OPEN LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE
September 5, 2022
Using my Labor Day Effectively – by Susan O’Rourke
This letter is in response to an article written by your columnist, Tim Dickinson, dated September 1, 2022 regarding Christians being involved in politics in the United States of America.
Mr. Dickinson shows his disdain for what he terms “Christian Nationalists” – a notorious tactic of the left of labeling people. Our definition, of what appears to be a derogatory term against patriotic Christians, is that a Christian should stand up against the evil that is perpetrated by the government upon all people, no matter their faith. We do so through prayer. A patriot who is a Christian believes Almighty God has authority over any nation and, ultimately, His will shall be done on this earth.
In “demanding an end to the separation of church and state”, Dutch is referring to our Constitution’s First Amendment. The first amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” It does NOT mean that the church cannot influence the government. This Amendment has been twisted for so many years to mean that faith is not permitted in the public arena and this misinterpretation continues to be perpetrated (your article being a case in point). The “state” (i.e. U.S. Government) is not entitled to interfere with the church in the practice of their faith (no matter the faith). It does NOT state that those of the Christian faith are not to influence the government. Our Constitution was based on the Biblical Ten Commandments. According to your interpretation of our First Amendment, does that also mean there should be no freedom of the Press if applied similarly?
Christian churches were forced to shut down during Covid (in the United States, Canada and others countries) while those of others faiths were not. Additionally, riots and other large “super-spreader” gatherings were overlooked, if not encouraged. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPLnaGok75w
You accuse anyone who is conservative of being authoritarian. Let’s examine some of what we’ve seen enacted by the current administration, via Executive Orders, many of which are governmental overreach and a complete disregard for our Constitution.
Joe Biden has written 92 Executive Orders from January 20, 2021 to July 8, 2022. That is more than any other President going only as far back as Ronald Reagan. While these orders have what seem to be worthy causes, if you examine the wording and implications of many of them, the titles are quite deceiving (a hallmark of this current administration), and detrimental to U.S. Citizens, en masse. Let’s review the effects of some of them.
Shutting down the Keystone XL Pipeline and thus our ability to be energy independent, at the very least, has cost us dearly in jobs and economically nationwide in only a year and a half. Then Biden requests oil from nations that are not even allies of the United States! Furthermore, this has detrimentally affected our supply chain.
Executive Order # 13985 “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government”. Sounds wonderful, but here’s what the implications are – pushing racial equity (not equality). This is an attempt to treat people unequally specifically in regard to their race. For example, all taxpayers paying for the student debt of others, even though some taxpayers were not “privileged” to attend college or have already fully paid their own loans. A white person, who has paid into Medicare all his or her life, will now have challenges in getting an appointment with a doctor as people of color will take precedence or the doctor will face financial penalties as the Biden administration is forcing physicians to categorize their patients by race. Fannie Mae’s new Equitable Housing Finance Plan helps with appraisals and closing costs, but only if you’re a certain race (i.e. not white). Bank of America offers $0.00 down-payment, $0.00 closing costs specifically to only Black and Hispanic applicants who are first-time home buyers (remember 2008?). As Ibram Kendi stated, “The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination.” Ever hear “two wrongs don’t make a right”? Our children who are students in public schools and universities are being taught, via Critical Race Theory, that all white people are oppressors, and all non-white people are oppressed in the United States of America - literally, to hate the United States now for past slavery and to make reparations for deeds of which they were totally uninvolved. Not to mention the Biden administration soliciting a letter by the NEA labeling parents who dared to voice their concerns over our children being sexualized, as young as Kindergartners, as Domestic Terrorists and involving the FBI in this travesty of justice.
Executive Order # 13986 “Ensuring a Lawful and Accurate Enumeration and Apportionment Pursuant to the Decennial Census”. This Executive Order requires non-citizens to be counted in the 2020 census both for the purpose of enumeration and determining congressional appointment. In effect, Non-citizens, whether legal or illegal, are not to be excluded from numbers of persons used for apportioning congressional seats among the states. Sounds unconstitutional to me. Since when can you break the laws of the United States and be awarded all of our rights? Even U.S. Citizens who have criminally broken our laws are not permitted to vote.
