Ark May Have Been Found

(June 29) - A team of Texas archaeologists believe they may have located the remains of Noah's Ark in Iran's Elburz mountain range.

"I can't imagine what it could be if it is not the Ark," said Arch Bonnema of the Bible Archaeology Search and Exploration (B.A.S.E) Institute, a Christian archeology organization dedicated to looking for biblical artifacts.

Bonnema and the other B.A.S.E. Institute members hiked for seven hours in the mountains northwest of Tehran, climbing 13,000 feet before making the apparent discovery.
"We got up to this object, nestled in the side of a hill," said Robert Cornuke, a member of the B.A.S.E. Institute. "We found something that has my heart skipping a beat."

At first, they didn't dare to hope it was the biblical boat.
"It wasn't impressive at first," Cornuke said. "Certainly didn't think it to be Noah's Ark. But when we got close, we were amazed. It looked similar to wood."

In addition, some B.A.SE. members say, their discovery didn't look very distinctive.
"It looked like the deck of any boat today," Bonnema said.

The Bible places the Ark in the mountains of Ararat, a mountain range theologians believe spans hundreds of miles, which the team says is consistent with their find in Iran.

The Bible also describes the Ark's dimensions as being 300 cubits by 50 cubits -- about the size of a small aircraft carrier. The B.A.S.E. Institute's discovery is similar in size and scale.
The B.A.S.E. Institute's samples are being examined at labs in Texas and Florida. B.A.S.E officials concede that there would be no way to conclusively prove that their finding is actually Noah's Ark.
http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/has-noahs-ark-been-found/20060629173309990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Even if tests indicated that this structure was the right age... Even if they found petrified animal droppings from a multitude of species... Even if they found a beam on which was carved, "Shem slept here," the world would still be skeptical of this fascinating piece of history. But I figure it this way; If You have the ability to "speak" a universe into existence, the events surrounding the ark do not present that much of a challenge.

The Sin of Distraction

A Christian woman in Zimbabwe fervently prays for food to feed her hungry son. A Christian woman in Cincinnati fervently prays for guidance as to which color car to buy. A Christian man in China prays for courage to suffer persecution, while a Christian man in Denver prays for courage to face his boredom.

The main problem with being a Christian living in the United States is that we are blessed to the point of distraction. Most of us either regularly or occasionally thank God that we were born in this land... this country of the very rich, because we are genuinely grateful that we have never known hunger, need, or the point of the sword. But insulation from physical dangers, deprivations, and irritants can manifest itself in a dream-like state that leaves us detached from reality... and walking around as if our existence was about us, our creature comforts, and our little human ambitions. In the history of Christendom has there ever been a more distracted lot?

I believe that this is at least one reason why it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. (Talk about an "Inconvenient Truth!")

Independence from the stresses of basic survival is indeed a blessing, but it is a gift that perpetuates self-reliance rather than faith, and leads to the gathering of luxuries and the laying up of retirement treasures in a world where physical needs are immediate and plentiful. We develop around us redundant financial safety systems lest a failure leaves us living below the level to which we are accustomed. Portfolio idolatry is a very seductive thing.

I tend to justify my ambitious retirement plan by reasoning that I will be able to help the Church even after I stop working... But it's really about me... It's about my financial security and my standard of living.

We need to remember that being counted among the rich is an awesome and grave responsibility... and a snare. When Jesus talked of judgment he talked of sheep and goats. The former cared for their fellow man. The latter did not.

Now I believe that we rich Christians living in the U.S. are every bit as covered by God's Grace as any persecuted, poor Christian around the world. But our responsibilities are very different. And somehow I feel the forgiving power of God's Grace assumes that, at the very least, He has our attention.

When it comes to "amounts," our time devoted to Him and our giving will be relative and diverse. But regardless of our station, I believe an active (not passive) course must be pursued in both our "seeking" and our "giving," and the latter will be a manifestation, perhaps a measure, of the former. I feel we are called to live simply and humbly so that our lives might be an example and an indication of the importance we place on this finite world as opposed to the "real" world yet to come.

But it all starts with a keen and ever-present awareness of who we are, and to Whom we belong. Our monetary wealth and our amazing wealth of leisure time are historically unique, so perhaps it is critically important to take a few moments and choose which kingdom and which world in which to invest our money, our time, and our attention. Taking stock will most likely leave you feeling very convicted and humbled... which is a very good place to start.

Saddam and Mass Murder

Skyepuppy has an interesting post comparing the mass graves found in Iraq to the Nazi death camp, Treblinka. You'll find it here:
http://skyepuppy.blogspot.com/2006/06/saddams-treblinka.html

...Always good reading from Skyepuppy.

It amazes me when I consider how bold and fearless Radical Muslims are when they deal with the U.S. and Israel. They don't fear us. Yet Saddam was able to hold them in check. I sometimes wonder if our "civilized" treatment of these uncivilized monsters precipitates, in the long run, more suffering on the Iraqi general public than did Saddam's brutality.

If we handled an uprising in Felusia by bombing Felusia until it was a swamp, how would it effect the quality of life elsewhere in Iraq?

If Israel actually fought the war they are in... (the elephant in the living room that they so artfully ignore) If they used the superior power they possess to crush pitilessly the pitiless monsters of Hamas... If they did what Hamas would do if they could... What would be the result?

We're not fighting Hitler's Germany. We're not even fighting King George's Redcoats. We are fighting "nice" against a medieval mentality that doesn't respond to "nice."

I can't see it happening, but I sometimes wonder if the medieval ugliness of Radical Islam was answered in kind... if we got "medieval" on Radical Islam, what would be the result?

With some people, you just can't be nice.

Bachelor Tip for June

Yes, I've decided that as a public service I will give one tip to young bachelors each month. (Who better than I?) After all I've been on my own for a long long time and I've learned the ropes, mostly through trial and error. So here is my tip for June.

Don't Buy the House She Wants Until After the Wedding!

As the song says, There is many a change in a young girl's heart... and it usually leaves the young man screwed.

Just as a random example, consider the plight of the poor bachelor who lives in the above house. The poor sap. The poor, pathetic, stupid sap. He bought the house the girl wanted before the wedding, and before the ink was dry on the mortgage, she announced that she needed time to think about it. It's been three years and she is evidently still thinking about it. In fact, while she was thinking, she met someone else and married him. How nice.

Well, she can think all she wants, but now the poor pathetic stupid sap (the PPSS, as we say in Greentown) has 1 and 1/2 more bathrooms than he needs, three extra bedrooms, and a house payment that consumes his once plentiful "mad money." Is he bitter? ...Only when he thinks about it.

Don't let this happen to you!!!!!

But Mr Malott, my girlfriend is so good, sweet, and loving that she would never leave me in such dire straights!

Oh grow up. Dealing with women is like dealing with used car salesmen. You are going to get bludgeoned regardless... but if you are shrewd, you can control the bleeding.

Mr Malott, you paint a frightening picture, but I still need a companion! Surely all women can't be blood sucking, mercenary spawns of Satan?

Actually, they can. But with patience and a great deal of discipline, some are salvageable. Still, if all you need is a companion, a Labrador Retriever is best. Your first night with her won't be as interesting, but after two years together, she will still love you.

There. I hope that was helpful and uplifting. Come back next month when I will discuss "Saying and Writing Things that Women Find Charming" ...my specialty!

Please Don't Miss This!

What I Wish the President Would Say

Find it here:
http://the-right-perspective.blogspot.com/2006/06/what-i-wish-president-would-say.html

A Time To Kill

Food just hasn't tasted good to me since yesterday. I can't seem to relax. There is a distraction and an edge to everything I do.

Yesterday afternoon I was listening to The Peter Heck Show as Mr Heck described how those two young soldiers were tortured and killed in Iraq... How their arms were twisted from their sockets and their eyes were gouged out... How they were emasculated... And had their hearts cut from their bodies. I stopped what I was doing and sat down.

It's difficult to hear these things and proceed through the day in quite the same way as before. These young men were working for me. I was paying their salary. They were just doing their jobs, and they were subjected to a horrible death.

This is the evil that Representative Murtha wants to back down from. This is the enemy that has drawn encouragement from the Democrat Leadership's constant attacks on the President and the war effort. These are the terrorists that the mainstream media insists on calling insurgents.

The problem with fighting in the Middle East is that the locals fear Radical Islam more than they fear us, so they are reluctant to help us. We fight civilized wars. Radical Islam tortures. We protect the innocent. They murder women and children. We fight to free. They fight to enslave.

It's time to kill this evil, and every moment of procrastination drives the cost higher. Every move by the Democrats that causes this Evil to question our resolve makes the battle harder and increases the risks for our soldiers.

