Have you flagged yourself?

I looks like it might be working in a way - the Drudge Report links to an AP article that states:

Technical support issued a warning to congressional staff that the site - - may be slow or unresponsive because of the large volume of e-mail being sent to members.http://www.house.gov

Jeff Ventura, a spokesman for the House's chief administrative officer, which maintains the Web site, said traffic data was not available and could not be released without the lawmakers' consent.

But anecdotally, he said, the spike in e-mail volume was widely believed to be a result of the health care debate.

"It is clearly health care reform," Ventura said. "There's no doubt about it."

Certainly I can't authoritatively claim that the bottleneck is due to people flagging themselves... But I'm sure they've helped contribute to the problem, even thought it's the house.gov site vs. the whitehouse.gov site...

Or perhaps I ought to say "WE'VE helped to contribute to the problem," because I flagged myself, too. It is inexcusable for our President and his administration to encourage Americans to become informants on their fellow citizens, and we should do all we can to push back and beat this infringement on our right to free speech into smithereens.

Health care reform is an important issue, certainly. However, whenever the government pries into our private lives and exceeds its Constitutional boundaries, we-the-citizens are the ones who suffer - not the fat cats in Washington!

So exercise your right to free speech and e-mail [email protected] to flag yourself. E-mail your House Representative and your two Senators to state your disgust with the health care bill. Strike a blow against the government's intrusion and help slow down the governments servers even more ;-)

(kittpurrs to The Write Side of My Brain and All American Blogger)

Comments

[Denita TwoDragons]

1.

Kat, is this Christian behavior...? I'm honestly curious.

--TwoDragons

[Kat]

2.

I don't see why it wouldn't be... I regard it as a free speech issue, and I flagged myself as a method of protest. Our Constitution clearly affirms this right, and it truly seems to me that, in encouraging this "informant" behavior, the government is trampling over that law.

While we are to give due respect and honor to proper government, note what Romans 13 says:

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.[emph. mine]

Protesting the violation of a good law (e.g., one that does not violate God's commands) is certainly within proper behavior as a Christian... Now, the attitude of that protest is something we have to be cautious with - but, again, righteous anger is not a sin...

[Denita TwoDragons]

3.

Hooboy, this one is gonna be massive. You see, I agree with you...

...to a point.

Protesting is perfectly within the Christian realm of response. But bogging down governmental services as your protest is not serving the government wherein Christians are in exile.(1 Peter 2:11) Hampering services of a God-ordained government is not honoring that government--and thus by extension, not honoring God Himself.(Romans 13:1)

As to your section in Romans, which government was more ungodly at the time--the Roman government, or ours? Both Peter (1 Peter 2:13-20) and Paul (Romans 13:1 again) said to honor Caesar, even as Caesar was using Christians as gruesome human torches. (Consider also Romans 12:17-21)

Christians are called to serve their neighbors. (Galatians 5:13-17) Did not Christ go to the sinners and tax collectors? There are a LOT of sinners on Capitol Hill. Do we throw them out simply by dint of their location or affiliation...? Or would our God-gifted time and energy be better spent in prayer for them, rather than sabotage? (2 Chronicles 7:14, Jeremiah 29:7)

Another thought: wouldn't the fact that the Obama administration is even in power be a firm reminder to true Christians in this country, that this nation has been given over to God's wrath? This calls those who truely honor Christ with more than their lips to take their cue from 2nd Chronicles, and humble themselves, pray, and serve all the more. How many parallels can we see with what's going on today, to the events that took place in the accounts of Jeremiah, Isaiah, Daniel, and all the rest of the time of Babylonian captivity?

I'm not trying to start a fight, hon. I'm really not! But as Christians, we're called to be different from the world. (Romans 12:1-2) This means not using the world's tactics, or sinking to the world's level in speech or action. I know how you feel, believe me. It's not easy to resist the siren call of civil disobedience, and the temptation to sling fistfuls of mud is so seductive to me that even after several years away from politiblogging my fingers still twitch. But how can we say we follow Christ, and yet still curse our enemies instead of blessing them...? (Romans 12:14)

[Kat]

4.

OK, I confess that I'm feeling a bit sandbaggged at this point. I originally understood your question to mean, "I am uncertain with this behavior and feeling a bit uncomfortable with it, but I'd like to hear your side." And right now I'm feeling a bit more like you meant it as "I can't believe you thought this was Christlike in any way, and how could you DO this?!"

