COMensarations
Sunday, June 29, 2008
The ‘Danger’ to Democracy — Part 2
Dr. ‘Focus on the Family’ Dobson vs. Senator ‘Change We Can Believe In’ Obama, via My Neighbor; a fisking.
I’ll preface this item with the honest statement, “I don’t pay much attention to the ‘good doctor’ Dobson”; evangelical christian that he is alleged to be. I haven’t read anything he’s written in the last 18+ years, i.e., ever since I became a REAL christian; January 1990. That is up until THIS business came up.
I’ve got too many other thinks on my mind to spend too much time following other real believers in Christ very closely. I figure that if they’re reading the same book and following it pretty much the way I understand English, they’re on the right track. Therefore they don’t need much from me in the way of ‘guidance’.
So that being said, when I scanned Saturday’s topics in the Pueblo Chieftain, I noticed a headlines that ALWAYS catches my attention.
Dobson’s rhetoric is damaging to democracy
You can read the article here, while its available without charge.
[Note: I think it reprehensible that the Pueblo Chieftain buries thinks and requires you pay for them, if you didn’t catch it within so many days. Some of our political issues go WAAAAAAY back; think WATER and/or SDS. Well beyond free access to an important article in the Pueblo Chieftain, by THEIR ‘lights’. And I consider this money-grubbing on their part as anathema to democracy. Much more so than Christian Piatt’s opinion about the ‘good doctor’ Dobson’s Freedom of Expression.]
Whenever I see someone saying something is damaging ‘democracy’, specifically the one US established, I pay closer attention. I do this because about 38 years ago, I swore to defend our democracy, when, in 1970, I raised my right hand and took an oath to defend it against ALL enemies; foreign AND domestic. During the course of the time spent in service, I nearly died several times. So, you can understand that I take this sort of think rather seriously.
The headlines proclaimed that the ‘good doctor’ Dobson might be an ‘enemy’ of the domestic persuasion. The thought intrigued me. Sort of what we call in the Army a yellow smoke-grenade....a visual ‘heads-up’ warning if you will. Or even if you won’t. Therefore, between bouts of doing code and/or database design, I decided to take a look at the article. And....having read it....I decided it was worthy of fisking,
So....here goes.....
Saturday, June 28, 2008
The ‘Danger’ to Democracy — Part 1
Sometimes, you have to ‘die’ to actually live.
Long ago and far away, in a life where I wore a ‘green suit’ every day. I came upon a truism.
You haven’t lived until you’ve almost died.
I encountered the truth of this on several occasions. Things that included plummeting out of a black-night sky with a malfunctioning parachute, getting into a ‘snit’ with an 18-wheeler on I25 one winter night, almost being crushed by an Army jeep, that I had—moments before—been riding in. Simple stuff like that there.
What’s my point, here?
Life is not what most of us expect of it.
And today....I read an article that brought all of that, and past experiences, together.
Tomorrow.....I’ll post my response to that article.
Begin thinking.....NOW......
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Another Hollywood ‘Failure’
Great reviews for Stop Loss, but....
....the general public just don’t buy it.
I’m told #7 Stop-Loss opened to only $1.6 million Friday from just 1,291 plays and should eke out $4+M. Although the drama from MTV Films was the best-reviewed movie opening this weekend, Paramount wasn’t expecting much because no Iraq war-themed movie has yet to perform at the box office.”—Commentor
So. What did you expect? From another anti-American POS.
As for the concept behind the film....
...that once you’ve sworn to lay down your very life to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States, against all enemies—foreign and domestic—you’re ‘out’ when your ETS arrives?
How dense are you anyway?
Once you’ve shown you’ve got more courage than those who never took that oath, why should US forget?
On another note....were you, or your parents or friends, asleep during Gulf War 1? They used Stop Loss then.
As for me. I know I could be called back at ANY time, if the government felt I had something they needed. And I’m quite prepared to do it, should they send that call. In my case it is not called “Stop Loss”. Rather, it is called ‘Operation CERTAIN SAGE’. I even practiced it once.
