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Many of you are undoubtedly familiar with the legend of the Piped Piper of Hamelin. As you may recall, according to the legend, during the Middle Ages, the German village of Hamelin was plagued with rats. A certain piper who was dressed in multi-colored clothing -- thus the word "pied" -- and who was said to possess a magical pipe, was called to rid the town of the rats. After performing the deed, by leading the multitude of rats to the Weser River where they were all drowned, the townspeople refused to pay the Piper the full amount for his services. Angered by this injustice, the Piper left Hamelin, only to return later; at which time he played another tune. As the legend goes, this magical tune resulted in some one hundred and thirty of the children following him out of the town. It is said that they disappeared inside of a cave, never to be seen again.

It may surprise you to know that there are modern pipers as well. However, these pipers are not musicians. Rather, they are foreign creditors. Furthermore, the United States of America dances to their woeful tune. This is because, very similar to the village of Hamelin, the United States has a serious problem. It is not a plague of literal rats. Rather, it is a multi-faceted disease known as overspending, greed and debt crisis, which has been purposely created by a nest of fiscally irresponsible government and industry "rats".

What motivated me to write this series was an interesting news article which I read in the online edition of the New York Times entitled "Party Gridlock in Washington Feeds New Fear of a Debt Crisis". You may possibly still be able to access the article on the New York Times website at the following URL:

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/business/economy/17gridlock.html?th&emc=th

I am not by any definition of the word an economist. However, I would like to share with you a few personal observations regarding the aforementioned news article.

The simple fact of the matter is that the United States has thrived on greed -- that is, Big Business greed, Wall Street greed, Big Bankers greed, Big Government greed, and personal greed -- for many decades, at the expense of the rest of the nations of the world. Is it really any wonder then that the American economy has now reached such a precarious position? As I have mentioned before, no one can simply spend, spend, spend and live the easy, comfortable American life, and then never expect to pay the piper. In this case, one of America's biggest "pipers" is none other than communist China. Consider the following paragraph from the aforementioned article:

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"Foreign investors now own more than half of the publicly held debt, and officials for the largest creditor, China, have fretted publicly about the fiscal course of the United States. While few expect foreigners to dump their assets, since the resulting plunge in values would hurt them as well as everyone else, the fear is that investors will demand higher interest payments and reduce or stop future debt purchases, threatening the government's ability to finance its borrowing."

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There is a problem with the previous paragraph; and that is that some nations have already begun to dump their assets. As I explain in my 2007 four-part series "Saddam Hussein's Execution and the Euro Dollar War", since several years ago, quite a few nations -- including China -- have begun to dump their assets -- meaning their US dollar reserves -- and are replacing them with the euro as their currency reserve. In other words, right now, the economy of the USA is totally at the mercy of giant creditors like communist China. If China, and the rest of America's creditors, were to suddenly decide to dump the dollar completely, the USA would quickly go down the tubes, and would lose its dominant position in the world as a superpower. Likewise, if communist China and other of America's creditors were to demand higher interest payments, it would also have a very negative effect on the economy of the United States. Furthermore, if communist China and other creditors were to suddenly stop purchasing America's debt, to whom could the United States possibly turn? No one.

"So why hasn't this happened yet?" you may ask. What prevents these creditor nations from putting the United States out of its financial misery? Well, part of the answer is found in the previous paragraph that I shared from the New York Times article. We now live in such a globalized economy -- which is obviously by intentional design -- that if America's creditor nations were to abandon the dollar completely at this current point in time, the entire world would be negatively affected to some degree. That includes China itself.

One interesting aspect of a globalized economy is that it acts as a kind of buffer or shock absorber, we might say. If one country should falter financially, the rest of the world is capable of absorbing the economic shock. However, just like a car travelling on the road, if the vehicle -- in this case, represented by the world economy -- hits too large of a bump in the road, even the shock absorber can break. This will not only result in a major shock to the passengers who are inside of the vehicle, but it may even seriously damage the car itself.

So this may be one reason why communist China, as well as other creditors, are treading carefully regarding America's current financial woes. If they act too quickly, they could upset the entire apple cart, and everyone would suffer as a result of their hasty actions. At the same time, communist China is abiding its time and taking advantage of America's dependence upon foreign creditors. While America is slowly going down the tubes in a financial sense, as well as in a political sense, China is clearly on the rise, financially, militarily and technologically speaking. Some economists now even view China as the next great superpower.

