Benefits of Illegal Immigration

Based on government labor statistics over the last five years, a report by the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors less immigration, found that employment of illegal immigrants with a high school diploma or less has grown as employment of Americans with the same credentials has dropped.

Steve Camarota, the author of the report, said illegal immigrants are gaining jobs in a competitive low-skilled labor market that Americans aren't.

"The people taking it on the chin are the people at the bottom," Camarota said.

As the number of immigrants in the U.S. work force grew by 3 percent, or 1.5 million, the number of Americans who were unemployed or not in the labor force increased by 4 percent, or 2.6 million.

Industries like construction, farming and food preparation are increasingly becoming dominated by immigrant workers, leaving some American-born workers jobless, he said. The unemployment rate in those industries hovers around 11 percent, while the employment of illegal immigrants is around 18 percent.

According to the report, states such as California, Maryland, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee have received the largest influx of immigrant workers over the last five years, while at the same time charting the largest increases in the unemployment rates of American-born workers.

The report uses statistics compiled by the Department of Labor and the U.S. Census Bureau between 2000 and 2005. It looks at American-born workers and illegal and legal immigrants between the ages of 18 and 64.

The next-to-last paragraph corresponds precisely with my own observations in my neck of the woods, which is the great state of Tennessee. This report belies the notion that illegals are doing jobs Americans ignore. In reality, they're being hired in the average American's stead because they work for much lower wages. I work in the construction business, and I can tell you for certain that this is the case. Entire work crews that consisted of American whites or blacks a few years ago now are made up of Mexicans. Their contractor employers admit that they accept far lower wages, and that this is a deciding factor in the hiring process.

Such patriotism would make George Washington blush at his inadequacy.

A Worm in Human Guise

Despite pleas from the Vatican, U.S. lawmakers and the president, Michael Schiavo says he could not have divorced his brain-damaged wife and given up the fight to let her die.

In January, Michael Schiavo married Jodi Centonze, whom he had called his fiancee for more than five years. The couple met in a dentist's office and began a relationship after Terri Schiavo was already in a nursing home. They have two young children.

I'm touched. Really, I am. Oh, what a boundless, transcendent love. How can I ever hope to reach such pinnacles of virtue? Divorce Was Not An Option. But an illicit affair and the fathering of two children outside wedlock was superfunkycool.

How far we've sunk as a society, somewhere beneath the muck and ooze at the bottom of the Marianas Trench. "Till Death Do Us Part" now translates to "Until I Kill You, My Darling."

As for Michael Schiavo, when he shovels it, he uses a snow-scoop.

Amnesty in Aztlan

The Senate Judiciary Committee today approved an immigration reform bill that allows millions of illegal aliens to seek U.S. citizenship without leaving the country – but not before lawmakers stripped out a proposal that would mandate criminal penalties for those individuals inside the United States illegally.

Under the legislation, illegal aliens in the United States would obtain six-year nonimmigrant visas under which they could work in the country and travel outside the country. The aliens would have to pay a $1,000 fine and undergo background checks.

After six years, the aliens would be able to meet certain requirements and then apply for a green card, or permanent residency.

The real hoot in this situation is that many of these idiots are protesting Bush's lax immigration plan. See the L.A. stories for examples. What's to protest? It seems Mexico is reserving for itself its citizens with IQs over 75. I love seeing pictures of people standing around wearing sombreros, with glassy-eyed tequila-worm grins on their faces. And it almost brings a tear when they show their love for the good ol' U.S. of A. by proudly waving Mexican flags in the downtown streets of Los Aztlan--I mean, Angeles. Yep, they're just here to work, donchooknow. No ulterior motives at all, when they screech: "Thees ees our homeland! We're taking eet back!", while still wet behind the ears from clambering out of the Rio Grande. Stand tall and sport your "La Raza" t-shirts, guys. We know you just want to feed jour families.

Can you believe it, mane? Five-hundred thousand people complaining about Bush kissing the "Undocumented Worker" movement on its bare backside.

I understand the outrage. I really do.

How dare he not give them a little peck on both cheeks.

Scaffold Reprieve

It seems the Christian man in Ashcanistan who boldly proclaimed his faith is free, as it were:

The Afghan man facing a possible death sentence for converting from Islam to Christianity scored a victory today when a court in Kabul dismissed the case against him.

