That Christ’s atonement for sin on the Cross is a very unpleasant Business/ Idea I agree… yet this does not make it objectively false.
Indeed The Cross makes us realise just how costly our sins are and how serious God is about judgement.
‘The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”
St Paul. Roman’s 6vs23
Dawkins obviously does not consider his own sins… are that bad.
Dawkins needs to understand that God is God, and appreciate the obvious just reality that God sets the terms of Salvation…not him
It matters little if we may find Christ’s substitutional atonement on the cross an offensive proposition.
God chose a means of salvation and the restoration of our communion with him which puts all human beings on the same level.
Receiving Salvation is not a vain self-righteous act, not a reward, or an intellectual achievement.
To receive Christ We must humble ourselves… and admit our personal moral guilt to be saved.
This is what proud and vainglorious Toffs like Dawkins hate!
The Idea that they must give account of themselves to God is bad enough… but that they must do so on the same level as the rest of us … as one of the great unwashed… is unbearable!
There is no elitism in the gospel… “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”
St Paul Roman’s 3vs 23.
Dawkins exposes his great ignorance of Religion… in particular the Theology… the principles which underpin Christ and the Cross.
He actually proves he has not even bothered to learn even the basics about the Religion he spends his life attacking.
God revealed our need for a Christ immediately following Adams fall, having broken his covenant with God, the punishment of which was Death.
If Dawkins bothered to read the Bible he might just come to apprehend that Christ was typified by God clothing Adam and Eve with the skins of animals. He may be seen in Noah’s Ark. And by Abraham offering up Isaac… God providing a sacrifice, and again by Moses holding up the serpent on a stick in the desert during the Exodus…. etc etc
Sin and Evil are why we have Wars, Murders, Rapes, Poverty, Lies, Perversions, Robberies, extortions, Tyrannies, etc etc. Every vile and despicable act comes from the evil heart of mankind.
This is why God will not let all this slide, but will judge with wrath… for Justice’s sake!
Yet he send Christ “For God comendeth his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”
St Paul Roman’s 5vs8.
“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”
st Paul. Roman’s 10vs 13.
The end of this month marks the 7th anniversary of my Grand Father, John Steele Clark’s death.
He was a wonderful and inspirational person.
The Greatest human being I have ever known.
I was blessed beyond measure to have him as my Granddad.
I have not seen my own father since I was 5 years old and yet this loss was greatly mitigated by my Grandfathers Love and guidance.
I miss him, and still reverence his memory.
When I knew his time was short I did something a tad different.
I wrote a Tribute to his Life and death and sent it to him before he died so he could read with his own eyes what his Grandson thought! š
My tribute was very controversial as it was *My take* *My perspective* rather than simply a concise record of his exact doings and faith.
That was another reason I sent it to him… to see if he would discuss what I had written.
We never did discuss it, and so I took that as a Tacit endorsement! š And this was important to me because I expected some of my family members to not be that impressed with my Rendition of things.
Thus with my Granddad’s anniversary in mind I have typed out my Tribute to him and posted it below.
I hope to post more about this wonderful man in the future.
I also hope my tribute is of benefit to people struggling with the Pains, trials, and tribulations of Life as this is not just the story of an individual’s life but about Hope and happiness in the face of death and loss.
Love You Heaps Granddad! XOX
Tim Wikiriwhi.
My Granddad. (Left) Married Me to my Wife Joy at Mclarens Falls Tauranga. March 2002.
Best Man: Bruce Davies.
Sergeant at Arms… My Son… James Fifield (Wikirwihi)
*********
Tribute to Reverend John Steel Clark.
Anglican Minister.
Thames/ Coromandal Peninsular.
New Zealand
1923-2006
Man of Faith and Reason.
A Christian view of Life and Death.
By his eldest Grandson.
Tim Wikiriwhi.
āFor the Invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse;ā
St Paul. Romans 1vs 20
āI am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he liveā¦ā
Jesus Christ: John 11vs 25
āfor by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boastā
St Paul: Ephesians 2vs8,
After an exemplary life, and a heroic fight against cancer, my beloved Grandfather has passed on.
There is not enough time today to fully express what he means to me, I therefore shall leave much out of this tribute for others to share.
I have chosen to focus on the most precious values that I personally treasureā¦ that I see as the Greater part of his legacy.
My Grandfather was the Abraham of our family!
When I was growing up his word was Law.
He set the standards for manhood and he always stuck to his word.
His glory as a faithful husband to my Nana and as a father to his children (and Grandchildren) gave me such assurance that life makes perfect sense, and that all is well in the world.
Rev Clark was a man of Reason and a man of Faith.
He was a Christian minister, which is a huge testimony to the value of that religion.
Those who knew him and loved him, yet are not Christians ought to pause and contemplate the huge implications that such a man of great wisdom and integrity was not ashamed to wear the garb of a Man of God!
It is this truth that I hold dearest about my Grandfather, and it is in honour of his principled faith in God that I wish to write to you about life, religion, and death.
This is a fitting time to talk about religion and death.
If itās not cool to talk about religion and death at the funeral of a preacher, then I ask when?
For many Death is the hardest most frightening reality we face.
