The Last Straw

"It cannot be accidental, one is tempted to conclude, that the percentage of salt in our bloodstreams is roughly the same as the percentage of salt in the oceans of the world. The long and intricate process by which evolution helped to shape the complex interrelationship of all living and nonliving things may be explicable in purely scientific terms, but the simple fact of the living world and our place on it evokes awe, wonder, a sense of mystery—a spiritual response when one reflects on its deeper meaning."

– Al "Gaia" Gore, Sanity in the Balance, p. 264.

One is tempted to conclude; and in the very next sentence, one does conclude. And what "spiritual" response is evoked by our "living world?"

I imagine Gore sitting in a grove, legs crossed, eyes closed, communing with nature, listening to the voices of the trees as they sough through the branches and undergrowth; perhaps worshipping the bluebird as she sings. He utters the occasional, mystical, oh-so-meaningful "Ohhhhhhmmmmmmm," as he becomes one with Mother Earth, the dust between his toes, the little earthworms corkscrewing through the dirt beneath him, and the universe at large. He revels in how we all are brine of the ocean, as much cousins of octopi and plankton and diatoms as we are of the holy ape in his alpine abode. He ponders the great Circle of Life, and smiles in wonder at the deep, underlying meaning found in The Lion King.

With the sun beating gloriously into his beatific face, he breaks his fast with a vegan lunch, praying to the Earth Goddess over each tender shoot and glistening leaf, offering thanksgiving to the plants who bravely sacrificed their lives for his nourishment.

And then a nightmarish sound intrudes upon his solace: the chugging of a diesel engine as it charges up the road nearby, transporting human bacteria to their next point of infestation. A shudder runs up his spine and goosepimples his arms. He hears the trees hacking and choking from the noxious fumes flatulating out of the behemoth's tailpipe. He feels the ozone layer fracture even further, and his brain bubbles under the sun's hellish glare. The bluebird lies gasping on her perch, a victim of toxic emissions and global warming that grows exponentially worse by the minute.

A wave of nausea roils over him, and he loses his lunch there on the pristine sward, the mere thought of humans in their billions gang-raping the fertile land making his stomach flip-flop.

He stumbles--au naturel, of course--to the vile roadway, the scurrilous pavement biting into the Earth's delicate crust, and screams obscenities at the passing motorists.

Gasping for breath, a pendulum of drool depending from his bottom lip, he leaps into his SUV and gives chase.

He'll show them what it's like to live in fear of imminent death; he'll teach them how the caribou in ANWR feel about their diminishing lands and resources; he'll tutor them in the pain experienced by an evergreen felled during winter solstice, decorated gaudily, its corpse displayed in the den for all to see, like a trophy of war.

He grins maniacally at the vial of ebola lying in the passenger seat beside him. In time, they will understand and thank him--those few who remain. After all, Mother Earth must replenish herself, and she cannot accomplish this task without the excision of the human parasite.

Now, Where Was I?

I'm back.

I hope no one was holding his breath.

I'll Be Bahk

It seems my modem was fricaseed like a liberal's brain matter, so it's off to the shop we go. I should be back online in a few days. Y'all have fun, until I return.

A Tale of Two Teddys

"In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American...

There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people." --Theodore Roosevelt, 1919

Some in Congress want to turn America away from its true spirit. They believe immigrants are criminals and they're wrong. They believe any of us who help immigrants, even our priests, are criminals, too. They are wrong again. They say, "You should report to deport." I say, "Report and become American citizens." --Ted "Quisling" Kennedy, October 20, 1994, on the campaign trail in Mass-a-too-sis

Buenas tardes. (Good afternoon) Gracias por darme la oportunidad de estar en este evento. (Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be at this event) y gracias por demandar justicia para todos los emigrantes (and thank you for demanding justice for all the immigrants.) Hasta la victoria!! (To victory!!) Si su puede!! (Yes we can!!)--Ted "Salvador" Kennedy, April 10, 2006, in a speech to his future constituents at an Immigration rally in Washington, D.C., at which many attendees were illegal aliens

So this is what they mean by "progressive politics": from statesmen to seditionists in less than a century.

Sorry, Wrong Address

A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier.

Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day.

The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address, and without realizing his error, sent the email.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory following a heart attack. The widow decided to check her email expecting messages from relatives and friends.

After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted. The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:


To: My Loving Wife


Subject: I've Arrived
Date: February 18, 2006

I know you're surprised to hear from me.
They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones.
I've just arrived and have been checked in.

I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow.

Looking forward to seeing you then!
Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P.S. Sure is freaking hot down here!

The Ignored Majority

Recent images of seas of illegal aliens marching in cities across the U.S. are having a far greater negative than positive impact on the foreigners' cause, according to a new poll.

A Zogby survey of nearly 8,000 people shows coast-to-coast protests against immigration proposals in Congress – particularly to make it a federal felony to be an illegal worker in the U.S. – have not persuaded a majority of likely American voters.

Asked whether the protests have made likely voters more or less sympathetic toward undocumented workers, 61 percent said they're less likely to be sympathetic to the plight of illegals as a result of the protests, while only 32 percent of respondents said they're now more sympathetic.

And while 56 percent of Democrats said the protests made them feel more sympathy for unlawful workers, just 6 percent of Republicans felt that way.

The survey also shows an overwhelming majority of Americans – nearly 4 out 5 – is doubtful President Bush and Congress will find a fair and effective solution to the immigration crisis. While 88 percent of Democrats and 85 percent of independents said it's unlikely a solution will be found, 66 percent of Republicans agreed.

