Political Pistachio
By Douglas V. Gibbs
In Ancient Greece, political philosopher Solon understood what Americans who support the radical madness of the leftwing progressive losers have forgotten: liberty is not the absence of restraint, but the presence of order. Without law, freedom becomes a mirage – chaos masquerading as choice. Today, as President Trump seeks to restore the foundational pillars of American society — secure borders, safe streets, and a respect for law — we find ourselves confronting a political movement that treats disorder not as a threat, but as a virtue.
The Democratic Party once claimed they were the party of working-class Americans. Now, all of their pretending has been thrown away and they are revealing what they really are: the party of deconstruction. Defund the police. No cash bail. Decriminalize theft. Reduce penalties for assault. These are not reforms — they are regressions. They are the dismantling of the very framework that protects the innocent, empowers communities, and upholds the rule of law.
Let us be clear: law and order are not partisan slogans. They are constitutional imperatives. Article IV, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution guarantees every state a “Republican Form of Government,” which presupposes the rule of law. The Founders did not envision a Union where mobs dictate policy, where criminals are coddled, or where the government abdicates its duty to secure life, liberty, and property.
President Trump’s policies—whether targeting the lawlessness in Washington D.C., securing our southern border, or restoring respect for law enforcement — are not radical. They are restorative. They are rooted in the same principles that animated Madison’s Federalist No. 51: that “if men were angels, no government would be necessary.” But men are not angels. And when government refuses to govern, anarchy fills the void.
The opposition to Trump’s law-and-order agenda is not merely political — it is philosophical. It is a rejection of the American idea that freedom must be guarded by justice. It is a rebellion against the Constitution itself, which binds us not only to liberty, but to responsibility. With Freedom comes Responsibility.
So to those who oppose the restoration of order, I ask: What is your alternative? A society where laws are optional? Where criminals roam free? Where the state is powerless to protect its citizens?
Solon warned us. The Founders codified it. And President Trump is acting on it.
Because without law, there is no freedom.
By Douglas V. Gibbs
Let me know if this sounds familiar.
The Federalist Party lost in a landslide in 1800. They claimed it wasn’t a landslide, because the decision had to be made by the House of Representatives, but the top two candidates were both Jeffersonian Republicans. Though a fantastic revolutionary, John Adams’ presidency had been an abject failure, and his reelection bid fell flat before it even got off the ground. Unfortunately, President John Adams followed the advice of Alexander Hamilton, who believed the federal government’s superiority over the States should be absolute. He called for a centralization of power, usurpation of the Constitution by interpreting its language through implied law, rather than a strict adherence to it as his opponents suggested. Hamilton had already inserted a central banking system into America’s economy, and Adams continued Hamilton’s nationalist vision, favoring centralized fiscal control. Taxes went up, in particular a controversial property tax that led to widespread resentment. Increased federal spending and taxation burdened farmers, small landowners (especially in rural areas), and drove prices upward. Through the Alien and Sedition Acts the Federalist Party bureaucrats were able to suppress dissent, often negatively affecting business confidence and the public trust while heightening political division. The policies provoked backlash from those who felt overtaxed and underrepresented, marring Adams’ presidency with political volatility and public unrest. Meanwhile, wars around the world began to erupt, with the United States caught in a Quasi-War with France over trade routes and strained maritime commerce while both the British and French interfered with American ships complicating exports and imports, especially for merchants. The United States paid highly for international commerce and Adams left it alone to fester with the intent to keep the trade as free as possible. Cities like Boston, Philadelphia and New York were hotbeds of media warfare who published inflammatory rhetoric creating public anger, and both political parties accusing each other of undermining the republic, sometimes leading to street-level confrontations and duels. In regions like the lands inhabited by Pennsylvania Dutch Farmers the political tension heightened with localized unrest, and partisan hostility. They resisted federal officers as they tried to carry out federal law regarding the Direct Tax of 1798, a rebellion that involved armed resistance to federal tax assessors. Adams deployed federal troops, arresting and convicting many angry opponents, but Adams later used his presidential power to pardon to