From the Touchstone site
My counter-proposal, however, is for Creation Sunday, and the Psalm reading should include:
O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy creatures. Yonder is the sea, great and wide, which teems with things innumerable, living things, both small and great....These all look to thee, to give them their food in due season. When thou givest to the, they gather it up; when thou openest thy hand, they are filled with good things. When thou hidest thy face, they are dismayed; when thou takest away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the ground. (104:27-30)
Regardless of what you think of Genesis 1 and the timing of things and how exactly species arose, there is something here in this Psalm that a Christian cannot discard and has to be the main way of looking at the world, life, and ourselves. It's how Jesus understood the world, even when a piddly sparrow falls in sight of the Father. And we are, by the way, of more value than sparrows, as well. Or do we think that He got all this wrong?
Saturday, February 9, 2008
In Case You Missed It: Al Qaeda "Sends 15-Year Old Boys And Mentally Handicapped Women On Suicide Missions
Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, MNF-I
Press Briefing
February 6, 2008
View MNF-I Slides
“The events in recent weeks further remind us of the morally depraved nature of Iraq’s enemy. … We have seen two 15-year old boys used as suicide bombers. … Al Qaeda also appears to be increasing the use of women as suicide bombers. … The two women who most likely unwittingly carried explosives into the markets last Friday were teenagers --- even more sad than that, they were both mentally handicapped …
“On December 4th near Khan Bani Sad, Coalition Forces … found several items, including five videos of al-Qaeda Iraq training and indoctrinating a group of young boys. …
link here
Press Briefing
February 6, 2008
View MNF-I Slides
“The events in recent weeks further remind us of the morally depraved nature of Iraq’s enemy. … We have seen two 15-year old boys used as suicide bombers. … Al Qaeda also appears to be increasing the use of women as suicide bombers. … The two women who most likely unwittingly carried explosives into the markets last Friday were teenagers --- even more sad than that, they were both mentally handicapped …
“On December 4th near Khan Bani Sad, Coalition Forces … found several items, including five videos of al-Qaeda Iraq training and indoctrinating a group of young boys. …
link here
Huckabee Easily Wins Republican Caucuses in Kansas
By KATE ZERNIKE and MICHAEL COOPER
Mike Huckabee won the Kansas caucuses by a wide margin Saturday, showing he is still attracting voters even as the majority of the Republican Party is beginning to coalesce around John McCain as the nominee.
At a news conference after his speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington earlier in the day, Mr. Huckabee told reporters he had no intention of dropping out until one of the Republican candidates amassed the 1,191 delegates needed to be the nominee....
Full Story Here
Mike Huckabee won the Kansas caucuses by a wide margin Saturday, showing he is still attracting voters even as the majority of the Republican Party is beginning to coalesce around John McCain as the nominee.
At a news conference after his speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington earlier in the day, Mr. Huckabee told reporters he had no intention of dropping out until one of the Republican candidates amassed the 1,191 delegates needed to be the nominee....
Full Story Here
Canadian Scientists Worried About Global Cooling
The Sun Also Sets
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY Posted Thursday, February 07, 2008 4:20 PM PT
Climate Change: Not every scientist is part of Al Gore's mythical "consensus." Scientists worried about a new ice age seek funding to better observe something bigger than your SUV — the sun.
Back in 1991, before Al Gore first shouted that the Earth was in the balance, the Danish Meteorological Institute released a study using data that went back centuries that showed that global temperatures closely tracked solar cycles.
To many, those data were convincing. Now, Canadian scientists are seeking additional funding for more and better "eyes" with which to observe our sun, which has a bigger impact on Earth's climate than all the tailpipes and smokestacks on our planet combined.
And they're worried about global cooling, not warming.
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY Posted Thursday, February 07, 2008 4:20 PM PT
Climate Change: Not every scientist is part of Al Gore's mythical "consensus." Scientists worried about a new ice age seek funding to better observe something bigger than your SUV — the sun.
Back in 1991, before Al Gore first shouted that the Earth was in the balance, the Danish Meteorological Institute released a study using data that went back centuries that showed that global temperatures closely tracked solar cycles.
To many, those data were convincing. Now, Canadian scientists are seeking additional funding for more and better "eyes" with which to observe our sun, which has a bigger impact on Earth's climate than all the tailpipes and smokestacks on our planet combined.
And they're worried about global cooling, not warming.
Berkley of the Midwest
Article published Saturday, February 9, 2008
in the Toledo Blade (here)
A company of Marine Corps Reservists received a cold send-off from downtown Toledo yesterday by order of Mayor Carty Finkbeiner.
The 200 members of Company A, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, based in Grand Rapids, Mich., planned to spend their weekend engaged in urban patrol exercises on the streets of downtown as well as inside the mostly vacant Madison Building, 607 Madison Ave.
Toledo police knew days in advance about their plans for a three-day exercise. Yet somehow the memo never made it to Mayor Finkbeiner, who ordered the Marines out yesterday afternoon just minutes before their buses were to arrive.
"The mayor asked them to leave because they frighten people," said Brian Schwartz, the mayor's spokesman.
in the Toledo Blade (here)
A company of Marine Corps Reservists received a cold send-off from downtown Toledo yesterday by order of Mayor Carty Finkbeiner.
