Trent Ruble's Blog: The Other Way It Is , page 3

Woe to You, Mystery America

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." Isaiah 5:20

This 2,800-year-old warning from Isaiah is so appropriate for us that it seems he had America in mind when he wrote it. Maybe he did. In addition to this warning, Isaiah, as well as Jeremiah 200 years later, and John almost 700 years after that, made many prophecies concerning a future, or "Mystery," Babylon that so closely resembles America, that I'm fairly certain that it is we who will be known as the daughter of the lion, or... "Mystery Babylon."



The city of Babylon was built around 2300 BC, after the Great Flood. It was located just south of present day Baghdad, Iraq. Babylon reached its peak between 604 and 562 BC under Nebuchadnezzar II but then declined during the reign of Belshazzar. The end of the great city came in 478 BC when the Persian King Xerxes destroyed it. It has been estimated that Babylon was the largest city in the world from about 1770 to 1670 BC, and again around 612 BC. It was perhaps the first city to reach a population of over 200,000. - from Wikipedia

Jeremiah had prophesied the destruction of Babylon. He also prophesied that the city would never be rebuilt and it hasn't, although Saddam Hussein attempted it. So, why would the book of Revelation speak of the coming destruction of a city already destroyed? In Revelation, the city is called “Mystery Babylon” and in an analogy is described as a woman: "Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." Revelation 17: 3-5

The prophets describe the end-time Babylon as a hammer of the whole Earth (superpower) whose power reaches the heavens. She will sit over many waters with many different peoples, nations and languages. She will intoxicate the other nations with her immorality and will export her sins worldwide. She will be extremely wealthy; an economic powerhouse. She will be so wealthy that other nations become wealthy just in trading with her. She will sit as a queen, incredibly arrogant, and mistreat God's people, convinced she will never see judgment. Again, how is this a description of a destroyed city? Or, is this future decadent place called Mystery Babylon only because of its similarity to the original? If so, it sounds like a place I know. It sounds like the place I call home.



As I attempt to see our nation as God might, I see that we have taken our gift of greatness for granted. I truly believe that we were once the greatest nation that had ever existed, and then we squandered it. It's worse than that, really. We became so arrogant as to believe that it was our gift to ourselves. We have become so evil that we go so far as to destroy our own for our convenience. And, for this and other sins, we will pay a dear price.

However, God once spared the wicked city of Nineveh upon their repentance and might be inclined to do the same for us. Maybe He will wait for a different nation to rise up and be the Mystery Babylon (some believe it will be Vatican City). We should take the opportunity to make this plea; that we be allowed to correct our behavior and call on His mercy, acknowledging Him and His sovereign power. If not, trouble is coming and, contrary to what many say, we will play a role at the end. We will be Mystery Babylon, about whom He says:

“Your nakedness will be exposed and your shame uncovered. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one. You said, ‘I am forever—the eternal queen!’ But you did not consider these things or reflect on what might happen. “Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure, lounging in your security and saying to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children.’ Both of these will overtake you in a moment, on a single day: loss of children and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and all your potent spells. You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’ Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you.” Isaiah 47:3,7-11

Gone, But Not Forgotten

With the announcement this week of the passing of Arthur (AJ) Winterholter, a flood of nostalgia came rushing in. Artie was a Godly, straight-talking man's man whom I admired. I haven't seen AJ for years and now the opportunity to do so is gone. But, he'll always live on in my fond memories.

When I began my police career in 1985 there were 29 officers at the small department where I worked. All of us have either quit or retired and six of us, including AJ, are dead; gone from this Earth forever. For those of you about my age, you too are probably starting to lose some of the people who have greatly influenced your life. For me, Officers Fred Dutt, Greg Hedrick, Charlie Crago, Bill Hedrick, Chip Olinger, and Arthur Winterholter, as well as later addition, Officer Roger Flynn, and department employees Rick Farthing, Nadine Shumaker, Sandy Diffenbaugh and Marvin Babb, were not just people I knew; they were my friends. They, and many who still survive, were part of the stability of my life. With the loss of each one I feel a little less secure. I feel the inevitable passing of "our time." Eventually all of the 1985 force will be gone and then, soon after, will anyone even remember us?