pardon not only those involved in Fries’s Rebellion, but a number of others who many did not believe deserved pardons. Neighbors were called on to report their neighbors for seditious activities, and the courtrooms were used in a partisan manner to go after Adams’ political enemies in the first example of the use of lawfare in the history of the United States. After the Federalist Party’s loss in 1800 to Thomas Jefferson and his Republican Party, the party of Hamilton and Adams was leaderless, lost, and unwilling to deviate from the very ideological policies that had led to their defeat. The Federalist Party had not only lost the White House, but also both Houses of Congress, and entrenched themselves in the federal court system from where they would constantly attack Jefferson’s administration. Despite their attacks, Thomas Jefferson began to reduce the debt by eliminating much of the unnecessary and wasteful federal spending that had emerged during the Adams presidency, and revamping tariff policies increasing tariffs charged against other countries, saving the country millions of dollars. He fired half of the bureaucracy – the Federalist Party half. He reorganized the executive branch, worked to reduce the number of Federalist Party judges who had been unlawfully appointed, and Jefferson tried to navigate a neutral course between France and Britain – the geopolitical tides of the Napoleonic Wars made normalization nearly impossible. Jefferson, however, based on his relationship with France, was able to purchase a vast territory for a very low price, using the conflict between France and Britain to his advantage since France was in need of capital and saw their lands in North America as being impossible to defend. The public’s approval of Jefferson increased to the point that the Republicans would enjoy a long course of success, or at least until internal strife during Andrew Jackson’s reign split the party from within, pushing it to become the Democratic-Republican Party, and ultimately the Democratic Party which was intent to reject much of Thomas Jefferson’s originalist beliefs and push for a stronger executive and to push for more democracy claiming that only democracy could save the republic.
The Democrats lost in a landslide in 2024. They claimed it wasn’t a landslide, because the swing states that had sent Donald Trump’s electoral count to 312 over Kamala Harris’s 226 were each won by relatively narrow margins. Nonetheless, the top two candidates, Trump and J.D. Vance, were seen by the public as being vastly popular, and they not only won the Electoral College, but also the popular vote. After a long tenure in the U.S. Senate during which the Democrats claimed made Joseph Biden a fantastic politician, his failed mental capacity threw into the ring in a very undemocratic manner Kamala Harris who as Vice President had been a part of a presidency by Biden that was seen as an abject failure. As a result of his failures, and lack of mental acuity, Biden’s bid for reelection fell flat before it even got off the ground, and Harris’s campaign crashed and burned. As President, unfortunately, Joe Biden followed the advice of the more radical wing of the Democratic Party who believed the federal government’s superiority over the States should be absolute, the Constitution is antiquated and the Electoral College needs to be deep-sixed, and that there should be a centralization of power in the federal government. As a result, the Biden administration consistently usurped the Constitution by interpreting its language through implied law, rather than a strict adherence to it as his opponents suggested. America has already been hampered by a central banking system called the Federal Reserve over the last hundred-plus years, and Biden kicked those Keynesian economic ideas into high gear continuing the progressive nationalist vision, favoring centralized fiscal control. Taxes went up, in particular a controversial Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax which was applied to corporations with over $1 billion in financial statement income and a 1% Excise Tax on Stock Buybacks which penalized publicly traded companies for repurchasing their own shares. Taxes were also increased on crude oil and petroleum products (16.4 cents per barrel), and the Biden Administration put in place a Loss Limitation Extension (Section 461) which restricts the ability of non-corporate taxpayers to deduct business losses. The Democrats in power also proposed, but did not enact higher taxes on wage and investment income, an increased corporate tax rate, capital gains tax hikes, and automatically increase all income tax rates if the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act originally initiated by the first Trump administration was not renewed. The taxes and policies were paired with an increase of federal spending and taxation burden on average Americans driving prices upward. Through DEI and censorship policies the Democratic Party bureaucrats were able to suppress dissent, often negatively affecting business confidence and the public trust while heightening political division. The policies provoked backlash from those who felt