GOLGATHA - THE EARLY YEARS

I've heard from Him before.

I know His voice...His powerful, arresting, authoritative, yet merciful, voice.

"Abram," He said to me, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you."

There was such energy and commanding supremacy and promise in His tone that I knew I needed to do as He said.

On another occasion He told me, "Look at the heavens and count the stars - if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be."

There were other times, too.

I knew His voice, you can believe that.

True to His word, when I was very old; past the time when people have children, God gave me the son of my dreams.

I named him Isaac.

He was the joy of my wife, Sarah's, and my life.

We watched him grow.

We taught him to run and play, to fish and throw a spear.

We loved him with abounding love.

That is why I was excited the day I heard God's voice say to me, "Abraham!"

"Oh, good!" I thought. "Another promise from God Almighty!"

"Take you son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

My heart went cold.

My mind could not get around it.

"Let me understand, God. You want me to take Isaac, the one you promised to me, the one from whom many nations would come, the one whose birth brought joy into the lives of two old people...you want me to kill him as a sacrifice to you?"

"Yes."

The weight of it was more than I could bear.

Depression knows no light, no hope, no future.

But this was my God.

He had never failed me in the past...but this...this was just too much.

I gathered together the materials I would need for the journey and then I called out to my teen aged son, "Isaac! Come! We must go to a mountain to make an offering of sacrifice to God."

He always seemed to love to go places with me.

"Father," he asked, "Where must we go?"

"I'm not exactly sure, Isaac, but it is in the land of Moriah, and God has said he will show me which mountain."

"OK, dad, let's get going!"

I lit a torch and we headed out to Moriah.

The way to Moriah was rough, and not so close.

We were not too talkative. To tell the truth, I didn't feel much like talking.

"Dad," Isaac spoke with uncertainty in his voice. "We have the wood, we have the fire, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"

The question cut me to the quick.

The words that came out of my mouth were not my words. I had no idea that I was about to say what I said.

I was overcome with a sense of faith and trust, the likes of which I had never known before.

And out the words tumbled, "God will provide himself, a lamb..."

They were like thunder reaching back to the beginning of time and stretching forth to the end of time.

Even I did not understand what I had just said.

How could I know that over a thousand years hence, God, himself, would manifest Himself as the child of a virgin in Bethlehem?

How could I contemplate that that child, the only Son of God Almighty, would be scourged, nailed to a cross and would give Himself as a ransom for those who would believe in Him, the perfect sacrificial Lamb of God?

How could I imagine that God the Father would turn His back on God the Son of God to provide salvation for the world?

How could I know that the Son of God would become the Son of Man so that the sons of men could become sons of God?

"GOD WILL PROVIDE HIMSELF A LAMB..."

When we got to Moriah, God directed me to a hill. It sent a shudder down my spine, for it looked very much like a skull.

On top of the hill, the hill, later to be called Golgatha, the place of the skull, I set to work getting the altar ready.

Then I turned to Isaac.

"Isaac, my son, I need you to trust me like you've never trusted me before. I need you to let me bind you and lay you atop the altar."

He was not dumb, my son, Isaac.

He realized exactly what was happening.

"At your bidding, my father," he said.

And I placed him upon the wood and picked up my knife.

Forever came over me and just hung there.

The knife was over my head, ready to plunge into the heart of my long awaited son.

"Abraham."

It was His voice.

"Abraham! Do not do anything to him."

The emotion that invaded me was more than I could understand. I didn't hear the rest of what God said.

I turned my head to hide the tears, and there, in the thicket was a ram, caught by his horns.

Here was the burnt offering.

I unbound Isaac and we embraced for a long, long time.

"Let us rename the hill," I said.

"Let us call it 'The Lord will provide.'"

And that is why it came to be said of this strange little hill in Moriah:

On the mountain of the Lord IT will be provided.

Then God repeated His earlier promise to me and began the process of His salvation.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet;

Sorrow and love flow mingled down.

Did e're such love and sorrow meet;

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

A CRASH COURSE

A friend of mine was driving along the other week when, as she went through an intersection on a green light barely missed being T-boned by a car that ran the red light facing him.

She managed to swerve and was missed by the other car.

She thanked God for watching over her and keeping her safe.

Two miles down the road she went through another intersection and another guy (presumably not the same one) ran his red light and DID T-bone her.