As one sergeant I knew would put it, “Shut up and soldier.”
“‘It’s not looking good, a studio source told me before the weekend. ‘No one wants to see Iraq war movies. No matter what we put out there in terms of great cast or trailers, people were completely turned off. It’s a function of the marketplace not being ready to address this conflict in a dramatic way because the war itself is something that’s unresolved yet. It’s a shame because it’s a good movie that’s just ahead of its time.’—Commentor, citing some studio shill
Oh. Great. Another studio hack with his evasions and obfuscations.
The only reason this movie, like so many others of its ilk, is ‘failing’ is because it is, as they are, nothing more than anti-American propaganda. And SHAME on Paramount and other such studios and their staffs and management for attempting such.
If they hate America so much, let them practice their craft in Communist China.
Either that or take the pledge to become a Muslim. [Note: I’d really like to see what they’d think of being ‘cut off’ from all those Hollywood starlet bimbos by Sharia law.]
Personally? I don’t see this as a ‘failure’. I see it as a re-affirmation that Americans still love their lives and their country and are not as stupid as Hollywood and other such propagandists would like to believe. It reminds me of Lord of the Rings, wherein Gandalf comments, that the men of the West are not as weak as Sauron would like to think. That there is still strenght. And Sauron—or his latter-day ilk—fear this.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Turn Your Living Room Into a HAZMAT Incident Site
The unintended consequences of going for the new Compact Florescent Light (CFL) bulbs
An interesting article in the Chieftain today. It’s all about what are the immediate and long-term actions to take in the event that you or your child or your idiot cat knock-over a lamp and cause a CFL bulb to break.
The story is not very pretty. And certainly not something that we hear from all these people pushing these wonders of modern technology on us.
The upshot is that once the bulb breaks, you’ve turned that room into a hazardous materials (HAZMAT) site. You have to evacuate all children and animals from the area. Open all windows and doors to ventilate the mercury vapor. Clean the area of all shards and, if you’ve got a $5000 oriental rug there, cut out the affected portion and dispose of it. Won’t THAT look nice. Better buy a larger end-table to cover the missing piece.
If you were foolish enough to use your $300 vacuum cleaner to clean up the shards, you have to trash it and buy a new one.
That mercury is nasty stuff.
Maybe Congress should have been a bit more careful about passing that legislation requiring us to move to this technology.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
No More ‘Magic’?
L’esprit Gallic comes in a $35B shoe size
Seems that only a few days after the US Department of Defense announced a deal to buy the [European] Airbus mid-air refueling tanker—over the [US] Boeing offering—the French Foreign Minister, Mssr. Bernard Kouchner, is determined to queer the deal.
In an interview about his concept of the ‘new’ [Note: What a misnomer....] diplomacy he said....
Asked whether the United States could repair the damage it has suffered to its reputation during the Bush presidency and especially since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Kouchner replied, “It will never be as it was before.”
“I think the magic is over,” he continued, in what amounted to a sober assessment from one of the strongest supporters in France of the United States.
If he’s supposed to be of the ‘strongest supporters’, I’m a member of Densa. This is just the sameo-sameo for the French. There is nothing ‘new’ here, except the speaker and the signage behind him. The French have always been and, apparently, always will be for themselves first and everyone else can go to blazes. As a case in point, I will remind the reader that up until the French realized that Iran could very well have a nuclear weapon in the near future, they were adamantly opposed to doing anything to stop that weapons program. Now that they see the truth of the matter, they finally decided that maybe....just MAYBE....US is right about Iran. And maybe Iran might give such a device to some of those ‘youths’ who’ve been burning cars and shooting police in and around their beloved Paris. Oops!
In truth, all the good foreign minister of France is doing is practicing the usual spirit of the Galls. And, as usual, it tends to be bilious. I’m reminded of the famous axiom....
.Never give money to a bad debtor. He will despise you
I would hope that the recently inked defense contract over the purchase of $35 billion in aircraft is revocable. This will give the good foreign minister of France something to ‘chew on’, i.e., foot in mouth.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Hypocrisy In Legal Education?