The 200 members of Company A, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, based in Grand Rapids, Mich., planned to spend their weekend engaged in urban patrol exercises on the streets of downtown as well as inside the mostly vacant Madison Building, 607 Madison Ave.
Toledo police knew days in advance about their plans for a three-day exercise. Yet somehow the memo never made it to Mayor Finkbeiner, who ordered the Marines out yesterday afternoon just minutes before their buses were to arrive.
"The mayor asked them to leave because they frighten people," said Brian Schwartz, the mayor's spokesman.
The Future Lies in the Past
More evidence that God is knitting together the Body I think....
Why evangelicals are connecting with the early church as they move into the 21st century.
Chris Armstrong posted 2/08/2008 10:01AM
..."A motley group of young and clean-cut, goateed and pierced, white-haired and bespectacled filled the center's Barrows Auditorium. They joined their voices to sing of "the saints who nobly fought of old" and "mystic communion with those whose rest is won." A speaker walked an attentive crowd through prayers from the 5th-century Gelasian Sacramentary, recommending its forms as templates for worship in today's Protestant churches. Another speaker highlighted the pastoral strengths of the medieval fourfold hermeneutic. Yet another gleefully passed on the news that Liberty University had observed the liturgical season of Lent. The t-word—that old Protestant nemesis, tradition—echoed through the halls."........
full article here
Why evangelicals are connecting with the early church as they move into the 21st century.
Chris Armstrong posted 2/08/2008 10:01AM
..."A motley group of young and clean-cut, goateed and pierced, white-haired and bespectacled filled the center's Barrows Auditorium. They joined their voices to sing of "the saints who nobly fought of old" and "mystic communion with those whose rest is won." A speaker walked an attentive crowd through prayers from the 5th-century Gelasian Sacramentary, recommending its forms as templates for worship in today's Protestant churches. Another speaker highlighted the pastoral strengths of the medieval fourfold hermeneutic. Yet another gleefully passed on the news that Liberty University had observed the liturgical season of Lent. The t-word—that old Protestant nemesis, tradition—echoed through the halls."........
full article here
Friday, February 8, 2008
Travel -Part 2
Went on a field trip with my oldest son today despite having (still) a nasty cold or some other virus and was reminded what a lovely trip a simple jaunt to San Antonio can afford.
We went to the Alamo (one of may favorite parts of this is to examine the bronze plaque out near the street that helps one visualize the fort (and how small it really was)
Then to the IMAX center (within walking distance) where we took the river ride/tour.
THEN up the stairs to the IMAX for a movie.
Then to the zoo a short car (or bus) ride up the road.
Very nice. Now if I can just feel better........
We went to the Alamo (one of may favorite parts of this is to examine the bronze plaque out near the street that helps one visualize the fort (and how small it really was)
Then to the IMAX center (within walking distance) where we took the river ride/tour.
THEN up the stairs to the IMAX for a movie.
Then to the zoo a short car (or bus) ride up the road.
Very nice. Now if I can just feel better........
Christians Wrong About Heaven, Says Bishop
Good dicussion over a beer or a Sunday school class, or both:
In his new book, Surprised by Hope (HarperOne), Wright quotes a children's book by California first lady Maria Shriver called What's Heaven, which describes it as "a beautiful place where you can sit on soft clouds and talk... If you're good throughout your life, then you get to go [there]... When your life is finished here on earth, God sends angels down to take you heaven to be with him." That, says Wright is a good example of "what not to say." The Biblical truth, he continues, "is very, very different."
Full article here
In his new book, Surprised by Hope (HarperOne), Wright quotes a children's book by California first lady Maria Shriver called What's Heaven, which describes it as "a beautiful place where you can sit on soft clouds and talk... If you're good throughout your life, then you get to go [there]... When your life is finished here on earth, God sends angels down to take you heaven to be with him." That, says Wright is a good example of "what not to say." The Biblical truth, he continues, "is very, very different."
Full article here
Girly Men- The Media's Attack on Masculinity
by S. T. Karnick
The tendency of the nation’s schools to suppress boys’ natural way of seeing and doing things, brilliantly documented by Christina Hoff-Sommers in her 2001 book The War Against Boys: How Misguided Feminism Is Harming Our Young Men, is becoming increasingly evident in the culture. ...
...Hence a recent Associated Press story describing how TV’s new primetime schedule “puts the softer side of men on display”:
In a number of broadcast ensembles premiering this fall, men are opening up about issues beyond sports, money, power and sexual conquests. They’re expressing their feelings—often to other men—on fatherhood, intimacy and love.
The AP story goes on to quote Nicole Vecchiarelli, entertainment director of the men’s lifestyle magazine Details, as saying of today’s men, “now it seems they can, on the inside, feel a little bit more like girls and that’s still OK....” full article at the SALVO website here
And to kind of underscore the issue from another direction we have this over at the NY Times:
"Then a funny thing happened. The models were also downsized. Where the masculine ideal of as recently as 2000 was a buff 6-footer with six-pack abs, the man of the moment is an urchin, a wraith or an underfed runt. " see the whole article here
The tendency of the nation’s schools to suppress boys’ natural way of seeing and doing things, brilliantly documented by Christina Hoff-Sommers in her 2001 book The War Against Boys: How Misguided Feminism Is Harming Our Young Men, is becoming increasingly evident in the culture. ...
