to cherish as sacred

 

   That explains a lot. Because some supporters seem to think of abortion as a sacred right/rite that needs to be protected for the posterity of those who are not aborted, therefore, it does not matter if the baby feels pain or could live outside the womb. It does not matter if the abortionist is a physician or a witch doctor. For them this is a religious issue, but who are they worshiping at abortion's altar? Who exactly is in the shrine? My idol speculation tells me that for this legislation, Satan has shown his sense of humor in the very wording of the abortion advocates--enshrine. But it is also his seal of approval. This particular piece of Planned Parenthood propaganda, is so in tune with the spirit of Satan's, he left his fingerprint.

How to Spot a Witch Hunt

     Montana's Attorney General, Austin Knudsen, is currently under indictment for 41 counts of professional misconduct. The initiators of the lawsuit would have us believe that the timing, during his reelection campaign, is purely coincidental. Just like filing charges against Donald Trump, while he was a leading candidate for president, was coincidental. Either I am privileged to live in a time of amazing coincidences, or somebody is lying. Since I am also privileged not to be personally acquainted with many lawyers, I cannot speak to the legitimacy of the charges against Knudsen, but based on the original recommendation of punishment by a letter of censure, they are probably charges that could be pressed against any practicing attorney who strayed into the wrong political crosshairs. 

     But I do believe Knudsen is guilty of two crimes--1. He questioned the impartiality of the Montana Supreme Court, which was totally inappropriate because of his position as Attorney General; and completely unnecessary because most Montanans already knew they were not impartial. 2. His other crime is being a conservative in liberal occupied territory. Montana is blessed right now to enjoy leadership of Christian conservatives, Gov. Greg Gianforte and Sen. Steve Daines, but if Helena's capitol building leaned as far left as the officials inside it, it would have toppled over decades ago. 

     The kitchen sink assortment of charges against Knudsen is our local rendition of what has been happening to Donald Trump for months now. Trump's opponents have vilified and/or ridiculed him for describing the prosecution against him a witch hunt, but it's too late to obfuscate, too many of us know a witch hunt when we see one.

 

How to Spot a Witch Hunt

Are there over 6 charges?

Murderers typically have 3-4 charges against them. Mass murderers will have many counts against them, but the same few charges. Filing dozens of charges is not prosecutable, reeks of desperation, and uses the courts not only as a weapon, but as a sawed off shotgun.

Is the person being charged running for office?

Those running for office are in the prime hunting grounds for a witch hunt.

 

Can these unproven charges be used in future smear campaigns? 

Definitely. For instance, although it certainly looks suspicious that Zinke acquired 18 charges against him while in office, it also looks suspicious that none of them were pursued. Proof, who knew?

Have some of the charges already been disqualified for prosecution?

Most attorneys might consider having the Supreme Court disqualify some of their charges a clue that it is time to take a long recess, but not Jack Smith. Speaking of tenacity, months ago the Attorneys General (yes, I know it looks awkward, but that is the correct grammar) from several Blue states attempted to remove Trump from their state ballots because he had committed insurrection. Apparently, none of these lawyers were briefed by their staff, barber, or parking lot attendant that not only was Trump not found guilty of insurrection, he was never charged with it.

 

Is the individual bringing the charges staking their entire political future on a guilty verdict?

Desperation is the shortcut to dishonesty.

Are the prosecutor and judge related to one another by blood, marriage, money or lust?

If you followed the news at all in the past few months, you know this is not a theoretical question.

   Halloween will soon be upon us. Witch costumes will be in demand. But if people want an outfit that is really scary, they should put on their best suit, carry a briefcase, and go as a witch hunter.

The Blood of Babes

    I hate to repost this poem from five years ago. I hate needing to. In response to the Supreme Court's overthrow of the Roe vs. Wade decision in 2022, states like Montana, who enacted more restrictive abortion requirements, have been targeted with proposed constitutional initiatives to enshrine (their word, how ironic) abortion rights. These are not grassroots efforts within individual states, they are sponsored attacks by Planned Parenthood and their wealthy supporters. In our state this imported initiative is called CI-128. 

    I was in high school in the early 70's when Roe vs. Wade mated with an activist Supreme Court and gave birth to abortion rights. I did not always believe in God the way I do now, but even then, I suspected that he might exist and that I might have to answer to him someday, so I did not want standing up for the right to suck unborn babies from the womb stinking up my pile of good deeds. Later, as a Christian, I prayed for a reversal of Roe with a fervency like the black Christians of 1857 must have had when praying about the Dred Scott decision. The ruling where a racist Supreme Court found that, though blacks were undeniably human, they were also the property of their owners, therefore, had no personal rights. But perhaps our pro-life prayers were not as fervent as theirs, since Dred Scott was overturned by the abolishment of slavery only eleven years later and Roe's reign of terror lasted nearly 50.

    As my poem points out, there is nothing new about the "right" to kill babies. The main difference is that, throughout history that privilege had been the prerogative of the fathers, especially against their daughters, who were often considered a liability, instead of an asset like a son. Now we are more enlightened, and have placed those life or death decisions into the hands of the babies' mothers and, perhaps unintentionally, their abusive lovers, and/or sex traffickers. Since we are also more also enlightened now about fetal development from conception to birth, we are without excuse for pretending that the unborn, though undeniably human, are the property of their mothers, therefore, have no personal rights. CI-128 is not about keeping the government out of a women's reproductive rights, it is government sanction for wrongs against the reproduced. There are blood stains on this year's ballot, the blood of babes.

    

                                                 And Molech Smiles

                                            Long before the time of Christ,

                                         babies were sometimes sacrificed.

                                         Rolled on Molech's waiting arms

                                         into the idol's fiery tomb

                                         for a better crop, a bigger herd,

                                         future success by blood insured,

                                           or a father's whim to kill his child.

                                                    And Molech smiled.

                                            There were other ways

                                          in those barbarous days,

                                          babies died inside a womb

                                          ripped open by a warrior's sword.

                                          One less enemy to fight.

                                          But all in war is justified.

                                            One less mother, one less child.

                                                    And Molech smiled.

                                             We know the truth in modern times, 

                                           scan the unborn, so abortion finds

                                           its tiny target. Deaths the fiercest savage

                                           might scarcely comprehend.

                                           Dissected by a healer's hands

                                           with a smaller sword, of cleaner steel,

                                              we claim the right to kill our child.

                                                       And Molech smiles.

Body by Costco

      Ever since Shopko closed down, most of my wardrobe has come from Costco. Since I am there buying prunes anyway, or toilet paper to go with the prunes, if I see clothes that fit me (especially under $9.99), I buy them. And so do so many others. In almost any crowd, I can find another woman wearing the same shirt I have on. But clothes are just what covers my body, now my body itself is emulating Costco. Just like Costco is constantly relocating stock after hours so customers will be forced to search other areas of the store looking for it (and hopefully buy something they did not plan to) my body relocates my pain from where I left it at bedtime, to find in some new spot in the morning. So, in honor of my 68th birthday, I offer the following tribute to Costco, and my aging body.

My Body is Like Costco

My body is like Costco

who takes such great delight

in relocating things I buy

while I'm asleep at night.

 

But I'm not moving footwear

or protein bars or Gain,

my body likes to play around

with my arthritis pain.

 

For I may go to sleep at night

with pain in my right hand

and wake to find it's in my foot,

and I can barely stand.

 

My neck may hurt at bedtime

but I wake a little later

to find it in my lumbar zone,

my spine, its escalator.

 

My body is like Costco

but I should not complain

its adding some variety

to my old age and pain.

 

10/01/24  my 68th birthday