The poor will always be with us

This is my response in part to an article that I found here: http://thepublicsquare.blogspot.com/2005/07/caring-for-least.html

In this article the writer speaks about the Catholic position regarding looking after the poor in our society. Should it be a government responsibility alone? Catholics such as Joan Chittiser and Richard McBrien obviously believe that we should have these expensive government programs that hand out welfare money without any form of responsibility. On the other side of the debate is Myron Magnet. Like Magnet, I believe that we have a social responsibility to care for people who are unable to care for themselves. I am referring to the elderly, the disabled and the mentally incapacitated in our midst.

On the other hand able bodied people should only have limited access to these resources when they become unemployed. I agree that there is a need for limited assistance because unemployment causes its own set of problems and something is needed to help a person until there is another offer of employment. An able bodied person has a better chance of finding long term employment than someone who is carrying some form of disability. The able bodied should be encouraged to find work and requires necessary incentives to work, not disincentives to work. A welfare state in the long term encourages laziness amongst those who are able bodied and unemployed. Benefits should be tied to some form of responsibility including schemes that require working for the dole.

In my comments I am probably going a lot further than the comments of Myron Magnet. I guess that is a result of my own life experiences. At this present time I, too, am unemployed. I could be accused of being picky about my location requirements for work, since I am not being as flexible as I have been in the past. The reason that I am not so flexible happens to be the result of an increase in the difficulties that I experience because of my arthritis. I have generalized osteoarthritis or at least that is one diagnosis.This has changed in recent years to Mixed Connective Tissue Disease. At the same time I had an accident and fractured my coccyx for the second time.  It is spread throughout my body, from my jaw, right down to my toes. It is in my spine and it hurts to sit for any length of time. I have a condition that is known as spondylarthrophy and I have sacroiliitis which causes stiffness in my lower back, but I do not have the more severe condition know as AS. As a result of these conditions I feel that I do not want to work in a location that causes me to take hours to get to and from work. In reality it means that my opportunities for work are limited. Yet, there are people out there who are worse off than myself, and they do need some form of care.

My concern therefore, is not for myself but for the little people whose disabilities are so bad that they need constant care. I do believe that the government should provide some assistance for their care. However, the danger of allowing government to have total control over the care of the disabled is that eventually that care will be compromised by cost cutting measures.

What are we supposed to do? I believe that a major issue that has not been addressed is that of abandonment of the profoundly disabled in nursing homes. Instead of caring for their loved ones who have been born with conditions that cause disability, many families abandon them and leave them to rot in orphanages and nursing homes. The primary responsibility for a profoundly disabled child rests with the family and not the government. What if the family is not able to cope? This is the area where I believe that there needs to be government intervention. The family of the profoundly disabled sometimes needs respite from those concerns. This respite can be provided by either a government agency or by other family and friends. The family needs to know that it has the support of the community as a whole. This support will not happen so long as a community continues to have prejudices against those who have a disability.

 There are different levels of disability and in most cases the physical disability does not affect the brain. When Judas got snotty over Mary of Bethany pouring oil over Jesus, he was given a reminder: "The poor will always be with us.". This is a truth that we should not forget. It does not mean that we should abandon the poor because they will always be around, but it does mean that the poor in society need to take some form of responsibility for their position in life. The welfare state has caused the abandonment of the disabled and the elderly.

At one time the elderly knew that they had an insurance policy because their children would look after them, however, now they face abandonment as they are increasingly being placed in nursing homes with the members of the family rarely coming near them. This is certainly true for a minority of the elderly of our society. I should point out that there are times when placement in a nursing home becomes necessary because the care needs of the elderly person are beyond the personal resources of the family members. These are people who require special care because of Alzheimer's disease or other similar conditions including patients who have been severely affected through brain damage brought on by a stroke. There is good and bad in a welfare state.

 I need to point out that I am not against the use of welfare payments in cases of necessity. What if the parents of a young family are killed in a car accident? Who is to take responsibillity for the surviving family members? There is a divine requirement to care for the widow and the orphans. In such a case the children should not be abandoned into the streets; neither should they have to confront the wicked who would try to take everything away from them. We have a better society today than the society of the nineteenth century when poor houses or work houses were all the rage. Such Christian institutions were used to create a group of second class citizens who were used as "slaves" by those who were running the workhouses. The owners of such establishments were very cruel to the inmates. A welfare state has meant the end of such abuse of those who are poor.