She was bruised and battered, but OK.

She came to me to ask why God had protected her from even a scratch on her car in the first intersection, and allowed her to get banged up in the second.

The way I answered her would offend many who call themselves Christian, but it is the truth and needs to be understood.

I'll synopsize.

Look. We live in a real world, in the ugly shadow of original sin, and bad things happen.

Jesus said, "In this would you will have tribulation."

He does not prevent it, He promised it.

If you jump off a cliff, and half way down repent and ask God to save you, will He do it?

Maybe. He certainly can.

But it must suit His glory to do so, not ours.

Otherwise, He will allow the very gravity He invented to take over and you are in for a very sudden stop that will put you instantly into His eternal presence (if, and only if, you know Him as Lord and Savior).

The really important question you have to answer is: Are you as much His if things do not go well for you as you are if they do?

It's easy to follow Christ when He takes you to the mountain top. It is much more difficult to follow Him through the valleys...and there will be valleys.

The rewards you will receive for being faithful to Him are Heavenly rewards, not earthly ones.

"Lay up treasures in Heaven...not on earth..."

My favorite lines in all of hymnody is from "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God."

"And tho this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us;
We will not fear for God has willed His truth to triumph thro' us.
The prince of darkness, grim...we tremble not for him. We can his rage endure, for lo, his doom is sure. One little Word shall fell him.

"That Word above all earthly powers, no thanks to him, abideth. The spirit and the gifts are ours through Him, who with us sideth. Let goods and kindred go. This mortal life, also. The body they may kill. God's Truth abideth still. His Kingdom is forever!"

People do dumb, sinful things, like running red lights. Sometimes those dumb, sinful things result in people getting hurt, even Christians.

After Jesus promised us that "...in this world you will have tribulation," He then said, "But be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world!"

Why do Christians get sick, have accidents or behave badly...lack of faith?

Sometimes.

But much more often it is because of some bacteria, virus, crotchitiness or just old age, which are all results of the fact of sin.

Sin!

You gotta hate it.

I'm going to have a long talk with Adam when I meet him face to face.

I hope he can duck really, really good.

PRAYER AND WISDOM NEEDED

The Christian radio station at which I work, Kingdom FM Christian Radio (I'm on the air from 9:00 AM until Noon, Eastern Time, weekdays) will be holding Fall Sharathon 2008 beginning on Wednesday, October 29th, and running through Friday morning, October 31st.

This is the time when we try to raise the funds necessary to operate the station.

Like many ministries, we are struggling in this down economy.

Please pray that we will make all of the necessary preparations, present the people with material that will make them want to stay tuned in, and that we will bring in the contributions that we need.

Most of all, pray that we will be about what God wants us to be about, during Fall Sharathon 2008 and all year long.

RIGHTLY DIVIDING

I'm sure you know that the chapter and verse divisions in the Bible were NOT divinely inspired.

They were placed there as an aid to finding one's way around in Scripture.

Getting a sense of when to ignore them is sometimes important to understanding what a passage is about.

In the book of Job, Job's imitation friend, Elihu, is droning on about how Job must have done some evil thing, else God wold not have allowed his ailments to afflict him.

Trouble is, we know that his afflictions were not the result of what Job did.

As Elihu wraps up his speech, some wag decided to put a chapter marker (38) there.

Then the scripture says that God answered Job (to whom He had not been speaking - maybe because He could not get a word in edgewise while Elihu was speaking.

Anyway, He says to Job, "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?"

The chapter marking might lead you to believe that a new subject is being taken up.

Such is not the case.

God is talking TO Job ABOUT Elihu.

"Who IS this guy?" He is asking Job. "He keeps on talking and talking without knowing what he is talking about!"

That's just one example of how important it is to realize that the chapter divisions are arbitrary (even in the Authorized King James Version).

Do not let those numbers influence your interpretation of Scripture.

You'll get it wrong, if you do.

HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY! (Celebrated Monday)

Yesterday was the real Columbus Day.

Somehow, in order to lighten the workload on ourselves, we have decided to move it, along with most other holidays, to Monday, regardless of the real date we're celebrating.

I want to suggest that doing so diminishes the perceived significance of the purpose of the holiday and focuses too much on the "Day Off" aspect of it (long weekends, you know).

It also allows us to rewrite history with almost no challenge...which rewriting is regularly taking place.