Under mounting pressure from countries including the United States to free Abdul Rahman, officials cited a lack of evidence in their decision to drop the case.

Not enough evidence? What do they need, a proclamation from Muhammed on the mountaintop? Rahman publicly admitted that he was a Christian, and even accepted the death sentence, if that was the final end of his appeal.

Perhaps this is their way of saving face in the heat of criticism.

Rahman: "The punishment by hanging? I will accept it gladly, but I am not an infidel. I am not a traitor. I am a follower of Jesus."

This is no big loss for the government. Why not give in to U.S. pressure, wash its hands of the case, and assure everyone of its enlightened state? After all, it can count on the good followers of Allah to murder him in the streets, any day. I believe it was his own wife who turned him in to the authorities, love her shriveled, black soul.

I pray that the good Lord puts His hedge of protection around this man, and keeps him safe wherever he may go. God bless him for his courage and his refusal to deny Christ.

Did God Create Evil?

I filched this from ZionNet. I don't know if the story's true, but it's interesting:

The university professor challenged his students with this question: "Did God create everything that exists?"

A student bravely replied "Yes, he did!"

"God created everything?" the professor asked.

"Yes sir," the student replied.

The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are, then God is evil."

The professor was quite pleased with himself and boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, "Can I ask you a question professor?"

"Of course," replied the professor.

The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?"

The professor replied "Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?"

The students snickered at the young man's question.

The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body, or matter, have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (- 460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."

The student continued. "Professor, does darkness exist?"

The professor responded, "Of course it does."

The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir. Darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light, we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally the young man asked the professor. "Sir, does evil exist?"

Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course, as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil."

To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The professor sat down.

The young man's name --- Albert Einstein

A Worldwide Flood?

Secularists scoff at the notion of a world-spanning Deluge as described in Genesis. This doesn't surprise me, nor does it trouble me all that much; scoffing at the Bible and secularism complement each other like peanut butter and jelly.

On the other hand, Christians who take a skeptical view of the Flood concern me more. I don't understand such incredulity. Let's look at a few verses in hopes of shedding a little light on this subject:

And God said to Noah, The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. And, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.--Genesis 6:13

And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.--Genesis 6:17

and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.--Genesis 7:4

Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,--Genesis 7:8

Question: If the Flood was a local event, why was representation in the ark's manifest of every thing that crept on the earth necessary?

And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.--Genesis 7:15

And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.--Genesis 7:19-23

neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.--Genesis 8:21

And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.--Genesis 9:11

and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.--Genesis 9:15

And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;--2 Peter 2:5

Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:--2 Peter 3:6

Further questions for pondering: If the Flood was localized, why build an ark? Why not simply travel out of the endangered region? Why have winged animals capable of flying great distances aboard? Doesn't the plain meaning of the text indicate a global catastrophe? Doesn't the geological record and its attendant fossils and laying of sediments point toward a worldwide Deluge?

Also keep in mind that traditions of a global Flood exist within numerous cultures, such as that of the:

Greeks
Hindus
Chinese
Druids
Polynesians
Mexicans
Peruvians
American Indians
Greenlanders
Babylonians
Assyrians
Persians
Phrygians
Eskimos
Brazilians
Australian Aborigines

Practically every branch and/or sub-category of the human race has such stories within its cultural traditions. In my opinion, the universality of these tales stretches credibility, if there was no Global Flood.

A Ph.D. in Cluelessness

According to actor and comedian Richard Belzer, American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are too uneducated to be expressing support for the U.S. military mission since they're just "19 and 20-year-old kids who couldn't get a job" and "they don't read twenty newspapers a day."

Belzer, who's best known as Detective John Munch on NBC's "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit," is a frequent guest on HBO's "Real Crap with Bill Maher." On one previous appearance, he threatened to walk off the set when told columnist Ann Coulter was also appearing, calling her a "fascist party doll." On Friday night's live broadcast, Belzer attacked claims by fellow guest Florida Congresswoman Ileanna Ros-Lehtinen's that U.S. soldiers continue to express support for the war.

Here's a portion of the intellectually-congealing segment:

Belzer: "They're not. . .they don't read twenty newspapers a day. They're under the threat of death every minute. They're not the best people to ask about the war because they're going to die any second."

