Fair Tax Question

I posted a link to fairtax.org at the top of the right hand column recently. I hope you have been there to check it out. I think everyone has at least heard the moniker "Fair Tax" by now. My question for you is, Why do you support the Fair Tax?

I like it because it's transparent. Whatever percentage the tax is, everyone will know it, and the social engineering of taxing certain behaviors is GONE! When taxes go up it will be obvious to all. I also like it because it will expand the tax base from income earners to retail consumers. There are a bunch more consumers in "these here" United States than there are people earning a paycheck. The Fair Tax much more reasonably distributes the tax burden. So, What do you think?

Joke of the Day

Al Gore: 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
(apparently for lying in his movie and trying to scare children)

Well-bred Bears

Almost by definition, secularism cannot be a future: it's a present-tense culture that over time disconnects a society from cross-generational purpose. Which is why there are no examples of sustained atheist civilizations.
Mark Steyn in America Alone, p. 98

Probably every physicist would believe in a creation if the Bible had not unfortunately said something about it many years ago and made it seem old-fashioned.
~English Nobel Laureate George Thomson~

"Hey, you two! I see you can't tackle . . . Any chance either of you can play quarterback?," asked the chubby coach.

The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane.
~Nikola Tesla~

Religion of Peace Marches On

This post really makes me angry. Angry at the lowlifes who terrorize civilians. Angry at the politicians in this country whose political rhetoric empowers these lowlifes. Angry that our blind-eye, deaf-ear media ignore the vast amounts of information not jibing with their predetermined storylines. Angry that someone as highly exalted as the beautiful John Edwards can call the war against Islamic terror a "bumper sticker" and not be shamed into obscurity by media and public alike.

The following numbers show the Islamic terror attacks around the world in just the last 7 days! No wonder Edwards claims this is just a bumper sticker enterprise--a mere 49 attacks in the last week! I've added a link to thereligionofpeace.com in the right column under "Daily Reads." They continually update all of this stuff in nicely formatted columns that even the hardest-nosed investigative journalist ought to be able to decipher. We have to remain vigilant against this kind of evil and take it with the utmost seriousness. Have a look for yourself:

Islamic Terror Attacks 8/17 - 8/23

Date	Country	City	Killed	Injured	Description
8/23/07	Afghanistan	Helmand	3	13	Three Afghan civilians are murdered in a Taliban suicide attack.
8/22/07	Iraq	Tikrit	2	12	Jihadis kill two civilians with a roadside bomb.
8/22/07	Afghanistan	Khost	4	8	A Fedayeen suicide bomber kills four Afghans on a highway.
8/22/07	Afghanistan	Paktia	2	4	Two engineers are shot to death by the Taliban.
8/22/07	Somalia	Mogadishu	1	0	Islamic militias are suspected in the murder of a civilian at a market.
8/22/07	Somalia	Suqa Holaha	2	5	Two people are killed when Islamists hurl a grenade into the street.
8/22/07	Afghanistan	Nuristan	2	11	Two Afghan soldiers are killed when religious extremists stage an attack on a base.
8/22/07	Iraq	Tal Afar	2	5	Radical Sunnis take out two pipe layers with a bomb blast.
8/22/07	Iraq	Muqdadiyah	6	50	A suicide bomber on a motorcycle kills six Iraqis.
8/22/07	Iraq	Beiji	45	80	A suicidal Sunni drives a truck bomb into a police station, incinerating twenty-five police and twenty civilians.
8/22/07	Iraq	Kufa	1	0	A female university professer is stabbed to death by Islamic radicals.
8/22/07	Ingushetia	Nazran	1	5	Islamic terrorists attack a security convoy, killing at least one member.
8/22/07	Pakistan	Quetta	0	16	A barbershop is one of two sites attacked by fundamentalists with grenades.
8/21/07	Thailand	Yala	1	0	Muslims kill a man elected to replace another official who was slaughtered along with his family.
8/21/07	Thailand	Pattani	1	0	A Buddhist official is gunned down by Islamic radicals.
8/21/07	Thailand	Narathiwat	1	0	A Buddhist security guard is murdered by Mulslim extremists, who then attempt to cut the head from the body.
8/21/07	Somalia	Mogadishu	1	5	An Islamist walks into a restaurant and shoot a civilian to death.
8/21/07	Pakistan	Mohallah	1	4	A woman is killed when fundamentalists toss a grenade into a brothel.
8/21/07	Philippines	Zamboanga	0	14	Abu Sayyaf sympathizers place a bomb at a city plaza, injuring fourteen people.
8/21/07	Iraq	Latifiya	9	2	Nine members of a family, including a baby, are murdered by Shiite radicals inside their home.
8/21/07	Iraq	Baghdad	17	14	Two passengers on a minibus are among fourteen Iraqis murdered by Jihadis in various attacks.
8/21/07	Pakistan	Bannu	4	0	Pro-Taliban militants attack a checkpoint with rockets, leaving three Pakistani soldiers and a woman dead.
8/21/07	Afghanistan	Zabul	6	0	Religious extremists ambush and kill six Afghan cops.
8/21/07	Thailand	Yala	1	0	A man is shot to death by Muslim terrorists while sitting in a tea shop.
8/20/07	Pakistan	Hangu	4	18	A woman passerby is among four killed when a Fedayeen suicide bomber rams into a military vehicle.
8/20/07	Iraq	Baghdad	20	36	Two Jihad bombings and random shootings leave over twenty people dead.
8/20/07	India	Shopian	1	0	A farmer is shot to death by the Mujahideen.
8/20/07	Iraq	al-Rumeitha	4	2	Shiite militants assassinate a provincial governor.
8/19/07	Iraq	Baghdad	31	51	A Jihad mortar attack and various shootings leave more than thirty people dead, including children.
8/18/07	Afghanistan	Ghazni	2	2	Religious extremists kill two Afghan cops with a roadside bomb.
8/18/07	Pakistan	Jandola	1	0	al-Qaeda militants kidnap and behead a teacher.
8/18/07	Pakistan	Miran Shah	1	2	A suicide bomber detonates at an army checkpoint, killing at least one Pakistani.
8/18/07	Afghanistan	Kandahar	15	26	Fifteen Afghans, mostly civilians, are blown to bits by a suicidal Sunni along a highway.
8/18/07	India	Doda	1	0	The body of a 26-year-old woman is found murdered days after she was taken by the Mujahideen.
8/18/07	Iraq	Khalis	7	35	A baby is among seven people killed when Holy Warriors pump mortars and rockets into a residential neighborhood.
8/18/07	Somalia	Mogadishu	2	4	An elderly man and a woman are killed in separate attacks by Islamic militias.
8/18/07	Pakistan	Bajaur	1	0	Taliban militants shoot a man to death in his home.
8/18/07	Afghanistan	Kandahar	4	3	A Taliban suicide bomber targets a road construction crew, killing four guards.
8/18/07	India	Kandi	1	0	The Mujahideen chop out a 70-year-old man's eyes and behead him.
8/18/07	India	Rajouri	1	0	The Mujahideen kidnap a civilian and kill him in captivity.
8/18/07	Pakistan	Bannu	1	5	A cop is killed in a hand grenade attack by Islamic militants.
8/17/07	India	Rajouri	1	0	A civilian is kidnapped and killed in captivity by radical Muslims.
8/17/07	India	Baramulla	2	0	A policeman and his elderly father are brutally murdered inside their hom by Islamic militants.
8/17/07	India	Pulwama	5	3	Mujahideen use an IED to kill five Indian soldiers traveling along a road.
8/17/07	Pakistan	Khyber	7	0	Seven people are killed in clashes between radical Islamist groups.
8/17/07	Iraq	Kirkuk	3	42	Two separate bombings by Sunni radicals kill three civilians and injure over forty.
8/17/07	Afghanistan	Kandahar	4	2	Three young children under the age of 10 are slaughtered along with their father by a Fedayeen suicide bomber.
8/17/07	Somalia	Mogadishu	1	1	Islamic militias rocket a house, killing a woman.
8/17/07	Iraq	Haditha	3	0	Three people are kidnapped, tortured and shot to death by sectarian rivals.

