A Worthless Life?

From WorldNetDaily, Fr. Frank Pavone points out two critical differences between the Terri Schiavo case and what most of us think of when we consider the termination of life support for someone brain dead (and Terri wasn't brain dead, by the way):

'Laws vary from state to state,' he said, 'but one of the most dangerous flaws in the law is that which considers food and water to be 'medical treatment' rather than ordinary human care. When we return from a meal, we don't say that we just 'returned from our latest medical treatment.''

Fr. Pavone, who is national director of Priests for Life, and president of the National Pro-Life Religious Council, continued:

'We also see, in policy and practice, a confusion between 'futile treatment' and 'futile life.' If a person is not able to communicate or interact with others, many consider treatments which would keep that person alive to be 'futile,' not because the treatment would be ineffective at preserving life, but because they don't see a purpose to that life,' he said.

'Certainly there is such a thing as a worthless treatment. But there is no such thing as a worthless life,' he said.

Terri Schiavo was dehydrated and starved to death, which is a lot different than turning off a heart and lung machine of someone who's brain is so lifeless it can't maintain even those autonomic functions.

New Theory on Egyptian Pyramid Construction

This is pretty interesting. From Fox News:

The construction of the Great Pyramid 4,500 years ago by Khufu, a ruler also known as Cheops, has long befuddled scientists as to how its 3 million stone blocks weighing 2.5 tons each were lifted into place.

Ending eight years of study on the subject, architect Jean-Pierre Houdin released his findings and a computerized 3-D mockup showing how workers would have erected the pyramid at Giza outside Cairo.

You can watch some really cool 3D animations of this guy's theory Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," though.

School District Charges Parents Double for Education

From the Rapid City Journal:

South Dakota’s circumstances are a little different, but consider what’s happening in the school district in Scotts Valley, Calif.

The school district there is now invoicing parents $36 per day when they take their kids out of school for reasons other than illness.

Why? Because the state funding formula pays school districts based on average daily attendance. If students miss school, the state doesn’t pay as much.

To me, this seems like the cable company sending me an extra bill because I didn't watch enough TV.

Kids need to spend as much time as possible being educated (if education is actually going on in the school), but this isn't the way to go about it. Maybe these professional bureaucrats have forgotten who pays them: the taxpayer. The state doesn't pay for school, the taxpayers do.

Snitch or Informant?

I'll admit up front I'm always suspicious of the mainstream media; I know, they rarely if ever show any bias (and certainly never display any sympathies toward dirtbag criminals), but darn it sometimes I just can't help myself.

When I saw the headline in the Argus Leader today, "Snitch evidence to be allowed at trial," my radar went off, so I read more:

A jailhouse snitch was not working for the government when he began obtaining statements from an accused killer about the rape and murder of a Wyoming runaway, a judge ruled Friday.

Circuit Judge Steven Jensen's ruling strengthens the state's case against James Strahl, 39, for the 1998 killing of William O'Hare, 52, of Beresford. But it remains unclear how much snitch evidence will be allowed in court.

Why was this guy referred to as a "snitch" and not by the more professional term "informant" or even "whistle-blower." After all, if you snitch on a Republican or conservative, you get elevated to the level of "whistle-blower." But it seems if you provide information on a murderer and possible rapist, you're a "snitch."

I Googled the news for "snitch" and other than this story, only found nine stories that used the word "snitch." Of these nine, four of them used the word in italics, either in a quote, or to denote the word as a slang term for informant.

Maybe there's nothing to it; I just found the Argus' choice of words, shall we say, interesting.

James Dobson Clarifies Statement on Fred Thompson

Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family attempts to clarify his comments about Fred Thompson's faith after the media try to stir something up.

From WorldNetDaily:

Dobson, according to Focus on the Family, was 'attempting to highlight that to the best of his knowledge, Sen. Thompson hadn't clearly communicated his religious faith, and many evangelical Christians might find this a barrier to supporting him.'

Dobson told Gilgoff he had never met Thompson and wasn't certain that his understanding of the former senator's religious convictions was accurate.

'Unfortunately, these qualifiers weren't reported by Mr. Gilgoff,' the group's statement said. 'We were, however, pleased to learn from his spokesperson that Sen. Thompson professes to be a believer.'

School Disclipline and Oversight

Ever wonder why our children aren't learning in school?

From thenewsstart.com:

Two fifth-graders had sex on a classroom floor while two others fondled each other in the classroom, according to a teacher at Spearsville High School.

Students at the kindergarten through 12th grade school are unruly, disrespectful and rarely disciplined, Walker said.

"They cuss at the teachers and throw things at them, and nothing is done," Walker said. "There was even one student who grabbed a teacher in the butt and nothing was done. The students run the school."

Walker said teachers learned Wednesday about the incident, which allegedly occurred during an assembly Tuesday to talk about a 15-year-old student accused of stabbing another student to death over the weekend.

But the really important question remains: how's their self esteem?

Commies Love Dems on Iraq

From WorldNetDaily:

WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid get high marks for attempting to set deadlines to end the Iraq war from the Communist Party USA national committee, which just ended its annual meeting in New York.

Interesting but not surprising. Dems alignment with communists goes back decades, at least to the Roosevelt administration. And their ideological alignment (socialism) continues unabated today.