Arthur is worthy of remembrance. I believe the small town where I worked is a better place because of Officer Arthur J. Winterholter. We need more people like him. Now he is in the presence of God where I believe he's being rewarded for being the good and faithful servant that he was. Good-bye Arthur. You'll be missed.

Cool Summer

I don't know how this year compares with 2009 statistically, but the summer of that year was the most comfortable I can remember. This year something must be wrong because, even though it's been cool, I've been hot all season! I know I'm a whiner but, in addition to being uncomfortable in summer, I hate winter, too! (see The Dread of Winter) This leaves about two pleasant months for an Indiana resident like me; May and October.

When I retire in just less than eight years, I would love to live where it's warm in the winter, such as Florida near our relatives, and a different, much cooler place in the summer. But, in order to go far enough north to be cool, we would be in the wilderness! That is, if we go north of here. Last summer my wife and I visited the British Isles (see Separated by a Common Language) where I found the Scottish weather to be just right. If the temperature reaches 70F in Scotland, it's a hot day! I think spending the four months between May and October in Scotland or northern England should solve the problem. Besides, I just love the history, architecture and landscape of that area. The people are very friendly, too.

Urguhart Castle on Loch Ness

The problem is, my wife and the rest of my family are not on board with this seemingly perfect solution. My wife's primary and, I must admit, very valid complaint with the idea is how little we would see the rest of the family. Frankly, I'm quite lucky in that my parents and all of my children and grandchildren live in or around our Fort Wayne home, although my two sons are currently away at college. But, even that is also in Indiana and only a two hour drive. So, I shouldn't complain as most people my age aren't so lucky.

Eilean Donan Castle on Loch Duich

I'm not sure how we'll work this out. But, we still have nearly eight years for my family to find a way to come visit us in Florida and Scotland.

Broken Windows, Broken Promises

Compared to the largest of American cities, the Indiana city of 17,000 from which I retired as a police detective is quite small. And, even though the police department wasn't and isn't exactly where it should be, we understood customer service. Our officers responded to every call for service and accommodated the victims and other complainants in whatever way was appropriate. However, in some other, usually larger, American cities, this service is missing.

The police administrations and prosecutors in those large cities will tell you, as they've told me, that they don't have the resources to respond to minor calls for service or prosecute minor crimes. Nonetheless, the calls are for service and require a response. The broken laws, especially those which involve personal safety and the protection of property, have been made laws by the leaders we elected. They are important to the people and must be enforced. The necessary resources must somehow be made available. Otherwise we will slide into third world status. We never intended that someone other than the lawmakers we elected make the determination of enforcement. It's a quality of life issue. (Note - This idea should never preclude an officer's discretion as the officers are the ones at the crime scenes and the ones who must testify if necessary.)

Rudy Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and one-time United States presidential candidate, adhered to social scientists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling's theory about minor crimes known as the "Broken Windows Theory." In this theory, major crimes are reduced in frequency due to the attention given minor crimes. In other words, addressing minor crimes changes the environment to one in which major crimes do not flourish. The theory was put into place by Mayor Giuliani in 1993 and was followed by a sudden and dramatic drop in overall crime (Carrots, Sticks, and Broken Windows by Corman and Mocan). It seems that the same people committing misdemeanors were the ones committing felonies. Therefore, when the misdemeanants were temporarily removed from the street, so were the felons. I personally observed the difference the theory made in New York in 2000 when I visited with my family. I had been to the city in 1976 and had noticed its run-down appearance and dangerous feeling of lawlessness. However, upon my return in 2000, the feeling of the city was quite different. The streets where I'd seen prostitutes and strip clubs were now homes to legitimate businesses. Even the people seemed friendlier. However, in spite of the success of the Broken Windows Theory in New York City, many cities have yet to adopt it.

In cities where a personal police response is determined by the severity of the crime, misdemeanor reports are frequently taken over the telephone. My wife's purse was stolen in one of these cities and an officer never made an appearance at the scene, even though she could have given the officer the description of the perpetrator and his direction of travel. In my 26 years of police work, I've found that much can be learned from a simple visit to the scene of a crime, even a minor crime. For example, many times a witness can be found who can provide valuable information, or evidence can be found that might steer the investigation in the right direction.