"There's nothing out on the battlefield that a Marine rifle squad couldn't easily deal with."
Col. Richard L. Simcock II, USMC, Commanding Officer, Regimental Combat Team 6, commenting on the improving security situation in Iraq

Lark News

In his review of Doug Wilson's A Serrated Edge, John Frame writes, "I enjoyed the Wittenburg Door back in the days before it got all serious on us and tried to solve all the world’s problems. Now I find it hard to live without my monthly dose of www.larknews.com, and Credenda Agenda."

I've enjoyed C/A for years, but Lark News was new on me. It's definitely in the best tradition of The Door. Check it out.

For My "Moderate" Friends

So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold,
I will spit you out of my mouth. Revelation 3:16

The above quote isn't intended to argue that Jesus is liberal or conservative. It is simply meant as a commentary on the "politics of the middle." Aristotelian moderation is often held up as some glorious ideal by academics and down-homers alike. One is often exhorted to do "all things in moderation" (Like executing underperforming pitbulls?) as if moderation itself were a virtue.

In the political realm such moderation takes the form of "independents" who either consider themselves too brilliant to swallow conservatism or liberalism whole, or they simply refuse to be dragged into the partisan fray where one risks offending and being offended. And so we end up with groups like the Committee for a Unified Independent Party, who seem way too impressed that Michael Bloomberg has become an "independent." That alone should be enough to call the "independent movement" into question.

So, the problem with these fence-sitting types is perfectly demonstrated by "Carl," who called Rush Limbaugh last week. Carl has no core beliefs other than "Why can't we all just get along?" (I apologize that the Limbaugh quote is so long, but I can't get my "read more" hack to work at the moment.) If you proudly call yourself moderate, this is what you sound like; and I ask you like Rush asks Carl, "What do you believe in?"

RUSH: Carl in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. You're first, as we go to the phones today on the EIB Network.

CALLER: Rush, why can't we all just get along? Now, I listen --

RUSH: Oh, Carl, give me a break. Don't do a Rodney King on me. You gotta be kidding me.

CALLER: No, I'm not kidding you. I think it's a very realistic thing. See, here's what I hear. First of all, I -- as an independent, all the politicians work for me. Well, they work for all of us. But what I hear is, if -- if someone on one side of the aisle comes up with a good idea the other side has to disagree with it just because they're on the opposite side of the aisle.

RUSH: You're just --

CALLER: When I listen to radio talk show hosts, I hear the same thing. I hear the conservative people whining about the liberals; I hear the liberals whining about the conservatives. And -- and you can go to any kind of newspaper articles that you want and pick and choose whatever you want, what works for you. You know, there's probably just as many articles there that would be opposite and against what you have to say.

RUSH: What? Most of them would be opposite and against what I have to say. In a newspaper?

CALLER: Well...

RUSH: I mean --

CALLER: Well, look it, when I listen to you and I don't listen a lot...

RUSH: Carl, look, I have a question.

CALLER: I don't listen a lot, what I hear is you pick and choose different newspaper articles, and you say, "Here, look at this. Read this."

RUSH: That's right! That's right. I'm an agenda guy. I have a belief system. It's called conservatism. I believe it's the best thing for the most people.

CALLER: So let me ask you this, then. If you -- if you think conservatism is the best thing for most people, should we just wipe out the Democratic Party altogether?

RUSH: No, you have to beat them. I'd love to be able to do it, but that's not the way.

CALLER: No, but, I mean, just eliminate them? Let's just have conservative Republicans.

RUSH: No! No! Carl, now, look, now, be realistic.