Doubt about the prospect of Washington's success on the issue spreads across all geographic and racial demographics, the survey shows.

One in four – 26 percent – said they were concerned America's southern border may be the entry point for terrorists intent on attacking the U.S.

A majority of Americans said they oppose amnesty for illegals who already reside in this nation. While 52 percent said there should be no amnesty, 32 percent said they'd favor it.

Manipulating poll questions for a desired result is easy and necessary for political hacks whose careers wither or thrive in the polls. What I find interesting is not the results of this one poll, per se, but that pretty much all of the polls say the same thing: America sees a serious problem in rampant illegal immigration, and finds no solution of any value forthcoming from those elected to represent us.

Tooty Fruity at Mount Doom

Possibly taking a cue from the controversial film "Brokeback Mountain," marketers at the cable network TBS are broadcasting a promotion for this weekend's showing of two "Lord of the Rings" films that suggests characters Sam and Frodo are homosexual lovers.

The Internet is abuzz with talk about the video, which shows short clips of the two interacting over the playing of Atlantic Starr's '80s song "Secret Lovers."

"Are Sam and Frodo a little more than friends? Not that there's anything wrong with that," states the TBS webpage leading to several video promotions of the "Rings" features.

The clip has the two hobbits casting pleasant glances at one another in various scenes, including one in which Frodo declares to Sam, "I'm glad you're with me."

Jokes don't bother me; I enjoy a good jest. But if you seriously believe Frodo and Sam were light in the loafers, all I can say is you haven't read the books. There is not the slightest indication in The Lord of the Rings that they were homosexuals. Not one breathless utterance of the word "fabulous!" when Sam saw and admired Frodo's new hiking shoes. Not one suggestion that Frodo wear matching earrings with the One Ring. Not one bathhouse visit in Hobbiton or Bree.

Among other things, the story is about lifelong friendship and the sacrifices this sometimes entails. Given the rampant promiscuity of the average homosexual, I don't expect them to have an inkling of an idea about such fast relationships. Do we now live in a world in which two men cannot be good friends without having aspersions cast upon them?

Two final points of interest:

It's funny how we are told, time and again, that homosexuality is wonderful, perfectly normal, and a legitimate lifestyle alternative. The very networks, production companies, and individuals who champion this notion then come along and use homosexuality as a belittlement of people, as a means of degrading them. Pretty bizarre, no?

Also, I don't find it coincidental that such besmirchment is leveled at a literary work written by a man who was a Christian.

You Jest Might Be a Liberal: Part 2

If you believe Howard Dean fits the legal definition of sanity. . .you jest might be liberal.

If you believe John Kerry is more lively than a cigar-store Indian. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you don't believe John Edwards is a metrosexual. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you believe Algore is human. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you believe Bill Clinton could exercise zipper control in an AIDS-ridden African village. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you believe Man devolved from apes. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If Karl Marx is your greatest philosophical influence. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you believe the Hanoi Hilton provided three hots and a cot for its guests. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you spit and mumble the words "baby killers" under your breath every time someone mentions Vietnam veterans. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you were terrified of invading Iraq for fear of the horrors Saddam might unleash on our troops, but insist that Bush lied about WMDs. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you drive a diesel pickup truck or SUV while screeching about global warming doomsday scenarios and oil conservation. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If your favorite song is "Feelings " or "Imagine". . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you don't use The New York Times in house training your puppy. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you believe there is a right-wing media bias. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you believe religious conviction is a sure sign of mental instability, with the exception of self-detonating, America-loathing Muslims. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If any of the above ticks you off. . .you jest might be a liberal.

Resurrection Sunday

"Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there."--(Clarence W. Hall)

"Jesus cannot forget us; we have been graven on the palms of his hands."--(Lois Picillo)

"We believe that the history of the world is but the history of His influence and that the center of the whole universe is the cross of Calvary.--(Alexander Maclaren)

"All heaven is interested in the cross of Christ, all hell terribly afraid of it, while men are the only beings who more or less ignore its meaning."--(Oswald Chambers)

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"--(Jesus Christ - John 11:25, 26)

"Going Once, Going Twice, Sold!"

From Frank Gaffney, Jr.'s article in The Washington Times, April 4, 2006:

The Congress has received lots of free advice lately from Mexican government officials and illegal aliens waving Mexico's flag in mass demonstrations coast-to-coast. Most of it takes the form of bitter complaints about our actual or prospective treatment of immigrants from that country who have gotten into this one illegally -- or who aspire to do so.

If you think these critics are mad about U.S. immigration policy now, imagine how upset they would be if we adopted an approach far more radical than the bill they rail against that was adopted last year by the House of Representatives -- namely, the way Mexico treats illegal aliens.

. . .Mexico deals harshly not only with illegal immigrants. It treats even legal immigrants, naturalized citizens and foreign investors in ways that would, by the standards of those who carp about U.S. immigration policy, have to be called "racist" and "xenophobic."

For example, according to an official translation published by the Organization of American States, the Mexican constitution includes the following restrictions:

Pursuant to Article 33, "Foreigners may not in any way participate in the political affairs of the country." This ban applies, among other things, to participation in demonstrations and the expression of opinions in public about domestic politics like those much in evidence in Los Angeles, New York and elsewhere in recent days.

•Equal employment rights are denied to immigrants, even legal ones. Article 32: "Mexicans shall have priority over foreigners under equality of circumstances for all classes of concessions and for all employment, positions or commissions of the Government in which the status of citizenship is not indispensable."

