A few days ago I was reading from Isaiah 6 and, although I’d read it before, a passage in Isaiah 6 had a profound effect upon me; causing my brain to come to a screeching halt so that it could consider what I’d just read.

The passage in question is the part of Isaiah 6 where Isaiah says that he heard the voice of the LORD ask, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Isaiah responds by saying ‘Here am I; send me.’ Then, in verse 11 Isaiah asks how long, and it is the LORD’s answer that hit me like a 20 lb sledgehammer, ‘Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, And the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.’

However one chooses to interpret the events described in that verse, I don’t think anyone will disagree with me when I say that the overall meaning of the passage is, a very long time. Based solely upon chapters, Isaiah is second only to Psalms; proving that Isaiah did end up serving the LORD for a very long time. According to how I understand it, Isaiah never hesitated, and he never wavered in his commitment to serving the LORD.

It is that passage from Isaiah 6 that gave rise to the title of this essay; from the fact that I find myself constantly struggling to live up to that kind of commitment. Folks may think I’m crazy when I say this, but that’s okay, but I believe my purpose in life, why God put me here on earth, is to take the ability to write in a semi-coherent manner, and try to wake people up to the truth of what is going on in the world around them. While I love the actual writing part, where I struggle is with the feedback to my essays part.

It is not that I am being overwhelmed with negative feedback; I could deal with that. It is the fact that I rarely get any feedback at all; other than an occasional ‘good job’ from a few dedicated followers. I sometimes feel as if I am speaking to an empty auditorium; which, if you apply that as an analogy to what passes for critical thinking these days, might not be too far from the truth.

I understand that I should not worry about that; that my job is to plant seeds and not worry about whether or not any of them sprout; but it’s hard…I mean really hard sometimes to maintain my motivation to write when I hear nothing but silence in response to an essay. Knowing what I should be doing and actually doing it is the cause of the conflict inside my head; and the overall subject this essay will address.

Those of my friends who have known me the longest can attest to the fact that, numerous times in the past, I have lamented the lack of feedback and overall ignorance of some people, and the fact that I have stated that I was going to stop writing; throw in the towel, so to speak. This essay is proof that I never made good on that, but that does not mean that the thought does not cross my mind from time to time.

Sometimes I wonder what people actually think about me after reading one of my essays; the things they are too timid to come out and say openly to me. I can’t be certain about this, but it is my belief that the ONLY person who has never held back her thoughts on the things I say or do is my wife. It would not surprise me one bit if I were to open a dictionary and look up brutally honest, and find her picture there. She is absolutely fearless when it comes to saying what’s on her mind; which, even though it stings sometimes, is one of the reasons I love her as much as I do; she never holds back her thoughts for fear of hurting someone’s feelings.

I do not know if this was providence or not, but the morning I got the idea for this essay a friend of mine on Facebook, (Danielle Mottale), posted something on her wall that addresses this, ‘I didn’t wake up one day and think to myself “I’m going to start speaking on something extremely controversial that goes against the norm, lose all my friends, and be thought of as crazy.”

No, I experienced multiple events that fundamentally transformed my perceptions.’

I think it is safe to say that my closest friends would say that it was the same for them; they didn’t just wake up one morning transformed into a radicalized version of themselves who suddenly believes all these wild conspiracy theories; it was a gradual process that sometimes took years to reach fruition.

Think of it this way. If you are as old as I am (68 in June) then you probably aren’t the same wild and crazy person you were when you were 18. While you are still the same person, your cumulative life experiences have changed you. That process is something older people used to call, gaining wisdom. I prefer to call it something else; the moment people pull their heads out of their asses and stop looking at the world through the rose colored glasses of their indoctrination.

Years ago, decades actually, when I first began studying the history of this country, and the truth concerning both the function and establishment of our system of government, I never would have imagined that the journey I was undertaking would lead me to become the person I am today. In fact, if anyone had suggested that who I am now was the inevitable outcome of that journey I would have laughed at them. Yet here I am; proving that anything is possible when you combine an open mind, a healthy dose of truth, and a lot of critical thinking.

