I know it shoudn't but it does still surprise me at how far modern journalism has fallen from its lofty place. The death of many newspapers reflects this sorry state and news stations are not far behind. They days when journalism sought to be our watchdog, warning us when public figures lied and acting as the guardian of truth are fast going into the recycle bin, to meet a similar fate: we hope something good will be made of it, but suspect it will probably be found at the landfill with the other things of our lives we have no further use of.
So where to begin. first with the sexual inuendo:
Bozell: "Now the News Isn't Just Biased, It's R-Rated. MSNBC and CNN Owe the Public An Apology over at MRC.
Alexandria, VA – WARNING: The following contains material that parents may find unsuitable for younger children. It contains material that is apparently wholly appropriate from alleged “journalists” on MSNBC and CNN.
Rather than report the news, the networks were utterly derisive and dismissive of the TEA Parties and their participants. Worse still, both used the oral sex slang-term “tea-bagging” to disparagingly depict what ordinary Americans were said to be doing in attending them. (“Tea-bagging” in the sexual sense is inserting one’s testicles into someone’s mouth.)
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and her guest, liberal Air America’s Ana Marie Cox, combined to use the term “teabag” at least 51 times in a 13-minute segment. At one point, Cox said there’s “a lot of love in tea-bagging.”
Maddow’s MSNBC cohort, anchor David Shuster, also uttered the vulgar phrase and made a total of twelve separate oral-sexual puns in his April 13th attack on the event.
The next night, CNN’s Anderson Cooper twice interrupted his guest, analyst David Gergen, to gleefully declare “tea-bagging” while Gergen was stating that he thought Republicans had nothing to say, and then followed Gergen’s statement with the guttural “It’s hard to talk when you’re tea-bagging.”
Over at Powerline they have their own inuendos but make a good point:
There is something funny going on here, if not exactly where Cooper, Maddow and Sullivan find it. Cooper is widely reputed to be homosexual. Maddow and Sullivan are of course public homosexuals. It is funny in an ironic sort of way that these folks choose to disparage the tea party protesters from somewhere inside the homosexual subculture. Why not just call the protesters girly boys and let everyone in on the joke? Or would that spoil the fun?
There is not only something funny going on here, there is a story here. These supposed journalists and their networks (or publisher, in Sullivan's case) have rather seriously insulted the citizens who colorfully took to the streets to air respectable views in a most civil fashion. If they had any decency, Cooper et al. would apologize for their vile reference to sexual practices in the context of ordinary citizens exercising their First Amendment rights. (more)
Now for the lies.
Over at Fact Check we find that Obama (gasp!) may be playing a bit foot loose with the facts:
President Obama says 90 percent of Mexico's recovered crime guns come the U.S. Not true.
How about the widely (all the way down under) publisized lie that Obam is blazing new trails with the rest of the world. Not true,
"Imagine if, only a year ago, the President of the United States had visited Turkey, addressed its parliament, then kissed the Prime Minister on both cheeks.
"That might have been considered far-fetched, but so, too, would have been the President's affirmation that his country was not at war with Islam and that being Muslim in the US is part of the fabric of life.
"It is indeed unimaginable that George Bush would have embraced such thoughts, words and deeds."
Pardon? "Unimaginable?" Only to the spectacularly uninformed. (more)
Same Iraq strategy. Same kissing up to the Saudis (and it pissed us off then too)
Now for the videotape:
It's Staged. NBC News Washington's Tea Party Video On-Line Is a FAKE
From Vocal Minority: Folks, it's two days after the April 15 Tea Parties and the local page of NBC News Washington on-line still has this video of a Tea Party protest that took place across the street from the White House (mockingly entitled "Scenes from the Most Important Protest in Political History"): This is a fake, people. It's staged. These are not Tea Party protesters. It's a left-wing group called either The Billionaire Boys or Billionaires for Bush.
And finally we have this from Cairn H/T doctorbulldog:
CAIR Caught Selling Jihadist & Anti-Judeo-Christian Books to Public
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Removal of Notre Dame President?
According to an article on CNSNews, Notre Dame alumni are urging their friends to stop contributing to the university until Fr. Michael Jenkins, the president who has invited President Obama not only to speak but to receive an honorary degree, has been replaced.
They have created a website, http://www.replacejenkins.com/, which has more information.
They have created a website, http://www.replacejenkins.com/, which has more information.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Intrinsically Disordered
A legal complaint has been filed against a Spanish bioethics professor who had the nerve to speak the truth.
LifeSite has the story but Secular Heretic has a number of good links including one speaking of the dangers of homosexuality to one's health and others outlining the dangers to the freedom of thought and religion that the homosexual activists pose to the rest of the world. Like this one:
David Booker an employee of the "English Churches Housing Group" has been suspended for answering questions about his faith to a colleague at work
Go over to Secular Heretic and have a look.
LifeSite has the story but Secular Heretic has a number of good links including one speaking of the dangers of homosexuality to one's health and others outlining the dangers to the freedom of thought and religion that the homosexual activists pose to the rest of the world. Like this one:
David Booker an employee of the "English Churches Housing Group" has been suspended for answering questions about his faith to a colleague at work
Go over to Secular Heretic and have a look.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
New Blog
To Eutychus and Friends,
I have at last launched my blog, Bedlam or Parnassus. Inspired particularly by Eutychus, Red Cardigan, and Euripides, I could no longer refrain from creating a venue to discuss the insanities (Bedlam) and the inspired wisdom (Parnassus) of our age.
Don't worry, Eutychus...I will continue to read and post here as well.
So, check out Bedlam or Parnassus. Let me know what you think. Post your comments and send me suggestions.
Oh, yeah...if you like, please link me on your blog as well.
I have at last launched my blog, Bedlam or Parnassus. Inspired particularly by Eutychus, Red Cardigan, and Euripides, I could no longer refrain from creating a venue to discuss the insanities (Bedlam) and the inspired wisdom (Parnassus) of our age.
Don't worry, Eutychus...I will continue to read and post here as well.
So, check out Bedlam or Parnassus. Let me know what you think. Post your comments and send me suggestions.
Oh, yeah...if you like, please link me on your blog as well.
Unreal: CNN reporter openly contemptuous of tea parties
Wow...I am speechless. Where does she think she is, MSNBC?
A tour de force of bias via TV Newser, from her sarcasm to her Fox-bashing to her badgering a guy who’ll be paying off Obama’s monstrous deficits for decades about why he isn’t satisfied with a $400 tax break this year. The title of the clip is “CNN Reporter Roughed Up at Chicago Tea-Party,” which, as you’ll see, is a transparent lie...
From HotAir
A tour de force of bias via TV Newser, from her sarcasm to her Fox-bashing to her badgering a guy who’ll be paying off Obama’s monstrous deficits for decades about why he isn’t satisfied with a $400 tax break this year. The title of the clip is “CNN Reporter Roughed Up at Chicago Tea-Party,” which, as you’ll see, is a transparent lie...
From HotAir
Texas A Terror State? -UPDATE
The DHS has issued a statement here
The administration has redefined Islamic extremists' acts of domestic terrorism were recently redefined by Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano and President Obama, as man-made disasters, and of course the "war on terror" has been renamed an "overseas contingency plan"
Now, according to a new Department of Homeland Security document Texas could be classified as a terrorist state.(or is it a "potential man-made disaster producer? Nevermind) It could well be and in which case, you can sign me up:
From American Thinker:
The DHS Intelligence Assessment Document marked "For Official Use Only" and entitled; Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment, was released to law enforcement agencies nationwide. Its stated purpose was to "deter, prevent, preempt, or respond to terrorist attacks against the United States." Read the entire document here.
If this DHS Assessment is an example of the kind of analysis our decision makers receive from our intelligence agencies, we are in far worse straits than I had imagined. It is amateurish, poorly written and its logic is absurdly shallow. It sounds as if it was cobbled together from bits and pieces of dated research to quickly fill a short notice requirement. I suspect it was not intended to inform or educate law enforcement first responders and decision makers, so much as it was designed to shape their perceptions in the information war the Left is waging on the American people.
Rightwing extremists have capitalized on the election of the first African American president, and are focusing their efforts to recruit new members, mobilize existing supporters, and broaden their scope and appeal through propaganda, but they have not yet turned to attack planning.
The statement "they have not yet turned to attack planning" has the ring of inevitability to it, an assumption that attacks will come because of race and that it is impossible to object to Obama simply because of his radical politics. We are presented no evidence or example of how "Rightwing extremists have capitalized" because I suspect that their evidence would fall firmly under protected speech, and rightly subject to criticism. More importantly it would reveal the ideological underpinnings of the authors.
Anti-American rhetoric, such as calls for revolution and hate speech from the Radical Left has been over the top for many decades, yet we endure another fabrication of "potential" rightist conspiracies. With tens of thousands of Islamic Jihadist attacks since 9-11, and less than half a dozen "right wing extremist" examples in the last 20 years, one wonders how much critical analysis went into this nonsensical report. By their admission the threat has been merely words, but unlike Islamic extremism where words often equate to action, the opposite has been true of America's fanatics. (more)
Surely Texas fits the bill and proudly so with the Governor attending the T.E.A. Party in Austin and reminding the federal government about the 10th amendment and telling them to step off:
It is the opposition of the "overreaching power of the federal government" that may have sealed Texas's fate as a terror state. Rick Perry's statement on the Governor's website, may have doomed the state of Texas by supporting HCR 50, which supports states' rights under the 10th Amendment. You know the 10th Amendment--the one that expounds on Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution and spells out explicitly the limits of the federal government, just in case the federal government became confused of their limits. Perry stated,
"I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state. That is why I am here today to express my unwavering support for efforts all across our country to reaffirm the states' rights affirmed by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I believe that returning to the letter and spirit of the U.S. Constitution and its essential 10th Amendment will free our state from undue regulations, and ultimately strengthen our Union....Millions of Texans are tired of Washington, DC trying to come down here to tell us how to run Texas."