I leave you with this quote:

"No one should be afraid to take on any enterprise

in the name of our Savior if it is right and the purpose

for His holy service." Christopher Columbus

Genesis 19 - A Sort of Outline

Introduction

This chapter deals with the base issues of humanity.

It lays a foundation describing where the failure to deal with original sin leads and for the revelation of our need of a Savior.

In this chapter, we are faced with the decision as to how we will deal with God's Word.

Will we believe what God says, or will we parse what He says to fit our own sense of moral standard?

The chapter seems to emphasize homosexuality.

As I studied for my degree in psychology, one of the foci of my studies was homosexuality; its source and its effect.

After careful study I have reached, and adhere to, the following conclusions about homosexuality:

1. No one is born homosexual. In spite of efforts to prove otherwise, it just isn't so. The most widely proffered "evidence" for being hard-wired as a homosexual turned out to be a hoax.

2. Homosexuality is not a "choice," at least not in the sense that we usually make choices in life. No one would say to him/herself, "I think I will map out for my life a style that will cause me grief and pain both emotionally and socially."

3. From my studies, I have concluded that homosexuality is a pattern of learned behaviors resulting from a myriad of life stimuli, not any one of which necessarily results in homosexuality, but which in combinations of two or three or more may lead one to that particular lifestyle.

4. Just as certain other life "habits" are sinful, homosexuality is sinful behavior.

5. "Sin" is defined as anything that is not in the dead center of God's will, and therefore, homosexuality joins a host of other behaviors that may seem "natural," but which are nonetheless, sin.

6. God loves the homosexual as much as He loves the liar, the murderer, the thief, the haughty and the morally loose. In fact, Christ died for them all.

7. "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16), is as much for the homosexual as it is for you and me.

8. There are certain aspects of homosexuality that set it apart, not as a sin that is any more consequential than any other, but as one whose nature defeats the purpose of God for His creation: procreation.

Leviticus 18:22-24; 20:13-16, equates homosexuality with bestiality, and, like murder, is punishable by death, under the Law.

u>Genesis 19:1-11

1. Lot was visited by two angels.

2. Lot's home was surrounded by the men of Sodom who wanted to rape the angels, not really knowing who or what they were.

3. Lot saw that his social requirement was to protect visitors in his house.

4. He offered his daughters to the crowd, which had no interest in her, for they were, to a man, homosexuals.

5. The angels struck the men blind (a possible source of some "old wives tales" surrounding certain sexual activities.

Genesis 19:12-14

1. Lot is warned of the coming destruction of Sodom.

2. He is told to gather his family and leave.

SIDE NOTE: The "sons-in-law" were probably not married to Lot's daughters yet, only betrothed (like Mary to Joseph), but it was nevertheless considered a done deal.

3. The sons-in-law thought Lot was joking.

Genesis 19:15-22

1. When Lot hesitated to leave the city, the angels physically removed him, his wife and his daughters.

2. Lot's reluctance to leave demonstrates even his sinful state and God's safe removal of him from the city illustrates His great mercy.

3. Lot is allowed to escape to Zoar.

< Genesis 19:23-29

1. Fire and brimstone fell upon the cities.

2. A foretaste of what will be the lot (excuse the pun) of those who live a life of unrighteousness: eternity in a place created for the devil and his angels, Hell, a place of fire, brimstone, gnashing of teeth and aloneness forever.

3. Were God to give us what we have earned, we would receive the same reward as Sodom and Gomorrah, for each of our sin(s) is as eternally damnable as were those of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.

4. In His great mercy, God has provided a way for us to be righteous even though we are not righteous: the imputed righteousness of Christ to us when we do not deserve it.

5. Christians have been judged on the basis of God's mercy, not His justice.

6. We are saved by His grace, through our faith in the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary.

LET US PRAY.

The other day I was talking with my sister, Trish.

"Trish," I said, "Do you have any cookies and milk?

"Trish I would really like some cookies and milk.

"And Trish, if those cookies could be Oreos, that would be great.

"Sister Trish, I would really appreciate it if the milk could be skim milk.

"Oh, and Trish, make the milk really, really cold, 'cause that's the way I like it best.

"You said, Trish, that if I came over today, you would have some cookies and milk for me.

"Thank you, Trish for the invitation.

