THE SHOMAIR SHOFAR
Issue No. 14
Recent news, showing the return of Yeshua HaMashiach draws near....
Brief summary of recently published news reports...
Shomair Yisrael Messianic Congregation, Knoxville, Tennessee
Blow the [shofar] in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the L ORD is coming, for it is at hand. (Joel 2:1)
AMERICA'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, 2016
Part 2 – George Washington's Farewell Address... A Mostly Ignored Plea for America
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” (often attributed to George Santayana)
INTRODUCTION. On November 8, 2016, a president of the United States will be elected. This election will culminate what
seems like an eternity of campaigning, more polls than anyone can remember, expenditure of billions of dollars, and
exchange of innumerable insults.
We continue a brief series about the 2016 presidential election. It is improper to ask you to vote for a specific candidate, and
we will not do so. It may be useful to comment on a few issues relative to the election. In this newsletter, we comment on
George Washington's Farewell Address. In this love letter to his newly formed country, he made recommendations— no,
warnings— for a long-lived, prosperous nation. Washington's pleas have long been forgotten. You may be interested in some
of the forward-looking recommendations of “The Father of Our Country.” In this and every election, an American Believer/
Christian should put the will of God foremost in his/ her decisions to cast votes.
Believers/ Christians have the power to control every election. But... only one-half of Believers/ Christians are
registered to vote. And... only one-half of these registered voters actually get up from their couches and leave their
Facebook pages to vote. Therefore, the impact of the Body of HaMashiach in deciding elections is only at one-fourth
of its possible strength (½ x ½ = ¼). Shame on us! We have the ability to elect only Godly men and women to office,
but we are too lazy to elect Godly leaders!
INTRODUCTION. George Washington was the first president of the United States. He should exemplify a leader dedicated to
serve the nation and preserve liberty for future generations.
TWO PERIODS OF AMERICAN GENIUS. The United States has experienced two periods of genius— periods when
uncommon, extraordinary events and accomplishments transpired. The author believes these periods might appropriately be
designated as “God's blessings,” rather than “America's genius.” These two periods, which each lasted only a few years, are:
First period of genius... Foundation of a new nation as a constitutional republic: A small number of men (and it was
men, as women did not participate in government at this time), often called “the Founding Fathers," assembled to determine
whether Great Britain's North American colonies (later: states) should sever their relationship with and dependency upon the
British crown and establish an independent nation. Such action would be considered treason, punishable by hanging.
The Founding Fathers were uncommonly wise and learned men. They had long pondered, debated, and written about what
government should be. Through their dedication and defiance of what they considered an immoral government, they crafted
the best form of government ever devised. (We have lost their vision, and the present American government— too often
populated by corrupt, self-serving, mental and moral dwarfs in Washington— only poorly resembles the original plan for a
constitutional government.)
SIDELIGHT: The United States has tried “nation building” in Africa and the Middle East, based on something along
the line of America's constitutional republic. The Arab Spring and similar attempts have been dismal failures. Middle
Eastern tyrants (such as, Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi) have been toppled, to be sure, but these evil men have
been replaced by even greater threats (such as, ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood). At least three critical things have
been overlooked, leading to failure: (1) There are no Middle Eastern leaders with years of study in democratic
principles to form a national government, as the American colonies had in men such as Jefferson, Madison, Adams,
and others. (2) The American form of government was founded on Judeo-Christian principles (see last newsletter's
quotations), and these principles are hated by Islamists. (3) Judeo-Christian “democracy” is not compatible with
Islamic Sharia law.