We must not ignore this Evil because it will not be content with anything less than our destruction. Retreating from Iraq only moves the battle lines. They are coming and they must be stopped.

We will fight this Evil now, or it will eventually reign over us.

Dan, Don't Let The Door Hit You On Your Way Out

I am pleased that CBS evidently has a sense of shame and a smidgen of business sense. Loses touch with reality and readily exercises bad judgement is a "bad thing" on a journalist's resume, even at CBS.

I thought that they would use the guy on 60 minutes or elsewhere, but credibility must be making a comeback... And when the audience can't look at your reporter without smirking, maybe it's time to put him out to pasture.

However I'm sure the network will not learn from its mistakes. They are on a mission to influence the world for liberal ideology, and ratings, fairness, and truth don't get in the way of the dedicated missionaries of the Left. Dan's low ratings were fine until he became an obvious embarrassment that even they could not ignore.

Good luck, Dan. I hear there's an opening on the Today Show.

On the Eighth Day, God Created Hammocks

And He saw that it was pretty darn good.

Here I am reading a book that my eldest nephew gave me to read. It's pretty good. I put this picture as my desktop display at work to remind myself that I will eventually be relaxing at home. Once in a while a breeze will come up and rock me just a bit. Is it heaven? Oh yes. Yes it is.

My Best Side

Here I am pressing the wrong button on my camera. I was taking (trying to take) a picture of myself in my hammock using my timer. I'm wearing my old-man-big-ol'-shorts.

You could see my legs more clearly but my rear end (not shown here) is blocking out the sun. Then again, the shadows give my legs the illusion of three dimensions. Why do men's butts get bigger in middle age? Then when they're in their 80's they get their Jr High butts back. It's a mystery. I must needs give pause to consider this.

Yes, I know... But I've been ignoring the news all weekend long. George B had a great week and I knew it could only be downhill from there. Sometimes it's good to let the rest of the world go by.

The Gathering Gloom

In the Democrat Cloak Room..

Howard: (sigh) My mother warned me about weeks like this.

Joe: It's the best of times and the worst of times.

Howard: Uh huh... Well said Biden, but I think that's from A Tale of Two Cities.

Joe: Oh... Sorry...

Harry: It's not fair, you know. You work your fingers to the bone. You stay up half the night figuring just the right spin. You put in the time. You slander. You malign. You obstruct. You do everything right.

Ted: Life is like a bottle of scotch.... Uh... You uh get to the bottom of the bottle... Uh...

Nancy: Come on, guys! Cheer up! We just need to get our ideas out there! We should call a press conference and...

Howard: Politics turn on a dime. Things were looking great... Then al-Zarqawi gets nailed. Then President Bush looks Presidential going to meet with Iraqi leaders inside Iraq. Then Evil-Karl gets exonerated in our bogus Valerie Plame story. And I thought we finally had him. Who called off the dogs?

Robert: I have a little dog, a little Maltese dog, Billy Byrd.

Nancy: (sulking) You guys never listen to me when I talk.

Ted: Uh... Let's all head on over to the Hawk and Dove Bar. Uh... I'll drive.

Hillary: Great timing on the "Take America Back" Conference. We looked like a bunch of lame @#&$# unpatriotic idiots.

Nancy: It's like I'm not even here. I could say anything.

Harry: Our best stuff isn't working. The phone-tap accusations are going nowhere. I think the stupid fly-over hicks like having their phones tapped.

Nancy: I have Ebola Virus and I'm very contagious.

Howard: Our biggest problem is the war on terror. It's hard to throw a wrench into the thing and still look tough on terror. And if I hear another story about soldiers being applauded at an airport, I'll ralph my cookies. Of Course... I... I support the troops!

Everyone: (snickering) Mmm Hmm.

Joe: Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.

Hillary: I think @#$%# Churchill already said that, Joe.

Joe: Oh... Sorry...

Harry: We definitely need to talk up the immigration thing. That gets the entire Republican base honked off and depressed.

Nancy: I'm not wearing a bra.

Howard: Immigration is good. It's a win-win strategy. The rednecks get mad and stay home this fall and we get more voters. Can you say muy bien?

Harry: I'm still depressed, Howard. What if the good news starts filtering out of Iraq? What if October comes and they get Bin Laden?

Nancy: You wanna lose that hand, Ted?

Hillary: Oooh... Don't even think it, Harry. If we win in Iraq, we lose in the fall. And we need an election win. We're starting to look like a bunch of @#$%# losers!

Robert: I have a little dog, a little Maltese dog, Billy Byrd.

Joe: If we win in Iraq, we lose in the fall. And we need...

Hillary: I just said that, Joe!

Joe: Oh... Sorry...

Harry: Yep... We need a win. The Judiciary is all we got.... And the press.... And John McCain...

Howard: Awe geez, here comes that nitwit Kerry.

everyone scatters

Hawking Up Something Deep

HONG KONG (AP) - The survival of the human race depends on its ability to find new homes elsewhere in the universe because there's an increasing risk that a disaster will destroy the Earth, world-renowned scientist Stephen Hawking said Tuesday.

The British astrophysicist told a news conference in Hong Kong that humans could have a permanent base on the moon in 20 years and a colony on Mars in the next 40 years.

"We won't find anywhere as nice as Earth unless we go to another star system," added Hawking, who arrived to a rock star's welcome.

"It is important for the human race to spread out into space for the survival of the species," Hawking said. "Life on Earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as sudden global warming, nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers we have not yet thought of."

Let me go out on a limb here and guess that I'm not as smart as Mr Hawking. No... really.

Still, I have an opinion that I feel is as relevant as Mr. Hawking's. (Steve, as we call him in Greentown)
I see two possibilities here.

1. Earth and the human race are creations of God. Everything that happens is part of His plan. We need fear no meteor, disease, climate change, or bomb any more than we need fear death because... this ain't the party.

2. Earth and the human race are accidents in a universe that just happens to exist. So it really doesn't matter whether we ultimately survive. One way or another mankind will probably go the way of the dinosaurs so what does it matter when? And if we're just animals, does it matter at all?

It's fun to think about outposts on gamma beta 5. But I know in my heart that if it happens... It too will be just part of the plan.

The Left Whines About Ann Coulter... Again

David Carr writes in the New York Times:
"Godless," which is already doing gangbuster business according to the folks at Barnes & Noble, suggests that liberalism "is the doctrine that prompts otherwise seemingly sane people to propose teaching children how to masturbate, allowing gays to marry, releasing murderers from prison, and teaching children that they share a common ancestor with the earthworm."

Does she believe any of this stuff? I doubt she even knows. When I profiled Ms. Coulter a few years ago, I never figured out the line between her art and her artifice.

Her sincerity is beside the point as long as people keep taking the bait. All manner of televised talkfests, including "Today," welcome Ms. Coulter's pirate sensibilities back aboard whenever she has something to peddle, in part because seeing hate-speech pop out of a blonde who knows her way around a black cocktail dress makes for compelling viewing.

Without the total package, Ms. Coulter would be just one more nut living in Mom's basement. You can accuse her of cynicism all you want, but the fact that she is one of the leading political writers of our age says something about the rest of us.

Yes, Mr Carr, it suggests that there is a need for balance, a void which is being filled with the writings of Miss C. It suggests that there are people who reject what you evacuate and call truth, and appreciate a voice that boldly calls a spade... a spade.

Carr accuses Coulter of being a bomb thrower because like most liberals he prefers his Conservatives as whining, apologetic, simpering wussies... Well, anything "ineffective" would suit. Just imagine the kissing-up sycophancy of Dick Lugar, merged with the luke-warm "fire" of Bill Frist, mingled with the disloyal machinations of John McCain, and you have a "Conservative" that Liberals like Carr can live with.

Does the Left have bomb-throwers? Oh yes, and they're easy to spot. Just look for the guys on the Judiciary Committee with the "D" by their name.

The Last Post
June 10, 2031

by Emily Smith

In accordance with my great uncle's wishes I am writing the last post and closing out his blog. My Great Uncle Malott died last Monday at the age of 77 while chasing a rabbit from his garden. The modest funeral was attended by family members and scores of women who had recently realized the mistake they had made in rejecting my uncle's romantic overtures.

Though unappreciated and misunderstood throughout his life, I remember my Great Uncle Malott as the "smart and good looking one" in the family, though by the time of his death his ears had grown to the size of dinner plates. Though practically blind and using a walker, he still managed at this year's family Memorial Day barbecue to beat his nephews' sorry butts in croquet. What a man.

