Blog 2955 – 12.02.2023

1854 Meet Kirsten – America in 1854

What was America, the United States in particular, like in 1854? It was a far different place than today for sure. Six years before the War Between the States or the Civil War the country was divided over the issue of slavery and many others. We are today a very divided country but then there have always been great differences between the haves and have nots, the rich and the poor, those believing they have a God-given right to rule over others and those who believe everyone has an equal right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Even those last inspiring words from one of the country’s founding documents came from a white land owning and slave owning rich man who probably felt those words only applied to white men of means.

Three score and ten years (seventy years) after the founding of the United States of America the institution of slavery still held sway in this country. England had already ended it in their countries and all of their territories. The root cause of slavery was this notion of entitlement. We had gotten rid of the monarchy, but still the notion that some are better than others persisted and it still does today.

There is a line in the Book of James where he writes “God is not a respecter of persons.” That is quite an admission from a Jewish person for they believe that they are God’s chosen people. Antisemitism is at its root a hateful and jealous response to misunderstanding of what God or Love really is. It reminds me of the old Smothers Brothers routine “Mom loved you best.”

A good mom or a good God has no picks, no favorites. Ego or Satan, the accuser of the brethren, on the other hand always has a favorite horse in the race – me and mine and to hell with everyone else. Greed, gluttony, and war all stem from the myth of entitlement. Those politicians who yell the loudest against getting rid of “entitlements” are usually those who feel themselves most entitled and above the law.

Yesterday the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to expel a congressman from their midst who had flaunted all the rules thinking he like someone else we know was above the rules and that he would get away with it. He did not and neither will his idol.

Let freedom ring, truth, and justice for all. If any are denied the life, liberty, and justice to which we are all equally entitled then we all are the lesser for it.

Your friend and fellow traveler,

David White

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U2E5B1t4mnGE9ytw-TD9G7UMxs700-LE/view?usp=drivesdk

1854 Meet Kirsten – America in 1854