•Jobs for which Mexican citizenship is considered "indispensable" include, pursuant to Article 32, bans on foreigners, immigrants and even naturalized citizens of Mexico serving as military officers, Mexican-flagged ship and airline crew, and chiefs of seaports and airports.

Article 55 denies immigrants the right to become federal lawmakers. A Mexican congressman or senator must be "a Mexican citizen by birth." Article 91 further stipulates that immigrants may never aspire to become cabinet officers, as they are required to be Mexican by birth. Article 95 says the same about Supreme Court justices.

In accordance with Article 130, immigrants -- even legal ones -- may not become members of the clergy, either.

•Foreigners, to say nothing of illegal immigrants, are denied fundamental property rights. For example, Article 27 states, "Only Mexicans by birth or naturalization and Mexican companies have the right to acquire ownership of lands, waters and their appurtenances, or to obtain concessions for the exploitation of mines or of waters."

•Article 11 guarantees federal protection against "undesirable aliens resident in the country." What is more, private individuals are authorized to make citizen's arrests. Article 16 states, "In cases of flagrante delicto, any person may arrest the offender and his accomplices, turning them over without delay to the nearest authorities." In other words, Mexico grants its citizens the right to arrest illegal aliens and hand them over to police for prosecution. Imagine the Minutemen exercising such a right.

•The Mexican constitution states that foreigners -- not just illegal immigrants -- may be expelled for any reason and without due process. According to Article 33, "the Federal Executive shall have the exclusive power to compel any foreigner whose remaining he may deem inexpedient to abandon the national territory immediately and without the necessity of previous legal action."

. . .we should not allow the hypocrisy of others' treatment of undocumented aliens in their countries to induce us to refrain from taking effective steps to prevent further illegal immigration:

So, to recap:

1. No foreigners in politics.
2. No demonstrations.
3. No public complaints about Mexican policies.
4. No equal employment rights.
5. No military officers, ship or airline crews, or sea- or airport chiefs hailing from foreign lands.
6. No foreigners may serve as clergy.
7. No property rights, at least when involving land.
8. Regular citizens may arrest and detain illegal aliens.
9. No due process.

It may surprise some of my readers that none of these restrictions bother me, when extended to illegal aliens within Mexico. I like these ideas. When it comes to legal aliens, the situation becomes more problematic. Restriction 9, for example, seems a bit out of kilter.

The whole point of this is demonstrating the Mexican government's rank hypocrisy, when its leaders criticize and look down their noses at the U.S. for far more lenient policies they neither share nor like. It also paints a rather clownish and sinister face on the morons railing in the streets and waving Mexican flags--oops, I forgot, they've changed their tactics, and now are displaying American flags. One minute, it's a "stolen continent," the next, it's wave Old Glory and weep for all that she represents. Give me a break.

The Mexican government is full of it, brimming with it, in fact, as has been the case since before Santa Anna floundered his way to bright and shining failure in the Mexican War; the welfare cases masquerading as peaceful protesters in our streets are draining leeches on a good day, and criminal invaders on a bad one; and the buffoons on Capitol Hill are traitorous pimps who would delightedly whore out their own mothers for a few extra votes.

Sorry my characterization is somewhat less than genteel, but I'm fed up with these vermin who supposedly represent "The People."

Too bad those people don't speak English or--in many cases-- share our values.

You Know You're from Tennessee IF. . .

You've never met any celebrities....other than Fred Thompson.

"Vacation" means going to the family reunion.

You know all 4 seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, Still Summer and Christmas.

You laugh when people from anywhere north of TN tries to say or spell "y'all".

It's "Mar-vull" not "Mary-ville" It's "Knox-vull" not "Knox-ville".

A tabogan is a hat, not a sled.

You butter your hot biscuit by cutting it open, putting a slab of butter inside and closing it back up again.

Every town in East Tennesse has a "strip" and they're not particularly safe to be in at night.

Pigeon Forge is not pronounced with a French accent.

Gatlinburg does have an "L" in it and it should be pronounced.

Sales tax is 9.5%.

You shop at Walmart for groceries, not at a grocery store.

You don't drive in Knoxville on game-day. EVER.

You or your friends chew.

You can't remember the last time you saw snow.

You have a "piss on" sticker on your car window.

You know when Elvis Presley Day is.

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Tennessee.

(Thanks to Heidi for the link).

You Jest Might Be a Liberal: Part 1

If you think Godzilla did less damage to Tokyo than Newt Gingrich did to America's cultural and political landscape. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you think "Uncle Joe" Stalin was a misunderstood revolutionary icon, but Dubya is evil incarnate. . .you jest might be a liberal.

I you think the only good fetus is a dead fetus. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you believe Satan cries out in his sleep when Ronald Reagan invades his dreams. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you believe human life is worth less than a plugged nickel, but you'll fight to the death for a Bantam rooster's salvation from the Colonel. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If Big Brother is your sugar daddy. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you think Eminem is a genius. . .you jest might be a liberal. . .and an idiot.

If you DON'T think Brokeback Mountain is a sign of brokedown morals. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you think the only difference between women and men is that women are superior to men . . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you believe illegal aliens should be a privileged, protected minority, and can't wait for the day when they become a majority. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you think shredding, stomping, burning, or spitting upon the American flag is an exercise of your First Amendment rights. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you think the First Amendment exists only for those who shred, stomp, burn, or spit upon the American flag. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you think having a strong welfare state and a weak military is a good idea. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you think Je$$e Jack$on, Al $harpton, and Loui$ Farrakhan are the modern equivalents of Moses, Aaron, and their racist brother Moishe. . .you jest might be a liberal.