One thing I have found, and I think my friends can attest to this as well, is that the more you learn, the less patience you have for the ignorant, or those who refuse to actually put their brains to use. It boggles the mind sometimes how people (the masses in general) cannot see the truth that is sitting right there in front of their noses; how they call those who try to point it out to them all kinds of names in order to assassinate their character rather than accepting the truth.

Unless one has unplugged from the proverbial Matrix they will never recognize the extent people go to in order to justify opinions or beliefs that are, quite honestly, indefensible; the mental gymnastics people are capable of in order to defend their beliefs against the truth. Allow me to provide an example of what I mean by that.

I have debated both Republicans and Democrats, and been accused by both as belonging to the other party; the one they believe to be their enemy. The fact of the matter is, the only thing that matters to me is the truth; what the facts can prove. One thing both parties have in common is the belief that government is authorized to do whatever it is the candidates they support promise to do if they get elected; that and an undying belief that the country would quickly go to shit without government.

Yet whenever I attempt to question those belonging to either party where the Constitution authorizes government to do the things they believe it ought to be doing, they get defensive and argumentative. I have even shown some of them the Constitution, and asked them to point out where it authorizes government to do the things they say it should be doing.

If it weren’t so frustrating it would almost be comical to watch what happens to their faces when you confront them with the fact that government is doing things it isn’t authorized to do; at least according to the specifically enumerated powers listed in Article 1, Section 8. What is even more insane is their attempted justification for this usurpation of authority; things such as, ‘Well they must have a reason for doing what they do’ or ‘Well if the authority to do that isn’t in the Constitution it should be.’

How can you argue with logic like that; when facts don’t play a role in the forming of people’s opinions? The simple truth is, you can’t; which is why I have cut way back on the number of debates/arguments I get into with people over what government can and cannot do. It’s like what Mark Twain once said, “Never argue with a stupid person, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.”

And if you think I’m calling you (no one in particular) stupid, then I only ask that you try to justify your opinions to yourself based upon what you can prove; not what you’ve been told to believe is the truth. If you can’t, then maybe, just maybe, you should consider revising your opinions! After all, that is what critical thinking is all about; the constant questioning of your opinions and beliefs to see if they can be supported by fact. You really ought to try it; it is quite liberating.

Yet, sadly, the defense mechanism people have erected around their core beliefs and their opinions seems to be impervious to facts and evidence. In other words, as long as people believe that an opinion is true, it is true; regardless of the amount of evidence that proves it to be invalid. Whenever that happens, and it happens a lot, those exhibiting that kind of behavior have crossed the line that separates thinking from emotional attachment to ideology.

Sorry if that stings, but I’m not here to sugarcoat the truth so that it becomes more palatable for you…

All of that type behavior that people exhibit when presented with solid, incontrovertible evidence, is what leads me to fight the constant urge to just give up on trying to wake people up; which is why that passage from Isaiah 6 was like a mental slap to the face; telling me to get over my self-pity and get on with what I was put here on earth to do. Yet being the stubborn s.o.b. that I am, my mind keeps resisting.

As I have said, knowing what you should be doing and actually doing it are two completely different things entirely. I realize that I am not a prophet like Isaiah, nor am I an apostle like Peter, James, and John were. I am just a regular guy who, for some inexplicable reason, decided to seek out the truth; and who wants to share what he has discovered along the way.

I have friends who do the same thing that I do, attempt to share what they have learned, and I marvel at how long they’ve been at it without throwing up their hands in frustration with the total lack of critical thinking they encounter. Their dedication to the spreading of the truth is truly awe inspiring; something I can only aspire to. They are true heroes; the warriors who share the truth regardless of whether anyone listens to what they have to say.

The remainder of this essay is for those who are not among the people I just referred to; the people whose minds are still trapped inside the prisons that have erected to prevent them from discovering the truth; although everyone is free to keep reading if they are interested in seeing what else I have to say.