The author was dismayed when the American media and government officials celebrated the Arab Spring, which
began in December, 2010. They were nearly breathless, as they applauded “democracy” coming to Egypt, Libya,
and other countries— “just like the democracy we have in America.” The United States has never had a democracy,
of course. America has a constitutional republic. The simplest democracy has been likened to two foxes and a
chicken debating and voting about what to eat for the next meal. Chicken anyone? The vote will be 2-1, a majority
reached by a democratic vote, for the foxes to eat the chicken. Arab Spring and other Muslim mobs now have power,
but absolutely no understanding about formation of a government. They had/ have no leaders like America's
Founding Fathers— men who understood what government should be and how to achieve the framework of a just
government. Chaos in the Middle East predictably followed, and the security of Israel and the rest of the world are
jeopardized because of the inept leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamofascists. An out-of-control
“democracy,” as we are witnessing, may be far worse than the former dictatorships. These dictators were certainly
evil men, but they kept Believers/ Christians safe and they could work with Israel and other Western nations.
Because of the work of a relatively small number of men in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, the United
States of America was born. A remarkable covenant between the people and the government— the Constitution— was
adopted. All of our laws should be based on this great document. America's constitutional law is being eroded by efforts to
replace it with Islamic (Sharia) law and international (United Nations, World Court) law. The future Antichrist must be smiling
from ear to ear, as he sees his future goal of a one-world government evolving.
GENIUS OF THE FOUNDING FATHERS– NO LONGER WITH US! We no longer have citizens of the caliber of the
Founding Fathers, or, if present, their voices are drowned out by the claptrap of modern personalities and activities.
We could not today re-create a nation comparable to the United States. Present-day Americans do not have the
vision and character of this earlier generation.
Second period of genius... Defeat of the Great Depression and the Axis Powers: During the 1930s and first half of the
1940s, two overwhelming dangers beset the United States and the rest of the world— the Great Depression and World War II.
The Great Depression was far, far more devastating than the recession we recently experienced (are still experiencing?).
Grinding poverty gripped America and the rest of the world. At the same time, America and her allies (Great Britain, USSR,
and others) fought a world war against the Axis Powers— the Third Reich (Nazi Germany), led by Adolf Hitler; Fascist Italy,
led by Benito Mussolini; and the Empire of Japan, led by Hirohito. The carnage experienced in that war was far greater than
that which we have experienced in all wars since that time. NOTE WELL: World War II, which ended in 1945, is the last war
won by America. In multiple wars over the following seventy years, America has not experienced victory despite expenditure
of trillions of dollars and sacrifice of lives and limbs of many young men and women!
Through the dedication and hard work of millions of Americans, America survived the Great Depression and defeated the Axis
Powers. The generation alive at that time has appropriately been called the "Greatest Generation.” Surely this generation was
the greatest of all American generations. The author marvels at their accomplishments.
GENIUS OF “THE GREATEST GENERATION” – ALMOST NO LONGER WITH US! America no longer has men and
women of the caliber of the Greatest Generation in the workforce. America could not now overcome the challenges
faced by Americans in the 1930s and 1940s. Present-day Americans do not have the work ethic and character of
this earlier generation.
CAUTION: There is a very real threat of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack on America's electrical/ electronic
infrastructure. Congress and presidents have been amply warned, but refuse to do anything to harden the nation's
infrastructure. If an EMP device is exploded (say, an air burst 300 miles over Kansas), conditions in America will be
far, far worse than anything encountered during the Great Depression. Experts estimate that ninety to 95 percent of
Americans will die within six months. Instead of protecting citizens, the government expends efforts worrying
about which restrooms should be used by transgenders. America's enemies must be hysterically laughing, as they
decided when to attack.
GEORGE WASHINGTON'S FAREWELL ADDRESS TO THE NATION— WASHINGTON'S UNHEEDED WARNINGS!
George Washington (1732-1799) accomplished the following, among other things:
• He was a planter at his beloved Mount Vernon, Virginia.
• He served with valor, if not always victoriously, in early (pre-Revolutionary War) military campaigns.
• He was elected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress.
• He served as commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War (1775-1783), in which his ragtag troops,
often living under desperate conditions, defeated the mightiest army of that time— the army of the Kingdom of Great Britain.