If you think Ebonics should be the national language of the United States. . .you jest might be a liberal.

Aliens Among Us

An Alabama employment agency that sent 70 laborers and construction workers to job sites in that state in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina says the men were sent home after just two weeks on the job by employers who told them "the Mexicans had arrived" and were willing to work for less.

Linda Swope, who operates Complete Employment Services Inc. in Mobile, Ala., told The Washington Times last week that the workers -- whom she described as U.S. citizens, residents of Alabama and predominantly black -- had been "urgently requested" by contractors hired to rebuild and clear devastated areas of the state, but were told to leave three job sites when the foreign workers showed up.

"After Katrina, our company had 70 workers on the job the first day, but the companies decided they didn't need them anymore because the Mexicans had arrived," Mrs. Swope said. "I assure you it is not true that Americans don't want to work.

Mrs. Swope said employment agencies throughout Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi faced similar problems, when thousands of men from Mexico and several Central and South American countries -- many in crowded buses and trucks -- came into the three states after Katrina, looking for employment and willing to work for less money.

The number of foreign workers who flooded the area after the hurricane has been estimated at more than 30,000. Many of them have been identified by law-enforcement authorities and others as illegal aliens.

Many of the illegal aliens came into the Gulf Coast states not only from south of the border but also from California, Arizona and Texas, responding to the demand for workers. U.S. Border Patrol officials in the three states have reported an increase in the number of illegals apprehended.

Government estimates put at 400,000 the number of jobs lost in the Gulf region as a result of Katrina, which displaced more than 1.5 million people, and many of those workers left the area to seek employment elsewhere because available construction, laborer and cleanup jobs in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi had been filled by foreign workers, including illegal aliens.

Would-be employers in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, awash in cleanup and reconstruction jobs, faced little in the way of legal problems in hiring the illegal aliens after Katrina because the Department of Homeland Security temporarily suspended the sanctioning of employers who hired workers unable to document their citizenship.

"The men we sent to jobs in Alabama were local fellows looking for work, men who needed jobs," Mrs. Swope said. "After driving 50 miles to the work sites where they had been promised $10 an hour, they discovered the employers had found substitutes who were willing to work for less."

There's not much to say to this, except that it turns my stomach.

Readin', 'Ritin', 'N Ruttin'

Did y'all catch this story?

A 34-year-old teacher from the Brandywine School District has been charged with having a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old student.

Rachel L. Holt, a science teacher at Claymont Elementary School, allegedly had sex with the boy 28 times during one week in March, according to New Castle County police spokesman Cpl. Trinidad Navarro.

Twenty-eight times? That's an average of four times a day for seven days. Good grief; a rabbit on Viagra could take a few pointers from her.

Police say the alleged incidents happened March 24 through March 31 at the woman's home and that a 12-year-old classmate observed at least one of the alleged incidents.

The meanings of extra credit and homework sure have changed since I was a kid.

How many more of these stories do we have to read, before people get a clue and pull their children out of these dens of iniquity?

600

My last post marks the six hundredth on this blog. Can you believe it? I know Bane churns out half that many in a week, but still, I consider it quite an accomplishment. I wonder how many words that is, in total? These blogs used to have word-count mechanisms, but Blogger got cheap on us and I found that mine had disappeared.

Anyway, it's a milestone of sorts, so I thought I'd give it a little recognition.

A Prayer Request

Eaglewood and his wife are experiencing a time of grief and loss. I humbly ask that everyone keep them in their prayers. Thank you.

God bless and keep them both.

And the Stupid Shall Inherit Academia

A Florida State University researcher believes he has a natural explanation for the biblical account of Jesus' miraculous walk on the surface of the Sea of Galilee – ice.

Professor of Oceanography Doron Nof and the co-authors of his study theorize that a rare combination of optimal water and atmospheric conditions resulted in a unique, localized freezing phenomenon called "springs ice. . ."

A frozen patch of ice floating on the surface of the lake would be difficult to distinguish from the surrounding unfrozen water, making it appear as if Jesus were walking on water, according to the theory.

Yet another theory porporting that Jesus was a deceptive charlatan, and that his disciples collectively had IQs lower than those of Galilean fishies. How original.

"If you ask me if I believe someone walked on water, no, I don't," he told Reuters. "Maybe somebody walked on the ice, I don't know. I believe that something natural was there that explains it."

What a surprise. Of course, his assumption--without evidence-- is that Jesus was not God, nor could he perform miracles. Start with a faulty premise, draw a faulty conclusion. "Scientists" have a corner on this market. Once you rule out the miraculous up front, any explanation--even the laughable--is fair game.

Imagine such a stroll. Jesus must've practiced quite a bit in the art of floe-hopping, otherwise he would've floundered like a penguin on a newly-waxed floor. And Peter--poor, clueless, mentally stunted Peter--just couldn't figure out the gag.

"Pick on Vox"-Day

Sure, the knuckle-dragging feminists hate him, as do rosewater-sniffing leftists, and just about everyone else; and they mock him to scorn accordingly.

But what about his supporters? What of those who like him and think he has many valuable insights into politics and American culture? Shouldn't we have the opportunity to jab him with a poker, once in a while?

I believe the answer is a resounding yes, so being a rabid supporter of egalitarianism in this one, isolated instance, I've penned the following limerick:


Vox Poetri


There once was an A.I. named Vox
Who envied our pate-spanning locks.
Myths of rife rapers
Gave him the vapors.
Now he's touting plural wedlocks.

