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Refreshment in Refuge

    by Gina Burgess

Independence from a Bully
Date Posted: July 2, 2017

Judge Talmadge Littlejohn, back in 2010, asked everyone in his courtroom to stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance. A civil rights attorney refused.

Does the judge have the legal right to order the Pledge said and to order Attorney Daniel Lampley to jail with criminal contempt? In a word, yes. The legal definition of chancery is a court that can order acts performed, so technically, Judge Littlejohn can.

Respect for our Flag and for our National Anthem is not mandated or constitutionalized. It is traditional. You can check out Flag Etiquette here. It is common practice and patriotic. Americans love the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, we are mostly patriotic. Why wouldn't someone say the pledge of allegiance?

Does a judge's order win out over religious belief? How sad that this question should even come up. The key point is that our forefathers fought and died so they could have freedom. But it was not to worship as they wanted and it wasn’t so people would be forced to pledge allegiance to the flag or to stand up when singing our national anthem. Those things have a label: Respect for our country and those who fought and died to protect us and maintain our freedom.

Would you like to know what the lack of Respect looks like?

The king of England refused to implement laws for the public good. In fact, he suspended laws necessary for government until he could approve such laws, then totally neglected to review and approve the laws.

He required all the people to relinquish their right to representation in the legislature.

The king required legislative bodies to hold their meetings in places far from their public records archives and that were uncomfortable so he could fatigue them into compliance with his wishes.

He dissolved legislative houses repeatedly because they rightly opposed his invasions upon the rights of the people. Then he refused another election to replace those who helped keep order and peace leaving the colonies open to invasion from without and chaos from within.

He obstructed judiciary powers making judges dependent upon the king’s will alone rather than meting out real justice.

He created new offices and sent people to fill those offices with the power to harass and to eat out the people’s substance.

Kept standing armies there without the consent of the legislature, housed them in people’s homes without their permission, made the military independent of and superior to civil power. Gave the military mock justice for any murders the military committed.

Cut off trade.

Taxed without representation or consent.

Deprived the people justice of trial by jury.

Transported people for pretend justice because of trumped up offenses.

Abolished the forms of government, their Charters, and their laws legislating in place of the people’s legislature.

He abdicated the government then declared the colonies were not under his protection then waged war against them.

He plundered and destroyed the seas, coasts, and lands of the people burning their property and destroyed lives.

He transported even more armies to continue the works of perfidy and cruelty. He constrained fellow colonial citizens in to his navy forcing them to attack and kill their colonial brother citizens or be killed themselves.

He incited unrest amongst the citizens and incited the savage Indians against them to use their known way of warfare that destroyed all ages, sexes, and conditions.

Our forefathers’ repeated humble requests for redress were met by repeated refusals and injuries.

The colonies declared their independence from a tyrant, or to use current language, a bully.

We Americans have all these freedoms now. We have legislators who carefully make laws that are good for the public. The Executive Office enforces those laws, and the judicial system interprets those laws.

Yet, if you look closely at those complaints against King George III of Great Britain. You can see some mindsets of people today. Some people are trying to slip-slide back into disrespect of our nation and the laws of our nation. An unruly child disrespects his parents and it is up to the parents to correct the child until he is grown and able to be on his own. That kind of disrespect is understandable in a two-year-old, but intolerable from a teenager. It’s when the two-year-old is taught the right way to act and respect his parents that the teenager has a better ability to choose right over wrong. It’s parents that teach the child what sin is.

If we continue to allow society to define sin and to slip-slide into disrespect for our nation and the authority given by God to those who make laws, enforce laws, and interpret laws, we will become a nation of despots and bullies unable to give a passing nod to respectful minds and behavior.

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Biography Information:

Gina Burgess has taught Sunday School and Discipleship Training for almost three decades. (Don't tell her that makes her old.) She earned her Master's in Communication in 2013.

She is the author of several books including: When Christians Hurt Christians, The Crowns of the Believers and others available in online bookstores. She authors several columns, using her God-given talent to shine a light in a dark world. You can browse her blog at Refreshment In Refuge.

If you'd like to take a look at some Christian fiction and Christian non-fiction book reviews check out Gina's book reviews at Upon

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