Turning to the United States, we have all witnessed what has been happening there in a financial sense since 2008. It has affected each of our lives to various degrees, as well as in different ways, some more dire than others. While American government spokespersons, shrewd economists and other members of the elite strive to convince us that the recovery is slow but nevertheless ongoing, personally, I hold to the view that if one wants to know the true state of the economy, he should not ask the man at the top who is least affected by any kind of economic downturn. Rather, he should ask the little people at the bottom who suffer the most, and who are most affected by the selfish decisions of the rich and the elite. If we do this, we quickly discover that the economic picture is not nearly as rosy as government mouthpieces would like for us to believe. A lot of people are suffering.

While certain American economists have referred to the 2008 economic downturn as the Great Recession, just imagine what would happen if the American economy were to experience total collapse. If we consider how tempers are already flaring in different sectors of the populace due to economic inequality, there is no doubt in my mind that there would be civil unrest on a wide scale which quite possibly would lead to nationwide riots, class war, anarchy and revolution. In short, given the right conditions, the USA could in fact implode, resulting in widespread suffering, starvation and death. Martial law and military dictatorship are indeed frightening terms. However, depending on the severity of the situation following a total economic collapse, that is what might very well be required in order to restore peace, and bring the situation back under control. To realize that just such a scenario rests in the hands of foreign creditors such as communist China is rather unsettling, isn't it?

Concerning China and the other creditor nations, there seems to be a secondary reason regarding why they may be hesitant to pull the plug on the American dollar. As you may already know, for some time now, their currency reserve of choice -- that is, the euro -- has also been faltering. If you follow international news, then you are probably aware of the fact that Europe's road to financial and political unity has not been easy. Quite to the contrary, it has been long, as well as marked with difficulties. The European nations have been learning that creating a superstate comes at a heavy price. Not only does it mean surrendering certain aspects of their national sovereignty, but it also means that the stronger European nations -- such as France and Germany -- must be willing to take on the burdens of the weaker nations. One prime example of this is obviously the financial problems which have plagued Greece.

The point is, until the European nations are able to get their act together politically, militarily and financially, and the euro proves itself as a stable currency, it seems doubtful that America's creditors will consider completely abandoning the US dollar as their currency reserve. So, for now, they appear to be hedging their bets by maintaining a variety of national currencies as their currency reserve. While most Americans pay little attention to developments in Europe, they would be wise to do so; because as we have now seen, financially-speaking, America's future may very well be determined by what happens on the "old continent". Needless-to-say, America's financial wizards are probably rubbing their hands with glee as they watch the Europeans struggle to their feet as a superstate. After all, Europe's financial woes are to America's advantage, and vice versa. Thus, for now at least, the euro-dollar war will continue.

As I have mentioned before, don't think for a minute that relations between Europe and the United States are cordial. While national leaders from both sides of the Atlantic may smile and shake hands when they stand before the television cameras, the truth of the matter is that the United States and the nations of the European Union -- which is sometimes referred to as the European Economic Community or simply the European Community -- are in fact competitors when it comes to the global market. In short, the more of the economic pie that the European Union grabs, the less there remains for the United States of America. To say it another way, colonists may not be marching in the street complaining about taxation without representation by the king of England, and the loud rumbling of an American Revolution may not be heard in the distance. Nevertheless, subtle trade wars have continued to exist between these two continents since that time a few centuries ago. Today we simply call them "trade sanctions".

It was in fact the issue of taxation which motivated me to write this current series. In my opinion, there is so much hypocrisy on display with this situation regarding America's debt crisis, that it defies imagination. Let me offer you a clear example. Please consider the following excerpt from the aforementioned New York Times article:

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"But he is hardly alone in sounding an alarm about the long-term budgetary outlook, which has Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security costs growing at unsustainable rates and an inefficient tax system that cannot keep up."

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The question that pops into my mind is this: Why is there an "inefficient tax system that cannot keep up"? How is it that the American government can spend billions of dollars every single year supporting US-friendly foreign governments, and spend billions of dollars annually creating weapons of war, and spend billions of dollars a year on rebuilding nations such as Iraq, and yet the United States has "an inefficient tax system" that, according to some economists, may soon be unable to sustain such important American social programs as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security? It seems that the US government has money for everything but taking proper care of its own people. As I have reminded my readers before, we are told in the Scriptures that it is shameful when one does not provide for his own household. In a larger sense, this same principle can be applied to the American government and its relation to the greater American family. The Apostle Paul wrote the following to Timothy:

"But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."