How are we to deal with it?
We all must face our own mortality sooner or later and worse still we must face the mortality of those we hold dear.
Some like my Grandfather, live full term and death becomes a sort of mercy, yet many tragically die before their time and it seems a truism to say āLifeās not fair!ā
Should we die from our own immorality or foolishness we may find small solace in seeing such deaths as justly āreaping what we have sownā, yet often death comes to the virtuous and innocentā¦at the hands of some evil, and so this rule appears violated.
The Soul that looses a loved one in such a way, or they find themselves facing an early death by some evil is in danger of becoming bitter and twisted, and a hater of God, even if they donāt believe in him!
Indeed they choose not to believe in him simply because they see life as unjust!
It is for this reason that a positive philosophy about death is essential for every one of us if we are to truly enjoy life.
Without a sure reasoned faith powerful enough to overcome these sorts of painā¦ bitterness and hatred of God are almost as sure to consume your soul as the sun will rise tomorrow!
Perhaps some may delude themselves into being happy by such base notions that ultimately āNothing really mattersā, but this can never suffice the deep hearted.
This can only leave you cold.
I therefore say True Religion is essential for the survival and happiness of everyone of us, and not to have such a faith is a disaster!
Pain bitterness, hopelessness, and hatred are the lot for the lost soul without true religion.
Rev Clark Knew this, and this was one reason he was a minister of God.
Peace, hope, and a clear sense of justice are only possible for the man of reason that has reason enough to have faith that ultimately all is well and that life has real meaning and value.
It is my testimony, and that of my Grandfather that reason enough does indeed exist for hope and belief in Divine Justice.
Tears. Knowing time was short. Me and Granddad shortly before his death.
Let me now share with you a tiny fraction of the logic for faith in God, faith in his goodness, and faith in Christ by a few self-evident truths.
What lies in that box is not my Grandfather!
That dead body is but the house he lived in.
Science tells us that we replace every cell in our body every seven years.
This being so, most of us have had many bodies in our lifetime already!
They are miraculous things that were designed by incredible genius, but they are not the essence of who we are.
What is missing from that corpse is the *Real Granddad* whom we all love!
*His Soul*.
A great portion of Mankind are suffering from the delusion that we are but soul-less matter.
This is a great inhuman and evil superstition that has the most evil consequences for those under itās spell.
The fruit of it is nihilism and this lowers man down to the level of a germ.
Granddad knew this truth and was a minister of menās *souls*.
Now think about loveā¦ what is the chemical formula for that?
Can chemicals love?
Can rocks feel?
Can robots be conscious of their own existence and care about the existence of other robots?
The man of reason and science, who holds that good and evil have objective reality must say no!
There is no Atheistic science that can accommodate the facts of reality or human experience!
All human invention is childlike when compared to such marvels as the human mind, brain, and hands.
The scripture that declares we are made in Godās image is the most rational statement pertaining to our existence!
I say that if the Earth was like the moon, and there was no such thing as mankindā¦ then it might be rational to think āthere is no Godā or that whatever is responsible for existence is dead not living.
But we live!… and science has proven that Life only comes from life.
It therefore follows that whatever is primary in reality must not only be alive, but also of supreme intelligence.
We call this Supreme being Godā¦. who is before all temporal Laws and things.
The scripture wisely declares āThe fool hath said in his heart there is no Godā, and that mankind must beware āscience falsely so-calledā.
Donāt be deceived by *Fake Science* like Darwinism.
Understand the difference between science proper, and poor speculations that are contrary to it.
Darwinism is fatally flawed and already fading away, yet Christianity stands fast and ready for you to embrace.
It alone accounts for cause and effect, both Physical and Moral.
The foolish man builds his house upon the sands of manās ever changing myths.
The wise man builds his house upon the rock of Godās sure word of truth, The King James Bible.
This article appeared in the Waikato Times.
Why must we embrace Christ?
It is because this is how God has declared as his only acceptable way of salvation, and it is God who sets the terms for such a thingā¦ not us.
To be so vain as to believe God must accept us on *our terms* is to hang reality on our whim, and to Deify our pea-sized intellect!
Was he an irrational superstitious Fool?
No!
He was a man of Reason and a true Humanitarian.
This is what Christianity is all about!
I donāt ask you to become a pew warmer.
I implore you all to ask Christ to be your savior!
Let us maintain our faith in justice in the face of every hardship.
Let us play the hand we have been dealt with dignity to the very end.
Let us love one another and cherish every moment we have!
I thank God for my Grandfather and trust his soul is now in a much better place.
And I expect to see him again!
Thank you Granddad for everything.
You are an inspiration to us all.
Amen.
I cannot finish without giving recognition to my Nana who is the best wife any man could have.
Thank you Nana for loving and caring for my Granddad.
We all love you so much!
āFor the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness: but unto us which are saved: it is the power of Godā
St Paul. 1 Corinthians 1vs18.
Never mind the caption… look at those lines on Robin Bain’s Thumb! They were caused by him reloading his Magazine after shooting half his family… then killing the rest (except for David who was doing his paper round)… then turning the Gun on himself!
To all of you who have stubbornly held firm to the belief that David Bain killed his Family Time to Eat Cake!