The institution of a welfare state has in fact created a new crisis in the twenty first century. This time the crisis revolves around the dollars available for health matters. A lot of the health dollars are being channelled into non-productive purposes such as abortion on demand. At the other end of the scale, funds are being denied to people who are facing life and death issues. What is driving the push for euthanasia? Is it just that people do not understand that it is God who determines when we will live and die? Or is it a result of poor policy and health budget planning? What of the money that is being wasted on embryonic stem cell research? I am sure that this money could be more wisely spent in other fields within medicine and be more productive as far as outcome is concerned than by wasting even more health dollars on research in an area that has so far produced nothing but problems associated with tumors from the use of embryonic stem cells.

We can continue to care for the least amongst us whilst looking at where the health dollars are being spent. This is an area that needs to be thought about now, not even in five years time when the health budget will have soared again because of the abuse of those who are requesting health dollars today. Now more than ever, there is a crisis in our hospitals, as the hospital waiting lists for surgery continue to increase. I cannot fathom why this has been allowed to occur. Obviously, there is a problem within the health industry due to faulty budget management. Having dealt with the finance departments of various hospitals here in Australia, I find that I do have a little bit of insight into the problem that has arisen. One of the reasons that we have this problem stems from the over-reliance upon government to provide the health dollars. If the government of the day is not able to produce a wise budget and is wasting money in various ways (including wastage due to generous superannuation funding of parliamentarians) then other areas that need those dollars in order to operate sufficiently will be left under resourced.

The health crisis in Australia, for example, stems from the egalitarian push for universal medical coverage via government funding. It does not work to a satisfactory level. The emergency departments of the public hospitals have become full of people requiring the kind of medical attention that can be satisfied by the local GP. The attraction of the emergency department is the promise of free health, whereas the local GP now charges a very high fee for a 15 minute appointment. Medicare and its predecessor, Medibank have been total disasters. Prior to the introduction of this attempt to socialize medicine, we had a system where people were encouraged to save for that rainy day by having medical health insurance.

 The introduction of Medibank, and then the introduction of Medicare meant that thousands of people opted out of the scheme. It was only natural that the fees of the funds would increase, and not decrease as membership levels fell to all time low levels. At the same time there was a renewed pressure upon the public system, to the point that public health is now in crisis. There are many who are employed and who have good salaries who should be participating in a health fund, but who prefer to have only the universal PAYE style of cover (PAYE is the Medicare levy through taxation).

The levy itself can be quite inequitable for families where there is more than one income, since they are the ones who bear the full burden over those who are without income. Under the old system the household paid into the fund at one family level only. These are the same people who clog the public schools with their children and who literally refuse to pay anything towards their children's education. Again, this attitude means that there is a drain upon the budgetary funds that are available within the ecomony. There is a constant level of competition for the Budget dollars and more often than not, one area has its funding increased at the expense of another area.

There is a lot of waste at the public service level of government. Whilst most public servants really do work very hard, the fact remains that there is too much fat and bloat at every level of government that is served by the public service. Why for example, is it necessary for either federal or state governments to be involved in the provision of health benefits for the general public? The fact that Medibank Private operates as a private insurance fund but remains a part of government is an indicator that there is too much bloat. Government should not be poking itself into this particular area. On the other hand, the government needs to ensure that doctors and other professionals are paid for their services to the poor. Of course, in the days that are pre-Medibank, the poor were always treated "pro bono". This means that the introduction of the scheme has brought forth a whole raft of other problems such as fraudulent claiming payment for services that have not been provided by a doctor or other professional. Some areas within the health industry have remained neglected. For example, why is it that a podiatrist is not recognized under Medicare? Why is it that physiotherapy and exercise therapy is not recognized under Medicare? If these things were recognized then other forms of costs could be reduced, because patients would seek alternatives to drugs for their illnesses.

The answer then, is that the whole system needs an overhaul and the government role in health should be reduced. There has been too much government interference and that has impacted upon the standard of care that is offered in our health system.