...Hence a recent Associated Press story describing how TV’s new primetime schedule “puts the softer side of men on display”:
In a number of broadcast ensembles premiering this fall, men are opening up about issues beyond sports, money, power and sexual conquests. They’re expressing their feelings—often to other men—on fatherhood, intimacy and love.
The AP story goes on to quote Nicole Vecchiarelli, entertainment director of the men’s lifestyle magazine Details, as saying of today’s men, “now it seems they can, on the inside, feel a little bit more like girls and that’s still OK....” full article at the SALVO website here
And to kind of underscore the issue from another direction we have this over at the NY Times:
"Then a funny thing happened. The models were also downsized. Where the masculine ideal of as recently as 2000 was a buff 6-footer with six-pack abs, the man of the moment is an urchin, a wraith or an underfed runt. " see the whole article here
Dobson Endorses Huck
February 8, 2008
Posted by BLAKE DVORAK
This isn't really news but Blake Dvorak at Real Clear Politics raise the obvious questions:
1.) What is Huckabee's strategy going forward, meaning, what does he hope to accomplish? 2.) By staying in and denying McCain the official nod, is Huckabee helping or hurting his political fortunes?
link
Posted by BLAKE DVORAK
This isn't really news but Blake Dvorak at Real Clear Politics raise the obvious questions:
1.) What is Huckabee's strategy going forward, meaning, what does he hope to accomplish? 2.) By staying in and denying McCain the official nod, is Huckabee helping or hurting his political fortunes?
link
Archbishop of Canterbury seeks adoption of Islamic law'It
'It is not as if we are bringing in an alien and rival system'
Posted: February 07, 20082:24 pm Eastern© 2008 WorldNetDaily
The chief of the 70-million-strong worldwide Anglican Communion advocates the establishment of Islamic law in Britain, drawing a rebuke from Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who suggested that perhaps British law would serve better.... link here
Here is some raction over at IBD:
"Europe: Civilization took a low blow Thursday when a pillar of its values, the archbishop of Canterbury, decided that Islamic law is now "unavoidable" in the U.K. as a matter of progress and tolerance. He's off the deep end."
But of course this is not really new...According to the "Telegraph" "Husbands with multiple wives have been given the go-ahead to claim extra welfare benefits following a year-long Government review, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal".see here
Posted: February 07, 20082:24 pm Eastern© 2008 WorldNetDaily
The chief of the 70-million-strong worldwide Anglican Communion advocates the establishment of Islamic law in Britain, drawing a rebuke from Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who suggested that perhaps British law would serve better.... link here
Here is some raction over at IBD:
"Europe: Civilization took a low blow Thursday when a pillar of its values, the archbishop of Canterbury, decided that Islamic law is now "unavoidable" in the U.K. as a matter of progress and tolerance. He's off the deep end."
But of course this is not really new...According to the "Telegraph" "Husbands with multiple wives have been given the go-ahead to claim extra welfare benefits following a year-long Government review, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal".see here
Thursday, February 7, 2008
FLA bans discrimination based on the "inner sense of being a specific gender
YOUR GOVERNMENT AT WORK
'Gender identity' enshrined by Florida city lawProtected is 'inner sense of being, without regard to sex at birth'
Posted: January 30, 20081:00 am Eastern© 2008 WorldNetDaily.com
A Florida city has added itself to the ranks of governments that have decided to ban discrimination based on the "inner sense of being a specific gender ? with or without regard to the individual's designated sex at birth."
The council in Gainesville this week narrowly voted to approve the gender identity protection plan that already is causing an uproar in Montgomery County, Md., where its implementation is being challenged by a citizens' group over the apparent open-door attitude the ordinance has regarding public facilities including lockerrooms, showers and restrooms. .........
full article here
'Gender identity' enshrined by Florida city lawProtected is 'inner sense of being, without regard to sex at birth'
Posted: January 30, 20081:00 am Eastern© 2008 WorldNetDaily.com
A Florida city has added itself to the ranks of governments that have decided to ban discrimination based on the "inner sense of being a specific gender ? with or without regard to the individual's designated sex at birth."
The council in Gainesville this week narrowly voted to approve the gender identity protection plan that already is causing an uproar in Montgomery County, Md., where its implementation is being challenged by a citizens' group over the apparent open-door attitude the ordinance has regarding public facilities including lockerrooms, showers and restrooms. .........
full article here
over 100 rockets into Israel per hour for a sustained period of time.
Syria acquiring Russian rockets at 'furious' pace
By Aaron Klein© 2008 WorldNetDaily JERUSALEM – "Syria, aided by Russia and Iran, in recent months has been furiously acquiring rockets and missiles, including projectiles capable of hitting the entire state of Israel, according to Jordanian and Israeli security officials speaking to WND.
A Jordanian security official said one of the main reasons Damascus did not retaliate after Israel carried out its Sept. 6 airstrike inside Syria allegedly targeting a nascent nuclear facility was because Syria's rocket infrastructure was not yet complete.
The official said after the Israeli airstrike, Syria picked up the pace of acquiring rockets and missiles, largely from Russia with Iranian backing, with the goal of completing its missile and rocket arsenal by the end of the year. The Jordanian official said Syria is aiming to possess enough projectiles to fire over 100 rockets into Israel per hour for a sustained period of time..."
link
By Aaron Klein© 2008 WorldNetDaily JERUSALEM – "Syria, aided by Russia and Iran, in recent months has been furiously acquiring rockets and missiles, including projectiles capable of hitting the entire state of Israel, according to Jordanian and Israeli security officials speaking to WND.
