In the scandal-a-day political milieu that has become the second term of the Obama Administration, truth appears to be a relative concept.  Historians, with the advantage of hindsight, will undoubtedly have a better perspective on the impact of current revelations that have cast doubt on the direction that our country is taking.

As the American public collectively scratches its head over issues of domestic and foreign intrigue, many Americans are coming to the conclusion that our citizens are losing their personal freedoms and our country is losing its sovereignty to the relentless advance of globalism

While maintaining a free society undoubtedly requires “eternal vigilance,” Americans must – for our society to function – have more than a modicum of trust in our government officials, judiciary, law enforcement, and military.  Our Founding Fathers, distrustful of the abuses of centralized power, placed limits upon the federal government in our Constitution and enumerated individual rights and freedoms in the accompanying Bill of Rights.

Yet today, our government operates under a cloak of secrecy at a level that appears beyond that required to protect us from our enemies, a level above that which is needed to keep state secrets, a level that appears designed to shield the American public from the missteps, indiscretions, and power grabs of our elected and non-elected leaders of all political persuasions.

As large numbers of Americans, whether unemployed or under-employed, are still reeling from the Great Recession, each of our political parties appear to have its own agenda.  Both Democrats and Republicans seem intent on driving their own political positions, to the detriment of the American people.  Each party, it seems, has their own cable news network to spin their positions and those of their political adversaries.  The truth, lying somewhere in the middle of the extremes of liberalism and conservatism, is lost.

The question of truth arises in yet the latest scandal, arising from the leaking of information about NSA espionage involving telecommunications and emails of American citizens by a low-level employee of a government contractor.  Is the young man, Edward Snowden, who had access and leaked this information a hero whistleblower, a patriot; or, is he a traitor?

Mr. Snowden knowingly broke his employment contract by his action, as well as the conditions of whatever level of security clearance he held.  After his pronouncement, he fled – his last known whereabouts in Hong Kong.

Characteristically, some members of Congress have already dubbed him a “traitor” while others have called him a “patriot,” likening him to no less a personage than Paul Revere.  Former Texas Congressman Ron Paul has expressed concern that he may be targeted for assassination by his own government.  Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, has offered Snowden asylum.

Snowden has a difficult choice to make.  He can choose to return to the United States and face the music, or he can accept the Russian offer or continue to live on the lam like the fictional Philip Nolan in Edward Everett Hale’s The Man Without a Country.

If he does come home and there is a public trial, it likely would divide the country.  Was Snowden someone who betrayed secrets that will cost U.S. lives?  Or, did Snowden put the American people ahead of his own life and liberty?

Perhaps, Snowden has reason to hope.  During the Vietnam War, a young movie star traveled to North Vietnam – denouncing American foreign policy and giving aid and comfort to the enemy.  Far from being punished or even censured for her actions, Jane Fonda was celebrated.  This is the same Jane Fonda who has been an ardent supporter of various liberal causes and President Obama and who appeared on a 1999 Barbara Walters ABC special titled A Celebration: 100 Years of Great Women.

In a brief interview shown on TV, Edward Snowden commented about his action and stated that it was not his intent to leak classified information, but to alert the American public to actions by our government that infringed on the Constitutional rights and liberty of American citizens.

Snowden’s actions may ultimately prove a blessing in disguise.  Perhaps, the NSA and all government agencies may reform he way they deal with contractors and the way in which those contractors classify their employees and provide them access to sensitive or critical information.  The situation beckons the question, how could a low-level employee with minimal education gain access to information that could breach our national security?

Regardless of the answer to that question, Snowden’s actions have shaken the NSA and our entire federal government, as well as heightened the level of distrust that Americans have for their government.  Attributed to Thomas Jefferson is the expression “When the people fear the government there is tyranny, when the government fears the people there is liberty.”  In a free society, each of us must come to our own conclusion.  Who do you trust more, Edward Snowden or the federal government?

In the past year, a series of scandalous secrets have been uncovered that have Americans questioning whether they do indeed live in the the land of the free and the home of the brave.  The coverup of the terrorist attack on our embassy in Benghazi, harassment and illegal targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the potentially chilling abuse of the privacy rights of Associated Press (AP) reporters and editors by the Justice Department, and most recently, the large-scale violation of the privacy and liberty of ordinary American citizens by the National Security Agency (NSA) has caused great concern to American citizens and Congress about the intentions and credibility of the present administration.