overtaxed and underrepresented, marring Biden’s presidency with political volatility and public unrest. Meanwhile, wars around the world began to erupt, with the United States caught in a quasi-manner in a war between Ukraine and Russia. The war in Eastern Europe as well as other conflicts and trade policies by the Biden Administration strained international trade and strained maritime commerce, as well as emboldening China’s grip on the markets complicating exports and imports, especially for American producers and retailers. The United States paid highly for international commerce thanks to unfair tariff policies and the Biden Administration left it alone to fester with the intent to keep the trade as free as possible. Cities which had erupted during President Trump’s first term became hotbeds of media warfare who aired and published inflammatory rhetoric inflaming public anger with both political parties accusing each other of undermining the democracy, sometimes leading to street-level confrontations and violence. In regions like the Central Valley in California, leftist policies drained the regions of their ability to adequately farm, while the cities suffered under relentless progressive-leftist rule creating political tension that heightened with localized unrest, and partisan hostility. After Trump became President in 2025, they resisted federal officers as they tried to carry out federal law regarding immigration. Trump has felt it necessary, in response, to deploy federal troops, arresting and convicting many angry opponents for their unlawful behavior and activities. At the end of Biden’s presidency, rather than apprehend and punish lawbreakers, he used his presidential power to pardon seditious persons and criminals, pardoning not only those involved in the ongoing conspiracies against Donald J. Trump, but a number of others who many did not believe deserved pardons. During Biden’s years of Orwellian WOKEism, neighbors were called on to report their neighbors for seditious activities or anti-DEI (or anti-LGBTQ+) rhetoric or business practices. The courtrooms were used in a partisan manner to go after Biden’s political enemies in the latest example of the use of lawfare in the United States. After the Democratic Party’s loss in 2024 to Donald J. Trump and his Republican Party, the party of Progressive Socialism has become leaderless, lost, and unwilling to deviate from the very ideological policies that had led to their defeat. The Democratic Party had not only lost the White House, but also both Houses of Congress (especially when you consider how many establishment GOP members also lost seats), and so they decided to take advantage of their entrenched positions in the federal court system from where they have constantly attacked Trump’s administration. Despite their attacks, Donald Trump has begun to reduce the debt by eliminating much of the unnecessary and wasteful federal spending that had emerged during the Biden presidency, and using tariff policies to increase tariffs against our international trading partners, saving the country billions of dollars. He fired much of the bureaucracy – all of them progressives. He reorganized the executive branch, is working to reduce the number of Democratic Party aligned judges who have been unlawfully maladministering their office, and he’s trying to navigate a neutral course between Ukraine and Russia as well as between Israel and the Palestinians – the geopolitical tides caused by the hatred that consumes Islam against Israel has made normalization nearly impossible. Trump, however, based on his relationship with Ukraine is attempting to use the conflict between Russia and Ukraine to his advantage by seeking an agreement regarding rare mineral resources in Ukraine. The public’s approval of Trump has increased to the point that the Republicans look like they may enjoy a long course of success, or at least unless internal strife bubbles up and splits the party from within. Ultimately the Democratic Party which rejects much of Donald Trump’s political beliefs and push for a stronger executive and pushes for more democracy claiming that only democracy could save the republic looks like they may be heading for the same kind of collapse as the Federalist Party about two centuries ago with the Federalists getting to the point that they couldn’t win any elections by the 1820s.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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By Douglas V. Gibbs
I am one of those who fled California. Like my parents, who fled a few years before me, we couldn’t afford to enter our retirement years in what used to be The Golden State. We aren’t alone.
Gavin Newsom took office in January 2019, and while California was already pushing people and businesses away prior to his reign, since Newsom has taken office the outflow of both residents and businesses increased substantially.
- The total estimated net migration loss during 2020-2025 is 931,000 people (roughly a million people have fled California under Gavin Newsom’s time as Governor of the State).
- Hundreds of companies moved their headquarters out of California between 2020 and 2025, as well.