A Jordanian security official said one of the main reasons Damascus did not retaliate after Israel carried out its Sept. 6 airstrike inside Syria allegedly targeting a nascent nuclear facility was because Syria's rocket infrastructure was not yet complete.
The official said after the Israeli airstrike, Syria picked up the pace of acquiring rockets and missiles, largely from Russia with Iranian backing, with the goal of completing its missile and rocket arsenal by the end of the year. The Jordanian official said Syria is aiming to possess enough projectiles to fire over 100 rockets into Israel per hour for a sustained period of time..."
link
Judge blesses teaching students homosexuality is innate
Board member tells 'gay' agenda opponents: Now go away
BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS
Posted: February 05, 20089:04 pm Eastern
By Bob Unruh© 2008 WorldNetDaily
The Montgomery County school board includes Nancy Navarro, Ben Moskowitz, Shirley Brandman, Jerry D. Weast, Stephen Abrams, Christopher S. Barclay, Sharon W. Cox, Judy Docca and Patricia O'Neill
A member of the school board in Montgomery County, Md., which has been working for years to overcome obstacles to its program that teaches students homosexuality is innate, has told members of a group objecting to the lessons to go away.
"To the other side, I say get out of town, shut up, quit costing Montgomery County taxpayers money for litigation, and we're right and parents believe we're right," board member Pat O'Neill said in a report in the Portland, Ore., Examiner.
Her demands followed a ruling from Maryland Circuit Court Judge William J. Rowan III that it is permissible for the district to teach students in Montgomery County how to use condoms during anal and oral sex, as well as that homosexuality is inborn, even though just a year ago Maryland's highest appellate court found there is no scientific basis for such a conclusion.
Lawyers with the Thomas Moore Law Center whose work is funded by donations, represented a group of citizens and several organizations opposed to teaching "facts" to students that do not have a foundation in facts.
read more here
BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS
Posted: February 05, 20089:04 pm Eastern
By Bob Unruh© 2008 WorldNetDaily
The Montgomery County school board includes Nancy Navarro, Ben Moskowitz, Shirley Brandman, Jerry D. Weast, Stephen Abrams, Christopher S. Barclay, Sharon W. Cox, Judy Docca and Patricia O'Neill
A member of the school board in Montgomery County, Md., which has been working for years to overcome obstacles to its program that teaches students homosexuality is innate, has told members of a group objecting to the lessons to go away.
"To the other side, I say get out of town, shut up, quit costing Montgomery County taxpayers money for litigation, and we're right and parents believe we're right," board member Pat O'Neill said in a report in the Portland, Ore., Examiner.
Her demands followed a ruling from Maryland Circuit Court Judge William J. Rowan III that it is permissible for the district to teach students in Montgomery County how to use condoms during anal and oral sex, as well as that homosexuality is inborn, even though just a year ago Maryland's highest appellate court found there is no scientific basis for such a conclusion.
Lawyers with the Thomas Moore Law Center whose work is funded by donations, represented a group of citizens and several organizations opposed to teaching "facts" to students that do not have a foundation in facts.
read more here
the Best Darned Fundraising Letter Ever
this from the Touchstone blog. It can be found on the left of the blog (A Wholly Unauthorized Appeal)
but is posted here. A fine magazine and a fine blog. Well worth your time and subscribtion.
February 06, 2008
Today, in a rush of inspiration, this letter soliciting contributions to Touchstone came to me. I assure you, dear readers, it has NOT approved by senior management, but issued, I am sure, from a higher source, by the light of two things I encountered today.
The first was a solicitation from a school I once attended, so dripping with piety that when I was through with it I was left with the unmistakable impression that this kind of stuff, in the end, is an elaborate exercise in taking the Lord’s name in vain. It made me want to write a letter for Touchstone that didn’t make any claims whatever to being a direct tool of the Holy Spirit, indispensable for the work of God in this generation. Nope. We’re not. He can do perfectly well without us. He did just fine before we were here, and he will continue to do just fine when we’re gone. But if we’re going to stick around, we need a steady supply of money--lots of it. (Many thanks to you who contribute!)
The other inspiration came from a visit to a website that ranked charities, giving them higher or lower grades corresponding to the ranking organization’s criteria for the use of donated funds. Among the interesting figures for some of the Christian groups were the salaries given to their founders and officers. Clearly a number of these are robust advocates of the biblical principle that one should not muzzle the ox that grinds the corn.
Now don’t misunderstand me. I don’t begrudge my fellow non-profiteers the fruits of their no doubt prodigious labors in the Lord’s vineyard. My brief time in perusing this site, however, brought me under strong, I could almost say, religious, conviction, that if Touchstone really wants to play with the big guys, we need to be in the business not only of sending people long letters with lots of underlining (along with the machine-produced signature of some important person that looks like he really wrote it) but of of saving somebody. Even briefer reflection on the lives of my fellow senior editors brought me to the conclusion that they in particular need to be rescued and set on the path to Better Things.
