Prior to the P.O.C. website, I published a decidedly more political site and accompanying social media. While I approached the topics from a Christian’s perspective on the issues, I realized I was spending too much time looking down into the darkness rather than up to the light. Not that they were wrong or even unnecessary, for it was in that time that I began to refine my talents and focus my thoughts. It was through those efforts that God was teaching me. What was He teaching me? While my intent was to serve God, my approach was too widely projected. I was speaking to goats, basically saying, “Stop being goats.” I was shouting at those “who cannot hear…” “Listen!” I was holding a mirror up to “the blind.” What I learned was to stop “projecting” my thoughts to the world and start “directing” them to His sheep, or at least those who claim to be His sheep. Realizing that among those who make this claim are also Heretics, Hirelings and Wolves in sheep’s clothing, I reach beyond them to those who “Hear His Call.”
So, when I realized the Truth that my efforts were misdirected, I shut down all of those outlets and began a public Pursuit of Character. That was the beginning of the P.O.C. website. You can see the evidence of this transition in a few of my early posts here: Separating the Chaff in Christian America, We are Moving, “One Nation Under God” or “One Ungodly Nation”? etc. However, under the dark cloud of COVID-19, some Truths have been revealed. So, I have sat down to get this down because it is in my head. When I am done I will, as always, look to God for confirmation that the words are “Thine not mine.” And more, that they are meant for publication, as all are not. Some are merely for a little personal enlightenment. So, here we go.
My family can tell you that I have long been frustrated with the “Christian” response to “the World.” Whenever God’s people have been besieged – public prayer, a photographer, a baker, a wedding venue or just Christian owned and operated business – a consistent defense is pronounced… the Freedom of Speech. Why?! I would exclaim. Why do those who step up to defend the right of The Church to exist, the right of its people to worship and Live consistent with their religion hold out “free speech” as validation? I knew why; that’s what made me “itch.” Those who claimed to defend God’s sovereignty and the rights given us from that sovereignty no longer believed the practice of Christianity was protected and “self-evident.” They no longer believed that the right to bring our belief in and taught by God across the Sunday Threshold and into our daily lives was an “Inalienable Right Endowed by Our Creator.” Or maybe they saw something the churches deny: “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their Powers from the Consent of the Governed.” Written by Thomas Jefferson into The Declaration of Independence, these words were meant to make a statement. A statement to the powers that be that, in America, they only existed by the will of the people. That, as such, they had no authority, under any circumstances, to act outside of “the Consent of the Governed.” Jefferson sought to put government on a leash that was held in the hands of God’s Endowed.
I can’t say whether those who defend the rights of persecuted Christians stopped actually believing in those rights themselves or whether they recognized something in those words. Maybe they realized The Governed had Given their Consent to the special interest groups and the government they controlled to take on God’s authority, revoke a law written by God at Creation, and restrain His people behind the stained glass. 
Whatever the Truth of this, the Truth Is, that time and time again there have been clear cut cases of Government intrusion rather than abiding by its requirement “to secure” our right to follow our God 24/7. Because we chose to stand on “speech” rather than “religion” in each of these cases, our “Right” to Live our religion has been surrendered.
In stepping out from wading in the Dark Waters of the world to start P.O.C., I also stopped watching the News and reading News sites of those waters. Thanks to the occasional commercial, passing headline or what preceded catching a weather report, I stay aware of the world around me. However, the coronavirus has forced a little closer attention. I watched an interview last night with the Governor of New Jersey. (see ref. sec. 1) He was asked under what legal authority did he make his mandates, what gave him the right to override the “Bill of Rights”? His answer? He hadn’t even considered the Bill of Rights. When pressed on the unconstitutional reality of his restrictions on Religious Practice, he answered that he had consulted with all the leaders, the authorities of the various religions, before he ignored their Rights, thereby implying their “Consent.” As most who act against God do, he, like my Governor, pointed to science for justification. When asked what scientific data led him to decide “liquor stores” were essential and safe to remain open but drive-in church services were not, his answer contained No science, and was convoluted at best.
