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Local man upset about direction of country

By William "ed'' Nicholson 3 min read

Until recent months I thought that America’s biggest problem was an inability or unwillingness of our president and Congress to prioritize issues that needed “fixing.”

Since there were so many of them, a sort of national triage seemed essential. But of late, I am wondering if anyone is in charge that is capable of doing this? If there is, do they have a clue about what most needs fixing?

I listen to news channels, read newspapers, and follow the pundits and try to sort out what is on the minds of our people. Can it be that a Supreme Court ruling regarding a business’s refusal to pay for certain abortion inducing drugs under its employee health plan is more critical and newsworthy than other issues?

Our border to the south, is non-existent. Tens of thousands or unattended, starving children are flooding our border towns and there is apparently no end to the coming horde. Massive domestic scandals involving the IRS, the Veteran’s Administration, health-care fraud, education, and domestic spying are mostly ignored by the Obama Administration.

Our foreign policy seems to be one designed and executed by the Three Stooges. We have lost our way and the world knows that. The greatest and most powerful nation in history is now ignored by most nations, ridiculed by our enemies, and pitied by our friends.

From the highest echelons of government to the smallest precinct there is a constant display of self-serving and “whatever it takes to win” mentality.

I am confounded by a president who simultaneously is a “priest,” a “god” and an atheist. Our highest leaders of both parties lie repeatedly and openly, and we are not angry. We expect it. Our motto, “One Nation under God,” is for many, just an empty and meaningless cliché.

At home and in our churches, the sovereignty of God has been replaced by the sovereignty of the “self.” Every sort of sin is now a pathology in need of treatment rather than a personal responsibility that needs to be repented and forsaken. Every historic Christian doctrine, dictum, and demand is discarded as out of step with the times and hurtful to our new goal of “self-actualization.”

The naked truth is that for a great number of Americans we have placed comfort, expediency, self-interest, and pleasure above truth, integrity, and duty. We are stampeding toward a divided, licentious, self-serving, “live for the moment” government trusting society.

Why then are we surprised at how things are? Already our freedoms have greatly eroded. Our constitutional right of freedom of religion does not translate to a freedom to practice that belief. This is so even when we do no real harm to others by exercising those beliefs.

We cannot pray or carry a bible to the public school or governmental event. We cannot display religious symbols or Christian emblems openly if we are in the military and have a position of authority. We must keep our beliefs in our own little places of worship and dare not voice them at the market or job.

We dare not incorporate those beliefs, no matter how deeply held, into our businesses lest we antagonize the sensibilities of others. Eventually the beliefs of traditional and conservative Americans will be restricted to the sanctuary of our own minds.

William Penn, the founder of our state was a true prophet when he warned that, “Any nation that will not be ruled by God, surely must be ruled by tyrants.”

William “Ed” Nicholson is a resident of Dunbar.

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