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State of the Church: Church of the State
Sam Aurelius Milam III
Sometime during October of last year, I heard a claim that a local food bank requires "valid photo ID" as a prerequisite to giving someone food. I'd heard a similar claim regarding another food bank so I decided that maybe the claim was accurate. On November 1, 2004, I sent a letter to the local food bank, asking about the requirement. I received a reply, dated November 9, 2004, from Eric Johnson, pastor of the New Life Community Church of the Nazarene. It turned out that his church runs the food bank. His letter described three different food programs offered by the food bank. The first program is what he called a free emergency food box program. To qualify for that program a person must demonstrate a need for the food, fall within government income guidelines, and show some form of I.D. The emergency food boxes contain government commodities which invoke the government guidelines and ID requirement. Pastor Johnson stated that he would, nevertheless, provide a modified food box lacking government commodities to anyone who wouldn't show ID but that the person would still have to demonstrate a genuine need. The second food program, called Project Manna, is a grocery cart full of food normally valued between $80-100. The food bank offers the food for $16, once a month. There aren't any qualifying requirements or I.D. requirements. They just sell it to whoever can pay for it. The third program is called Food Plus and is a government sponsored food program for families with children between 1-5 years old and for adults over 60 years of age. To qualify for that program the person or family must fall within the government age and income guidelines, demonstrate a local address, and provide a photo I.D. The program is free for people who qualify. I could qualify for the second program and possibly for the first one. However, since receiving that letter from Pastor Johnson, I've sent him three more letters asking for help. In those letters, I stated that I'm interested in using the two programs that could be available to me. I asked him what I must do to demonstrate a need for the food, which is a requirement for the first program. I also asked if he might be able to put me in touch with someone in his congregation who would be willing to provide transportation for me. That request is because the food bank is too far away for me to get there on my bicycle. Additionally, when using the second program I wouldn't be able to carry a shopping cart full of food on a bicycle. This article is being published in the March issue of this newsletter. Thus, it has been several months since I began trying to get access to the food bank. Pastor Johnson has either neglected, declined, or refused to respond to my three most recent letters. Such behavior doesn't seem very Christlike. I'd think that Christian virtue would demand at least that he answer my questions. While dining one Sabbath, the Nazarene spoke at length to those present and said, among other things, that a man cannot serve two masters because either he will hate one and love the other or be devoted to one and despise the other. Although the Nazarene advocated giving to Caesar what was Caesar's, I don't believe that he ever asked for valid photo ID as a prerequisite to healing the sick, feeding the hungry, or forgiving the sinful. In Eric Johnson's letter to me, he referred repeatedly to government requirements and guidelines. He signed his letter "In His service", but I believe that the content of the letter belies that claim. I don't believe that Pastor Johnson is serving the Nazarene. It appears to me that he is serving the government, the wrong master. According to the Nazarene, if Pastor Johnson is devoted to the one then he must despise the other. He cannot serve them both. Meanwhile, I still can't go get food at the food bank. For PayPal payments, use frontiersman@pharos.websiteallies.com.