Congressional hearings meant to ascertain the truth of these matters have been met with a blatant lack of cooperation.  When quizzed about their motivations and actions, Department Heads of the Inspector General’s Office and the IRS stated that they acted in accordance with government policy.  Further questions, however, received “I don’t know” responses and an invocation of one respondent’s Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, begging the question – “what are these officials hiding?” and leaving investigators flabbergasted and frustrated.

Far from the “transparency” in government promised by a President who offered “hope” and “change” to a populace tired of government misdeeds, our current state of affairs has left the American people as bewildered as those on the Congressional committees investigating these scandals.  Straightforward questions have provoked amnesia in witnesses and demonstrated the arrogance of those in positions of power who have and are making a mockery of our system of government.  During all of these events, our President has been curiously silent, leaving the average citizen to wonder, “What secrets is our government hiding from us?”

Considering the question of government secrets, however, is like opening Pandora’s Box.  As new government scandals and coverups become more prevalent, it is no longer just conspiracy theorists who revisit and wonder about any of a number of other potential government secrets – everything from the 1947 Roswell UFO incident to the existence of Bigfoot to efforts to control and weaponize weather to Operation Fast and Furious to the secret workings of the Plum Island Animal Disease Center of New York.

During World War II, the Manhattan project was the code name for the secret development project that created the atomic bomb.  Privy to only a few high-ranking government officials, information on the project was shielded from no less a personage than then Vice President Harry S. Truman.  Only upon his ascension to the Presidency did Truman learn about the project.

How many more secrets is our government keeping from us?  Is it possible that reports of UFO wreckage and bodies of alien crew members from the Roswell, New Mexico UFO incident and other such occurrences reside in secret facilities such as Area 51?

Has our government learned the truth about Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and other large apelike creatures that have been sighted in various locales throughout the world?  And, has it discovered that these creatures are space aliens?  (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-franklin-ruehl-phd/is-bigfoot-possibly-an-alien_b_1578844.html)

Is our government experimenting with ways to control and even weaponize weather and climatic change?  Is the U.S. Department of Defense’s HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program) initiative actually an attempt to control climate and weather by bombarding the ionosphere with radio signals?  And, are the massive F5 tornadoes that have wreaked havoc in our nation’s heartland a result of the Frankenstein effect caused by misguided government research and experimentation?

Was the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF’s) Operation Fast and Furious really an attempt to track illegal guns back to the leaders of Mexican drug cartels, or an effort to proliferate illegal guns in the hope of spawning gun violence in an attempt to color public opinion in favor of the Obama Administration’s policy of curbing and ultimately eliminating legal gun ownership in violation of the Second Amendment?

And, are the recent findings of dead “monsters” – including the Montauk (NY) Monster, the Northville (NY) Monster, and the East River (Brooklyn, NY) Monster – not a raccoon, dog, or pig as identified, but the result of top secret experimentation by the federal facility on Plum Island?

Yes, the U.S. government is fraught with secrets.  Some secrets are justified to maintain national security.  Too often, however, “national security” is the mantra recited by government officials to subvert investigations into abuses of power.  The nature of a centralized government and those leading it is to continuously seek to assume more power over its citizens.  The liberty to which we as Americans have become accustomed has been under constant assault since our nation’s founding and has never been as tenuous as it is today.  Technology has provided government with information gathering and storage capabilities that threaten to virtually eliminate personal privacy.  To maintain liberty, citizens must be ever more vigilant in identifying, publicizing, and rooting out abuses of power at all levels.  Otherwise, America as we have known it my cease to be the “land of the free.”

It’s not only in England that there is great interest in Queen Elizabeth II.  At one time, the British Empire extended all over the world.  According to the online source Wikipedia, the Commonwealth of Nations (formerly known as the British Commonwealth) now consists of over 50 sovereign states.  Many of these were colonies in the British Empire.  As a result, today people all over the world want to know any news about the queen or her family.