"Oh, Trish, the cookies look so good.

"And Sister, Trish, the milk tastes so fresh!

"Why, Trish, it's almost as if the cow were standing right here in the kitchen with us.

"Thank you, Trish.

"Trish, you are such a good sister."

Read that section above out loud.

Doesn't it sound strange?

When you talk with someone, do you say their name at the beginning of every thought?

Of course you don't, if you're normal, that is.

What about when you talk to God?

"Lord we come before you, Heavenly Father, to praise you and worship you.

"Lord, you are so worthy of our praise and our thanksgiving.

"Dear Lord, we offer ourselves up to you as living sacrifices, inviting you, Lord, to take us and use us as you will.

"And Lord, we pray for Sister Jana's upcoming medical tests.

"Father, just guide the technicians and the doctors who interpret the tests and please, Lord, let all of the test results be negative.

"And Almighty God, if those tests results are positive and Sister Jana needs her gall bladder removed, we just trust you, Lord, that it will come out all right.

"Father, we'll be sure to give you the glory.

"In Jesus's name,

"Amen."

What, are we afraid that God might forget that we are talking to Him?

I think He's smarter than that don't you?

Maybe it is we who need the reassurance of who we're talking to.

Do we think repeating His name before every thought makes us sound more spiritual?

To whom? To Him, or to the people around us?

Maybe we just pick up some really, really bad prayer habits.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!!

THE FOLLOWING IS A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM JOE'S JOTTINGS:

I am starting a NEW BLOG called Jo-Joe Politico.

It's a political/eclectic blog, where I get into things that may be of a controversial nature and its emphasis will be on current political events.

"Why have you done this, Joe?" I hear your voice ask.

"Well," I answer, "It is so I can leave this blog to matters spiritual from a Christian perspective."

So, there you have it.

If you want to see my thoughts on current Christian thinking and the Bible lessons I teach, keep on coming here.

This blog will be more of an inspirational nature.

The NEW blog, Jo-Joe Politico, will be not so much inspirational as patriotic and diverse.

You will find links there to political sites I like to visit, as well as to sites of a general, but not necessarily spiritual nature.

Come only to this blog if you like, or only to Jo-Joe Politico, if that's your cup of tea. Or, of course, you can VISIT BOTH.

I will write for this blog about every other day, and for Jo-Joe Politico on alternate days.

My guarantee is that Jo-Joe Politico will inform you, entertain you, and maybe even enrage you, but it will not leave you wanting.

Here's to meeting you here, there or in the air!

Genesis 18 - An Outline

Preview
This chapter is notable in that it demonstrates the grace of God by means of His personal care of and personal communication with those who have faith in Him.

This chapter also contains an example of prayer in which boldness and humility are entwined.

Genesis 18:1-5

God (Jehovah, the self existent one) appeared to Abraham.

This is called a Theophany or Christophany.

This becomes clear when we understand that God the Father never revealed Himself in such fashion to man throughout Scripture, except through the Person of Jesus Christ, and from careful reading of the context in both this chapter and the next two chapters.

Abraham recognized that one of the three was God, and so addressed Him while bowing himself to the ground in homage.

The "My Lord" that Abraham uses is from the Hebrew: adonai, the word Jews would use in place of YHWH (Yahweh), the unspeakable Name of God.

Speaks of Christ’s humility and the unity in heaven among God and His celestial staff.

During one’s life after his spiritual birth into the family of God, the believer never knows to whom he may entertain or minister.

Hebrews 13:2
Matthew 25:34-40

Genesis 18:6-15

Abraham was intent on making their meal the very best he could offer.

What we offer to God should never be our leftovers, but our newest and best.
God reiterated His promise to Abraham.

Abraham and Sarah both laughed (Hebrew: sahaq) with either joy or sarcasm…scholars differ

God’s reaction seems to indicate incredulity, maybe sarcasm from Sarah

God’s reaction seems to indicate joy grounded in faith in God’s Word from Abraham.

Genesis 18:16-19

This passage gives the reader of God’s Word a touching, dynamic and awe-inspiring insight into the mind of God.

Even though man disobeyed God initially in the Garden of Eden and accrued a record of defiance toward Him from that time forward, God still acts and carries out His plan with a deep appreciation and consideration of man.

This is a true and significant confirmation of God’s great love for man, only to be eclipsed by the giving of His Son to die on the cross of Calvary.