CALLER: That's what you sound like when you talk.

RUSH: Yes! I'd love to wipe 'em out to the point that they are a minority for the rest of this nation's history, yes. Exactly right, Carl, because I think the Democrat Party and liberalism will destroy the fabric and the institutions and traditions that made this country great. But I want to --

CALLER: How about...? How about all the people on the opposite side of the aisle that are saying the exact same thing? You see... And who do we listen to?

RUSH: Carl, you're not hearing me. You're not hearing me because you're not letting me finish the point. I want to do it in the democratic political system that we have in this system. I want as many informed people as possible voting and defeating those people so that we have a genuine governing mandate. Now, here. I can illustrate the problem that you have with all this with one question.

CALLER: What makes you think I have a problem?

RUSH: You called and said you did!

CALLER: See that's part of my problem with you.

RUSH: You called and said you have a problem. You don't like all the bickering.

CALLER: No, I...

RUSH: You said, "Can't we all just get along?" That to me tells me you've got a problem. I've got one question.

CALLER: No, it was a question. It's not a problem.

RUSH: It stems from a problem. You're upset, Carl. You wish all this weren't going on. You want us to all get along, and for that to happen one side is going to have to give up.

CALLER: (Laughing.) No, we can't just... We can't compromise and meet in the middle. One side's gotta give up.

RUSH: We can't compromise on principles. You can't compromise on good versus evil. You can't compromise on victory and defeat.

CALLER: And so the Democrats are evil, as you see it?

RUSH: No! I think something like abortion is, and you don't compromise on pro-life versus killing a baby in the womb. Where's the compromise on that? That's what I mean. Now, let me ask you a question, because this is central to helping you understand where you are. As an independent, what do you stand for?

CALLER: (silence) How do you mean the question, what do I stand for?

RUSH: What do you believe in?

CALLER: I mean, is it...? Is it...?

RUSH: As an independent, what do you believe in? What are your core principles?

CALLER: (longer silence) I -- in -- in terms of what, exactly? I mean, I'm not taking everything as a whole. I'm looking at -- at everything.

RUSH: This is not a trick question. I'm not trying to trick you, and you're not being roped into anything here. As an independent, or moderate, whatever -- you call yourself an independent -- what do you stand for?

CALLER: (really long silence) Give me an example.

RUSH: Ahem. Victory or defeat in Iraq?

CALLER: Well (sigh), that's going to open up a whole 'nother kettle of fish.

RUSH: Well, see, there's the problem. You don't have a core belief running through your body at all and so you have nothing to stand for. You have nothing you believe in that you want to be victorious with because you believe it's right. So you sit out there, and you hear people who have these core beliefs argue about it, and it makes you nervous, and you want to do a Rodney King on the country -- and that's not going to solve any problem. I'm glad you called.

Landmark

If you've ever traveled I-20 east of Atlanta, you've probably seen this:

If so, you've seen part of my mail route. This billboard belongs to United Truckers Insurance and has been up since shortly after the movie that inspired it came out around 30 years ago. It comes in handy for directions:

Questioner: "Can ya tell me how tuh git tuh thuh Probayshin Awfis?"

Me: "Sure. Turn right at the billboard and it's the third building on the left."

Questioner: "Thanks, man." And he jumps back in his rough-idling Datsun with his bottle-blond girlfriend.

History is a vast early warning system.
~Norman Cousins~

Here Come Jesus, Kemosabe

Well, this is a really new one on me. I thought I already knew most of the end times options. Who knew the American Indians held the key to everything? Apparently an Indian named Mel!

(Click for larger image)

More Birthday News

I forgot to include in the birthday news one of the main events. Drew got popped in the mouth on the "inflatables" and came running, hand to bleeding mouth, to Mom and Dad. When the blood cleared, his tooth was turned 90 degrees in its socket! A minute later he looked like this:

Facebook

I'm not at all sure why, but I'm now on Facebook. If you have any clue what that means, come check it out. If not, stay far away.

Video Clips from the Boys' Birthday Party

"Oh yeah, Daddy. If we do get a dog, I want the kind that smells good."
~Jacob~

Blood, Sweat, and Cheers

Well, Rome wasn't built in a day, but our new treehouse sure was. And on the hottest day of the year to boot! Click on the slideshow to check this thing out--complete with a 21-foot lightning rod / firehouse pole. Hat tip to PawPaw for all the hard work (with a little help from me!), but I should tell you that Jacob said, "Whew, that's the hardest I've ever worked from morning to night!" So, hat tip to Drew and Jacob, too; they were strangely willing to go above and beyond the call today. The pictures include neighbors Brandon (11) and Jalen (5).

Jihad: The Musical

Watch the video below (bottom of the page) on the "Daily Mail Tube" of "I Wanna Be Like Osama" from the British production Jihad: The Musical. From their webpage:

Featuring songs such as 'I wanna be like Osama' and the love ballad 'I Only See Your Eyes', JIHAD THE MUSICAL is a madcap gallop through the wacky world of international terrorism; one that puts the powers that be in their place, and that invokes the Blitz spirit that we must laugh at those who seek to intimidate us. Stand back! This is a high-kicking chorus line!

Early word is that it will really blow you away!

We Believe

I have to give you one more from Steve Turner. I was simply going to quote the postscript beginning with "If chance be the Father of all flesh," but the whole poem is quite good and has some juicy nuggets throughout. Substitute "Radical Muslims" or "Islamofacists" or the like to update the "Russians" reference. Very insightful.

Creed

We believe in Marxfreudanddarwin

We believe everything is OK

as long as you don't hurt anyone

to the best of your definition of hurt,

and to the best of your knowledge.



We believe in sex before, during, and

after marriage.

We believe in the therapy of sin.

We believe that adultery is fun.

We believe that sodomy’s OK.

We believe that taboos are taboo.



