You are browsing the archives of 2007 November.

Gassing people, beheadings, blowing up school buses with homicide bombs, and flying planes into buildings to murder innocents is ok, but, call a Teddy Bear Mohammed and you deserve to die.

Once again I’m waiting for the outrage from Moderate Muslims. Hello? Is anyone out there?

If Christians called for murder every time someone blasphemed Jesus Christ, half our country (and very few liberals) would be left. If Christians, ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, stormed the streets calling for the murder of someone for blaspheming our Lord, every news media outlet would scour the streets looking for Christian outrage. AND THEY WOULDN’T HAVE TO LOOK FAR. We would denounce it immediately, in mass, and try to stop it.

Thankfully we actually are a religion of Peace.

UPDATE December 3, 2007: Ms. Gibbons has been pardoned and freed. Apparently some moderate Muslims did indeed speak out and reason prevailed.

One more reason why I love reading Peggy Noonan.

Conversations yesterday about faith & politics prompted a lengthy discussion, which in part must have led to this post. I couldn’t have even attempted to say it better myself, so please read it for yourself (here’s an excerpt).

Forget all the political correctness that plagues our society today. Forget all the different political and world views. Forget religion. Yes, that is what I said. Forget religion. Because it’s not about having a religion, it’s about having a belief, one in God and in Jesus, and walking that faith every day, even when it’s hard. Even when life sucks. Because you know what? Your most terrible day here on Earth cannot in anyway compare to the worst day for Jesus. He died on a cross, perhaps one of the most painful and terrible ways to die. And he did it willingly (although not without agony and pleading for mercy) for us so that we could live forever, if only a blip of that time was here on Earth.

Remember the real meaning of Christmas. A Savior was born. Hope was established. Grace was given. All you need to do is just ask for it.

Our celebration of Christmas might 25 days away, but its never too early to remember the purpose behind our celebration and pray for His wisdom and grace to touch us all.

God Bless You & Merry Christmas.

Somewhat lost in the post-debate controversy surrounding CNN Journalistic Ethics (or lack thereof), is the reporting that Former Illinois Representative Henry Hyde has passed away at 83. May God give comfort and strength to his family and may he rest in peace. My thoughts and prayers are with them all.

When you consider that the Democrats refused to go on FoxNews for a debate because of an accused right-wing bias, you have to wonder what the intellectually-honest on the left will say about the number of leftists and their supporters who got to ask questions without their ties being disclosed. Plants?

This is an election for the President of the United States of America, and thus all Americans should be concerned with the answers and have an equal chance at asking questions. Equal, not greater than. If the questions came from the democratic candidates themselves it would not have been appropriate (but at least we could have assessed their motives), so why is it any different if they are from activists within their camps instead? All I’m asking is for a little disclosure. As a one-time member for the Society of Collegiate Journalists, I had to agree to uphold a code of ethics, the same one that the Society of Professional Journalists subscribes to. Apparently CNN is above all that. You don’t have to get past the Preamble of their Code of Ethics to find a number of glaring problems:

… Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources’ reliability.

… Always question sources’ motives before promising anonymity. Clarify conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information. Keep promises.

… Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.

… Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.

And of course this one:

Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others.

CNN? Yeah, right. Luckily we can do the last one for them.

I forgot to DVR the debate tonight, thankfully, CNN replayed it at midnight so I didn’t have to watch on the laptop. I anxiously awaited watching the Kerr question from the member of the Clinton Campaign… but it appears CNN edited it out for the replay. I thought the final commercial break was running long, now I know why.

Quick thoughts on each of the candidates and their performances:

Mike Huckabee gives the best sound bytes and always answers with a good cadence. It makes his responses more entertaining, but is there enough substance? His language reminds me a bit of Ross Perot. I like Governor Huckabee, but I wonder if there is a reason I haven’t felt completely comfortable jumping in 100%. I keep finding myself uneasy that he is a committed conservative. Scholarships for illegal aliens? I understand Huckabee’s principal on the matter… but every dollar spent on an illegal alien going to college is a dollar that could have been spent on a citizen instead. Until all citizens who want to go to college can, illegals should not get a penny of tax dollars.