- The departures have outpaced people and companies moving in during these years, the former resulting in a loss of representation in the House of Representatives after the last census, despite the fact that illegal aliens were being counted for apportionment during that time.
- The primary target states of the fleeing population from California have been Texas, Arizona, Nevada, and Florida – primarily driven by affordability and taxes.
- The numbers reflect a broader trend of economic and demographic shifts larger driven by California’s regulatory environment, tax structure and cost of living.
Bed Bath & Beyond filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2023 and shuttering all of its brick-and-mortar locations. The company originally opened in 1971 in Springfield, New Jersey. By 1985 the company expanded into California, believing that westward growth into California was in its best interest. By 1999 the company hit $1 billion in sales, reflecting the success of the expansion, including in California. In February 2022, California held the most Bed Bath & Beyond stores of any state, with 87 active locations.
During Gavin Newsom’s governorship the retailer began slashing locations across California, and the company filed for bankruptcy in 2023. While COVID-19, Bed Bath & Beyond’s slow embrace of online retail strategies, and a shift away from the brands that customers trusted were indeed factors regarding BBB’s downfall, the company’s new leadership also cited as they work to open new stores they will be avoiding California due to high taxes, steep wages, heavy regulations, and the overall cost of doing business – the exact reasons companies have been fleeing California in droves during the Newsom governorship.
Governor Gavin Newsom responded with a biting remark implying Bed Bath & Beyond no longer holds relevance.
The Brand is being reintroduced as Bed Bath & Beyond Home, and opened its first new store in Nashville, Tennessee on August 8, 2025. The company plans four more Nashville area stores, with a broader opening strategy for 2026 already underway. The company then plans to convert existing Kirkland Home stores (Kirkland is a new partner with Beyond, Inc.) including six in the Greater Nashville area, followed by up to 75 conversions around the country by 2026 – not including any locations in California.
Rather than try to attract business to California, Newsom would rather snipe at the company, sending a message to other companies that California and their governor are hostile to businesses at a time when Newsom should be acting in a manner that would attract companies into the state.
Gavin Newsom is not only verbally abusive to the business sector, but also against members of the GOP, stating he plans to “punch Republicans in the mouth.”
Then, allegedly in response to Texas reducing Democratic Party gerrymandering in their state which would in turn benefit the Republicans with five additional seats in Congress, put into action increased gerrymandering plans in California to chase out already anemic Republican representation by the State of California in the House of Representatives. Gavin Newsom has already signed the redistricting plan in California that will attempt to further gerrymandering in one of the states that is already gerrymandered to the hilt in favor of the Democrats – sending a stronger message to Republican California residents to flee the state. The new law originally would violate California’s State Constitution which calls for an independent redistricting commission, enshrined in Article XXI of the California Constitution as a result of 2008’s Proposition 11 and 2010’s Proposition 20. Newsom, as a result of the lack of constitutionality of his plan has requested a special election ballot measure to be voted on to temporarily bypass the independent commission, but in polls California voters have shown that they don’t like Governor Gavin Newsom’s redistricting plan, with just 36% of respondents backing the idea. The independent commission’s popularity holds support across the board with Independents (72%), Republicans (66%) and Democrats (61%).
Article I, Section 4 of the United States Constitution also provides for the United States Congress to be able to use legislation to alter any regulations California may spew if they feel it is necessary.
President Trump has in play a plan for a new census that will not count illegal aliens for the purpose of apportionment, a plan that 57% of likely American voters support. In such a scenario, California would lose two seats in the House, partially neutralizing California’s strategy to nullify Texas’s gains. Minnesota, if the move to eliminate illegal alien influence on apportionment is successful, would likely lose a seat, as well. Overall, Democratic-leaning states would also lose about 14 seats to Republicans, Republicans would take about 10 seats from Democrats in Republican-leaning states, and about 4 seats in Battleground states. It is also important to note that both Texas and Florida are expected to gain seats after the next census, but may gain one less seat each than estimated if illegal aliens are no longer counted for apportionment. As a result, the net change in favor of the Republicans would be about twelve seats. Revolver News also suggests the net Democratic Party loss of seats would be about a dozen.