Why does Professor Glenn Reynolds care?
It seems odd to me that someone who supports the legalization of prostitution should even mention that Governor Spitzer (D-NY) has been caught in a prostitution ring scandal.
After all, if one supports the idea of legalizing prostitution, most people would think that the only thing that would cross that person’s mind upon hearing this sort of report would be, “Too bad for the guy. If only we had legalized prostitution earlier, he wouldn’t be put through this public pillory.”
Rather, the good professor of law at the University of Tennessee points out the, as probably most Democrats see it, little peccadillo.
Maybe he anticipated the interesting convolutions of other Democrats running for office this year....that DOES seem to be what’s happening.
UPDATE From Various Perspectives [101452 Mar 08]:
From the perspective of moral issues, I tend to believe as I understand former President Harry S. Truman believed, when he reputedly said, “He broke his promise to his wife. Why should I expect him to keep his promise to me?” This, when firing one of his cabinet members for adultery.
Or as some Wag said, around 2000 years ago, “If you are not faithful in the small things, how can you be faithful in the big things?” [Note: See the parable of the ‘talents’.] You know.... If you can’t keep a promise to your wife, how can we expect you to keep a promise—to uphold your state Constitution and perform your duties of office—to the rest of us?
From a political perspective, the Instapundit is reporting some interesting doings amongst the various political candidates who were once happy to associate with the Governor of New York.
From the legal perspective, something the professor knows more about than I, Spitzer is in deep do-do; this is a violation of the Mann Act of 1910; interstate commerce in human traffick. I guess if it were legalized, as the professor wants, the federal government could regulate and tax it.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Caucuses and Churches and Change….Oh MY! (Part 2)
Part 2 of a comparison of political caucuses and churchs and change. This part on dealing with a ‘situation’.
“Church is much the same in its current desire to welcome hordes of now-distant young folks into their communities of faith. It misses the energy of young children, the creativity of youth and the hope found in the presence of young families.”—My Neighbor
I guess it IS like with politics; church that is. At least compared and contrasted with the above. It all depends on the ‘church’.
The point here being that our church in Littleton was not quite like my neighbor’s party caucus. There’s pretty good representation of all age groups there. And things don’t seem quite as raucous a caucus.
The problems begin, however, when they actually come. You walk in one morning, ready to enjoy your Sunday morning cup of coffee, and the pot is dry. You’d munch on a doughnut as a meager substitute, but some scrawny little punk just ran off with the last Danish. You head to the sanctuary to find your favorite seat, only to find it filled, and what in the world is the racket coming from the front of the room?
“Since when do we have guitars in worship? Who approved that anyway?
You head indignantly to the next leadership meeting to air your concerns, but you have been bumped down the docket so the new associate minister can talk to the group about a youth mission project. The seemingly benign conversation degrades into a more passionate argument about the overall mission of the church, and before you can get in your two cents’ worth, the youth choir starts warming up nearby.”—My Neighbor
I don’t think I’ve ever gone to the leadership of any church I’ve attended in the last 40 years, i.e., 1968, when I’d been ‘confirmed’. Even with ‘indignation’. Sometimes with concern. But never with ‘indignation’.
“Dejected, you take a handful of aspirin and ask yourself where the good old days went, and why it was that you wanted all this new blood in your church in the first place.”—My Neighbor
I don’t ask where the ‘good old days’ have gone, if I become gravely concerned about a particular ‘church’. If I find it is going against what I know to be the truth of a matter, I pray. And I ask guidance from a source superior to all others and I act accordingly. When advised to, I don’t go back to that place. I don’t get angry because people didn’t do what I thought they should. I just leave them to their own devices....whatever they may be. No anger involved whatsoever. Nor any headaches. Neither are called for. Sorrow may be called for. Certainly prayer for their sakes.
After all....it’s not MY problem. Rather, as I understand it, it is theirs.
More later....on coping with ‘change’.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Hiding My Light
It happened again today. Someone made some crack about “and don’t let them know what your IQ is.”
