Jefferson Weaver: What I believe

Every once in a while, it helps to sit down and take a long, hard look at what you believe.  

If you don’t remember the basics, you can forget what is supposed to be driving you in the first case. You don’t always have to know every why for every what you do, but it never hurts to dust things off sometimes and reinforce what’s important. 

I believe in salvation through Jesus Christ, the son of God who came to earth as a man, was born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life. He died on a cross he didn’t deserve to pay our sin debt, and rose again on the third day. I believe in the salvation that can only come through the sacrifice that was paid for once and for all on the cross at Calvary. I believe that there is but one God, that his word is inerrant, and that we will never understand everything about him here on Earth. I believe that even if you are forgiven, you will still sometimes sin and fail Him, but through his grace even the vilest offender who accepts Christ as his Lord and Saviour will spend eternity in Heaven. 

I believe that the departure from God’s law and the demands for tolerance of sinful behavior are why we have such a confused, immature, spoiled brat society. 

I believe Marxism and Islamic extremism are very real threats in today’s world, and that they are some of the tools that will be used to bring about Armageddon. I also believe the “end of days” won’t happen until America is destroyed or turned into a neutered version of itself. 

I believe in baseball where the players are still hungry and love the game.  

I believe in holding hands with your spouse, opening doors for ladies, saying ‘I love you” at every opportunity, being nice to people who don’t always deserve it, and doing good things that you keep secret. 

I believe more can be accomplished on front porches and at kitchen tables than could ever be fixed in the United Nations, any political arena, or college classroom. I believe tattletaleing and trying to “dox” someone out of their home or job because you disagree with them is cowardly. 

I believe that one reason our country has gone so far sideways is through the decay of the nuclear family, a decay that has been allowed and encouraged by an unwillingness to take responsibility for one’s actions, thus causing the problems that lead to divorce. I also believe that incentivizing the destruction of a two-parent, man and woman parental team is a root cause of many of the world’s problems. I also believe a firm whippin’ can change a future criminal into the president of the United States. I believe the trend toward making parents “friends” instead of parents will reap nothing but sorrow in the years to come. 

I believe in heavy, solid Detroit rolling stock with eight cylinders and fewer electronic things to break. 

I believe old houses, old dogs, old horses, and old trucks are significantly devalued in today’s world, and we are less because of it.  

I believe in the Constitution of the United States – not some pettifogging leftwing nincompoop’s attempts to redefine it to make someone feel better, but the well-documented and incontrovertible writings of the founders. 

I believe that law enforcement, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel don’t get nearly the credit, pay or support they deserve. I believe that 99 percent of all law enforcement officers are good. I also believe that the one percent who are bad should be treated as the worst of criminals, since with great power comes with great responsibility. 

I believe that if someone points or even draws a weapon on a law enforcement officer, they have made a conscious adult decision not to abide by the laws of society, and they should realize the results of their poor decision making. 

I believe the very people screaming about replacing police with social workers would be the first to condemn the police when a criminal suspect assaulted the social worker assigned to their case.  

I believe that the average, every day law-abiding American has every right to own as many firearms as he or she wants, and to carry said firearms in a responsible manner. I also believe that any politician who wants to disarm law-abiding citizens to solve crime is an idiot — or else plans to do something that said politician knows would not be tolerated by an armed populace. 

I believe anyone who looks down at another person because of their skin color, sex or place of birth is an idiot. I also believe that every person, regardless of color, sex or place of birth, has a responsibility to follow the laws of this country and their community if they choose to live here. 

I believe this country does still have some problems with race, but I also believe those fires are being stoked by those who would profit from such problems, on either side of the issue. 

I believe that America needs to be the strongest military country in the world; while that might not stop every third world bad guy or conniving would-be dictator from picking a fight, it might give some of them pause. I also believe that the aforementioned military power needs to be backed up with real diplomacy – not pallets of cash on an airport tarmac, or apologies because we are great and free. 

I believe that every young man or woman graduating high school should be able to change a tire, balance a checkbook, research a topic via books, plant and maintain a tree, cook a meal, build a box if not an entire house, understand the functions of the three branches of government, have a working knowledge of history (and not the revisionist kind currently being promoted), sharpen a pocketknife, write a letter, and be able to name the amendments to the Constitution, then briefly describe their function. 

I believe that it’s ridiculous to demand payment from anyone for the deeds of their ancestors, especially when one has never done anything to the person demanding payment, and that person has never been a victim of said misdeeds. 

I believe that life begins at conception, and that abortion is government sanctioned, society approved murder. 

I believe that capital punishment needs to be brought back for more crimes, and with fewer restrictions, but that appeals need to be sped up, and competence of the attorneys involved double-checked before anything happens. I believe it is criminal that people have to wait two or three or five years for a trial date, whether they are a defendant or a victim. 

I believe the Clear and Present Danger Doctrine should be used against countries that export narcotics and terror.  

I believe the Insurrection Act should only be used in extreme circumstances, but it needs to be released en toto when and if it is applied. 

I believe a real friend is one who will come at a moment’s notice, and loves you enough to tell you when you did something really stupid. 

I believe a statue is a stature, and history is history. Tearing down monuments of any kind is childish, and indicative of being a spoiled child, not an agent of positive societal change. It’s not freedom of expression – it’s vandalism. Politicians who allow such to take place should be punished as co-conspirators. 

I believe in small towns, small businesses and big ideas. I believe that every American has the opportunity to try to do their best and succeed, but they have to be willing to sacrifice and work for that success. Sometimes it makes for hard choices, but I believe you have the right to make that choice, and reap the rewards wither way. I don’t believe anyone has a guarantee of success, and the government has no business giving anyone a better chance than someone else. Indeed, I believe we could see a lot more success if government would largely stay the heck out of the way and let the free market rule. 

I believe in going to church on Sunday and Wednesday night, if you want to do so. 

I believe in black coffee, friend chicken, biscuits, homemade pies, eggs from one’s own chickens, the comfort of a mama’s hug, puppy breath, the creak of saddle leather, the scent of a good horse, the smell of gunpowder, the reassurance of aa cat’s purr, the glory of a good fire on a cold night,  the mixture of awe, victory and sadness when a hunter makes a kill, the sanctity of fishing, the joy of children learning new skills, reading old books that smell, the glory of a sunrise and a sunset, the honesty of a donkey, and the satisfaction that comes from making a painful, prayer-led decision and knowing you have done the right thing. 

 I believe we can agree to disagree agreeably, and as long as you’re nice to me, I’ll be nice to you.  

That’s just what I believe. 

Weaver is managing editor for CCN. Contact him at [email protected]