If Trump succeeds in securing legislation to eliminate mail-in voting (this would not affect absentee voting) due to voting fraud associated with mail-in voting, a further shift away from Democrats and in the direction of the Republicans would also likely occur, possibly so much so that the State of Oregon where all voting is performed by mail-in ballots may shift from blue to purple, and possibly even to a Republican majority. Some of the folks in my political circles have suggested the same might be true for California since many of them believe California’s Democratic Party stranglehold is partially due to election integrity issues that includes negative influences due to mail-in voting.
For those who argue to let California fail, it is important to recognize that policies in Gavin Newsom’s California influences other states. A case in point is the recent crash in Florida in which big rig driver Harjinder Singh made an illegal U-Turn and killed three people in the resulting crash. Singh, an illegal alien, obtained a commercial driver’s license in California. In response, the Trump Administration has paused the issuance of all worker visas for commercial truck drivers. Singh’s request for a federal work permit was originally rejected in September 2020 by the Trump Administration, but the decision was reversed in June 2021 under President Biden’s Administration. That federal work permit then allowed Singh to obtain the CDL in California – a state that issues CDLs regardless of immigration status.
The blood of those dead in Florida is not only on Gavin Newsom THE DESTROYER’s hands, but the Democrats in the Biden Administration as well.
And my discussion here about the destructive policies of Gavin Newsom and the Democrats in California is only scratching the surface of the political carnage in the once Golden State. The exodus will continue if things don’t change. That said, President Trump is determined to “Save California.”
I won’t hold my breath on that one. California will likely need to completely collapse before it’ll be able to be scraped up from the bottom of the barrel.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
By Douglas V. Gibbs
As a constitutional originalist, for me context is everything when it comes to our founding documents. One of the terms the federal judges like to use is, “after a plain text reading of the Constitution.” Plain Text Reading?
What if the plain text reading doesn’t match what was originally meant? And if we are searching for original meanings, how do we determine them? Modern interpretation without context?
There are six different categories when it comes to political or judicial opinions regarding the United States Constitution:
- Originalists – Those who believe the Constitution must be followed based on its original intent as intended at the time of the writing of it.
- Textualists – Those who believe the Constitution must be followed based on its plain language regardless of context.
- Broad Interpreters – Those who believe a broad interpretation of the Constitution may be used to define the language of the document because it is a living and breathing document. Typically, their interpretations support their ideology.
- Constitutional Revisionists – Advocates for major reinterpretation or overhaul of constitutional principles because the ideas and principles contain major flaws.
- Post-Constitutionalists & Legal Skeptics: Critics who argue the Constitution is outdated and incompatible with modern governance due to the lack of legitimacy or applicability of the principles in today’s system of governance. Therefore, it should be updated.
- Constitutional Abolitionists – Advocates for replacing or abolishing the Constitution, critiquing its principles as tools of entrenched power structures.
Context is only consulted by the Originalists. All of the others interpret as they please, regardless of context, typically in order to support their own political narratives.
Ever seen those sitcoms that have a scene where someone walks in during a conversation, but since they don’t know the context of what is being said they assume other things which then turn out to be disastrous for someone in the show? It’s funny in a television show, but it is catastrophic when it comes to American Liberty.
Earlier this week my wife and I vacationed in Yosemite, and on the way back while I was searching for a good music station along the coast not far from Sonoma and Napa in California I found one that was rock (which tends to be my preference, though I am typically fine with Country Western, as well) and when I looked at the label on my display, it read:
Rock
95.9
Country
Without context it was confusing. Was it a rock station? Country-Western station? The music I heard was a rock song that was roughly fifty years old, but it had a little bit of a country kick to it. Was it a cross-over hit? Was that what the station typically played?
The bottom line shifted.
Rock
95.9
Radio
Okay, a little more context. Definitely a rock station, though I still didn’t know what the word “country” was doing on the display a moment before.