Interest in the royal family definitely continues to be very great in one of these nations – Australia.  During the Queen’s most recent visit there in 2011, thousands turned out to greet her.  You can see a very brief video here:

(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/queen-elizabeth-II/8857106/Royal-tour-of-Australia-The-Queen-ends-visit-with-traditional-Aussie-barbie.html)

More recently, the news media sprang into action when it was learned that Kate, Duchess of Cambridge and wife of the queen’s grandson Prince William, had been hospitalized for acute morning sickness.  In Australia, a pair of radio announcers (Mr. Michael Christian and Ms. Mel Greig) thought they had found a way to entertain their listeners in connection with this.  They decided to call the London hospital where Kate was being treated.

The phone call went through and, by impersonating Queen Elizabeth II and her son Prince Charles, the two were able to get confidential information about Kate’s condition.   The first nurse with whom they spoke was a woman named Jacintha Saldanha.  She believed the callers were genuine and cooperated with them.  A short while later, the radio station revealed the prank and broadcast details about Kate’s condition.   The phone call took place on December 4, 2012.  A couple of days later, on December 7, Jacintha Saldanha was found dead in her apartment.  She had taken her own life.

After this incident, a great deal of anger was directed at the two announcers.  When it was revealed that the radio station’s management had to approve the decision to broadcast the recorded call, many people became angry with them too.  Of course, no one at the radio station could have foreseen the prank’s result.

God’s Laws Protect Us

Sadly, many people view God’s laws as restrictions on their freedom.  The fact is, the freedom they have in mind is actually harmful – either to themselves or others.  Only God knows whether or not a silly prank will result in tragedy.   However, by following God’s laws people can often guard against unexpected outcomes that might be harmful to themselves or others.

The Australian radio station’s prank illustrated their disregard for truth, and the Bible has a lot to say about truth.  In fact, we find that word over 200 times in the King James Bible.  Besides those verses, God has much more to say about this matter.  In Exodus 20:16, we read:

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.    

This is one of the Ten Commandments.  Even though it doesn’t have the word “truth,” it is obviously telling us that we need to be truthful.  God even warns us about the danger of pranks.  In Proverbs 26:18-19, we read:

As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death,  So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?

Pranks involve deception, and this verse is concerned with the act of deceiving one’s neighbor “in sport.”  That’s exactly what happens in a prank.  Everyone is supposed to laugh when it’s over; but it doesn’t always work out that way.

Another verse is also relevant when we consider God’s view of pranks.  In Leviticus 19:14, we read:

Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD.

Someone might think it’s funny to speak unkindly about a deaf person who is present in a group, or to cause someone to trip because he or she can’t see an object in the way.  In this verse, God warns against doing such things.  (Of course, we know that many verses teach on more than one level.  Leviticus 19:14 appears to be one of these and to also be concerned with the harm caused by bringing a false gospel.)

Truth is a Characteristic of God’s People

Only God can see someone’s heart and only He knows whether or not anyone is saved.  In some verses, He tells us about differences He sees between saved and unsaved people.  In Psalm 15:1-2, we read:

LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?  He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.

Here we learn that a person who “speaketh the truth in his heart” will be in the Lord’s tabernacle and “dwell in thy holy hill.”  About a thousand years after King David recorded that verse, God gave us another verse with a similar idea.  In Revelation 21:27, we read:

And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

In contrast to those who love truth are those who “defileth,” or “worketh abomination” or lie.   They will not be able to enter.  Earlier in chapter 21 of Revelation, God tells us about the place they won’t be able to enter.  It is the new Jerusalem, which represents all the elect and is in the new heavens and earth.

In Psalm 15:1-2, God mentions His tabernacle and His holy hill; in Revelation 21:27, He refers to the new Jerusalem in the new heavens and earth.  These are different ways of telling us the same thing: those committed to truth will be with the Lord after this earth and universe no longer exist.

This will happen on the last day, when all the unsaved people of this world are destroyed along with the remains of all the unsaved people who have died since the world began.  Revelation 21:8 tells us about the fate of these people:

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

God Tells Us About Truth

Usually when we read or hear about truth, we think of it as a dictionary defines it.   Something is true if it is in accordance with the facts or with reality.  On the other hand, a lie is not in accordance with all the facts or reality.  When God tells us not to bear false witness against our neighbor (Exodus 20:16), He is commanding us to be truthful in our dealings with everyone.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:10, we read that a love of the truth is needed in order for someone to be saved:

And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

The word translated in this verse as “truth” is Strong’s number G225 (aletheia).  It is helpful to see how this word is used in some other verses.  John 17:17 is one of them:

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

This verse is from a prayer by the Lord Jesus for His disciples on the last evening He spent with them.  Here, we see that truth is identified with the word of God, which is the Bible.  Since a love for truth is required in order for someone to be saved, it follows that a love for God’s word will be characteristic of anyone who is a child of God.