I AM SICK AND TIRED OF HAVING TO HIDE MY IQ AND MY EDUCATION AS IF I BOUGHT THEM ON THE BLACK MARKET!
I am sick and tired of hearing that you can’t discriminate against the handicapped, but it’s okay to discriminate against me, because I’m smart. I have to eat, too.
What is all this? Part of the “dumbing down” I keep hearing about? Why isn’t there some sort of law saying that you will hire the most talented and the most qualified, especially in schools and colleges?
Dumbing Down Example 1: Years ago I was hoping to get a job in the local school district as a school librarian. I had gotten a Master’s in Library Science. I had the Professional Teacher Education credits on my undergraduate degree. I had the state certification. I had two years teaching experience and three years library experience. I did some substituting while I looked for work. One day I substituted for a high school librarian. Someone in the school told me he’d been put into the position the previous year. He had the minimum qualifications for the position: an undergraduate teaching degree and 9 hours of library/ed media coursework. I had about 75 hours of coursework in library/ed media (a master’s and an undergraduate minor). When the librarian had retired the administration said to him,”You’ve taken some classes, are you interested?” He had to take one class that summer, and he was in, because the teacher’s union made the schools take minimally qualified teachers who were already on the payroll over better qualified people who weren’t. I went to work in private industry in another city. So much for schools advertising they hire the “best qualified” people. And a generation later they wonder why so many students have to take remedial classes in college.
Dumbing Down Example 2: When I finished my Master’s, you wouldn’t be considered for a professional position in a college or university library unless you had a second Master’s (the “subject master’s”) or a doctorate. Now I’m looking for work again, and I see college and university jobs advertised that don’t even mention a second advanced degree. What happened? Have colleges and universities reduced their standards, right when there are more people than ever obtaining advanced degrees? Was this done to accommodate the Ward Churchills of academia?
Dumbing Down Example 3: One of our City Council members works as a recruiter at a local college. Yet this person’s bio on the City’s web site says nothing about education at all. This person keeps talking about the importance of education for young people, yet doesn’t talk about his own at all. Has it gotten so bad that someone who works for a college won’t mention his education out of fear of … what? “Acting white?” Not being a “common” man?
Dumbing Down Example 4: A young friend with a master’s degree has mentioned, on more than one occasion, the difficulty he and his wife are having finding “like minded” individuals in this City to be friends with. He means young couples in their late twenties/early thirties with good educations, smarts, and a willingness to do something socially besides discuss what happened on this week’s “American Idol.”
Has there been some cultural paradigm shift, that we outsource professional work to foreign countries, and import professionals from them to do work that has to be done here (doctors, for example) because we simply don’t value education and brains the way we used to?
Or did I fall down the wrong rabbit hole?
Monday, February 11, 2008
Caucuses and Churches and Change….Oh MY! (Part 1)
The other day there was an interesting article in the Chieftain. Another item by my neighbor.
In many ways, I was very happy to see it.
In other ways, it inspired me to comment...here…
“I took part in my precinct’s caucus on Tuesday, which was a first for me. It was crowded, brimming with energy, and sometimes bordering on chaotic.”—My Neighbor
I’m happy to hear this. It seems to be something sweeping the country; this increase in people attending caucuses. In our own, the party across the proverbial aisle from his party, we had an 800% increase in attendees. The vast majority being people like my neighbor who had never before attended such a gathering.
“As many have read by now, there was an eclectic blend of seasoned veterans and newbies, all trying to learn how to work a pretty confusing political system together. In a lot of ways, it was a metaphor for what the church is going through as well.”—My Neighbor
Indeed, we, the distaff and I—as co-chairs of our precinct—spent a LOT of time explaining the processes of the caucus AND the forthcoming County Assembly.
“The experienced members of the caucus were thrilled to see such an unprecedented number of people turn out, and to see so many younger folks excited to take part. You could feel the energy in the air, and it was all smiles, at least for a little while.”—My Neighbor
Not quite as many younger folks amongst us so-called ‘conservatives’.
On the other hand, there were all smiles pretty much throughout the activity.
