A YANKEES Fan Lament

The part of me that is an American League fan is glad the Sox won the World Series. The other 99.9% is violently retching.

Medicaid Expansion

 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Columnist John Brummett wrote a piece titled A Worthless Sacrifice to appear in Sundays print edition. It is currently online and is starting to create a buzz. For some reason I am unable to post a comment, update my avatar or do anything else on the site so I am posting my reply here.

The responsibility to care for the least of these falls to both the individual and the government. As some have already used Biblical text, howbeit out of context, allow me to continue looking to the same source.

We read in Genesis 41:25-42 how Joseph by the instruction of God told Pharaoh to gather from all the harvest and store it to be redistributed to everyone in the land when there was need. Exodus 23:6-11 (especially v10-11) describes how landowners were obligated by law to feed the hungry. Isaiah 10:1-3 and Amos 5:11-12 explain that governments are instructed to show justice to the poor. Jeremiah brought a scorching message (see chapter 22) about governments responsibility towards its poorest citizens.

While the story of Joseph and Pharaoh was regarding a particular event, doesn't it make sense, good sense to follow that principle? The law of Moses according to Exodus 23 institutionalized way of providing for the poor that did not depend on the good will of the individual. Yes, individual generosity was encouraged but, as a matter of law, part of everyone's produce or income was to be set aside to aid the poor.

What we call the Old Testament is full of stories of personal and government responsibility to the least of these. In the New Testament we read that Jesus had some important things to say about the subject: Matthew 22:37-39; 25:31-46.

Jesus' commands to love and care for others were given as universals, without exempting any human organizations or institutions. All human institutions, governments and businesses included, are responsible to care for others --- especially since individual or private charity can never be or do enough.

Biblical narrative aside, medicaid expansion makes sense. We are paying Federal taxes for the program. Doesn't it make sense that we receive the benefits we are paying for? Expansion means more people will have access to healthcare. More access to healthcare means more people are healthy. Healthy people are productive people. This benefits the individual and society.

Did I mention that Medicaid expansion could lead to an increase of $550 million to our state's GDP and create 6,200 new jobs?

In short, Medicaid expansion benefits everyone. How is this not a good thing?

Family 2012 Summary

We pray your year was blessed!

2012 was an exciting year for us with few challenges, some changes and much joy. The third year in our new home draws to a close. New friendships were made, others strengthened and others still reestablished. We are deeply blessed by all y’all.

Our family has grown. We were able to be in Tucson for Aiden’s arrival, Andrea and Isaac’s first-born. He is a beautiful healthy boy. Shortly after we left Arizona, Benjamin’s Clarissa delivered Citlali, their second daughter and third child. A few weeks later Aren informed us that we were expecting grandchild number seven. Sarah is extremely competitive. I pray she doesn’t see these as a challenge.

Speaking of Sarah, she decided to stay home for a couple more years and get her Associate in Business Management from the Community College before moving on to a Bachelor degree. I am so very glad she decided to stay as I’ve not had the chance to teach anyone else Grandma Sacca’s pizza recipe yet.

Isaiah still blows. Another year as Nashville High School Band low-brass section leader, all-region band audition coming in January, all-region choir, all-state choir audition coming in January, Nashville High School Winter Guard, and playing Baritone with Arkansas Resistance keeps his grand-staff full. I keep him busy around here helping with farm chores too.

V.Anthony decided baseball wasn’t for him but is playing trumpet for a second year, now with the Nashville Junior High Band. His interest in culinary arts is growing, always asking to try a new recipe. Maybe I should share Grandma’s recipe with him.

Ariel continues to show interest in all things animal. We couldn’t do without her help around the farm feeding the chickens and collecting the eggs. Both her and V.Anthony are junior beekeepers. This year they keep one hive of bees jointly. Next year they’ll keep two. Ariel is a 4H Show Stopper and plans on showing Boer goats at the Howard County Fair next year.

Aurelio is doing well. He has been graduated to the first grade on paper, but still visits the kindergarten class from his self-contained homeroom. His speech is improving greatly as are his fine motor skills. He is very smart and works hard when he wants however he can be stubborn. I wish he hadn’t gotten that from his mother.

Vickie is awaiting surgery for a torn anterior labrum in her right shoulder. After recovery she’d like to work for the Howard County Adult Center as a group home supervisor. It takes a very special person to work with developmentally delayed adults, and Vickie is a very special person.

