David Westerfield

Why the Concern Over Global Governance?

On August 31, 2009

In all reality, we’re already there to some degree. The infrastructure has been put in place for the past 50-60 years. It’s getting switched on now. When a global governing body, in this case the WTO, begins dictating to nation-states when they can and can’t fine other countries, whether one country owes another or not for perceived violations of international law, you no longer have a handle on your own nations’ sovereignty. Found this very interesting. From WSJ.com: WTO Allows Brazil to Fine U.S. (Archive)

American goods will face around $295 million in annual sanctions as a result of the United States’ failure to eliminate illegal subsidies to U.S. cotton growers, the World Trade Organization ruled Monday.

The question though for all of us is, how much further will it go? And how willing is our own government willing to give over even more sovereignty to these global governing bodies? And how does our Constitution play into this?

Orwellian Financial Doublespeak – Update 1

By David Westerfield

On August 31, 2009

In Business, Economics

This really makes you wonder who is really running the engine of this nation now: from politics to corporations to the media, it really seems to be the moneychangers now, the banks and major investment firms. And instead of the Fed addressing the “too big to fail” issue, the bailed out banks are even bigger than before after all of these tax-payer funded bailouts.

Don’t believe everything you read in the headlines out there about the state of things in the economy, or in this case the bailouts. It is not rosy nor can we determine the state of the economy based solely upon what the stock market is doing, as some seem bent on doing.

It seems alternative media are more faithful these days to doing actual economic and financial journalism than many of the big hitters, including blogs like Naked Capitalism, Mish’s Global Economic Trend Analysis and Calculated Risk. In addition, though Alex Jones may be the leader of conspiratorial hype movement in the alternative media world, where everyone and their dog is an agent of the Fed and the global elitist interests that are coming to enslave us, he at least has one thing completely right that I agree on: we are in an information war of vast proportions against some wealthy stake holders in this country now.

Take for example this from Naked Capitalism: More Bogus Bailout Reporting: “As Big Banks Repay Bailout Money, U.S. Sees a Profit” (Archive)

“Clearly, the spin is in. As a post earlier today discusses, the Financial Times is running a story that claims that the Fed made money on its rescue programs, then slips in all the tidbits in the body of the article to let discerning readers know that the reporter understands that the analysis is utter rubbish while looking like it is not crossing the Fed.

Agreed: Reasonable Questions

By David Westerfield

On August 29, 2009

In Culture, Economics, Politics, Video

I listen to Glenn Beck occasionally and think he comes unhinged a lot. And I obviously don’t agree with his assessments concerning “faith” in these videos. But these are absolutely valid questions and concerns he raises, many of the same one’s I have based on a lot of the same evidence and information I have been researching as well. And it has zero to do with race … good grief, come on MSNBC.

Come Attend Yet Another ‘Life-Changing’ Event!

By David Westerfield

On August 28, 2009

In Business, Commentary, Culture

Why is it that many times, whenever some special guest comes and speaks at a church, business or any other kind of special organizational event, it is pitched as a ‘life-changing’ event? Can’t it just be merely informative or helpful?

I believe the label ‘life-changing’ actually has the reverse intended effect and reduces groups of people to passivity (or mere short-term conformity) toward the objective the leaders have set for the event, mainly as a result of setting the expectation bar so high by labeling it ‘life-changing’.

If every event is life-changing, then (generally speaking) no event will be life-changing, which inevitably produces stagnation and complacency in the group. I mean if it really is a life-changing event, well then okay, maybe it is.

But how often do you generally walk away from a meeting of this kind with a complete paradigm shift in your perspective or understanding (apart from radical conversion by the work of Christ)? You may walk away informed or even affected, given new ideas on how to approach something, or change some area in your life. But is your life generally radically changed by some motivational speaker? 95-99% of the time, I would say probably not. Maybe in the short-run to be sure. But after this wears off, it’s business as usual.

Why can’t we just be honest and call an event what it is in reality, not what we want to project it or market it as (in this case ‘life-changing’)? If every event is described in these terms, people will catch on to the truth of what these kind of events are and begin coming with the expectation that it’s just another okay, mediocre or poor event as a result of having the bar set to an extreme. Just a thought …

Eisenhower’s Farewell Address – 1961

By David Westerfield

On August 23, 2009

In Audio, History, Politics, Security, Video

Text (Archive) – MP3 (Archive) – Video

Peter Schiff on Warren Buffett’s Assessment

By David Westerfield

On August 22, 2009

In Business, Economics, Video

Who Do You Think Stands To Gain From ‘Climate Change’?

By David Westerfield

On August 21, 2009

In Economics, Environment

http://www2.goldmansachs.com/

American Patriot’s Bible – Words Cannot Describe II

By David Westerfield

On August 18, 2009

In Christian Culture, Reviews, Theology

America has a rich history rooted in the Christian faith, drawing many principles from Scripture. And while this is true, it does not lend us the conclusion that America was a “Christian nation,” even at our founding. Such an assumption is absurd and presents a misguided interpretation of history and a misunderstanding of the nature of how people are converted and saved. Many of the founding fathers were deists, an ideology which runs counter to the Biblical portrayal of an all-sovereign God, which necessarily affects our understanding of the Gospel.

The assumption that this was a Christian nation, displayed prominently within this Bible version, will hurt the cause of the Gospel in that it delivers the understanding to the unconverted that if you are an American and support the Constitution, you are a Christian and are “in” God’s favor. This is blatantly fallacious and patently unbiblical. American Religion is opposed to the Biblical Gospel. The Biblical Gospel critiques American Religion much in the same way Jesus critiqued the Pharisees.

American Patriot’s Bible – Words Cannot Describe

By David Westerfield

On August 17, 2009

In Christian Culture, Reviews, Theology

American Patriot’s Bible: combining God’s infallible Word with the idolatry of American nationalism.

If there is anything that really gets my blood boiling, it is any piece of merchandise or any program or movement that holds up the idea that being an American equals being a converted, born-again Christian, something plaguing many of our churches to this day. And this Bible version (particularly as it pertains to the commentary contained within) is no exception, but in fact, is the ultimate example of exactly what I am talking about.

Don’t get me wrong here on this point: I love this country. In addition, this in no way negates my support for our troops or my desire to see this country continue in its current (hopefully improved) state. If you have read any of my political entries, you will know this is the case. This is merely about God’s Word being used as a platform for another agenda.

Paper: Nearly One-Third Of All Mortgages Are Underwater

By David Westerfield

On August 17, 2009

In Economics

Apparently, we have not yet come to the end of the foreclosure mayhem, and therefore, the stress on banks, and therefore the rest of the economy, including the Fed, government and taxpayers. On top of the potential landslide of commercial real estate foreclosures expected this fall, it now appears that about one-third of all mortgages in the U.S. are now underwater (meaning they are on the path to foreclosure or are in the process). Many of the things Peter Schiff and Gerald Celente were saying earlier this year are now coming to fruition. And as Biden said that they “misread how bad the economy was,” well, that appears to be exactly the case. What we have been seeing in the markets since March or so has been a bear market rally it appears.

If Celente’s and Schiff’s predictions hold up, we have years to go before it gets any better in the economy. Just as in the Great Depression, government intervention didn’t fix the problem, it just prolonged it and kept us from a solid recovery. The only thing that got us out of the depression was production and savings, brought on by a massive war, which in Europe was greatly a product of the logical end of eugenics. History repeats itself in strange ways sometimes. This time around, we have economic calamity (like the depression), climate change (like eugenics), and an unstable Middle East (like Europe).