With a generous contribution, you can save a Touchstone editor from numerous kinds of degradation. I am thinking in particular of:
--THE FILTHY HABIT OF SMOKING CHEAP CIGARS
--THE UNSPEAKABLE VICE OF DRINKING BLENDED WHISKY
--OR UNNAMABLE THINGS LABELED MISE EN BOUTEILLE EN KALAMAZOO
--LIVING IN MERELY ADEQUATE HOUSING
--DRIVING VEHICLES THAT ARE POOR TESTIMONIES TO DIVINE BENEFICENCE
And I hate very much to say this, but even though all my fellow senior editors live with handsome women they call their wives, and by whom they have children, I am the only one whose marriage papers I have actually seen. The praise they give these women when out of their company frankly makes me wonder if they are really married to them--but a generous contribution will no doubt help them all “do the right thing” by their long-suffering consorts. Making Touchstone rich might also give my own wife, legal though I know her to be, an incentive to reform her sinful attitude toward my sense of humor.
So dig deep, my friends, and cast your bread upon the waters, to mix metaphors--but piously--remembering that the First Part of Touchstone is “touch.”
Posted by S. M. Hutchens at 11:03 PM Permalink
but is posted here. A fine magazine and a fine blog. Well worth your time and subscribtion.
February 06, 2008
Today, in a rush of inspiration, this letter soliciting contributions to Touchstone came to me. I assure you, dear readers, it has NOT approved by senior management, but issued, I am sure, from a higher source, by the light of two things I encountered today.
The first was a solicitation from a school I once attended, so dripping with piety that when I was through with it I was left with the unmistakable impression that this kind of stuff, in the end, is an elaborate exercise in taking the Lord’s name in vain. It made me want to write a letter for Touchstone that didn’t make any claims whatever to being a direct tool of the Holy Spirit, indispensable for the work of God in this generation. Nope. We’re not. He can do perfectly well without us. He did just fine before we were here, and he will continue to do just fine when we’re gone. But if we’re going to stick around, we need a steady supply of money--lots of it. (Many thanks to you who contribute!)
The other inspiration came from a visit to a website that ranked charities, giving them higher or lower grades corresponding to the ranking organization’s criteria for the use of donated funds. Among the interesting figures for some of the Christian groups were the salaries given to their founders and officers. Clearly a number of these are robust advocates of the biblical principle that one should not muzzle the ox that grinds the corn.
Now don’t misunderstand me. I don’t begrudge my fellow non-profiteers the fruits of their no doubt prodigious labors in the Lord’s vineyard. My brief time in perusing this site, however, brought me under strong, I could almost say, religious, conviction, that if Touchstone really wants to play with the big guys, we need to be in the business not only of sending people long letters with lots of underlining (along with the machine-produced signature of some important person that looks like he really wrote it) but of of saving somebody. Even briefer reflection on the lives of my fellow senior editors brought me to the conclusion that they in particular need to be rescued and set on the path to Better Things.
With a generous contribution, you can save a Touchstone editor from numerous kinds of degradation. I am thinking in particular of:
--THE FILTHY HABIT OF SMOKING CHEAP CIGARS
--THE UNSPEAKABLE VICE OF DRINKING BLENDED WHISKY
--OR UNNAMABLE THINGS LABELED MISE EN BOUTEILLE EN KALAMAZOO
--LIVING IN MERELY ADEQUATE HOUSING
--DRIVING VEHICLES THAT ARE POOR TESTIMONIES TO DIVINE BENEFICENCE
And I hate very much to say this, but even though all my fellow senior editors live with handsome women they call their wives, and by whom they have children, I am the only one whose marriage papers I have actually seen. The praise they give these women when out of their company frankly makes me wonder if they are really married to them--but a generous contribution will no doubt help them all “do the right thing” by their long-suffering consorts. Making Touchstone rich might also give my own wife, legal though I know her to be, an incentive to reform her sinful attitude toward my sense of humor.
So dig deep, my friends, and cast your bread upon the waters, to mix metaphors--but piously--remembering that the First Part of Touchstone is “touch.”
Posted by S. M. Hutchens at 11:03 PM Permalink
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Will Venezuela Be Judenrein?
By Mona Charen
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com
"On December 1, 2007, two dozen heavily armed police staged a raid on a Jewish community center in Caracas where hundreds were celebrating a wedding. The police, the Venezuelan equivalent of the FBI, claimed to be seeking weapons and evidence of "subversive activity."
They found no weapons. As for subversive activity, well, in a proto-authoritarian state like Hugo Chavez's Venezuela, subversion is a very elastic concept. The mildest skepticism about Chavez's regime might easily qualify. ........."
"........During the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, Chavez became increasingly shrill, accusing the Israelis of behaving like Nazis. On a recent visit to Washington D.C., Gustavo Aristegui, the shadow foreign minister in Spain's opposition party, told a group at the Hudson Institute that Hamas and Hezbollah are now operating freely in Venezuela. Publications by the government's ministry of culture have featured titles like "The Jewish Question" with cover art showing a Star of David superimposed over a swastika. ......."
Full article here
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com
"On December 1, 2007, two dozen heavily armed police staged a raid on a Jewish community center in Caracas where hundreds were celebrating a wedding. The police, the Venezuelan equivalent of the FBI, claimed to be seeking weapons and evidence of "subversive activity."
They found no weapons. As for subversive activity, well, in a proto-authoritarian state like Hugo Chavez's Venezuela, subversion is a very elastic concept. The mildest skepticism about Chavez's regime might easily qualify. ........."