People do not like to admit that their thoughts are not their own; that they are carefully constructed fabrications designed to prevent them from discovering the truth. The same morning I read that post on Facebook by Danielle Mottale, I read another one; this one, I believe, was something Brett McQuigg posted, “The best way to control the masses is to feed them 2 lies and let them argue over which one is true.”

Out of curiosity, I entered that quote into my search engine to see if I could find out who said it. I couldn’t find a source for it, but I did get this in response, “That’s a cynical but sharp observation on “false dichotomies.” By framing a debate between two pre-selected options, you can effectively distract people from the third option: the truth.” I think that, if more people were to unplug from the Matrix, they would be amazed at how often that strategy is employed to keep them in the dark as to what is really going on; you see it EVERYWHERE!

It is there in the election process; with two (apparent) opposing ideologies for people to choose from; which prevents them from thinking about what government as an institution is doing. You see it in the news media; with alternate sources taking this side or that in their coverage of the news. The truth of the matter is, if you can keep people arguing over which lie to believe, the truth becomes inconsequential, and the power structure is secure in the knowledge that people will continue to support it; no matter how ridiculous, or tyrannical, the laws it passes are. It is classic divide and conquer; and how people cannot see that is beyond me.

There is another meme that popped up in my Facebook feed at the same time the other two did; this time it was something my friend Shannon Keith posted, “Voting only changes the players…not the game.” I couldn’t, not in a million years, have said it better myself. Most of those I’ve debated over the issues are too busy defending their players to recognize that it is all a game to prevent them from looking beyond their partisan ideology; and if they don’t wake up soon their ignorance, or possibly their apathy, is going to cost them dearly.

The problem with most voters is that they cling to their ideology as if it were a life raft in the middle of a tempestuous ocean. Both sides agree that the institution of government is necessary for their party to do the things they think need to be done, but neither side asks themselves whether the things government does are moral and just; fair and equatable to each and every individual. Each side complains about the ‘so-called’ infractions of the constitutional limits the other party is guilty of, then turns a blind eye to the fact that their party is equally guilty of doing the same thing; just for different ideological reasons.

Nobody from either side wants to ask the most important question; Is what government does oppressive to anyone? Ayn Rand once wrote, “The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.” No matter how you look at it, if the things your government (I don’t claim it as my own) does infringes upon the rights of a single individual, even if the majority say it serves the overall public good, then that government is not worthy of your support; not if individual rights and liberty are part of your ideological mantra.

If they aren’t then why don’t you openly admit that you favor a totalitarian regime that is free to violate the rights of anyone it chooses?

Another thing people don’t seem to give a whole lot of thought to is the hierarchy, or chain of command, of sovereignty. Americans proudly proclaim that we have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. (Abraham Lincoln from his Gettysburg Address) Yet is that where the hierarchy ends; with We the People?

Were we, mankind, not created by God? If you believe that, then how come the hierarchy ends with the will of the people rather than what God says we ought to be doing? I won’t go into too much detail about this, but the morning I read all those Facebook memes, my friend Jamie Bell sent me a short video of a guy testifying before Congress. The head dickhead (Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland) asking the questions made a statement along lines of, ‘That’s the glory of our system; we separated church and state.’

Oh, so this guy, and many others, seem to be of the opinion that it is a good idea to place the will of the 55 framers of the constitution above the will of the Almighty; that men know what is better for them than God does? That, more than anything else, is why I cannot, in clear conscience, give my support to this system of government; it does NOT recognize God as the supreme authority; the supreme lawgiver. (James 4:12)

Not only do I not support any system of government that does not recognize God’s supreme authority, I cannot see why I should waste my time casting my vote for the political hacks who will hold positions of authority within it. If you ask me, they are all evil and corrupt; and on the off chance that a few good ones do get elected, they are too small in number to have any effect on stopping the machine from doing what it was designed to do.