A number of recent federal proposals are not within the scope of the federal government's constitutionally designated powers and impede the states' right to govern itself. HCR 50 affirms that Texas claims sovereignty under the 10th Amendment over all powers not otherwise granted to the federal government.
It also designates that all compulsory federal legislation that requires states to comply under threat of civil or criminal penalties, or that requires states to pass legislation or lose federal funding, be prohibited or repealed.
Let's test Texas's terror threat assessment capabilities based on voting habit:
Anti-abortion--check
Pro-Gun--check
Anti-gun control--check
Predominantly Christian--check
Military bases--check
Returning soldiers--check
Against high taxes (no state tax in Texas)--check, check
Anti-illegal immigration--check
Against an overreaching federal government--check
Conservative--check
Extreme right-wing (according to Democratic Party standards)--check
Understands Article 1, Section 8--check
Understands the 10th Amendment--check
Rejects federal authority in favor of state or local authority--check
That sums it up: Texas is most definitely a terror state in the eyes of Secretary Napolitano and her agency.
Some reaction:
Legion objects to vets as terror risk
Homeland Security told: 'Americans are not the enemy'
The administration has redefined Islamic extremists' acts of domestic terrorism were recently redefined by Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano and President Obama, as man-made disasters, and of course the "war on terror" has been renamed an "overseas contingency plan"
Now, according to a new Department of Homeland Security document Texas could be classified as a terrorist state.(or is it a "potential man-made disaster producer? Nevermind) It could well be and in which case, you can sign me up:
From American Thinker:
The DHS Intelligence Assessment Document marked "For Official Use Only" and entitled; Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment, was released to law enforcement agencies nationwide. Its stated purpose was to "deter, prevent, preempt, or respond to terrorist attacks against the United States." Read the entire document here.
If this DHS Assessment is an example of the kind of analysis our decision makers receive from our intelligence agencies, we are in far worse straits than I had imagined. It is amateurish, poorly written and its logic is absurdly shallow. It sounds as if it was cobbled together from bits and pieces of dated research to quickly fill a short notice requirement. I suspect it was not intended to inform or educate law enforcement first responders and decision makers, so much as it was designed to shape their perceptions in the information war the Left is waging on the American people.
Rightwing extremists have capitalized on the election of the first African American president, and are focusing their efforts to recruit new members, mobilize existing supporters, and broaden their scope and appeal through propaganda, but they have not yet turned to attack planning.
The statement "they have not yet turned to attack planning" has the ring of inevitability to it, an assumption that attacks will come because of race and that it is impossible to object to Obama simply because of his radical politics. We are presented no evidence or example of how "Rightwing extremists have capitalized" because I suspect that their evidence would fall firmly under protected speech, and rightly subject to criticism. More importantly it would reveal the ideological underpinnings of the authors.
Anti-American rhetoric, such as calls for revolution and hate speech from the Radical Left has been over the top for many decades, yet we endure another fabrication of "potential" rightist conspiracies. With tens of thousands of Islamic Jihadist attacks since 9-11, and less than half a dozen "right wing extremist" examples in the last 20 years, one wonders how much critical analysis went into this nonsensical report. By their admission the threat has been merely words, but unlike Islamic extremism where words often equate to action, the opposite has been true of America's fanatics. (more)
Surely Texas fits the bill and proudly so with the Governor attending the T.E.A. Party in Austin and reminding the federal government about the 10th amendment and telling them to step off:
It is the opposition of the "overreaching power of the federal government" that may have sealed Texas's fate as a terror state. Rick Perry's statement on the Governor's website, may have doomed the state of Texas by supporting HCR 50, which supports states' rights under the 10th Amendment. You know the 10th Amendment--the one that expounds on Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution and spells out explicitly the limits of the federal government, just in case the federal government became confused of their limits. Perry stated,
"I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state. That is why I am here today to express my unwavering support for efforts all across our country to reaffirm the states' rights affirmed by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I believe that returning to the letter and spirit of the U.S. Constitution and its essential 10th Amendment will free our state from undue regulations, and ultimately strengthen our Union....Millions of Texans are tired of Washington, DC trying to come down here to tell us how to run Texas."
A number of recent federal proposals are not within the scope of the federal government's constitutionally designated powers and impede the states' right to govern itself. HCR 50 affirms that Texas claims sovereignty under the 10th Amendment over all powers not otherwise granted to the federal government.
It also designates that all compulsory federal legislation that requires states to comply under threat of civil or criminal penalties, or that requires states to pass legislation or lose federal funding, be prohibited or repealed.
Let's test Texas's terror threat assessment capabilities based on voting habit:
Anti-abortion--check
Pro-Gun--check
Anti-gun control--check
Predominantly Christian--check
Military bases--check
Returning soldiers--check
Against high taxes (no state tax in Texas)--check, check
Anti-illegal immigration--check
Against an overreaching federal government--check
Conservative--check
Extreme right-wing (according to Democratic Party standards)--check
Understands Article 1, Section 8--check
Understands the 10th Amendment--check
Rejects federal authority in favor of state or local authority--check
That sums it up: Texas is most definitely a terror state in the eyes of Secretary Napolitano and her agency.
Some reaction:
Legion objects to vets as terror risk
Homeland Security told: 'Americans are not the enemy'
De-baptism
According to this Time magazine article, de-baptism is all the rage in England. In the article you can read all about how to download your very own de-baptism certificate to "Liberate yourself from the Original Mumbo-Jumbo that liberated you from the Original Sin you never had."
I will not get into a theological discussion here about whether the Holy Spirit enters a person's life at baptism or at some other time, but I do think signing a de-baptism certificate certainly has to come close to the so-called unpardonable sin of Mark 3:29 and Luke 12:10.
Yet there were two comments in the article that I simply cannot let go without remark. If and when I ever launch my own blog...I have it all set up...this would be the kind of thing I would comment on.
De-baptism certificates apparently were in high demand shortly after Pope Benedict XVI's comments about condoms on his way to visiting Africa recently. Time writes, "Public gaffes like that one may explain the anti-Catholic backlash driving similar movements elsewhere in the world." It is the opinion of Time that the Pope's comments constituted a gaffe. Yet this was not the opinion section of the magazine. A great many Christians, including this one, acknowledge the wisdom of the Pope's comments and the sheer lunacy of those who are outraged against them.
Secondly, the article states, "Given that God takes on different forms for different people," there have been requests from those of other faiths for a similar reversal of defining acts in their lives, such as a "de-bar mitzvah" certificate. It is far from given that God takes on different forms for different people. In fact, any orthodox Jew, Muslim, or Christian will state flatly that there is only one God for all people, whether or not anyone believes in Him. It is precisely because of this that, for example, Muslims and Christians cannot agree about the fundamental issue of their faith, however much western media outlets have tried to put all faiths into a blender and by hitting the puree button thus declare them one and the same.
I will not get into a theological discussion here about whether the Holy Spirit enters a person's life at baptism or at some other time, but I do think signing a de-baptism certificate certainly has to come close to the so-called unpardonable sin of Mark 3:29 and Luke 12:10.
Yet there were two comments in the article that I simply cannot let go without remark. If and when I ever launch my own blog...I have it all set up...this would be the kind of thing I would comment on.
De-baptism certificates apparently were in high demand shortly after Pope Benedict XVI's comments about condoms on his way to visiting Africa recently. Time writes, "Public gaffes like that one may explain the anti-Catholic backlash driving similar movements elsewhere in the world." It is the opinion of Time that the Pope's comments constituted a gaffe. Yet this was not the opinion section of the magazine. A great many Christians, including this one, acknowledge the wisdom of the Pope's comments and the sheer lunacy of those who are outraged against them.
Secondly, the article states, "Given that God takes on different forms for different people," there have been requests from those of other faiths for a similar reversal of defining acts in their lives, such as a "de-bar mitzvah" certificate. It is far from given that God takes on different forms for different people. In fact, any orthodox Jew, Muslim, or Christian will state flatly that there is only one God for all people, whether or not anyone believes in Him. It is precisely because of this that, for example, Muslims and Christians cannot agree about the fundamental issue of their faith, however much western media outlets have tried to put all faiths into a blender and by hitting the puree button thus declare them one and the same.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
What the Resurrection Proves
Good stuff over at STR.
R.A. Torrey, a prominent evangelist at the turn of the last century, published a book called The Bible and its Christ. Torrey opens his fourth chapter, on the resurrection, with a recap of the previous arguments, and then asks,
But suppose He did rise from the dead, what of it? What does His resurrection prove? It proves everything that most needs to be proved. It proves everything that is essential in Christianity.
There follow six points:
1. The resurrection of Christ from the dead proves that there is a God, and that the God of the Bible is the true God.
2. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead proves that Jesus is a teacher sent from God, who received His message from God, that He was absolutely inerrant, that He spoke the very words of God.
3. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead proves that He is the Son of God.
4. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead proves that there is a judgment day coming.
5. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead proves that every believer in Christ is justified from all things.
6. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead proves that all who are united to Christ by a living faith shall live again.