Reflections on Scripture - The Book of Wisdom

The following posts are my reflections based upon Scripture and upon a reflection of my life at this present time. Each time I pick up the Scripture I am amazed at the things that are revealed. My first reflections here are based upon the Book of Wisdom. Over time I hope to add further reflections based upon other Scriptures: "Love justice, you who rule over the world. Think mightily of God, seek Him with simplicity of heart, for he reveals himself to those who do not challenge him and is found by those who do not distrust Him." (Wisdom 1:1-2) I am blown away by these very words because the human author of the Book of Wisdom, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit has captured the very essence of what God expects from each and every one of us: Justice. It is there and it is what is expected from those who are placed into positions of trust. Our rulers are expected to rule with justice, yet they do not accept the will of God when they allow injustice to happen to innocent men and women. How can we seek the Lord with simplicity of heart? When I read and reflect upn these words, I am reminded of the simplicity of a brain injured woman by the name of Theresa Schindler, a woman who was condemned to death by a judge even though she had not committed a crime. One of the lawyers involved in her case, Barbara Weller, spoke of the heart wrenching moment when Theresa was told that nothing more could be done to save her life, and how at the mention of the name of Jesus, Theresa laughed. That simplicity of heart shows me how Jesus was with Theresa in her final days. The laugh the ushered forth from Theresa tells me that throughout the 15 year ordeal, instigated by an unfaithful husband, Theresa was being comforted by Jesus. It was Jesus who gave her the strength to not give into they tyranny of the actions of Michael Schiavo. This innocent woman bore a lot in those 15 years because there were times when she was denied access to her family due to the spite of Michael Schiavo. Now that I understand the nature of being simplicity at heart, I look and see an admonition in those few words from the opening of the Book of Wisdom. The opening reads: "Love justice, you who rule over the world". This is an admonition that goes to the very heart of everything that is wrong in my world today. There is a lack of justice, for those who are responsible for the interpretation of the law are taking it upon themselves to bring about changes that are plunging us further and further into the mire of the culture of death. Theresa Schindler did not have to die. She was forced to die because her husband wanted her to be dead. She was brain injured, and she was alive. She was not living in a coma, but was in a minimally conscious state. She was being fed by a PEG tube because she needed time to recover from her injuries. Since 1992 Theresa Schindler was not allowed to receive any form of therapy or testing. Her husband attempted several times to murder her by refusing to allow the giving of antibiotics, in the full knowledge that she could end up with blood poisoning that would have ended her life. The probate judge knew about the accusations regarding these attempts to kill Theresa, yet he failed to remove Michael Schiavo as guardian. To add insult to injury, the judge, who acted with such injustice towards a disabled woman, George Greer, has received awards because of his handling of the case. The awards were given by self-interested parties who wanted the status quo of guardianship rorting in Florida to remain. The injustice in this case allows the continuance of those who are not able to look after themselves to remain vulnerable under the guardianship rules enforced in the probate courts. The lack of justice looks like a defeat and a victory for Satan, yet the death of Theresa Schindler is in reality a defeat for Satan, not victory, since her death marks the beginning of the end for the culture of death. For the moment the lawyers are crowing over the victory of injustice, and they continue to push their perverted notion of a right to die with dignity, attempting in their wake to force death upon those who are not dying but are severely disabled. Instead of ensuring an outcome that is justice, our judges are afraid of lsoing face. It is about the culture of "self", of "ego". God is missing from this culture of self, and where God is missing so is justice.