Angels or Devils

It seems that many people I encounter online regard the police from one of two perspectives:

1. Those who believe each policeman is a secret initiate into a new Nazi Schutzstaffel, complete with polished jackboots, who attends brainstorming sessions each day, in hopes of formulating a plan for framing elderly matrons for church arsons and the like. These guys take great pleasure in abusing their fellow man; heck, it's why they joined the force.

2. Those who believe each policeman is a saint, and if you just look hard enough, you'll see the little halo hovering over his head. Without exception, they wear huge "S" insignias on their shirts beneath their uniforms. And yes, they can fly. Their existence revolves around protecting and serving the public. It's why they draw breath.

But I subscribe to a different view. I believe the system itself is corrupt, rotten from top to bottom, but the police are a mixed bag. As individuals, some are lowlife dredged from sewers, thugs with badges; and others are honorable people who genuinely want to help the citizenry and make society better.

A couple of days ago, I saw an officer abuse his public trust. I was driving down the road, on my way home, when a police car zoomed up behind me, seemingly from out of nowhere, and tailgated me for the next mile or so. When I came to a stop sign and halted, he pulled up beside me and made a right turn, before I brought my car to a standstill. His failures? Speeding, not coming to a complete halt at a stop sign, and no turning signal. All of these are offenses that would buy me a ticket, were I in his place--or at least the potential for such an outcome is there.

Some might suggest: "What if he was responding to a call?" I can't rule this out as a possibility, but I offer this food for thought. 1. Sometimes people get in a hurry, and it isn't job-related; are police immune to this temptation? 2. Why were his lights and sirens inactive? In that scenario, I would've pulled over and let him pass me, with no complaint.

It irks me when people who have the authority--at their discretion--to penalize others for traffic violations commit the same offenses. And the likelihood of a reprimand or significant consequences for this is the same as Oliver Stone renouncing Marx and becoming a flagellant monk.

I realize this behavior is mild compared to some situations, but it gives those who do their best and present themselves as sterling examples a bad name.

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.

Islamerica on the Rise

The United States has agreed to grant citizenship to 7,000 Ahiska Muslims who will be settled in Pennsylvania, reported a Russian newspaper on Friday, July 23.

The first 11-strong batch of the Ahiska Muslims, living in the Russian province of Krasnodar, left for Geneva on Thursday, July 22, before flying to Philadelphia, reported Novie Izvestia.

"The immigrants will be provided with housing and furniture, they will be helped to learn the English language and to complete formalities needed for residence in the US, which is especially important, and have been promised life-long welfare allowances for pensioners and the disabled."

I think we need a moratorium on Muslim immigration to the U.S. Before anyone denounces me as a hatist of one form or another, consider that 100% of jihadis are Islamic. 100% of the 9-11 terrorists were Muslims. The overwhelming majority of terrorism in the world today is Islamic in nature. Factor in as well that Muslims are some of the most untrustworthy people on planet Earth; their religion condones deceit as a tool against the destruction or subjugation of "infidels." If this doesn't convince you, then please attend to all the wonderful benefits of Muslim immigration into Europe. Emulating Europe is a Bad Idea. I thought the War for Independence was a recognition of this.

I don't know about y'all, but I'm not interested in living in Islamerica.

Christian Persecution, U.S.A.

I was challenged recently at Vox's on my assertion that Christians weather persecution in the good ol' U.S. of A, in these troubled times. I'm off my rocker, according to a couple of the commenters. Persecution, or discrimination, or the War on Christmas--all of these are simple fantasies free-floating through my head.

I disagree.

First, let's define what it means to persecute:

Dictionary.com: persecute--1. To oppress or harass with ill-treatment, especially because of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or beliefs. 2. To annoy persistently; bother.

Ok. So, when Muslims and Jews are allowed the freedom of placing religious symbols on public property during the holidays--but Christians are prohibited--that's not persecution.

When someone is fired from his job because he is a Christian, that's not persecution.

When crosses are torn off war memorials and gravestones in fear of offending a lone Stalinite in a town full of Christians, that's not persecution.

When Christians are portrayed routinely as evil, stupid, insane, or a combination of all three in movies, books, tv, and music, that's not persecution.

When politicians, cultural figures, celebrities, tv commentators, and civil "rights" groups slander, libel, and distort the beliefs and teachings of Christians--with little or no challenge--there's no persecution involved.

When those same people assume the most base, vile motives of Christians in every fathomable scenario, nope, it ain't persecution.

When your child cannot speak openly of his belief in Jesus at school, but can learn the proper technique of putting on a condom at the ripe old age of ten, that's not persecution.

When the "scientific" community characterizes everything you believe as unscientific mumbo-jumbo akin to that of some frothing, benighted savage--uh-uh, it just isn't persecution.

Is this the same form of persecution as marching off to the firing squad, being fed feet-first into an oven, serving as a torch during the galdiatorial games, or as a chew-toy for lions? Clearly not. But the difference is not in the nature of these actions, but in the degree.

Remember, the persecutions of Christians in the first three centuries Anno Domini and the Holocaust both began in this manner; with baby steps, as it were. First came the lies, mischaracterizations, and distortions. Then came the discrimination and political, cultural, and legal obstacles. These metamorphosed into the pogroms and murders on a mass scale with which we're so familiar.

I think the situation needs viewing through a historical lens. The final outcome is obvious to me, taken to its logical conclusion and allowed its realization.

The examples I gave off the top of my head were not fabrications. It's an objective fact that these and many more exist in local and national news, with additional stories supplementing them at regular intervals.