Another verse in which G225 appears is John 14:6:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Notice that in this verse the Lord Jesus tells us that He is truth.  So we see that truth is identified with God Himself.  It is only possible to love truth if we love God.

Conclusion

People all over the world learned about the Australian radio station’s prank and its sad aftermath.   This is because it involved the media and the Queen’s family.  However, we may be certain that many pranks that never made news headlines resulted in much suffering and even tragedy.  It is sad to think that there is even a day every year – April Fool’s Day – when people believe it is permissible or even expected of them to participate in a prank.  This clearly shows that the world does not have a love for truth.

On the other hand, a love for truth is a characteristic of God’s people.  In fact, we may say they love truth in three different ways.  First, they love truth because they would not want to violate the commandment against bearing a false witness (Exodus 20:16).

Secondly, God’s people look to the Bible as their source of truth and help in many ways.  John 17:17 tells us “thy word is truth.”  God’s word, which is the Bible, is also referred to as God’s law in many verses.   One of those verses is Psalm 119:163:

I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love.

Therefore, God’s people love truth because they love God’s word, which is His law.  As God works in their lives, He draws them to His word.

Thirdly, God’s people love truth because they love God.  Romans 8:28 tells us:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Recall that the Lord Jesus told His disciples “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).  If someone loves truth as God wants him or her to love it, that person loves God.

At a time when God no longer restrains evil in the world, we may expect to see an increase in every type of wickedness – including pranks.  God’s people, on the other hand, know that pranks are a violation of truth.  The Bible tells us what it means to love truth, and Romans 8:28 tells us that God works in the lives of those who love Him.  These are the elect for whom all things work together for their good.  We can be sure that this work involves drawing them to truth.

Popular wisdom states that “every dark cloud has a silver lining.”  It also warns that “those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.”

Now that the perpetrators of the Boston Marathon bombing have been tracked down by the capable efforts of the FBI, local police forces, and a vigilant citizenry, the residents of Boston and its surrounding area can breathe a sigh of relief.  Once again, in a city to which some refer as the “cradle of liberty,” American national security has been restored as it has “met the enemy and they are ours.”

Yet, as we bask in the warm sunshine of justice served and a return to business as usual, we must come to terms with the fact that our current enemy is unlike those whom we have met and defeated in the past.  Radial Islam, unlike Nazi Germany or Japan, knows no borders or nationalities.  It is populated by zealots who will continue to foment terror and perpetrate jihad until they subjugate the entire world or are exterminated from it.

In the years following 9/11, Americans have been lulled into a false sense of security by our “war on terror.”  Yet, what has this “war” really accomplished?  Iraq continues to struggle with its fledgling democracy.  The Taliban are regaining strength and will likely reascend to power when American forces leave Afghanistan.  And, most significantly, in the last four years jihadists have carried their fight to American soil – included among these the underwear bomber, the Times Square bomber, the Fort Hood shooter, and most recently, the Boston Marathon bombers.  Our enemies have and continue to use the freedom and openness of American society against us – embedding themselves within our culture and borders with the aim of plotting and carrying out acts of terror against American people and property.

This should be a wake-up call to our present Administration and all of those elected to public office at the local, state, and federal levels.  Pledging to uphold the Constitution and ensure the safety and security of our citizens, elected officials must reaffirm these commitments now.

Our federal government must identify our friends and enemies and treat them as such.  We should not be financing and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, the force behind the Arab Spring in Egypt and other areas of the Middle East.  On the home front, we should secure our borders from those who would harm us using legal and illegal means to enter our country, among them students entering with visas, guest workers, and all other foreign visitors.

Ronald Reagan stated, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.  We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream.  It must be fought for, protected and handed to them to do the same or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States when men were free.”  To maintain our way of life, we must heed our former President’s sage advice and act now to defeat radical Islam and the other forces of evil, both internally and externally, who would rob us of our freedom and destroy the promise of America.

Now that the dust has settled on the events of Monday past, as we bury our dead and heal our wounded, this fact remains:  America is at war with Islamic terrorists that continue to chant “Death to America” and seek opportunities to kill innocent Americans and disrupt our way of life.