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Letter to the Editor
Dear Sam, I hope you are well. Thanks for the Frontiersman, ongoing. I do appreciate it, and hope donations are covering your work adequately. ... your short story on p. 2 of the Feb issue was a well done story; I'm sure many have thought of it for years now, but your writing of it was an excellent treatment. As you probably already know, since this is Amerika where there are no rights honored by the crim. thugs who overthrew the legitimate govt here, these thug gangs have for years now been prosecuting writers for writing things that the thugs say incited or influenced someone to commit the act in their fiction writings or even historical exposés. I'm sure you are aware of that, and I commend you for having the courage to exercise your right to write what you feel moved to write anyway. I'm enclosing one of my favorite pieces by Lucius Beebe. He was an editor for the SF Chron. Thought you might like to reprint this. In 1961 this was probably almost adequately strong for the reality it dealt with. Today, it is very weak in light of what the thugs in office have done and keep doing. I've never seen you print cartoons (or maybe rarely and I have forgotten). I don't know if you have a policy against it, or? Anyway, here is one that I finally got done, of the many, many I come up with all the time but have no time to do the art work, tho I am capable .... Blessings inmate
This is the quote that the inmate included with his letter. I have not attempted to authenticate it. editor
The happiest day that might be foreseen for the American taxpayer is that on which his miserable representatives in Government begin to live in physical fear for their lives and persons and give some consideration to the constituency for whom their contempt is commensurate with their availability to looting. An American Congressman fleeing from a mob of taxpayers while his house burned would be the heartening sight of a lifetime. An election every four years isn't as effectual as would be the assassination of a legislator every four minutes, because the enemy isn't only in Moscow. He's much nearer at home. Lucius Beebe
San Francisco Chronicle July 10, 1961 Donations do not cover my minimum expenses. Thus, I'm going further into debt every month because I can't even pay my fair share of the utilities. I'm really tired of trying to do this without sufficient help from the subscribers. I was well aware of the risk of publishing Gonna Blow Dis Joint, especially when it might be read by the thugs who work as prison guards. So far, I haven't been arrested. By the way, I have more Dirty Trickster stories on the way. I don't usually print cartoons because by the time I reduce the size of a cartoon so it will fit the space available in my newsletter it is so small that the details are lost. That was the case with yours. Nevertheless, I appreciate your sending it. editor
Contract vs Legislation Sam Aurelius Milam III
To me, it seems evident that the writers of the U.S. Constitution intended that the status of contracts should be superior to the status of legislation. That expectation seems to be an obvious motivation for the portion of Article 1, Section 10, clause 1 presented above. Nevertheless, there is today in the U.S.A. a pervasive belief in a doctrine whereby any contract that isn't in accordance with legislation, or which violates any legislation, is presumed to be a void contract. Rather, any contract, regardless of its terms and conditions and provided ONLY that it satisfies the various other requirements of a contract, should be regarded as a valid contract whether or not it violates legislation or is in accordance with legislation. Any other doctrine is repugnant to Article 1, Section 10, clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution. For PayPal payments, use frontiersman@pharos.websiteallies.com.
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Acknowledgments My thanks to the following: Sir James the Bold, SantaClara Bob, Lady Jan the Voluptuous, and Eric, of Soledad, California. editor
Music Lover
Dear Music Lover I don't know much about how to use flutes and piccolos but I do know that a recorder is a good way to save ball games to watch later. You know you're in California when ....
Frontiersman Cancellations If you don't want to keep receiving this newsletter, print REFUSED, RETURN TO SENDER above your name and address, cross out your name and address, and return the newsletter. When I receive it, I'll terminate your subscription. You may also cancel by letter, e-mail, carrier pigeon, or any other method that gets the message to me. Back Issues Back issues or extra copies of this newsletter are available upon request. Reprint Policy Permission is hereby granted to reproduce this newsletter in its entirety or to reproduce material from it, provided that the reproduction is accurate and that proper credit is given. Please note that I do not have the authority to give permission to reprint material that I have reprinted from other sources. For that permission, you must go to the original source. I would appreciate receiving a courtesy copy of any document or publication in which you reprint my material. Submissions I solicit letters, articles, and cartoons for the newsletter, but I don't pay for them. Short items are more likely to be printed. I suggest that letters and articles be shorter than 500 words, but that's flexible depending on space available and the content of the piece. I give credit for all items printed unless the author specifies otherwise. Payment This newsletter isn't for sale. If you care to make a voluntary contribution, you may do so. The continued existence of the newsletter will depend, in part, on such contributions. I prefer cash, U.S. postage stamps, prepaid telephone cards, and so forth. For checks or money orders, please inquire. For PayPal payments, use frontiersman@pharos.websiteallies.com. I don't accept anything that requires me to provide ID to receive it. In case anybody is curious, I also accept gold, silver, platinum, etc. Sam Aurelius Milam III, editor
For PayPal payments, use frontiersman@pharos.websiteallies.com.
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