And the leadership of both parties continue to despise the greatest ideals of the United States.

The Thought Police of Public School

From WorldNetDaily:

Derek had been asked to participate in a classroom discussion about "school shootings and safety," said the sixth grader's father, Tim Loutzenheiser.

"My son simply stated that his opinion was that he would feel safer if some of the adults at the school were trained and allowed to carry firearms," Mr. Loutzenheiser told WorldNetDaily.

His reply caused him to be "flagged" as a potential violence risk by teachers and school administrators, who then contacted his parents to suggest they meet with the school's "Hazard and Risk Assessment Team."

Huh? I know there are a lot of pansies out there, but come on!

The article goes on to reveal what is probably more to the heart of the school officials' concerns: the kid is a Right-wing wacko! And here's where they want to get the Thought-Police on the case:

In resulting talks with school officials, Loutzenheiser said he learned that his son "often spoke favorably about the First and Second Amendments, but the comment he made to his Social Studies teacher was the one that triggered this action."

School officials told the couple that because of Derek's comments he should be separated from the other students and forced to enter the school's "Mentor" program, where he would be studied by an adult supervisor who would monitor Derek's thought processes.

Segregated and reeducated for supporting the U.S. Constitution!

And some wonder why my children are homeschooled.

Second Anniversary: Remembering

March 31st will mark the second anniversary of the court ordered death of Terri Schiavo, the disabled Florida woman sentenced to death by starvation and dehydration. A sentence that took 13 days to complete. Thirteen days of torture and unbelievable agony, though someone (Felos) would say he never saw her looking more beautiful than as she did in her death process. Thirteen days compared to the 34 minutes some worried about the convicted murderer having to suffer! The courts and law enforcement never noticed that something wasn't quite right?

Michael shows no signs of compassion, in what I have read, but instead calls Bobby Schindler a pro-life activist as though that is somehow something for Bobby to be ashamed of. And worse, as we enter this anniversary, Michael Schiavo isn't mentioning Terri and missing her or how sad what happened to her. Instead, he is trying to raise $50,000 by midnight March 31st so he can continue his fight to supposedly protect "liberty and privacy".

I wonder if he even remembers what happened on March 31, 2005?

Parents Are Best for Children

Hat tip to Sibby for pointing out some good information about daycare and parenting.

Sibby covered it well, but at the risk of being repetitive, I think it's important enough to be hammered home.

From the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel editorial:

There are also 3.3 million American children under 5 who are at home with at least one parent, and 4.8 million who are cared for by a relative or a nanny. The increase in disruptive behavior was not seen in those arrangements, and the study’s authors do not try to explain why that might be.

But the study does conclude that “the quality of parenting that children receive is a far stronger and more consistent predictor of achievement and social functioning than children’s early child care.” And it says this about children in day care: “One possible reason why relations between center care and problem behavior may endure is that primary school teachers lack the training as well as the time to address behavior problems, given their primary focus on academics.”

Their conclusion:

Children at home, fewer behavior problems in school. Children in day care, fewer problems in school if their parenting is good. How hard is it to jump to the obvious conclusion that day care is not the best place for children?

As I've been saying, it all comes back to parenting. We can't let others raise our children for us; parents, if they make the effort, will always be the best caregiver for their children. And parents need to try, even if it takes some financial and self-actualization sacrifice.

What's their suggestion for a government role in really (REALLY) helping families?

All the government subsidies and incentives these days go to the large, institutional day care centers. Those who want to do something in-home, say, or use day care by a relative or a church, don’t get the same breaks. Taxing policy could be friendlier to families. An average family today pays more in federal, state and local taxes than for food, clothing, transportation and housing combined. If their tax burdens were lower, how many families could live on one income, and how many would choose to do so?

I think most families could do it even without the tax breaks if they were willing to make the sacrifice, but of course our taxes are definitely too high anyway. What the government is taking makes a church tithe look pretty cheap.

The question we need to ask ourselves: are our children worth the sacrifice?

China Building 93,000-ton Nuclear Aircraft Carrier

From The Hankyoreth:

China has been pushing ahead with construction of a mega-sized nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be completed in 2020, according to a Chinese Communist Party's dossier.

When the nuclear-powered carrier is finished, China will own an aircraft carrier which is on par with the U.S.’s newest of such vessels, the 97,000-ton atomic-powered USS Ronald Reagan

Your purchasing dollars at work, thanks to unrestricted (or rather, gluttonous) trade with a hostile country...

Man Pays Alimony to a "Man"

What a confused culture we live in.

From the Washington Times:

Lawrence Roach agreed to pay alimony to the woman he divorced, not the man she became after a sex change, his lawyers argued in an effort to end the payments.

I sympathize with the guy, but agree with the judge:

Judge Arnold found fault with several of Mr. Roach's legal arguments and noted that appeals courts have declined to legally recognize a sex change in Florida when it comes to marriage. The appellate court "is telling us you are what you are when you are born," Judge Arnold said.

Such silliness shouldn't be recognized in any fashion, not just with regard to marriage.

Feinstein: Can you say "nepotism?"

We thought since Democrats were now in charge of Congress, it was going to be come an ethical body? We thought wrong. (Surprised?)