They have conclusively proven that Robin Bain Killed his Family!
David Bain is an innocent Man!
He’s a victim who was treated as a criminal because of shoddy Police work!
Robin Bain had marks on his thumb and finger from loading the 22 rife Magazines!
This new evidence was picked up by an amateur… a Waikato businessman.
Finally Joe Karam’s fanatical determination to see David Bain freed has been vindicated!
So many people labelled this hero an obsessed Idiot when he was really Obsessed about Truth and Justice!
I Salute You Joe! You should be Knighted!
What a testimony of Faith and virtue!
What a Man of Principle!
Homage to you Sir!
You are an Inspiration!
A testament to Battlers against State injustice… to anyone who champions a righteous cause… to sticking to what you believe to be right no matter what the odds… in the face of every Devil… every army which seeks to defeat you and break your resolve… to demoralise you and make you fall back into line.
This Travisty of Justice … the conviction of Daivid Bain… is what happens when you convict some one on circumstantial evidence and a bogus police fabricated account of events.
Innocent people get Stomped upon by the State!
This is why it is so important to judge a person to be innocent until proved guilty… beyond Reasonable Doubt!
This is why the innocent verdict of Ewen McDonald in the Scott Guy Murder trial was the correct verdict…. based on the evidence!
Now it’s time David Bain received an official apology from the Police and Justice system… and his Kin whom disowned him ought to now beg for his forgiveness and invite him back into their hearts and lives.
It is also time for the Justice department to get the chequebook out and make reparations for their grievous miscarriage of justice!
Joe Karam also deserves Recompense and payment for services rendered!
There ought to be a commission of inquiry into how the Police go about their witch hunts!
Their bumblings!
Their whole case was a complete fabrication!
*Remember that Robin Bain even left a confession on the computer!*… yet even that was said to be a fabrication by the Real Killer… according to the Police.
Scott Watson.
The Bungling and injustice of the Bain case also demonstrates why The Scott Watson conviction definitely needs to be reviewed!
If only Scott had his own ‘Joe Karam’ like champion I sincerely believe he too would be set free.
These types of dubious convictions are tragically common in New Zealand and clearly demonstrate one good reason (of many) to oppose the Death penalty.
Our ‘Justice’ system is a joke…all too Human… all too fallible.
Pandering to Popular outrage and fear, the Police lay charges and prosecute people on the most flimsy of circumstances… they fabricate the most convoluted stories and motives, are very selective about witnesses they use, they routinely fail to protect evidence and often intentionally destroy it, and their ‘science’ is often later found to be seriously unreliable and thereby unfairly prejudices cases in favour of getting a conviction.
And this is one reason why reparations must be high when bad judgments are overturned.
They need to justly reflect the travesty of the police and courts prosecuting cases upon insufficient evidence, and cause the population to appreciate the gravity of maintaining a defective Justice system.
Currently I believe Kiwis are too keen to see the police ping ‘someone’…’anyone’… rather than only prosecuting cases which have substantial evidence.
Inquires ought to follow and Police ought to be held accountable when they are found to have bungled or been subversive in their activities.
Tim Wikiriwhi.
Christian Libertarian (Independent)
Extra Note Re: the caption of the Photo of Robin Bain’s Hand and the Magazine.
What we must now ask is whether a policeman stood the Magazine up on it’s edge like that!
It is in what Herbert Spencer would call an ‘unstable equilibrium’… and just a small amount of force is required to make it move into a more stable equilibrium… flat on the floor.
It is true that if we were to drop that Mag it is more likely to naturally end up lying flat on the ground rather than up on its edge like that… Yet still how silly is it to think that ‘A Killer’ would place a magazine on purpose like that???
There is something Odd about that… yet not beyond possibility… so…. ???? Just sayin š
Tony Bower Director of Mullaway Medical Cannabis Limited, and Auzzy Hero!
Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/Mullaway#!/Mullaway
Any one with Children who suffer from Fits and Seizures needs to watch this Video!
If you know anyone with children who suffer Fits and Seizures please forward this Video to them!
It could save their lives.
It is a matter of extreme urgency that Medical Cannabis be Legalised and made available to the New Zealand public!
IF had a child with such a condition, I would not hesitate to break the Law and get some of this Medicine for my child.
Tony Bower is a hero who is battling Prosecution for Cannabis cultivation to produce his wonder Medicine. I implore the people of Australia to Rally in his defence.
Post script update 15-6-13
It appears that the benefits of Cannabis in respect to treating Epilepsy were well known before it was prohibited…
THE ANTIQUE CANNABIS BOOK
Chapter 3 – (2nd Edition)
CENSORED MEDICAL STUDIES
CENSORSHIP
1947 – EPILEPSY STUDY
HARRY ANSLINGERāS CONCERN
[America’s 1st Drug Czar, Harry Anslinger]
This section of the Antique Cannabis Book, was meant primarily as a tool for active News Media Reporters who needed a quick (yet well documented) source of information on the subject of Governmental Censorship as it relates to Medical Cannabis. As such this (1947) study, which was openly published and never actually under the threat of censorship, would normally not qualify for inclusion.