But he is dead now and I have things to do, so I need to crank this out quickly.

Yesterday in Washington President Juan Gonzales announced his support for making Spanish the official language of the Estados Unidos. Vice President Gutierrez and Secretary of Commerce Juanita Perez also spoke at the Garden del Roses ceremony. The President suggested that whites and other minorities should just "get over it" and learn espanol.

Across the Atlantic, the last European left Eurabia today, heading for Australia. Eurabian Prime Minister, Mohammed Hassunah hailed the event as the greatest in Eurabia since the burning of the Infidel's artwork outside the Louvre in 2015.

In Washington, the Supreme Court is expected to strike down the United States Constitution today for being "unconstitutional." In oral arguments proponents suggested that it was time to overturn the venerable old document since no one in Washington remembered what it said anyway. The Court hopes to make its ruling and then move on to formulating foreign policy and writing the Federal Budget for 2032.

The air was filled with rice and promises yesterday as the entire city of San Francisco got married. Since the Landmark Supreme Court "Anything Goes" Decision of 2012, many large groups of varying ages and species have taken their vows, but yesterday's nuptials were by far a record. The Episcopal Church hailed the event saying, "Marriage is such a quaint old tradition, and besides, this should really cut down on the adultery around here."

From his sick-bed in Berkeley California, Al Gore warned today that disaster will "arrive at any minute now" as Global Warming continues to threaten the world's climate. And with glaciers growing in the Arctic and cooler than normal temperatures spreading throughout the world, scientists continue to scramble for federal grants to study the cooling effects of Global Warming before it warms us into another Ice Age.

And finally, on a humorous note, during yesterday's Senate Judiciary Hearing, Senator Ted Kennedy's head was knocked off his shoulders when it was bumped by a careless intern. Kennedy, who died 10 years ago, is said to have remained silent after the incident, not wishing to comment. The Massachusetts Senator's corpse is expected to easily win re-election this fall.

King McCain "Sticks It" to America

Is there any doubt as to what kind of Judge a President John McCain would nominate to the Supreme Court? Knowing that activist judges are in the process of turning the God-ordained institution of marriage into some kind of free-for-all with all the dignity of a Jerry Springer airing, our boy Johnny sidled up to the Democrats yesterday and voted against the institution that the Creator himself designed because... Johnny knows better.

I look at the Senate and wonder how this culture will survive. Just as with the illegal immigration issue, there is overwhelming, demonstrable support in this country for traditional marriage and yet the Senate blows it off and goes their own way. It's as if the Senate has forgotten that it was an election, not a coronation, that gave them their power.

King McCain and every other Senator that seeks to thwart the will of the people need to be removed from office.

Do you get the feeling that McCain and other RINOs would rather be "electioned" into the minority... than associated with conservatives and Christians? Is the glitz of Washington, the glamour of the Elites, the approval of the media, and the fashion of Hollywood just too alluring for these self-absorbed little men?

We Forget So Easily

"For it is the doom of men that they forget." Merlin, Excalibur 1981

Yesterday I was listening to Bill Bennett's Morning in America and was interested to know that the Muslim youths in Canada who had purchased the bomb-making materials, were not new immigrants from the Middle East. They were second and third generation individuals who should have been much more assimilated and "Western" in their thinking. They all evidently were associated with a certain Mosque.

It has been the argument of the Left that American Muslims need not be feared (or watched) because it was Middle Easterners that had perpetrated 9/11. But obviously radical Islam is an enemy that can influence and infect anyone in the faith.

With the Democrats defending the privacy rights of those who intend us harm, and the idiots like Charlie Sheen who suggest 9/11 was a conspiracy on the part of George Bush, I'm left wondering if we in this country have the will to prevail over those who take this war seriously... Those being the terrorists of radical Islam.

We live in troubling times and we on the Right pray that God will fix the world and its problems. But part of the "fix" that will keep it all from crumbling down, I believe, must be our vigilance in the midst of a disloyal, hedonistic, and forgetful nation.

The Law vs Politics

California Democratic congressional candidate Francine Busby was caught on tape Thursday night exhorting illegal aliens in Escondido to vote for her in the race to fill the seat vacated by Randy "Duke” Cunningham, who was convicted last year of taking bribes.

According to the San Diego Union Tribune, many in the audience were Latinos who couldn't speak English. Toward the end of the meeting, a man asked in Spanish: "I want to help, but I don't have papers.”

"It was translated and Busby replied: 'Everybody can help, yeah, absolutely, you can all help. You don't need papers for voting, you don't need to be a registered voter to help.'”

Busby's GOP opponent, Brian Bilbray, immediately seized on her remarks:
"She's soliciting illegal aliens to campaign for her and it's on tape – this isn't exactly what you call the pinnacle of ethical campaign strategy," he told the Tribune. "I don't know how she shows her face."
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/6/4/125134.shtml?s=ic

The abbreviated version in all this is that Democrats and some Republicans want the Mexican people to have a say in who we elect to govern us... As long as it benefits them. No borders, no identity, no laws, no culture, no problem! Yep, keep the religious Right out of politics, but give the vote to illegal trespassers.

The Religion of the Christian Left

Two of the finest people I've ever known were a Mennonite couple.
In case you don't know what that is... find an Amish guy, set him next to a Baptist, figure the median lifestyle between the two, and that is what a Mennonite is. (At least that's the way they seemed when I was a kid) Anyway... The guy had been a conscientious objector during the Vietnam war and served in the medical services. All the time I knew him a hateful word never crossed his lips. He and his wife adopted a couple underprivileged black kids from the inner city. They contributed generously to charitable causes... were suspicious of capitalistic ventures and the American government... and if they voted, they voted Democrat. They were good. They were selfless. And they held no discernible allegiance to this country.

The Mennonite Central Committee (no, really... that's what it's called) has become politically active on the following issues: Central American Foreign Aid Bill, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Ecojustice in the Department of the Environment, Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Handgun Bill, UN Peacekeeping Funding, Health Care Reform, Environmental Justice.

Oh, and the guy doing the smuggling, feeding, housing... and generally facilitating illegal immigration into this country? ...There is a very good chance that the guy is Mennonite... The modern day "Underground Railroad."

Then at the other end of this spectrum that I'm calling the Religious Left, you have the United Church of Christ, whose web page says "God is still speaking." (which suggests that "God may be changing his mind") And who does their site quote? Jesus? Paul? ...No.
"Never place a period where God has placed a comma." -Gracie Allen
The UCC spawned the Reverend Barry Lynn of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. (And suddenly everyone got the picture!)

I think I understand the Mennonite group, though not necessarily its "Central Committee." To them, God and Country ...is God diluted. They are to be the Good Samaritans, even if it means breaking a couple laws along the way. Military force is never justified because Jesus wouldn't choose a career in the Army. I too, cannot see Jesus holding an M-16, but I think if he had advocated the dismantling of all military forces, or even the prohibiting of his followers from joining the services, he would have said so. To my thinking, the Mennonites have honestly chosen a narrow interpretation of the Bible and they try to live by it. And their affection for Environmental Justice? No help. I don't even know what that means.

The second group, represented above by The United Church of Christ, is much less complex, but not any easier to understand. On a web site that might be run by a UCC member, and which appeals to non-believing liberals, I found this:

And so, our liberal friends, don't assume that all Christians are the enemy! Many of us detest the "Religious Right" even more than you do, because these fanatics are not only threatening our country, but our religion as well. Liberals need to recognize that there are Progressive Christians, and that such Christians can and should be among your most effective allies!

This and another site I found talks quite a bit about the "Jefferson Bible" which is apparently handed out to new members of Congress. From the second site:

Jefferson cut out the virgin birth, all the miracles, including the most important one, the Resurrection, then pasted together what was left and called it The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth...

No, this guy wasn't being critical. According to him, the deletions were one of the virtues of this (I assume shorter) Bible.

I think this brings us to a basic understanding of this second group of the Religious Left... and these two quotes were chosen for two key words... "fanatics" and "miracles," which pretty much sums up the problem they have with us -the Religious Right.

They prefer a Jesus stripped of his miracles... stripped of his divinity, which allows them to make God in their image and pick and choose the teachings of Jesus that they like, and strike those that they don't. It's a heretical stance as old as creation... as old as the Garden when Eve was told she could be as great as God.

So now what's the reason for joining such a church ...a church with no Divine authority or Divine foundation? Well, I think it's like throwing salt over your shoulder for luck. It's trying to be relatively good (relative to the next guy) just in case there is really something up there. It's a way a liberal clergyman can stand up before a group and entertain them with his philosophy on life. It's singing "hymns" like "You'll Never Walk Alone," "I Believe," and "There's Got to Be a Morning After," and others that sound vaguely religious... but don't worship anyone. (Worship is reserved for the people who are being good and those standing in the pulpit.) It's sticking your toe in the tub and calling it a bath.