Fred Thompson and John McCain seemed the most Presidential tonight. Their seriousness and candor seemed to rise above the rest of the candidates a bit and they both don’t mind being detailed in their responses, even though the format and time constraints don’t really allow it. Thompson stays high on my list and Senator McCain is on the rise.

Giuliani looked pretty good, but some of his responses came off a bit petty. His record in New York certainly gives him credible experience, but it still sounds funny talking about experience as a mayor preparing you for Washington, DC. It doesn’t disqualify him and shouldn’t be taken lightly… but there must be a substantial bureaucratic difference between the White House and City Hall. I know that, I hope he does.

Mitt Romney seemed like the slick preppie kid who was growing tired of being picked on. Romney doesn’t perform overly poorly, but doesn’t live up to expectations either.

Duncan Hunter never disappoints conservatives, when he actually gets a chance to answer a question. I like Duncan Hunter and hope he is given ample opportunity to be involved in the next administration.

Tom Tancredo had a better performance than previous debates. His issues haven’t changed but he didn’t stumble on them nearly as much. Still he is looked at, and even seems to understand himself, that he is a one issue candidate… as serious as illegal immigration is, we have other problems too.

And Ron Paul. Whatever. It was nice to hear him say he won’t run as an independent… now I just hope he can get behind the party and help us keep the White House. Even more importantly, I hope he’ll get behind the troops until the war is won.

From books to robes to fuzzy slippers and automobiles, whatever Oprah talks about sells. When Oprah had James Frey on to talk about his book, A Million Little Pieces, it sold millions. When it came out that the latest edition to her book club was a work of fiction, Oprah was devastated. She eventually came out against Frey, but lost some credibility in the process. How could she put her seal of approval on something that was wrong? Why didn’t Oprah’s powerful show and capable staff research this book and its author before offering their endorsement?

In November 2003, Oprah had Dr. Jan Adams on her show talking about plastic surgery. Her implicit endorsement surely increased Dr. Adams’ fame. Who knows if his association with Oprah led him to work on Kanye West’s mom… but it did reportedly lead some other patients to seek him out. While other doctors turned Donda West down, Dr. Jan Adams agreed to perform her tummy tuck and breast reduction, cosmetic surgeries that led to her death. A background check on Dr. Jan Adams would have turned up a number of malpractice accusations, DUI charges, a restraining order, and his lack of board certification. But Oprah and her staff failed to do a background check on a man who benefited from her celebrity. Once again an endorsement from Oprah comes into question.

Now Oprah is on the campaign trail for Barack Obama. With a couple poor endorsements in her recent past, you have to wonder how much did Oprah investigate the candidate who she now is campaigning for? Did Oprah look into Barack’s past and research his policy positions? Did Oprah consider other alternatives and research the person whose candidacy she has now endorsed? Or is her support of Barack Obama just like her support of James Frey and Dr. Jan Adams… misguided and ill-informed? Like the author and doctor before him, you have to wonder if Barack Obama will also turn out to be a fraud.

After these two glaring failures should Oprah’s endorsement of anything, especially a person for high office, be taken seriously? If she can’t bother to check into the background of a surgeon she holds in esteem or an author she helps make millions, you have to question how much she knows about the man she hopes will become President.

I for one am not blinded by her celebrity, and I hope no one else is any longer. If she doesn’t take the time to research surgeons she promotes who have people’s lives in their hands, then how much time has she spent understanding the problems that face average Americans and what Barack Obama will do to fix them? Oprah seems to be a great woman with a big heart, but celebrity does not make her a political advisor or expert. Quite the contrary, her celebrity might just be what blinds her to the truth and is why her latest “Favorite Thing” should not be anyone’s other than her’s.