However, a quick look beneath the surface shows a different story. One that reveals, wheels within wheels, circles within circles, all spinning around . . . . letās just say that this study, came very close to (ah, how shall we put it), going the way of oh so many other Medical Cannabis studies.
The author is convinced that had Anslinger (or anyone at the D.E.A.) known about the study BEFORE IT WAS PUBLISHED , it most assuredly would have been CENSORED. Either that or (doing what the Narcās do now), killed it in its cradle by simply denying the researchers the needed licenses and permits.
This one however, seems to have slipped though the cracks. Here let us go over the facts (those weāve been able to locate), and let the reader to decide.
1.1 – STUDY SUMMERY
The following, located via 420 Magazine [1] is the shortest summery that weāve been able to find. However, as itās still filled with lots of PHD gobble goop, so the reader is advised simply to skim-read-it. The long and the short of it is that ā Cannabis Works. ā
Anti-Epileptic Action Of Marijuana-Active Substances BY JEAN P. DAVIS, M.D., and H.H. RAMSEY, M.D. [2]
The demonstration of anticonvulsant activity of the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) congeners by laboratory tests (Loewe and Goodman, Federation Proc. 6:352, 1947 ) prompted clinical trial in five institutionalized epileptic children.
All of them had severe symptomatic grand ma1 epilepsy with mental retardation; three had cerebral palsy in addition. Electroencephalographic tracings were grossly abnormal in the entire group; three had focal seizure activity. Their attacks had been inadequately controlled on 0.13 gm. Of phenobarbital daily, combined with 0.3 gm. of Dilantin per day in two of the patients, and in a third, with 0.2 gm. Of Mesantoin daily. Two isomeric 3 (1,2-dimethyl heptyl) homologs of THC were tested, Numbers 122 and 125A, with ataxia potencies fifty and eight times, respectively, that of natural marijuana principles. Number 122 was given to two patients for three weeks and to three patients for seven weeks. Three responded at least as well as to previous therapy; the fourth became almost completely and the fifth entirely seizure free. One patient, transferred to 125A after three weeks, had prompt exacerbation of seizures during the ensuing four weeks, despite dosages up to 4 mg. daily. The second patient transferred to 125A was adequately controlled on this dosage, except for a brief period of paranoid behavior three and a half weeks later; similar episodes had occurred prior to cannabinol therapy. Other psychic disturbances or toxic reactions were not manifested during the periods of treatment. Blood counts were normal.
The cannabinols herein reported deserve further trial in non-institutionalized epileptics. Reprinted from Federation Proceedings, Federation of American Society for Experimental Biology, vol. 8, lY49, p. 284.
Source: Anti-Epileptic Action Of Marijuana-Active Substances
1.2 ā MARJUANA LEAF PLAYS EPILEPSY CURE ROLE
The below newspaper article, taken from the āSalt Lake City telegram [May 20, 1947], was located via the National Archives (College Park, MD). It belonged to and was integrated into the files of Harry Anslingerās old Bureau of Narcotics, today known as the D.E.A. We believe that it was the first that Anslinger knew about the study, and thus too late to CENSOR or put a stop to it.
[Bureau of Narcotics files, — National Archives, College Park, Md.]
[As per the Bureau of Narcotics Files ; National Archives]
TAKEN FROM SALT LAKE CITY TELEGRAM 5-20-49
Marijuana Leaf Plays Epilepsy Cure Role
Drug principles isolated from leaves of marijuana, an innocent-looking plant that grows wild in different parts of the world, are playing an important role in research on a cure for epilepsy.
This is the same marijuana which so many people fear as a habit-forming drug and which is noted for the opium-like dreams it produces in those who partake of it.
The drugs being used are synthetic substances related to cannabinol, which is contained in marijuana, but does not produce the same effects. Dr. Jean P. Davis, faculty researcher at the University of Utah medical college, has done considerable research with the drugs in treatment of minor and convulsive epilepsy.
She reports that the drugs have been found effective about 50% of the time. Future for epileptics appears āvery bright,ā she said, ābecause of not only one new drug, but a whole field of new compounds to combat epileptic seizures.ā
Helps Minor Seizures One of these new drugs, trimethadione, is most effective in petit mal epilepsy, minor seizures common in younger patients. Another, paramethadione, a sort of second cousin to the first, is useful in such spells.
A third compound, called phenerone, is effective in psycho-motor seizures, sudden episodes of unusual behavior, accompanied by amnesia.
Epilepsy comes in four degrees: grand mal, or pykno-epilepsy, with brief staring spells; psycho-motor, accompanied by amnesia and unusual behavior, and Jacksonian, identified by retention of consciousness with progressive twitching and numbness of one leg or arm.
Mr. Davis is in charge of a section of the psychiatric clinic at Salt Lake General hospital, where she does some clinical work. She also instructs advanced courses in the departments of pharmacology and physiology at the university.
Began in 1929 According to Dr. Davis, actual valuable research with modern methods of fighting epilepsy came into their own in 1929 with the invention of the electro-encephalograph, an instrument for recording brain activity.
And the latest of the compounds used in treatment of the affliction was developed in 1948. Meanwhile, research is advancing at a rapid pace, Dr. Davis said.