• He was elected (1789) as the first president of the United States, and served two four-year terms. He declined a third term,
establishing the precedent that an American president should not serve more than two terms (until Franklin Delano Roosevelt
broke this tradition in the twentieth century). His presidency was marked by reforms and fairness, and he was greatly beloved
by his countrymen. He issued the Proclamation of Neutrality (1793), which served as the basis for avoidance of American
entanglement in foreign conflicts. On the downside, in my opinion, he favored a strong central government, implemented a tax
system, and established a national bank. He has always been considered one of America's greatest presidents. His likeness
is sculpted into Mount Rushmore. The state of Washington is named after him, and he is the only American to have a state
bear his name. Also, the nation's capitol— Washington DC— is named after him.
In 1796, George Washington was nearing completion of his second term as president. He was weary from many years of
service devoted to the young United States of America, and he was feeling the effects of age. He wrote a letter, called an
“address,” although it was never delivered as a speech. The letter, addressed to the people of the United States— “friends
and neighbors” — was first published on September 19, 1796 in the American Daily Advertiser. It was soon reprinted in other
newspapers and pamphlets. Read the full text of his farewell address at:
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/washing.asp .
Washington's pleas: In this address, Washington made pleas in three basic areas of concern:
• America should stay neutral;
• Good government is based on religion and morals; and
• Political parties are dangerous.
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, Version 4.0, has summarized Washington's address in a useful blog (© 2011).
Read the blog at: http://blog.ganderson.us/articles/20-unheeded-warnings-by-george-washington/ .
Washington's advice: Washington's advice for Americans is summarized in the following table. Some advice is selfexplanatory, but the author adds a few comments for other advice.
SUMMARY OF WASHINGTON'S FAREWELL ADVICE:
SEE BELOW:
Be vigilant: people will seek to use the government for selfish ends.
Comment 1
Avoid overgrown military establishments; they are hostile to liberty.
Comment 2
Prevent all obstructions to the execution of the laws.
Control bureaucracies; make sure they all work together.
Comment 3
Avoid political parties; they will cause divisive factions and unscrupulous men will use them to undermine the
government.
Comment 4
Give allegiance to the Constitution; improve it as necessary.
Comment 5
Do not alter the Constitution lightly, or based on hypothesis; apply the experience construed to the document
when it was created.
Comment 5
Be suspicious of administrators; they may serve themselves rather than the people.
Watch for consolidation of power in any department of government.
Comment 6
Preserve existing checks and balances, and add more where power needs to be checked.
Comment 5
Religion and morality are essential to create the virtue necessary to preserve the union.
Comment 7
Promote widespread education; democracy requires literate citizens that understand the system of
governance and take responsibility for themselves.
Comment 8
Avoid debt; and immediately discharge any debt created by war.
Comment 9
Taxes are unpleasant; government spending should be candidly conducted.
Comment 9
Cultivate peace and justice toward all nations.
Comment 10
Avoid alliances and maintain neutrality among nations.
Comment 10
Avoid dependency; a weak state that allies with a stronger state will become its servant.
Comment 10
Real patriots will resist intrigues, while dupes will surrender to interests.
In trade, give no nation a favored nation status.
Comment 10
Be guided by principles, not interests.
Comment 11
COMMENTS TO CONSIDER. The following comments are added to Washington's advice. You probably know all of these
comments, and, like us, could add even more. We hope to start your thinking about the prescient wisdom of President
Washington.
Comment 1: How much better would be our country, if we rebuffed and even prosecuted persons who use the government
for selfish ends? A steady stream of lobbyists and others pass through the halls of Congress, seeking special legislation, tax
breaks, and other favors. Middle Americans pay for the “gifts” to cronies. How many politicians, who earn only a relatively
modest public servant's income, retire as multimillionaires? Are these politicians uniquely blessed in being able to invest their
salaries to reap huge retirement windfalls, or is something else in operation?