We believe that everything's getting better

despite evidence to the contrary.

The evidence must be investigated

And you can prove anything with evidence.



We believe there's something in horoscopes

UFO's and bent spoons.

Jesus was a good man just like Buddha,

Mohammed, and ourselves.

He was a good moral teacher though we think

His good morals were bad.



We believe that all religions are basically the same-

at least the one that we read was.

They all believe in love and goodness.

They only differ on matters of creation,

sin, heaven, hell, God, and salvation.



We believe that after death comes the Nothing

Because when you ask the dead what happens

they say nothing.

If death is not the end, if the dead have lied, then its

compulsory heaven for all

excepting perhaps

Hitler, Stalin, and Genghis Kahn



We believe in Masters and Johnson

What's selected is average.

What's average is normal.

What's normal is good.



We believe in total disarmament.

We believe there are direct links between warfare and

bloodshed.

Americans should beat their guns into tractors .

And the Russians would be sure to follow.



We believe that man is essentially good.

It's only his behavior that lets him down.

This is the fault of society.

Society is the fault of conditions.

Conditions are the fault of society.



We believe that each man must find the truth that

is right for him.

Reality will adapt accordingly.

The universe will readjust.

History will alter.

We believe that there is no absolute truth

excepting the truth

that there is no absolute truth.



We believe in the rejection of creeds,

And the flowering of individual thought.



If chance be

the Father of all flesh,

disaster is his rainbow in the sky

and when you hear



State of Emergency!

Sniper Kills Ten!

Troops on Rampage!

Youths go Looting!

Bomb Blasts School!

It is but the sound of man

worshipping his maker.

Van Til in Ten Words or Less

Sorry, but this post is hopelessly esoteric for most Daily Mail readers . . .

This evening as we prayed together as a family (shocking and scandalous, I know) we were considering how to pray for the boys' friends. Marian suggested that they pray for them to "know God," to which Drew said, "They know God, they just act like they don't." How Van Tilian!

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

(Might make for a good caption contest?)

"Sinless perfection, OK, but a bit repressive"

I learned of the poetry of Steve Turner from listening to a lecture by Ravi Zacharias (and by the way, if you've never listened to Ravi, please do). I found 12 of Turner's poems about Jesus on this page. After reading them all I liked most of them, but I especially liked the first one listed, "If Jesus Was Born Today." I enjoyed it for it's social commentary, especially how the media would handle Jesus today.

If Jesus was born today
it would be in a downtown motel
marked by a helicopter's flashing bulb.
A traffic warden, working late,
would be the first upon the scene.
Later, at the expense of a TV network,
an eminent sociologist,
the host of a chat show
and a controversial author
would arrive with their good wishes
-the whole occasion to be filmed as part of the
'Is This The Son Of God?' one hour special.
Childhood would be a blur of photographs and speculation
dwindling by his late teens into
'Where Is He Now?' features in Sunday magazines.

If Jesus was thirty today
they wouldn't really care about the public ministry,
they'd be too busy investigating His finances
and trying to prove He had Church or Mafia connections.
The miracles would be explained by
an eminent and controversial magician,
His claims to be God's Son recognised as
excellent examples of Spoken English
and immediately incorporated into
the O-Level syllabus,
His sinless perfection considered by moral philosophers
as, OK, but a bit repressive.

If Jesus was thirty-one today
He'd be the fly in everyone's ointment-
the sort of controversial person who
stands no chance of eminence.
Communists would expel Him, capitalists
would exploit Him or have Him
smeared by people who know a thing or two about God.
Doctors would accuse Him of quackery,
soldiers would accuse Him of cowardice,
theologians would take Him aside and try
to persuade Him of His non-existence.

If Jesus was thirty-two today we'd have to
end it all. Heretic, fundamentalist, literalist,
puritan, pacifist, non-conformist, we'd take Him
away and quietly end the argument.
But the argument would rumble in the ground
at the end of three days and would break out
and walk around as though death was some bug,
saying 'I am the resurrection and the life...
No man cometh to the Father but by me'.
While the magicians researched new explanations
and the semanticists wondered exactly what
He meant by 'I' and 'No man' there would be those
who stand around amused, asking for something
called proof.

©2002 rejesus ltd

No "Ow," Just "Wow"

The boys and I saw this demonstrated on "This Old House" recently. This is no camera trickery, just some amazing technology!

I am very glad that our fashionable fiction seems to be full of a return to paganism, for it may possibly be the first step of a return to Christianity. Neo-pagans have sometimes forgotten, when they set out to do everything the old pagans did, that the final thing the old pagans did was to get christened.

~GK Chesterton~

More Perspective

Gflo sent me an e-mail (where he found this I haven't a clue) about a woman accused of practicing black magic in the majority Hindu Indian state of Jharkhand. In apparently government taught English it read, "Monday 23rd of July 2007 A women was stripped and brutally beaten with hot iron rods after she was branded a witch and held responsible for the death of a woman in a Jharkhand village, police said Monday."

The part that caught my attention was this (again in shaky English): "Witch-hunt cases are rampant in Jharkhand. More than 600 people, mostly women, have been killed in last 10 years after they were charged of practicing black magic." Remember, this is in only one of 28 states and 7 union territories in India.

Now that's a serious witch hunt. Here in the US the best we could do was the year 1692 in Salem, MA. 140 people were accused of witchcraft. Of those, nineteen were hanged, one person was pressed to death, and as many as thirteen people may have died in prison. And 10 years? Fuggeddaboutit! We wimped out after a year and later called for a day of fasting, "That so all of God's people may offer up fervent supplications unto him, that all iniquity may be put away, which hath stirred God's holy jealousy against this land; that He would show us what we know not, and help us, wherein we have done amiss, to do so no more."

Hmmm. I wonder how long it will take the Hindus to tire of hunting witches?