She studied for three years under Dr. William Lennox, one of the top U.S. experts on epilepsy. She received her doctor of medicine degree at Yale university in 1943.
Most of her clinical work has been confined to children, with whom she ālikes to work.ā
Here note the wording:
ā. . . Have been found effective about 50% of the time. ā
ā . . . the same marijuana which so many people fear ā
ā . . . Drug principles isolated from leaves of marijuana . . . being used are synthetic substances related to cannabinol, which is contained in marijuana, but does not produce the same effects. ā
With respect to the above — note that a Medical Cannabis like āsynthetic substanceā is being referred to.
EPILEPSY STUDY — ON TO THE NEXT PAGE
******************************************************
War is Hell.
What do you do when you, and a bunch of Sluggish minor Aircraft carriers youāre Guarding, are surprised by an Enemy (Jap) Battle Fleet baring down….which includes the Greatest Battleship ever built (the Japanese Yamato) , with the greatest Guns ever put to sea…and they start to Pound away at such a distance that your own puny guns are pitifully short on range?… and what’s worse… you are the only thing between this Enemy Fleet and your own Invasion force…which will be decimated if this Battle fleet succeeds in engaging the Invasion troop carriers and landing vessels????
This is a circumstance not in the training manual!
Well what Commander Evans of the USS Johnston, and a handful of other tiny ‘tin cans’ decided to do was not to run… not to abandon their Charges… but turned and drove headlong into Battle… against the Goliath…. And the Battle which ensued was the stuff of Legend!
She would not survive, and yet The tale of her exploits, and those of her companions effected World history by diverting the Japanese away from their objective of halting General Macarthurās invasion of the Philippines.
Many rightly say that War should not be glorified.
War is indeed a disaster!
An evidence of Man’s Loss of God.
And yet despite all our hopes and prayers to the contrary…War… like so many horrible circumstances we can find ourselves enduring … is a reality…. and it is in such times of crisis that the Mettle of men is put to the test.
It is a time when Higher values (If you got em) come into play which inspire a Contempt for Death.
… I donāt know how I would fare under such conditions, having never face such a trial by fire, and yet I bow my head in reverence at hearing the of the truly heroic exploits as were the deeds of the Seamen aboard the USS Johnston and her Sisters in the Battle of Samar.
That such a tiny Vessel and her companions could against all odds put up such a fight…for so long …against such a formidible Adversary is the stuff of Legend… and WW2 was a time not only of great Tragedy, Great Brutality, and great waste…. but also an age of great Heroism, and great Humanity.
I just watched the Discoveryās ‘Ultimate Warfare’ coverage of this Historic Naval battle, and it was heart wrenching, and Glorious!
To appreciate what my Grandfathers generation went through to protect Western Civilisation from the Tyrannical Warmongering Axis powers.
It is in recalling such True stories of War Heroism in which the Thinking compassionate man will salute those who go into Battle for the sake of defending their Homelands from Foreign aggression, from terrorism, or as peace keepers attempting to establish order in lands of Anarchy, villainy, and Chaos.
Tim Wikiriwhi.
…Engagement of Taffy 3 [edit]Main article: Battle off Samar
On the morning of 23 October 1944, American submarines detected and attacked units of the Japanese fleet coming in from the South China Sea toward the precarious Leyte beachhead. The battleship-cruiser-destroyer Southern Force was decimated as it attempted to enter Leyte Gulf via Surigao Strait the night of 24/25 October. The more powerful battleship-cruiser-destroyer Center Force under Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita had been pounded by Admiral āBullā Halsey’s attack carrier planes and presumably turned back from San Bernardino Strait. Admiral Halsey then raced north with his attack carriers and heavy battleships to engage a decoy Japanese carrierābattleship task force off Cape Engano. This left Johnston and her small escort carrier task unit as lonely sentinels in north Leyte Gulf, east of Samar and off San Bernardino Strait.
As enemy ships fled the Battle of Surigao Strait at daybreak of 25 October, the powerful Japanese Center Force slipped through San Bernardino Strait and into Leyte Gulf. It steamed along the coast of Samar directly for Johnston’s little task unit and the American invasion beachhead at Leyte, hoping to destroy amphibious shipping and American troops on shore.
One of the pilots flying patrol after dawn alert that morning reported the approach of Japanese Center Force. Steaming straight for “Taffy 3” were four battleships (including Yamato), eight cruisers (two light and six heavy), and 11 destroyers. Johnston’s gunnery officerāLieutenant Robert C. Hagenālater reported, “We felt like little David without a slingshot.” In less than a minute, Johnston was zigzagging between the six escort carriers and the Japanese fleet and putting out a smoke screen over a 2,500 yd (2,300 m) front to conceal the carriers from the enemy gunners: “Even as we began laying smoke, the Japanese started lobbing shells at us and the Johnston had to zigzag between the splashes…. We were the first destroyer to make smoke, the first to start firing, the first to launch a torpedo attack….”[2]
For the first 20 minutes, Johnston could not return fire as the enemy cruisers and battleships’ heavy guns outranged Johnston’s 5 in (130 mm) guns. Not waiting for orders, Commander Evans broke formation and went on the offensive by ordering Johnston to speed directly toward the enemyāfirst a line of seven destroyers, next one light and three heavy cruisers, then the four battleships. To the east appeared three other cruisers and several destroyers.