Given all the above, I ask this simple question of those who shrug off the concept of Christian persecution in America:

If it's not persecution, what is it?

Hatin' on Whitey

The most likely victim of a hate crime in the U.S. is a poor, young, white, single urban dweller, according to an analysis of Justice Department statistics collected from between July 2000 and December 2003.

While race is, by far, the No. 1 factor cited as the reason for hate crimes, blacks are slightly less likely to be victims and far more likely to be perpetrators, the statistics show.

While nine in 10,000 whites and nine in 10,000 Hispanics are victimized by hate crimes, only seven in 10,000 blacks are targets, according to the report.

The report says 38 percent of all those reporting hate crimes said the attacker was black, and in 90 percent of those cases, the victim believed the offender's motive was racial. In incidents involving white attackers, only 30 percent attribute the hate crime to race, while 20 percent attributed it to ethnicity.

The report by the Justice Department is the one most often cited by hate-crime experts as depicting the true national story. It shows the number of incidents is more than 15 times higher than FBI statistics alone reflect.

Ain't this a kick in the teeth for the politically correct thought-control movement? Now let me just get it out of the way up front that I think "Hate" crimes legislation is moronic. If I kill you for your Nikes, is it really significant that I hated your guts, as well? Not from where I'm standing in my $30 tennis shoes. "Since LeRoy hated Bubba when he shot him with his Nine, let's tack an additional year on his five-year sentence." After all, killing me softly isn't so bad.

And how does one determine if hate is involved? By asking the perpetrator? "Sho-nuff, officer, I hated Bubba sumthin' fierce." By having a rap session with the victim on the slab? Apparently, some First-Degree murders are worse than others. The vehemence with which you pull the trigger or swing the ballbat says it all.

I find these statistics questionable. How can it be that whitey falls victim to "hate" crimes most? I was under the impression that the White Devil has venom coursing through his bloodstream, exploding in his synapses, and simmering in his very marrow. I thought he plops out of the womb kickin' and a-cussin' at the simple prospect of living. I thought hate comes as natural to caucasians as spontaneous combustion does to Muslims. Weren't we taught that the dreaded White Man raped Mother Earth, enslaved the perpetually virtuous Africans, mowed down the peace-worshiping Aztecs, and engaged in the genocide of the American Indians? Oops, I meant Noble Savages, or, er, Native Americans. (I need to brush up on my PC terms).

Waitaminute. I think I have the answer: The Natives and the Africans and the Aztecs are paying Whitey back, with interest. That's what this is about. Now I understand.

Black History Month

In the interests of equality, I move that we institute White History Month, to complement Black History Month. How 'bout it, folks?

See how ridiculous the flip-side sounds? Most people would sign me off at this point as an inveterate racist. Oh, well. We can't have folks pointing out the inherent absurdities in such institutions, can we?

There is no such thing as "black history," any more than "white history." There's just history. The whole notion of setting aside a special historical celebration on the basis of one's melanin content in the skin is idiotic. It's interesting that self-proclaimed civil rights heroes glorify such "progress," when it exists in direct contravention of all that the early advocates of those rights upheld.

I see a parallel in this with the homosexual rights movement. "We demand equal treatment!" bellows the "gay" activist, "Which is why we also demand special rights that go beyond those of the average Joe." And so it is with modern race relations. "We demand equality!" Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton screech, "Which is why we also insist upon special recognition not bestowed upon others." What a crock. This isn't about equality; it never has been. It's about favoritism, victim status--which is worn like a badge of honor--and thought control.

Harriet Tubman aided runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad. George Washington Carver invented numerous useful household items from peanuts. Frederick Douglass spoke out publicly against slavery, traveling the country and giving speeches.

Did the goodness and accomplishments of these fine people stem from their blackness? I don't believe so, anymore than I think that George Washington was an upstanding man because he was white. The aforementioned people--black and white--thought great thoughts and did great deeds. That's what makes them special--not their skin pigmentation.

It's funny how so many habits crop up in the name of tolerance and egalitarian ideals which result in more divisiveness. Black History Month, as only one of many examples, is an affront to people of all colors of the rainbow. It's an insult to black people, because it implies their greatness lies within being black, not within their individual characters. It's an affront to white, red, purple and green people because it implies their history and their accomplishments are second-rate, unworthy of special recognition.

Cheney Went A-Huntin'

Cheney went a-huntin', he did ride, uh-huh.
Cheney went a-huntin' , he did ride, uh-huh.
Cheney went a-huntin', he did ride,
Shot ol' Whittington through his hide, uh-huh. Uh-huh, uh-huh.

Cheney went to bag himself a quail, uh-huh.
Cheney went to bag himself a quail, uh-huh.
Cheney went to bag himself a quail,
Almost caught a few nights in jail, uh-huh. Uh-huh, uh-huh.

Cheney narrowly escaped arrest, uh-huh.
Cheney narrowly escaped arrest, uh-huh.
Cheney narrowly escaped arrest;
Next time Whit should wear a vest, uh-huh. Uh-huh, uh-huh.

Religion of Peace-niks Quotations

Thirsty peace message to the Jews:

"My message to the loathed Jews is that there is no god but Allah, we will chase you everywhere! We are a nation that drinks blood, and we know that there is no blood better than the blood of Jews. We will not leave you alone until we have quenched our thirst with your blood, and our children's thirst with your blood. We will not leave until you leave the Muslim countries."