"........During the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, Chavez became increasingly shrill, accusing the Israelis of behaving like Nazis. On a recent visit to Washington D.C., Gustavo Aristegui, the shadow foreign minister in Spain's opposition party, told a group at the Hudson Institute that Hamas and Hezbollah are now operating freely in Venezuela. Publications by the government's ministry of culture have featured titles like "The Jewish Question" with cover art showing a Star of David superimposed over a swastika. ......."
Full article here
Sanguine ride on rabid transportation
By Dave Barry
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com
"It is a chilling question that we have all asked ourselves: What would we do if, Heaven forbid, we had to get a squirrel out of a piano? ..........
......Fortunately, the officer had the training, the courage and -- above all - the musical talent to deal with the situation. To quote from The Post report, which I am not making up:
"After the officer started playing the song 'All I Want' by the group Toad the Wet Sprocket, the squirrel jumped out of the piano and onto curtains, damaging them." .........
read the rest here
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com
Lest we take things too serious
"It is a chilling question that we have all asked ourselves: What would we do if, Heaven forbid, we had to get a squirrel out of a piano? ..........
......Fortunately, the officer had the training, the courage and -- above all - the musical talent to deal with the situation. To quote from The Post report, which I am not making up:
"After the officer started playing the song 'All I Want' by the group Toad the Wet Sprocket, the squirrel jumped out of the piano and onto curtains, damaging them." .........
read the rest here
Berkeley Vs. America, Again
Berkeley Vs. America, again
By Michelle Malkin
"The troop-bashers in Berkeley are at it once more. But this time, the rest of America lashed back. Message to the Left Coast: It's not the 1960s anymore.
On Jan. 29, the Berkeley city council passed several measures targeting the lone Marine recruitment office in town. The anti-war harridans at Code Pink have been picketing the center for months. Last fall, they defaced the building by slapping a sign that read "assasination" (sic) in the military office window. Instead of rising to defend the recruiters' property rights, the city council and mayor voted to sabotage them further. They granted Code Pink special parking privileges directly in front of the Marines' workplace to facilitate their protests — and also offered them a free sound permit for six months.... "
Believe it or not it gets worse. The rest of the story is here
By Michelle Malkin
"The troop-bashers in Berkeley are at it once more. But this time, the rest of America lashed back. Message to the Left Coast: It's not the 1960s anymore.
On Jan. 29, the Berkeley city council passed several measures targeting the lone Marine recruitment office in town. The anti-war harridans at Code Pink have been picketing the center for months. Last fall, they defaced the building by slapping a sign that read "assasination" (sic) in the military office window. Instead of rising to defend the recruiters' property rights, the city council and mayor voted to sabotage them further. They granted Code Pink special parking privileges directly in front of the Marines' workplace to facilitate their protests — and also offered them a free sound permit for six months.... "
Believe it or not it gets worse. The rest of the story is here
Travel Ideas- Part 1
I have said that one of the things you might find on this blog is talk about travel but I havn't been very good about putting anything down. So here is the first:
After years of hauling kids (in planes and cars) and visiting in-laws in Missouri I can say:
Take a trip to Kansas City, Mo. and visit the Liberty Memorial Museum. Give yourself a few hours because you'll want to spend some time there. It was truly a great trip. The kids (7 and 11) liked it too. Taking them to Fritz's Railroad Restaurant around the corner at Crown Center before hand doesn't hurt.
I've always liked the zoo as well.
And if you have ALOT of time, and a railroad loving brood, you can ride Amtrack from Independence (Truman's home) to St Louis. But you need to have alot of time as Amtrack yields to ALL other trains including freight.
And don't forget to try the BBQ. It ain't Texas but it's pretty darn good. Gates is a good place to start but I hear tell there are others.:-)
After years of hauling kids (in planes and cars) and visiting in-laws in Missouri I can say:
Take a trip to Kansas City, Mo. and visit the Liberty Memorial Museum. Give yourself a few hours because you'll want to spend some time there. It was truly a great trip. The kids (7 and 11) liked it too. Taking them to Fritz's Railroad Restaurant around the corner at Crown Center before hand doesn't hurt.
I've always liked the zoo as well.
And if you have ALOT of time, and a railroad loving brood, you can ride Amtrack from Independence (Truman's home) to St Louis. But you need to have alot of time as Amtrack yields to ALL other trains including freight.
And don't forget to try the BBQ. It ain't Texas but it's pretty darn good. Gates is a good place to start but I hear tell there are others.:-)
The Lies of Tet
By ARTHUR HERMANFebruary 6, 2008
"On January 30, 1968, more than a quarter million North Vietnamese soldiers and 100,000 Viet Cong irregulars launched a massive attack on South Vietnam. But the public didn't hear about who had won this most decisive battle of the Vietnam War, the so-called Tet offensive, until much too late.
Media misreporting of Tet passed into our collective memory. That picture gave antiwar activism an unwarranted credibility that persists today in Congress, and in the media reaction to the war in Iraq. The Tet experience provides a narrative model for those who wish to see all U.S. military successes -- such as the Petraeus surge -- minimized and glossed over.
In truth, the war in Vietnam was lost on the propaganda front, in great measure due to the press's pervasive misreporting of the clear U.S. victory at Tet as a defeat. Forty years is long past time to set the historical record straight.".... complete article here
"On January 30, 1968, more than a quarter million North Vietnamese soldiers and 100,000 Viet Cong irregulars launched a massive attack on South Vietnam. But the public didn't hear about who had won this most decisive battle of the Vietnam War, the so-called Tet offensive, until much too late.
