First of Christian-Newsom murderers found guilty

The first of the four accused of the torture and murder of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom has been found guilty.--

KNOXVILLE - Jurors this morning convicted Letalvis Cobbins of first-degree murder in the torture-slaying of Knox County couple Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom.

The verdicts were announced before a packed crowd, including the Christian and Newsom families, in Knox County Criminal Court.

Jurors will now shift into a penalty phase before Judge Richard Baumgartner in which they will consider evidence about whether he should be executed.

Cobbins was dry-eyed looking at family as the verdicts were read to a silent courtroom. His family was weeping and was hustled out of the courtroom by security as the judge recessed for the day.

[...]

In the death-penalty phase which will not begin until Wednesday, prosecutors Takisha Fitzgerald and Leland Price will try to show his crimes are so heinous he deserves death, while defense attorneys Scott Green and Kim Parton will try to counter with mitigating facts.

There is truly no limit to the depths of the unrestrained human heart. This man, and his accomplices, are examples of that. But let us not forget, friends, that were it not for God's restraining hand upon us, we would be even worse than Cobbins. Jeremiah 17:9-- The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?

We can make all kinds of excuses for this behavior. We can blame it on his childhood, or some mental shortcoming, or the fact that he never knew his father. But the truth is, there is no excuse. He was simply doing what his heart led him to do. The desire to do the things he did was already planted within him--the fact that he acted on his desires is simply a testament to the depravity of sinful man.

Those who would say that man is "basically good" are so very far from the truth. We humans have nothing inside of us that wants to do good. In fact, it is just the opposite. If left to our own desires, we would be even worse than Letalvis Cobbins. In fact, we would be even worse than Adolf Hitler. And the world will see this one day, when Christ comes to call His church up out of the earth, removes any restraint on the human heart, and allows the lot of mankind to fall into seven of the most dreadful and destructive years it will ever see.

The people of Knoxville, as well as the families left behind, demanded justice be served. Of course justice should be served, and it has been thus far. But just imagine this: suppose the judge says, "Well, Mr. Cobbins, you have had such a tough time, I'm going to let you go free because I am a loving judge, and I don't really want to punish you!" We would be outraged. And we should be. So why do so many people think that when we break God's laws, and we sin against Him, and we do things that are no less evil than what Letalvis Cobbins did, that God looks at us and says, "Well, I'm going to let you go free because I am a loving judge, and I don't really want to punish you! I love you too much to punish you! So, welcome to My kingdom!" Should God not be just as outraged and angry when we break HIS laws as we are when men break the laws of men?

Where are we ever "safe"?

I'm sure, by now, you have heard the news about the shooting at the church here in Knoxville:

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities on Monday were investigating why an apparent stranger entered a Unitarian church and opened fire during a children's performance based on the musical "Annie," killing two, including a burly usher hailed as a hero for shielding others from gunfire.

No children were hurt, but seven adults were wounded as frightened congregants dove under pews and ran from Sunday's shooting at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, authorities said. Witnesses said some of the men present tackled a man who pulled a shotgun from a guitar case before at least three loud blasts rang out.

Jim D. Adkisson, 58, has been charged with first-degree murder and was being held on $1 million bail, according to city spokesman Randy Kenner.

Church members praised Greg McKendry, 60, who died as he attempted to block the gunfire. Church member Barbara Kemper told The Associated Press that McKendry "stood in the front of the gunman and took the blast to protect the rest of us."

Before I begin, let me just say I sympathize with those who lost friends and loved ones in this dispicable act. But such is the condition of the unregenerate human heart. It is always bent toward evil, and only the restraining grace of God prevents us all from becoming Jim Adkissons of our own making. That said, there are a couple of ironies I pulled from this development:

(1) There are people, even at our church, who will not help in the ministry we do in the projects. Why? Because they think it's "dangerous." They think they're going to get shot, held up, robbed, carjacked, whatever, as soon as they get there. However, the church where this shooting took place is located in one of the two wealthiest neighbordhoods in Knoxville. Houses in this area of the city--an area known as Sequoyah Hills--START at $500,000. Some go for upwards of $1M. Knoxville Police Department patrol there regularly. If there is any area that ought to be safe, it is this area.

Yet a man travelled 10 miles, to a neighborhood completely disconnected from his own, planned out an attack whereby he snuck a shotgun into a church in a guitar case, and carried out the imaginations of his heart. A desperately wicked heart. The kind of heart you and I are born with. A heart unrestrained by the hand of God. A heart that, unless brought to life by the Holy Spirit, will continue to act in such a way with no hesitation.

(2) This happened at a Universalist gathering. Universalists believe we are all going to heaven. That when Jesus died on the cross, He saved every single person, and no one is going to Hell. There is more about Unitarianism here from CARM. And here about Universalism. What I am about to say I do not say with malicious intent, but oto make anyone reading this aware of this fact. If those people who died--as courageous as they were in their last act on earth--if they died not knowing who Jesus was, and never knew Him as their Lord and their Savior--then they are in the very Hell they spent their lives denying. Dying a courageous death does not guarantee a person a free pass into Heaven. It is only by faith in the true God and His Christ, repenting from sin, and knowing that we are sinful creatures who need to be saved by the blood of Christ. And yes, these people believe that if the shooter died today, he may be punished for his sins (somehow) but that even if he did not repent, he would indeed be in Heaven.

Apartment complex in Knoxville tells illegals to hit the road

Well finally! Somebody in Knoxville is standing up to the "La Raza" crowd. The owners of Lakeview Apartments has sent out a letter to all its tenants, telling them that if they are in this country illegally, they need to get out or they will be reported (from Knoxville News Sentinel):

LOUISVILLE, TN — Managers of an apartment complex with a high concentration of Hispanics have told residents that if they are illegal immigrants, they must move out by the end of the month.

“This management company and the building owner will not accept or allow any illegal aliens to live in the apartments,” reads the opening line of a three-paragraph letter addressed to all tenants of Lakeview Apartments in Louisville.

The letter orders all illegal immigrants to vacate their apartments by the end of August or face the threat of being reported to “the proper authorities. You will be arrested and deported,” it states.

But the threat by Meadowland Property Management may not have any legal teeth. J. Carlos Maciel, general manager of Lakeview Apartments, sent the letter Monday, leaving tenants 18 days to get out.

So, send out another one saying they have 30 days, whatever.

But, of course, you got some around here who just have to pander:

Late Wednesday, Lisa Barba, a community organizer for the immigrant coalition, met with a group of nearly 20 illegal immigrant residents of Lakeview Apartments in a sweltering upstairs unit and “gave them information on their rights and told them what to do in case of a raid or arrest.”

Addressing the group in Spanish, she gave them a list of attorneys who either speak Spanish or have an assistant who does and furnished them with a card in English that they can give to an arresting officer asserting their rights to be silent and to have an attorney.

Juana Sanchez and Jose Barillas, both illegal immigrants who work two jobs each in the food service industry, are among the Lakeview residents affected by the vacate order. The Mexico natives say they are trying to find another place to live and do not know exactly what they will do.

So, they have at least 20 illegals living there now.

Question: If the ICE got a tip that there were illegals living in these apartments, raided the complex, and levied fines, wouldn't the management have a good reason to be angry with the illegals? Therefore, shouldn't management be able to make sure they themselves are abiding by the law, and protect themselves? Or are they supposed to just look the other way and allow law-breakers to continue breaking the law on their premises?

Sorry, folks. People in this ocuntry are waking up to the fact that we have to do something about this problem, and amnesty is not going to be a solution!