3-11-24<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Certain phrases catch the public\u2019s attention all the time, appearing and disappearing. Some legitimate ideas have names that fade; some casual terms become part of the language. Among the latter, I was reminded this week as I wrote an essay for RealClearPolitics, is \u201cticket\u201d \u2013 as in a political party\u2019s slate of candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Until 1888, generally, the separate political parties printed the ballots that voters used at polling places. This was less for the sake of convenience than it was to influence and, especially, hold voters under the watchful eyes of party workers at polling places. Those printed \u201ctickets\u201d were large and colorful and could be seen as voters inserted them in glass bowls (further eliminating secrecy) and in some districts voters were obliged to state their preferences aloud!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Times have changed. Coercion and corruption might be as pervasive, only subtler, today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyway, \u201cState Of the Union\u201d is a phrase that is uttered uncountable times around this time every year. The Constitution uses the term, but not capitalized, as it urges but does not require the president to deliver what is, in effect, a corporate report on the government. Article II, Section 3: The president \u201cshall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more than a century the information was delivered as an \u201cAnnual Address,\u201d although it was transmitted only in writing until 1913. Occasionally, presidents skip the report\u2026 but recently, of course, it has become an elaborate production with applause-lines, guests to be introduced, and as a prime-time televent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Routinely the presidents have assured the country that \u201cthe state of the union is sound.\u201d But it has morphed into a shopping-list of priorities and legislative wishes. Occasionally, as this year, it is a virtual convention-style rally and an opportunity to scold political rivals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since the phrase is bandied about these days, I propose thinking about the state of the union in terms that presidents no longer confront.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The state of the union \u2013 let us say the spiritual state of the union; the real <\/em>state of things; the health and well-being of our society \u2013 sucks. I apologize for using that term, but its general acceptance (as you will note unless you don\u2019t watch TV or read newspapers or overhear little children chatting) actually illustrates my point. Our standards have been lowered; our discourse has grown coarse; our self-respect is disappearing. Otherwise I apologize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it is almost impossible to use words and phrases or point to shocking news and statistics in order to make my point about the real<\/em> state of the union. Crime is rampant. Drug use is widespread. Almost half of births are to single mothers. Many school districts are \u201cgraduating\u201d students who are functionally illiterate. Half of marriages end in divorce. Neglect, abuse, addiction, suicide, and such malignancies touch almost every family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Such problems have been trending, if not cascading, in recent years. But newer pathologies are parts of the state of the union. The government\u2019s excessive spending sprees will bankrupt our children. And foreign wars bankrupt our resources. An invasion by hordes of Unknowns is changing the state of the \u201cunion\u201d in incalculable ways. A tsunami of drugs kills millions. Smash-and-grab crime and unpunished criminality make daily life a dangerous proposition in cities and towns. Censored thought, a \u201ccancel culture,\u201d inhibits free speech, free association, free thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n America has always faced challenges and problems, even occasional crises, but by no measure can we claim to live in a Land of the Free anymore. The economy is unstable; daily activities are danger-filled; the future is uncertain. Such is the state of the union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, yes, a majority of the population no longer believes in God. In this <\/em>case, we may ask, which is the chicken and which is the egg? No matter: it is a rotten egg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My weekly essays promise to \u201cput a spiritual song in your heart.\u201d Today, am I committing false advertising? Well, things are rotten; and things s\u2026 stink. Neither wishing nor lying about our state of affairs will make them different. Students of Bible prophecies can discern some news about End Times that we might see, as through a glass darkly. The anti-Christ? We see signs. A ten-nation confederation? That might be the European Union. The \u201cKingdom of Rosh\u201d? Russia, perhaps. But we see no hint of the United States in those scriptures. Will there be an America in the world\u2019s next days?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am glad that the Bible is ambiguous about certain things. For instance, there will be a period of Great Tribulation, and scholars are unsure at what point Believers will be \u201craptured\u201d \u2013 taken to Heaven, as predicted often throughout the Bible. But it will happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Worldly people believe all manner of things, some of them nonsensical. I used to be Editor of Marvel Comics; I know what kids are eager to believe. Adults, too: Many people have \u201citching ears\u201d for lies and nonsense. But the End Times \u2013 the \u201cMidnight Cry\u201d \u2013 is not strange in the sense of being un-believable. It is very believable\u2026 indeed is to be hoped, and embraced. At midnight there was a cry made… watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.<\/em> \u2013 Matthew 25:13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the meantime, let me say: If you don\u2019t know Jesus, you can go to hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ah. For this<\/em> phrase I will not apologize. Because you will<\/em> go to hell. When He comes at the End of Time it will be too late to alter your destiny. The Bible tells us to recognize the \u201csigns of the times.\u201d It is not a difficult thing \u2013 look around you, at the state of the union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we work to make things right again, whether we succeed or not, it is our calling. And as we work, seeing the Right as God gives us the vision, knowing that we will meet Jesus in the air, we can <\/em>have a spiritual song in our hearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n + + +<\/p>\n\n\n\n Click: At <\/a>the<\/a> Midnight Cry<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 3-11-24 Certain phrases catch the public\u2019s attention all the time, appearing and disappearing. Some legitimate ideas have names that fade; some casual terms become part of the language. Among the latter, I was reminded this week as I wrote an essay for RealClearPolitics, is \u201cticket\u201d \u2013 as in a political party\u2019s slate of candidates. Until […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1773,63,2797],"tags":[2278,2267,2277,993,3880,3881],"class_list":["post-7493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-end-times","category-hope-2","category-judgment","tag-chuck-day","tag-gold-city","tag-greg-day","tag-ivan-parker","tag-mt-paran-church-marietta","tag-warren-landrum"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1bRYz-1WR","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mondayministry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mondayministry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mondayministry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mondayministry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mondayministry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7493"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.mondayministry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7504,"href":"https:\/\/www.mondayministry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7493\/revisions\/7504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mondayministry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mondayministry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mondayministry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}