The Usury Dilemma Revisited (III)

Should I dispense with bank accounts? I wouldn't mind doing so but it's increasingly becoming impossible. I tried at one point years ago - operating on a cash basis, paying all my bills with money orders and the like. It's very difficult and frankly pretty miserable. It's not really possible anymore in a lot of urban locations. I live in the boondocks, where there are miles of endless forest, no traffic lights, and more deer than cars.

Conspiracies versus Conspiracy as a Worldview: The Epistemological and Ethical Rot of Libertarianism (I)

For some time I've occasionally listened to a podcast called Catholics Against Militarism. It's flawed – it is Roman Catholic after all, but interesting at times. Protestant Constantinians and Dominionists are quick to dismiss all such anti-war sentiments as 'Anabaptist' even while they ignore the long and fairly impressive 'peace' testimony found within the spectrum that is Rome.

Caesar's Coin and the Demise of Transactional Autonomy (Part 3)

One is reminded of the 2009 film The International wherein two low-to-mid level bureaucrats attempt to investigate and challenge the state-corporate power represented by international banking.  The movie has been noted for its cinematography wherein small figures are often juxtaposed with large overbearing architecture. It's meant to amplify and accentuate the virtual impossibility of the little man taking on the machine. In the movie the crusading bureaucrats (an Interpol agent and a state level district attorney) are all but crushed by the overwhelming power of the corrupt Western system.

Caesar's Coin and the Demise of Transactional Autonomy (Part 2)

There is a vicious cycle at work in which multiple bad actors seeking to profit from and at the expense of one another and to protect themselves from competitors have created conditions which all but destroy the ability for individuals to conduct all but the simplest transactions apart from regulation and government involvement. That is unfortunately where this all leads. The various industries press the government (and effectively buy it) to pass laws leading to regulations that will protect their industry (and profits) and will bring about stability and uniformity... the conditions investors and corporate boards want. They can deal with regulations as long as they know what they are. They can subsequently tweak and re-tool their models and make money.

Caesar's Coin and the Demise of Transactional Autonomy (Part 1)

Listening to people complain about the state of society, government intrusion, burdensome costs and the hosts of problems surrounding insurance and litigation, I am struck (in almost every case) by the tendency toward reductionism. Each person tends to assess the situation from their own limited perspective and experience and render judgment on that basis without ever taking the time to look into the larger picture. They're often right in one sense but because their inquiry is limited, they almost always represent but one portion of a larger truth and thus in the end, their depiction and judgment is skewed, distorted and ultimately misleading. This is hardly surprising and yet it often proves destructive, especially when people act in what must be described as ignorance.

New Calvinism versus The Watchtower Society: Problematic Refutations and Muddied Waters

http://samstorms.com/enjoying-god-blog/post/10-things-you-should-know-about-jehovah-s-witnesses

This article is a case of a New Calvinist critiquing the Watchtower Society. His intent is to quickly summarise the issues but due to his own lack of insight and bias, he actually just muddies the waters.

Christian Nonviolence and Pacifism: Some Badly Needed Clarifications (Part 3)

Christ brings division, even among Christians (1 Cor 11)... the peace we seek, is found only in him. False worldly peace doesn't excuse the gun-toting, gun-enforced pseudo-peace of either the Right wing militarist or the Libertarian, nor does a lack of peace in a world of violence grant permission for Christians to take up the sword. Thousands of pages have been written attempting to defend the Christian war ethic, just war, 'self-defense' and a host of other lies and scriptural distortions.

Christian Nonviolence and Pacifism: Some Badly Needed Clarifications (Part 2)

Non-violent activism is not pacifist but political, a form of manipulation rather than overt coercion. But it is coercive nonetheless. Once again while a number of figures associated with this kind of activity are on a certain level admirable, they are not actually following the ethic of the New Testament.

Christian Nonviolence and Pacifism: Some Badly Needed Clarifications (Part 1)

Pacifism and Nonviolence are controversial and sometimes confusing topics. This is compounded by the fact that they mean different things to different people. Not everyone is in agreement as to what they mean as far as concepts, let alone what are their limits and goals.

Law, Systemic Violence and Societal Institutions

A lawsuit is a petition to the court, calling on the court to address your grievance. You're saying that someone has violated a law, or in some cases that a law has violated other laws.

Ultimately you want the court to force the party that has grieved you to change and correct the wrong. The court if it rules in your favour is effectively 'threatening' the other party to make it right. They're telling someone to pay the money owed or in some cases they're telling an entity...a business, a city government or department to change their policy or face the wrath of the court.