Then it shifted again.
Rock
95.9
KRSH
Okay, a little more context. Did the display mean to say “KRSH Country Radio”? Perhaps the station considered its region of broadcasting “its” country. That kind of made sense…in a disconnected kind of way. So, from the context I had so far, the station was a rock station, whose call-sign was KRSH, and it considered its region its “country.”
One more shift of the bottom line appeared.
Rock
95.9
Wine
What? What does drinking wine have to do with music?
Then it went back to:
Rock
95.9
Country
Ahh. Now it made sense. Now I had full context. My display on the bottom line was only giving me one word at a time. But now that I had seen all of the words, I realized it read (or would have read if it wasn’t giving me one word at a time):
Rock
95.9
KRSH Wine Country Radio
Considering my location just to the west of Napa Valley (known for its wineries), and having the full context of the display, I understood fully what was being said, and what it meant.
Without full context, the likelihood is that a full understanding of the truth will not be known. With context comes truth,
So, anything other than originalism when it comes to the Constitution is seeking something that is not true. Full context is needed for the truth.
Hence, why originalism seeks full context, and why originalists are the only true constitutionalists.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Commitment, Sacrifice, Personal Growth and the Protection of Divine Providence
By Douglas V. Gibbs
After perusing a post from my old church about an upcoming golf tournament, which shows a few known personalities as attendees, one of the comments down below complained: “Nothing screams family values like Lorenzo Lamas who’s been married and divorced like 6 times. The guy that was on Hot or Not using a laser pointer on women to judge their body parts. To each their own, I guess.”
I responded, “The wonderful thing about faith in Christ is that in God’s eyes once you give your life over to Him those things in your past no longer matter. I don’t know Lorenzo Lamas’ past, and I pray for him and you regarding your relationship with the one and true living God. While Lorenzo Lamas has never publicly stated he had accepted Christ, in addition to this golf tournament he accepted the lead role in a Christian film about Apostle Thaddeus, and also appeared in God’s Club, a film about religious faith and other Christian themes. Perhaps his beliefs have been evolving. He has been speaking positively about the faith of Christianity and appears at a number of Christian events hosted by Christian organizations, so perhaps he is seeking a meaningful engagement with Christianity. To attack him about his past as he seeks growth is not a very positive thing. But then again, I’ve seen your stuff before and you are a documented hater of Christianity and conservative politics. I will pray for you.”
The attitude the commenter was exhibiting is also common with those who suffer from the effects (or one might say “derangement syndrome”) of being exposed to the current rash of Cultural Marxism, DEI, WOKEism, and other Progressive Ideology related thought-processes. As we’ve seen in arguments by people like Nikole Hannah-Jones in her highly inaccurate 1619 Project, the assumption is that if the people behind something were flawed, or if there were any flaws associated with it along the way, then it’s a failure and not worth pursuing or knowing – everything about it is flawed so it must be abolished or reinterpreted. If that was the case, nothing would be worth our attention.
We change, often, as we begin to recognize truth, and when we become wiser as a result. I am glad I am not the guy I was a decade ago, or a lifetime ago. Thanks to commitment to what is right, sacrifices I have made, and my journey as laid out by the Lord, I am a better person and a better servant to the Lord. The wonderful thing about being a Christian is that past flaws don’t matter when everything is placed in the Hands of the One and True Living God. No matter how horrid our past was, the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us, and we start all over as a new creature.
The Story of Apostle Paul is a great example of that: a horrid past, yet once he changed he was so committed to the task at hand that he was willing to endure an incredible amount of suffering.
Born in Tarsus, a Roman city in Cilicia, around 5 A.D., Saul of Tarsus was a devout Pharisee, educated under Gamaliel, a respected Jewish teacher. He became a zealous persecutor of Christians, approving of the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58), imprisoned believers, and sought to eradicate the early church (Acts 8:3; Galatians 1:13).