Let me remind you I have lived my whole life in Michigan. Yes, the very same Michigan that has “Consented” to the Authoritarian Control of one who not only defies the “leash” but outright rejects it. The other day, I watched interviews with protesters outside our state capital. One man asked why “pot-shops” were essential and open but he could not buy a can of paint? I am sure the “scientific” answer would be that marijuana is “medicinal.” Setting aside the fact that the same was said of both alcohol and tobacco to get the governed to Consent to their open use, let’s have a little Self-Evident Truth shall we?
Let’s allow, for the sake of argument, that marijuana is “medicinal.” Under the circumstances, the same could legitimately and scientifically be said of many of the things “not allowed” under these orders. I have painted since probably before I can remember. Ma loved to paint and repaint the rooms of our house. Ma found it relaxing and restful. If you have read Ma’s Final Message you know that the world prescribed drugs to attempt to provide Ma this peace, but they could not work as well as a roller and a bucket of paint. Probably because Ma included me as young as I was able, painting provides the same peace for me. I even did it professionally for some years.
Let’s do another. Growing up, like many in the “Great Lakes State,” we fished. There is little like going out into God’s country, feeling His breath in your hair and His warmth on your face to calm your soul.
Again? Ok! Ma loved to garden. Ma loved hard work and plants; gardening provided the perfect combination of both. I know I won’t be able to find it, but somewhere I have a picture of me, taken by Ma, sitting beside a rear tractor tire that had been laid on its side and painted black and white. Every year, Ma and I would plant it full of flowers, usually Marigolds, and care for them all summer. This is one of my favorite memories. A memory that is revived every spring when my family plants our Marigolds.
Also, standing in the corner of the yard of my childhood home where my father still lives is a towering pine tree. When we were young, Ma was a Cub Scout mom. Ma led a group of boys my older brother’s age before I was old enough to join. One year, to earn their “merit badge,” she had them plant two pine trees at the end of our drive. When removing them from the pots, Ma discovered a tiny tree that had snuck in with the others. Seeing an opportunity to prevent me from feeling left out, Ma took the tiny tree and her tiny son (me) out to the far corner of the yard. I am sure she chose there because she did not believe its odds of survival were good. Every year we nurtured and took care of the growing pine, adding nutrients when necessary, to aide its survival. Today, the Cub Scout trees are long gone, and the tiny tree isn’t so tiny anymore. I’m glad that year, so long ago, was not a year where our Governor decided planting a tree with my mom wasn’t essential.
Wow, I got a little “wordy” there didn’t I?! But that in itself makes my point. At a time when tyranny seems to rule rather than the people, when those who were entrusted to secure our rights have instead secured the Governed, we sit day after day, creatures designed for fellowship, restricted from our fellow man. I am absolutely sure you can find all kinds of science that would show this confinement causes loneliness, depression and anxiety. (Actually see ref. sec. 2 at the bottom of the page) The world then says that it is essential that we have access to alcohol and marijuana as a medicinal treatment for the condition the Powers that be caused. So, in the interest of health, they declare the treatments I described in the previous paragraphs illegal and alcohol and drugs “essential.” Former Education Secretary & Drug Czar Bill Bennett gave the following interview while I was writing this: “The country has suffered enormously, to say nothing of the cost of the shut-down, in terms of fatalities. 300% increase in the suicide hotline, a big increase in the opioid epidemic, how much domestic violence, child protective services can’t get to peoples’ houses. There are real costs to Panic and Pandemonium.” Bill Bennett, The Numbers you may have missed.
Quick (rhetorical) question: is The Church instructed to participate in “panic and pandemonium” or to offer something better?
These are Truths the World and the politicians who represent that World obviously reject and the churches seem to have forgotten. Christ instructed: “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.” (John 14:27) Isn’t this the offer we as Christians are required to relate, stand on and defend? As Bill Bennett also said this week, the world has crawled “under their beds.” What sadness it is that when they do, they find people who claim to be Christ’s Sheep, and worse, His Shepherds, hiding there too.
But, perhaps I am being unfair. Perhaps our government is “here to help,” over-stepping their rightful powers and usurping our freedoms with our best interest at heart. Well, they are citing science, so let’s have a little science, shall we?
In agreement with the stats Bill Bennett cited above, here is the impact on the percent of alcohol sales in a one week period compared to the same dates in 2019 (Newsweek):
- Spirits (Hard liquors) up 75%
- Beer up 66%
- Wine up 42%
Why is this relevant? Here are some numbers from the CDC on alcohol and drug-related deaths within the U.S. in 2017:
- Alcoholic Liver Disease: 22,246
- Alcohol-Induced Deaths (not including accidents & homicides): 35,823
- Drug-Induced Deaths: 73,990
Allow me to help with the math… total = 132,064
Keep in mind, these Death Rate numbers are from 2017 and so would not reflect the increased alcohol sales just represented. We can safely assume, however, that with this increase in sales, the numbers can only get worse.
UPDATE 4/15/2021: Data from a CDC report shows drug overdose deaths in the U.S. increased by just under 29% during COVID-19. 87,000 Americans died from drug overdoses between September 2019 to September 2020, the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded. The highest increases during the strictest lock-downs of April & May. And of course there is this:
“Provisional drug overdose death data are often incomplete, and the degree of completeness varies by jurisdiction and 12-month ending period…Consequently, the numbers of drug overdose deaths are underestimated based on provisional data relative to final data and are subject to random variation.” End Update
Now, let’s look at the numbers for current and projected deaths and mortality rate due to COVID-19:
As of today (April 19), the CDC reports U.S. deaths from COVID-19 to be 37,202.
As of April 14th, 2020, “The U.S.’s coronavirus death rate is currently 4.1%.” (Business Insider)
UPDATE 9/25/2020: Death toll from COVID-19 has reached a reported 200,000 however, at least 30% of those deaths were misrepresented and were not deaths caused by COVID, but something else. Also, 35-50% of deaths were and still are occurring in nursing homes. For the comparison coming up allow me to do the math for you: 200,000-60,000(30%)=140,000-70,000 (50% not actually covid)=70,000-35,000 (50%in nursing homes)=35,000 very sad Covid caused deaths in the general public. Now for a little added perspective from the just released CDC Report, “Survival Rates.”
- Age 0 to 19 (means K-12 age) survival rate 99.997%
- Age 20 to 49 (means college age) survival rate 99.98%
- Age 50 to 69 (means through retirement) survival rate 99.95%
- Age 70+ (means highest risk) survival rate 94.6%
In June Business Insider reported these CDC numbers for the Flu. (reported in “Mortality rates” so we will convert to “Survival rates” for comparison.)
- Age 5 to 17 survival rate 99.99%
- Age 18 to 49 survival rate 99.98%
- Age 50 to 64 survival rate 99.94%
- Age 65+ survival rate 99.17%
This is why you stopped going to church. This is why you stopped effectively educating your children. This is why you put your neighbor out of business. This is why you surrendered your Endowed Freedoms to the “Mandates” of Trustworthy Politicians.
End Update.
Now for a little comparison.
“During the 2017/2018 season, the percentage of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I) was at or above the epidemic threshold for 16 consecutive weeks. During the past five seasons, the average number of weeks this indicator was above threshold was 11 (range of 7 to 15 weeks). Nationally, mortality attributed to P&I exceeded 10.0% for four consecutive weeks, peaking at 10.8% during the week ending January 20, 2018.” (CDC report on 2017-2018 flu season)
The result? “61,000 influenza-associated deaths” (CDC report on 2017-2018 flu season, burden)
In case you’re not sure, Death Rate means Mortality Rate. Now, yes, the numbers for COVID-19 could change, but they would have to more than double to even equal the percentage of deaths attributed to the Flu in the 2017/2018 season. This Fact surprised me, because we have been continually told that one of the scientific justifications for the Government’s acts was how much higher the “mortality” of COVID-19 was compared with the Flu.
Ignoring the science just listed, the powers that be point to science and say that the data show that the number would be far worse had they followed the Bill of Rights, obeyed the law and protected our Freedoms. But the conclusions they state do not address the question posed. They compare the general terms of “doing nothing” to “mitigation.” Again, they demonstrate it isn’t the words they use but how they are defined that matters.