Perspective

So, we're a week into the indictment against P-Funk, Q, T, and Ookie for dog-fighting and related atrocities, and I have to say I've only heard one person say anything about it that has made any sense. Dr. Alveda King, the niece of MLK, issued a statement on July 20 which stated:

"The appalling cruelty to dogs described in the complaint against Michael Vick immediately reminds me of another kind of cruelty that is not only not punished, but is protected by our authorities," said Dr. King. "I'm talking about the incredible cruelty suffered by babies who are stabbed, have limb torn from limb, or have their skulls crushed in the womb by abortionists. The pain these children endure is undoubtedly excruciating, yet we close our eyes and look the other way in the name of 'choice.' Yes, of course we should ensure humane treatment of animals," said Dr. King, "but shouldn't we also humanely treat humans?"

That's unfortunately a decidedly minority view in the world of public figures. Even most abortion opponents wouldn't dare in this climate declare that unborn babies are more important than dogs. Political correctness protects dogs, not babies. Drives me nuts. Also, I am rather impressed that Dr. King used "ensure" instead of "insure;" that's a bright woman. And just to show how big of a disconnect there is in our society on the issue of abortion, check out these numbers from the CDC:

The only thing the chart lacks is a bar for the number of African-Americans "Killed in Iraq," (which would be 339).

Military Blogs

I am late discovering the world of blogs authored by our warrior class. A couple to note: Blackfive and Acute Politics.

Matthew Currier Burden started Blackfive upon learning of the valorous sacrifice of a friend that was not reported by the journalist whose life he saved. The most recent post on Blackfive is from "Uncle Jimbo" (which gave me pause since my kids have an Uncle Jimbo in the USAF) about our beloved Senate majority leader Harry Reid entitled "I'm Surrendering as Fast as I Can."

Acute Politics is a smaller operation from "Teflon Don." His latest post is a primer on Iraqi Security Forces and is a must read if you would like to actually understand what is happening instead of getting reports from journalists who never leave their briefing areas. This is great stuff you really can't get from other sources. As Don says "This blog represents my views and my views alone. Do not misconstrue anything you read here as US policy, goverment opinion, celebrity babblespeak, or anything else."

"Liberty hath a sharp and double edge, fit only to be handled by just and virtuous men;
to bad and dissolute, it becomes a mischief unwieldy in their hands."
~John Milton~

Jupiter

I had mentioned to some of you that we finally got the boys' (I think it's technically Drew's) telescope set up this past week. This time of year you can look to the south at dusk and prominently see Jupiter. (Looking west you'll see Venus.) And if you train your telescope on Jupiter, you'll see four of his moons as well. Pretty cool for just standing out on the front porch! This is essentially, though probably slightly better than, the view Galileo had when he looked at Jupiter the first time. If you click here, you can see his chart that records the position of the moons.

Another thing you might notice when you look through your telescope is "floaters" (not what you're thinking, Greg). These are detached cones or rods from your retina and they are literally floating around in your aqueous humor. You might have seen them when: 1) looking at bright sky or bright objects on a sunlit day; 2) when reading a book on your lap under a bright light; or, 3) when addressing a golf ball on a bright day. It didn't mention photographers, but it seems like you guys might see them, too.

So, if you haven't looked through a telescope in awhile, try it out. Happy gazing!

Darn Experiments

Men show their character in nothing more clearly
than by what they find laughable. ~Anonymous

Darwinists do best when they simply have ideas in their heads and don't try to verify them in the real world. They can even manage to give their ideas a romantic appeal as they hide behind time and chance. "Surely given enough time with conditions that are just so . . ." Thus, the "infinite monkey theorem" has been employed by Darwinists from time to time as an illustration that this ol' world could indeed have been produced by that magic cocktail of time and chance. Sounds alright, until you try it at home! From leithart.com:

How long will monkeys typing randomly on typewriters take to produce the works of Shakespeare? That's been a way of thinking about Darwinian evolution since who knows where. In 2002, researchers at the Paignton Zoo in England decided to find out. They left a computer terminal in a cage with six monkeys. The results: Mike Phillips, one of the researchers, said "They pressed a lot of S's" and "the lead male got a stone and started bashing the hell out of it." That is not even to mention the regular urination and defecation on the keyboard. After a month, the monkeys had produced about 5 pages of material, with very little resemblance to Shakespeare.

Now, that's funny right there, I don't care who you are!

Erotic Worship

This should get things stirred up around here and further cement my "NC-17" rating. Some of you regulars won't be with me on this, but it should lead to some good discussion. The subject is worship. Specifically, the erotic character of too much contemporary worship. Over at the Boar's Head Tavern "Pirate" sarcastically writes:

Let’s point out the obvious: replace the buxom blonde babes with stout matrons in their late 50’s, and the worship experience just plain doesn’t happen. Hire an older fellow that walks with a cane as your worship pastor instead of that handsome, young, energetic [bible college] graduate, and Sunday morning just won’t “work.” That should indicate something is wrong. This kind of “worship” isn’t anything new. Maybe fog machines, synthesizers, and colored lights are new, but sensuality and eroticism in worship aren’t. It’s just that in the olden-tymie days, you had to go to a pagan temple to get that. [The Church] did a remarkably bad job of incorporating the pagan culture into their worship. A few things changed with the imperialization of the Church, but the damage had already been done. Christian worship was doomed to centuries of reverence, formality, seriousness, regularity, and deliberation until the 20th century brought Aphrodite back to her rightful place as the orchestrator of our worship.

I'm in essential agreement with that, and I would love to hear someone defend the thesis that typical evengelical worship forms ("praise bands," "worship leaders," "special music solos," etc.) DO NOT come from pagan sources.

Tiger, Golf, and Our Military

If you like any of the above you need to watch this.  Tiger in Special Ops?  It might have happened!  And I love when he lets his caddy take the putt.  Nice event, Tiger. Watch the first six minutes or so of this video . . .