Media misreporting of Tet passed into our collective memory. That picture gave antiwar activism an unwarranted credibility that persists today in Congress, and in the media reaction to the war in Iraq. The Tet experience provides a narrative model for those who wish to see all U.S. military successes -- such as the Petraeus surge -- minimized and glossed over.
In truth, the war in Vietnam was lost on the propaganda front, in great measure due to the press's pervasive misreporting of the clear U.S. victory at Tet as a defeat. Forty years is long past time to set the historical record straight.".... complete article here
Pray For The Chrisitians In Gaza
Gaza Christians Need Prayer
By Dan WoodingFounder of ASSIST Ministries
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (ANS) -- “Worship services at Gaza Baptist Church now includes no more than 10 or 15 believers who are willing to risk publicly attending the only evangelical church in all of the Gaza Strip since October when a church leader was martyred.”
So wrote James A. Smith Sr., Executive Editor of the Florida Baptist Witness (www.floridabaptistwitness.com).
"I want the people in America to pray for Gaza. I want them to pray every Wednesday night and every Sunday and any day in between that they can pray. ... When they see Gaza on the news to pray for the little, tiny Gaza Baptist Church,” said one of the Baptist workers, neither of whom can be identified for security reasons. "
Read the whole article on the right of the blog....
By Dan WoodingFounder of ASSIST Ministries
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (ANS) -- “Worship services at Gaza Baptist Church now includes no more than 10 or 15 believers who are willing to risk publicly attending the only evangelical church in all of the Gaza Strip since October when a church leader was martyred.”
So wrote James A. Smith Sr., Executive Editor of the Florida Baptist Witness (www.floridabaptistwitness.com).
"I want the people in America to pray for Gaza. I want them to pray every Wednesday night and every Sunday and any day in between that they can pray. ... When they see Gaza on the news to pray for the little, tiny Gaza Baptist Church,” said one of the Baptist workers, neither of whom can be identified for security reasons. "
Read the whole article on the right of the blog....
Mossad Chief: Iran will attain offensive nuclear capabilities within three years
The question is this:(assuming you don't dismiss out of hand the statements below)
Who do want to be commander-in-chief when this happens?
Mossad Chief: Iran is the biggest threat to Israel
By JPOST.COM STAFF
Iran will attain offensive nuclear capabilities within three years and remains the central strategic threat to Israel, not only because it is striving for the attainment of nuclear weapons but also because of its influence on more imminent threats - such as Hamas, Hizbullah and Syria - according to an assessment presented to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee by Mossad head Meir Dagan Monday.
Iran is acting on two tracks, Dagan said, one towards the enrichment of uranium and the other towards manufacturing surface to surface missiles with large payloads. He claimed that Iran had not yet attained full control of the knowledge necessary to produce weapons-grade uranium, but was not far from reaching that benchmark point.... full article here
">Link
Who do want to be commander-in-chief when this happens?
Mossad Chief: Iran is the biggest threat to Israel
By JPOST.COM STAFF
Iran will attain offensive nuclear capabilities within three years and remains the central strategic threat to Israel, not only because it is striving for the attainment of nuclear weapons but also because of its influence on more imminent threats - such as Hamas, Hizbullah and Syria - according to an assessment presented to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee by Mossad head Meir Dagan Monday.
Iran is acting on two tracks, Dagan said, one towards the enrichment of uranium and the other towards manufacturing surface to surface missiles with large payloads. He claimed that Iran had not yet attained full control of the knowledge necessary to produce weapons-grade uranium, but was not far from reaching that benchmark point.... full article here
">Link
al-Qaida in Iraq Using Children
By LAUREN FRAYER Associated Press Writer
AP Photo/KHALID MOHAMMED
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Videotapes seized during U.S. raids on suspected al-Qaida in Iraq hide-outs show the terror group training young boys to kidnap and assassinate civilians, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Wednesday.
Footage aired for reporters showed an apparent training operation with black-masked boys - some of whom appeared to be about 10 years old - storming a house and holding guns to the heads of mock residents. Another tape showed a young boy wearing a suicide vest and posing with automatic weapons..... full article here
AP Photo/KHALID MOHAMMED
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Videotapes seized during U.S. raids on suspected al-Qaida in Iraq hide-outs show the terror group training young boys to kidnap and assassinate civilians, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Wednesday.
Footage aired for reporters showed an apparent training operation with black-masked boys - some of whom appeared to be about 10 years old - storming a house and holding guns to the heads of mock residents. Another tape showed a young boy wearing a suicide vest and posing with automatic weapons..... full article here
How democracy produced a monster
A Thought proking article from the International Herald Tribune excerpted below. the full article can be found here ">Link
"Could something like it happen again? That is invariably the first question that comes to mind when recalling that Hitler was given power in Germany 75 years ago last week.
With the world now facing such great instability, the question seems more obvious than ever.
Hitler came to power in a democracy with a highly liberal constitution, and in part by using democratic freedoms to undermine and then destroy democracy itself. That democracy, established in 1919, was a product of defeat in war and revolution and was never accepted by most of the German elites, notably the military, large landholders and big industry...."
"Could something like it happen again? That is invariably the first question that comes to mind when recalling that Hitler was given power in Germany 75 years ago last week.
With the world now facing such great instability, the question seems more obvious than ever.