“As generally is the case, the glow waned as we got down to business. Like many church denominations, the caucus process has layers upon layers of processes and policies, some of which might seem arcane or even pointless to the untrained eye. However, the veterans in the group began to navigate the procedural waters with ease, only to be hung up, time and again, by the naive, inquisitive, and probably annoying, newcomers.”—My Neighbor
Ah....
One of my favorite sayings is, “There are advantages and disadvantages to every position one can take, or find themselves in.”
Not much annoyance at our event. Just people asking occasional questions and getting answers from the ‘veterans’.
“We were much like preschool children, with our hands in everything, asking “What’s this?” and “Why do you do it that way?” Though the inclination is to answer the 20th question with a resolute “Because I said so,” the leaders summoned the patience and tried over and over to bring us up to speed.
What began as a jubilant celebration of political activism turned into an hours-long marathon of deciphering rules, deliberating about the appointment of delegates, a few phone calls and appeals to the local party representative.
By the time we finished, no one was entirely satisfied with what we had accomplished, and everyone looked tired and beleaguered.”—My Neighbor
Wowzers!
More to follow.....
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Caveat Emptor — Cable Service
Another great reason to kill your television.
The other day, someone made comment about my life-style choice; regarding no television. Implied it was my own fault I wasn’t getting certain forms of information; specifically being able to record City Council sessions on my VCR via the local cable channel 17.
I didn’t go into much detail as to WHY I made that choice, about ten years ago. I didn’t think it relevant. Besides I didn’t want to drag out the meeting any longer than it was already going to go.
And the only reason I mention it now is because of THIS article.
A $2000 bill for equipment the cable service user lost during a tornado??!?!?!?
We’re talking about some SERIOUS ‘windfall’ profits here. And the Time-Warner Cable legal department must be expecting some serious bonus packages this year if it flies.
Who know that that stupid box was worth that much.
So...if some wind storm or fire or flooding or burglars damage, destroy or steal your cable box, be prepared......
Personally? I still suggest killing your television.
Friday, February 01, 2008
A Modest Proposal
What to do about ‘illegal combatants’ or....
...can’t we just cut off their heads with a dull knife, video-tape the operations, show them on YouTube.....and have DONE with it?
I’m in an discussion with some people over on Roger L. Simon’s blog. Here’s the the link.
As with many such discussions, the original topic has been set on the back-burner while someone wants to exorcise some particular, personal demon(s). In this instance, something to do with the concepts of ‘torture’ and, for lack of a better term, ‘illegal combatants’.
Sooner or later, Roger is going to close that thread. Therefore, I’ve decided to open this one in order to futher examine this idea of how people running around killing other people without uniforms or distinguishing insignia should be ‘treated’ vis-a-vis the Geneva Conventions and, as preached in the US Army, Law of Land Warfare.
Read the text in the link to Roger’s web-site and provide your comments on what we should do with these people. It’ll probably be an issue in the forthcoming general election.....
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Reply to Colonel Hollister
Are these Wing-Wipers all alike?
The other day, the Pueblo Chieftain published a letter to the editor that caught my attention.
I decided that it needed to be addressed.....and fisked.....
The letter is from a retired United States Air Force colonel, who currently resides in Colorado Springs.
The first half of the letter seems to have been a trip down memory lane for the good colonel. He fondly remembers the salad daze of his youth. It’s not important that he visited this, that or the other church. Not as far as I am concerned.
Rather, I am interested in his outlandish support of Senator McCain for the presidency.
“Of all the candidates, Sen. John McCain of Arizona stands out head and shoulders above the competition with the ability to answer this call.”—Colonel Hollister
He certainly does stand above all the other candidate. He’s the only one I know of who willfully broke his oath of office as a commissioned officer in the Armed Forces of the United States.
Let me relate that oath to you.
I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.
It’s the one I took upon being commissioned as a lieutenant in the United States Army. And, based on what I know, it’s identical to the one that Senator McCain took when he received HIS commission.
And, I suspect its the same one that the good Colonel Hollister took as well.