Genesis 18:20-30

God revealed His plans for Sodom and Gomorrah.

This passage presents an exquisite example of intercessory prayer,

Abraham’s prayer was bold

Abraham’s prayer was humble

Lessons for every believer:

God always has time for bold prayer offered in the spirit of humility.

God always answers each prayer. Sometimes Yes; sometimes No; sometimes Wait.

God’s knowledge is always complete no matter the prayer, and we must pray for

His will, not ours, and in the faith He gives us.

God’s judgments are always correct in spite of prayer.

God always goes "His way" (carrying out His purpose and plan) after hearing and answering prayer.

We must learn to trust God’s answer to our prayers, even when we don’t understand.

Dis-Honor Among Thieves

You are so blessed!


Look what your honorable Senators and Congress persons have done for you in their $700,000,000,000.00 "Rescue Package":

Wooden arrows: This tax break, backed by Oregon's two senators, would benefit an Oregon manufacturer of wooden arrows for children. $2,000,000.00.

Racetracks: Earmark would allow auto racetrack owners to depreciate their facilities over seven years. $100,000,000.00.

Rum: Offers rum producers in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands a rebate on excise taxes. $192,000,000.00.

Wool: Reduces tariffs for U.S. makers of wool fabric that use imported yarn. The measure was pushed by Reps. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., and Melissa Bean, D-Ill. $148,000,000.00.

Exxon Valdez: Plaintiffs in the suit over the 1989 oil spill could spread their tax payments on punitive damages over three years. The measure was backed by Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska. $49,000,000.00.

American Samoa: Allows certain corporations to reduce their tax liability on income earned in American Samoa. $33,000,000.00

Hollywood: Extends a tax break for film and TV companies that keep their production in the United States. $478,000,000.00.

That's $1,002,000,000.00 that will NOT go to "help" ailing Wall Street, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

But you'll get to pay for it, just the same.

Your Senators and Congress persons are so very honorable.

(At this point it would be appropriate to stick your tongue between your lips and exhale sharply for an extended period of time, as in, "give them the old raspberry.")

I Know...Let's Play a Game

Let's play a true or false game.

Ready?

Here goes:

1. True or false: McCain voted “the exact same way” as Obama to increase taxes on Americans earning just $42,000.

False. McCain DID NOT VOTE THAT WAY. Joe Biden said that he did.

2. True or False: Barack Obama never said that he would sit down unconditionally with Mahmoud Ahmedinijad of Iran.

False. Barack Obama specifically said he would sit down unconditionally with Mahmoud Ahmedinijad of Iran. Joe Biden said Obama never said that. Not only DID Obama say that, Joe Biden chided him for it after he said it.

3. True or False: Joe Biden has opposed offshore drilling and even compared offshore drilling to “raping” the Outer Continental Shelf.”

True. But in last night's debate Joe Biden declared, "Drill we must."

4. True or False: John McCain and Barack Obama voted the same way against funding the troops in the field.

False. John McCain opposed a bill that included a timeline, Joe Biden supported it. In last night's debate he said they voted the same way.

5. True or False: Biden recently told a voter that he is against clean coal and any new coal plants in America and has a record of voting against clean coal and coal in the U.S. Senate.

True. It was in a widely televised program and is a matter of public record. Yet last night Joe Biden declared that he has always been in favor of "clean coal."

6. True or False: Biden is exaggerating and overstating John McCain’s record voting for alternative energy when he says he voted against it 23 times.

True. Joe Biden gave a specific number: 23. John McCain voted a couple of times against bills providing funding for alternative energy research when he discovered thousands of dollars worth of unrelated earmarks in the bills.

7. True or False: McCain will raise taxes on people's health insurance coverage.

Ooops! This one is hard to say. McCain's plan, which at its peak would cover 5 million of the uninsured, would increase the deficit by $1.3 trillion over 10 years. Obama's plan, which would cover 34 million of the uninsured, would cost $1.6 trillion over that time period. This might require tax increases if spending is not cut somewhere else.

8. True or False: Palin supported a windfall profits tax in Alaska.

False. Joe Biden said she did. But she did not. She reformed the state tax and revenue system, it's not a windfall profits tax.