Fanatics worship. Fanatics are exclusive... just as the Bible excludes certain behavior. Fanatics re-arrange their lives, re-arrange their finances. They allow their faith to influence their policies... scary! Worst of all they don't hold Barry Lynn in awe... they attribute to him absolutely no authority... ouch!

Summing up... If what I found on the blogosphere is a true indication, the modern Mennonite (not to be confused with neighbors of mine who are the salt of the earth) is basically a "believing" Leftist who looks to the Bible to justify his politics. The UCC version of the Religious Left is basically a non-believing Leftist who uses portions of the Bible to justify his politics.

I like to think that the Religious Right reads the Bible, worships, and prays while developing a world-view and political stance. The hard part is being passionate about what's right, and at the same time loving those doing wrong.

Jesus said that if we followed Him the world would despise us. It's good to be despised.

Why is This Man Still Running the U.N.?

Between the Oil for Food money and the millions he's made from his movie roles, it's obvious he doesn't need the money.

He simply should retire in disgrace and be done with it.

Picture Contest

Name this structure and the activity surrounding it and you will win... my respect and admiration. No, really!

Some people look out their back window and see mountains, or maybe the ocean. I get this.

Ventures into Deep Theology
June, 2006

Once again it is time for Ventures into Deep Theology. So put your "deepest thinking" cap on. Here we go...

Little lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee,
Gave thee life, and bade thee feed
By the stream and o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, woolly bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice?
Little lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?

Little lamb, I'll tell thee;
Little lamb, I'll tell thee:
He is called by thy name,
For He calls Himself a Lamb.
He is meek, and He is mild,
He became a little child.
I a child, and thou a lamb,
We are called by His name.
Little lamb, God bless thee!
Little lamb, God bless thee!

William Blake

Now take a deep breath and maybe a couple aspirin. You've earned it.

Dangerous Iraq

I watch the evening news and I sometimes wonder how horrible it must be to live in a country where you can't even walk down the street without being shot or blown up.

But Andrew Walden writes for Front Page Mag:

Iraqi civilian death statistics complied by Rep. Steve King, R-IA, indicate that, contrary to the impression made on the evening news, Iraq actually has a lower civilian violent death rate than Washington, D.C., and pre-Katrina New Orleans.

King calculates an annualized Iraqi civilian death rate of 27.5 per 100,000 based on U.S. military and independent statistical sources.

As American leftists pretend to decry violence in Iraq, they celebrate the rise of Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez. Ironically, Venezuela has 31.5 violent deaths per 100,000 –14.5 percent higher than Iraq. It is Chavez who is responsible for “killing tens of thousands of innocent people.”

In Washington, D.C., it is 45.9 violent deaths per 100,000. This means civilians living in Washington D.C.—home to many leftist operatives who spend all day scheming to undermine President Bush’s efforts in Iraq—are 63.5 percent less safe than Iraqi civilians.

Other American cities with higher violent civilian death rates than Iraq include:
Detroit: 41.8 per 100,000
Baltimore: 37.7 per 100,000
Atlanta: 34.9 per 100,000
St. Louis: 31.4 per 100,000

They are all overwhelmingly Democratic.

The American city with the highest civilian death rate was New Orleans before Katrina—with a staggering 53.1 deaths per 100,000—almost twice the death rate in Iraq. With no sense of irony, corrupt Louisiana Democrats blame Bush for the Katrina disaster.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=22716

I feel better now. I guess.

Maybe if George Bush was elected mayor of New Orleans the press would get off Iraq's back.

The Left's Continuing Influence in the World.

The Russian Revolution occurred 89 years ago, and though its seed and legacy have left a trail of human misery, the Left has still somehow successfully transmuted the word "Communism" into the realm of the vulgar and boorish cliche; just a word with no more significance or threat than bogeyman. But the spirit of Marxism continues to live and breathe in the Left to this day, and continues to threaten the world's peace and prosperity.

Marxist theory sounds noble enough to the naive, but it always comes down to a few unaccomplished thugs stealing the possessions of people who have actually built something. Power is concentrated in the hands of one, or a small group of men... detractors are intimidated with violence... wealth (while it lasts) is redistributed to the poor... the Church is discredited or physically attacked... and a paranoid nationalism is preached to the masses.

I read an article by Lowell Ponte (linked below) that chronicles the governing style of Venezuela's leftist dictator, Hugo Chaves. Chavez, who according to his former personal pilot refers to himself in private as a communist, has followed the Marxist's road to power.

Embracing Castro, and propping up Cuba's failed economy with Venezuelan oil money, Chavez has imported up to 20,000 of Castro's secret police to quell any move that threatens or even questions his authority. He is currently stealing the property of European and American oil companies (after these companies have invested billions). He has thrown out Christian missionaries and replaced them with Cuban "teachers," and has called the religious leadership in his country "a tumor." He openly calls the United States Government a threat to Venezuelan sovereignty and allies himself with our enemies in Cuba... and Iran.

And what is the reaction of the Left in this country and around the world? The usual suspects who hate America... Danny Glover, Harry Belafonte, Jesse Jackson , and others... make their way to Venezuela for a photoshoot with the Leftist dictator. Cindy Sheehan, the poster-girl for the Left, has been there. The anti-capitalist "Global Exchange" of San Francisco now arranges tours of Venezuela for the fashionable leftists in America. Chaves recently toured Europe where he lectured Europeans on the virtues of socialism which, of course, caused him to be embraced by Europe's lunatic Left and their leftist publications.

But, as in Cuba and every other country that has "tried on" Communism, this Socialist "Utopia," in Venezuela is turning out to be a disappointing disaster. The poverty rate has risen to more than 50% as oil money flows into Cuba, and Chaves spends the Venezuelans' inheritance to buy friends and purchase weaponry. Caracas has the world's highest murder rate per capita, with Chavista mobs and spies patrolling its streets. Venezuela finds itself isolated from its neighbors as they withdraw, fearing Chavez's territorial ambitions.

But still the sycophants and fawners of the Left drool over this thug in the white suit, ignoring his atrocities.

While the Left has all but destroyed Europe and done much to bankrupt America and dilute its freedoms, this country still enjoys a clear majority of freedom junkies and capitalists. Still, we are also burdened with a left-leaning Federal Government that exhibits an insatiable appetite for power. And, as its immigration policies throw open wide the border to more and more of the world's poor and uneducated, our population shifts towards a mind-set and character that is vulnerable to the liberal lie and the promise of the "free meal" ...and "utopia." While we are safe for now from the raving socialist and the Marxist revolutionary, the leftist bureaucrat and the liberal politician, who misrepresents himself and his politics, already have a secure foothold in our system. If it comes, ours will be a slow descent, with the Left greasing the skids of our economic and cultural demise.

For those who love their freedoms and the opportunities that capitalism affords them and their posterity, the watchword continues to be vigilance. The failure of Socialism throughout the world and the rise of Conservatism in the United States has unhinged the radical Left, leaving them embittered and with suspect allegiances. With the support of the ever-cooperative mainstream media and cultural elites, the Left is free to subvert, to sabotage... to proselytize and misinform with relative impunity. They are a plotting, pandering pandemic... a poison that slowly and silently accumulates in our nation's soul. They are the untrustworthy caretaker, ready to surrender the keys to the estate. They seduce our young and scoff at patriotism. They seek to change who we are... as they challenge what is best is us.

We simply can no longer take for granted that our way of life will perennially survive. The American Experiment... our little revolution, continues to require our attention and an active participation to secure its survival.

As rocky and frustrating as our way has been lately, this is no time to lift our hands from the plow.


You'll find Lowell Ponte's article here:
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=22622

Amnesty by Any Other Name...

Ben Johnson writes about the Senate Immigration Bill for Front Page Magazine:

This bill doubles the amount of legal immigration, while reorienting our employment visas, for the first time, toward unskilled laborers. (The National Academy of Sciences found each “migrant” with less than a high school education costs the United States $90,000, and that immigrants only begin to “contribute to our economy” if they have a post-secondary education.)

But our economy will contribute to them. In addition to millions of dollars U.S. taxpayers spend for the welfare, education, health care, and incarceration of illegals, the Senate assures aliens will receive all the money they “contributed” to Social Security – even if they stole someone’s identity in the process. They’ll also be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit. In all, this “comprehensive” reform could cost $54 billion within a decade. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-PA, surmised, “[It] certainly is possible that it will bust the budget.”