Evidently, this reality has failed to sink into the consciousness of most Americans, many in our government included.  Lighting candles, holding prayerful vigils, and memorializing the site with flowers and stuffed animals is sending the wrong message to the person or persons that perpetrated this heinous act.

In the Hollywood movie, The Searchers, at the desert funeral ceremony of his family massacred by Comanche Indians, John Wayne portraying Ethan Edwards states vehemently “Put an amen to it.  There’s no more time for praying.”  Contemptuous of the customs practiced by society, the Duke is more interested in vengeance than ritual.

This is the response needed to avenge and declare to our enemies that their nefarious deeds will not go unpunished.  We can no longer turn the other cheek when slapped in the face with reality.

Our government should retaliate with swift, decisive action against those who would harm Americans and jeopardize the freedoms that we hold so dear.  It doesn’t take a Sherlock Holmes to identify, in the use of an improvised explosive device (IED), the trademark of our enemies – radical Islam.  We have been slapped in the face at Benghazi and now in Boston, USA, and it’s time to slap back.

No doubt, this action will lead to calls for enhanced security at sporting events, parades, and other public events.  But, at what cost?  If the actions of our enemies force us to submit to invasions of our collective privacy, then we will have traded our freedoms for security and our  enemies will have won.

Rather than burden American citizens, we should place the onus on those who would enter our country.  Background checks should be mandated for any person or persons who wish to enter our country – regardless of his or her status.  Legal immigration should be limited to those who can make a significant contribution to our nation, and our borders should be closed to those seeking to enter illegally.  And, illegal aliens should be returned to their countries of origin; thereby, solving one of the national problems we have today.

For all American citizens, it’s time to rally round the flag in an effort to preserve our way of life.   With so much anti-American sentiment in the world today, it may be time to consider a new isolationism that will both protect our citizens from harm and restore American work to American workers.

It is time for America to heed the motto of Teddy Roosevelt when he stated “speak softly and carry a big stick.”  These are the facts, and they are not subject to dispute by any reasonable person.  Now, we as Americans must affirm our resolve to defend the “grand experiment” that is America, the “shining city on a hill.”

What’s a hired assassin to do?  Once, like the fictional James Bond, among government’s most secret and prized resources with a “license to kill,” it seems that government-employed killers are just the latest to succumb to automation technology.  As drone technology improves, trained professional killers will likely hit the unemployment lines en masse.

But, don’t rest easy simply because you’re not on a government kill list.  Drone technology is also a terrific means of spying.  This, of course, is a boon to dictators and repressive regimes around the world.  Even, in the good U.S.A., however, this should be a cause for concern.

Pictured above is a drone designed to look like a mosquito, complete with the ability to use its stinger to extract DNA, deliver a lethal dose of poison, capture images or video, or to place a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tracking device on your clothing or skin.

As technology advances, the once fictional world of “Big Brother” comes ever closer to reality.  And, as costs decline, this technology may be available to nosy neighbors, suspicious spouses, or virtually anyone with the desire to snoop on others or perhaps, perform a more nefarious act.

In the words of the title song from the James Bond motion picture The Spy Who Loved Me, “Nobody does it better.”  That still may be true.  But, move over James, you’re about to be replaced by a mosquito!

In the history of mankind, many memorable quotations have been recorded.  Among these were -

“Give me liberty or give me death.”
(Patrick Henry)

 “Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes.”
(General Israel Putnam at the Battle of Bunker Hill)

“Where in the hell are all these Indians coming from?”
(General George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, his “Last Stand”)

Few statements, however, have been as applicable to the state of current U.S. affairs as are the words spoken to Julius Caesar by a soothsayer just prior to his assassination in 44 B.C. – “Beware the Ides of March.”

The Ides, thought to have been the date of the full moon in the original Roman lunar calendar, fell on either the 13^th or 15^th of any particular month.  In March, that day was the 15^th.  Since the assassination of Julius Caesar on that date, the phrase has become associated with the assassination of any dictator.

Fast-forwarding more than two millennia to our current time, Americans find themselves facing another warning to “beware of the Ides of March.”  This warning, however, comes not from a soothsayer, but from the very halls of Congress.