Comment 2: While national defense is the most important and essential activity of government and while the Obama administration has
drastically slashed military preparedness, there is still waste in military expenditures. Why do we fund certain weapon systems that the
Pentagon does not even want? Why is America paying for military protection of Germany (more than seventy years after the end of World
War II)? Why is America paying a disproportionate amount for NATO and other alliances? In 1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme
commander of the Allies' forces in Europe during World War II and president, delivered a speech in which he warned America against “the
military-industrial complex.” This speech may be read at:
http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/indust.html .
Comment 3: The federal government is an expansive “patchwork quilt” of bureaucracies. Bureaucrats vie among themselves for power
and even greater funding. Virtually every facet of personal and business life is controlled by bureaucracies. Bureaucracies strangle
businesses (cost jobs) in the private sector, infringe personal liberties, and often hamper business expansion and entrepreneurship.
Presidents control the regulatory agencies, and they can achieve through regulation what they cannot achieve through legislation.
Comment 4: Are you proud of the political process, as you have watched this year's primaries of both parties? Is a protracted
primary season, in which candidates insult each other (Washington's “divisive factions”) and voters feel the results may be
rigged (Washington's “unscrupulous men undermining the government”), the best way to find a presidential candidate? If the
2016 primaries have any redeeming qualities, it seems many voters are fed up with the “establishment” of both the
Democratic and Republican parties. This voter backlash may explain the popularity of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump.
Comment 5: The Constitution is increasingly seen as a “living document,” rather than a fixed document. As a “living document,” some feel
that each generation should re-interpret it at will. The framers of the Constitution provided for re-writing portions of this document by
amendment. Amendment is the proper route to change the Constitution, not through executive order or chipping away through court
decisions, reflecting political and judicial prejudices rather than sound principles of law. Incidentally, we see the same fallacy in “religion,” as
many Believers/ Christians/ Jews decide which parts of Scriptures to follow and which parts to ignore.
Comment 6: Government was established in the Constitution as three equal but separate powers– Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary
Branches. An effective system of checks and balances was established. When the federal government operates as intended, no better form
of government has been devised. James Madison, considered the great thinker behind the Constitution, stated at the Constitutional
Convention in 1787 that he was shown these three Branches after reading Isaiah 33:22: (For the LORD is our Judge [model for the
Judiciary Branch]; the LORD is our Lawgiver [model for the Legislative Branch]; the LORD is our King [model for the Executive Branch];
He will save us.) In recent years (not just limited to the Obama administration), presidents have increasingly usurped power intended for
Congress. This change has resulted from aggressive over-extension of presidents and weak Congresses. Incidentally, a fourth branch of
government was recognized and encouraged. This branch was the press (now called the media). It was intended that the
press/ media would fairly and freely report politicians' wrongdoings, and the offending politicians could be voted out of office.
The media too often now serve as advocates for favored politicians, not as watchdogs of governmental excess or
malfeasance. That is, the media have mostly become lapdogs, rather than watchdogs.
Comment 7: Readers of this newsletter need no comments on the status of religion and morality in America today. The author has
observed marked deterioration in matters of faith and morality during his lifetime, and numerous opinion polls bolster the author's
observations. Yeshua warned that the final generation would become apostate, even becoming like mankind in the time of Noah. The
Apostle Paul warned that the final generation would be evil. (Among other Scriptures, see Matthew 24:10, 12, 37-39 || Luke 18:8b ||
2 Timothy 4:3-4 || 2 Peter 3:3-9 || Revelation 3:14-16.)
Comment 8: America continues to spend huge sums on education. For example: the majority of local taxes in most districts is spent on
public education; tuition of colleges/ universities continues rising rapidly; and many college/ university graduates are saddled with enormous
student loans (but cannot find employment that should flow from their education). The author finds many of today's graduates with little
knowledge of proper grammar, civics, and other educational skills (but, they are well versed in political correctness and are brimming with
misplaced self-confidence). Many employers cannot find workers capable of basic mathematical and scientific/ technical skills to learn their
factory job requirements. There is a disturbing disconnect with the amount of money being funneled into public education and the results of
that education. American manufacturing will suffer, as American graduates enter the workplace with lowered skills and knowledge.