Fred Sanders at Biola University goes on to say,
The apologetic project of “proving the resurrection” is important, especially to demonstrate that the Christian faith is not a leap into the irrational or a retreat to personal commitment. But on its own, it’s a fairly tiresome business. Unless, that is, you keep the theological context in view: Christ as the revelation of God the Father, as the one judge whose claim on all humanity has been vindicated in a mighty act of divine self-demonstration, as the one whose sacrifice is salvation, and whose rising from the dead catches humanity up in its momentum. (more)
R.A. Torrey, a prominent evangelist at the turn of the last century, published a book called The Bible and its Christ. Torrey opens his fourth chapter, on the resurrection, with a recap of the previous arguments, and then asks,
But suppose He did rise from the dead, what of it? What does His resurrection prove? It proves everything that most needs to be proved. It proves everything that is essential in Christianity.
There follow six points:
1. The resurrection of Christ from the dead proves that there is a God, and that the God of the Bible is the true God.
2. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead proves that Jesus is a teacher sent from God, who received His message from God, that He was absolutely inerrant, that He spoke the very words of God.
3. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead proves that He is the Son of God.
4. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead proves that there is a judgment day coming.
5. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead proves that every believer in Christ is justified from all things.
6. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead proves that all who are united to Christ by a living faith shall live again.
Fred Sanders at Biola University goes on to say,
The apologetic project of “proving the resurrection” is important, especially to demonstrate that the Christian faith is not a leap into the irrational or a retreat to personal commitment. But on its own, it’s a fairly tiresome business. Unless, that is, you keep the theological context in view: Christ as the revelation of God the Father, as the one judge whose claim on all humanity has been vindicated in a mighty act of divine self-demonstration, as the one whose sacrifice is salvation, and whose rising from the dead catches humanity up in its momentum. (more)
A Book For the Reading List
I am ashamed to say that I don't think I ever read, Dante's Inferno. I think I was supposed to but for one reason or another I did not.
Anthony Esolen, English professor at Providence College has a new translation out that I cannot put down. It has actually been out for quite some time but I just got around to giving it a look (another embarassing revelation)
"a substantive Introduction, extensive notes, and appendixes that reproduce Dante's key sources and influences," pretty much hits the nail on the head as a description.
I fell in love with Esolen's writing over at Mere Comments and really enjoyed his, "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization," but while I enjoy poetry I was hesitant to take the chance on this book. My only regret is that I waited so long. I will never hesitate to buy another of his books. I think this is readable by anyone and most will enjoy it.
Anthony Esolen, English professor at Providence College has a new translation out that I cannot put down. It has actually been out for quite some time but I just got around to giving it a look (another embarassing revelation)
"a substantive Introduction, extensive notes, and appendixes that reproduce Dante's key sources and influences," pretty much hits the nail on the head as a description.
I fell in love with Esolen's writing over at Mere Comments and really enjoyed his, "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization," but while I enjoy poetry I was hesitant to take the chance on this book. My only regret is that I waited so long. I will never hesitate to buy another of his books. I think this is readable by anyone and most will enjoy it.
Judge Says Illegal Alien ID Thieves' Privacy Violated
The sign outside hell, in Dante's Inferno reads, "Abandon all hope, you who enter here"...I'm just sayin'....
H/T Judicial Watch
Get this:
More than 1,300 illegal immigrants who used fake or stolen Social Security numbers to file taxes will face no consequences because their privacy rights were violated by the local authorities who busted them.
A judge ruled this week that the search of a north central Colorado tax preparer suspected of having an unusually large illegal alien clientele was illegal. That means that at least 1,300 illegal immigrants who filed tax returns with fake or stolen Social Security numbers will not be charged. (more)
The sheriff and district attorney in Weld County caught the violators by searching thousands of federal income tax returns at the Greeley office of a tax preparer that caters to illegal aliens. Dozens have been arrested and charged with identity theft or criminal impersonation but this week’s ruling will likely set them free.
H/T Judicial Watch
Get this:
More than 1,300 illegal immigrants who used fake or stolen Social Security numbers to file taxes will face no consequences because their privacy rights were violated by the local authorities who busted them.
A judge ruled this week that the search of a north central Colorado tax preparer suspected of having an unusually large illegal alien clientele was illegal. That means that at least 1,300 illegal immigrants who filed tax returns with fake or stolen Social Security numbers will not be charged. (more)
The sheriff and district attorney in Weld County caught the violators by searching thousands of federal income tax returns at the Greeley office of a tax preparer that caters to illegal aliens. Dozens have been arrested and charged with identity theft or criminal impersonation but this week’s ruling will likely set them free.
Obama looks at climate engineering
You really can't make this stuff up...
WASHINGTON (AP) - The president's new science adviser said Wednesday that global warming is so dire, the Obama administration is discussing radical technologies to cool Earth's air.
John Holdren told The Associated Press in his first interview since being confirmed last month that the idea of geoengineering the climate is being discussed. One such extreme option includes shooting pollution particles into the upper atmosphere to reflect the sun's rays. Holdren said such an experimental measure would only be used as a last resort.
"It's got to be looked at," he said. "We don't have the luxury of taking any approach off the table."
Holdren outlined several "tipping points" involving global warming that could be fast approaching. Once such milestones are reached, such as complete loss of summer sea ice in the Arctic, it increases chances of "really intolerable consequences," he said. (more)
Really intolerable consequences- like a junior Senator from Illinois becoming President and spending trillions of dollars of our money and our children's to reflect the sun's rays with pollution particles? You mean it could be worse?
WASHINGTON (AP) - The president's new science adviser said Wednesday that global warming is so dire, the Obama administration is discussing radical technologies to cool Earth's air.
John Holdren told The Associated Press in his first interview since being confirmed last month that the idea of geoengineering the climate is being discussed. One such extreme option includes shooting pollution particles into the upper atmosphere to reflect the sun's rays. Holdren said such an experimental measure would only be used as a last resort.
"It's got to be looked at," he said. "We don't have the luxury of taking any approach off the table."
Holdren outlined several "tipping points" involving global warming that could be fast approaching. Once such milestones are reached, such as complete loss of summer sea ice in the Arctic, it increases chances of "really intolerable consequences," he said. (more)
Really intolerable consequences- like a junior Senator from Illinois becoming President and spending trillions of dollars of our money and our children's to reflect the sun's rays with pollution particles? You mean it could be worse?
Studies and Stories on the Decline in American Christianity
There has been a spate of studies and stories on the decline in American Christianity lately. Well, it is the season after all. Whenever a major Christian holiday approaches the press drags out all the supposed dirty laundry and inuendo it can find. Over at MereComments some perspective is given on the subject:
...We happen to be in one of the periods when there is not a lot of social prestige or other benefit to being in the church and thus nominal members are dropping out. They have no desire to meet even modest demands of the church when they see no compensatory benefit. The drop off in the number of nominal Christians also results from the ascendancy of conservative Christianity in the United States. The more intensely the church stands for something, the less likely it is that people with low commitment will associate themselves with the church. This has always been the church's dilemma....
...What has happened in the last fifty years is that the mainline churches which had seemed to prevail during the fundamentalist-modernist controversy actually lost by becoming increasingly liberal. They became so liberal that their membership had nothing to attach themselves too other than being against conservative Christianity. They can do that just as easily on their own as they can in a liberal church. They end up in the "other" or "none" category when religionists are counted. ...
Over at GetReligion we get another perspective:
...The Trinity College survey, which you can find analyzed and linked to to in this article by Washington Post writer Michelle Boorstein, has some very interesting results. But as Trinity College’s Mark Silk asserts, these survey results show that the evangelical ranks are growing. GetReligionistas have said again and again that there is confusion (including, if one can judge by these results, among evangelicals themselves) over what constitutes an evangelical. While the number of self-declared Christians has declined, the survey doesn’t forecast the impending death of conservative Christianity....
...Infighting among conservative Christians is a sexy topic — and it is probably going on. There is considerable infighting going on in many segments of America’s religious populations. But what both Meacham and Spillius appear to assume that a decline in political influence equals defeat for religious conservatives. In his response to Meacham’s essay last week, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Moehler argues instead that his main concern is evangelism, not cultural influence. ...(more)
...We happen to be in one of the periods when there is not a lot of social prestige or other benefit to being in the church and thus nominal members are dropping out. They have no desire to meet even modest demands of the church when they see no compensatory benefit. The drop off in the number of nominal Christians also results from the ascendancy of conservative Christianity in the United States. The more intensely the church stands for something, the less likely it is that people with low commitment will associate themselves with the church. This has always been the church's dilemma....
...What has happened in the last fifty years is that the mainline churches which had seemed to prevail during the fundamentalist-modernist controversy actually lost by becoming increasingly liberal. They became so liberal that their membership had nothing to attach themselves too other than being against conservative Christianity. They can do that just as easily on their own as they can in a liberal church. They end up in the "other" or "none" category when religionists are counted. ...
Over at GetReligion we get another perspective:
...The Trinity College survey, which you can find analyzed and linked to to in this article by Washington Post writer Michelle Boorstein, has some very interesting results. But as Trinity College’s Mark Silk asserts, these survey results show that the evangelical ranks are growing. GetReligionistas have said again and again that there is confusion (including, if one can judge by these results, among evangelicals themselves) over what constitutes an evangelical. While the number of self-declared Christians has declined, the survey doesn’t forecast the impending death of conservative Christianity....
...Infighting among conservative Christians is a sexy topic — and it is probably going on. There is considerable infighting going on in many segments of America’s religious populations. But what both Meacham and Spillius appear to assume that a decline in political influence equals defeat for religious conservatives. In his response to Meacham’s essay last week, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Moehler argues instead that his main concern is evangelism, not cultural influence. ...(more)
Monday, April 13, 2009
Green Stimulus Money Costs More Jobs Than It Creates
The example of Spain's "green job" plan touted by Obama as an example to be emulated here, is not coming up roses...