While I am not involved in American politics, this is in fact one reason why I personally view the Tea Party Movement with a certain degree of suspicion. After all, according to some reports which I have read, a certain percentage of Tea Party members are likewise in favor of eliminating these very same social programs. This leads me to suspect that some segments of the Tea Party Movement are manipulated by the Republican Party. As the Lord asked the Prophet in the Book of Jeremiah, can a leopard change its spots? Hardly. Following is the exact verse:

"Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil."


In other words, the Republican Party can try to change what it is, even change its name or its outward appearance, but it is still what it is, and its ideology and objectives remain exactly the same. As I have mentioned before, while I support and agree with certain Republican Party positions which are in agreement with our faith -- such as their stance against abortion -- that is as far as it goes. As far as their views regarding war are concerned, I cannot possibly support them. As many of you will know, some warmongering Republicans seem to think that there is always a good reason to start a war in someone else's country, regardless of the consequences. Sadly, more often than not, those consequences are usually very bad. A nation is destroyed; many innocent people are often killed; and there are many other negative repercussions as well. It is really quite devilish what some nations and leaders are willing to do in order to extend their sphere of influence.

As my regular readers will already know, I have long promoted the belief that we Christians are supposed to strive to live in peace with God, as well as with our fellow man, as much as lies within us. We are not supposed to resort to violence of any kind. We most certainly are not supposed to promote or support anyone's war for any cause. This doctrine of peace is made quite evident in the Scriptures by verses such as the following:

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God."


"But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."


"And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."


"And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."


"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth . . . Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God . . . But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."


"And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus [meaning the Apostle Peter] stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?"


"Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? . . . Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence."


"If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."


"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."


"And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."


"He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints."


As the following verses reveal, we Christians are strictly involved in spiritual warfare against our spiritual enemies -- that is, against Satan and his demons -- as we fight for the minds, hearts and souls of men. Furthermore, our weapons are not physical, but spiritual in nature, primarily being the Word of God:

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"


"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses."


"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."


"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:"


"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."


"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."


On a related note, I am likewise alarmed by the fact that certain Tea Party Movement members appear to be closely affiliated with militia groups, and also support pro-gun lobbyists. As alarming as it is -- I speak as an outsider looking in -- it is evident from some of my research that some of these people are in fact preparing for an all-out confrontation with the federal government. They have been stockpiling food, weapons and survival gear. In my view it would be an extremely terrible and costly mistake; and I am convinced that they would not win if such a confrontation was to actually occur. While these misguided people have convinced themselves that violently defending the American Constitution is their patriotic duty -- even if it means losing their lives in the process -- as I point out in "Oh Israel, Why Will Ye Die?", "The Fruits of Disobedience" and other politically-oriented articles, I do not believe that this is what God expects of His people.

Why do I say this? As we have already seen, one reason is because the Bible teaches us that we are not to engage in the wars of this present world. We are supposed to endeavor to live in peace with all men. Nowhere in the New Testament do we find Jesus or any of the Apostles violently rising up against the puppet government in Jerusalem; and much less against the government in Rome. Quite to the contrary, they were as sheep sent to the slaughter. However, that is not the only reason regarding why I embrace this view. We are also informed by the Scriptures that whether for good or for evil, God alone is the one who raises up worldly leaders and secular governments. Furthermore, the Bible reveals that God controls their hearts -- as He did when He hardened Pharaoh's heart -- and He gives a people the exact government that they deserve. These points are made evident in the following set of verses:

"Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another."


"Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:"


"This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men."


"The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will."


"Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them . . . Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king . . . And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day. Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city."


"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD. And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel."


Thus, because God is the one who raises up leaders and allows governments to be put in place, we are not supposed to resist them. We Christians are not supposed to rise up and oppose them. We are in fact supposed to obey the powers that be, just as long as they do not try to force us to do something which is contrary to our faith, such as deny the Lord, or restrict our witnessing endeavors. This again is Scripturally-sound doctrine which can be verified by the following sample verses:

"Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing."


"They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's."


"And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him."


"And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's."


"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake."


"These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee. Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men."


"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king."


Please go to part two for the continuation of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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