From WorldNetDaily:

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has abruptly walked away from her responsibilities with the Senate Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee after a report linked her votes to the financial well-being of her husband's companies, which received billions of dollars worth of military construction contracts she approved.

Both parties need to quit representing themselves and start representing the people they work for. But until the people regain a firm sense of ethics and throw the dirtbags out, I won't be holding my breath.

Gov't Hostility Toward Religion: Part II

From WorldNetDaily:

A Christian woman is battling a California university and state social agency for terminating her internship because she shared her faith with co-workers during off-hours.

I'll ask again: how does sharing your faith with co-workers after hours constitute "Congress [making a] law respecting an establishment of religion?"

Again, I believe this also constitutes "prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

What did the university want her to do:

Also, the university ordered her to sign a document admitting she had "an inability to separate her religious beliefs from her role" as an intern.

I've looked, but I can't find that part in the Constitution that says, "Citizens must demonstrate the ability to separate religious beliefs from their work--even in a private setting--to hold a government job."

Can someone give me the Constitutional reference?

Government Hostility Toward Religion

From WorldNetDaily:

A lawsuit has been filed in Watertown, N.Y., because the Dulles State Office Building there – and other state buildings – have conference facilities that can be rented by anyone – except churches.

Tell me, how does a religious group renting the same space other groups are allowed to rent constitute "Congress [making a] law respecting an establishment of religion?"

It does, clearly, however, constitute "prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

Dobson on Fred Thompson

Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family is catching some flack for supposedly saying Fred Thompson isn't a Christian. What did he actually say?

From US News & World Report:

'Everyone knows he's conservative and has come out strongly for the things that the pro-family movement stands for,' Dobson said of Thompson. '[But] I don't think he's a Christian; at least that's my impression,' Dobson added, saying that such an impression would make it difficult for Thompson to connect with the Republican Party's conservative Christian base and win the GOP nomination.

Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Thompson, took issue with Dobson's characterization of the former Tennessee senator. 'Thompson is indeed a Christian,' he said. 'He was baptized into the Church of Christ.'

In a follow-up phone conversation, Focus on the Family spokesman Gary Schneeberger stood by Dobson's claim. He said that, while Dobson didn't believe Thompson to be a member of a non-Christian faith, Dobson nevertheless 'has never known Thompson to be a committed Christian—someone who talks openly about his faith.'

'We use that word—Christian—to refer to people who are evangelical Christians,' Schneeberger added. 'Dr. Dobson wasn't expressing a personal opinion about his reaction to a Thompson candidacy; he was trying to 'read the tea leaves' about such a possibility.'

I'm generally favorable toward Fred Thompson and was pleased with what I recall of his time in the Senate.

But Dobson is right in that, at least from what I know, there is little evidence that Thompson is a serious Christian

(I am, of course, differentiating between a "cultural Christian"--someone who generally gives a nod to Christian values--and a genuine Christian, which is someone who has been "born again".)

While no one can know the true state of another person's soul, Jesus did tell us we would be able to discern a genuine Christian from someone who isn't "by their fruit." And while Thompson seems like a good guy, I haven't seen much that tells me he's serious about the Savior.

Not being a Christian doesn't disqualify anyone from presidential consideration, but having a genuine faith does demonstrate to a Christian that he and the candidate are on the same page with their values.

And why should any Christian vote for someone who doesn't share their values? Even John Jay, co-author of the Federalist Papers and the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court said

Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.

British Navy: Headed for "Coastal Defense Force" Status

This is scary.

From Fred Thompson at National Review Online:

Blair is threatening to escalate to a “different phase,” but Iran’s leadership knows something that most Americans don’t. Two months ago, Britain’s government announced plans to mothball almost half its naval fleet due to defense-budget cuts. Much of its existing navy is already so degraded; it would take over a year to get into action. According to the British newspaper, the Daily Telegraph, senior naval officers say that the cuts “will turn Britain’s once-proud Navy into nothing more than a coastal defense force.”

In fact, the British naval forces have been so neglected; the U.K. probably couldn’t pull off the Falkland Islands mission today. The world’s fifth-largest economy now supports an army that ranks 28th in size.

What are they thinking?

I remember the Falkland Islands conflict; it wasn't a stunning military exercise, either.

Britain is our only reliable ally, making this chilling both for them and for us.

And, given the chance, it's what Democrats in Congress (or in the White House in 2008) would do to us.

Minn-Dakota Wind Farm Coming

The Argus Leader says a new wind farm is coming to take advantage of some of that abundant South Dakota wind:

The state has the best wind power potential in the nation by some measures and no fewer than 21 proposals for new wind farms. But it still has only one major wind complex, built near Highmore in 2003.

That is about to change with the Minn-Dakota wind farm - 100 turbines expected to start turning in December in Minnesota and Brookings County. And a significant agreement was forged this month to build 34 turbines in 2008 on a bluff near Wessington Springs that has one of the steadiest breezes in the country.

As long as it's cost effective, let's go for it.

Christian Concerns About Socialized Medicine

From OneNewsNow, Dr. David Stevens of the Christian Medical Association points out some concerns Christians might have under socialized medicine:

Christians may have limited recourse with regard to moral and ethical issues in health care coverage after government mandates are in effect. He says that could become a serious concern for believers if they find those mandates often clash with Christian ethics and morality over issues such as abortion, stem cell research, and cloning.

In other words, if you don't like it that your health care coverage pays for abortions, etc., and you don't want to be a part of that...tough. You have nowhere else to go; you can't switch to another insurance provider.

He also points out some of the practical considerations reasons why government health care is a money-pit:

"Physicians were more concerned, especially in the early 90s, about increasing government control of health care and the bureaucracy that would result," the doctor says -- bureacracy, he emphasizes, that may add up to 30 to 50 percent of health care costs and that makes decisions instead of giving patients choices in their health care coverage.

Finally, the article points out why socialized medicine always becomes a bloated, inefficient and "uncaring" health "care" system in a nationalized environment:

And there are other built-in problems in play when there is no competition for the best health care services, Stevens contends. "At least now there's competition between insurance companies," he says, "and so if our organization's not getting the type of service they need from an insurance company, you can go find another one."

Nancy or Hillary: Which Shall Emerge as the Queen Bee?

No matter how many in the swarm of bees, there is only going to be "one" Queen Bee! So who shall it be? Nancy or Hillary? Who shall control and lead the swarm? It is going to be interesting to see.

The Great Global Warming Swindle

Here's a 75 minute video that Al Gore will find inconvenient. It shows man-made global warming for the sham it is.

It was produced by Britain's Channel 4 but hasn't aired in the States yet.

Thanks to Dr. Walter Williams and WorldNetDaily.

Bullying Attempts in Washington Putting Our Military & Country in Danger?

I don't care if there is a new congress in town or not. Being voted into office does not automatically give senators and representatives the expertise to make decisions regarding military operations, especially in the field. And if this new congress is so worried about the service people, as they claim to be, why are they forcing such a challenge for the world to see? A challenge that many countries will take as a sign of weakness to take advantage of.

I don't care if people like President Bush or not. How anyone feels about him is their right to opinion.

I don't care what people think of the War in Iraq or how long it has gone on. Their right is to an opinion about that as well.

But when people start making it look like we are undecided, weak and unable to follow through -- they have crossed the line and are putting our service people and our country in a danger they have no right to put us in.

Congress needs to dump the bullying attempts and start working together with our president to find solutions that have a chance to work! Just remember, you can't drive down a road if you haven't figured out how to build it first!

The Left's Big Lie

Joseph Farah uses the occasion of Rep Pete Stark's (D-CA) admission of being an atheist to point out the lie of "separation of church and state:"

In making his "brave" comments, Stark explained that he is "a Unitarian who does not believe in a Supreme Being." The 75-year-old old member of Congress then added: "Like our nation's founders, I strongly support the separation of church and state. I look forward to working with the Secular Coalition to stop the promotion of narrow religious beliefs in science, marriage contracts, the military and the provision of social services."

When I hear statements like this, from people who have been around the block a time or two, I have to wonder if the man is knowingly lying in support of his perverted beliefs or whether he is hopelessly ignorant of history.

Let me put it this way: None of America's founding fathers supported – strongly or not – the notion of separation of church and state. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Bupkis.

If someone out there in Internet-land would like to challenge that statement, please simply provide some evidence. And please don't tell me about Thomas Jefferson's 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in Connecticut. It is in this letter – and only in this letter – that any founder ever used the phrase "separation of church and state."

Farah goes on to point out just a few evidences that Jefferson would have been called a Right-wing religious fanatic today:

In 1774, while serving in the Virginia Assembly, Jefferson personally introduced a resolution calling for a day of fasting and prayer.

In 1779, as governor of Virginia, Jefferson decreed a day of "public and solemn thanksgiving and prayer to Almighty God."

As president, Jefferson signed bills that appropriated financial support for chaplains in Congress and the armed services.

On March 4, 1805, President Jefferson offered "A National Prayer for Peace," which petitioned "Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen."

The "separation of church and state" Jefferson referred to in his letter to the Danbury Baptists was one where the federal government cannot establish a national church, nor can it interfere with the religious freedom of the people.

So why is the First Amendment now being used to purge expressions of faith from the public square?

Putting Voice to Liberal Feelings

This almost has to be satirical, but from some of the stuff I've seen in the Left-wing blogosphere, there remains a seed of doubt, that this might actually be some liberal's manifesto.

From The Wildcat Online:

Time and time again, from the socialists of pre-WWII Germany to the communists of the Soviet Union and North Korea, history has proven that individual citizens simply cannot support themselves no matter the effort exerted and that the government can be relied upon to do what is right and to do it efficiently.

There's much more like this. Please, go read the whole thing. Whether real or satire, it's worth the good laugh it brings. Because whether they say it so candidly and articulately or not, many liberals actually "think" this way.

What Many No Longer Believe

From Fox News, Pope Benedict XVI addresses one of the most important politically incorrect truths in the world:

Addressing a parish gathering in a northern suburb of Rome, Pope Benedict XVI said that in the modern world many people, including some believers, had forgotten that if they failed to 'admit blame and promise to sin no more,' they risked 'eternal damnation — the Inferno.'

Hell 'really exists and is eternal, even if nobody talks about it much any more,' he said.

Maybe if more of us understood this, we'd be looking for a way to avoid such a terrible destiny. Maybe if Christians were really in touch with the reality of Hell, we'd be working harder to warn people away from it...

Raising Our Own Children

An Illinois pastor says parents, not churches, should raise children. From OneNewsNow:

"A lot of people would say, well, I work too many hours; I only see my kids from six p.m. to eight p.m.," he shares, then adds: "You can come up with whatever excuse you want, but it boils down to your obedience to honor God in the way you raise your children."

I'd trust a good church with my children 10 times before I'd trust a government institution with them once, but he's absolutely right. Too often, we parents are looking for ANYONE to raise our children but ourselves.

This church in Illinois is changing the way they do things, in order to bring the family closer together. And while the "children's church" approach has it's advantages (like the parent hearing whole sermon without having to stay on top of fidgety kids), this pastor has a very good point.

"We're having kids, reading-age and up, in the service with mom and dad -- and this is new for us," he acknowledges. "We're definitely going into a new adventure."

But parents must be willing to sacrifice in order to make sure that their children are raised according to biblical standards, he states. "It's neat to see God change some of the hearts of the parents as we discuss this [new approach], as we see the value in this [and] as we have a heart for the next generation," says Baumann.

Smart People Sue Themselves

From the Rapid City Journal:

The Aberdeen School District will become part of a lawsuit that contends the state of South Dakota inadequately funds K-12 public education.

Maybe our schools would have more money to spend on actual education if the government didn't sue itself.

Feminist Bait and Switch

Hey, Chad: I'm sure you already know this, but the efforts to resurrect that old 70s relic called the Equal Rights Amendment are just a bait-and-switch to get more of the liberal shopping list.

Women already have equal rights and already have equal opportunity. Any disparity in pay is due to factors other than gender itself, such as family priorities. If a woman puts family needs before job needs, she won't be paid and promoted as well...but neither will a man.

I've hired plenty of men and women, and not once did their sex factor into either the hiring or what they were paid, or in any promotions. And I've never seen anyone else factor that into their decisions, either.

But I have seen supervisors and managers weigh the commitment level of an employee when considering them for pay increases and promotions. If they know they can count on the employee to be there any time, all the time, and perhaps also for overtime, that employee is going to advance faster than one who only works the required amount and/or takes time off for family considerations.

Once, when I was being considered for a new position, I was identified by a senior manager as not being "a player" because I wouldn't work the extra hours some thought I should. Nothing unfair about that; certain positions, especially upper management ones, require extra commitment, and if you can't or won't give it, then you don't meet the requirements of the position. After all, businesses exist to produce goods or services and make money, not function as social caregivers.

But as I said, the ERA resurrection efforts aren't really about that anyway. It's about making inroads for special homosexual "rights" and paving the way for even more abortions, and things like that.

Bait-and-switch is the oldest trick in the liberal playbook; inciting envy and a feeling of victimization is their favorite way of fooling people into accepting some new piece of societal rot.

But then, I'm sure you already knew all this anyway. :-)

Hillary Unliked

It's too early to make much of such polls, but this latest from The Hill is similar to a number of polls I've seen in the last year or two that indicate Senator Mrs. Bill Clinton has a high disapproval factor:

Half of voting-age Americans say they would not vote for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) if she became the Democratic nominee for president in 2008, according to a Harris Interactive poll released Tuesday.

More than one in five Democrats that participated in the survey said they would not vote for Clinton. Overall, 36 percent say they would vote for the former first lady and 11 percent are unsure of their top choice.

Resurrecting the Equal Rights Fossil

I knew the liberals were going to go nuts when they got control of Congress back, and they're predictably proving me correct.

Feminists in Congress--and their useful idiots--are trying to resurrect the old Equal Rights Amendment.

From CNS News:

'It's been a long, hard fight for women's equality,' Maloney said Monday at the Women's Equality Summit hosted by the National Council of Women's Organizations in Washington, D.C.

'We've achieved a lot for women -- even in my lifetime,' she said. 'But we have not done enough.'

I think these liberals realize women are getting a fair shake these days. They're just mad at God for having made them a woman.

I honestly don't know why they so loathe their own femininity.

A Skeleton in Sean Penn's Closet

Maybe you've heard about actor Sean Penn's latest rant about what an evil place America is and what a wonderful place nations like Iran are (I'm still wondering why Sean hasn't moved there).

Imagine, for a moment, it's 1939.

A prominent Jewish actor makes the following statement.

"Let me tell you something about Germany, because I've been there and you haven't. Germany is a great country. A great country. Does it have its haters? You bet. Just like the United States has its haters. Does it have a corrupt regime? You bet. Just like the United States has a corrupt regime."

What would you think of such a person? How would history judge him?

I don't know that anyone made exactly that statement in 1939. But I do know that Sean Penn made a very similar statement a few days ago. The only difference was the name of the country. Instead of Germany, substitute Iran.

Is there really any moral difference between the statements?

WorldNetDaily has some interesting information about Penn's background:

Would it surprise you to learn that one of those prominent Hollywood Communist Jews who sided with Germany until the breaking of that Hitler-Stalin Pact was none other than Leo Penn, the late father of Sean Penn.

Amazing? Yes, but true.

You don't believe history repeats itself?

Now it's Sean Penn's turn to relive and recommit the sins of his father, who never repented of his Communist Party activities – activities that included support for and appeasement of Hitler's Germany at the very time the concentration camps were incinerating his Jewish brothers and sisters in Europe.

Second-Hand Smoke Provides a Public Service

From WorldNetDaily:

Stewart Laidlaw, 35, is being barred from Thirsty Kirsty's in Dunfermline, Fife, for failing to control his flatulence.

'No one could smell anything when the pub was full of cigarette smoke,' Laidlaw told Wales on Sunday. 'I never used to complain about the smell of their cigarette smoke, but now everyone complains about me. It's just a natural thing. What can I do about it? I must be the first person in the country to get banned from a pub for passing wind. But it's not a title I want. I certainly don't see it as funny.'

How bad was it?

"We are a bus station pub and trying to keep new customers. The final straw was when an old gentleman came in and had his gin and tonic and the old guy was almost sick.

"Other people have dropped handbags, shall we say. But when everybody's choking and I come out with the spray and say don't do it again, they will appreciate that and stop it.

Rosie: I am Stupid, Hear Me Roar

Rosie O'Donnell once again broadcasts her liberal dufus-ness to the world.

From WorldNetDaily:

In yet another provocative claim, TV host Rosie O'Donnell implied today the Iranian seizure of British sailors was a hoax to provide President Bush with an excuse to go to war with Tehran.

Naturalism and Materialism: Cherry Picking the Data

The Rapid City Journal today has a feature on the creation science seminar coming up this weekend.

One of the disciples of evolution, however, doesn't like the idea of allowing any blasphemy against her religion in the classroom:

Maribeth Price, chair of the geology department at Tech, said the science and technology school teaches science, not religion.

“We teach the science as it is published and as it is known,” Price said. She finds the creation scientists’ conflict between faith and evolution overblown. “We can talk about intelligent design, but we don’t call it science,” Price said. “The earth could have been designed to work the way it does, but science can’t address the issue of design. I don’t think science can answer that question. That’s a religious question that involves a person’s belief, not science.”

Science will never address all the questions of design, since as finite beings we can't fully grasp the infinite genius God used in creating the earth, but science can and already has helped us to understand a lot about how God created and ordered the universe. (Is she forgetting the multitude of scientists who believed in creation such as Mendel, Newton, Pascal, da Vinci, Pasteur, Kepler and others?)

She also attempts to explain away the criticism of one of key supports of their fantastic theories:

Skepticism about radiometric dating methods, which measure the presence of various elements in rock, do not prove a young earth, she said. Neither does evidence of rapid sediment accumulation from volcanic eruptions such as Mount St. Helens.

“It is true that some things affect the accuracy of radiometric dating,” Price said, but those problems arise from the condition of the rock tested, not the method itself. Typically, those problems are from an inappropriate sample.

So if the sample has a reading that we know through observation is incorrect (such as the Mt Saint Helens lava dome that formed less than 30 years ago but has been dated at something like 2.8 million years), then it's a "bad sample."

But if the sample was formed beyond the range of human observation, then we can somehow "trust" that a reading of millions or billions of years is "correct."

And if the geological deposits and formations laid down rapidly at Mt. Saint Helens about 30 years ago happen to look a LOT like those at the Grand Canyon (that vast-agers claim took millions of years to form), that's just a "coincidence."

Very convenient. But it isn't science.

By the way, I often refer to naturalism, materialism and evolution as a "religion" because it meets all the criteria for being a religion: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices; scrupulous conformity; a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.

The main thing required to believe the unscientific claims of evolution is a lot of FAITH.

Ronald Reagan and Branson, Missouri

I visited the famous Branson, Missouri for the first time last week with my family.

As we drove around and observed the multitude of places to see music and other shows, with a "Strip" that is sometimes called a family-friendly version of Las Vegas, not to mention all the amusement attractions, I found myself wondering "Why Branson, MO?"

The reason I asked this is because while the town is easy to access from Kansas City with a divided 4-lane highway all the way, it's still off the beaten path. And from the south (i.e. from the Little Rock, Arkansas direction), you end up on several stretches of two-lane highway going through a lot of little towns. It's just a little town of 6,000 or so residents. So how did Branson, MO become such a famous place? I found the answer in the World's Largest Toy Museum in Branson.

As you make your way through this interesting museum full of toys (some recent, some I played with as a kid, and some that my grand-dad must have played with), you will eventually come to a little chapel-like area that has a half-hour video playing in a loop.

It tells the story of Harold Bell Wright; if you're like me, maybe you've never heard of him, or don't recall hearing of him. But he was a famous writer from the first half of the 20th Century. He wrote a book about the Ozarks called "The Shepherd of the Hills" in 1907. People began to visit the Branson area after reading the popular book, and "Branson" was born.

Being a great admirer of Ronald Reagan, I was pleased to learn of Branson's connection with the greatest president of the 20th Century. I read in "God and Ronald Reagan" about how as a boy Reagan had read Harold Bell Wright's "That Printer of Udell's" and how, based on Reagan's own statement, it seemed to play some role in Reagan's acceptance of Christianity. I had forgotten the author's name and the connection until visiting the toy museum.

There is a display near the beginning of the toy museum tour that tells this Reagan story and shows the letter Reagan wrote to Jean Wright in 1984.

I'd highly recommend Branson as a great place for family-friendly fun, and as an interesting connection for those of you who may admire Ronald Reagan as much as I do. The folks who run the World's Largest Toy Museum are some of the nicest people you'll ever run across, too.

Health Care Solution: Universal Deductibility

Columnist Herman Cain has an idea for fixing the current health care mess...one that doesn't involve increasing our dependence on government.

From TownHall.com:

Universal deductibility of health insurance premiums by employers, employees, the unemployed, individuals and business owners would connect the consumer to health care costs. When people spend their own money, they spend it more wisely. Most people will purchase health plans they can afford, instead of expecting more benefits from their employer or the government.

I haven't looked at this close enough to know if I like it, but if it's market-based versus socialism, I consider it worth examining.

It would, however, require a major change to our tax system, which reduces its likelihood of being adopted. But then, few good things come about without a long fight, and adopting a better tax system than "stick it to the rich" is long overdue.

Creation Museum in Kentucky to Open Soon

The Lexington Herald-Leader has an article on the Answers in Genesis creation museum set to open in a couple of months:

But Eugenie Scott, a former University of Kentucky anthropologist who is director of the California-based National Center for Science Education, said the information provided in the museum 'is not even close to standard science.'

Scott visited the museum recently as part of a British Broadcasting Corp. radio program. Although she didn't get a tour, she saw enough to know that the museum will be professionally done. And, she says, that's worrisome.

'There are going to be students coming into the classroom and saying, 'I just went to this fancy museum and everything you're telling me is rubbish,' ' Scott said.

Daniel Phelps of Lexington, president of the Kentucky Paleontological Society, says the museum will embarrass the state because of the 'pseudoscientific-nutty things' it espouses, and because it portrays evolution as the path to ruin.

"...not even close to standard science"? What she means is that it's not even close to standard naturalism which masquerades as science.

I can also understand that a professional presentation of the scientific evidence of creation would be worrisome for a disciple of evolution; it threatens her religion of secularism. There is indeed a great likelihood that once students see the problems with evolution theory, and see scientifically plausible creation theories, they'll see evolution theory for the rubbish it is.

What will be embarrassing is that the "pseudoscientific-nutty things" held by materialism and naturalism (such as everything from nothing, outright violation of natural law without supernatural influence, star formation from incoherent gas, life from lifelessness, irreducible complexity, etc.--all without supernatural causation) will be exposed as scientifically untenable.

The Last Word on "Unbiblical" Socialized Medicine

My thanks to Professor Schaff for a reasonable debate about the biblical nature of socialized medicine. I think he and I have covered our points pretty well, so I don't have a whole lot to add for his gracious offer of the last word.

However, I would like to clarify that "unbiblical" doesn't necessarily mean "with evil intent." Things that are unbiblical (i.e. not in harmony with the teachings of the Bible) CAN be evil, but perhaps even more often they passively fail to harmonize with its teachings.

For instance, I once believed evolution theory and the Bible's teachings about origins were compatible. I did so, not out of evil intent, but out of ignorance. Another example would be the widely held believe (even among some Christians) that "all roads lead to Heaven." Yet Jesus says HE is the only way. The opinion of Christians who believe any faith can get you to heaven as long as you're sincere is then, obviously, inconsistent with the Bible and thus "unbiblical."

I believe that while some people actually understand the moral shortcomings of socialism and simply reject it in favor of a humanist worldview, most in our society support or give acquiescence to socialism through ignorance of both its practical and biblical inconsistency.

But, as the cop says when he pulls you over for speeding, ignorance is no excuse. While I acknowledge the distinction of "intent," in the end, it matters little what the intent was when determining if something is correct or incorrect, right or wrong. As they say, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. That's not stated in the Bible, but it does harmonize with what the Bible teaches about the nature of man.

So in the end, I think it's completely appropriate, especially in a society that still overwhelming claims to believe in God, to discuss the biblical reasons for and against something, alongside the practical considerations. It is also an inescapable truth that practically all moral decisions have practical consequences.

Thanks again, Professor Schaff, for the discussion and for "the last word."

Don't Mess With Chuck

This appears to be the latest video going around the internet. Funnier than Hillary's 1984? Maybe.



Hat tip to WorldNetDaily.

Let's Keep God Under Control

I'm not sure exactly the overall point Jon Schaff is trying to make in "What's God's View on Booster Seats;" the point I think he is trying to make (if I'm right) is obscured by his opening statement, with which I strongly disagree:

There are many things God is against. Universal health care is not one of them. Here's a good rule: if you don't need to invoke God's justice to defeat an idea, then don't. Government run health care is bad enough in its own right. We don't need to invoke the almighty. As a rule, it is a bad idea to assert biblical sanction or injunction when a.) Scripture does not speak directly to the subject, and b.) there are good secular arguments to be made. The argument against government run health care is not an argument about God's justice, but an argument about what is the best way to create a health care system that works for all, including the poor.

While I agree that we should not stretch and twist and misinterpret Scripture (as liberals are quite fond of), there are many things in Scripture which are not "directly" addressed that can nevertheless be determined with great certainty to be true ( for example: the word "Trinity" is never used in Scripture, yet it is easy to determine the accuracy of Trinitarian doctrine through references to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit). Does God tell us whether we should buy domestic cars or foreign cars? No, but He does leave plenty of evidence in the Bible, as Rev. Creech pointed out, that socialism is a bad thing because, among other reasons, it denies the spiritual state of man and fosters envy.

But more to my point, I take great exception to Professor Schaff's assertion that God's insight is something we should only refer to as a kind of last resort, or something to fall back on if practical reasons elude us.

This kind of "compartmentalized living," and the acquiescence of Christians toward it, is exactly what has marginalized Christianity in the last century or so. It is the unnecessary surrender of solid ground in exchange for a "hiding place" in the attic of irrelevancy.

If God is worth listening to in the first place, then He should certainly be worth consulting in any and all areas of life. God invites us to come to him for wisdom and providence, not keep him tucked neatly away in the closet until all our secular avenues fail.

God says

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness

This indicates Scripture is given to us by God, and it's useful for teaching and learning. The Bible also says in Deuteronomy 6:6-7:

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

In other words, God's wisdom should be a part of our everyday lives--so much a part that it invades all areas of life.

And if God takes note of when a sparrow falls to the ground, certainly he has a handle on the health care of humans.

We should include the practical, secular reasons for or against something in a public discussion because there will always be those non-Christians who won't understand the moral reasons (even though they still apply to them). But for those who call themselves Christians, who call themselves believers, those Scriptural reasons should be no less legitimate than the practical reasons. And while I'm under no illusions about the genuine validity of such a claim, the majority of Americans--and South Dakotans--say they believe in God. If they believe in Him, why don't they start acting like it...or just be real about what they do and don't believe?

I can trust God and come to him for wisdom on my eternal destiny, but I can't do these things for everyday life on earth? I have a hard time buying that one.

A God that can't be trusted to address the more practical aspects of life, or has no interest in them, is a pretty limited god that doesn't sound like the one described in the Bible.

Recognizing American Values

Americans for Prosperity is running a full-page ad in the Rapid City Journal today, recognizing those legislators who voted in the interest of the taxpayers at least 70% of the time. It's too bad the name of every legislator isn't listed here.










We should do more to highlight fiscal responsibility in government; Lord knows there's a sore lack of it.

Balanced Ethnic Education

Alan Aker's Rapid City Journal column today has some balanced suggestions for carrying out the Indian education bill passed in the legislature this year.

Among those suggestions:

* Teach our kids what government did to the American Indians. Under the guise of caring for them, they herded them on to the least-productive parcels of land in the country and packed their children off to boarding schools, where they were forbidden to practice their traditional religion, speak their native language, and were routinely beaten and abused. The lesson: the power of the government to do evil is infinitely greater than its power to do good.

* Teach our kids that there was once a scientific and intellectual consensus that American Indians were sub-human. The lesson: Awful things happen when we give people the power to decide what categories of human life are disposable for the sake of convenience.

* Teach our kids that the white invasion brought disease, massacre, starvation and alcoholism, but it also brought medicine, literacy, political equality for women, air conditioning and the Bill of Rights. The lesson: White man brought both blessings and curses to American Indians.

* Teach our kids that the Lakota were only here a couple of hundred years before white settlement. Just as we displaced the Lakota, they displaced other American Indian nations which were here 300 to 400 years ago. The lessons: Control illegal immigration and maintain a strong military.

* Teach our kids about the heroic lives our white ancestors lived. They took incredible risks and sacrificed immensely to build schools, churches, ranches, towns, governments and roads. They gave their time and treasure to benefit generations they’d never meet. Shame on us for scolding them for being racist or imperialist. Shame on us if we don’t teach our children to respect them.

Read the whole column here; it's worth it.

Finding Ways to Mess With Homeschoolers

From azcentral.com:

The young chess players were the first such champions in Arizona.

But a team of homeschool students from the southeast Valley, called the Chevalier Noir (Black Knight) Academy, was shut out last weekend from competing, not allowed to defend its title in the Arizona Scholastic Chess Championship held in Tucson.

State chess officials allowed the homeschool students to play as teams for two years because of changing or unclear national rules on the subject, but this year, they ruled team members must come from the same school.The young chess players were the first such champions in Arizona.

But a team of homeschool students from the southeast Valley, called the Chevalier Noir (Black Knight) Academy, was shut out last weekend from competing, not allowed to defend its title in the Arizona Scholastic Chess Championship held in Tucson.

State chess officials allowed the homeschool students to play as teams for two years because of changing or unclear national rules on the subject, but this year, they ruled team members must come from the same school.

So what's the big reason this chess team of homeschoolers can't compete?

"The tournaments were created and designed for school teams," said Will Wharton, president of the Arizona Chess Federation board. "The problem is their connection is just chess, they're not doing any schooling together."

Oh, now I get it. "Schooling together" does so many things for students; I just can't think of any. Besides, it takes a lot of teamwork to play chess...well, the school implies that it does, so they must know what they're talking about. :-)

This is clearly a move to punish homeschoolers for not worshipping at the holy temple of secular public education.