54 billion...

Elsewhere, the bill makes clear enforcement is not a Senate priority. Russ Feingold and Sen. Sam Brownback successfully moved to allow activist judges to stay deportations essentially at will.

54 billion

The Conference Committee will have to iron out the differences between the Senate amnesty bill and the House’s all-enforcement bill, passed last December. The House, which by design is constitutionally and ideologically closer to the American people, has pledged to stand firmly against any amnesty in committee. Perhaps no bill whatever will result – which, contrary to Tony Snow, would not be received by Americans less favorably than amnesty. Or perhaps the two will coalesce along the lines of a bill introduced by conservative leader Rep. Mike Pence, R-IN. It includes a guest worker program – but unlike his Senate colleagues, Pence “gets it” on border enforcement. He recently noted, in 2005 alone, more than 200 illegals detained by Border Patrol came from the Middle East, “countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and others.” His plan would require workers to leave the country before receiving a biometric worker ID card – and would provide no “path to citizenship” for those blazing the trail north for economic reasons. After a specified period, the illegals would be required to leave the country.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=22656

54 billion

Voting "yes" were 38 Democrats, 23 Republicans and one independent.
Voting "no" were 32 Republicans and four Democrats.

Democrats Yes
Akaka, Hawaii; Baucus, Mont.; Bayh, Ind.; Biden, Del.; Bingaman, N.M.; Boxer, Calif.; Cantwell, Wash.; Carper, Del.; Clinton, N.Y.; Conrad, N.D.; Dayton, Minn.; Dodd, Conn.; Durbin, Ill.; Feingold, Wis.; Feinstein, Calif.; Harkin, Iowa; Inouye, Hawaii; Johnson, S.D.; Kennedy, Mass.; Kerry, Mass.; Kohl, Wis.; Landrieu, La.; Lautenberg, N.J.; Leahy, Vt.; Levin, Mich.; Lieberman, Conn.; Lincoln, Ark.; Menendez, N.J.; Mikulski, Md.; Murray, Wash.; Nelson, Fla.; Obama, Ill.; Pryor, Ark.; Reed, R.I.; Reid, Nev.; Sarbanes, Md.; Schumer, N.Y.; Wyden, Ore.

Democrats No
Byrd, W.Va.; Dorgan, N.D.; Nelson, Neb.; Stabenow, Mich.

Democrats Not Voting
Rockefeller, W.Va.; Salazar, Colo.

Republicans Yes
Bennett, Utah; Brownback, Kan.; Chafee, R.I.; Coleman, Minn.; Collins, Maine; Craig, Idaho; DeWine, Ohio; Domenici, N.M.; Frist, Tenn.; Graham, S.C.; Gregg, N.H.; Hagel, Neb.; Lugar, Ind.; Martinez, Fla.; McCain, Ariz.; McConnell, Ky.; Murkowski, Alaska; Smith, Ore.; Snowe, Maine; Specter, Pa.; Stevens, Alaska; Voinovich, Ohio; Warner, Va.

Republicans No
Alexander, Tenn.; Allard, Colo.; Allen, Va.; Bond, Mo.; Bunning, Ky.; Burns, Mont.; Burr, N.C.; Chambliss, Ga.; Coburn, Okla.; Cochran, Miss.; Cornyn, Texas; Crapo, Idaho; DeMint, S.C.; Dole, N.C.; Ensign, Nev.; Enzi, Wyo.; Grassley, Iowa; Hatch, Utah; Hutchison, Texas; Inhofe, Okla.; Isakson, Ga.; Kyl, Ariz.; Lott, Miss.; Roberts, Kan.; Santorum, Pa.; Sessions, Ala.; Shelby, Ala.; Sununu, N.H.; Talent, Mo.; Thomas, Wyo.; Thune, S.D.; Vitter, La.

Others Yes
Jeffords, Vt.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060526/D8HR4FBO1.html

54 billion... Can you believe it? That's our money, I'm pretty sure. Are these Senators insane, or is the electorate insane for not screaming its collective head clean off? Who are these Senators working for these days?

If your Republican Senator is up for re-election and actually voted for this insanity... find the Libertarian lever this November and send him a message. I know I won't be voting for Dick Lugar.

54 billion... With this kind of generosity Vincente Fox may be looking for a home in Arizona. And if enough of the Senate Bill makes it out of committee there should be enough of his fellow countrymen moving north to elect him to the United States Senate. I think he has many friends there and would fit right in.

Senator Lugar Plays to the Beltway

I heard on Limbaugh today that Senator Dodd slipped an amendment into the recent Immigration legislation that requires a consultation with Mexico (pronounced Meh-hee-ko) before the building of any wall on our southern border. This suggests that there will be no wall in our future... at least not anytime soon.

(b) CONSULTATION REQUIREMENT.--Consultations between United States and Mexican authorities at the federal, state, and local levels concerning the construction of additional fencing and related border security structures along the United States-Mexico border shall be undertaken prior to commencing any new construction, in order to solicit the views of affected communities, lessen tensions and foster greater understanding and stronger cooperation on this and other important issues of mutual concern.
http://michellemalkin.com/

This amounts to all but veto power by the Mexican government. I don't know how many Hoosiers think Mexico should get to "OK" our immigration policies, but my guess is that they are few in number. Still, Republican Senator Dick Lugar voted in favor of the Dodd amendment.

Senator Frist voted against it. Mitch McConnell, Kay Bailley Hutchinson, Chuck Grassley, George Allen, and Jeff Sessions voted against it. Several other Republican Senators voted against it. But Dick Lugar sided with the RINOs... and against the people who voted him into office.

I feel a little foolish because this post started out to be a call to replace tired old Country-Club Dick. (I was going to suggest Congressman Mike Pence as his replacement) But it turns out that Senator Lugar is in this fall's election, in a very safe race... and since he will be 80 the next time around, this is probably his last term. We can hope...

Here is a picture of Senator Lugar with the type of person he is evidently listening to these days.

Wilted Lettuce

Have you ever seen a brighter green? Leaf lettuce is the easiest thing in the world to grow, but you must get it out early to avoid the worms. As soon as I see the white moths flying about my garden I roto-till the lettuce.

I grew up eating "Black-Seeded Simpson," but now I prefer Gurney's "Green Ice" because the leaves are more substantial.

1) Fry two pieces of bacon
2) Wash lettuce and cut sideways to 1.5 inches, enough to fill half a big bowl.
3) Cut two green onions into quarter-inch pieces including half the leaves.
4) Add bacon, torn up.
5) To bacon grease in skillet add 1/2 cup Splenda (or sugar)
6) To grease and Splenda add 3/4 cup white vinegar.
7) Bring to a boil, then pour over lettuce and mix.
8) Serve immediately. Serves two... or one if it's me.

You need at least 1.5 TBSP bacon grease for this to be good... so don't be a baby.

Lord John

For all the national attention surrounding John McCain’s two highly anticipated, protest-ridden commencement speeches in New York last week, the Senator actually saved some of his best material for the crowd that gathered on Friday behind closed doors in the back of the Regency Hotel.

“One of the things I would do if I were President would be to sit the Shiites and the Sunnis down and say, ‘Stop the b...s...,’” said Mr. McCain, according to Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi, an invitee, and two other guests.

Ah... why didn't we think of that... John McCain speaks and the seas part.

"What kind of a country do we want to be?” Mr. McCain asked his audience, walking around in the middle of a horseshoe-shaped table as he proceeded to answer his own question.

He cautioned against ghettoizing immigrants, which he noted has brought about disastrous results in France, and criticized elements in his own party as “nativist” before lambasting the punditry of Rush Limbaugh, Lou Dobbs and Michael Savage for helping to “fuel the problem,” according to two of the sources.
http://www.observer.com/20060529/20060529_Jason_Horowitz_pageone_newsstory1.asp

No, John... Republicans in name only, such as yourself, are the problem. Rinos and others who ignore the will of 75% of the American people on illegal immigration are the problem.

So he appeals to the liberals in a state he has no chance of carrying? That's nice. Sometimes I think the mainstream media cozy up to McCain because they know he can be beaten. I think they know that any Republican candidate who fails to inspire the conservative base is going to lose. And McCain has angered so many of us that it might require the Democrats nominating Dennis Kucinich in order to bring the conservatives to the polls en masse, should John actually manage to get on the ticket. Yes, Dennis could do it.

"John McCain- The Lesser of Two Evils" is not a winning slogan.