I understand that you're not trying to start a fight - I certainly don't want one, either, and never with a good friend! - but I think it's important to let you know about my feelings so you know where I'm coming from. I am going to do my best NOT to be resentful in my reply, and I honestly mean to keep the tone informative and not b*tchy.

First of all, how is bogging these servers down with our protests any different than tying up the switchboard with calls of concern and protest to our elected officials or inundating their offices with paper mail? Are we NOT supposed to register our just outrage simply because it might slow the system down? Were there in fact any "essential" services that might have been affected? What might those essential systems be? E-mail is certainly very important, and knowing and having access to the legislation the House is considering is a good thing - but can you honestly argue that they are so critical that we should silence ourselves rather than allow them to be slowed down or overloaded by our protests over the government's unconstitutional actions? Are people going to die because of it? Will people be unjustly evicted from their homes? Will children go hungry? Not that I can see.

And, truthfully, an overwhelming response like this is more of an indicator of the people's will than a genteel, "Oh, I don't want to inconvenience them at all" sort of response.

Secondly, the comparison between the evil of the Roman Empire and our government is a red herring. I did not equate OR compare the two in my response above; rather, I quoted Paul's words to indicate that, while we should give proper honor and respect to the government we have, that does NOT prohibit us from protesting when we believe the government is acting illegally or immorally. We are to do so graciously and firmly, without insulting language and cursing - absolutely! - but, as Christians we ARE to speak out against what is illegal and immoral.

Please note: I did not ask for or encourage anyone to "hack" the system and bring it down that way. I did not suggest that anyone send in a disgusting, hate-filled rant. I did point out that I consider this a terrible and unconscionable infringement on our God-given rights, as well as a clear violation of our Constitutional rights, and that it was something we should all be protesting.

Would you please explain to me how anything I said in this post could be construed as cursing enemies? Does protesting sinful behavior somehow fall under the category of cursing? I am completely baffled here. And in the narrow scope of this post, I did not focus on or mention that the Christian also has the duty to pray for their leaders at all levels - mea culpa. I apologize.

Third, while indeed America may be under the judgment of God - and I don't doubt that it is - how does that excuse us from being salt and light? Salt, you may remember, is an ancient preservative. Shouldn't we continue to do what we can to restrain what evil we can even when living under judgment? To take the argument all the way to the absurd, does this mean that since America is likely under God's judgment we should NOT protest abortion, we should NOT work to get ungodly laws rescinded, and that we should NOT stand firm on the sanctity of marriage as between one man and one woman? Should we be silent on these issues to make sure that our letter or call or e-mail isn't the one to slow down the system?

Finally, I'm also wondering if this isn't a bit of "meat sacrificed to idols" issue. If this is a matter where your conscience is binding you because of past behavior and personal conviction, I am certainly not going to fault you for it; we are all different people. But in this area, I have searched my conscience, and it is clear. I also checked with my pastor this morning - he cautioned me on attitude (and rightly so), but saw no other problem with it.

So, is this a matter of Christian liberty? Or are you saying that it is NOT and that we may not redeem some of the world's tools to fight the good fight? In which case, if we only pray and serve in silence, and do not speak the truth in love (which can mean very forcefully, as you have had experience with as a mom, I'm sure), how can we honestly say that we have done all that we can?

I have a lot of issues, personally, with being the diplomat with everyone and preferring peace over conflict. It sometimes drives my husband up the wall, because it leads me to apologize and back down when I should stand my ground (and as I write, of course, the "flag" e-mail addy has been disabled because of these protests). It is something I am working on, and I acknowledge that it can make me very sensitive to constructive criticism of this type. But we are not all Marys and Johns - some of us are more Marthas and Stevens and Jameses. It may be that I am still finding my balance - and I do know I am more comfortable being forceful when writing than when in face-to-face discussions. I am a work in progress - as are we all - but by God's grace I have His promise that He will continue His work in me, until He brings it to completion.

So. I am sorry that we disagree on this.

But I'm standing here.

[Denita TwoDragons]

5.

I never meant to stir you up like this, Kat. I'm sorry if I did, my dear Sister in Christ, and I humbly beg you to forgive me.

I really was curious when I started out on this thread. I'm honestly still such a baby Christian that I don't know how many methods there are to take up one's Cross and fight the fine fight. (1 Tim 6:12) I'm still finding out where the line is between self-righteously assuming that one is doing the Lord's work, and actually doing the Lord's work. I'm honestly, truly, deeply sorry if I stepped on your toes in my own Christian walk!