From CNSNews:
"Spain’s experience (cited by President Obama as a model) reveals with high confidence, by two different methods, that the U.S. should expect a loss of at least 2.2 jobs on average, or about 9 jobs lost for every 4 created, to which we have to add those jobs that non-subsidized investments with the same resources would have created,” wrote Calzada in his report: Study of the Effects on Employment of Public Aid to Renewable Energy Sources. (more)
From CNSNews:
"Spain’s experience (cited by President Obama as a model) reveals with high confidence, by two different methods, that the U.S. should expect a loss of at least 2.2 jobs on average, or about 9 jobs lost for every 4 created, to which we have to add those jobs that non-subsidized investments with the same resources would have created,” wrote Calzada in his report: Study of the Effects on Employment of Public Aid to Renewable Energy Sources. (more)
Obama Pick Does Not Have Tax Problems
From the NY Times:
WASHINGTON — For the first time since settling into the White House, Obama made a selection that had no tax problems or criminal record...
OK it doesn't say that, but it could have..
WASHINGTON — For the first time since settling into the White House, Obama made a selection that had no tax problems or criminal record...
OK it doesn't say that, but it could have..
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Marriage: A Hill to Die On
Though the meat of the article focuses mainly on the political question of which I could give a rat's patootie, I agree with the sentiments expressed here. Namely, "the latest demand is never the last."
Said before but worth repeating-and often, the redefining of marriage has nothing to do with civil rights and is a radical social experiment that has disastrous consequences for our society and our children as well as our religious freedoms...
From the Spectator blog:
...Over and over, we find ourselves fighting what is essentially a defensive battle against the forces of organized radicalism who insist that "social justice" requires that we grant their latest demand.
We know, however, that their latest demand is never their last demand. Grant the radicals everything they demand today, and tomorrow they will return with new demands that they insist are urgently necessary to satisfy the requirements of social justice.
When they refer to themselves as "progressives," radicals express their own basic truth: Their method of operation is always to move steadily forward, seeking a progressive series of victories, each new gain exploited to lay the groundwork for the next advance, as the opposition progressively yields terrain. Such is the remorseless aggression of radicalism that conservatives forever find themselves contemplating the latest "progressive" demand and asking, "Is this a hill worth dying on?" ...
...Some conservatives are wholly persuaded by the arguments of same-sex marriage advocates. Others, however, are merely unprincipled cowards and defeatists. Concerned about maintaining their intellectual prestige, some elitists on the Right do not wish to associate themselves with Bible-thumping evangelicals. Or, disparaging the likelihood of successful opposition, they advocate pre-emptive surrender rather than waging a fight that will put conservatism on the losing side of the issue.
Yet if the defense of traditional marriage -- an ancient and honorable institution -- is not a "hill worth dying on," what is? ...
Said before but worth repeating-and often, the redefining of marriage has nothing to do with civil rights and is a radical social experiment that has disastrous consequences for our society and our children as well as our religious freedoms...
From the Spectator blog:
...Over and over, we find ourselves fighting what is essentially a defensive battle against the forces of organized radicalism who insist that "social justice" requires that we grant their latest demand.
We know, however, that their latest demand is never their last demand. Grant the radicals everything they demand today, and tomorrow they will return with new demands that they insist are urgently necessary to satisfy the requirements of social justice.
When they refer to themselves as "progressives," radicals express their own basic truth: Their method of operation is always to move steadily forward, seeking a progressive series of victories, each new gain exploited to lay the groundwork for the next advance, as the opposition progressively yields terrain. Such is the remorseless aggression of radicalism that conservatives forever find themselves contemplating the latest "progressive" demand and asking, "Is this a hill worth dying on?" ...
...Some conservatives are wholly persuaded by the arguments of same-sex marriage advocates. Others, however, are merely unprincipled cowards and defeatists. Concerned about maintaining their intellectual prestige, some elitists on the Right do not wish to associate themselves with Bible-thumping evangelicals. Or, disparaging the likelihood of successful opposition, they advocate pre-emptive surrender rather than waging a fight that will put conservatism on the losing side of the issue.
Yet if the defense of traditional marriage -- an ancient and honorable institution -- is not a "hill worth dying on," what is? ...
Terror suspects in 'Easter bomb plot' worked at Manchester airport
Funny how most stories on this side of the pond focused more on the fact that the head of security was sacked for having the classified info in view as he visited PM Browns office rather than on the terror plot itself...
From the Daily Mail:
Members of the alleged Al Qaeda cell suspected of plotting a Bank Holiday terror atrocity worked for a firm based at Manchester Airport.
At least one drove vans for a cargo company which has access to sensitive locations.
A further two had passed security industry checks which enabled them to guard premises overnight, further raising fears that members of the gang - all but one of them Pakistani students - were planning to infiltrate high-profile targets before an attack. (more)
From the Daily Mail:
Members of the alleged Al Qaeda cell suspected of plotting a Bank Holiday terror atrocity worked for a firm based at Manchester Airport.
At least one drove vans for a cargo company which has access to sensitive locations.
A further two had passed security industry checks which enabled them to guard premises overnight, further raising fears that members of the gang - all but one of them Pakistani students - were planning to infiltrate high-profile targets before an attack. (more)
Controlling the Press
Every Administration tried to control the message it put s out to the public and the press. In years past there has been a healthy tension between the press and the government to keep government "honest." With the demise of journalistic integrity and evenhandedness made painfully clear in the last election, it would seem these days are over. This has been at least one factor in the demise of many newspapers.
This disturbing trend seems likely to continue with the revelation by AmSpec that the Left has been trying to manipulate the message with its own website:
...A few weeks ago, it was revealed that the Left has been manipulating the national news media via an online communication loop called "JournoList." As someone who follows political blogs closely, I had noticed how successful the Left was at (a) getting its favorite narratives picked up by the national media, and (b) discouraging coverage of narratives unfavorable to Democrats. Conservatives have long speculated on the role of back-channel communications between "progressive" activists and sympathetic journalists in this sort of coordinated messaging operation. The JournoList revelation exposed one of those back channels; that there are many others is easily inferred....(more)
At least a few people think that a similar thing is happening with the latest "Easter Seals" dispatch of the Somali pirates.
The AP breathlessly reports that:
The operation, personally approved by President Barack Obama, quashed fears the saga could drag on for months and marked a victory for the U.S., which for days seemed powerless to resolve the crisis despite massing helicopter-equipped warships at the scene. (more)
Ahem-
Well, not exactly. Blackfive gives some clarification:
...He did affirm the military's authorization to use force if the captain's life was in danger, but they already would have had that authorization as part of their standard rules of engagement. If there are innocents about to be slaughtered the same reasoning that authorizes self defense also covers an imminent execution unless the ROE specifically forbid it.The AP is making it sound like there was an active rescue ordered by the President. It was not, there was an imminent threat and the local commander gave the order to fire. Good on Obama for ensuring their authorization was clear, but let's also be clear that he did not authorize or order an active rescue attempt...
(FYI- ROE stand sfor Rules of Engagement.)
At one point I would have thought I was making a mountain ourt of a mole hill, that I was becoming a bit of a conspiracy nut. I don't know anymore....
This disturbing trend seems likely to continue with the revelation by AmSpec that the Left has been trying to manipulate the message with its own website:
...A few weeks ago, it was revealed that the Left has been manipulating the national news media via an online communication loop called "JournoList." As someone who follows political blogs closely, I had noticed how successful the Left was at (a) getting its favorite narratives picked up by the national media, and (b) discouraging coverage of narratives unfavorable to Democrats. Conservatives have long speculated on the role of back-channel communications between "progressive" activists and sympathetic journalists in this sort of coordinated messaging operation. The JournoList revelation exposed one of those back channels; that there are many others is easily inferred....(more)
At least a few people think that a similar thing is happening with the latest "Easter Seals" dispatch of the Somali pirates.
The AP breathlessly reports that:
The operation, personally approved by President Barack Obama, quashed fears the saga could drag on for months and marked a victory for the U.S., which for days seemed powerless to resolve the crisis despite massing helicopter-equipped warships at the scene. (more)
Ahem-
Well, not exactly. Blackfive gives some clarification:
...He did affirm the military's authorization to use force if the captain's life was in danger, but they already would have had that authorization as part of their standard rules of engagement. If there are innocents about to be slaughtered the same reasoning that authorizes self defense also covers an imminent execution unless the ROE specifically forbid it.The AP is making it sound like there was an active rescue ordered by the President. It was not, there was an imminent threat and the local commander gave the order to fire. Good on Obama for ensuring their authorization was clear, but let's also be clear that he did not authorize or order an active rescue attempt...
(FYI- ROE stand sfor Rules of Engagement.)
At one point I would have thought I was making a mountain ourt of a mole hill, that I was becoming a bit of a conspiracy nut. I don't know anymore....
The Loss of Religious Freedom and Freedom of Speech
As a follow up to a previous post, also by the Washington Post, on what the redefining of marriage will cost. World wide, the freedom of speech, long a cherished bullwark of western civilization, is under assault and any many cases has been killed.
For years, the Western world has listened aghast to stories out of Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern nations of citizens being imprisoned or executed for questioning or offending Islam. Even the most seemingly minor infractions elicit draconian punishments. ...
...Among the new blasphemers is legendary French actress Brigitte Bardot, who was convicted last June of "inciting religious hatred" for a letter she wrote in 2006 to then-Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, saying that Muslims were ruining France. It was her fourth criminal citation for expressing intolerant views of Muslims and homosexuals. Other Western countries, including Canada and Britain, are also cracking down on religious critics.