Inconvenient Al

A top aide to Al Gore is telling reporters that if his boss decided to challenge Hillary Clinton for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, he'd be a better candidate than he was in 2000.

Well now that's aiming high.

Arlie Schardt was Gore's press secretary when he made his first run for president in 1988 and has teamed up with his old boss to help promote Gore's new global warming movie, "An Inconvenient Truth."

Schardt told the paper (Newsday) that if Gore got back into the race, he wouldn't allow his handlers to micromanage his image the way they did six years ago.

Al Gore is capable of no image other than that of a stiff and annoying loon. He would bring to the Democrat ticket a treasure-trove of "self-seeking" ordnance. "An Inconvenient Truth" for Al is that anyone who embraces the wacko-environmentalist bilge proffered in this cinematic masterpiece would mean the death knell for our economy if elected. Thinking people know this.

I've heard the comparisons of Al's career with Richard Nixon's comeback in 1968, but there really is no comparison. Nixon was mainstream. Nixon exuded competence, not the oily residue of liberalism.

Gardening Tip #3

You can't have too many onions in your garden.

If you have an unheated garage or root cellar... or even easy access to your crawl space, what you see above will keep you from buying onions till next spring.

Always buy onion plants form your favorite seed catalog or nursery. Bulbs are OK, but they won't get nearly as big.

Yellow Sweet Spanish (Illegal Onions, as we say in Greentown) are good keepers and get pretty big. I'm also trying Texas Grano this year.

While you're at it, plant garlic in with your onions. Just break up a couple cloves and stick the pieces down in the dirt. You can't eat too much garlic.

Gardening Tip #2

Raised Beds

This is what I would call a slightly raised bed, and is useful when your garden sits low on your property or drains poorly. (click on picture to enlarge) It is accomplished using a garden rake by dragging the dirt toward you creating a little gulley. Then you stand in the gulley and drag dirt toward you from the side where you originally stood. Then you turn the garden rake over and smooth it out. These tomato plants would not have survived the recent heavy rains had they not been planted this way.

In late June I will plant carrots in a narrow, high raised bed that resembles a coffin lid.

Good News from Michael Barone

Michael Barone writes:

First, economic growth. In 2005, as in 2004, the world economy grew by about 5 percent, according to the International Monetary Fund, and the IMF projects similar growth for several years to come. This is faster growth than in all but a few peak years in the 1980s and 1990s, and it's in vivid contrast to the long periods of stagnation or contraction in history.

The great engine of this growth is, of course, the United States, which produces more than one-quarter of world economic product and whose gross domestic product has been growing at around 4 percent -- 4.7 percent in the latest quarter. Other engines are China and India, each with about a sixth of the world's people, and economic growth of 10 percent and 8 percent, respectively. But other areas are growing, too: Eastern Europe (5 percent), Russia (6 percent), East Asia (5 percent), Latin America (4 percent), even the Middle East (6 percent) and sub-Saharan Africa (5.5 percent).

Lagging behind are the Euro area (1 percent) and the rest of Western Europe (2 percent). Lesson: Sclerotic welfare states produce mass unemployment and stifle initiative and innovation. In contrast, the Chinese and Indian growth rates show how freeing up an economy produces rapid growth, and the continued contrast between the United States and Europe makes the same point. Free market economic growth is enabling millions of people to rise out of poverty every year.

But aren't we also living in times of record strife? Actually, no. Just the opposite. The Human Security Centre of the University of British Columbia has been keeping track of armed conflicts since World War II. It reports that the number of genocides and violent conflicts dropped rapidly after the end of the Cold War, and that in 2005 the number of armed conflicts was down 40 percent from 1992.

Wars have also become less deadly: The average number of people killed per conflict per year in 1950 was 38,000; in 2002, it was just 600. The conflict in Iraq has not significantly changed that picture. American casualties are orders of magnitude lower than in the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, and precision weapons have enabled us to vastly reduce the civilian death toll.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/printpage/?url=http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/05/heard_the_good_news.html

So there you go. Thanks Mike, I needed that.

Gooseberry Island

When your 84-year-old father likes gooseberry pies, and you are a good son (not the kind that runs off to Florida... and though the reason was to start a new church will probably still burn in hell for deserting his family) ...where was I... you do the right thing and and make your dad a gooseberry island.

I think the fact that the rabbits and the birds won't touch them... speaks volumes.

The gooseberries you see above will be ripe in a few weeks. In my opinion, after maturation they will still taste lousy. Their you go, Dad... enjoy. (Bon Apetit', as we say in Greentown.)

Muslim Strengths vs The West's Weakness

In Front Page Mag:

A former top Homeland Security official warns that the terrorists aren't confined to the battle fronts abroad, but are already here in America living among us.
"While we certainly should continue to take the fight to the enemy wherever he is, we need to face the awful reality that the enemy may already be in our very own backyard," says former Homeland Security Department Inspector General Clark Kent Ervin. "The frightening truth is that there are already terrorists among us."
And Ervin points out that the bureau (FBI)... knows of at least 1,000 al-Qaeda sympathizers in the U.S. today -- a number that he calls "low." It's possible there are thousands of sympathizers supporting and facilitating hundreds of terrorist operatives inside the U.S., he fears, and the FBI has yet to make the connections.

Also in Front Page Mag, Abigail Esman talks about how second -- and third-generation -Muslims, who were born and raised in Holland and Belgium, are radicalized:

You have a combination of adolescent rebellion and adolescent rage, you have children and teenagers who are growing up in violent homes, in a culture where what they learn is that the way to solve problems or exert your will or express your needs is through violence, not words. Add to that radical imams in local mosques that are often funded by the Saudis, radical Islamicist propaganda that circulates in various Islamic "Sunday schools," satellite dishes feeding propaganda from the Arab world into their homes -- and these shows are turned on all day most days, especially in homes where the parents have not yet learned to speak or understand Dutch.
And then you have the Internet, and web fora, and misinformation, and the kinds of elements that can contribute to any sort of immersion in a trend, a cult, a way of life. But unlike dressing Punk or Gothic, becoming a radicalized Muslim overtakes your entire way of life: you are reading the Koran and listening to your radical peers and hearing the words of your heroes, you are mentored. And every step into that world leads to another, further and further in.
Why do the societies allow it? In some ways, I think for the same reasons that it happened to begin with: they just close their eyes. They don't want to see. They don't want to talk about things that are politically incorrect, or that indicate a form of intolerance.

1)http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=22533
2)http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=22561

Is America's future promising... and for whom? Our radical Islamic enemies watch the slow, dissolution of Europe into Eurabia. They watch as our so-called leaders fail to secure our borders and argue the very existence of the War on Terror. They watch the spoiled, lazy American people rapidly become disenchanted with the war and those that lead in its fight.

Fifty years ago present trends would have resulted in a sustained near-global war and the deportation of every Muslim that in any way suggested he was sympathetic to radical Islam and hostile to the U.S. or even its allies. But we are no longer a hard-nosed people. As we slide down the slippery slope of complacency, and the Left leads us by the nose towards destruction, who can we blame but ourselves?

Peggy Noonan on the Week's News

On the President's speech:

What was needed was a definitive statement: As of this moment we will control our borders, I'm sending in the men, I'm giving this the attention I've given to the Mideast.

The disinterest in the White House and among congressional Republicans in establishing authority on America's borders is so amazing--the people want it, the age of terror demands it--that great histories will be written about it. Thinking about this has left me contemplating a question that admittedly seems farfetched: Is it possible our flinty president is so committed to protecting the Republican Party from losing, forever, the Hispanic vote, that he's decided to take a blurred and unsatisfying stand on immigration, and sacrifice all personal popularity, in order to keep the party of the future electorally competitive with a growing ethnic group?

I continue to believe the administration's problem is not that the base lately doesn't like it, but that the White House has decided it actually doesn't like the base. That's a worse problem. It's hard to fire a base. Hard to get a new one.

And on the DaVinci Code Opening:

Speaking of the detachment of the elites, the second big news of the week--in some ways it may be bigger--is the apparent critical failure of "The DaVinci Code." After its first screening in Cannes, critics and observers called it tedious, painfully long, bloated, grim, so-so, a jumble, lifeless and talky.

I do not understand the thinking of a studio that would make, for the amusement of a nation 85% to 90% of whose people identify themselves as Christian, a major movie aimed at attacking the central tenets of that faith, and insulting as poor fools its gulled adherents. Why would Tom Hanks lend his prestige to such a film? Why would Ron Howard?