Hitler came to power in a democracy with a highly liberal constitution, and in part by using democratic freedoms to undermine and then destroy democracy itself. That democracy, established in 1919, was a product of defeat in war and revolution and was never accepted by most of the German elites, notably the military, large landholders and big industry...."
Pancake Race Cancelled Over Safety Concerns
I see a Monty Python Joke here...
"A TRADITIONAL pancake race due to take place today has fallen flat after it was cancelled due to health and safety regulations and red tape. The Shrove Tuesday race in Ripon, North Yorkshire, was revived 10 years ago and is usually started at 11am by the ringing of the city cathedral's ancient Pancake Bell. But this year, organisers have tossed tradition aside because of the time and costs involved in having to put the necessary precautions and regulations in place. ......"
The article is here
"A TRADITIONAL pancake race due to take place today has fallen flat after it was cancelled due to health and safety regulations and red tape. The Shrove Tuesday race in Ripon, North Yorkshire, was revived 10 years ago and is usually started at 11am by the ringing of the city cathedral's ancient Pancake Bell. But this year, organisers have tossed tradition aside because of the time and costs involved in having to put the necessary precautions and regulations in place. ......"
The article is here
Lenten Vocabulary
From "Daily Reflections" at Touchstone/FSJ.. Link
Ash Wednesday: Originally the Lenten fast began on a Monday, as it still does in the East. Later, however, the fasting was discontinued on Sundays, not only to restore physical strength, but also from the feeling that Sunday was simply too festive a day for such rigor. Thus, the Western churches would be fasting six days a week for six weeks, making a total of 36 days. So, in order to bring that number up to the biblical model of 40, the preceding four days were added, thus making Wednesday the first day of the season. Western Christians marked this day with special signs of repentance, one of which was, like the Ninevites of old, to put ashes on top of their heads as a particular sign of turning away from worldliness and renewing their devotion to God.
Thus, the name Ash Wednesday. Many made their sacramental Confession on the day before Ash Wednesday, being “shriven” of their sins. Hence the name Shrove Tuesday. That same Tuesday was observed by others, however, as one last occasion to party before Lent started. Hence, the French name Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday.” Since meat was not eaten during Lent, Shrove Tuesday was the day to say “farewell” (Vale in Latin) to “meat” (Carni in Latin), thus giving us the word “carnival.”
Ash Wednesday: Originally the Lenten fast began on a Monday, as it still does in the East. Later, however, the fasting was discontinued on Sundays, not only to restore physical strength, but also from the feeling that Sunday was simply too festive a day for such rigor. Thus, the Western churches would be fasting six days a week for six weeks, making a total of 36 days. So, in order to bring that number up to the biblical model of 40, the preceding four days were added, thus making Wednesday the first day of the season. Western Christians marked this day with special signs of repentance, one of which was, like the Ninevites of old, to put ashes on top of their heads as a particular sign of turning away from worldliness and renewing their devotion to God.
Thus, the name Ash Wednesday. Many made their sacramental Confession on the day before Ash Wednesday, being “shriven” of their sins. Hence the name Shrove Tuesday. That same Tuesday was observed by others, however, as one last occasion to party before Lent started. Hence, the French name Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday.” Since meat was not eaten during Lent, Shrove Tuesday was the day to say “farewell” (Vale in Latin) to “meat” (Carni in Latin), thus giving us the word “carnival.”
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Extreme Fear Can Lead to Extreme Faith
"The unwritten code of the police was clear: If you catch the Khmu or other tribesmen converting to Christianity, arrest them. If you catch anyone evangelizing the tribesmen, kill him.
After “Lu” had been shackled at the hands and feet and shamefully marched through the village, the Communist police threw him in a pit. “We will let you go,” they said, “when one hundred Christians in your village renounce their conversion to Christianity.” But they were unable to find believers willing to turn their backs on Christ.
Then tragedy struck the police. One officer’s son broke both legs in an accident. His other son became critically ill. The officer who had beaten and harassed new Christians suddenly died of a heart attack. ..."
Rest of the article here or click on the link on the right of the blog.
After “Lu” had been shackled at the hands and feet and shamefully marched through the village, the Communist police threw him in a pit. “We will let you go,” they said, “when one hundred Christians in your village renounce their conversion to Christianity.” But they were unable to find believers willing to turn their backs on Christ.
Then tragedy struck the police. One officer’s son broke both legs in an accident. His other son became critically ill. The officer who had beaten and harassed new Christians suddenly died of a heart attack. ..."
Rest of the article here or click on the link on the right of the blog.
McCain Delegates Defect- Give win to Huckabee
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Mike Huckabee won the first contest declared on Super Tuesday, picking up all 18 national delegates awarded at West Virginia's state GOP convention.
Huckabee bested Mitt Romney, who entered the Mountain State event with the largest bloc of pledged convention-goers. Both men and Ron Paul made in-person appeals to the more than 1,100 convention delegates attending Tuesday's convention.
But the former Arkansas governor beat his Massachusetts counterpart after delegates for John McCain defected to his side.
Full story here
Huckabee bested Mitt Romney, who entered the Mountain State event with the largest bloc of pledged convention-goers. Both men and Ron Paul made in-person appeals to the more than 1,100 convention delegates attending Tuesday's convention.
But the former Arkansas governor beat his Massachusetts counterpart after delegates for John McCain defected to his side.
Full story here
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