How many people suffered from the overreach regarding Covid 19. Small businesses shut down completely. Hundreds, if not thousands, lost their jobs, including nurses and doctors who worked throughout Covid to help others, simply because they refused to take an illegally mandated vaccine. How’s that for “my body, my choice”?
Executive Order # 13988 “Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation”. This allows boys or men who supposedly deem themselves female to enter bathrooms and locker rooms of our young girls and women, thereby subjecting them to an unsafe situation. Heard of the case in Virginia where the “non-boy” raped two girls in different schools? It also allows these same “boys” an unfair advantage in competing in female sporting events. This is a direct attack on the rights of natural females, whereas even a potential Supreme Court Justice can’t even define what a woman is anymore. Chromosomes tell you a gender of an individual, whether or not you are a biologist.
Educate yourself on the impact of this administration’s Climate Change policies and how that has further damaged our economy.
Executive Order # 93, Overrules our Supreme Court’s decision regarding Roe v. Wade. Furthermore, they are threatening to “pack the court” in an effort to politicize it. They allow threats against our Supreme Court Justices, including threats made by Chuck Schumer (see link above). It seems our laws now apply only to those on the Right, but the Left gets a pass. With this administration, justice is not blind, it’s skewed.
This administration has indicated that people of color are not able nor educated enough to acquire identification – that it’s an excessive burden for them. If that’s not racist, I guess I don’t understand the meaning of racism. This fallacy does not recognize that, though required in many other instances, voter I.D. should be required for this ultimate privilege in exercising our rights as U.S. Citizens.
He’s disregarded our southern border, allowing a national security threat by allowing undocumented illegals entry, not to mention the explosion of lethal illegal drugs, criminal acts of violence, and sex trafficking entering our country as a result. One of the main things our government is to provide for it’s citizens is protection from foreign invasion.
Our House of “Representatives” has passed a bill attempting to impact our elections by making them national instead of run by individual states. This, too, is unconstitutional as our Declaration of Independence states that our government is granted powers by the consent of the governed. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
I could go on, but I’m hoping by now, you get the picture that this administration has done more damage to this country than any other administration.
The Left has a habit of name-calling anyone who disagrees with their policies and mandates, not addressing the logic of the issues at hand or engaging in appropriate discourse. The Right has been called, uneducated, deplorable, racist, homophobic, domestic terrorists, and semi-facists (that I can think of at the moment).
Joe Biden’s speech on September 1, 2022 at Independence Hall in Philadelphia was extremely inflammatory calling Republicans extremists, similar to your rhetoric - that of which you accuse Mr. Sheets. In the past, Biden has intimated he would send F-15s against anyone that disagrees with his policies. This is a person, who, in his inaugural address, stated (I paraphrase) he would push for unity. He’s done anything and everything, but that. Maybe Mr. Dickinson could give equal time to the Biden administration.
Let’s talk about the injustice perpetrated on the January 6 unarmed “insurrectionists”. Where’s the justice for those who were simply ushered in by the Capitol Police. Where was the National Guard that President Trump requested? Why didn’t Nancy Pelosi use them or, for that matter, why were Capitol Police sent home? Why aren’t all the videos taken that day made available? What happened to a fair and speedy trial? What about equal representation in a court of law? Why were all the Republican Congress members who requested to be on the J6 committee prohibited?
As a side bar, we live in a Constitutional Republic, not a pure Democracy. God WILL “sort it out”.
Involving ourselves in politics, as a U.S. Citizen, is an obligation and a right, especially when we do not agree with the policies that are being imposed on us. Whether it be running for your local school board, volunteering, or running for President. It's apparent, after reading Mr. Dickinson’s article, that any voice is acceptable publicly in regard to our governance, other than the Christian voice. Maybe you should restrain yourself to topics you understand such as music, “popular” culture and entertainment. Obviously, you do not understand faith or other spiritual matters. Your smear pieces on Dutch Sheets and Sean Feucht emphasize your ignorance. I Corinthians 1:18-23 explains this situation of differing values.