"The DaVinci Code" could still triumph at the box office, but it has lost its cachet, and the air of expectation that surrounded it. Its creators have not been rewarded but embarrassed. Good. They should be.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/

When I see Peggy Noonan interviewed on television I am struck by just how uncool she comes across before the camera. She has this hyper-sincerity about her that makes me somehow uncomfortable, probably because I want her to be cool and impressive and she never is. Interviews are not the vehicle that displays her genius.

This lady was a speech writer for Reagan and Bush 41 and wrote some of the best speeches that have ever been delivered by a politician. And, she was in her 30's at the time, for crying out loud.

I remember sitting with a friend in the summer of 1988 watching George HW Bush give his acceptance speech at the Convention. I'm sure Peggy Noonan wrote the following:

For seven and a half years, I’ve worked with a great President -
I have seen what crosses that big desk. I’ve seen the unexpected crisis that arrives in a cable in a young aide's hand. And I have seen problems that simmer on for decades and suddenly demand resolution. And I’ve seen modest decisions made with anguish, and crucial decisions made with dispatch.
And so I know that what it all comes down to, this election - what it all comes down to, after all the shouting and the cheers - is the man at the desk.
And who should sit at that desk?
My friends, I am that man.

At that point I turned to my friend and said, "George just won the election!"

The whole speech was good, but those couple paragraphs made Bush 41 look and sound presidential... like a guy you'd want to be your president. That's what put him over the top... and that's the genius of Peggy Noonan.

Howard Dean's Urine

On Peter Heck's web site I found the following Howard Dean quote:

"Now that we're on dog pee, we can have an interesting conversation about that. I do not recommend drinking urine, but if you drink water straight from the river, you have a greater chance of getting an infection than you do if you drink urine." ...teaching an eight-grade science class in La Crosse, Wisconsin

I know Mr Heck thought this was a pretty strange thing to say, (perhaps it is...) and that is why he posted it. However if I taught a biology class this is something that I would pass on to my students.

From our earliest days we are taught that our waste products are dirty. That's fine. However, as a medical technologist I can tell you that if you put a healthy person's urine on blood agar, no bacteria will grow. If you put tap water on blood agar, bacteria will grow. This means that in terms of what qualifies as "dirty," a healthy person's urine is cleaner than tap water... and much much cleaner than the water in Mexico (pronounced meh'-hee-ko).

Urinary tract infections (or UTI's as we say in Greentown) are usually caused by E. coli that originated in the bowel... and usually caused by fouling one's bed, or women wiping in the wrong direction. The urine is usually cloudy and has a terrible odor. However when some people eat asparagus, their urine has a similar odor to an infected specimen. So on your wedding day it might be best to pass on the asparagus. Certain odors have no business wafting through the honeymoon suite.

Of course waste from the other end (doo doo, ka ka, poo poo) is loaded with bacteria, and it's odor increases in direct proportion to protein intake. As Mr Kellogg (Anthony Hopkins), a vegetarian, says in The Road to Wellville... "My own stools, Sir, are gigantic and have no more odor than a hot biscuit. "

Well said.

I found a web site with a list of stupid Howard Dean Quotes. You'll find it here:
http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/stupidquotes/a/deanquotes.htm

Yes I know. But look at it this way: there's nowhere to go but up from here.

So Who is the Guy in the Big White House?

Representative Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, who pushed a tough border security bill through the House of Representatives, had this to say about the President:

"He basically turned his back on provisions of the House-passed bill, a lot of which we were requested to put in the bill by the White House. That was last fall when we were drafting the bill, and now the president appears not to be interested in it at all."

Not interested? A clear majority of Americans is interested in this bill and support its proposals. The people that believed in President Bush enough to contribute to his campaign and work hard towards his election are interested in this bill.

President Bush has always been stubbornly loyal to his friends, but who are his friends? Vincente Fox? Illegal trespassers whose future illegal votes so many politicians are courting?

Who is this guy, George Bush?

I know he is the guy that put his presidential legacy on the line in order to face down radical Islam and preemptively strike against our enemy. He is the guy that pushed through tax cuts that saved our economy after 9/11. He is the one who nominated two strict constructionists to the Supreme Court that will have influence for years to come. But who is this guy?

To me, he looks like a tired man. I would describe him as a good leader and a mediocre politician, who has had just about enough of the hateful rhetoric, the laid traps, and the self-centered ambitious of Washington. I don't think 2008 can come fast enough for him.

We on the right are no strangers to hateful rhetoric. When he nominated Harriet Miers for the supreme court, George Bush learned a little of our loyalty to him. He made a mistake, and then made it right, but not before suffering a barrage of belittling pot shots from his friends.

I don't understand the President's policy on Illegal Trespassers. But Washington is what it is, and George Bush is navigating a maze of pitfalls that few of us can appreciate or understand. While I will continue to criticize his and the government's policy, I hope to couch my criticism in respect.

I think Peter Heck put it best on a recent post: "I love the President and respect him...but I cannot and do not respect his ideas on immigration."

I, too, love and respect this president. And though my frustration sometimes masks my loyalty, I stubbornly refuse to forget the good he has done.

The DaVinci Dud

I love these reviews. This is a rare case in which celebrating another's misfortunes is OK. So we should enjoy it, right?

The film is a disaster from beginning to end... The characters run from clue to clue, and it’s not until about an hour has gone by that you realize you don’t care.
David Fararci, CHUD.com

It's just not that the movie is way too long and duller than watching Da Vinci's paint dry, but it takes away any of the book's little credibility and makes the flaws in it that much more obvious.
Edward Douglas, comingsoon.net

...an oppressively talky film that isn't exactly dull, but comes as close to it as one could imagine with such provocative material.
Todd McCarthy, variety.com

it’s not very good — long (2hr.32min.) and mostly inert.
Richard Corliss, TIME magazine

Roger Ebert likes it... case closed!

More from State Senator Jeff Drozda on Illegal Immigration

I sent out a couple more emails asking specifics from my state representatives. I've yet to hear back from Eric Turner, but Drozda sent me this:

The states have little say on the specific issue of immigration ie. sending them back. However, we do have a say on who can and cannot receive state funding and programs. It is my understanding that hiring illegals already carries a fine...the feds must enforce. But the state may be able to pass similar laws. If we can't put up walls on the entire US borders (they are working in the San Diego area), then we have got to do what we can to track them and document them in Indiana.

Even though the emasculating effect of the Federal Government on State Legislatures is relatively complete, it sounds to me as if there are state options that could be effective. Still, it would take action on the part of the public to stir a back-biting two party system into action, even on the state level.

We all know just how much frustration and disgust is out there on this issue. But that doesn't always translate into letters, emails, and phone call to representatives in government. We are a spoiled, distracted, and lazy lot in this country, and when we as private citizens fail to lobby our representatives, all they hear are the special interest groups.

If every citizen who is royally ticked off over the government's inaction would take the time to voice their angry opinion to their state reps, there just might be a new law written... and maybe even passed.

P. Eric Turner Checks In

This is an update to my previous post.

Within 12 hours of my contacting my State Representative, P. Eric Turner, he sent me this email:

Chris,
I authored a bill this year, HB 1383, which would codify Federal Law preventing health care and government benefitsfor illegal immigrants but it was not successful. I agree with you we should not be rewarding illegal immigrants.
Thanks for communicating with me.
Eric

Does anyone out there know what it means to codify a Federal Law? I could guess...

Once again, we apparently have a state legislator who is much more responsive to the will of the people than the jokers in Washington. This may be the way to go on this issue.

Question: Why does this man have more influence in Washington than a clear majority of Americans?

This morning I sent an email to my federal and state representatives. (Well, I didn't bother with Evan Bayh because... why bother?)

I respectfully told the federal guys that I wanted a wall on our southern border or I was going to vote for their opponents.

I told my state reps that I wanted Indiana State Law to be decidedly Illegal-Unfriendly. And that I wanted laws with stiff fines for employers that hire illegals. I said do it, or I'm voting for your opponent.

I also told my state senator to get rid of the "en espanol" option on his web site.

I continue to lose respect for the Republican leadership in Washington, from the President on down. State legislatures may turn out to be the last outpost of common sense on the immigration issue. In this country where the will of the people pales beside the whims of the Washington elites, we may still be able to effect our destiny by pressuring the politicians closer to home.

Since it doesn't matter who we vote for, maybe if we throw out a few of these clowns they will start listening to us... instead of listening to criminals and the Mexican government.

...and read this excellent post from Christina that expresses better than I can how frustrating Washington's response has been:
http://the-right-perspective.blogspot.com/2006/05/president-bushs-wall.html


UPDATE:
State Senator Jeff Drozda emailed me within the hour and said:

I agree. We will see legislation next year that will address the issue.
As for the "en espanol" on my home page, that is standard for all Senators and I have no control on that.