Regardless one's take on the war, I would think the opinion of people in the danger-zone on the war's worth is more worthy of an airing than that of a leftist moron who ingested far too many hits of LSD in the '60s.

Belzer: "It's this patronizing thing that people have about if you're against the war everyone's lumped together. You know, the soldiers are not scholars, they're not war experts ..."

Hm, interesting. So lumping people together who would use the American flag as toilet paper=bad, unfair, mean, etc. Stereotyping those who volunteer for service in the armed forces=good, just, reasonable, etc. I think I've got it.

I'm sure Belzer reads twenty newspapers and other periodicals a day: The New York Slimes, The Nation, Salon.com, The L.A. Times, Le Monde, High Times, The Al-Jazeera Times, & other rags of septic caliber. No doubt he was an avid subscriber to Pravda in its heydey. Since most newspapers barely find merit as bird-cage lining, how is this a logical prerequisite for political savvy?

Muhammedan Tolerance

Despite the fact the hardline Taliban regime is no longer in power, an Afghan man faces possible execution for allegedly abandoning his Islamic roots and becoming a Christian.

The case centers on Abdul Rahman, believed to be 41, who converted from Islam to Christianity some 16 years ago. His relatives reportedly notified authorities about the conversion.

The constitution in Afghanistan is based on Shariah law, which states any Muslim who rejects his or her religion should be sentenced to death.

"We are not against any particular religion in the world. But in Afghanistan, this sort of thing is against the law," the judge told the Associated Press. "It is an attack on Islam. ... The prosecutor is asking for the death penalty."

Prosecutor Abdul Wasi says he offered to drop the charges if Rahman made the switch back to Islam, but the defendant is maintaining his Christian beliefs. The judge is expected to rule within two months.

Life may be comparatively better now than under Taliban rule, but I sure am glad I wasn't born in Afghanistan. This is what happens when a nation draws closer to an Islamic ideal: death. Regardless what our precious leaders tell us, an Islamic worldview is diametrically opposed to everything we understand as civilized behavior. In the U.S., if someone abandons his religion, it's considered a non-issue by most.

In Dar al-Islam, apostasy means execution.

Questions Without Answers

Sometimes I find myself ruminating and asking myself questions about American life and cultural figures, such as:

Where does Hillary imprison the souls of her victims?

Is Ted Kennedy's brain pickled? (ok, ok, I already know the answer to that one).

Will feminists ever understand that women simply are not men with different plumbing? Also, if men are so worthless--given that all of them are dormant, Neanderthalian rapists--why is emulating these boors a good thing?

How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie-Roll center of a Tootsie pop?

At what point will our government and its satellite lobbyists get the picture that throwing money at social ills is not a cure--when the U.S. and its citizens go bankrupt?

Here's one for Republicans: what would Bush have to do to ensure that you turn against him and begin seriously questioning his competence and loyalty to America? Sacrifice a child to Quetzalcoatl on a stone altar on national tv and drink its arterial blood from a silver chalice?

Does anyone know or care about what became of Kato Kaelin? If you have to ask me who he is, you've answered the question definitively.

Am I certifiably insane for concocting this ridiculous list?

3 Ladies in a Hot Tub

I received this in an email:


THREE WOMEN -- ONE GERMAN, ONE JAPANESE AND A HILLBILLY WERE SITTING NAKED IN A SAUNA. SUDDENLY THERE WAS A BEEPING SOUND. THE GERMAN PRESSED HER FOREARM AND THE BEEPING STOPPED.

THE OTHERS LOOKED AT HER QUESTIONINGLY.

"THAT WAS MY PAGER," SHE SAID. "I HAVE A MICROCHIP UNDER THE SKIN OF MY ARM."

A FEW MINUTES LATER, A PHONE RANG. THE JAPANESE WOMAN LIFTED HER PALM TO HER EAR. WHEN SHE FINISHED, SHE EXPLAINED, "THAT WAS MY MOBILE PHONE. I HAVE A MICROCHIP IN MY HAND."

THE HILLBILLY WOMAN FELT DECIDEDLY LOW TECH. NOT TO BE OUTDONE, SHE DECIDED SHE HAD TO DO SOMETHING JUST AS IMPRESSIVE. SHE STEPPED OUT OF THE SAUNA AND WENT TO THE BATHROOM. SHE RETURNED WITH A PIECE Of TOILET PAPER HANGING FROM HER BEHIND.