9. True of False: Military commanders in Iraq said the principles of the surge could not be applied to Afghanistan.

False. Joe Biden said that they said that, but they did not. The commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force Gen. David D. McKiernan said that there were principles of the surge strategy, including working with tribes, that could be applied in Afghanistan.

10. True or False: McCain's plan would weaken regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

False. Joe Biden said it would. McCain actually called for more regulation on Fannie and Freddie.

11. True or False: Joe Biden said that John McCain was “dead wrong on Iraq.”

True. He said that. But Joe Biden shared the same vote to authorize the war and differed on the surge strategy where they John McCain has been proven right.

12. True or False: The Obama-Biden tax plan would raise taxes on individuals making $200,000 or more.

True. But Joe Biden said in last night's debate that the figure was $250,000.00.

13. True or False: The economic rescue legislation matches the four principles that Obama laid out.

False. In reality it doesn’t meet two of the four principles that Obama outlined on Sept. 19, which were that it include an emergency economic stimulus package, and that it be part of “part of a globally coordinated effort with our partners in the G-20.”

14. True or False: Under Obama, Americans won't pay any more in taxes than they did under Reagan.

False. Joe Biden said taxes under Barack Obama's plan would be no more than they were under the Reagan administration. But they would be substantially higher.

Let's be Fair

Here are some things Sarah Palin said that were at least off the mark;

1. Palin mistakenly claimed that troop levels in Iraq had returned to “pre-surge” levels. Levels are gradually coming down but current plans would have levels higher than pre-surge numbers through early next year, at least.

2. Palin repeated a false claim that Obama once voted in favor of higher taxes on “families” making as little as $42,000 a year. He did not. The budget bill in question called for an increase only on singles making that amount, but a family of four would not have been affected unless they made at least $90,000 a year.

3. Palin claimed McCain’s health care plan would be “budget neutral,” costing the government nothing. Independent budget experts estimate McCain's plan would cost tens of billions each year, though details are too fuzzy to allow for exact estimates.

4. Palin wrongly claimed that “millions of small businesses” would see tax increases under Obama’s tax proposals. At most, several hundred thousand business owners would see increases.

5. Palin got newly appointed Gen. David D. McKiernan's name wrong when she called him McClellan.

6. Palin said, "We're circulating about $700 billion a year into foreign countries" for imported oil, repeating an outdated figure often used by McCain. At oil prices current as of Sept. 30, imports are running at a rate of about $493 billion per year.

7. Palin criticized Obama for voting for the 2005 energy bill and said, “that’s what gave those oil companies those big tax breaks.” It’s a false attack Sen. Hillary Clinton used against Obama in the primary, and McCain himself has hurled. It’s true that the bill gave some tax breaks to oil companies, but it also took away others. And according to the Congressional Research Service, the bill created a slight net increase in taxes for the oil industry.

Take a look at the differences in the nature of Palin's misstatements compared to those of Joe Biden.

Please Don't Fall for The "Rescue Plan"

I know you think this is boring, or not important to Christians or whatever you think, but God has given us a Representative Republic, and that requires our participation.

In a recent GREEN ALERT article entitled: Hidden Carbon Tax Provision in Paulson’s Bailout 2.0 on October 2, 2008, Matthew Vadum, Editor of Organization Trends and Foundation Watch, wrote:

Why is the mainstream media ignoring what might be the most earth-shattering provisions in Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's Bailout Package Version 2.0?

If you look at page 180 of the 451-page monster bailout bill that easily passed the Senate yesterday (PDF here), you will see that it includes at Section 116 language about the tax treatment of "industrial source carbon dioxide." It also provides, at Section 117, for a "carbon audit of the tax code."

What could a provision about the tax treatment of "industrial source carbon dioxide" and another provision about doing a "carbon audit" of the tax code possibly have to do with restoring confidence in Wall Street's troubled credit markets?

The answer: NOTHING.

This appears to be an attempt by global warming fanatics to lay the foundation for an economy-killing carbon tax just like the "cap-and-tax" system that is now destroying European industry.

If you think the Mother of All Bailouts is bad, just wait till you see the carbon tax. Get ready to reduce your standard of living drastically.

Call your Congressman, or Email him/her and say that you still oppose the government takeover of a corporate entity.

Trust me...it will not stop here.

In fact, several Congresspersons have already said that this will just be a stop-gap and more will have to be done.

More than $750,000,000,000.00?