As soon as range closed to within ten miles, Johnston fired on the heavy cruiser Kumanoāthe nearest shipāand scored several damaging hits. During her five-minute sprint into torpedo range, Johnston fired over 200 rounds at the enemy, thenāunder the direction of torpedo officer Lieutenant Jack K. Bechdelāmade her torpedo attack. She got off all 10 torpedoes, then turned to retire behind a heavy smoke screen. When she came out of the smoke a minute later, Kumano could be seen burning furiously from a torpedo hit; her bow had been blown completely off, and she was forced to withdraw. Around this time, Johnston took three 14 in (360 mm) shell hits from KongÅ, followed closely by three 6 in (150 mm) shellsāfrom either a light cruiser or Yamatoāwhich hit the bridge. The hits resulted in the loss of all power to the steering engine and all power to the three 5-inch guns in the aft part of the ship, and rendered the gyrocompass useless. A low-lying squall came up, and Johnston “ducked into it” for a few minutes of rapid repairs and salvage work. The bridge was abandoned and Commander Evansāwho had lost two fingers on his left handāwent to the aft steering column to conn the ship.
At 07:50, Admiral Sprague ordered destroyers to make a torpedo attack: “small boys attack”. Johnston, unable to keep position with her damaged engine, and with her torpedoes already expended, nonetheless moved to provide fire support for the other destroyers. As she emerged from a smoke screen, she nearly collided with fellow destroyer Heermann. At 08:20, Johnston sighted a KongÅ-class battleshipāonly 7,000 yd (6,400 m) awayāemerging through the smoke. The destroyer opened fire, scoring multiple hits on the superstructure of the much larger ship. The return fire from the battleship missed clearly.
Johnston soon observed Gambier Bay under fire from an enemy cruiser, and engaged the cruiser in an effort to draw her fire away from the carrier. Johnston scored four hits on the heavy cruiser, then broke off as the Japanese destroyer squadron was seen closing rapidly on the American escort carriers. Johnston engaged the lead ship until it quit, then the second until the remaining enemy units broke off to get out of effective gun range before launching torpedoes, all of which missed. Then, Johnston’s luck ran out; she came under heavy fire from multiple enemy ships, and right when it was most needed, the damaged remaining engine quit, leaving her dead in the water.
Under attack from all sides [edit]The enemy ships closed in for an easy kill, pouring fire into the crippled destroyer. Johnston took a hit which knocked out one forward gun and damaged another, and her bridge was rendered untenable by fires and explosions resulting from a hit in her 40 mm ready ammunition locker. Evansāwho had shifted his command to Johnston’s fantailāwas yelling orders through an open hatch to men turning her rudder by hand. Crewmen from the destroyer escort Samuel B. Roberts spotted Evans at the fantail, asking “isn’t that their captain”, waving to them with what they did not realize was his only good hand.
At one of her batteries, a crewman kept calling “More shells! More shells!”[2] Still the destroyer battled to keep the Japanese destroyers and cruisers from reaching the five surviving American carriers: “We were now in a position where all the gallantry and guts in the world couldn’t save us, but we figured that help for the carrier must be on the way, and every minute’s delay might count…. By 9:30 we were going dead in the water; even the Japanese couldn’t miss us. They made a sort of running semicircle around our ship, shooting at us like a bunch of Indians attacking a prairie schooner. Our lone engine and fire room was knocked out; we lost all power, and even the indomitable skipper knew we were finished. At 9:45 he gave the saddest order a captain can give: ‘Abandon Ship.’… At 10:10 Johnston rolled over and began to sink. A Japanese destroyer came up to 1,000 yards and pumped a final shot into her to make sure she went down. A survivor saw the Japanese captain salute her as she went down. That was the end of Johnston.”[2]
From Johnston’s complement of 327 officers and men, only 141 were saved. Of the 186 men lost, about 50 were killed out-right by enemy action, 45 men later died on rafts from wounds; and 92 menāincluding Cmdr. Evansāgot off Johnston before she sank, but were never heard from again.
Tim Wikiriwhi introducing John Ansell at the Waikato TREATYGATE Presentation, Thursday 16 May, at the Celebrating Age Centre in Hamilton.
Report:
Though I had planned this meeting for over two months, it was typical for me to be still hurriedly typing out script mere minutes before I was to deliver them.
Libertarians Peter Creswell and Robert Palmer traveled down from Auckland to give John and myself some moral support, and they listened to my only practice delivery from a ruff draftā¦ as they enjoyed an Epic Stout.
They offered me several good improvements, before heading downtown.
I had written much more than what I delivered.
This is a subject I am passionate about yet my speech was only an introduction and personal endorsement of John Ansellās TREATYGATE presentation which he is busy delivering about the countryā¦. So unfortunately though there was much which I would have liked to have saidā¦ many things which may have helped Maori People to better appreciate why I support John, there was no time for me to do so.