When this virus hit the U.S., the government, within their authority and responsibility, strongly advised a free people to choose “personal” mitigation. Realizing the severe negative impact this mitigation would have on my fellow citizens, I intentionally went to restaurants a few times to support my fellow man through what would be a difficult time and to see if they were following the recommended “mitigation” as they should. Honestly, to my surprise, all were extremely diligent in their responsibility. On my part, I maintained distance from others and carried hand sanitizer with me should I touch any surface. Everywhere I went, I saw my Fellow Americans doing the same. My 82-year-old father with diabetes and heart disease stopped going out into public, not because it was “mandated,” but by his Choice because he felt it was right for him. Every time I go out for my weekly shopping run, I see people equivalent to Pa making a different Choice and my heart breaks for what that Choice might mean for them. I keep my distance, but it never even crosses my mind that they should have the right to make that Choice taken away. Days later, our Governor declared us too irresponsible to be allowed our Freedom (see From “Endowed” to “Allowed”). Isn’t it amazing how the mega-phones of Choice go silent when it isn’t their Chosen Choice that is threatened?
The change that followed “Government” Mitigation was weeks of panicked people crowding into grocery stores, bulk food warehouses, airports and more, creating the very environment they said they were stopping. So, when you see those “Governments…instituted among men” pointing to the data to show their tyranny justified, remember they have no data to show what the numbers would have been had they simply done their duty and allowed the “Governed” to be responsible citizens. They have no data to measure the impact of the panicked crowds they caused. They present a false argument, comparing “Head in the Sand” verses “Not Considering the Bill of Rights,” acting as if “personal mitigation” was not happening and instituting what might rightly be called “Soft Martial Law.”
This brings us back to where we began. We Consented when they took away our Endowed Freedom (Right) to Practice our Religion, arguing speech instead of God. We Consented to, and even advocated for, the charge of “discrimination” when someone stands on that Endowed Freedom. We Consented when the Supreme Court took a letter from the same Thomas Jefferson that immortalized that Endowed Freedom into our founding documents and erased his stated intent, forever Separating “Church and State.” In fact, most church doctrines and the “Pharisees” who wrote them now praise the practice.
Let’s look at a couple of numbers Bill Bennett gave in his interview. The average American has a 0.2% chance of getting COVID-19. And if that lightning manages to strike you, you have a 98% chance you will not die. Now, let’s just take a partial look at how many Americans offered and gave their lives so that we would be Free to Pursue Happiness and to Assemble and Practice our Religious Beliefs.
American Revolution: 4,435 (of an estimated U.S. Colony population of 2,148,076)
The War of 1812: 2,260 (caused by British restrictions on U.S. trade, also referred to as the “Second War of Independence”)
Union (Freedom side) Deaths – Civil War: 140,414
American Lives Given to stop Hitler (WWll): 291,557
Did you know that The Nationalist Socialist Party (The Nazi Party) and intern Hitler acquired their power from the “consent of the governed” by promising to protect them? The Nazis got elected because they offered something Reagan would warn us about 50 years later as “the most terrifying words in the English language… I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Then, 6 million Jews were killed. Why were they killed? Because they refused to deny their God, their Faith, their Religion on a man’s command.
Another one much less mentioned. After Christ’s coming and ascending, His followers, the Christian Church, continued to grow. From Christ’s time until the Roman conversion by Constantine in 312 A.D., even being suspected of associating with a Christian would mean your death. The Roman Empire had declared Christians and their acts illegal and punishable by death. As a result, it is estimated that millions of Christians were hunted down and executed. Why were they killed? Because they refused to deny their God, their Faith, their Religion on a man’s command.
Throughout history, as forewarned within that history, those in the position to Govern the rest have always found justification to suppress the followers of the Creator. Whether Jew or Christian, our God has proven His Authority over them over and over again. At times they have rebelled against that Authority by enslaving the Israelites, feeding Christians to the lions and dragging Jews to the gas chambers. Christians have always been oppressed by men who govern, but have found “Reformation” and a “Great Awakening” by God. But where are the Christians now?
What did it take to get us to Consent to give our Freedom away? I’m not even going to try and do the math… what is 2% of 0.2% anyway?