Do you see that business about defending the Constitution of the United States? Against ALL enemies? Foreign AND domestic? And the additional part about bearing “true faith and allegiance to the same”?
Interesting stuff that. But, what does it mean?
Most reasonable people would get the idea that it would not involve doing things that destroyed the Constitution of the United States. Don’t you think?
However, Senator McCain has done exactly that. He, in his infamous act titled the McCain-Feingold Bill of Election Reform struck a blow at the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the United States. How so? Well, this legislation bans people like you and me, or anyone else, from criticizing members of Congress in the days prior to an election in which they are running.
Why, on God’s green Earth, would someone who has sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States do something like that?
Was he beaten so severely during his stint in the Hanoi Hilton that he completely forgot his oath as an officer in the United States Armed Forces?
“From his time in a prisoner of war camp in North Vietnam to his willingness to take on the Washington establishment on porkbarrel politics and prosecution of the war in Iraq, John McCain has the experience, intellect, passion and vision to carry on the efforts of great Americans who were taken from us prematurely.”—Colonel Hollister
All that business about taking on “the Washington establishment” and “prosecution of the war in Iraq” is all well and good. But it does not, in my honest and professional opinion, alleviate the gross malfeasance of striking at the Bill of Rights while protecting his incumbent fourth-point-of-contact.
“Sen. McCain is the leader our country needs at this critical juncture in our nation’s history.”—Colonel Hollister
I think that the good Colonel Hollister has suffered from the same loss of memory that Senator McCain suffers. He seems to have forgotten the oath of office he took and the necessity of upholding the Constitution of the United States, against all enemies; foreign and DOMESTIC.
And for the truly obtuse, a reminder....
....the Bill of Rights is part and parcel of that Constitution.
Anyone who would willfully attack our cherished freedom of speech is obviously an enemy of the Constitution of the United States. And, therefore, not the sort of person to make the supreme executive of this nation.
P.S. Maybe it has something to do with that thin, canned air these wing-wipers breath doing multiple machs. Probably affects the little gray cells.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Analyzing the Y Zone Analysis
The poor you will always have with you,--Matthew 26:11.
An editorial in the Pueblo Chieftain on Sunday discusses the so-called “Y Zone” and compares it to the rest of the city. The editorial is written by The Poverty Study Group, and the names of several well-known citizens and officials are given. The PSG is “an informal consortium of community leaders committed to understanding and reversing intergenerational poverty in Pueblo.”
First, let me say the article does present some interesting data, but data are not necessarily the same things as information. The article cites three sources for the data: the 2000 Census, data from the state Department of Public Health and Environment, and a book called “Missing Class” by Katherine S. Newman and Victor Tan Chen. The “progressive” nature of the book is signaled when the PSG says “the “Missing Link” {sic} authors, Newman and Chen, see universal, high-quality, early childhood education as key to improving the situation of the working poor. They also advocate universal health care. Also on their list is maintaining access to higher education, something we work hard at in Pueblo.”
Monday, January 28, 2008
The Coming Fury….Second Installment
The [Cultural] Civil War of the 21st Century. Has it already begun?
There was an article in the paper the other day by my neighbor. Based on my reading, it suggested that we, as a people, were on the verge of a war of violence relating to matters of culture. It was, if you’ll pardon the term, liberally laced with innuendo and militaristic metaphor.
These tools of rhetoric were used to describe a militaristic mind-set of a particular group of christians. They implied that this group was getting ready for ‘war’. And even went so far as to convey the impression that they might even be getting ready to do violence.
Whether this is accurate or not, I do not know. As a retired Army officer, I learned the truth of an old staff puke axiom....
“Things are never as bad, nor as good, as first reported.”
I’ll gather more information. But based on what I know and I have gathered already, doing research on the web, I don’t see justification for my neighbor’s ‘concern’ that these christians are preparing to wage a war of violence, instead of rhetoric, against their perceived ‘enemies’.
After 57 years of observation and participation, I see that the culture war is, contrary to the title of my neighbor’s article, not just under the surface. Rather, it is already upon us. Those who think otherwise, have not been paying attention.
