Friday, May 15, 2015

An American Prophet* Named James**?

James Madison
from Wikimedia Commons,
the free media repository
“Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. In war, too, the discretionary power of the Executive is extended; its influence in dealing out offices, honors, and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the minds, are added to those of subduing the force of the people…. [There are also] opportunities of fraud, growing out of a state of war, and… Degeneracy of manners and of morals… No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare …”1
Considering the current state of US (and world) affairs, could it be said of this James and those other American prophets (George and Thomas,2 et al.) that
A prophet is not without honour, BUT in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house, he is mostly disregarded in principle and practice?3
Or, in a parallel déjà vu to the writings of Isaiah, might these prophets say:
[T]his people draw near [us] with their mouth, and with their lips do honour [us], but have removed their heart far from [us?]4
Perhaps we could also begin to listen more attentively to a latter-day American prophet, Chris Hedges. Here is a recent interview:
▪  http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-may-13-2015-1.3072112/chris-hedges-says-america-on-road-to-revolution-even-in-baltimore-1.3072170
▪  http://www.cbc.ca/radio/popup/audio/player.html?autoPlay=true&clipIds=2667103670
▪  (Or check out his numerous interviews and speeches via YouTube.)
------------------------/
* A person who foretells or predicts what is to come.
** James Madison, Jr. (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, political theorist, and the fourth President of the United States (1809–17). He is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for being instrumental in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution and as the key champion and author of the Bill of Rights. … Like most of his contemporaries, Madison changed his political views during his life. During the drafting and ratification of the constitution, he favored a strong national government, though later he grew to favor stronger state governments, before settling between the two extremes late in his life. (From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Madison | footnotes omitted; bold emphasis added.)

1. As quoted in America's Forgotten History, Part 1: Foundations by Mark David Ledbetter; Kindle Edition (2010-04-12), Locations 3693-3698, (bold and size emphasis added).
2. http://www.dejavu-times.blogspot.ca/2014/12/remembering-george.html
http://www.dejavu-times.blogspot.ca/search/label/Jefferson-Thomas
3. Reference: New Testament | Matthew 13:57 and Mark 6:4, (bold & cap emphasis added). Déjà vu Old Testament Jeremiah in Jeremiah, chapters 42 & 43.
4.Old Testament | Isaiah 29:13.

 
Creative Commons License
Déjà Vu ~ Times blog by SMSmith is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.