More pacifistic gushing:

"In the name of Allah, we will destroy you, blow you up, take revenge against you, [and] purify the land of you, pigs that have defiled our country... This operation is revenge against the sons of monkeys and pigs."

Liberation defined:

"I dedicate this wedding to all of those who have chosen Allah as their goal, the Quran as their constitution and the prophet [Muhammad] as their role model. Jihad is the only way to liberate Palestine – all of Palestine – from the impurity of the Jews."

Cartoonish Nonsense

All this Muhammed likeness idiocy has given me an idea for my own cartoon. I would render it for your edification, if my drawing abilities surpassed that of a Kindergartener with Tourette's; but they do not, alas.

Imagine President Bush standing at a podium, shoulders squared, one hand supporting himself and the other bunched in a firm fist raised to gain the audience's attention. A balloon above his head says: "Islam is a religion of peace, I say!"

Surrounding him is a massive throng of attendees to his speech in the auditorium, each wearing a long, flowing robe and a turban wrapped carefully about the noggin. Every other man sports a bombvest, and all hands are raised aloft, clasping AK-47s by the handles, fingers in the trigger -guards and ready for a peace demonstration.

I may have to commission my eight-year-old nephew for the task of creating it.

Get Well Soon

Al's having surgery, today. He's a stand-up guy, and a good friend. Everyone send up a prayer for him.

Nutty As A Fruitcake

Republican Sen. Sam Brownback, a potential presidential candidate, said Monday he meant no offense to homosexuals when he used the word ``fruits'' in a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

In a lengthy profile titled ``God's Senator,'' the magazine quotes the Kansas Republican as criticizing countries like Sweden that have legalized gay marriage.

``You'll know them by their fruits,'' Brownback said, quoting a biblical passage from Matthew 7:19.

Rolling Stone writer Jeff Sharlet said in the story, appearing in the magazine's current issue, that Brownback appeared to be calling gay Swedes fruits.

After gay and lesbian advocacy groups denounced the comments last week, Brownback issued a statement Monday saying his quote ``was in no way referring to sexual orientation.''

``While this biblical passage was pertinent to our overall conversation about faith and deeds, it apparently led the writer to believe I was making a joke,'' said Brownback, a frequent critic of gay marriage who is pushing a Constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

``I was not and would never do so with such a personal and sensitive issue,'' Brownback said.


Apparently, there is a direct correllation between intellectual vacuity and homosexual advocacy. This phony controversy demonstrates cluelessness about scripture and basic comprehension of someone's argument. If Sherlock Holmes is a paragon of logic and reason, then the homosexual movement is peopled with an army of Clouseau's witless offspring.

Planet X

Scientists say they have confirmed that a so-called 10th planet discovered last year is bigger than Pluto

They've identified it is a rocky, frigid world, a dead body in the void, icy to the very core.

I can only assume it's Hillary's home planet.

Global Warming at Work

A record-breaking storm buried sections of the Northeast under more than 2 feet of snow on Sunday, marooning thousands of air travelers and making even a walk to the corner store treacherous.

The National Weather Service said 26.9 inches of snow had fallen in Central Park, the most for a single storm since record-keeping started in 1869. The old record was 26.4 inches in December 1947.

Belly-Up

Peter Benchley has died.

No, he was not devoured by a Great White shark.

But he did devote himself to shark conservation, strangely enough, after becoming famous for writing a novel about a shark terrorizing the sea lanes.

He is survived by three children: Mako, Hammerhead, and Cookiecutter.

Seal of Disapproval

I'm glad the party of Klinton wasn't in control, during the War for Independence.

Facts and Opinions

It seems to me evolutionists have a difficult time distinguishing facts from opinions. Facts are facts; opinions are facts--heck, everything an evolutionist says is a fact, or so it's insinuated. But the fact is, this is nonsense. First, a little clarification is in order:

A fact is something demonstrably true. For example, if I say, "The force of gravity exists," that's a fact. It's defined as such because I can take you up on top of my house and reveal its existence to you. In fact, I can demonstrate it as many times as necessary--in other words, until you tire of getting pushed off the roof.

But what if I declare, "I believe dinosaurs still exist."? Obviously, that's my opinion. Sure, Tyrannosaurs very well may be stomping wattle huts flat in the Amazon, devouring the natives even as they conspire in the destruction of another pristine rainforest; and Velociraptors may be chasing down lions in the Serengeti, as we speak. But I cannot prove this for certain; it's not something I can determine beyond question. Of course, this doesn't address whether or not I'm correct. It's simply an unknown.

So facts are established truth. Opinions may or may not be true, but we lack conclusive information.

Enter the all-wise, all-seeing evolutionist. He assures us of his knowledge by making the statement, "Certain organisms share similar body structures. To elaborate, the bat's wing, the porpoise's fin, and the human hand all have common characteristics, though they differ in size and shape."

So far, so good. He's dabbling in the realm of the factual, for the moment. X-rays or drawings of these structures do show similarities.

Then, raising his nose a wee bit higher in the air, the evolutionist steps out of the factual dimension and into that of speculation. "Therefore," he concludes, "since these organisms all identify with each other through certain characteristics, they must have descended from a common ancestor." This is a logical end only for those who accept atheistic Darwinian evolution as fact, or who suppose that God uses evolution as His primary means of creating species. For others, this pronouncement is anything but obvious.

So we have a factual statement used as a stepping stone to a speculative utterance.

Personally, I have nothing against speculation. Possibilities make life more intriguing. Such ruminating often opens doors and leads to the discovery of hard facts.