On the road to Damascus to arrest Christians, Saul encountered a blinding light and heard Jesus speak (Acts 9:3-6). Temporarily blinded, he fell to the ground and heard a voice:
“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
“Who are you, Lord?”
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
The blindness remained, so he was led into Damascus by his companions, and for three days he neither ate nor drank. In Damascus, a disciple named Ananias received a vision from the Lord instructing him to go to Saul. Ananias hesitated for Saul had a reputation for violence against Christians. Surely, no murderous tyrant like him could ever receive favor from the Lord. But, the Lord reassured him: “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.”
Ananias found Saul at the house of Judas, and laid hands on him saying, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. He was then baptized, ate, and regained strength.
Saul began preaching that Jesus is the Son of God, and the Messiah who was God in the Flesh when he lived on the Earth. He astonished those who knew him as a persecutor.
He would later become Paul the Apostle, author of much of the New Testament and a tireless missionary to the Gentiles.
After his conversion Paul was committed to his ministry, even willing to suffer greatly for it. According to 2 Corinthians he was frequently jailed for preaching about Christ, beaten five times receiving 39 lashes from Jewish authorities, and three times he was beaten with rods. In Acts 14:19 the Bible discusses how Paul was stoned, and left for dead in Lystra. He also survived three shipwrecks; once spent a day and a half adrift at sea. On his journeys to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ he also faced danger from rivers, robbers, Jews, Gentiles, cities, wilderness and the sea. He dealt with false brethren, and endured hunger, thirst, cold, exposure and sleepless nights. In Philippi he was imprisoned after casting out a spirit (Acts 16:22-24), experienced a riot incited by silversmiths who lost business due to Paul’s preaching (Acts 19:23-41), was nearly killed by a mob in Jerusalem and then was arrested and falsely accused of defiling the temple (Acts 21:27-36), was imprisoned for two years under Roman governors Felix and Festus, was shipwrecked on his way to Rome and then imprisoned under house arrest for two years (Acts 28:30-31), and it is believed he was martyred in Rome around 64-67 A.D. under Emperor Nero. He also suffered from a “Thorn in the flesh,” a persistent affliction that was never removed despite prayer (2 Corinthians 12:7-9), carried constant concern for the spiritual health of believers and the churches he had planted (2 Corinthians 11:28), and faced constant rejection and betrayal by some companions and various false teachers. Paul’s life is a profound testament to someone who seemed undeserving of forgiveness, but received it and then not only changed his life but became a valuable vessel for the Lord to use – and during that time he was resilient, convicted, and maintained grace under fire. His sufferings did not only mark his journey, they magnified the message he carried.
And much of the same can be said regarding the commitment to truth and godly principles by the Founding Fathers who put it all on the line because they were committed, were willing to sacrifice, and believed theirs was a task given to them by God.
The Signers of the Declaration of Independence were lawyers, merchants, farmers, physicians, and ministers – united by a radical commitment to liberty. Signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776 was an act of high treason against the British Crown, punishable by death. Their pledge of their Lives, Fortunes, and sacred Honor was a serious one, and in many ways, prophetic.
During the Revolutionary War most of the signers either:
All of them faced potential suffering because of their commitment to liberty, and many of them suffered directly because of their signatures. Some of the notable cases were:
While many later became governors, judges or senators, and six signers went on to sign the U.S. Constitution, several died in obscurity or financial ruin despite their early prominence.
While their sacrifices were not uniform, the risk was. These men gambled everything on an idea because they were committed to it. They were willing to sacrifice everything for it, and many did indeed pay dearly for their commitment to liberty. Their stories, like Apostle Paul’s, were all significant because they (like Paul) believed they were carrying out the Will of God.
I wonder today; how many of us have that level of commitment and willingness to sacrifice to stand up for what’s right and godly, and preserve liberty against forces that seek to destroy it? And how many of us began with a story that may not be the most righteous. We made our mistakes, we had our flaws, but by the Grace of God we grew, changed, and many of us are now committed to the fight for liberty and a return to the original intent of the U.S. Constitution. Again, I ask; “How firm is our commitment?”
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary