The environment is much too important to be left to environmentalists.
~Steven Hayward

Whine-Free Wine

I delivered a bundle of Wine Report magazines yesterday to the friendly wine merchant on my route. She then gave me my own personal copy. (Sam Neill, best known from the Jurassic Park movies, is on the cover. I rather enjoyed him in Dead Calm. Check it out if you haven't seen it.)

Anyway, this is from the beginning of a story called "A Hot Debate" in the Wine News section:

"Global warming is a bunch of bunk."

That's according to Charles Brammer, owner and winemaker at Morgan Creek Vineyards in Harpersville, AL.

Way to go, Chuck! I might have to buy a bottle or two of Morgan Creek wine (to help offset all those people who just demonized you for being a climate-change denier).

Also, Ernest Gallo died March 6 at the age of 97.

Caption Contest

Election Update

Results are not yet final in Nigeria, but early returns are disappointing.

The vote on Saturday in Africa's most populous nation was marred by violence, fraud and intimidation. First results on Sunday indicated continued dominance by the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP), as was expected.

The election was a far cry from the hoped-for display of democracy to mark the first handover from one civilian president to another in a country scarred by decades of military rule.

16 had died in election related violence.

Pray

UPDATE! If you would like to financially assist the families affected by the fire talked about below, contact any branch of First Nation Bank.

---

I was not at work Friday, but I got a phone call telling me that a business on my route had burned. I was sad to learn that it was T-Lex, a car repair shop specializing in Toyota and Lexus. The owner, a great guy named Gil, is one of a rare breed of honest and fair car repairmen.

As you can see from the picture, the main building was a total loss. Fortunately the high winds of the past week were gone and the fire didn't spread to his adjacent building as well. No one was hurt, but nine cars and over half a million dollars in equipment burned up. The fire started when one of Gil's men was working on a fuel leak. Gil was not present when the fire began.

Please pray for Gil and his wife, Misty, and their daughter (I don't know her name), and all the other families affected by this fire as they work to put things back together. As Gil said, "It's amazing how quickly things can change."

Additional Reactions to Partial Birth Abortion Ruling

rosie O asked:

"why only democrat's responses? I'm sure Rudy and Mitt had something to say...What say you Blogger?"

Well, Rudy and Mitt (and even McCain) were good:

Giuliani: "The Supreme Court reached the correct conclusion in upholding the congressional ban on partial birth abortion. I agree with it."

Romney: Said the decision “reaffirmed the value of life in America by upholding a ban on a practice that offends basic human decency.”

and McCain: Said the ruling “ensures that an unacceptable and unjustifiable practice will not be carried out on our innocent children.” “It also clearly speaks to the importance of nominating and confirming strict constructionist judges who interpret the law as it is written, and do not usurp the authority of Congress and state legislatures."

But the really interesting reaction is from our former Double-Talker-in-Chief on Larry King's Alive tonight. He doesn't believe it's a pro-life decsion. Hoooo-boy! You want to see some slick abortion rhetoric? Here you go! . . . From the transcript at CNN.com (warning, this will cause nausea and nightmarish flashbacks) . . .

~~~~~~~~
KING: Some of the bases we will cover tonight.

The Supreme Court has said partial-birth abortion is wrong. The woman will not be blamed, but the doctor can get up to two years.

Thoughts?

B. CLINTON: Well, you know, I vetoed that bill twice. And I think it's a great victory for the political strategy of the anti- abortion movement. But I do not believe it's a pro-life decision.

KING: No?

B. CLINTON: I do not. Not a pro-life decision, because, let me remind you, when I vetoed that bill, I had standing in the White House with me an Evangelical Christian who had had the procedure who was pro-life, an Orthodox Jew who had had the provision who was pro-life, and another Christian who had been pro-choice.

All three women and their husbands and physicians -- but two of the three who had had the provision were pro-life. They did it because their children were -- I mean, their unborn children were severely hydrocephalic. They were certain to die either before, during or immediately after childbirth. And the doctors told them that if they did not reduce the size of these babies' heads -- which were swollen very high, very large -- that delivering them, even by cesarean section, might so damage the women that they might not be able to bear other children.

And they told me that they would otherwise never want to use this procedure, that no one would want to do this unless there was some medical necessity for it.

But it sounded gruesome. You could use -- you can label it and no one ever knew the facts. It was a perfect political strategy.

Who can be for partial-birth abortion?

It's a great line.

But the truth is, the doctors who did it and the women who agreed to have it -- as I said, I talked to two of them who were pro-life, anti-abortion. They did it because they thought it was a pro-life position. They thought it was the only way they could go on and have further children.

KING: So you don't see "Roe v. Wade" in danger?

B. CLINTON: No, I do think it's in danger. But all I'm saying is I don't believe that this was a victory for the pro-life forces. I think -- you know, I think abortion is a difficult decision. I agree with the "Roe v. Wade" decision because I don't think we ought to criminalize this. I think it's somewhat hypocritical, frankly, to make the doctors criminals and leave the mothers off.

KING: It's two parts to the crime.

B. CLINTON: You can't go around saying, well, this is killing and then you have an essential accomplice here, the mother. The mother can't do this -- I mean, the doc can't do it without the mother. But we're not going to charge them, we're only going to charge the doctor.

So they know how hard this is. This is -- but as a political strategy for the anti-abortion movement, it's a great triumph. And they do -- they have put "Roe vote. Wade" at risk. I just don't agree with the decision. And I don't think it's pro-life.

I think that the -- I vetoed those bills because I thought that if they passed it would make it harder for women with problem pregnancies to have other children.
~~~~~~~~

If American Idol's Simon wants to roll his eyes about something, here would be a good place! I feel like starting a "NO MORE YEARS!" chant.

Big Week for Nigeria

I was reading the "Persecution News from Compass Direct" in the right-hand column of this blog and became interested in Nigeria. There a 13 year-old Christian boy was kidnapped by Muslims who intended to force him to convert to Islam, but he managed to escape after four months. He is now in hiding in another village. You can read his story here. (I know Christians have been accused of all sorts of evils by the naysayers, but have we ever tried the "kidnapping and forced conversion" thing?)

This week happens to be a big one for Nigeria, Africa's most populous country; national elections are Saturday. One Nigerian columnist begins his latest article this way: "The State election is over with its shortcomings, disqualifications, expulsions, abductions, kidnappings, arrests, killings, and assassinations, now Nigerians are ready for the big one this weekend." And guess who else is on the scene in Nigeria? An Islamist group called the Taliban! Yes, just Tuesday they are suspected to have been responsible for a gun attack that killed 21 policemen at a Kano police station. Long live the religion of peace! Not that I understand a thing about Nigerian politics (good grief, there are over 50 political parties!) but I will report here the results of the elections, which hopefully will be the first peaceful transition of presidential power in decades.

There's No Rhetoric Like Abortion Rhetoric

As you hear people discussing today's Supreme Court decision upholding the ban on partial birth abortion, you will hear things like "women's rights have been destroyed" and "this is the end of our constitution." When you hear these things, please keep in mind that they are upset about the banning of the "procedure" pictured below. They don't even like that it is called "partial birth abortion." Well, if they don't like that phrase, then why don't we just call it what it is--infanticide?!?! People need to know what this "procedure" is. Remember these images when you listen to them:

Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby's leg with forceps to manually force a "breach" (feet first) birth.

The baby's leg is pulled out into the birth canal.

The abortionist delivers the baby's entire body, except for the head.

The abortionist jams scissors into the baby's skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge the hole...

The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child's brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed.

For the record here are some of the presidential candidates who support the legality and continuance of the above "procedure:"

John Edwards: On Wednesday, Edwards said he "could not disagree more strongly" with the high court’s decision. "The ban upheld by the Court is an ill-considered and sweeping prohibition that does not even take account for serious threats to the health of individual women. This hard right turn is a stark reminder of why Democrats cannot afford to lose the 2008 election."

Barack Obama: Illinois Sen. Barack Obama said the decision is a dramatic departure from precedents safeguarding women’s health. "I am extremely concerned that this ruling will embolden state legislatures to enact further measures to restrict a woman’s right to choose, and that the conservative Supreme Court justices will look for other opportunities to erode Roe v. Wade, which is established federal law and a matter of equal rights for women."

Mrs. Bill Clinton: Clinton said Wednesday’s ruling "blatantly defies" the high court’s decision in 2000 to strike down a state partial-birth abortion law because it failed to provide an exemption for a woman’s health. "As the Supreme Court recognized in Roe v. Wade in 1973, this issue is complex and highly personal; the rights and lives of women must be taken into account," she said. "It is precisely this erosion of our constitutional rights that I warned against when I opposed the nominations of Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito."

"Erosion of constitutional rights"? Does she mean the right to do the act in the pictures above? Don't fall for the rhetoric.

Top Website

According to a BBC story, the number one website in the world in terms of time per visit is not this blog (surprise!) but a fantasy role-playing game site called RuneScape. The average visit is 6 hours and 32 minutes! Those visitors have some serious time to waste. It does look like an interesting game that my kids would probably love in a few years. Try it out; you can play for free.

Save the Seals!

The Discovery Channel's Planet Earth is an amazing documentary (please note, Moore & Gore). Filmed over a five-year period in over 200 locations, it is absolutely stunning visually. There are the occasional attributions of divinity to evolution (aka "blind chance"), but it is well worth a look. An 11-part series with new episodes airing on Sunday evenings. Check it out!

Movin' On Up

Chip Caray, after the Marlins catcher took a foul ball to his groin:

"He'll be in a different seat in the choir on Sunday."

They don't call catcher's gear the "tools of ignorance" for nothing!

Before God we are equally wise -- and equally foolish.
-Albert Einstein

Golf, Atheism, and the Invention of Glue

I chuckled this past Easter Sunday as the Masters golf tournament concluded and the champion, Zach Johnson, sat in Butler Cabin being interviewed by Jim Nantz. He made sure to thank his "Lord and Jesus." So, he botched his line a bit; it was only his second tour victory. I'm sure he meant to say "Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" or simply "Lord Jesus," but that's not why I chuckled. My chuckle was because I thought of poor Sam Harris, the atheist author of The End of Faith and more recently of Letter to a Christian Nation. I pictured Harris somewhere enjoying the Masters as a perfectly pagan diversion on a religious holiday of such significance. And just when Harris was pondering the question on everyone's mind, "Who is Zach Johnson?," here comes Zach's truncated profession of faith like fingernails on a chalkboard announcing that he is just another of those idiots Harris likes to write about. He had to think, "Is there no respite from these Christian whackos?" That's what I thought, and so I chuckled.

The reason Sam Harris was on my mind is that I had just read last week's "God Debate" in Newsweak between him and Pastor Rick Warren. The thing that struck me about the debate was that, for an atheist who says "the basic point is that evolution by natural selection is random genetic mutation over millions of years in the context of environmental pressure that selects for fitness," Harris sure does make an awful lot of value judgments.

This point is wonderfully expanded upon in Douglas Wilson's brand new book Letter from a Christian Citizen, which is a direct answer to Harris' Letter. I strongly recommend that you click here to read the fantastic introduction by Gary DeMar and the first ten pages of chapter one. The book is in a big font, so it reads quickly. If that's not enough, you can listen to a radio interview of Wilson by DeMar here. And lastly, if you haven't figured out why this post's title mentions the invention of glue, start clicking!

Technorati Tags: sam harris, atheism, christianity, douglas wilson

Another Bible Version?

I'm convinced riding around town this week that there must be a new Bible version out there that contains a verse something like, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have a car flag with your church's name on it."

U-u-u-u-u-h-h-h-h-h-h!!!

The title of this post is supposed to be that low, rumbling sound Lurch made on the Addams Family. Why? Because that's my reaction to John Kerry's idiocy on the Senate floor yesterday in regard to stem cells. (Plus, Kerry looks a bit Lurchy, don't you think?)


Kerry was overstating the results of embryonic stem cell (ESC) research in mice, but the statement that bugs me is this one, because even those one the right side of this debate make this same error sometimes. He said:

"Now we can all hope that alternatives to embryonic research hold similar promise [to ESCs], but we can't wish away what our scientists are telling us: research on embryonic stem cells is incredibly promising, pivotal to this new field and not easily sidestepped."

Why speak of "alternatives" to embryonic stem cell research?!?! ESC HAS NEVER DONE ANYTHING! The wishing is all on the side of ESC; the results are on the side of adult and cord blood therapies.

In further Senate action, the President should be able to successfully veto the bill overturning his stem cell funding policy. But the more interesting vote was on bill S. 30. Anyone voting against this bill can rightly be characterized as "anti-science." The short form of the bill states:

It is the purpose of this Act to--

(1) intensify research that may result in improved understanding of or treatments for diseases and other adverse health conditions; and

(2) promote the derivation of pluripotent stem cell lines without the creation of human embryos for research purposes and without the destruction or discarding of, or risk of injury to, a human embryo or embryos other than those that are naturally dead.

Which simply means "we support ethical stem cell research." Well, some senators, including two presidential hopefuls, do not support such research:

NAYs ---28
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Clinton (D-NY)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Kohl (D-WI)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Obama (D-IL)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Wyden (D-OR)

NOT VOTING - 2
Dodd (D-CT)
Johnson (D-SD)

At least Kerry voted for "alternative" research; he must have some sense.

Also here's a link to an earlier post re: adult stem cell successes.

Much of the alarm over climate change is based on ignorance of what is normal for weather and climate. There is no evidence, for instance, that extreme weather events are increasing in any systematic way. . . . The current alarm rests on the false assumption not only that we live in a perfect world, temperaturewise, but also that our warming forecasts for the year 2040 are somehow more reliable than the weatherman's forecast for next week.
(Read the entire article here)
-Richard Lindzen, Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology, MIT

Shoot, Newt!

Newt Gingrich has had a disappointing week. First there was the revelation of his new book due later this year about his brand of market-driven environmentalism called Contract with the Earth. It might be a good book, but what a pathetic title. Then there was his letter yesterday urging Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez to consider stepping down over the U.S. Attorneys fiasco. I know Newt has been disgusted that the whole thing was so poorly handled, but nothing illegal or immoral occurred! You can't give scalps to political enemies (and make no mistake, that's an accurate description of the scenario we have here) for reason of administrative incompetence. That is only to chum the water!

Now today I see the report from the Newt and John Kerry environment debate. Pathetic again! Here is some of the limp-wristed action:

Gingrich began first with a concession to his opponent. Holding the new book by Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, Gingrich said, "This is a very good book. As a clearly right-wing reader, I would commend the book" as one that shows examples of local leadership on environmental issues.

"I would agree with about 60 percent of this book," he added.

~~~

Gingrich raised some discrepancies among the science that has led to the current data on climate change, but when asked pointedly about science doubters, like Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., Gingrich strongly held the case that climate change is a problem.

"What would you say to Sen. Inhofe and others in the Senate who are resisting even science? What's your message to them here today?" Kerry asked.

"My message, I think is that the evidence is sufficient that we should move towards the most effective possible steps to reduce carbon loading in the atmosphere —"

"And do it urgently, now?" Kerry interrupted.

"Urgently, yes," Gingrich said.

It sounds to me that Newt concedes the premise of this nonsense--that global warming is caused by man--and if he does that he loses not only the debate, but my support as well. It also makes me much more nervous about that book title. Wake up, Newt!

You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you. -John Wooden

ESV

I am a fan of the English Standard Version of the Bible. My reasons are pretty much the same as those of George Grant, who says:

The English Standard Version is the translation of the Bible I have been waiting for my entire Christian life. I trust you will find the same to be true for you. It is as precise and accurate as the New American Standard, but is far more literary. It is as readable and accessible as the New International Version, but is far more scholarly. The NAS has always fallen short because of its clunky, ungrammatical prose. The NIV has always fallen short because of its blatant inaccuracies.

There are many examples, but here is one from this past week. You may be familiar with the convention used in English translations to specially denote the covenant name for God, Yahweh, with the all caps LORD. Similarly, hesed is a significant Hebrew word for God's covenant love. Some English translations indicate hesed with the word "loving-kindness." Though it is good they have a word to alert us to hesed, "loving-kindness" is a little mushy for that purpose. The ESV's "steadfast love" better captures the "foreverness" of the covenant God of Israel's love, don't you think?

I say all of that to complain about how the NIV uses no such convention for hesed. It just says "love." Psalm 119 (which we studied in SS on Easter) is packed with references to hesed, but if you use the NIV you will never know it. Aren't translations supposed to help illuminate the Bible text, not obscure it? I think the ESV is the best choice for individual or group study and for the public reading of God's Word.

And one more thing. I hope we are reaching the end of the explosion of translations we've had for the last couple of decades. We have enough already. The last thing we need is for every group to have its own translation. (In case you missed it, that's a dig at the Southern Baptists who now have their own official translation, the Holman Christian Standard Bible.)

So, what translation do you use?

Gone Ape

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- The eight bonobos at the Great Ape Trust of Iowa howled Tuesday as they watched two trumpeter swans dip into a lake for the first time. Who can blame them? Not only will the apes get new neighbors, they'll get a chance to name the rare birds. "They were very excited," said scientist Karyl Swartz. Read the rest here.

I don't mean to disparage our "most humanlike" friends, but I never had to help my children name an animal by holding up signs or providing them a list from which to choose. These are grown apes with "sophisticated language skills?" If they are so sophisticated why not ask them to post names for the swans on their blog or at least to write down their own list!

These animal intelligence reports are always so overblown. Don't people realize that Lassie, Flipper, Mr. Ed, etc. couldn't really do all that stuff themselves? It was all the stupid humans standing around who wrote, directed, and filmed them who made them look so smart. It reminds me of the absurd statement on the PETA website (find it yourself, I refuse to link to it) that pigs are smarter than 3-year-old children. Now, I've had a few 3-year-old children and they are pretty darn smart. (And these are boys I'm talking about; we all know girls are much smarter.) Here is the statement of Dr. Donald Broom on the PETA site: "[P]igs have the cognitive ability to be sophisticated. Even more so than dogs, and certainly 3-year-olds." Also, fish are "so good-natured," and cows "are all individuals."

This might sound good to some people (maybe you) but it is exactly this minimizing of the uniqueness and exceptionalism of humans that leads to caring for animals and killing people. The same types who decry the horrors of meat-packing think that an unborn child's survival depends on nothing but the "choice" of the mother. This is a little crass, but Jesus came to us as a man, not a lamb. He ate fish and other meat. He stood up for little children (against his own disciples), and drowned a large herd of pigs. Let's keep our warm fuzzies about animals in perspective, please.