I know we can't all be Marys, some of us are Marthas. I'm a Martha trying so hard to be a Mary, sometimes it physically hurts. (Luke 10:38-42) Some might be able to pull it off, but I simply can't be as outspoken as you because the temptation to sink into name-calling and bitterness is so great within me that sometimes I have to retreat almost entirely from the proverbial playing field, or risk losing my soul to the Adversary.

May I show you a bit of how I--Martha trying to be Mary--serve as a soldier in His Victorious Battle...? (2 Tim. 2:3,4) Here's some of what I do, or I'm gearing up to do:

Teaching kids in my Youth Group that life is precious in His sight, and that it begins at conception. (Ps. 139:13-16) That sex is a special act that should remain between a married couple, because to do otherwise is a gross defiance of God.(Gen. 2:24, Matt. 19:4-6) I'm using my personal experiences as both a formerly promiscuous woman, a former adulteress, AND a woman who aborted a child at 18 to relate to these kids the raw and painful emotional scars that will likely remain with me until my Shepherd calls me Home and blissfully wipes the tears from my eyes. (Rev. 21:4) And also relating to them the sweet, boundless joy that is nailing those painful events to the Cross--something I have to do every waking day, but have the joyous liberty to do so. (Pretty much all of Ephesians, especially chapter 2, Titus 2:11-15)) Many of those kids are already sexually active, but praise the Lord they have taken vows of Purity--that we as their mentors and teachers intend to hold them to. (Titus 2:1-8)

Discipling a youth with criminal activity in his recent past. (Philemon 11, Eph. 2:1-3) He is functionally illiterate and had problems with school. In a year, he's gone from sexual assault and drug use, to cleaning up from marijuana and cocaine and attending remedial classes to combat his illiteracy. He is no longer aggressive and self-destructive, treats adults with honor most of the time, and tries his hardest to dive into the Word as much as opossible. He is still a work in progress--like all of us!--but is light years from what he used to be. And he loves the Lord so much, he brought another troubled youth to us this weekend, so Eric and I can potentially disciple them both. Both of them come from broken homes and either one or both parents are absent--so they call us "Mom" and "Dad." I love them to pieces!

Working in our Church on any outreach programs already in place, trying to help them with materials and books. (1 Thess. 5:11) We also assemble outreach packets at home so we can distribute them to the homeless during our trips into Austin. We keep Bibles and water in the trunk of our car so if we see people broken down on the road, we can offer more than physical assistance.

Trying to pay off our huge credit card debt, so that--God willing--we can hopefully start fostering children, or maybe even adopt. (James 1:26-27) I'd especially like to focus on babies of teen mothers, providing an alternative to abortion. The teen pregnancy rate here is appalling. If I can make my house a "safe baby drop off" point, all the better. Any way I can help reduce the rampant teen pregnancy rate through discipleship and education, as well as giving the girls here a godly alternative to killing their unborn child, as I can.

Providing godly encouragement and prayer wherever we go, to whomever God brings to us, whatever their walk of life may be. Saying grace in restaurants full of strangers without trying to conceal our intent (Romans 1:16-17), and being willing to meet the hostile stares afterward with loving smiles. (Romans 12:17)

Raising our kids to love Christ and walk in his ways.(Prov. 22:6) Doing what we can to provide a Creation-based alternative to the evolutionary theory so prevalent in public school; that cheapens humanity and reduces it to nothing more than another animal. Showing them that life is precious in His sight, and we must be good stewards of what He has entrusted to us. (Well, at this point it's mainly directed toward Zane, but once Tabi gets older we'll be doing the same for her too! LOL)

I don't give these examples to toot my own horn. I honestly feel uncomfortable even listing them off, as I don't want to come off as high-minded in what I'm doing. I don't talk about it much for precisely the reason that I don't want to become prideful and boast in myself. These are the things the Holy Spirit has laid upon me. No, they're not grandiose or very public--aside from saying grace in restaurants and openly praying with people, and that's only because of the location--but they're weapons in the Greatest Battle nevertheless.

Perhaps some are called to stand on the mountain top and warn of the Wrath that is to come, and scatter the seeds of His Word into the crowd that gathers. And with what they do, hearts may be changed if the Spirit wills it.

But there are others are at its base, quietly sewing the seeds of His Word as well.