I would like to thank everyone who helped John and myself make this event happenā¦ those who contributed donations, those who came to the meeting in support (I got to meet some of my face book friends!), those who helped set up the hall, the Waikato Times, and Hamilton News staff, and others who helped me with advertising, sound systems, etc.
It was great to see Allan Titford, his new partner and child who traveled quite a distance to support us.
I estimate there were 60 people in attendance which is not bad for a political meeting.
The Waikato Times had a reporter there.
And our ads reached many thousands of People who, though they never attended the presentation, will know that there are Activists afoot, working to end Waitangi Separatism and establish racial equality before the law.
This is a mammoth task and every event like this held in the name of ending the shameful travesty of Watangi apartheid and the grievance industry… all helps.
The evening ended at the House Bar, yarning, joking, and drinking Pitch Black Stout from the Tap. One of the manifold blessings of British Colonisation!
Very nice!
My speech follows…
…And below that… is a link to a Waikato Times/ Stuff article on our Hamilton Treatygate meeting, and subject matter, and I make a few observations about comments it contains from a Waikato University ‘Treaty expert’ the Times also interviewed for the article.
My Speech…
“Good evening Ladies and gentlemen.
It is great to see you.
Thank you for coming.
I know many of you have traveled some distance to be here.
Your support is very much appreciated.
My name is Tim Wikiriwhi,
I live here in Hamilton, and work as a self employed contract engineer,
and it has been my pleasure to organize tonightās meeting, for John Ansell to deliver his Treatygate message to you.
John is a very brave Pakeha, that is to say he is a brave New Zealander.
He will be speaking tonight for about an hour on one of the most important issues facing our Nation at present.
I myself have been involved in politics for well over a decade, and spoken many times around the North island on the ever worsening evils of Treaty separatism, Maori Radicalism, and our shameful Apartheid laws and government.
I hope that while you are here tonight John and I are able to communicate the gravity of our current political situation, and the race relations crisis which has been systematically manufactured because of an Evil ideology, which has taken full advantage of some serious faults in our democratic system.
I hope we impress on you the urgency and dire need for the people of New Zealand to Rally, and to organize ourselves into an Irate lobby determined to rid ourselves of these cancerous growthsā¦ and establish racial equality before the Law.
The shear scale of the Political extortionā¦Hundreds and hundreds of millions of Dollars! The utter Fabrications and falsifications of our colonial history by which a collective guilt trip has been heaved upon the backs of Non-Moari New Zealanders ā¦so successfully, that they quietly submit to this Extortion, and tolerate being rendered second class subjects in their own country.
I say We must smash the Anti-colonialist lie that stupefies so many New Zealanders into believing they have less right to Fully enjoy this country, than their neighbor who has a fraction of Maori DNA.
Now the fact that Race based Law is a travesty of justice should not really be News to anyone.
Who does not know about the times of Slavery and Segregation in America?
Who has not herd about Apartheid in South Africaās recent past?
Many Kiwi already know that the Law should not discriminate because of race.
The trouble is that so few of us actually have the courage to stand up in public say it!
New Zealanders actually allow their government to mass produce Racist law and give away millions of Tax dollars all because they have been deceived by a massive political propaganda campaign!
The Lying racist Radicals use intimidation and the Anti colonial guilt trip to dominate and steer our country towards every deeper Racial separatism, and Rapineā¦. And the power-hungry socialists of both the Labour and National parties have made bargains with these racist radicals for the sake of securing Election victoryā¦time and time again.
Thus our Government has been utterly corrupted and used to indoctrinate New Zealanders, both Maori and non-Maori into thinking that it is the fault of others that the so many Maori are violent criminals.
The Radicals want you Pakeha to continue to believe it is actually your fault that so many Maori suffer Ill healthā¦ live in povertyā¦. are in low paid jobs, or wallow in welfare dependence.
Well John Ansell has figured out what a crock that all is and he has the Balls to stand up and say ā¦ āGet Real!ā
John forthrightly declares āIm A Pakeha and I refuse to accept any such guilt!ā
āI demand My equal Rights!ā
I demand an end to the extortion, an end to the State Racism.
I want to live in a country of Racial equality before the Law!ā
You see John has figured out that Heās not to blame for any of that Maori miseryā¦and that heās got nothing to be ashamed ofā¦being a Pakehaā¦. And that if anyone is to blame for the misery of Maori today it surely must be the individuals themselves, who have allowed themselves to become depended upon welfare, not bothered to gain the necessary skills to compete with Non-Maori in the Job marketā¦ Skills which are essential to provide them with a decent income in a modern free societyā¦ and Blame also may be squarely laid at the feet of the racist radicals whose Toxic and hateful lies have fill so many Maori heads with a Victim mentality and vile racismā¦ preventing them from taking ownership of their own problems, and appreciating their own self responsibility for climbing out of this misery they have created for themselves.
Until they do, no amount of special rights, no amount of Welfare will save them.
Itās time for me to hand over the mic To John.
I want to finish by sayingā¦ Lets rally together and get rid of the Racist electoral rolls and race based seats in parliament which are a pox and a shame upon our democracy, and PLEASE do not allow the separatists to establish a new racist constitution.