After narrowly averting a plunge over the fiscal cliff in the waning days of 2012, Congress and our President were unable to reach agreement preventing the Federal government from incurring significant spending cuts on March 1^st – regardless of the phase of the moon on that particular day.

In February 2013, Black History Month was replaced by the Congressional version of the “blame game” as each political party tried to place responsibility for the conceptualization and passage of the sequestration law on the other.  Designed as a way to force both parties to come to agreement on deficit reduction, the forced cuts enacted under 2012’s Budget Control Act have been triggered and, absent Congressional action, will be fully enacted over the course of the next several months.

Congressional inaction and the institution of the sequestration cuts has left the general public with the uneasy feeling that no one is running our government.  Finger-pointing, name-calling, and fear-mongering have supplanted reasoned public discourse in our nation’s capital.

It’s time for “we the people” to speak out.  We can’t depend on a government that plays games or looks down the green fairways of indifference.  Our chosen representatives are already in campaign mode for mid-term elections that are still almost two years away.  For taxpayers, who will be footing the bill no matter who assumes power, this is a no-win situation.

George Washington, in his farewell address, warned of the dangers of political parties when he stated that -

“The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge natural to party dissention, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries, which result, gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an Individual: and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty.”

Washington’s words have proven prescient, as each successive Congressional and Presidential election currently demonstrates.  As America is losing its leadership status in the world, the liberties guaranteed citizens by the Constitution and Bill of Rights are being eroded, and the average American is becoming poorer and more reliant on the largesse of a bloated federal government, political leaders are enriching themselves and creating a new aristocracy in America.

Today, America is facing its Ides of March.  Will our leaders place our nation’s future above partisan politics?  Will the three branches of our government act to preserve our Constitution?  Or, will we follow the path of the Roman Empire?  I leave it with you.

Of all the problems facing our Congress and our nation, the most important – in the humble estimation of this author – is putting America back to work.  Since the Great Recession of 2008, unemployment levels have remained at approximately 8%, persistent unemployment hovers closer to 20%, and full employment has vanished from our landscape.

With a problem of such enormity and of such significance to the average working American, one wonders how our President and Congressional leaders can have time to consider any other issues.  Yet, it appears that unemployment is far from a priority for our governmental officials.  In the wake of the Connecticut school shooting, gun control has – yet again – surfaced as a primary issue.  And, of course, gay marriage always seems to be a hot topic among lawmakers, both Federal and state.  As of this writing, however, the prime issue of the day appears to be immigration reform.

Yet, controlling guns, recognizing gay and lesbian marriage, and granting another amnesty (we had immigration reform in the 1980’s) to those in this country illegally, will not restore our economy or put a single American citizen back to work.  These issues are largely a distraction to government leaders and a waste of time to the American people, who – if I am any representation – are fuming that our legislators have yet again turned their collective backs on our country’s most pressing need.

While I do not believe that it is the government’s responsibility to create jobs, I do believe that addressing the proliferation of economic globalism and creation of an environment conducive to job growth are legitimate concerns of our leaders.  Yet, as Nero fiddled while Rome burned, the branches of our Federal government seem more concerned with dealing with peripheral issues while our economy stagnates and we slip and slide toward what seems an inevitable national financial demise.

Instead of working with private industry to stop the exportation of American jobs to foreign lands and identifying how government can partner with businesses to create opportunities for American workers, our President and Congressional leaders seem content to officially recognize Gomer Pyle’s (Jim Nabors’) marriage to his longtime male partner Stan Cadwallader or to curry favor with illegal immigrants in the hopes of gaining their votes in future elections.

Our Federal government, charged with defending our Constitution and personal liberties, has become a mockery.  We have traded leadership for pandering and posturing by our elected officials.  Perhaps, it is time for a new American Revolution – not to break free from foreign tyranny, but to liberate our nation from government run amok and restore our traditional American values and position in the world.

Our government has become a poor steward of the trust placed in it by American citizens.  It has squandered the tax dollars of hard-working Americans and added insult to injury with empty promises.

If government wants to redeem itself in the eyes of an increasing disdainful American public, it should follow the old adage “Let charity begin at home,” and forget about appeasing 12 million illegal immigrants and concentrate on the real problem facing our nation.  Only then will America finally be on a road to recovery and renewal.

The infogram below presents some valuable factual information about soda and health and, regardless of your position on Mayor Bloomberg’s soda ban in New York City, bears consideration by everyone who regularly consumes soda – particularly, sugary soda.