Comment 9: The United States government is bankrupt, but will not admit it because it has the luxury of dealing in fiat money. “Fiat” is an
arbitrary decree by a government that something has value, even though nothing tangible backs up the value. The American dollar is fiat
currency. Why? There is no precious metal, for example, establishing value. The federal government decrees the dollar has value, and
citizens and other nations accept that decree. When the government runs out of financial steam, billions of dollars are “printed.” Magically,
then, there is no more problem. If you cannot pay your mortgage this month, can you go into your basement and print more money to cover
the payment? No, but the government can. America admits to more than nineteen-trillion dollars ($19,000,000,000,000) in national debt.
(Watch the debt accumulate at: www.usdebtclock.org/ .) The debt is far greater than this, though, when all obligations (Social
Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.) are considered. Nations are conspiring to bring America's debt to a crisis. There are efforts to end the
cozy petrodollar arrangement with OPEC, to merge other currencies (Russia/ China, for example) to sink the US dollar, to force return to the
gold standard, etc. We have disregarded Proverbs 22:7: The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
Comment 10: America has granted most favored nation (MFN) status to virtually all countries in the world. Such treaties proliferated after
World War II, with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) treaty. Further, America has entered into a number of trade
agreements with various nations. “Free trade” is typically abused by America's trading partners. Have these agreements helped America's
trade imbalance and created jobs for American workers? Or, have the opposite effects occurred?
Comment 11: Washington's advice that an office holder should be guided by principles, not interests, is a somewhat novel idea in presentday politics. Most politicians seem to be narcissistic, egocentric, “me-me” persons, looking only to their next re-election. There are ways that
would reduce the selfish attitude of politicians (such as, term limits, limitation of origin/ amount of funds that can be expended in a
campaign, public funding of campaigning, and draconian penalties with prison sentences for accepting anything that increases personal
wealth), but such reforms will never be enacted.
QUESTIONS. Has the United States completely ignored the warnings of President George Washington? Would America be a
far greater country, if we had heeded— and would still heed— Washington's warnings? Would Americans even allow
themselves to live in the moral, fiscally responsible society envisioned by Washington? Could America's greatest presidents
(examples: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln) even be elected today? Would a gawky man with a shrill voice
(Abraham Lincoln) be a plausible candidate in our television debate age, or would he be laughed out of politics by snarky
comedians and “talking heads?” Would politicians of the caliber of the Founding Fathers be completely dismissed, when they
talked openly and freely about God? How would you answer a frequently asked poll question: “Do you think America is
headed in the right direction or the wrong direction?”
SUMMARY: George Washington bade farewell to his beloved nation in a 1796 letter. He had suffered much and thought at
length about what the United States should become. America has ignored much of his advice. The author feels America is a
much poorer nation because we have chosen a different path than Washington envisioned.
NEXT ISSUES: We probably will write only two more newsletters in this series. We will attempt to address certain questions:
Part 3: The November election has far more consequences than electing a temporary resident of the White House. God
appoints leaders, whether to bless or punish a nation. Will God bless or punish America through the leaders Americans
choose in November?
Part 4: What responsibilities does God require of a Believer/ Christian in paying allegiance to a nation's government and
leaders?
ACKNOWLEDGMENT: All Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible (© Thomas Nelson, Inc.). Scriptures are
quoted in red-color font. NKJV names are transformed to names more commonly used by Messianic Believers and are enclosed in
brackets, e.g., NKJV text of Jesus Christ → edited to [Yeshua HaMashiach]. The “Shomair Shofar” text is written by Raymond Finney, who
is responsible for any error or misstatement.
KEEP UP WITH THE NEWS, WITH A BIBLE IN ONE HAND AND A NEWSPAPER OR COMPUTER KEYBOARD IN THE OTHER.
TODAY'S NEWS WAS WRITTEN BY GOD'S PROPHETS MANY CENTURIES AGO!
COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS: [email protected]