Though speculation plays an important role in learning, it is not science. Science deals in empirical methods. In certainties. In tangibilities. This poses a great problem for evolutionists, whose worldview constitutes a collision of opinions and facts that do not support each other. The fossil record, growing ever larger by the year, does not bear out the notion that organisms having similar structures descended from a common ancestor. The transitional forms don't exist, and what the fossils do show are fully formed organisms from their first appearance in the record. So this belief is a contradiction of the known facts.

Worse, the evolutionist makes no distinction between his first and second allegation. In his mind, both are factual. Any conclusion that does not fit into the evolutionary paradigm is less than worthless.

This is commonplace in the "scientific" community today. Opinion is paraded as fact, and dissent outside prevailing "wisdom's" parameters is suppressed or ignored as nonexistent.

Assuring people that your unproven assertions are facts--while tolerating no challenge from those who disagree--is not science. It's a hoax perpetrated toward the goal of brainwashing those who don't recognize fraud when they see it.

John Brown, Killer

Arielle wrote a post about the Not-So-Civil War, a few days back, prompting a supplemental and tangential post from me. (Thanks, Arielle).

Remember John Brown? Sure you do. He was the great abolitionist leader your "history" textbook gushed over in high skewel. The man who dutifully went to the gallows and died a martyr for the sake of justice and black emancipation. Remember him? What a hero.

Well, here's the other side of the story--the true side--the side your textbook omitted:

John Brown believed his was a divinely inspired mission to rid the U.S. of slavery. He scoffed at peaceful resolution attempts, believing only violence would bring about the end of the practice.

In 1855, he and his followers carried out a nice little massacre in Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas. Brown and his angels of death zeroed in on five non-slaveholding families whom they believed were on the wrong side of the issue. Approaching each family home, they dragged the man of the house from his bed, forced him outside, and butchered him with swords like a fattened pig for the slaughter in front of his family. Shortly thereafter Brown became a fugitive, finally leaping back onto the scene with his raid in Virginia.

In October 1859, Brown and nineteen others seized the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, with intentions of stirring up and arming a slave rebellion. He failed in this endeavor when the citizens turned on him, the militia arrived, and later, U.S. Army troops under Robert E. Lee marched into the vicinity. In a short-lived battle, ten of his supporters were killed, so Brown surrendered. Thereafter he and six followers were sentenced to death and hanged.

Certainly slavery was a terrible institution; of that there is no debate. But Brown's methods of violence against unarmed people who were not slave owners--in conjunction with his scoffing at peaceful denunciation of slavery--cannot be justified or pardoned. In short, his motivations possibly were good, but evil acts stemmed from them.

There was some evidence that Brown had the support of the Republican Party--the party of Lincoln, at the time--and that a group of Northerners known as "the secret six" had financed his actions. This further eroded the South's trust in the North, which in turn led to the secession of South Carolina in 1860.

In elementary and high school, I was taught nothing about his murderous acts. Textbooks and teachers offered only a benign, one-sided portrayal of him. He has achieved a kind of folk-hero status amongst the clueless and the politically correct--much like Nat Turner, another glorified murderer whose acts have been whitewashed by the public skewel system.

Congratulations!

Thursday morning, February 3, Erik's wife gave birth to a healthy baby boy of 7 pounds and 2 ounces! He's their first, I do believe.

Go on over and give them a slap on the back and many well wishes. All three deserve it.

May God watch over and guide you as parents, giving you long years of joy in bringing up your son. And may He bless your child and shape him into a righteous man after His own heart.

Now where's my cigar?

Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Threat Rising

Incidents of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, or MDR TB, still comprise a small portion of cases in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas near the Mexican border, but officials have noted an increase.

According to the Herald, in 2005, the county health department handled 101 new cases of TB, a 25-percent increase from 2004.

With MDR-TB, a patient's immune system does not respond to basic antibiotics rifampin and isoniazid.

The costs to the state are staggering. While a standard TB patient costs some $2,800 for about six to nine months of treatment, an MDR-TB treatment runs about $250,000 for two years, said Charles Wallace, manager of the state's infectious disease, intervention and control branch.

One family in the Rio Grande Valley with nine members afflicted with MDR-TB recently cost the state $4 million over a three-year period, including drugs and multiple hospitalizations.

This is one of my many concerns regarding rampant illegal immigration. I think exposure to such diseases particularly is problematic for those who live in states that share a border with Mexico.

We must do something about this. For some, it's literally a matter of life and death.

Big Surprise

A federal appeals court declared the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act unconstitutional Tuesday, saying the measure is vague and lacks an exception for cases in which a woman's health is at stake.

The three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals became the second federal appeals court in the country to hold the law to be unconstitutional.

President Bush signed the abortion ban in 2003, but it was not enforced because of legal challenges in several states.

Federal judges in New York and Nebraska also have ruled the ban unconstitutional. The Nebraska ruling was upheld in July by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and has been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

This ruling is as shocking as a movie star's fifth divorce. The abortion movement and truth are as well-acquainted as activist judges and the Constitution. What an openly disengenuous tactic.

How is "a woman's health" defined? The pro-deathers clarify it as anything that might cause reservations about giving birth. From ingrown toenails to mild constipation, from a narcotic-induced depression to vague feelings of mental discomfort--there is nothing under the sun that cannot be worked below this absurd heading.

To my knowledge, the Bush administration has made little effort in combating this atrocity; just sign the bill into law, then down the memory hole. Superficial concern is what's important, here, not results.

The Face of PMS

Roseanna Arquette wants Hill's presence in a new documentary about PMS.





















Ya know, she just may be onto something.