While we’ve always been politically active we are becoming more politically connected. Vickie, Sarah and I joined the Howard County Democratic Central Committee. We attended the state convention, myself as a delegate and Vickie as an alternate. I was elected Howard County Committeeman to the Arkansas Democratic Party Faith Caucus. I've been blessed to preach many times this past year with several more opportunities coming in 2013. After serving a partial term I was re-elected Secretary of the Southwest Arkansas Beekeepers EH Club. These keep us excited, busy and fulfilled.

One year ago we toyed with names like Hectáreas de Motta, and All Good Things Farm. We decided upon Suprasistence Farm. For the past years we have delved wider and deeper into subsistence farming. With the understanding that worship/ministry is a lifestyle we felt mere subsistence missed the point. While subsistence meets our needs Suprasistence goes above barely sufficient to assist others in need, the poor, the sojourner. We also designed a logo to represent the farms product and vision.

The yellow hexagon is for the bees as our main crop is honey and various beeswax products. The footprints are light green reflecting low carbon emissions; three to stand for reduce, reuse and recycle. We strive to do things as close to organic as we are able, being good stewards over what we've been entrusted. This past year at Suprasistence Farm has been busy. We have planted peach, plumb, pear, and walnut trees as well as several flowering bushes and vines for the bees, as well as various beds of flowers and other vegetation for the bees, chickens and soil. We built a new poultry house and two new pens, each 2,000 square feet. We grew chicks and harvested older chickens. Built hives and installed new bees. And still left so much to do in 2013.

We have a guest room with a queen size bed, and WiFi for you. Know that all y’all are always welcome to come visit and even lend a hand if so inclined.

We hope you had an awesome 2012 and pray the best for you in 2013.

With much love,
Albert, Vickie, and all the children

I am PRO-Second Amendment

4 American diplomats were killed by terrorists in Benghazi, Libya and the GOP screamed bloody murder for months. Congress is still holding hearings.

One terrorist on a plane tried to set off a bomb hidden in his shoe, now everyone has to remove their shoes before boarding a plane.

Oakland, Calif.: A former student at a Christian college fatally shoots seven people and injures three in April 2012;
Aurora, Colo.: Lone gunman kills 12 and injures 58 at a July 2012 screening of “The Dark Knight;"
College Station Texas: 3 people killed 4 injured;
Oak Creek, Wis.: A white supremacist shoots six people and a responding policeman at a Sikh temple before shooting himself in the head in August 2012;
Portland, Ore.: A masked gunman opens fire in a crowded mall killing two and seriously injuring a third before turning the gun on himself. Cops say killer’s assault weapon jammed, preventing further carnage.

20 six and seven year old American schoolchildren were killed by a single gunman and the GOP silence is deafening.

Where are the hearings Mister Speaker?

Where is the legislation to prevent more unnecessary loss of life caused by guns?

I am pro-Second Amendment. I believe anyone who wants to own a musket (holding one shot and taking three minutes to reload) can have one. Everything else necessarily requires responsible legislation.

Matthew 26:52 NIV “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword."

For The Record

I am as disappointed by those affiliated with the petition to "Deport Everyone That Signed a Petition To Withdraw Their State From The United States" as I am embarrassed for the creators and signers of the secession petitions, even though the response may have been done humorously. If one wants to secede from the Union based on the results of a democratic election, one might misunderstand the entire concept of these United States of America. To respond to such ignorance only adds fuel by giving the attention so desperately sought.  [/end rant]

Not the Governments Job!

To those of you who believe America is a Christian nation and that our founding fathers were Christian, who say "It's not the Government's job to give a hand up to people in need," and ask "Why should I pay my hard earned money out in taxes to help people who didn't earn it?" I've a few questions: How do you understand the story in Genesis 41:25-42 where Joseph by the instruction of God told Pharaoh to gather from all the harvest and store it to be redistributed to everyone in the land when there was need? How do you understand Exodus 23:6-11 (especially v10-11) where landowners were obligated by law to feed the hungry, or Isaiah 10:1-3 and Amos 5:11-12 where governments are instructed to show justice to the poor? Not only did Isaiah and Amos bring harsh messages from God to governments about how they should treat the poor, Jeremiah brought a scorching message (see chapter 22). How does your view of government square with Jeremiah?