Those few candidates are essentially controlled opposition; the system allows them to run and gain political office so that it fuels the misguided belief that people’s votes matter; that by voting they can make a difference; when the truth is that, no matter who gets elected, government keeps on doing what it has always done; becoming more evil and corrupt.

The way I see it is, what is the use in voting when no one running for office runs on a platform I can support without violating my principles? But principles don’t seem to matter as much to people as long as it is their party that is doing things that go against them; it is only when the other party does them that people take notice.

The problem, as I see it, is the fact that people do not want to accept that their government is evil; for to accept that would force them to accept that their party is evil too; as well as the entire ideology that defines their political identity. Yet this evil exists, and it is the same evil that existed when the serpent came along and tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden; it only has more tools at its disposal to spread its venomous poison. Yet the message is still the same; turn your backs on God and do whatever it is that pleases you.

In an absolutely brilliant screenplay she has been writing, my friend Linda Bestland refers to this system of evil as Babylon. Babylon, if you are familiar with biblical history, was a place of idolatry and extreme evil; rivaled only by the region around Mount Hermon and Caesaria Philippi; which makes it a fitting name for the world we live in today. In fact, it is so fitting that I may start using it whenever I reference evil in general.

None of us, either as individuals, or as a group, can defeat Babylon. The ironic thing about it is the fact that it has already been defeated; lost its legitimacy. To understand that you have to understand that, after the Fall, the earth fell under the dominion of Satan. Yes, God still was supreme over all of His creations, but after that initial sin we all became prisoners of sin; putting us under Satan’s dominion. Yet Christ, through His death and resurrection, created a means by which we could free ourselves from Satan’s dominion; we just have to accept Him as our LORD and Savior for that gift to apply to us.

That is why we cannot defeat Babylon; at least not by voting or working within any man made construct. Babylon can only be defeated, or lose much of its power, by individuals turning away from the mechanism that enslaves them and turning to God’s plan for them.
Yet, unlike government, which enforces its laws at gunpoint, Christ does not coerce anyone to do anything; He only asks that you willingly choose to follow Him. Yet sadly, it seems that there is quite a bit of misunderstanding when it comes to what it means to follow Christ.

For instance, there are those who say, ‘Yeah I believe in Christ, but I’m still gonna support government and vote.’ Did Christ not tell us that His Kingdom was not of this world? (John 18:36) Does Scripture not say that, as followers of Christ, we are not of this world? (Romans 12:2, John 17:14-16) Did Christ not tell Nicodemus that he must be born again to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven? (John 3:3-5)

I think there is a lot of confusion as to what being born again means. I believe, and I could be wrong, that it believes letting our old self, and our old beliefs, die so that we can devote ourselves to following Christ’s teachings. How can any Christian claim to be doing that while they support a system of government that both violates Christ’s teachings and does not recognize Him, or the Father, as the supreme lawgiver for all of mankind? Simple answer, you can’t; you must choose between one or the other.

Sadly, most people choose Babylon; for they would rather to told what to do by people who say things that are pleasing to their ears, than they would by doing what is asked of them by their Creator. And in closing, I’d like to leave you with three passages from the Bible that address the position I take.

The first is found in 2 Timothy 3:4, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.”

The second, and this one may hit closer to home than people want, is found in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

The third, and final, passage is found in Ephesians 5:11, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

I may not be doing as well as I could in regards to the first two passages I just mentioned, but I think I’m doing fairly well in the third; the problem is, that in most people’s minds I’m a raving lunatic whose lost all touch with reality. I suppose we’ll find out if that’s the case when the end of times comes. Until then, have a very blessed day…

May 17, 2026

 ~ The Author ~
Neal Ross is a student of history, politics, patriot and staunch supporter of the 2nd Amendment. Life continues to expand for this prolific writer and guardian of TRUE American history. Neal has been a long-time contributor to the family of Kettle Moraine Productions and its various websites.

Send all comments to: NealHRoss@outlook.com.