The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ - A Modern Play

Today is Good Friday and it is the day on which we pause for a time to remember that Jesus Christ sacrificed His Life for our sake. He came, to be born of a Virgin, so that through His Death, we could have Life. The Life that He gave to us is the Life that comes from Grace. In my own life there has been a tragedy that was played out over the Holy Thursday and Good Friday. It is a constant reminder that my cousin Dorn lost her life because she refused the advances of a man who was not her husband. I have already reflected on Dorn's story in another post. Yet again this year I am remided of the tragedy of Dorn's kidnap, rape and murder. This evening as I am sitting here, I am reflecting on what Easter means to me, and I am reflecting upon the true message of the Scripture - (1) Love God and (2) Love thy neighbour. This is the essential message of both Old and New Testaments. Without the love of God, you do not love your neighbour. Without of love of neighbour, we become a people bereft of compassion, and lacking in justice, selfish, egotistical and greedy. This modern Passion play had its beginnings in February 1990 when a young woman who was only 25 years of age at the time collapsed on the floor of her bathroom and she was rushed to hospital. Since that night this young woman has been in a battle for her life, because her husband who is now her guardian is determined to kill her. The story of Theresa Schindler has been sending shivers down the spines of a variety of people from the ultra conservative to the ultra liberal, within the USA to Europe, including Holland and Germany, and through to my own country Australia. The plight of Theresa Schindler has caused comment throughout the world. She is being forced to die, a slow and painful death. It is a death that is designed to torture her as she lies there not being allowed to eat or drink. What is happening to Theresa Schindler is disgusting and it shows that a once Christian nation has debased itself by sacrificing on the altar of Satan. The latest death sentence that was imposed upon Theresa Schindler began on 18 March 2005. It began just as we began preparations to commemorate an event that happened almost 2000 years ago, two days prior to our celebration of Passion Sunday. As we sat and listened to the Gospel of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Theresa had begun her own passion - a court ordered death sentence, even though she is innocent of any crime. Yes, Jesus was also innocent of any crime, and he was put to death because the people, stirred up by the Pharisees, cried out that they wanted Him to be crucified. As this story has continued to unfold, it has not been difficult to see the parallels of the Gospel story. It begins with Michael Schiavo, the husband who, like Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, has betrayed his wife with his philandering behaviour. Just like Judas this man has a murderous mind, who was waiting for an opportunity to carry out his plan to kill his wife. Poor Theresa, for she married the wrong man. His behaviour has shown him to be a wife abuser ( or at least it is suspected that he is a wife abuser). He comes on the television claiming that he loves his wife, and that his purpose is to carry out what he says is Theresa's wish to die rather than face her disability. The problem with this story is that Theresa cannot talk to let anyone know what she wants. The very tenacity of her existence is a sign that Theresa wants to live, despite the cruelty and isolation that she has faced. It is because Theresa cannot talk that Michael has been able to manipulate the press, as well as the judiciary in order to have his desire to kill his wife sanctioned. When Jesus faced His trial after His arrest, false witnesses came forward with their lying testimony. He was brought first before the Sanhedrin, then he was passed on to Pilate and Herod. Now we see a repeat of the coming forward of false witnesses in order to see Theresa condemned to an excruciating death by dehydration and starvation. These false witnesses are: a neurologist by the name of Dr. Crandon. His claim to fame is that he will guarantee to give a diagnosis of PVS for a fee as an expert witness. He wants to further his own death to the disabled, the elderly suffering from Alzheimers Disease and others agenda and he will oblige if someone wants a death sentence diagnosis. Then there is the brother and sister-in-law of the faithless husband who have been only too willing to comply with the request to state that Terri made a statement about not wanting to be hooked to life support. It is their testimony that has been accepted by Caiaphas (Greer) in order to manipulate the outcome of this case. This time it is not just the mother who is standing by her son, as he was dying on the cross, rather we have father, mother, brother and sister who feel so powerless because all of their efforts to rescue their loved one has failed. The American justice system, as it is practised in Florida has failed in the case of Terri Schiavo. As Jesus had moved towards the ultimate hour, which is the reason that He came and dwelt amongst us, the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians and others managed to unite themselves together in order to carry out their plot to kill Jesus. For Caiaphas said that it was better to kill one man and spare the lives of thousands. With this prophetic statement, he put into motion the final plan that was to bring about the death of Jesus. Now in Florida, we have one man, the unjust judge, George Greer, who has stated: "No one is to feed that girl", as well as many other statements in which he has managed to thumb his nose at the highest office in the United States - the Office of the President of the United States of America. Just as Caiaphas was determined to murder Jesus, George Greer, Michael Schiavo and George Felos are determined to murder Theresa Schindler. On the night before He died, Jesus was handed over to the Roman soldiers and it was there that he was whipped and tortured. His flesh was split as a result of the flogging that he received. They spat at him, and they placed a crown of thorns on his head, as they jeered and made fun of him. It must have been a very sad spectacle when it took place. Yet Jesus bore the punishment that was meted out to Him, so that we would be saved from sin. Now, we see a woman lying on a hospital bed as she is being slowly tortured to death by starvation and dehydration. Outside of the hospice there are the ones who represent the faithful women disciples, who have been protesting and aligning themselves with the suffering of Theresa. Then there are the mockers, who like those who demanded that Jesus should show His power and come down from the Cross, who are happy to go along and make such glorious statements: "I am for Terri, let her die". In other words they are there to gloat as this woman is allowed to slowly die through what can only be described as torture. They have laws preventing animals being treated in that way, and they are not prepared to grant this woman a reprieve from her death sentence. Her husband wants her dead, because he is afraid that if she was sufficiently recovered he would be found out in his lies. The judge wants her dead because she has become the test case that will allow an avalanche of death for the most vulnerable citizens in the USA. This action in Florida is equivalent to the Final Solution of the Nazis as they went around, first rounding up the sick, elderly and disabled, and then rounding up the Jews and murdering all of them. The roles of Herod and Pilate are being played out in the appellate courts both in Florida and in the Federal arena. The judges have just wiped their hands of the issue. They continue to refuse to look at the evidence with fresh eyes. Whilst all of this political manouvering is happening, a woman is fading fast as she continues with her agony of torture through starvation and dehydration. At the moment when Jesus gave up his spirit, there was a darkness that came over the land. What is going to happen if Theresa is allowed to die? Will America slip into an era of darkness? The darkness is not that which relates to night and day, but the darkness and evil associated with sin. What is happening to Theresa Schindler is a very evil action. She is being murdered with the blessing of the Judiciary of the United States. She has become a pawn in a life and death struggle. The judges do not want to hear the pleas of Theresa's parents. They are not interested in looking into the motivation of a philandering husband who is a liar and has murder on his mind. I have no doubt that Theresa has united herself with Jesus Christ, as she continues to battle out her final days. She is not meant to die like this, or at least it is not God's will that she dies. What is happening? Why has Satan been allowed to take hold of the conscience of Americans? Why is it that there is no groundswell of people demanding that Theresa must be allowed to live? Instead we hear from those who are delighting in the notion that she is now closer to death. They unjustly claim that Theresa died 15 years ago, but that is not true. Her original brain CT scan was normal. Another of her tests was also normal. She did not have a heart attack as claimed by her not so loving two timing husband. There is increasing evidence that he attempted to strangle his wife, yet all efforts of seeking an investigation into these claims have been stifled. According to reliable witnesses, Terri was laughing with the nurses who were caring for her, and she used to say things like "hi", "mummy" and "pain". You see Terri feels pain and that makes a lie of Dr. Cranford's diagnosis of PVS. They claim that she is feeling nothing right now, and that low down rat has been getting his head on the TV telling people that she is feeling nothing. This man is a heartless cold blooded killer. Theresa was condemned to death because she cannot talk for herself. She has a husband who is afraid of her recovery because if she could talk, then the lid would be blown off his efforts to kill his wife. There are medical forensic experts who have filed affadavits stating that the results on the CT and bone scan indicate that Theresa was strangled and that was the reason that her brain was starved of oxygen. Keep in mind that Michael Schiavo did nothing at all to assist his wife after her collapse.