While the story of Joseph and Pharaoh was regarding a particular event, doesn't it make sense, good sense to follow that principle? The law of Moses according to Exodus 23 institutionalized way of providing for the poor that did not depend on the good will of the individual. Yes, individual generosity was encouraged but, as a matter of law, part of everyone's produce or income was to be set aside to aid the poor.

While what we call the Old Testament is full of stories of personal and government responsibility to the least of these, Jesus had some important things to say about the subject: Matthew 22:37-39; Matthew25:31-46 

Jesus' commands to love and care for others were given as universals, without exempting any human organizations or institutions.  All human institutions, governments and businesses included, are responsible to care for others --- especially since individual or private charity can never be or do enough.

Isn't it time we stop justifying selfishness, greed, pride and the like?


Proverbs 14:31 reads, He who oppresses the poor reproaches his maker, but he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.

An Open Letter to Pastor Bruce Short

Nashville, Arkansas with about 6,000 residents has two hometown newspapers, The Nashville News and The Nashville Leader. In the Monday, October 8th edition of the News and the Wednesday, October 10th edition of the Leader the same letter to the editor was published. The letter was written by Bruce Short, Pastor of one of Nashville's many small congregations. I received a call from an older Christian couple who were disturbed after reading Bruce's letter. They encouraged me to write a reply.

After reading and rereading the letter I was disappointed in Bruce's word choice which basically said you can't be a Christian and be a Democrat. This is simply not true. This is not Biblical. Bruce's statements are divisive to the Christian community and are spiritually abusive. When your words or actions tear down another, attack or weaken a person's standing as a Christian to gratify yourself, your position or your beliefs that is spiritual abuse. When extra-biblical rules and standards are linked to one's salvation or standing with God, that is spiritual abuse. The widespread and generally held belief of Christianity according to the Bible is, salvation is in Christ alone. Legalism adds requirements beyond Jesus' sacrifice. Jesus stood against that very same legalism. Today I stand against that legalism.

Below is a copy of my reply sent to the editors of both local papers.

An open letter to Bruce Short,

While I join with you in asking our Christian brothers and sisters to have no affiliation with ungodliness, the understanding of the Democratic Party platform planks you mention aren’t exactly accurate.

In case you were misinformed about the Democratic Party platform,

Advocating for safe sex, is a far cry from “embracing free sex.” Studies have shown a decline in teen pregnancy, from 34.3 per 1,000 nationwide to 6.3 per 1,000 study participants* and abortions, from 19.9 per 1,000 nationwide to 4.4 per 1,000 study participants* due to the availability of birth control.

Should we trust in abstinence only education? One doesn’t have to look too far for the answer. Our neighbor Mississippi has abstinence only education and the highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation, 55 births per 1,000 teens aged 15 to 19 in 2010. Studies published this year by the Guttmacher Institute show teens who received comprehensive sex education, including instruction on birth control, waited longer to have sex and had lower rates of pregnancy. If you truly want to see less premarital relations and fewer teen pregnancies then you must support the Democratic Party platform.

Advocating for a woman’s right to choose is not “embracing murder.” Many of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are pro-choice are deeply concerned for the well being of the mother as much as an anti-abortion advocate for the unborn child. The problem with pro-life politics is the definition of life is exclusive. Pro-life politics excludes the lives of the mother, those on death row, women children and non-combatants living in countries considered our enemy as well as billions struggling to stay alive faced with disease and a scarcity of food or clean water. Pro-life politics does not consider those in this first-world nation who lack proper healthcare without which life would not be sustainable. In fact, many pro-life politicians have fought vigorously for an elimination of initiatives aimed at reducing infant mortality and early childhood problems, initiatives essential to promote health of the most vulnerable citizens. As a Christian I understand the sanctity of life extends to all life, not just the unborn. If you truly want to see fewer murders then you must support the Democratic Party platform.

My Christianity informs my politics as much as I am capable of making that true. As a Christian my preference is for policy that brings the greatest amount of good to the largest number of people. These policies are found in the Democratic Party.

Albert Motta

Howard County Committeeman, Arkansas Democratic Party Faith Caucus 

(end of letter)

At every church I was blessed to Pastor  I gifted the Elders, Deacons and anyone else in leadership with several books. The first and most important was always, "The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse" by David Johnson and Jeff VanVonderen ISBN13: 9780764201370

I gave a copy to Bruce back in 2007. Get yourself a copy. You will be blessed!