Maybe it’s just me. Maybe it has to do with my current delving into Bruce Catton’s accounts of the Civil War of the 1860s. But I see and learn from history. And the history I’ve been learning of late correlates with what I’ve been observing over the last 30 years.
There is a culture war going on. And, at times it has become ugly. And, on a few occasions, even violent. However, the violence has more often been by non-christians against christians, or other believers in the Judeo-Christian God, as described in that Old Book. And that violence has not always been perpetrated by the fanatical followers of bin Laden and his ilk. Statistics will bear this out.
On the less ugly side, we have other evidence that the war is on. Case in point, the sorry state of so-called ‘mainstream’ denominations; Roman Catholicism with it’s issues of pedophiles in it’s priestly ranks, Episcopalians, Methodists and some Lutherans over homosexual ministers. These are just a few examples that spring to mind as I write. I’m certain that I could come up with more after some additional coffee is applied.
Does my neighbor suggest that people who can—and do—read the that Old Book for themselves and comprehend that something is wrong should not speak out about it? Or is he afraid that by speaking out they may prove a certain cherished position he has held could be proven wrong?
Is he concerned that by reading such books as America at the Crossroads by Ewing and Marschall they might gird up their loins and develop the ‘fighting spirit’ to “take up their pens and enter the fray”?
I say “Good for them AND good for my neighbor and myself.” One of my guiding principles has been the idea that a clash of doctrines is not a disaster. Rather, it is an opportunity....to learn. And in learning, gain a better understanding. Besides, I always enjoy a good debate. Maybe that’s why I judge Colorado High School Forensics.
As for the debate turning violent. It, occasionally, has. I’m reminded of one incident where someone in an SUV deliberately drove over several people, in broad daylight; as the police looked on. No charges were filed against the driver.
What do you think of that?
The people who were assaulted with this vehicle, were protesting against abortion.
Did that change your previous opinion?
If so....why?
I suggest that if your opinion DID change, you’re already a combatant in the culture war. And a violently hypocritical one at that.
Think about it.
As I said, I’ve been getting a lot out of Catton’s account of the Civil War. And I see parallels between the lead-up to that violent episode in our history and what is going on today.
We may not have had a John Brown’s Raid. We may not see such an event, but I think we are seeing the period of heated rhetoric that occurred for a number of years before. We could even be in the period resembling the terrible days of ‘Bleeding Kansas’, as people come to churches across the land and start slaughtering the worshippers; anybody remember what happened a few miles up the road from here? Or have we already forgotten?
I submit that those who hate Christ are already performing the acts of violence against His followers that my neighbor proposes these christians are edging towards. However, I doubt these christians are planning to do the same. Some might, but they would be a distinct and condemned minority. Condemned by the REAL christians.
On the other hand, we have incidents like what happened in Kansas where a minister peacefully carrying a sign on the public sidewalk around a park was arrested by the police for peacefully carrying a sign on the public sidewalk around a park.
Other people were carrying signs at the same time. They were not arrested.
Why this dichotomy?
Yes. The war is on. And, occasionally, it is violent, but the violence, by and large, is against christians. Especially the REAL ones.
Will they fight back? Yes. With violence? Some may. But they will be few. Meanwhile, the vast majority will remember what their Master taught; something about “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Enemy or not....
Friday, January 04, 2008
The Real Hazards of “Made in China”
It’s bad enough that Christmas is made in China.
I have long been unhappy that nearly every Christmas decoration for sale in major stores is made in China, a country that is not friendly to Christian values, let alone Christian institutions and missionaries.
I have not been happy that I am supporting a hostile government every time I buy shoes. (Think I can avoid it? YOU try to find shoes in the children’s department that aren’t made in China!)
Yesterday I went shopping for “foundation garments” and discovered that nearly all of them are now made in China, also. As has been the case with handbags and wallets for some time.
If we ever go to war with China, we’re going to be walking around naked and barefoot with our money, cell phones and car keys dumped in double-layered plastic grocery bags.