A Word of Caution . . .

This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:

• death (56x)
• abortion (25x)
• kill (11x)
• hell (8x)
• gay (7x)
• pain (5x)
• dangerous (4x)
• gun (3x)
• drugs (2x)
• bomb (1x)

Consider yourself warned.

Meet the Carolina Chocolate Drops

I was introduced to these guys this past weekend. They play "Old Timey Music from the Carolina Piedmont." Click below to watch "Sourwood Mountain." YouTube has better videos of them, but I like the line "Big dog bark, the little one bite you" in this one. That's certainly my experience; the only dog that ever bit me was one with a definite Napoleon complex. You can hear more of the Drops here, like "Viper Mad," which has another good line: "Good tea is my weakness." Amen!

I found this great interview with the band which was part of an event at the Atlanta History Center. "We’re trying not to make a big agenda, we just play the music. You can see that we’re black, we’re a string band, and that should be enough of a message." Very interesting.

It's not easy being green!

At least that's what color I think this shriveled up frog was once upon a time. This guy was found on my route between Rack Room Shoes and Lane Bryant. He appears to have been victimized by a work order in some office somewhere: his leaky faucet was fixed and his water supply was gone! A tough break in the middle of a drought!

Happy Independence Day!

Our morning July 4th celebration in Oxford. You'll notice that #2 son is missing. I'm sure he would love to tell you why.

There's nothing more expensive
than what the government promises to give you for free.
~Jerry Agar~

Try Foxit

I got an e-mail from Pop asking about a program called Foxit. It's an alternative PDF reader to Adobe Acrobat. Like Acrobat Reader, Foxit is free and has pay versions for additional features. I had never heard of Foxit before, but I downloaded it and it is great! The word that comes to mind is "FAST," which is definitely not the word that comes to mind with Adobe. Try it out.

46-53!

Sanity prevails, if only for the moment! The Senate rejected the Immigrant Amnesty today in a very interesting vote. Here are the 46 turncoats who joined with Sen. "Grahamnesty" to "embrace the 12 million," as he says.

Akaka (D-HI) Bennett (R-UT) Biden (D-DE) Boxer (D-CA) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Clinton (D-NY) Conrad (D-ND) Craig (R-ID) Dodd (D-CT) Durbin (D-IL) Feingold (D-WI) Feinstein (D-CA) Graham (R-SC)

Gregg (R-NH) Hagel (R-NE) Inouye (D-HI) Kennedy (D-MA) Kerry (D-MA) Klobuchar (D-MN) Kohl (D-WI) Kyl (R-AZ) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Lieberman (ID-CT) Lincoln (D-AR) Lott (R-MS) Lugar (R-IN) Martinez (R-FL)

McCain (R-AZ) Menendez (D-NJ) Mikulski (D-MD) Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Obama (D-IL) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Salazar (D-CO) Schumer (D-NY) Snowe (R-ME) Specter (R-PA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR)

The guys in bold have to be remembered whenever their primaries finally come around. The biggest surprise, even though he was part of the backroom dealings, is Kyl; I can't believe he actually pulled the trigger in the end. And McCain, who was on life support, is now officially dead in his bid for la casa blanca.

This bill was bad for many reasons, but fiscally it would have been a complete disaster. In fact, I was so unimpressed with the Senate's lack of examination of the financial ramifications of the bill that I sent a donation to the Heritage Foundation for Robert Rector's early number crunching that warned us all of the trillions we taxpayers would be out as a result of this legislation. Kudos to Heritage. Kudos to the 53. Kudos to talk radio, "the generators of simplicity." Kudos to the American people.

We Could Do Worse . . .

How's this for a potential '08 ticket? I guess they would run as independents?

Remodeling

Major redesign underway! Everything should still be here . . . somewhere. Posts will resume shortly. For now, the mail must go through!

"I am the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and Fries."
~Stephen King~

I Passed the US Citizenship Quiz:

Congratulations - you got 10 out of 10 correct!

Could You Pass the US Citizenship Quiz?

The best data we have (concerning the big bang) are exactly what I would have predicted had I nothing to go on but the five books of Moses, the Psalms, the Bible as a whole.
~Arno Penzias~

FDR's D-Day Prayer

I heard this on the radio on my way home today. I don't know why I've never heard this before! (I guess government schools are as bad as I thought.) This is the prayer FDR led the nation in by radio the evening of D-Day, June 6, 1944. There are enough mentions of Almighty God and faith to make any self-respecting atheist squeamish. What is amazing is placing yourself in the context of that day, sitting by the radio and praying along with the president in such uncertain times. Incredible!

Text here. Audio here. For you high-speeders here is an excellent video presentation of the prayer appropriately updated for our nation's current conflict. And for something else interesting, even General Eisenhower made mention of Almighty God in his Order of the Day delivered to the Allied Expeditionary Force that morning.

D-Day Remembered

On the 40th anniversary of Operation Overlord, known forvever to the world as D-Day, June 6, 1944, Ronald Reagan spoke at the site of the U.S. Ranger Monument above the beaches upon which so many had died. In addition to the valor of those troops, the words of our 40th president are also worth remembering. You can read the whole speech here, but here is a portion:

The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge--and pray God we have not lost it--that there is a profound, moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.

You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you."...you knew the people of your countries were behind you."

The Americans who fought here that morning knew word of the invasion was spreading through the darkness back home. They thought--or felt in their hearts, though they couldn't know in fact, that in Georgia they were filling the churches at 4 a.m., in Kansas they were kneeling on their porches and praying, and in Philadelphia they were ringing the Liberty Bell.

Something else helped the men of D-Day: their rock-hard belief that Providence would have a great hand in the events that would unfold here; that God was an ally in this great cause. And so, the night before the invasion, when Colonel Wolverton asked his parachute troops to kneel with him in prayer he told them: Do not bow your heads, but look up so you can see God and ask His blessing in what we're about to do. Also that night, General Matthew Ridgway on his cot, listening in the darkness for the promise God made to Joshua: "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.''