As a citizen, I am requesting that all crimes be investigated and those that are forwarded for prosecution be prosecuted. And, obviously, these crime scenes can't be investigated by telephone, but by the personal appearance of a police officer. Give the people, who are the employers of the government, what they want and expect. And, especially for the attention of state police departments; don't allow revenue to influence which offenses are enforced. We don't like that.

Put Your Money in Your Own Pocket

Chevrolet Corvette

Prior to the mid 1970s, American companies were the world's undisputed manufacturing leaders. Our high-quality, innovative products were delivered around the world making the United States the greatest economic powerhouse of all time. However, by about the mid '70s, domestic products, especially automobiles, fell behind their foreign competition in quality and price. This led many people to buy foreign products, thus making Japan and Germany, and later China and South Korea, the new economic powerhouses while the American economy declined. Recently, though, the American companies have made a comeback. Our family, friends and neighbors are once again making fine products.

Dodge Viper

In the automotive world we can find several examples of these fine products; the Dodge Viper was recently named one of the most beautiful cars in the world (The Car Connection), the Ford Mustang provides the most horsepower per dollar (msn), the ultra safe Tesla Model S (as of this writing no fatalities have ever been recorded in any Tesla) has the highest score ever recorded in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's crash tests (San Jose Mercury News) and, along with the Model S, the Chevrolet Impala has been named one of the best cars ever (The Los Angeles Times). And, from personal experience, I can attest to the quality of American cars as I have owned 30 of them over the last 36 years. I've been left stranded more often because I locked my keys in the car than I have because of a breakdown. The same is true of the dozens of American police cars I've driven over the years. I take their reliability for granted.

Chevrolet Impala

Tesla Model S

This obviously doesn't mean that all American cars are superior to their foreign counterparts, but it does indicate that, even if they are not, the differences have become minimal; no longer warranting sending our money overseas. But, unfortunately, buying foreign cars isn't only about which is the better automobile. Owning a foreign car has become a status symbol, but not necessarily because they indicate a higher social class, although that is sometimes part of it, but because they represent the status of the more "enlightened." It has been my observation (and that of the Washington Times and the R.L. Polk Company) that members of certain groups are more likely to own cars made by foreign companies; liberals, recent immigrants, and those living on the coasts. Someone in one of these "enlightened" groups may feel that owning an American car makes them look less "aware." And, the feelings can be arrogant and strong. So strong, in fact, that one critic displayed his contemptuous anti-American bias even while praising the new Impala (AOL). Others may feel that American cars just don't have style and sophistication. They should take a look at that Tesla again.

Ford Mustang

Many of my friends and family own foreign cars and at least one of my family members sells them for a living, so I have likely offended some people I care about (I apologize). My foreign car owning friends and family will likely point out that most foreign car makers have American factories employing American workers and that even American car makers buy foreign made parts. Although this is true, the net profit always returns to the corporate headquarters, thus boosting the economy of the home country. If this weren't true, why would they open plants in the United States? It is my belief that if, beginning tomorrow, everyone in America bought only American cars, our economy would be fully recovered immediately. Let's try it.

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Starving Artists (of the Pen)

It was 2006 and Lisa Guthrie's new book, "Defending Dylan," had just been released. My wife, Tami, and I are friends of the author so we picked up a copy. At about the same time, I was finishing up my first book, "Harrison Davis: Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt," but wasn't sure if I'd have it published. However, Lisa inspired me.





Many years later, when another friend; Claire Tindall, published "Until You Know Who You Are," I got to thinking about how many authors there are who do not fall into the "James Patterson" category. In fact, some of the authors who do fall into that category, such as Tom Clancy and many others, weren't always there. Tom Clancy's book, "The Hunt for Red October," was turned down at least a dozen times before it was finally picked up by a publishing company (News on Relevant Science). The book and its Hollywood movie version have since become extremely successful, as have Mr. Clancy's many books and movies that followed.

It stands to reason that, out of the thousands of published, but yet to be successful, authors, there must be several future "Tom Clancys." However, it is very difficult for them to break through to that kind of success due to the firewall publishers have erected. Major publishers won't even accept an "unsolicited" manuscript. That means that, unless the manuscript is submitted by an agent with whom they are familiar, they won't even look at it. I found that the agents also screen out most of what they receive thus leaving the authors to fend for themselves. But the tables are turning. Today, thousands of books, such as "Until You Know Who You Are," are being self-published and many of them are of high quality and become very successful. This is causing the traditional publishing industry to take notice. And, everyone is better off because of it.