The point is, we are called to be as Christ, to live as He lived. Christians are taught to follow the Apostles lead. Where did Paul write many of his letters from? What happened to him, the other Apostles, John the Baptist and the other loyal followers of Christ? Why? Because they refused to deny their God, their Faith, their Religion on a man’s command. Because when the Powers that be told them they could not Assemble, when they told them their God was not Essential, when they threatened them with punishment, the Faithful trusted their God because they believed He is who He says He is. And they believed when He said:
“I brought you from the ends of the earth and called you from its farthest corners. I said, ‘You are My servant.’ I have chosen and not rejected you. Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand of righteousness. Behold, all who rage against you will be ashamed and disgraced; those who contend with you will be reduced to nothing and will perish. You will seek them but will not find them. Those who wage war against you will come to nothing. For I am the LORD your God, who takes hold of your right hand and tells you: Do not fear, I will help you.” (the most reassuring words in the English Language) Isaiah 41:9-13
Today, (see clips sec. 1 below) under the banner of protection, Christians are being ticketed and fined for taking communion in their cars. Today, Christians are being raided in parking lots, ticketed and fined, for parking there and listening to their shepherd over their car radio. Today, services celebrating our Lord’s Victory Over Death… (think about it) …have been outlawed. Today, Pastors, Rabis and other religious leaders are saying they won’t be the ones who fight for the Right to Practice the Worship of God as their sacred teachings state. Today, those religious leaders, more importantly those Christian leaders, those shepherds and their flocks, Consent to man (other gods) taking his place above God and between Him and His sheep. Today, in the spring of 2020, a Truth has been Revealed… “The Governed” have “Consented” to the authority of gods “Instituted by” man who follow a doctrine set by a previous deity of the White House, “Never Let a Crisis go to Waste.” Following this Practice Religiously, right under our noses and with our Consent, those entrusted to “Protect” our Freedoms have chewed through the leash and stand with their paws on our chest and their teeth at our throats.
Oh yeah…. And we say Thank You!
To sum-up I ask but one question to “The Governed,” especially The Governed who claim to hold God above all:
We may have been Endowed Free… But What have we Consented to?
© Scott A Caughel 9/13/2019
Reference Section 1:
Note: If you dismiss the Truth represented because of the source that presents it, your intent is exposed.
https://video.foxnews.com/v/6148695370001#sp=show-clips
https://video.foxnews.com/v/6149760158001#sp=show-clips
https://video.foxnews.com/v/6149937643001#sp=show-clips
https://video.foxnews.com/v/6194720371001
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-michigan-gov-gretchen-whitmer-coronavirus-power
Reference Section 2: Just a few more facts:
In the first weeks, reports from across the country were coming in of anywhere from a 10 to 100 percent increase in calls to suicide hotlines. (In the weeks since, numbers have only gotten worse.) There are too many stories to list here so I provide one from March 23rd that explains the increased risk of suicide from the government’s actions. “Social distancing and quarantines may trigger those currently dealing with suicidal thoughts. And research shows the social and economic fallout from the pandemic may amplify the risk for some people well after the outbreak has ended.” Eric Caine, co-director of the Center for the Study of Prevention of Suicide at the University of Rochester Medical Center said, “It is important ‘to honestly and openly consider that there might be adverse events that occur in the midst of social distancing.’” And, Norine VanderHooven, a licensed clinical social worker in California said, “Isolation is a big trigger for a lot of people.”
The same holds true for domestic violence numbers. “…on March 16, six counties in California’s Bay Area issued one of the first major shelter-in-place orders, which was soon followed by other cities and statewide orders. That’s when many police and domestic violence service providers say they began seeing an escalation in calls. In addition to Houston, Phoenix and Charlotte-Mecklenburg police, law enforcement in Boston; Milwaukee; Seattle; San Antonio; Salt Lake City; Utah County, Utah; Fresno County, California; Montgomery County, Texas; East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana; Buffalo, New York; Sparks, Nevada; Portland, Oregon; Nassau County, New York; Cherokee County, South Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina said that domestic violence cases increased in their jurisdictions in March.” “Of the 22 law enforcement agencies across the United States that responded to NBC News’ request for data on domestic violence calls, 18 departments said they had seen a rise in March.”