THE OTHERS RAISED THEIR EYEBROWS AND STARED AT HER.

THE HILLBILLY WOMAN FINALLY SAID,"WELL, WILL YOU LOOK AT THAT, I'M GETTIN' A FAX."

A Little Perspective

From the book, Strangled by Red Tape (1995), published by The Heritage Foundation:

The Lord's Prayer is 66 words, the Gettysberg Address is 286 words, and there are 1,322 words in the Declaration of Independence.

Yet, government regulations on the sale of cabbage total 26, 911 words.

Say Cheese

A NASA craft carrying a $40 million camera created by University of Arizona scientists is set to orbit Mars on Friday.

I'm sure we'll learn new and fascinating details, such as:

Mars is red.

It has craters, rocks, and a thin atmosphere.

It's a lifeless orb, now that Al Gore lives on planet Earth.

It has frozen polar ice caps.

It's a little dusty and needs a thorough cleaning.


Talking 'bout getting our money's worth.

Criminal License

From an AP story in my local newspaper, The Daily Times:

Tennessee stopped issuing driving certificates to illegal immigrants Friday, citing problems with ensuring they were going only to state residents after federal investigators found rings shuttling in immigrants from elsewhere.

Although "not valid for identification'' appears in bold red letters on the face of the wallet-size certificates, federal prosecutors say banks accept them as legal ID and they can easily be passed off for other types of identification documents.

A dozen people pleaded guilty in recent months after two federal investigations found shuttles from as far away as New Jersey brought South and Central American immigrants with fake residency papers to get certificates at state licensing centers in Knoxville.

In January federal prosecutors filed charges that state license examiners in Murfreesboro, outside Nashville, accepted bribes to provide out-of-state illegal immigrants with driver's licenses and certificates. Two people were sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty, and the others are awaiting trial.

Officials have estimated the three schemes could have resulted in hundreds of fraudulent certificates being issued.

Tennessee began awarding full driver's licenses to illegal immigrants in early 2001. More than 180,000 obtained licenses before 9-11 fears about proof of identity set in.

That last paragraph gives you an idea of what we're contending with: 180,000 in a matter of months--in one state out of fifty. Just further proof that "If you build it, they will come."

Officially Full of It

. . .frustrated police in Kansas and Tennessee were forced to release 39 suspects because officials from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Department refused to take them into custody.

Twenty-seven Hispanic men, ranging in age from 18 to 35, were temporarily detained by the Coffee County sheriff on charges of criminal trespassing when the van they were traveling in was stopped for reckless driving. Neither the driver, who had no license, nor his 26 passengers hiding in the back of the van spoke English.

The men, placed under $500 bond were scheduled for court appearances and transfer to federal immigration officials but were, instead, freed to continue their journey, when the Coffee County district attorney's office received word that federal officials didn't want to deal with the illegals.

"There has to be a crime committed," Assistant District Attorney Felicia Walkup said, who concluded the charge of criminal trespassing could not be supported under Tennessee law.

Well, of course. We all know that felonious illegal entry into the United States isn't a crime. Nor is reckless driving, apparently.

In the second instance this week, Wichita police detained 12 illegal aliens in a moving van stopped for a minor traffic violation but were forced to release them because immigration officials said they were too busy to pick them up for detention.

"We have some real issues with immigration and illegal immigration. This has happened before," said Jackie Stuart, of the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office. "We don't have anything we can charge them with. ... If they violated the law, we could do something, but we can't do anything."

The van's driver, an illegal immigrant living in Tennessee, had no driver's license. He was cited for several traffic violations and freed.

And in Kansas, illegal status, driving without a license, and other traffic violations aren't crimes. Exactly what constitutes criminal behavior worthy of detention, according to the feds?

Taking Sides

The evolutionist thought process is a convoluted one, presenting a labyrinthine logic that would make Theseus' head spin. Or David Bowie's.

Here's one example: Many evolutionists propose that God be dispensed with entirely in the hollow halls of learning, or at least relegated to a religion class. This makes sense for the secularist, but what of the theistic evolutionists who share this view? In essence, this is a tacit declaration that God is a fairy-tale figure, whether one acknowledges it or not. It comes across as separating myth from reality, fact from fiction. After all, if God isn't real, discussing His role in the creation is a non sequitur.

But if He is more than a figment of the deluded mind, then no topic is above the discussion of His influence. In other words, if God created the universe, broaching the subject of Him in a science class is perfectly and completely relevant. The reverse implies his nonexistence, which is not a neutral position. If I say--or imply by my actions and words--that God is the equivalent of Santa Claus, I'm taking sides. I mention this because all too often school administrations, scientists, and judges present themselves as impartial, when they are anything but.

If one accepts the reality of God, insisting that He is outside the scope of a science class is akin to proclaiming grammer a taboo topic in Composition 101.

Belated Blogroll Changes and Additions

I've been meaning to amend the old blog for quite a while, but every time I mess with my template, it seems I end up spending the next hour or so tinkering with it or chasing down ghosts in the machine or contending with gremlins. So I dillied and dallied and put off and stalled and every other synonym in the thesaurus.

Anyway, they're listed as added, not in order of importance.


The Changes:


Redneck's Corner is now End of Times (Was Gregg, now Pasty Gelding)

Insert-Blog-Here is now Rocinante's Burdens (The Artist Formerly Known As Insert-Name-Here)

I removed Elshell and Let's Try Freedom. The former is dead (the blog, not its author, I hope) and the latter not updated for months.


The Additions:


Come Out to Life

Morris' Musings

Crazy Jo's

A.K.A. Salt

Eaglewood's Nest

704 Houser Street

Pebble Chaser

Andrea Fea

Because I Swear. . .

Cute Little Blog

The Pickling of a Cucumber

Polka-Dotted Sky

PsyClops Lair

Triton Unleashed

Nehring the Edge

Eye of the Trader


All of these fine blogs are worth your time. If I've missed any regular readers who would like a link, please let me know. I wouldn't intentionally omit anyone.

My next self-appointed task is putting these in alphabetical order. Look for that sometime in 2007 or 2008.

The Majority: Let's Hear Both Sides

A new poll shows 69 percent of Americans believe public school teachers should present both the evidence for and against Darwinian evolution.

The Zogby International survey indicated only 21 percent think biology teachers should teach only Darwin's theory of evolution and the scientific evidence that supports it.

A majority of Americans from every sub-group were at least twice as likely to prefer this approach to science education, the Zogby study showed.

About 88 percent of Americans 18-29 years old were in support, along with 73 percent of Republicans and 74 percent of independent voters.

Others who strongly support teaching the strengths and weaknesses of evolutionary theory include African-Americans (69 percent), 35-54 year-olds (70 percent) and Democrats (60 percent).

I have little faith in polls, though Zogby is known for hitting nearer the bullseye than most. I think it's logical, though, that most people want both sides of this story, particularly when the population is overwhelmingly Christian.

Now I understand the vehemence with which the secular evolutionists approach the issue of talking about the possibility of God in the classroom.

When the sheep become curious about those tending them, the wolves in shepherd's clothing lose little time in pulling the proverbial wool over their eyes.

The Eye of the Beholder

There's more than one way of putting a baby to sleep, I suppose:

Each year in Holland at least 15 seriously ill babies, most of them with severe spina bifida or chromosomal abnormalities, are helped to die by doctors acting with the parents’ consent. But only a fraction of those cases are reported to the authorities because of the doctors’ fears of being charged with murder.

Things are about to change, however, making it much easier for parents and doctors to end the suffering of an infant.

A committee set up to regulate the practice will begin operating in the next few weeks, effectively making Holland, where adult euthanasia is legal, the first country in the world to allow “baby euthanasia” as well.

Isn't that wonderful news? First the aged and infirm; then the "terminally" ill; now little infants. It's a brave new world, folks. Aren't you glad you're part of it?

A visit to Groningen’s intensive care unit for children last week demonstrated how rare it is for infants, in an age of extremely sophisticated, high-tech medical treatment, to experience extreme pain. Even so, life and death decisions are made by doctors every day.

Huh? Let's see if I can follow this tortuous logic: 1. Ending suffering is the reason for taking these fatal measures. 2. Extreme pain is rare in infants. 3. But these decisions are made every day. Isn't this contradictory?