So, when it comes to authors such as Lisa Guthrie and Claire Tindall, don't disregard them too quickly. You might be missing something really good!

How I Found Her

Every now and then a date becomes a permanent marker in one's life; a turning point. It's a time when life changes direction and is never the same again. One of those turning points occurred in my life on February 1st, 1988. When I woke up that morning I had no idea what was about to happen.



I went to work second shift at the Huntington Police Department, just as I always did. My partner that day was Officer Patrick Scher. Early in the shift we were called to the home of Jack Hess, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, for a VIN check. This is something required when bringing a car from out of state to be titled in Indiana. When we arrived at the pastor's home we found the car, a brown 1980 Chevrolet Citation hatchback with Florida plates, parked in the garage. It was only necessary for one of us to do the paperwork so, while Pat completed the required forms, I gravitated toward the cute girl in the back of the car. She was all the way in the back with the hatch closed rooting around through the contents. She then looked up at me with a big smile while holding a pair of men's boxers. That big smile hooked me! But, Pat was finished and it was time to leave. I said goodbye and wasn't sure I'd see her again.

As Pat and I drove around the city, I revealed to him that I thought the girl we met at the VIN check was cute. He said he already knew that from watching me talk to her through the closed hatch. Since we'd learned that she was the Director of Christian Education at the church, he suggested I contact Pastor Hess who was also the County Police Chaplain. So, I called the chaplain on the radio and then met with him in person. When I told him I was interested in the girl, he told me she was a great girl and her name was Tami. However, he explained that she was probably not going to be interested in me as she'd recently been involved in a relationship that didn't end well. But, he agreed to talk to her and get back to me.

I waited the rest of that day and then all of the following day without hearing from Pastor Hess. I'd been the wallflower type for most of my young life, but had recently made a conscious decision to ignore my shyness and be bold when it came to the opposite sex. So, on the next day, I called Tami at work and asked her to meet me for a drink. She didn't like that idea until I explained that I meant a "soft" drink. She agreed and we arranged to meet at Arby's that evening. She warned me that she might be late because she had an appointment in Fort Wayne right after work.



Between the time I talked to Tami on the telephone and the time of our "date," a severe snowstorm moved through the area. Even so, she was right on time. We talked for hours. Eleven months later, on the last day of the year, we were married. Now, nearly 25 years later, I'm still hooked by that big smile! We're still together and anxiously awaiting the next 25 or more. She is truly my companion whom I love dearly. It's been a wonderful life.

Goodbye Starlifter

From 1963 through 1967, the Lockheed Corporation (known since 1995 as Lockheed Martin) delivered 285 "Tubes of Pain," officially known as C-141 Starlifters, to the United States Air Force. The giant cargo planes represented a new, jet-propelled, long-range alternative to the propeller-driven cargo planes of the past. The high-speed, high-flying planes were capable of carrying up to 45 tons of cargo or 200 troops. Together, they transported millions of tons of military personnel and equipment, including a serious amount of MAC artifacts (aircrew souvenirs), to points around the world until they were taken out of service in 2006 (The Aviation Zone).



The most well-known of these massive air machines was the "Hanoi Taxi," made famous in 1973 as the first aircraft to return American prisoners of war to the United States from Vietnam (National Museum of the United States Air Force). The Taxi was again called upon for evacuation services after Hurricane Katrina struck the American Gulf Coast in 2005 (Air Force Reserve Command). This storied aircraft can still be seen today at the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio, where it is on permanent display.