Thanks Senator... come through for us and you'll have my vote.

Two Wars

SkyePuppy has an outstanding post that is a must read: Find it here:
http://skyepuppy.blogspot.com/2006/05/al-aqsa-praises-death-of-american-teen.html#comments

Phone Records

Bryan Alexander has a great post about the current media furor over phone records and the president's invasion into citizen's privacy. You'll find it here:
http://r-thinking.blogspot.com/2006/05/left-is-out-of-touch-as-usual.html

Honest Americans have it right; strict respect for one's privacy is of little use if one is blown up. Still all this negativity is having its effect on the President's approval ratings. People just aren't getting along with each other under this President's leadership! It's not fair... this constant dissonance... but it won't end anytime soon... because it's working.

Bachelor Tip for May

Yes, I've decided that as a public service I will give one tip to young bachelors each month. (Who better than I?) After all I've been on my own for a long long time and I've learned the ropes, mostly through trial and error. So here is my tip for May.

Rotate your Underwear

It's economically sound to rotate your underwear... Take from the top... Replace from the bottom... because underwear should age equally, wear out at the same time, and be replaced all at once. By the time your underwear is frayed or irreparably stained... and you know what I mean!... you can and should replace the entire lot.

But Chris, what is the most efficient way to accomplish this?

It's really simple you know... If you fold and stack your underwear!Shown here is an easy way to fold socks, briefs, boxer briefs, and boxers. (click to enlarge)
Shown here is an efficient way to arrange your underwear drawer. (click to enlarge) Simply take socks from the bottom left and take underwear from the top of the stack. Soon you'll be taking such pride in your underwear drawer that you'll want to show it off to your friends. But resist this idea. Only a jerk places his underwear drawer on public display, except for educational purposes, of course.

But Chris, should I wear briefs, boxers, or boxer briefs?

You need all three. Boxers and boxer briefs are closest to what nature intended so wear them to work, to luncheons, and to the store. Wear briefs when you jog or work around farm machinery.

Well that's it for May. Come back next month for the much anticipated "How to Get Women!"

New Truck (click to enlarge)

This is my new truck. It's a Chevy Silverado. It's alright. But my previous truck had the extended cab and so this truck looks very small to me. I would have preferred the color "summit white." "Silver birch metallic" would have been OK. But as you see, I got "Adolescent Red." I'm feeling funny about the color, and the short bed doesn't look very manly. It looks as if I took a cut in pay and this was all I could afford.

It's alright.

Faith in Islam

What I find most striking about the current state of affairs in the Muslim world... Ahmadinejad's letter, the actions of the Muslims here through CAIR, is that these people are stepping out with such confidence. They know the infidel much better than he knows them, and they have faith that one day the world will be theirs.

We should fear their anger and their violence. But it's their confidence that gives me chills.

Hope

You look around and you see things that just make your heart sink. Thanks to the press, most Americans think the war is unwinable and want to pull our troops out. Hollywood is manufacturing filth like never before, and the church and morality are revered only for their use as a punch-line. You see thousands of dissatisfied people marching in the streets.

That's what 1969 was like. I'd just started high school and I saw nothing that made me think there was a bright future ahead. And things got worse.

I traveled 500 miles to college in Tennessee just in time for gas lines. There was the impeachment of the first man I voted for. Then I remember his successor holding up a "win" button... Whip Inflation Now! Inflation was so bad that many retirees' nest eggs were made sorely insufficient for their needs.

We elected Jimmy Carter and things got worse again. Unemployment was high. Interest rates were so high that first-time home buyers faced budget-crippling mortgage payments. In Iran our embassy was stormed, hostages were taken, and it seemed we were powerless to do anything... about anything. Jimmy Carter spoke to the nation about a "malaise" we were suffering from, and that perhaps America's best days were behind us. Why have hope? When would things ever get better?

Then we somehow elected Ronald Reagan, and America's attitude changed. Inflation, interest rates, and unemployment plummeted. He lowered taxes, and though the press attacked him at every turn, I noticed they stopped using the derisive "Reaganomics" when the economy miraculously improved. After years of foreign policy back-peddling, Reagan stood his ground, rebuilt the military, negotiated from strength, and said, "Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall." For the first time in my adult life I was hopeful for the future. After over a decade of depressing decline, America was back.

Sometimes I look around today and I wonder how we will survive our troubles. It's hard to be hopeful when problems simmer for years and the nation's resolve wander's from its roots. We look at our leaders and we see no Washingtons, or Roosevelts, or Reagans.

But we have things going for us that few nations do. First and foremost, we are a nation that prays. Maybe not in the percentages of the last century, but God is in the hearts of so many and we are no longer silent. Secondly, we have been free for a long, long time, and freedom is a hard habit to break. We may wait awhile for our next Reagan, but when he arrives the seeds of success will be there waiting. This nation has faced many daunting challenges in 200+ years and I believe our prayers have brought a leader for every challenge... a leader who remembers who we are and what this nation is about.

I picked up little Miss Em, my great-niece, in my arms last Saturday. I know Emily will be raised to be a woman that prays. And that gives me hope.

You Won't Believe This

Please go to Bryan Alexander's site and read this:
http://r-thinking.blogspot.com/2006/05/outrageous.html

The U.S. Subsidizing the World's Troubles

The perception of Palestinians as victims has become the most powerful marketing tool Palestinians have and no one uses it more effectively. Time after time we have seen Palestinian figureheads like Michael Terazi and Hanan Ashwari plead the Palestinian cause and point to the Israeli "occupation" as the root cause of all Palestinian problems.

Furthermore, organizations like the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) advocate the perception that, regardless of the reality, the Palestinians are occupied for life. The Bush administration has agreed to contribute $51 million to the agency's emergency appeal this year, more than double the $20 million it contributed last year. Overall, the U.S. donation to UNRWA amounts to over $100 million annually.

The monies themselves illustrate how the United States is perpetuating a state of utter dependency in which the Palestinian upper class fobs off all economic responsibilities onto the international community. If one looks at Palestinian society as a whole, more than anything it is lacking social mobility. There are two social classes in Palestinian society: a small affluent class and the poor, who comprise the majority of the population. However, poverty in Gaza is ghastly not because of the so-called occupation. Rather, it is a self-inflicted state of affairs created by Palestinian leaders who are supposed to govern and better the lives of Palestinians but instead prosper at their expense.

As long as Palestinians cling to the false notion of being occupied with Israel in the role of the oppressor, they will not assume responsibility for themselves.

The twisted psychology that Palestinians use to further their sense of victimization has successfully co-opted the feelings of the international community, to the detriment of both. It was former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir who said that as long as the Arabs hate the Jews more than they love their own children, there will never be peace in the Middle East. The continued incitement of terrorism suggests that that time has not yet arrived. For this, and for much of their suffering, the Palestinians have only themselves to blame."
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=22404

It's particularly troubling that our taxes are being used to, in effect, keep the Palestinians in the state their in, and enable their leaders to continue to terrorize Israel.

In the same way our welfare system perpetuates failure and dependence among our poorest, in a nation filled with opportunities for advancement.

In the same way our government's benevolence towards illegals keep Mexicans crossing the border, and prop up a corrupt Mexican Government.

Buying influence and friends (and votes) has become such an ingrained habit that our government no longer seems interested in results and outcomes. Throw money here... Throw money there... At least we're doing something...

But subsidizing a terrorist regime? I don't want my tax dollars invested in terrorism. Pursuing dividends of death is a sign that our brokers aren't representing our interests.

Another Reason to Vote Republican this Fall

The left wing Democrat who will become chairman of the House Judiciary Committee if his party wins back Congress in November wants to hold full blown congressional hearings on whether the government should pay African Americans reparations for slavery.

Michigan Rep. John Conyers has attracted attention in recent months for his House resolution calling for an impeachment investigation against President Bush.

Conyers states:

"My bill does four things:
• It acknowledges the fundamental injustice and inhumanity of slavery.
• It establishes a commission to study slavery, its subsequent racial and economic discrimination against freed slaves.
• It studies the impact of those forces on today's living African Americans.
• The commission would then make recommendations to Congress on appropriate remedies to redress the harm inflicted on living African Americans."
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/5/9/232714.shtml?s=ic

Yep, that's what we need in this country right now... a circus.

We all remember Conyers as the Congressman from Michigan who used his staff for babysitting and, the last I heard, was facing some sort of ethics investigation. Of course investigating a liberal black congressman is a whole different matter than investigating say... Tom Delay? Don't expect wall-to-wall coverage by the mainstream media.