He goes on to add words for which Pat Buchanan, Ron Paul, William F. Buckley, and the like ought to give heed:

We in America have learned bitter lessons from two World Wars: It is better to be here ready to protect the peace than to take blind shelter across the sea, rushing to respond only after freedom is lost. We've learned that isolationism never was and never will be an acceptable response to tyrannical governments with an expansionist intent.

May we never forget.

Talk (or rather Listen) to Mr. Ed !

Back to the Grindstone!

Wow. "Vacation" is over. Now the garage is cleaner; the basement could probably still be called a mess (too many toys); my cousin is married due in small part to Jacob's ringbearing and my eating a good share of the rehearsal dinner! So, it's back to the Post Office and maybe even back to blogging.

"Self Portrait" by Drew

Drew says, "This is how I look when I'm scared." That's his hair going wild with fright. I wish you could see the whole thing; it fills a 12 x 18 inch page, but our scanner isn't that big.

He says you can tell it's him by the "whale tail" necklace. You can also recognize him by the square jaw (if you don't first mistake him for Tom Petty or Steve Tyler!).

Daily Mail Straw Poll

I've posted a new poll asking which Republican presidential candidate you would vote for. The poll is in the left-hand column, or you can access it by clicking here.

I voted for Duncan Hunter. He hasn't flipped on anything. He's built a wall in San Diego to combat illegal immigration. He voted for a war which he has sent his own son to fight in (3rd tour coming up). He's tough on Iran. Tough on China. Solidly pro-life. His vote ratings:

• A+ National Rifle Association
• 100% Eagle Forum
• 100% National Right to Life
• 92% Lifetime rating, American Conservative Union
• 100% Concerned Women for America
• 100% Christian Coalition
• 100% Campaign for Working Families
• 7% ACLU (that's right, 7%)

Besides, if he's good enough for Chuck Yeager, he's good enough for me! He's just the sort of ideological conservative we need in la Casa Blanca. Who are you supporting?

Time to Make the Donuts!

One of my all-time favorite characters and one of my all-time favorite foods:

Good Call

I wonder how accurate any of you think this is . . .

A caller to the Laura Ingraham radio program this week made the point that the mood of the country toward abortion is generally presented by the media as "pro-choice with restrictions," whereas he felt it could more accurately be described as "pro-life with exceptions." It's a significant distinction; I think he makes a good point.

I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God governs in the affairs of men.
~Benjamin Franklin~

What if you were a pompous curmudgeon who was pudgy with self-importance?

You would be Chris Hitchens! Initially I wanted to place here the video of Hitchens making a self-righteous fool of himself as he blamed every problem on earth for the last 30 years on Jerry Falwell, but I decided I didn't want his face on my beautiful little corner of the internet, so if you want to take a look at it you'll have to go here. He begins by lamenting that there is no hell for Falwell to go to. Well, at least there's no atheist heaven for Hitchens to go to. Now, I'm not the huge fan of Falwell that Ann Coutler is, but he is nowhere near the cause of the world's ills.

Also, Hitchens vs. Wilson Part 3 is up over at CT. I'm learning from this debate that Hitchens is not all that interested in the debate; he's simply impressed with his own thoughts. And somehow he has convinced himself that Thomas Jefferson was an atheist, but he needs to see my post of May 15, or he could at least read the Declaration of Independence!

Survey Says . . .

I stumbled onto pollingreport.com and though it's a bit overwhelming it really does pull together all the polls you hear about on different subjects. Just click on a category and you can go through a chronological listing of questions and answers from Gallup, Zogby, ABC, FOX, CNN, etc. Now, I don't in the end care about polls, and they are usually misrepresented in the media reports as much as possible (and of course no one has ever solicited my opinion!). But sometimes there are interesting things to be found in the "internals" of the polls. For you political junkies especially, Polling Report is worth a look.

"Morning Glories for Mother's Day" by Drew

God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed our only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God?

~Thomas Jefferson~

Lord Willing and the Pancakes Don't Rise

I was unhappy with some blueberry pancakes I made recently. They were flat, not fluffy. If this happens to you, it's probably your baking powder. It doesn't have a very long shelf-life, so if you're unsure you should test it before using it. Here's how: pour a teaspoon of it into 1/3 cup or so of hot water. You should get some serious fizzing. If not, your baking powder is a dud. In a pinch you can mix your own by combining a tablespoon of baking soda with 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar and 1-1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch. It's not quite a good "double acting" baking powder, but it will get some air into your pancakes (or whatever else).

What would the PC police do with this guy?

So much of our contemporary study of history is both tragic and humorous at the same time. It is indeed sad the length to which "historians" have gone to remake our national history--particularly that of the founding generation; but it is also funny to imagine the anguished contortions a PC liberal trying to cleanse the public square of religion must go through when he reads stuff like these following gems from George Washington.

To the Delaware Indian Chiefs he said in May 1779:

Brothers: I am glad you have brought three of the Children of your principal Chiefs to be educated with us. I am sure Congress will open the Arms of love to them, and will look upon them as their own Children, and will have them educated accordingly. This is a great mark of your confidence and of your desire to preserve the friendship between the Two Nations to the end of time, and to become One people with your Brethren of the United States. My ears hear with pleasure the other matters you mention. Congress will be glad to hear them too. You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are.

Whoa! Doesn't he know the superiority of good-old Native American paganism to all that Jesus stuff? A few graduate courses in multi-culturalism should set him straight. And when it comes to the military, secularists would rather not ask and have Washington not tell:

While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.

If he were around making statements like these today I'm afraid poor George would have to go to PC prison along with Imus and the rest. No wonder the secularistas try to ignore and rewrite this history stuff!