If you want to support Barack Obama, fine. But don’t take Oprah’s word for it.

Do your own research because chances are, Oprah hasn’t.

A month or so ago my wife asked me if I would go see My Fair Lady with her. A co-worker gave her tickets and she didn’t want to turn them down. Sure, I thought… why not.

WHAT WAS I THINKING???

I wasn’t. I didn’t bother to look at the calendar or I would have known that the musical was Wednesday, November 28th, the same night as the Republican debate. It is my civic duty to watch the debate… how can I let some musical get in the way? Thanks to DVR and caffeine, I won’t have to… I won’t miss it, I’ll just be late.

This musical better be good!

Thank God that a man truly of Christ coaches the Washington Redskins. They will need Coach Gibbs right now. Sean Taylor had made some mistakes in the past, but by all reports was gaining maturity and had learned from past mistakes. Unfortunately his time was up, and he died this morning after being shot in a home invasion the morning before.

Family friend Richard Sharpstein said Taylor’s father told him the news around 5:30 a.m.

“His father called and said he was with Christ and he cried and thanked me,” said Sharpstein, Taylor’s former lawyer. “It’s a tremendously sad and unnecessary event. He was a wonderful, humble, talented young man, and had a huge life in front of him. Obviously God had other plans.”

He said Taylor died early Tuesday at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he had been airlifted after the shooting early Monday.

Doctors had been encouraged late Monday when Taylor squeezed a nurse’s hand, according to Vinny Cerrato, the Redskins’ vice president of football operations. But Sharpstein said he was told Taylor never regained consciousness after being transported to the hospital and that he wasn’t sure how he had squeezed the nurse’s hand.

“Maybe he was trying to say goodbye or something,” Sharpstein said.

Sean Taylor was 24. God Bless him, his family, and friends.

From Fred Thompson for President’s Thanksgiving post:

Twenty-five years ago this week, in his Thanksgiving Proclamation, Ronald Reagan wrote that America was set apart from other nations in an uncommon way.

He said that it was his belief that ‘a divine plan placed this great continent here between the oceans to be found by people from every corner of the Earth, who had a special love of faith and freedom.’

… [L]et us also pause to give special thanks and praise to the men and women of our Armed Forces and their families, stationed across the globe. If you are home today with your friends and family, take time to pray for those in uniform, whose sacrifice for our nation is as boundless as our love of the freedoms they fight to protect.

Amen.

Its easy to forget how blessed I am when things are good. Even though I am thankful, some of the minutia is taken for granted. It shouldn’t be… I’m working on it.

When things seem difficult its also easy to have a momentarily lapse and dwell on the negative. But it is at times like this that I quickly snap out of it. Life has proven to me time and time again that I will never be given more than I can handle, and it is always when things become too difficult that I find a blessed way through. Maybe there is a lesson here I haven’t fully learned.

Every blessing is a gift, every trial an opportunity. So even though some aspects of life (like my career in the mortgage business) are difficult, I know it will be ok. As life throws a few curve balls, we have the opportunity to change and adapt like the orange fall leaves. For this I am truly thankful.

Thanks for me goes hand in hand with hope. And today, regardless of circumstance, I am full of thanks and hope. Thanks for all of the many blessing I have (an amazing wife, a nice home, a good family, health, a great country, and a God who loves me). I am also thankful for hope, because without hope, all of this wouldn’t be possible, nor would what is to come.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:1-5

Today I hope you have many things to be thankful for. And if not, I hope you have hope. “Hope does not disappoint us” and for that we should all be thankful.

What do a Texas Ranger, a Rocker, and a Wrestler have in common? They all support Mike Huckabee for President. I can’t even imagine Chuck Norris, Ted Nugent, Ric Flair and Mike Huckabee all sitting around for a chat… but it sure would be interesting. Who said only liberals have the support of famous celebrities? I’d take Chuck, Ted or Ric over Sean Penn, Tim Robbins or George Clooney anyday.