I served as a loadmaster aboard Starlifters from 1980 to 1984, which put me in charge of loading and offloading cargo and of any in-flight passengers. Being "in charge" was a little awkward at first when I was fresh out of tech school at age 19. But, the more experienced loading crews, sometimes 20 year veterans, understood the situation and were usually very respectful about it. I was assigned to the 20th Military Airlift Squadron at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina. From there we flew to locations throughout the Americas, as well as Europe, Africa and Asia. It was peacetime and our missions were generally routine with an occasional flash of excitement, such as the International Incident and the International Incident, Part 2. Our squadron was also involved in missions supporting Operation Urgent Fury; the eviction of the Cubans after their ill-advised October 1983 invasion of Grenada.
Fort Wayne, Indiana, 1997
Photo by Tami Ruble

After four years of flying with the well-trained, yet sometimes inexperienced, Air Force pilots, I knew I'd cheated death long enough (see In-Flight Emergency!). On April 11, 1984, I said goodbye to the Starlifter never to fly on her again. I was, however, fortunate enough to board a 141 one last time in 1997 as it was parked in static display at an airshow in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I enjoyed the opportunity to reminisce while, at the same time, showing my wife and sons the great airplane I once called home. It won't likely happen again, though, as the Air Force, since 2006, has been dismantling the once great airships in the Arizona desert. A sad end to the truly great work-horse of the sky; the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter.

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona

No One's Perfect

"Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins" (Ecclesiastes 7:20, NIV). These words attributed to King Solomon were reiterated by Paul a thousand years later when he wrote, "As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one" (Romans 3:10, NIV).

Seven billion people and no one's perfect? In a number so large, every conceivable personality trait can be found. For everything that can be done, a person can be found who can do it. Yet, nearly all of us would agree, there is still today no one who is perfect; no one who has enough self-control to keep themselves from doing things they know are wrong. I believe our inability to avoid sin is evidence of God and the Bible's Truth, because our universal lack of perfection doesn't otherwise seem logical.

Another evidence of God is in the fact that, because of our imperfection (sin), all seven billion of us will die, short of the return of Jesus. It again doesn't seem logical that there wouldn't be someone among us who could defy the odds and never die, or at least live beyond 120 years. But, we all know that will not happen. God said to Adam after his world changing sin, "...for dust you are and to dust you will return" (Genesis 3:19b, NIV). He later set the limit of our lives at 120 years (Genesis 6:3), and so it remains.

Democracy in America? FAIL!

We Americans are taught from a young age that we are a free people living in a great democracy. But, as we get older, we find that we're not as free as we were led to believe and our government isn't a true democracy at all. In a true, or "pure," democracy, such as was the government of ancient Greece, every person has a vote on every issue. Of course, in a country such as ours, with 310 million people, it would be impossible for the government to function if everyone voted on every issue. So, most of us approve of our "representative democracy" as an acceptable compromise. It would be an acceptable compromise if certain groups of the population would stop trying to subvert the process. Here are some examples:



In 2008, the people of California passed Proposition 8, thus outlawing same-sex marriage by amending their constitution (PolicyMic). This proposition was passed with a 79% voter turn-out (California Secretary of State) in what is notably one of the most liberal states in the country. Even so, the United States Supreme Court overruled the will of the people saying those who defended the proposition in court didn't have the right to do so, which is because those who did have the right; the Democratic government of California, had refused (The GaVoice). In Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's dissent he accused his fellow justices of having an "exalted notion of the role of this court in American democratic society." (Politico)

A similar situation occurred after the United States Congress enacted the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1996. In February 2011, President Obama declared DOMA unconstitutional and refused to defend the law in court (National Review); democracy subverted again.

On February 22, 2011, after it became obvious that Democrats in the Indiana House of Representatives would not have enough votes to stop an anti-union bill, all but three of the 40 Democrats left the state in an effort to block the vote (The Indianapolis Star).
Fortunately, each representative who failed to show up for work was fined. The bill eventually passed.

On June 25, 2013, after it became clear that a bill designed to protect late-term babies from abortion would be passed, Senator Wendy Davis unsuccessfully filibustered the Texas Senate for hours in an effort to block the vote. When that failed, an angry mob of like-minded liberals caused so much commotion that a vote could not be held before the deadline (Raw Story). Democrats who urged them on called the outburst "democracy in action" (yahoo news). I guess if democracy isn't working for you, you just change the definition of democracy.

In further erosions of the democratic process, President Obama has blatantly refused to heed the will of the people on numerous occasions, instead issuing Executive Orders to advance his liberal agenda. When addressing the situation he said, "Where (congress) won't act, I will." (Newsday).

I ask the various levels of government in this nation to hear those of us screaming for democracy. To those of you who are not screaming, "WAKE UP!"