Take God out of the universe and everything is annihilated, every higher joy of the mind, every love, and only the wish for mental suicide would remain, and only the devil and the beast would still desire to exist.
~Jean Paul Richter~

Sacred Fire

I'm pleased finally to have a copy of George Washington's Sacred Fire by Dr. Peter Lillback to dig through. I may need more than a shovel though; it's over 1200 pages! The book is an answer, or should I say THE answer to the question, "Was George Washington a Christian or a Deist?" Scholarship since the bicentennial of Washington's birth in 1932 has tried to say, "Deist!," or at least that he was "not deeply religious" or "not particularly ardent in his faith."

Lillback does an apparently remarkable thing for modern scholarship. He goes to the source and discovers what Washington had to say about himself! Fifteen years of pouring over Washington's personal papers and no wonder the book is so long. One quick, but important, example is that Lillback examines what many scholars have not: the many sermons that Washington read, purchased, received, and commented upon in his life. I'll be posting here as I dig.

Wilson / Hitchens, Part 2

Hitchens is running around the ring with his hands raised as if he scored a round one knockout. His response to Wilson's opening statement reads rather like the Democrats shouting "Victory" and retreating in medias res. Not to worry; Wilson has explained to Hitchens how he might give a more cogent response. We shall see.

Four Homeschooled Nerds . . .

Atheists Crawling Out From Under Rocks

Maybe atheists are their own evidence for evolution. They strike me as closer kin of Amoeba than Homo Sapiens. Lately they've been taking their "God be damned" message to the public in louder, prouder ways. I've recently mentioned Sam Harris' Letter to a Christian Nation. Now Christopher Hitchens is trying to steal the bully pulpit with his God Is Not Great. And this morning (though it aired last night on Nightline) I began to view the debate between Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort of Way of the Master ministries and two joy-filled amoebas from the "Rational Response Squad." I don't have time to comment yet, but you can view the first installment here. I believe there are six parts.

Probably of more interest (because who cares what the "Rational Response Squad" thinks; at least someone other than amoebas do care what Christopher Hitchens thinks) is the debate in Christianity Today between Hitchens and Doug Wilson. That can be found here, and is supposed to run throughout the month of May.

Academia Gone Wild

A tenured college professor is set to be fired for simply sending out an e-mail to colleagues containing George Washington’s "Thanksgiving Day Proclamation of 1789.” And apparently the worst part is that he got it from Pat Buchanan's website !  Oh, the horror! Hey, I've cited the Thanksgiving Day proclamation before; I wonder if I'm going to the fired?

Our object should not be to have scripture on our side but to be on the side of scripture; and however dear any sentiment may have become by being long entertained, so soon as it is seen to be contrary to the Bible, we must be prepared to abandon it without hesitation.
~William Symington~

Week In Review

• Junior, our pet Garter snake, molted again. He is about 23 inches long now, and just as cute as ever!

• What a line! From a NY Times article on Barack Obama's faith: "Generally, Mr. Obama emphasizes the communal aspects of religion over the supernatural ones." Hmmm. Not that the NY Times has a clue when it comes to religion, but I have to say that's a pretty good definition of a liberal.

• Throw the case out! Jane Goodall has walked out of a jungle somewhere to testify on behalf of a woman who wants to be the legal gaurdian of a chimpanzee named Matthew. The matter is over 3,400 British pounds (roughly $6,700) given to the chimp by someone concerned for his well-being after his preserve near Vienna, Austria went bust. The woman wishes to assist the chimp just as any child would have assistance from a legal guardian. The case snuck into court when lawyers did not reveal that "Matthew" was in fact a chimpanzee! This all might seem ridiculous to you, but understand that these are not your father's animal rights activists; they are going way beyond protesting fur coats. Today's activists are dead serious about bestowing human status, complete with the attendant rights, upon animals.
  

• I have written before about what I consider to be a responsible, Christian approach to environmental issues. In my opinion this group has it right. For those of you who don't click on the links I work so hard to provide you, I am talking about the Cornwall Alliance (I can hear the "cornball" jokes already). The group is essentially the old Interfaith Stewardship Alliance. They have changed their name this week to the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation (CASC). If you have never done so, I strongly suggest that you read their founding document, the Cornwall Declaration, or their response to the "Evangelical Call to Action" document signed by some notable evangelicals who are apparently about as discerning as me at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

• I've been upset before with the "Quotemeal" feature in the right column of the blog. It's a potluck quotation generator. Sometimes I'm pleased with it; sometimes I'm ready to put disclaimers all over the page and throw Quotemeal into the sea. Today (May 5) it is quoting Jimmy Carter. That could be the final straw!

• For those fascinated with things astronomical my sister site, the Daily Mail of London, has some great new pictures and video of Jupiter and its moons. Worth a look!

National Day of Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer. Many events are scheduled around the nation perhaps in your neck of the woods. In fact, Covington has a "Prayer in the Square" event scheduled for 7 - 9 o' clock this evening. At noon today the following prayer will be said by many groups around the USA:

2007 Prayer for Our Nation
Written by Dr. Charles R. Swindoll

Almighty God, we pause to reflect on Your character as we seek wisdom for such a time as this.

In these unsafe days,
You remain all-powerful and able to protect;

In these uncertain times,
You remain all-knowing, leading us aright;

In the unprecedented events we're facing,
You remain absolutely sovereign.
Our times are in Your hands.

Therefore, our dependence on You, is total, not partial

. . . our need for Your forgiveness is constant

. . . our gratitude for Your grace is profound

. . . our love for You is deep.


We ask that You guard and guide our President
and all who serve the people of these United States.
May uncompromising integrity mark their lives.

We also ask that You unite us as truly "one nation,
under God." May genuine humility return to our ranks.

And may that blend of integrity and humility
heal our land.

In our Lord's name we pray,

Amen.

Close Enough to Free for Me