They must be stopped at all costs.
.I now give the floor to John.
Thank you for listening.”
End
Tim Wikiriwhi.
āMaori Libertarianā
John Ansell and Tim Wikiriwhi in Tim’s Man Cave/ Library. Hamilton 15-5-13
I would like to make a few comments on this article…
Observe…
‘Angeline Greensill teaches Treaty issues at Waikato University and she would be interested in who would attend the meeting.
”It’s the sort of thing I would normally ignore but it’ll be interesting to see who does turn up and who is taken in by this type of stuff. I ned to be aware of that.”
She said Mr Wikiriwhi has a history of throwing his beliefs out to ”a misinformed public. She said people should learn the difference between rights and privileges and rights and obligations.
”It is not a privilege. Maori are tangata whenua of this country and there was an agreement signed that was never kept and it was an agreement about rights.
”They are getting things because they have a right to them. They have a property right like anyone else except they have to fight for them.”
End quote:
^^^ I say Angeline has provided us (above) with a perfect example of the sort of Socialist Academics our Government hires to indoctrinate our young people!
Note how she calls into question the mentality and character of those whom thought John and My own message against her Political indoctrinations of Treaty separatism was worth hearing!
Note how she blatantly suggests that the treaty enslaves Non-Maori to certain ‘moral obligations’ (Read Money, Power, Political favouritism, etc)… simply because the Modern Radical separatists claim Maori to be ‘Tangata Whenua’…which is of course an absolute lie, and part of the Modern Re-fabrication of New Zealand history and perversion of The Treaty!
Maori of old were proud to say they were Migrant Colonists too!
The ‘Tangata Whenua’ were the People living here already when Maori arrived!
Yet why let the truth get in the way of your Political vested interestsā¦ when a lie suits so much betterā¦ Aye?
Lets label those who dare speak the truth troublemakers, and Racists, and Mad men!
Thank you Angeline Greensill for clearly exposing your agenda for all to see.
Thank you for demonstrating just how evil it is to allow the Government to control the Education of our nation!
I only wish that New Zealanders would wake up to why the Government ought never be allowed to control such a vast engine of indoctrination, propaganda, and mass manipulation.
Too many people who understand that Government ought to be banned from producing racist laws, fail to understand Treaty separatism clearly demonstrates the Libertarian principle that the State must also be separated from Education, because it has been via state control of the education system, which has given the Socialist Political parties the ablity to use the education system to imprint their political agenda directly into the public mind, by hiring such socialist racist academics as Angeline Greesill and deploys them into our schools and universities to directly brainwash our people into accepting the vile rehash of our Pioneering colonial history and the separatist ideology behind our Apartheid system.
They also do this with their Green Agenda, Re Man Made Climate change, the Theory of Evolution, Socialist ecomonic theory, etc etc… all designed to delude the sheeple into supporting their Heavy Taxation, their Nannyism, their Totalitarianism… and to fear/ hate Freedom.
Tim Wikiriwhi.
Libertarian Independent.
The Gun Blog Black list is a blog about Gun blogs.
For 2nd Amendment Patriots and Libertarians.
You can find it here: http://gunblogblacklist.blogspot.co.nz/
Are you suggesting this is justification to cry out “Death to Muslims”?
How do you differentiate yourself from the hater and the fanatic?
We must walk a higher path.
It is a fundamental principle that when seeking to over throw an evil, you must never assimilate the evil yourself.
That is to fall from the position of righteousness and to become a hypocrite.
Furthermore is your own faith defined by the Religious Zealots whom claim to represent Christianity?
Is your faith even defined by what the so-called majority of Christians claim to believe?
Mine is certainly not!
Thus why would you assume these Muslim fanatics truly represent the Muslim faith?
Is that not Duplicity on your part?
The Higher road may seem to most much too difficult…. an absurdity to even attempt, yet does the fact that it is difficult make it the wrong way to go?
Because the Low road of reciprocal Hatred appears much ‘easier’… much more satisfying, and direct… does this make it acceptible for the Christian to travel?
Are you allowing these haters to sow hate directly into your own heart?
Donāt you have control of your own feelings?
“Vengence is mine saith the Lord, I will repay thee”
I donāt find any place in Paulsā writings where we are called to Hate the lost.
(I must confess to my own shortcoming in this area too)
Let us not render evil for evil but overcome evil with Good.
“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you. Live peacefully with all Men.”
St Paul.
Boston Marathon. The Horror of Religious Violence and War.
I add that even if it is not possible to live peacefully with some people because they are hell bent on your enslavement and destruction, yet still, though we must defend ourselves, we must not become like them, and take the first opportunity for peace.
To allow the Terrorists to sow Religious hatred and intolerance in our hearts, or to make us so fearful as to accept a more tyrannical Police State in the name of ‘Security’… is to retreat in the battle of Good over Evil.
It is to loose faith.
Satan Laughing Spreads His Wings.
I bow my head in sorrow for the Lives lost and pray for the injured and Maimed in Boston.
I also pray for God to raise up Brave Preachers to preach grace to the lost, and to put his protecting hands upon those enlightened Muslims whom seek an end to Religious fanaticism and who work for peace.