Emblematic of the assault is the effort to pass an international ban on religious defamation supported by United Nations General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann. Brockmann is a suspended Roman Catholic priest who served as Nicaragua's foreign minister in the 1980s under the Sandinista regime, the socialist government that had a penchant for crushing civil liberties before it was tossed out of power in 1990.... (more)
Beetle has some examples of actual healthcare professionals who have been pressured to violate ethical standards.
And over at Get Religion they're also talking about the WaPo article and have pulled in a number of different viewpoints on the matter like this one from GayPatriot:
Ms. Salmon cites a number of examples where individuals, organizations and entrepreneurs were fired for, fimed for or barred from refusing service to or inclusion of gay people. Now, I personally think these groups are wrong to so exclude gays, but they’re not requiring me to buy their product or participate in their activities.
At the same time, if a gay group wanted to exclude Christians from its membership, it should be free to do so. Their right to do that would come from the First Amendment’s clause on “the right of the people peaceably to assemble” and also possibly the Ninth Amendment.
But, these constitutional protections don’t seem to be a barrier to gay groups in their zeal to reduce the freedom of private individuals and organizations. They are prevailing in courts according to Ms. Salmon “because an individual’s religious views about homosexuality cannot be used to violate gays’ right to equal treatment under the law.”
Say what? That’s not equal treatment under the law. That’s using the law to limit individuals’ freedom, just as it would be if Christians used the law to mandate that gay organizations include ex-gays or gay business serve the Christian Coalition. (more)
For years, the Western world has listened aghast to stories out of Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern nations of citizens being imprisoned or executed for questioning or offending Islam. Even the most seemingly minor infractions elicit draconian punishments. ...
...Among the new blasphemers is legendary French actress Brigitte Bardot, who was convicted last June of "inciting religious hatred" for a letter she wrote in 2006 to then-Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, saying that Muslims were ruining France. It was her fourth criminal citation for expressing intolerant views of Muslims and homosexuals. Other Western countries, including Canada and Britain, are also cracking down on religious critics.
Emblematic of the assault is the effort to pass an international ban on religious defamation supported by United Nations General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann. Brockmann is a suspended Roman Catholic priest who served as Nicaragua's foreign minister in the 1980s under the Sandinista regime, the socialist government that had a penchant for crushing civil liberties before it was tossed out of power in 1990.... (more)
Beetle has some examples of actual healthcare professionals who have been pressured to violate ethical standards.
And over at Get Religion they're also talking about the WaPo article and have pulled in a number of different viewpoints on the matter like this one from GayPatriot:
Ms. Salmon cites a number of examples where individuals, organizations and entrepreneurs were fired for, fimed for or barred from refusing service to or inclusion of gay people. Now, I personally think these groups are wrong to so exclude gays, but they’re not requiring me to buy their product or participate in their activities.
At the same time, if a gay group wanted to exclude Christians from its membership, it should be free to do so. Their right to do that would come from the First Amendment’s clause on “the right of the people peaceably to assemble” and also possibly the Ninth Amendment.
But, these constitutional protections don’t seem to be a barrier to gay groups in their zeal to reduce the freedom of private individuals and organizations. They are prevailing in courts according to Ms. Salmon “because an individual’s religious views about homosexuality cannot be used to violate gays’ right to equal treatment under the law.”
Say what? That’s not equal treatment under the law. That’s using the law to limit individuals’ freedom, just as it would be if Christians used the law to mandate that gay organizations include ex-gays or gay business serve the Christian Coalition. (more)
Our Lord is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
Easter
Rise, heart; thy Lord is risen. Sing his praise
Without delays,
Who takes thee by the hand, that thou likewise
With him mayst rise,
That as his death calcined thee to dust,
His life may make thee gold, and, much more, just. (rest of the poem here)
Rise, heart; thy Lord is risen. Sing his praise
Without delays,
Who takes thee by the hand, that thou likewise
With him mayst rise,
That as his death calcined thee to dust,
His life may make thee gold, and, much more, just. (rest of the poem here)
Saturday, April 11, 2009
A Change of Heart
"When you get a new heart does it change which hand you write with?"
This was the question I got from my 9 year old at lunch today. He is currently rather fixated on open heart surgery, a subject he had brought up a few days earlier ( I don't know where or how he came upon the subject) and had asked this latest question after mulling over the process the last couple of days.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"When you get a new heart, does it change you from a right handed writer to a left handed writer."
"I think that process is found in the brain, not the heart", I explained.
"so when you get a brain transplant..." he went on.
"No, they don't do brain transplants, yet" I said, visions of Young Frankenstein" and "Abby Normal's" transplant spring to mind. "If they did, your mom would have had me on the donar list already," I added.
"What?" he said.
"Nevermind."
But it started me thinking on this Holy Saturday, of the new heart that is available to us.
The devotional readings for today begin with the Genesis story of creation. The Genesis reading ends on the seventh day when God rested from His labors. Approriate for Holy Saturday. The work is finished. But a new beginning is but hours away and it is offered to us sinners, who but a short while ago drove the nails and denied the Son of God.
A few days ago David Goldman over at First Things had a wonderful reflection on the Jewish Passover recitation from Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 10:25: “Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not know you and on the families that do not call your name; For they have devoured Jacob; they have devoured him and consumed him and have laid waste his habitation.” Jeremiah is hardly the only prophet to call divine wrath down upon the pagans. Obadiah writes, “For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been.” (Obadiah 1:16) For the Greeks, non-being is a paradox; for the Jews it is a curse, for nothing is more terrible than to be forever cut off from the Source of Being....
He goes on to explain,
All these derive from Exodus 17:4, in which God says, “I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven,” and commands Moses, “Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua,” that is, make a special effort to remember to the erase the memory of Amelek.” That is yet another example of how characteristic Jewish humor derives from the Hebrew Scriptures. Later (I Samuel 15:3) God instructs King Saul through the prophet Samuel to exterminate the entire tribe. When Saul allows his army to loot the Amalekite cattle rather than to kill the tribe, he is excoriated by Samuel. Once a year, Jewish congregations read these passages from Exodus and I Samuel in tandem, and call aloud the divine injunction, “Do not forget!”
All of which, he says may sound a bit harsh to our tender modern ears and to Christians you may suppose that,
a New Covenant of love has superseded the allegedly vengeful world of the Old Testament. Did not Jesus say, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you”? (Matthew 5:45-46)
But while different we are strognly unite Goldman points out, because,
(e)ither way, Amalek must die. The Jews are instructed to kill off the tribe of Amalek, while every Christian must kill the Amalekite within him. Christianity wants each individual member of the tribe of Amalek to die to this world and be reborn into the nation of Israel, Amalek’s most hated enemy. Christian converts from the pagan nations still carry their Gentile nature within them. To say that a Christian must be converted every day is to say that the Christian must kill this inner Amalekite every day....
...“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life,” says Jesus (John 12:25). Self-sacrifice is the price of eternal life. Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac, and therefore himself, was the foundation of God’s Covenant with Abraham and his descendants. God’s love removes us from the altar; a ram substitutes for Isaac so that Abraham may live, and in Christian doctrine, Jesus of Nazareth sacrifices himself for all of mankind. To be a Jew is to continue the life of Abraham; to be a Christian is to die to this world and be reborn in the spirit into the life of Abraham. ...
The article goes on to remind us that excessive tolerance has terrible results, a lesson surely relevant for our modern world (you can read it here)but one off the point of this posting.
The point is that the God's self-sacrifice has made possible for all of us, a new beginning. From the wounded and sacred heart of God flows new life and a new heart for us all.
O Christ, look with favor on our aspiration and prayers, and make prosperous to us this coming holy night of Easter, that in it we may rise from the deadand pass over unto life. Amen -Old Gallican Collect
This was the question I got from my 9 year old at lunch today. He is currently rather fixated on open heart surgery, a subject he had brought up a few days earlier ( I don't know where or how he came upon the subject) and had asked this latest question after mulling over the process the last couple of days.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"When you get a new heart, does it change you from a right handed writer to a left handed writer."
"I think that process is found in the brain, not the heart", I explained.
"so when you get a brain transplant..." he went on.
"No, they don't do brain transplants, yet" I said, visions of Young Frankenstein" and "Abby Normal's" transplant spring to mind. "If they did, your mom would have had me on the donar list already," I added.
"What?" he said.
"Nevermind."
But it started me thinking on this Holy Saturday, of the new heart that is available to us.
The devotional readings for today begin with the Genesis story of creation. The Genesis reading ends on the seventh day when God rested from His labors. Approriate for Holy Saturday. The work is finished. But a new beginning is but hours away and it is offered to us sinners, who but a short while ago drove the nails and denied the Son of God.
A few days ago David Goldman over at First Things had a wonderful reflection on the Jewish Passover recitation from Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 10:25: “Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not know you and on the families that do not call your name; For they have devoured Jacob; they have devoured him and consumed him and have laid waste his habitation.” Jeremiah is hardly the only prophet to call divine wrath down upon the pagans. Obadiah writes, “For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been.” (Obadiah 1:16) For the Greeks, non-being is a paradox; for the Jews it is a curse, for nothing is more terrible than to be forever cut off from the Source of Being....
He goes on to explain,
All these derive from Exodus 17:4, in which God says, “I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven,” and commands Moses, “Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua,” that is, make a special effort to remember to the erase the memory of Amelek.” That is yet another example of how characteristic Jewish humor derives from the Hebrew Scriptures. Later (I Samuel 15:3) God instructs King Saul through the prophet Samuel to exterminate the entire tribe. When Saul allows his army to loot the Amalekite cattle rather than to kill the tribe, he is excoriated by Samuel. Once a year, Jewish congregations read these passages from Exodus and I Samuel in tandem, and call aloud the divine injunction, “Do not forget!”