Kat, my Sister, you know well that I'm an un-humble goat whom God in his undeserved Mercy has given a fleece coat and a heart of flesh, and He is slowly transforming me into one of His sheep. You knew me before He claimed me, and you know how recently that claiming took place. The process is painful, and at times it seems overwhelming, but has brought me such sublime joy and peace as I never knew before. And I know that, beyond any differences we might have--be they in the more minor aspects of doctrine, or whether a Christian should take civil action or not--our rescue from the Abyss by the Savior who bought us with His precious blood, is an experience that you and I are both sharing in. Let's keep sharing it together.

Grace and Peace always in Christ Jesus! Amen!

--TwoDragons

[Kat]

6.

Oh, and I must apologize as well. As I said, even when given constructive criticism, I have to guard myself carefully since I am very prone to fall into too much guilt and assume all the responsibility, even when I shouldn't. It is a terrible failing, and it drives both me and my Beloved crazy from time to time.

I honestly didn't mean to imply that YOUR style of discipleship was wrong; I only meant to make the point that we all have different callings and different ways of exercising our Christian liberties. I am very sorry that my poor choice of words caused pain.

In person, I'm very much a Martha-like Mary: I am far more quiet and less assertive, and much more likely to smooth differences over and avoid conflict. But one way I do that is by concentrating on busy work!

One thing that blogging has done for me is help me focus my thoughts and put them down in an organized manner. I would say that I am very choosy about the words I use on about, oh, 80% of my posts. Some, of course - like LOLcats - don't need the thought, but I'd suspect that about 10% (probably more) of my total posts have a thoughtless word or phrase that really doesn't fit in with Ephesians 4:29. And actually, those are usually the ones where I have received godly constructive criticism and tried to change and correct myself.

I stand in awe at all you do in active service - I'm still floundering a bit there. I belong to a teeny tiny (and much-loved) church way out in the country, and as a relatively new member I'm still learning people's names and figuring out where I might find God's place for me. One thing I do know about myself is that I lean more toward the "mind" stuff, theology and doctrine and so on. I know that does not excuse me in any way from doing whatever God has called me to, but it is a possible indication of where my main avenues of service may be.

But wow, girl! Fostering and/or adopting! Go for it! I hope God does bless you in that way, because I'm sure you'll do wonderfully well. And literacy work is also incredibly important... Hm. I'll have to look around here to see if there's a program I can get involved with here - books and reading are so near and dear to my own heart, that perhaps that's a way of face-to-face service I could handle.

Anyway, we are different people, and I daresay that we'll accidentally bump up against each other again in the future. That's just life! But, here we are, talking it out and pouring a little oil on our bruises. So that's all good, right? ;-)

And for something that's godly and edifying (I hope!), you can go see my mini-magnum-opus that I posted this afternoon about Romans 5:1... Or not, 'cause it's EIGHT PAGES LONG!!!! I took me probably 10 hours to research and write, and I think my brain is totally fried, LOL

Heh - maybe Eric will like it, too *grinz*

[Denita TwoDragons]

7.

Oh he's probably poring over it at work even as we speak! I've skimmed over it, but I haven't had the chance today to actually read it in-depth. (Two kids'll do that to ya... ;-) ) I'm going to copy-paste it into an email draft so I can read it at leisure on my 'Berry while I do some crochet after putting Tabi to bed.

As for what the Spirit has moved us to do...I only wish we would do more. Sometimes the despair comes over me like a grey shadow and I want to bury my head in my hands and cry with anguish. Anguish at all the murdered babies. Anguish at all the broken homes. Anguish at the fallen state of the world, the selfishness, the perversion, the decay... Ask Eric, he'll tell you stories of how he's had to literally grab me by the shoulders and quote Scripture after Scripture to keep me from losing it completely. I've suffered more crushing bouts of depression as a Christian than I ever felt during even my most decadent pagan days. The Enemy knocks at the gate of my heart with angry fists, and it's only the strength of Jesus that keeps me going most of the time.

And yet...the depression also shows me the Hope that's in Christ Jesus. It forces me to look through the misery and see His salvation shining like a sunbeam in the center of the hurricane. It makes me survey the Narrow Path and realize it's the only path that leads to Him and the peace He offers. And then the Spirit grabs me by my ragged hand and pulls me back to my feet, and in that sweet breath of fresh air I take when the fog lifts, I see that I'm not simply surrounded by filthy human garbage, beyond recovery. I'm surrounded by fellow lost sheep--and I have been given a 66-book shepherd's crook, and a direct command from the Most High to use it as much as possible.

God willing, I intend to do just that. :-)

Time to get Tabi to her crib now. It's way past her usual sleep time, and she's gonna get crabby soon! Good night, Sister, and keep fighting the good fight.

--TwoDragons