16 | January | 2016 | The EveryDay Concerned Citizen

Re-posted with permission, and many thanks to Paul Stramer, from PaulStramer.net. Lovely, reminding post on the importance of stepping beyond reactive anger and working together in more conscious ways for peace and freedom in America, and beautiful prayer.

What the World needs now is Peace NOT War.

BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS for they shall be called the children of God.

by Paul Stramer

January 8, 2016

The enemies of America would love nothing better than to get patriots fighting amongst themselves, and by so so doing to divide and conquer our country and shove the whole of the history of America into the dustbin of history, by changing all of that history and making it disappear forever from the minds of all men.

Fortunately there are a few of what I can call Super Patriots, who are doing their dead level best to stop that from happening, but even those super patriots, who are under extreme pressure on a daily basis, and can barely find time to get a handful of hours of sleep in a night, can fall victim to our own human frailty. Things like ego, anger, and lack of Christian Charity. Things like impatience in touchy situations. I know this because I have had the same problem, and it took many years to learn to put those feelings aside when the pressure is on, and I still have to watch myself very carefully on occasion. We must be self-less in our journey and our battles for peace and freedom.

There is a time and place for just anger. Even Christ Himself gave us an example of that when he drove the money changers from the Temple. His anger was Just, as ours should be when confronting the evil in the world, but his Anger was also well considered and directed at the actual enemy of good.

Now I know, that sometimes truth can only be uncovered with animated discussion of the issues, and sometimes even heated discussion. But there is a fine line between that, and a selfish disregard of the other patriots we are trying to work with to save peace and freedom in America. Patience is a virtue, and it comes from the root of all virtues, HUMILITY. Humility vanquishes pride, the root of all evil, like the truth vanquishes fraud, which when proven destroys every contract that it touches.

WE ALL NEED TO BE KNOWN AS THE PEACEMAKERS OF THIS WORLD

I know there is a warrior mindset among many of my brothers in Oathkeepers. I am not trying to say that the warrior mindset doesn’t have it’s place. I am saying that the ultimate purpose of the warrior mindset is to BRING PEACE. It’s only when we are being threatened with the loss of that peace, that the warrior mindset needs to kick in. And many veterans have had trouble knowing when to turn that warrior mindset on or off. That is a problem I hope I never have to face, but will if the circumstances are clearly calling for it.

The peace I am talking about is the peace that only God Himself can give us in the midst of all this chaos. Chaos is from Satan. Peace is from God.

Now I am going to make a controversial statement. Our enemies want peace also.

Our enemies want a different kind of peace. They want a peace where they can enjoy all the ill gotten goods, power, and money they have stolen from us, WITHOUT ANY OPPOSITION WHATSOEVER!

And they are willing to bring the whole world into chaos, war, wanton murder, pillage and piracy, rape and every evil to obtain their brand of peace. Even when they achieve their brand of peace they won’t be happy, because they won’t have real peace at all, and because they will face horrendous consequences in the next life for everything they did to obtain their brand of peace, AND THEY KNOW IT. This is what makes them lose control and do every evil they can do to us.

This is the same vivid contrast between the followers of Jesus Christ, who were peaceful, yet had their swords readily available, and the Sanhedrin and Romans who were ready to break the peace at the drop of a hat. An example is like when Saint Peter cut the ear off of Malchus, the servant of the high priest. And what did Christ say? Put your sword up. Could I not call for a legion of angels…..etc. So fellow patriots, all who want America to be in peace and freedom for our children, PLEASE PRAY WITH ME EVERY DAY. Pray for the Peace of the Lord.

Give Peace, O Lord, to them that patiently wait for Thee, that Thy prophets may be found faithful: hear the prayers of Thy servant, and of Thy people Israel. Alleluia. I will rejoice at the things that were said to me: We shall go into the house of the Lord.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. O God, from Whom are holy desires, right counsels, and just works, give to
Thy servants that peace which the world cannot give; that our hearts being devoted to the keeping of Thy commandments, and the fear of enemies removed, our times, by Thy protection, may be peaceful.