Few of us ever pause to consider how pervasive an influence is electricity in our lives; until that is, we find ourselves without it.  In the past two years, however, many of us in New Jersey have had a glimpse of what life without electricity is like.

In 2011, I personally had no electric power at my residence for five days as a result of Hurricane Irene and for six days following the freak late October snowstorm that blanketed the central and northern parts of the state.  And, as I am writing this, I am already beginning day three without power in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Regardless the duration of the power outage at my home, Hurricane Sandy has already proven worse in the particular area of the state in which I reside than either of the other respective storms.  The reason is simply the geographic configuration of the towns without electrical service.  Not only is my home without power, my office on heavily traveled Route 22 is also dark, as is an extended length of that highway from Bridgwater in the west to at least Westfield in the east.

With traffic signals not functioning, the authorities have blocked all the intersections crossing the highway, divided like many with a median strip.  This means that to cross the roadway, one must do so only at bridge crossings that are relatively few and far between.  As a result, the traffic approaching those crossings on both the highway and side feeder roads is bumper-to-bumper, making an ordinary ten-minute trip from my home to my office an hour long agony.

With power out, service stations are unable to pump gasoline.  This means that the few stations that are open have lines awaiting gas reminiscent of the days of odd-even gas rationing during the Carter Administration (for those of you who are old enough to remember).  And, of course, without power, telephone (other than cellular) and cable television and Internet services are interrupted.

Living under these conditions is almost like going back in time to conditions of more than a century ago.  “Almost,” however, is the operative word.  Most of us today have automobiles that, assuming we have gasoline to operate them, enable us to set out like a latter day Columbus on a quest to find life’s necessities in the forms of food and fuel in areas that may still have electrical power.  But, also like Columbus, we find ourselves taking strange and circuitous routes due to roads impassable because of fallen trees, flooding, or municipal decree.  Most of us also have cell phones enabling us to continue communicating with others when signal strength and battery life permit.  And, many of us following Irene and last October’s snowstorm surprise are better prepared, having purchased generators to permit us to continue our home lives with some degree of normalcy.

Yet, for someone who is accustomed to living in close proximity to numerous service stations, supermarkets, and restaurants of every kind imaginable, life without power in the aftermath of a natural disaster is quite a shock.  For one thing, nothing comes easily.    Travel is difficult and competition for food and fuel is high.  Lines are long for just about any purchase and waiting is the order of the day.  And, the drone of generators is a constant reminder that everyday life has changed and not for the better.

Despite numerous reports of selflessness and even heroism in helping others, the predominant feeling that one gets in this type of emergency is that it is “every man for himself.”  Lacking contact via typical sources of information including television and the Internet, one feels isolated and removed from society.

Nonetheless, one does have time to think.  And, here are some of my thoughts:

• No matter what and how much planning is done, it always appears inadequate in the face of disaster.

• Municipalities should have agreements with local landscapers to ensure that fallen trees obstructing roadways are promptly cleared permitting normal traffic flow.

• Utility companies, for economic reasons, can never be prepared to respond effectively to a widespread disaster.  Maintaining the resources necessary to restore power quickly is far too costly to permit profitable utility company operations.

• Service stations should be required to have generator backup permitting the dispensing of fuel in the event of a power outage.

• Traffic signals should also have some form of power (perhaps, solar) independent of the power grid enabling them to continue operation when the grid goes down.

• Municipalities and first responders need to be particularly cognizant of the needs of senior citizens in the event of disaster.  Many senior citizens rely on electricity for oxygen therapy and other medical requirements.  Most senior citizen housing – whether apartments or communities of single-family homes do not have backup power available and often are forgotten in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

• Doctors – even those whose offices are without power – should make personal contact information available to pharmacies and hospitals to ensure that their patients have access to needed medications during and in the aftermath of natural disasters.

It is entirely understandable that government and law enforcement officials, utility company management and employees, first responders, doctors, and others on whom the public relies during emergencies have their own personal lives, property, family, and other concerns during such trying times.  Yet, it is incumbent upon all of these individuals, by virtue of their positions and oaths, to put personal concerns aside and provide selfless service to the public during times of natural disaster.  Otherwise, who knows what manner of chaos and lawlessness will ensue when the power goes out?