Are we in the End Times?

The coming of the New Millenium brought with it a renewal of End Times fever. This is a phenomenon that was not new but is a repeat of what happened at the turn of the previous millenium. Having lived through the commotion and hype I can now look back at the unnecessary fear that was generated by people who are in fact ignorant when it comes to the interpretation of the Scripture. First of all, I believe that it is true that we are in an End Times at this present time. It is an end to the times as we know them but not of the end of the world, which is the interpretation of most people who read and talk about the End Times. Second, I believe that history has a habit of repeating itself and we are now going through a period of time which is in fact a repeat of a much earlier period in history. Take for example the following from the book of Isaiah: "A sinful nation, a people weighed down with guilt, a breed of wrong-doers, perverted sons. They have abandoned Yahweh, despised the Holy One of Israel; they have turned away from Him." (Is 1:4) "Take your wrong doing out of my sight. Cease to do evil, learn to do good, search for justice, help the oppressed, be just to the orphan, plead for the widow." (Is 1:16-17) "What a harlot she has become, the faithful city, Zion, that was all justice! Once integrity lived there, but now assassins. Your silver has turned into dross, your wine is watered. Your princes are rebels, accomplices of thieves. All are greedy for profit, and chase after bribes. They show no justice to the orphan, the cause of the widow is never heard." (Is 1:21-23) This is a very small sampling of the words of God that should be coming back to haunt each and everyone of us who are intent upon doing evil, despite having known the Lord. One only has to look to the level of injustice in the world to recognize that we are in an End Times period. What is wrong with our world today? The answer may seem to be complex but the reality is that there has been a massive loss of faith that has wounded God's people. We are beginning to reap the whirlwind of some of the shocking deeds that are being committed in our day. The Culture of Death seems to be in the ascendancy, yet we must remember that the Two hearts - that is the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus will prevail. It will not happen in my own lifetime, but it will happen. At the present time my thoughts on these matters are being guided by my concern for a disabled woman in Florida, whose husband has been attempting to ensure that she is given a state approved death sentence. This woman, Theresa Schindler, collapsed suddenly on a Februray night in 1990. One possible explanation for her collapse was that of a heart attack brought on by a potassium imbalance. However, further testing at the hospital disproved that theory. Despite the lack of evidence that pointed to bulimia or potassium imbalance, Michael Schiavo was successful in suing Theresa's doctor over the alleged failure to diagnose that she was bulimic. He claimed that he loved his wife and needed the money to care for and rehabilitate her. However, as soon as the money was set aside in the trust fund, Michael Schiavo has been relentless in his pursuit of killing his wife. In order to carry out his plan, Michael Schiavo enlisted the help of George Felos, the lawyer who is known for his pro-euthanasia views. George and Michael have been plotting together to bring about the death of Theresa Schindler. Michael has made every possible effort to ensure that a proper investigation into the mysterious circumstances of Theresa's collapse are stymied. He has also stymied every effort to ensure that Theresa receives rehabilitation therapy or has the proper tests that are required to determine the level of her brain function. Enter onto the stage Dr. Crandon, a neurologist who is also a member of the Hemlock Society, and an active promoter of euthanasia. If you want an expert witness willing to diagnose that a patient is PVS then Dr. Crandon is the man who will, for a fee carry out your wish. He was selected by George Felos to be an expert witness on Theresa's condition. When Theresa was injured in 1990 a CT scan was performed in the emergency room. Since that time there has not been any further testing or scans. However, despite this lack of testing Dr. Crandon was able to diagnose that Theresa is in a Permanent Vegetative State, and that there was no chance of recovery. He then added such information as the cortex of her brain had liquified and that she had no sense of feeling, and could not interact with people around her. The video evidence of the testing by the Doctors representing the Schindlers has produced a very different result. This is the evidence that Michael Schiavo had been determined that no one else should witness. However, the Schindlers managed to publish the video to the web and millions of people have been able to see that Terri is not in a permanent vegetative state and that she is very much a viable living human being. This is a status that Michael Schiavo is denying for her. To add insult to injury, George Greer coached Michael Schiavo in what he needed to say in court as evidence that he remembered that Theresa had said that she would not want to live in a vegetative state, and that all he wanted to do is carry out his wife's wishes. However, he neglected to inform the court that he already had the funeral home prepared in advance for the day that he has eagerly waited when "that bitch" would be dead. The nurses at the nursing home where Theresa had resided before Michael had her illegally taken to Woodside hospice, have given an affadavit to the effect that Michael Schiavo had attempted to ensure that his wife died of natural causes, due to his neglect for her care. However, Theresa survived the early attempts of Michael to kill her off. In the end he had to go to the probate court to get permission to remove Theresa's feeding tube so that he could carry out a very cruel death sentence - starvation and dehydration. People get thrown into prison for treating animals in that fashion. As I have investigated this case I have discovered that the issues that I am describing are really only the surface issues. There are issues that have very wide ranging implications for the manner in which guardianships are conducted, especially in Pinellas County. There is a scandal brewing in Pinellas county that is going to lift the lid off of the abuses that are being perpetrated against the disabled, as well as he elderly. Michael Schiavo, as the guardian of Theresa has abused his powers by preventing her family from visiting and by ordering that she is not to receive any form of rehabilitative treatment. His actions are not the actions of a loving husband. What has this outline of the Schiavo case got to do with my quotes form Isaiah? One of the strong themes in the Book of Isaiah is the recognition that the wealthy class of Israel and Judea had been exploiting the more vulnerable within the society. There is nothing new in that statement because what happened in Isaiah's time is also happening in our own time. The people who are least able to care for themselves are being exploited by those who have rich and privileged positions. The Lord warned against the injustices of that time, but Israel did not listen to what the prophets were saying and eventually they were not able to overcome the arrival of Sennacharib, who defeated the king of Israel and carried the people into exile. Today, we face dangerous times. It is dangerous because we do not know when the terrorists might strike again. This is the point about the end of the times as we know them. There is no reason to believe that there will be a rapture as described by Scofield. That does not mean that we are not in an end times period. The behaviour that I have described above, is something that is repeated in the USA, as well as in other countries. Thousands of people are in danger from those who want to bring in state euthanasia.