If you haven’t seen it yet, watch the Chuck Norris Approved Ad.

…and don’t forget your t-shirt.

That was my question. Not sure how long the video response has been available, I just noticed it today. I like the video answer much better than the typed one on his blog where the Governor mentioned ending some stated loan programs. The governor is right in the video… the market will correct itself. I hope he has looked into this a little more carefully and understands now that the last thing we need is greater government intervention, on any side. I’m still a bit worried because he didn’t say he opposed government restrictions on loan programs, but I am glad to hear his more detailed thoughts on the idea of personal responsibility for both the lender and the borrower.

YouTube Link.

An ABC News / Washington Post poll has Romney and Huckabee virtually tied in Iowa. I guess it takes more than money to buy votes in Iowa. Who knows… maybe citizens of the Hawkeye state are big wrestling fans?

If I can afford and am willing to be trained, I should be able to own an M-1 tank and park it in my back yard. I FIRMLY believe that, *AND* I believe the second amendment affords me that right.

Most will say that is an extreme example. I agree, it is extreme. I’ll take a few rocket launchers and some semi-automatics instead.

The Second Amendment states:

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Some people try to interpret that to mean that the people can ONLY keep arms if part of a well regulated militia. Some make up their own definition completely, and believe that the right to bear arms only applies to hunters (do you see anything about deer season in the Constitution?). As you can probably guess, I disagree.

A well regulated militia is not possible without the people bearing arms. It is clear to me, the NRA, Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson, Ted Nugent and scores of other people that the intent of the Second Amendment was prohibit the United States government from taking away a citizen’s right or ability to defend itself. And the threat is not just from wild animals or unfriendly redcoats… the threat citizens have the right to protect against is clearly the government itself.

And since the government can obtain any form of munition or weapon it sees fit, in order to protect from that very same government, any law-abiding citizen without a criminal record should be able to own and maintain any form of munition or weapon he or she can maintain. You can’t limit me to a rifle or 12-gage when the government could show up at my door with Tomahawk Missiles.

The founders did everything in the power to limit the powers of the federal government. And while the individual state was supposed to be the standard bearer, the founders made every effort to give the most power and authority to the people themselves. After just breaking free of an overbearing government, the founders sought to protect future generations of Americans from having to do the same thing. In order to guarantee that, citizens were guaranteed the ability to speak freely, worship independently, and (among other things) to bear arms.

Look at what is happening around the world and its not hard to imagine why it is imperative that a citizen’s right to protect itself is not denied. Whether through invasion or some political faction gaining traction, it is possible (no matter how improbable) that one day we could be faced with a systematic destruction of our rights in an America very different from our own. And if that day comes, I not only have the right but the duty to protect and defend my family and my community. The founders guaranteed it.

The problem with the militia argument is human nature. The farther you are from a threat the less amount of time it occupies your thoughts. With that in mind, prolonged peace time almost ensures a weak militia and a people who are ill-equipped to protect themselves. I think the founders had more foresight than that.

The other problem with the militia argument is it doesn’t seem to correspond with the rest of the document. Where else in the Bill of Rights is a right enumerated only for a regulated subset of the population? Freedom of speech isn’t protected only for the educated and the right to a speedy and public trial isn’t only guaranteed to attorneys. So why would the right to bear arms only be guaranteed for a militia?

The Second Amendment protects the right to have a well regulated militia, the rights of citizens to participate in the militia, and the right of citizens to keep and maintain their own arms. I am baffled that there is any debate.

With the Supreme Court taking a case that might very well force a ruling on the Second Amendment, the debate on this very important right might finally be put to rest. I hope so.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’m going to take some hand gun lessons.

Shameless Plug: Second Amendment T-Shirts & Gifts.

A good read, and new addition to the blogroll.

An Inconvenient Truth About Iraq. I particularly liked the editorial the author linked to in an update: The Clinton-Obama-Bush Doctrine.