“It is in some ways beautiful,” said Verhagen, describing the moment when severely pain-racked children relax for the first time since birth. “But it is also extremely emotional and very difficult,” he added.

Suffering's cessation is a wonderful thing, without a doubt; but we're talking about death, here, not anesthesia. What a sick mindset that dubs death "beautiful."

I think a real doctor is one who attacks his patient's ailment with every means at his disposal, looking only to the beneficial, the helpful. Whatever happened to "First, do no harm."? Those who fight for their patients' lives with sweat and tears, striving until the final moments when the end comes, and doing everything in their power--those are the ones I admire. I have nothing but contempt for so-called doctors who shrug and give up and stroll away to their next body with a number.

It's interesting how societies devolve over time. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the primary response from most doctors and scientists would have been a sense of urgency toward cures or better pain management. Now, it's pull the plug. Stop the life support. Terminate feedings.

How beautiful.

Henry M. Morris, R.I.P.

Henry Morris, founder of the Institute for Creation Research, has died:

The institute – where Morris remained president emeritus after his retirement – announced he died Saturday afternoon after suffering two strokes.

Beginning with his book "The Genesis Flood" in 1961, Morris was a key figure in the modern creationist movement, which believes God created the world in six days less than 10,000 years ago and that the biblical flood covered the entire Earth.

Morris' expertise in hydraulic engineering, along with his belief in the Bible's accuracy, led him to seek an explanation of the Genesis flood in scientific terms.

He maintained that the dominant evolutionary theory of the world's origin influenced "nearly every aspect of modern life, especially in its fostering of an almost universal rejection of historicity of Genesis and of biblical Christianity generally."

In the introduction to his 1961 book, he stated, "If a worldwide flood actually destroyed the entire antediluvian human population, as well as all land animals, except those preserved in a special ark constructed by Noah … its historical and scientific implications are tremendous."

Morris wrote or edited some 40 books. His book "Scientific Creationism" set him at odds with philosophers of science, asserting science cannot prove any particular theory of origins.

"This is obvious from the fact that the essence of the scientific method is experimental observation and repeatability," he wrote. "A scientific investigator, be he ever so resourceful and brilliant, can neither observe nor repeat origins! This means that, though it is important to have a philosophy of origins, it can only be achieved by faith, not by sight."

It's a shame he's gone. Over the years, I've read and agreed with much of what he's written. He was one of the pivotal figures in the Young-Earth Creationist movement.

He will be missed.

Catching A Few Z's

Can you believe this nonsense?

We're talking about the highest federal court in the land, and Ginsberg decides she'll get some shut-eye, while court's in session?

"The subject matter was extremely technical," notes AP writer Gina Holland, "and near the end of the argument Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dozed in her chair."

There was no word if there was any audible snoring echoing through the esteemed chamber, but the sleep session was noticed by Bader's colleagues who made a snap judgment to let their associate continue her slumber.

"At first, she appeared to be reading something in her lap. But after a while, it became clear: Ginsburg was napping on the bench. By Bloomberg News's reckoning -- not denied by a court spokeswoman -- Ginsburg's snooze lasted a quarter of an hour.

How often is SCOTUS in session? Either she's physically unfit for the job, or she's making her contempt for the American people and her elevated position apparent to all. I realize this wasn't the most important case in the world, but it's disgraceful, all the same.

Get a load of the artist's rendition of the cat nap-in-question by following the link above. She didn't just nod off; she's slumped over, resting her head on the railing in front of her.

If you think this is much ado about nothing, consider this: what are the consequences if you get caught asleep on the job?

War on the Other Side

I have a theory about the location of Saddumb's weapons of mass destruction.

Maybe Aslan snuck in through a magical doorway, up through a rathole, and into the Iraqi deserts. From there, he stole all the poor megalomaniacal dictator's WMDs and spirited them off to Narnia. Now he's wreaking havoc on the Calormenes and the upstart giants to the north. Anthrax deliveries have stymied their postal systems. Mustard gas flows through the streets of Underland. Fauns prance gleefully over the killing fields. Badgers and dwarves dutifully launch S.C.U.D. missles tipped with nook-yuh-luhr warheads into hamlets and townships. His new scorched-earth policy is a rousing success.

He's tired of being a nice kitty. And he sure as heck ain't a tame one.