All of which, he says may sound a bit harsh to our tender modern ears and to Christians you may suppose that,
a New Covenant of love has superseded the allegedly vengeful world of the Old Testament. Did not Jesus say, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you”? (Matthew 5:45-46)
But while different we are strognly unite Goldman points out, because,
(e)ither way, Amalek must die. The Jews are instructed to kill off the tribe of Amalek, while every Christian must kill the Amalekite within him. Christianity wants each individual member of the tribe of Amalek to die to this world and be reborn into the nation of Israel, Amalek’s most hated enemy. Christian converts from the pagan nations still carry their Gentile nature within them. To say that a Christian must be converted every day is to say that the Christian must kill this inner Amalekite every day....
...“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life,” says Jesus (John 12:25). Self-sacrifice is the price of eternal life. Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac, and therefore himself, was the foundation of God’s Covenant with Abraham and his descendants. God’s love removes us from the altar; a ram substitutes for Isaac so that Abraham may live, and in Christian doctrine, Jesus of Nazareth sacrifices himself for all of mankind. To be a Jew is to continue the life of Abraham; to be a Christian is to die to this world and be reborn in the spirit into the life of Abraham. ...
The article goes on to remind us that excessive tolerance has terrible results, a lesson surely relevant for our modern world (you can read it here)but one off the point of this posting.
The point is that the God's self-sacrifice has made possible for all of us, a new beginning. From the wounded and sacred heart of God flows new life and a new heart for us all.
O Christ, look with favor on our aspiration and prayers, and make prosperous to us this coming holy night of Easter, that in it we may rise from the deadand pass over unto life. Amen -Old Gallican Collect
Friday, April 10, 2009
Redefining Marriage Will Cost You
A dangerous social experiment that will effect our culture and our children. How does the same sex issue effect you? Just your religious freedom and your conscience.
And so it has begun. From the Washington Post:
Faith organizations and individuals who view homosexuality as sinful and refuse to provide services to gay people are losing a growing number of legal battles that they say are costing them their religious freedom.
The lawsuits have resulted from states and communities that have banned discrimination based on sexual orientation. Those laws have created a clash between the right to be free from discrimination and the right to freedom of religion, religious groups said, with faith losing. They point to what they say are ominous recent examples:
-- A Christian photographer was forced by the New Mexico Civil Rights Commission to pay $6,637 in attorney's costs after she refused to photograph a gay couple's commitment ceremony.
-- A psychologist in Georgia was fired after she declined for religious reasons to counsel a lesbian about her relationship.
-- Christian fertility doctors in California who refused to artificially inseminate a lesbian patient were barred by the state Supreme Court from invoking their religious beliefs in refusing treatment.
-- A Christian student group was not recognized at a University of California law school because it denies membership to anyone practicing sex outside of traditional marriage. (more)
Go see the ad over at Self Evident Truths then go over to the NOM -National Organization for Marriage and get informed.
And so it has begun. From the Washington Post:
Faith organizations and individuals who view homosexuality as sinful and refuse to provide services to gay people are losing a growing number of legal battles that they say are costing them their religious freedom.
The lawsuits have resulted from states and communities that have banned discrimination based on sexual orientation. Those laws have created a clash between the right to be free from discrimination and the right to freedom of religion, religious groups said, with faith losing. They point to what they say are ominous recent examples:
-- A Christian photographer was forced by the New Mexico Civil Rights Commission to pay $6,637 in attorney's costs after she refused to photograph a gay couple's commitment ceremony.
-- A psychologist in Georgia was fired after she declined for religious reasons to counsel a lesbian about her relationship.
-- Christian fertility doctors in California who refused to artificially inseminate a lesbian patient were barred by the state Supreme Court from invoking their religious beliefs in refusing treatment.
-- A Christian student group was not recognized at a University of California law school because it denies membership to anyone practicing sex outside of traditional marriage. (more)
Go see the ad over at Self Evident Truths then go over to the NOM -National Organization for Marriage and get informed.
Good Friday- "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?"
Over at Daily Reflections- scriptural notes to be used with the St James Daily Devotional Guide (but also quite useful on their own) on this Good Friday:
...This is the event by which the false gods are defeated (verse 1). These are the demonic forces brought to naught by the death of the First Born. Questioned about the marks of the wounds in His flesh, the Lord responds, “These wounds I received in the house of My friends” (verse 6).
Cyril of Alexandria wrote in the fifth century: “when the Only Begotten Word of God ascended into the heavens in the flesh to which He was united, there was something new to be seen in the heavens. The multitude of holy angels was astounded, seeing the King of glory and the Lord of hosts being made in a form like ourselves. . . . Then the angels asked this, ‘What are these wounds in Your hands?’ And He said to them, ‘These wounds I received in the house of My friends.’” These are the wounds that He will show to His disciples after His resurrection. He bears these wounds in his glorified flesh forever, as He stands before the Father, “as though slain,” being the one Mediator between God and Man (Revelation 5:6). ...
...At last is answered that question first put by the Magi, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?" (2:2:2)
He is on the cross, the just Man dying for the sins of the world.
Thus, the dream of Pilate's wife, which had revealed Jesus to be a just Man, completes the earlier dream of the Magi. The testimony from the East is matched by the testimony from the West, both cases representing those regarding whom Jesus commanded His Church, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (28:19).(more)
...This is the event by which the false gods are defeated (verse 1). These are the demonic forces brought to naught by the death of the First Born. Questioned about the marks of the wounds in His flesh, the Lord responds, “These wounds I received in the house of My friends” (verse 6).
Cyril of Alexandria wrote in the fifth century: “when the Only Begotten Word of God ascended into the heavens in the flesh to which He was united, there was something new to be seen in the heavens. The multitude of holy angels was astounded, seeing the King of glory and the Lord of hosts being made in a form like ourselves. . . . Then the angels asked this, ‘What are these wounds in Your hands?’ And He said to them, ‘These wounds I received in the house of My friends.’” These are the wounds that He will show to His disciples after His resurrection. He bears these wounds in his glorified flesh forever, as He stands before the Father, “as though slain,” being the one Mediator between God and Man (Revelation 5:6). ...
...At last is answered that question first put by the Magi, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?" (2:2:2)
He is on the cross, the just Man dying for the sins of the world.
Thus, the dream of Pilate's wife, which had revealed Jesus to be a just Man, completes the earlier dream of the Magi. The testimony from the East is matched by the testimony from the West, both cases representing those regarding whom Jesus commanded His Church, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (28:19).(more)
The Passion Narrative according to the Gospel of John - a Good Friday Tradition
This week Christians around the world relive the final days of Christ’s life on earth. Our observances of these ancient events are as varied and as personal as each of our relationships with Him, and serve to prepare our hearts for the unspeakable gift of his suffering, his death, and his glorious resurrection. Paraclete invites you to take part in a Good Friday tradition that dates back to the eighth century, with the chanting of the Passion Narrative according to Saint John. Take half an hour apart from the events of the day, and listen to these sacred words, chanted by monastic members of the Gloriae Dei Cantores Schola, in Latin, in Gregorian chant. (more)
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Spy Wednesday
Today (what is left of it) is Spy Wednesday, because Judas was spying out an opportunity to betray Jesus. Over at Dialogue there is some discussion about whether Judas did what he did thinking that Jesus would escape as he had so many times before.
In recent years I have been struck by the contrat between Peter and Judas. both betrayed Jesus but both reacted differently. While Peter turned back toward God and forgivness, Judas turned back on himself.
It is a reminder that no matter how far we think we are from God, we are no further than we choose to be. Wiyh broen and contrite spirit we can always turn back to God. And our God, not wishing that anyone should perish, is always willing to take us back.
In recent years I have been struck by the contrat between Peter and Judas. both betrayed Jesus but both reacted differently. While Peter turned back toward God and forgivness, Judas turned back on himself.
It is a reminder that no matter how far we think we are from God, we are no further than we choose to be. Wiyh broen and contrite spirit we can always turn back to God. And our God, not wishing that anyone should perish, is always willing to take us back.
The Procedure That Must Not Be Named- Part Two
I started sharing "the procedure that must not be named" a couple a days of go.
Here is part 2. Once again, for those who don't like details, turn back now..
I awoke the morning of "the procedure that must not be named" to the sound of small animals (and a few larger ones) in obvious pain and discomfort. The noises actually woke me several times in the night. But no animals were harmed in the preparation for this procedure. It was actually just my stomach complaining loudly that it was beyond empty and was about to consume other parts of my body in protest.
I splurged on supper and had 2 cups of broth and Gatorade. I put some mild seasonings in it since I was allowed to and tried not to scowl at the boys and my wife too much as they ate various meals around me. Normally innocuous exclamations, such as "this is really good" began to appear downright mean. My wife opened a new jar of preserves and insisted (and quite innocently-or so she said) that I see "how good it smells." Whether it was my dirty look or the tear in the corner of my eye which made her realize her mistake, I may never know. I was so hungry for salt I sipped a teaspoon of Soy Sauce around bedtime.
Nothing but nothing after midnight not even water. I checked in at the hospital and filled out enough forms that I may have bought a house. The lady who checked me in was, self admittedly a bit stressed. I told her that it was OK and I was early and not in a hurry. She thanked me for my patience and wanted the secret to my good attitude. Little did she know that I was so hungry that she was actually in danger. You know those cartoons where the cat makes friends with the bird and then hallucinates that the bird is actually a roast or something? Thankfully the check-in went quickly. It was 10:30 a.m.