We ask this Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who livest and reignest with Thee, in the Unity of the Holy Ghost, God, World without end. Amen. O God, Who sufferest not the nations that believe in Thee to be shaken by any fear, deign, we beseech Thee, to receive the prayers and sacrifices of the people consecrated to Thee, that peace, the gift of Thy loving-kindness, may render Christian countries safe from every enemy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who livest and reignest with Thee, in the Unity of the Holy Ghost, God, World without end. Amen.

O God, the author and lover of peace, Whom to know is to live, and to serve is to reign, protect Thy suppliants from all assaults, that we who trust in Thy defence, may fear no armed hostility.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who livest and reignest with Thee, in the Unity of the Holy Ghost, God, World without end. Amen. And finally for all our Patriots friends in Oathkeepers, and all our other patriot friends throughout the world who would like peace and freedom for their countries also, let us pray for the Holy Spirit to give us the light we need to make peace reign, and guide our thinking and our actions according to His Divine Will.

“Come Holy Ghost, into the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created, and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

O God, who didst instruct the hearts of Thy faithful people, by the light of Thy Holy Spirit, Grant us by the gift of the same Spirit that we might be always truly wise, and ever rejoice in His consolation, Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.”

Source: PaulStramer.net

Ken O’Keefe, former Marine now human rights activist and outspoken on all issues that count is vocal about how important it is for each of us to drop cynicism, world-weariness, apathy, resignation, and take a stand–the future of humanity and our planet depends on us transcending obstacles in our path and speaking out and taking action to expose and end it. He spells out how the news from mainstream media inundates us each day with such overwhelming amounts of bad news that we–especially the intelligent and educated among us, it seems–escape easily into disassociation from reality and cynicism, which unfortunately becomes consent to the reality that is presented to us–“to the insane cycle of destruction and more war.” Paraphrasing loosely, “Whereas it’s us, we dreamers–or whatever they want to call us–who represent the ultimate threat to those who control this reality.” He iterates how important it is to drop cynicism, to explore the news and the world for ourselves, to demand a better reality. “If we can envision it, we can make a better world.”

I was inspired, as are probably millions of others, watching him speak, because he expresses what many of us think today. It Is up to us. Those of us who have been entrained into obedience, passivity, quiet, and inaction–by not merely the norms of our society but by the current surveillance and police state we are living in, worldwide, and also by illegitimate gag orders or National Security Letters from an illegitimate state which is acting openly to suppress dissent and opening fraudulent investigations on thousands of innocent civilians and veterans and activists, in hopes of co-opting communities and dividing communities and silencing protest–especially may want to watch this. We are most definitely at a tipping point today.

We need to each of us see that we’re inexorably heading toward more militarization, more surveillance, more policing, and more stripping of rights and liberties, and that an attitude today of keeping your head down and doing what the “government” asks–whether via National Security Letter or community-policing or anything else they say is good for us– is only serving to 1) facilitate the oppressors and 2) hasten the onset of full-blown totalitarianism. Drawing back and “choosing” not to participate–while in actuality participating by acquiescence to State programs of societal control–is nothing but giving consent to oppression.

Are you witness today to corruption…? To over-reach and abuse of secrecy powers in an Intelligence agency…? Are you aware of systemic fraud in your industry–which affects the lives of other people..? Perhaps it’s time to speak out. Please watch Ken’s speech in this 7.5 minute video from World Citizens Solutions, which is prefaced by a run-down of where we are in the world today and why we need to take a stand.

Also please visit his WorldCitizen.Solutions fundraiser page on Indiegogo and read about/help fund his new campaign to make a better world. (Another brief video there on changing the world, ending war, with inspiring words from various activists, including Sacha Stone and Ole Dammegaard, Samantha Bachman, Max Igan.) From what they say, it sounds like this campaign is about creating a new paradigm for global existence where our taxes won’t go toward funding wars, death, and destruction. Wouldn’t that be a brave new world!

Excerpt from campaign page:

Ken O’Keefe and his team are currently developing a legal and social strategic initiative that will have profound effects on releasing humanity from its current paradigm. It’s time to stand up for what you know is right. It’s time for your voice to be heard. The time is now.

Stand for those who have no voice, for those who are set to inherit what we leave behind, for our children and their children. Make a stand for real peace and real transformation. Be part of this growing movement of change and ensure a peaceful future for those you love.