I went upstairs only half listening to the directions. I was, after all, here a mere month earlier. I stayed overnight in a "cubbie" in the day surgery area where I was headed and another night close by. This was like old home week.
To my credit, I believe I only made one wrong turn and DID ask directions.
When I went through the door that said "Authorized Personnel Only", (with my wife protesting) and was met by a woman with a look on her face that said I was in the wrong place. When I explained why I was there, she looked at the board and then went to the desk and picked up the phone. All I could think about was having gone through all that "prep" and going without food for so long, I was not leaving peacefully. I handed my paperwork to another woman, who was obviously not as tired as the first, and she told the woman on the phone that I was in room 3. The woman on the phone stammered some words through the phone and hung up rather embarrassed and said to me, "Did I scare the hm, hm out of you." I replied that there was none left.
Hooked up to an IV I waited about an hour before it was my turn. Apparently it was "Colonoscopy Day" in day surgery and there were at least two gentlemen ahead of me.
I signed some more forms, one of which informed me that instead of anesthesia I would be under "medium" sedation. I was a bit concerned. I wanted to be out. I asked the doctor for clarification. I won't feel anything, right? "Right," he replied. That's what I wanted to hear.
I was wheeled into the endoscopy room and introduced to a woman in surgical garb. I remarked that this was a hell of a way to meet someone for the first time. She laughed. She told me to roll on my left side. all I could think was "where is the sedation." After a few adjustments the nurse that wheeled me in said they were going to give me some stuff to help me relax and sleep. And that was that. I seem to recall making the remark that things were a bit uncomfortable at one point but have no recollection of pain or discomfort. The rest of the story comes more from my wife's perspective as she was the more sober.
The gentleman in the "cubbie" next to mine (curtains for doors, paper thin walls) had a different doctor than mine. My wife thinks that the other doctor used more gas than mine (they pump air into you to get a better look at your insides). She made this observation because "Mr Moreno" let loose with an award winning and quite prolonged passage of air which apparently was quite impressive.
My wife says that when I did the same, (in more modest tones) it was followed by the words, "uh oh, I messed up." When I complained to the nurse I was told that a certain amount of lubrication was used and I was off the hook. All of this I'm getting "secondhand."
Apparently every time I got up to go to the bathroom, I told the nurse that my wife said I had a cute backside. The nurse replied that while that may be the case I didn't have to show the entire hospital. However, my gown had no ties and they had to tape it shut.
I spent the rest of the day in a pleasant haze. I made supper though my wife refused to let me use the stove. We settled on Tuna Salad. Normally we add a hard boiled egg to our Tuna Salad. It took 3 tries with the egg. One I dropped and one I soft boiled.
The haze finally lifted today. But I'm tired and going to bed.
Here is part 2. Once again, for those who don't like details, turn back now..
I awoke the morning of "the procedure that must not be named" to the sound of small animals (and a few larger ones) in obvious pain and discomfort. The noises actually woke me several times in the night. But no animals were harmed in the preparation for this procedure. It was actually just my stomach complaining loudly that it was beyond empty and was about to consume other parts of my body in protest.
I splurged on supper and had 2 cups of broth and Gatorade. I put some mild seasonings in it since I was allowed to and tried not to scowl at the boys and my wife too much as they ate various meals around me. Normally innocuous exclamations, such as "this is really good" began to appear downright mean. My wife opened a new jar of preserves and insisted (and quite innocently-or so she said) that I see "how good it smells." Whether it was my dirty look or the tear in the corner of my eye which made her realize her mistake, I may never know. I was so hungry for salt I sipped a teaspoon of Soy Sauce around bedtime.
Nothing but nothing after midnight not even water. I checked in at the hospital and filled out enough forms that I may have bought a house. The lady who checked me in was, self admittedly a bit stressed. I told her that it was OK and I was early and not in a hurry. She thanked me for my patience and wanted the secret to my good attitude. Little did she know that I was so hungry that she was actually in danger. You know those cartoons where the cat makes friends with the bird and then hallucinates that the bird is actually a roast or something? Thankfully the check-in went quickly. It was 10:30 a.m.
I went upstairs only half listening to the directions. I was, after all, here a mere month earlier. I stayed overnight in a "cubbie" in the day surgery area where I was headed and another night close by. This was like old home week.
To my credit, I believe I only made one wrong turn and DID ask directions.
When I went through the door that said "Authorized Personnel Only", (with my wife protesting) and was met by a woman with a look on her face that said I was in the wrong place. When I explained why I was there, she looked at the board and then went to the desk and picked up the phone. All I could think about was having gone through all that "prep" and going without food for so long, I was not leaving peacefully. I handed my paperwork to another woman, who was obviously not as tired as the first, and she told the woman on the phone that I was in room 3. The woman on the phone stammered some words through the phone and hung up rather embarrassed and said to me, "Did I scare the hm, hm out of you." I replied that there was none left.
Hooked up to an IV I waited about an hour before it was my turn. Apparently it was "Colonoscopy Day" in day surgery and there were at least two gentlemen ahead of me.
I signed some more forms, one of which informed me that instead of anesthesia I would be under "medium" sedation. I was a bit concerned. I wanted to be out. I asked the doctor for clarification. I won't feel anything, right? "Right," he replied. That's what I wanted to hear.
I was wheeled into the endoscopy room and introduced to a woman in surgical garb. I remarked that this was a hell of a way to meet someone for the first time. She laughed. She told me to roll on my left side. all I could think was "where is the sedation." After a few adjustments the nurse that wheeled me in said they were going to give me some stuff to help me relax and sleep. And that was that. I seem to recall making the remark that things were a bit uncomfortable at one point but have no recollection of pain or discomfort. The rest of the story comes more from my wife's perspective as she was the more sober.
The gentleman in the "cubbie" next to mine (curtains for doors, paper thin walls) had a different doctor than mine. My wife thinks that the other doctor used more gas than mine (they pump air into you to get a better look at your insides). She made this observation because "Mr Moreno" let loose with an award winning and quite prolonged passage of air which apparently was quite impressive.
My wife says that when I did the same, (in more modest tones) it was followed by the words, "uh oh, I messed up." When I complained to the nurse I was told that a certain amount of lubrication was used and I was off the hook. All of this I'm getting "secondhand."
Apparently every time I got up to go to the bathroom, I told the nurse that my wife said I had a cute backside. The nurse replied that while that may be the case I didn't have to show the entire hospital. However, my gown had no ties and they had to tape it shut.
I spent the rest of the day in a pleasant haze. I made supper though my wife refused to let me use the stove. We settled on Tuna Salad. Normally we add a hard boiled egg to our Tuna Salad. It took 3 tries with the egg. One I dropped and one I soft boiled.
The haze finally lifted today. But I'm tired and going to bed.
Last Chance to Fight for Conscience Rights for Healthcare Workers
Over at And Sometimes Tea: a link for a petition to make your voice heard regarding President Obama plans to overturn the conscience protections put in by the Bush administration.
Overturning these protections will have the effect of forcing all healthcare workers to participate in or refer for abortions if asked to do so.The comment period ends tomorrow, April 9.
Make your voice heard while you can.
Overturning these protections will have the effect of forcing all healthcare workers to participate in or refer for abortions if asked to do so.The comment period ends tomorrow, April 9.
Make your voice heard while you can.
Why Protestant/Catholic/Orthodox?
So there I was, cruising the blog list here at "The Guy in the Window", when I saw an interesting post on "And Sometimes Tea" called "Why Catholic?" When I click over to that site, what to my wondering eyes should appear but my very own question, which I had sent to Eutychus and other friends late last year!
Eutychus, thank you for forwarding that question to Red, who has put forth her own eloquent and thoughtful response. There are now two responses to her post, including one from me.
I hope all who enjoy "The Guy in the Window" will join in that discussion.
Eutychus, thank you for forwarding that question to Red, who has put forth her own eloquent and thoughtful response. There are now two responses to her post, including one from me.
I hope all who enjoy "The Guy in the Window" will join in that discussion.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Texas Our Texas- All Hail the Goofy Session
Proving once again there are no limits to bad legislation we have this from the current Session:
Lawmakers seek to ban trans fats at Texas restaurants
Texas lawmakers seeking to tackle obesity have a new target: trans fat.
Restaurants in the Lone Star State wouldn't be allowed to serve foods with trans fat under a proposal
Now as a born and raised Texan I just want to ask the question on everyone's mind here in the Lone Star State: What the HELL are they talkin' about??? This is what eatin too much tofu and beansprouts will do to you- brain damage! One too many trips to New York city, I'm tellin you. They can have my Chicken Fried Steak when they pry the fork from my cold dead fingers....
In other news there is still debate (for some unknown reason) about a Voter ID Bill:
Under current law, to vote a regular ballot, voters are only required to present a voter registration certificate to a poll worker.
SB 362 would require all voters present a valid form of photo identification to the polls. If a person does not have a state ID or driver's license or other form of photo identification, they could be bring in two other forms of approved identification instead (utility bill, cable bill, etc).
That "etc." includes a voter registration card, paycheck or other government document that shows the persons address, official mail, state issued ID card, temp driving permit, hunting or fishing license or a library card.
If you don't happen to have a photo ID you can show your electric bill and a hunting license to vote, you can show your library card and your paycheck and vote, but there are yahoos who think that is too much to ask that you identify yourself to vote but by golly they're gonna try and take away my cheese enchiladas because I can't control my or my kid's weight.
The end is near folks. And it will be here sooner rather than later for the first person who lays a hand on my BBQ joint.
Lawmakers seek to ban trans fats at Texas restaurants
Texas lawmakers seeking to tackle obesity have a new target: trans fat.
Restaurants in the Lone Star State wouldn't be allowed to serve foods with trans fat under a proposal
Now as a born and raised Texan I just want to ask the question on everyone's mind here in the Lone Star State: What the HELL are they talkin' about??? This is what eatin too much tofu and beansprouts will do to you- brain damage! One too many trips to New York city, I'm tellin you. They can have my Chicken Fried Steak when they pry the fork from my cold dead fingers....
In other news there is still debate (for some unknown reason) about a Voter ID Bill:
Under current law, to vote a regular ballot, voters are only required to present a voter registration certificate to a poll worker.
SB 362 would require all voters present a valid form of photo identification to the polls. If a person does not have a state ID or driver's license or other form of photo identification, they could be bring in two other forms of approved identification instead (utility bill, cable bill, etc).
That "etc." includes a voter registration card, paycheck or other government document that shows the persons address, official mail, state issued ID card, temp driving permit, hunting or fishing license or a library card.
If you don't happen to have a photo ID you can show your electric bill and a hunting license to vote, you can show your library card and your paycheck and vote, but there are yahoos who think that is too much to ask that you identify yourself to vote but by golly they're gonna try and take away my cheese enchiladas because I can't control my or my kid's weight.
The end is near folks. And it will be here sooner rather than later for the first person who lays a hand on my BBQ joint.
Official Hate- Obama Names Pope-Basher to Faith-Based Initiative Board
More Pope bashing, this time courtesy of the Administration. Of course it has once again shown the true colors and sorry state of journalism in that very few have bothered to quote the Pope accurately regarding the condom statements or examine the possibility that he is right and he is.
Here is the link to the previous story on the matter.
CNSNews.com) – President Barack Obama has named to the federal government’s faith-based initiative a gay-rights activist who, last month, described Pope Benedict XVI and certain Catholic bishops as “discredited leaders” because of their opposition to same-sex marriage.
Harry Knox, who is a newly appointed member of Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, is the director of the religion and faith program at the Human Rights Campaign, a homosexual activist group.
In addition to his remarks about the Pope, Knox also criticized the Catholic Knights of Columbus as being “foot soldiers of a discredited army of oppression” because of the Knights’ support of Proposition 8. The latter was a ballot initiative that amended California’s state constitution to define marriage as being between a man and a woman, and passed in November 2008.
Knox told CNSNews.com that he “absolutely” stands by his criticism of the pope. "The Pope needs to start telling the truth about condom use," Knox said on Monday, Apr. 6. "We are eager to help him do that. Until he is willing to do that and able, he's doing a great deal more harm than good -- not just in Africa but around the world. It is endangering people's lives.”
On Mar. 19, Knox told the San Francisco-based gay newspaper The Bay Area Reporter, “The Knights of Columbus do a great deal of good in the name of Jesus Christ, but in this particular case [Proposition 8], they were foot soldiers of a discredited army of oppression.” The newspaper further reported: “Knox noted that the Knights of Columbus ‘followed discredited leaders,’ including bishops and Pope Benedict XVI. ‘A pope who literally today said condoms don't help in control of AIDS.’” (more)
Monday, April 6, 2009
Cleansing The Temple
My apologies, if you are looking for something high minded after reading the title. Truth is, I was doing my devotional this morning and that is the caption for today, the Monday of Holy Week. I had to laugh at the irony because today- (warning-for those of you who think I share too much, turn away now) today I started "preparation" for my "procedure." These are two words which will never have the same meaning for me.
A while back I wrote that I had a series of "itisis's" (i.e. appendicitis and two weeks later diverticulitis) As a result of the latter I do not have to wait till I'm 50 to get everyone's favorite "procedure", the colonoscopy. Dave Barry wrote an hilarious story about his experience some time ago. You can find it here. To start you off, here is an excerpt:
...I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis. Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, ``HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BUTT!''
Now no one really explained the details to me but I looked it up and Dave pretty much has it right as near as I can tell.
My doctor's office called me in a prescription that I was to pick up. I knew what it was:
..a prescription for a product called ''MoviPrep,'' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America's enemies.
Except mine had a different name but still with a huge box with those big blue letters on the side that are not covered up by the HEB grocery plastic bag they force it into at the pharmacy. This means you must walk through the store with a bag that announces "BOWEL PREP KIT" for all the world to know. The fun has just begun. The pharmacy (stupid kid) could not find the prescription at first (namely because it was so dang big they had to keep it in another building) and asked me if I knew what the prescription was. With a line of people behind me I lied through my teeth and said "no."
Like Dave:
...I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor. ...
My particular brand of "prep" came with flavor packs. I could choose between pineapple, lemon/lime, cherry or orange. I chose lemon/lime. Mixed it up and placed it in the fridge. The first step was two take two sticks of dynamite that were disguised to look like pills. I was to then wait for that first explosion, otherwise known as a bowel movement which would occur (like the cable guy) sometime today. Luckily, and I use the word loosely, (sorry unintentional bad pun) I did not have to wait 6 hours for things to start hoppin. At the 9 o'clock -H hour, the war began.
After dynamiting the dam, it was time to open the floodgates on what was left. I was to begin drinking the "solution" in 8 ounce increments every 10 minutes. Dave Barry said the stuff he drank:
...tastes -- and here I am being kind -- like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon....
I am happy to report that this is no longer the case as they have improved the taste of urinal cleanser since he wrote that. Actually, the taste was more akin to purified paper with just a hint of lemon. The more I drank, the less I tasted the lemon.
Mr Barry describes the next 3 hours thus:
The instructions ..., clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, ''a loose watery bowel movement may result.'' This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.
(this stuff) is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space shuttle launch? This is pretty much the... experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, ... your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.
During my experience the letters on the box began to transform. I first read HalfLifetely instead of HalfLytely and thought that was because half of you had passed in the form of water. Then the Flyte part of the name came to mind as you made your umpteenth flight to the bathroom. It was not a shuttle experience. The shuttle does not have the same power and after a while it feels like you were passing a Brillo pad. This stuff is nothing but food poisoning in a bottle.
After the first 30 minutes I began to get very cold. I think this was due to the fact that all of that fertilizer inside of me had been working like a compost heap and giving off heat. As it left the room so did my heat source.
After about three hours, the tide has turned. Halflytely has done its job-I hope. I see my doctor occasionally when I take my youngest to cubscouts camping. Like Dave I am a bit nervous:
...Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of spurtage. I was thinking, ''What if I spurt on Andy?'' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.
For now, its more broth. Tomorrow is part 2
A while back I wrote that I had a series of "itisis's" (i.e. appendicitis and two weeks later diverticulitis) As a result of the latter I do not have to wait till I'm 50 to get everyone's favorite "procedure", the colonoscopy. Dave Barry wrote an hilarious story about his experience some time ago. You can find it here. To start you off, here is an excerpt:
...I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis. Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, ``HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BUTT!''
Now no one really explained the details to me but I looked it up and Dave pretty much has it right as near as I can tell.
My doctor's office called me in a prescription that I was to pick up. I knew what it was:
..a prescription for a product called ''MoviPrep,'' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America's enemies.
Except mine had a different name but still with a huge box with those big blue letters on the side that are not covered up by the HEB grocery plastic bag they force it into at the pharmacy. This means you must walk through the store with a bag that announces "BOWEL PREP KIT" for all the world to know. The fun has just begun. The pharmacy (stupid kid) could not find the prescription at first (namely because it was so dang big they had to keep it in another building) and asked me if I knew what the prescription was. With a line of people behind me I lied through my teeth and said "no."
Like Dave:
...I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor. ...
My particular brand of "prep" came with flavor packs. I could choose between pineapple, lemon/lime, cherry or orange. I chose lemon/lime. Mixed it up and placed it in the fridge. The first step was two take two sticks of dynamite that were disguised to look like pills. I was to then wait for that first explosion, otherwise known as a bowel movement which would occur (like the cable guy) sometime today. Luckily, and I use the word loosely, (sorry unintentional bad pun) I did not have to wait 6 hours for things to start hoppin. At the 9 o'clock -H hour, the war began.
After dynamiting the dam, it was time to open the floodgates on what was left. I was to begin drinking the "solution" in 8 ounce increments every 10 minutes. Dave Barry said the stuff he drank:
...tastes -- and here I am being kind -- like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon....
I am happy to report that this is no longer the case as they have improved the taste of urinal cleanser since he wrote that. Actually, the taste was more akin to purified paper with just a hint of lemon. The more I drank, the less I tasted the lemon.
Mr Barry describes the next 3 hours thus:
The instructions ..., clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, ''a loose watery bowel movement may result.'' This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.
(this stuff) is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space shuttle launch? This is pretty much the... experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, ... your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.
During my experience the letters on the box began to transform. I first read HalfLifetely instead of HalfLytely and thought that was because half of you had passed in the form of water. Then the Flyte part of the name came to mind as you made your umpteenth flight to the bathroom. It was not a shuttle experience. The shuttle does not have the same power and after a while it feels like you were passing a Brillo pad. This stuff is nothing but food poisoning in a bottle.
After the first 30 minutes I began to get very cold. I think this was due to the fact that all of that fertilizer inside of me had been working like a compost heap and giving off heat. As it left the room so did my heat source.
After about three hours, the tide has turned. Halflytely has done its job-I hope. I see my doctor occasionally when I take my youngest to cubscouts camping. Like Dave I am a bit nervous:
...Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of spurtage. I was thinking, ''What if I spurt on Andy?'' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.
For now, its more broth. Tomorrow is part 2
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