Happy New Year!

Another year rolls 'round, again. It's hard to believe how fast time flies--whether you're having fun, or not. It seems like such a short time ago that the new century had just begun.

Many people look forward to the new year for a new start on old habits. ~Author Unknown

New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other. ~Author Unknown

New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. ~Mark Twain

The above quotes address the lighter--or perhaps even cynical--side of the new year. But I really subscribe to the optimistic approach:

Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will. --Jonathan Edwards

If we endeavor in living for Christ in the new year, everything else will fall in place. It offers a tabula rasa for us to start anew and begin writing a fresh page of our personal histories. Of course, each day that God gives graces us with this gift, but none are so apparent as New Year's Day.

Even if all other resolutions fail--and they usually do--making Jesus an important part of life is a success. I say this humbly, and without clambering up on a high horse. I've met with plenty of failure in this department. Thank God that He judges us according to Jesus, and not ourselves. It's my prayer that each of us move closer to Him in the coming year.

I wish all of you blessings, good health, and happiness.

It's All America's Fault

Toronto Has Record Surge of Gun Violence:

A city that prides itself as one of the safest in North America is bewildered by a surge in violence that has produced a record number of shooting deaths this year, the latest a 15-year-old girl on a street filled with holiday shoppers. Canada's prime minister and Toronto's mayor blame weapons smuggled in illegally from the United States, but others point to a growing gang problem.

Whatever the cause, Canadians recoiled Tuesday after a gunbattle the previous day in Toronto left the teenage bystander lying dead and six other people wounded in a street near a popular shopping mall.

It was the 52nd death inflicted by a firearm this year in Canada's biggest city, which is nearly twice as many as last year and raised the overall homicide toll to 78 --not far below the record 88 homicides of 1991.

Martin (the Prime Minister) vowed earlier this month to ban handguns if his Liberal Party wins re-election in the Jan. 15 parliamentary elections. But ownership of such weapons is already severely restricted, and critics accused him of playing politics with the violence spree.

"The U.S. is exporting its problem of violence to the streets of Toronto," he complained.

That's the spirit, guys! Blame America First! Apparently, the whole world is afflicted with this disease. It couldn't be that your culture is morally decadent. Nah. Nor is it possible that your lax immigration and judicial systems have contributed to outbreaks of gang violence. 'Course not. The answer must be that the eeeeeeeevil Americans are at fault--either by omission, or commission. Yep, now that we know that those devils to the south are to blame, I'm sure all these problems will shimmer and vanish like a mirage.

Let's see: violence in other countries is America's fault. Check. World hunger and global warming is America's fault. Gotcha. Islamic expansion efforts are America's fault. OK. And the poor Martians who came to Earth to aid us with our population problems in War of the Worlds died horribly as a result of American meddling.

Now that we've established who is culpable, I suggest two solutions for you good folks in Toronto:

1. Tighten gun control laws. After all, if such laws are severely restrictive already--but have zero effect--the only reasonable answer is to make them more restrictive. Right?

2. Continue in the same vein of America-bashing. After all, look at the success and self-improvement it bestowed upon the people of Iran.

They Gotta Learn Sometime

Christmas Aftermath

I had a great time seeing the family, and making my rounds from house to house. Over the river and through the woods, and all that. My nephews and nieces received enough toys to supply every child in a small sub-Saharan country with Christmas gifts. Talkin' 'bout spoiled. My wife and I exchanged presents, and though My True Love didn't get me ten lords a'leaping, nine politicians lying, or eight jihadis exploding, she did buy me some nice stuff, which I appreciate.

Around this time every year, I learn anew just how much food a human can consume without bursting. For those of you who are unsure, it's measured in tonnage. The crane that transported me to and from my car attests to that.

I'm sure Richard Simmons is lying in a swoon somewhere from weighing the implications--no pun intended.

I've said all that to say this: I hope everyone enjoyed time with family and friends as much as I did. If so, I know you had a good Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

This is the time of year in which we take a step back and remember that Christ came into the world not for His own aggrandizement, but to save our souls from hellfire. He was born in a lowly state, to a poor family. He suffered many of the same hardships that you and I weather today. He was reviled and cast out by His people, and ignored or mocked by others. As an adult, He traveled about the countryside, spreading his Gospel, healing the sick and afflicted, and bringing hope to the hopeless. After only a few short decades on this earth, He was imprisoned, tortured, and murdered in one of the most barbaric and excruciating methods devised by humankind. But His death--though awful beyond comprehension--was not in and of itself unique.

But something unprecedented happened. Dying, He took the burden of every man, woman, and child's sins--past, present, and future--upon His weary shoulders. In unblemished innocence, He became sin for the salvation of a people who were lost without Him. That is the novelty of His passing.

But that's not the end of the story.

The grave could not contain Him. In an event that has shaken the very foundations of the world, God the Father brought Him back to life eternal, to sit by His side in Heaven, thus proving His authority and power over that seemingly unconquerable enemy, death. Jesus assured us in His Gospel that we, too, can attain everlasting life, if we just accept Him as our Savior.

All of this began in a manger, in a stable. As the old saying goes: "Jesus is the reason for the season." Without Him, there is no Christmas. So as we gather with friends and family, share good food, and exchange gifts, let us remember and honor Him. For in His birth, we, too, gained Life.

Mery Christmas, and may God richly bless each and every one of you!

Christmas and Its Origins

This is an excerpt from the book Under the Influence: How Christianity Transformed Civilization, by Alvin J. Schmidt. I offer it as food for thought and consideration:

Frequently one hears that Christmas Day, like Sunday, is a holiday that evolved out of the religious cult of Mithraism--namely, that the date of December 25 comes from the Roman emperor Aurelian's edict in A.D. 274 that established the festival of Natale Solis Invicti (Birth of the Unconquerable Sun) as he dedicated a new temple to the sun as near the Mausoleum of Augustus. The widely held belief that Christmas Day came about as a result of Christians having Christianized sun-god worship fails to consider the argument that Christians in some geographic areas--in northern Africa (primarily in Egypt), for example--were already observing Christmas Day as early as December 25, in A.D. 243, thirty years before Aurelian's edict. They associated Christ's birth with the Old Testament prophecy in Malachi 4:2, which calls the predicted Messiah "the sun of righteousness" (Natalis Solis Iustitiae in Latin). If the argument is true, then the Christians did not choose December 25 to Christianize Aurelian's decision, but rather the emperor, by establishing the Birth of the Unconquerable Sun, may have tried to paganize the Christian observance of the birth of Christ, the "sun of righteousness." The latter gains added plausibility when one recalls that Emperor Diocletian in the Great Persecution of 293-305 reinforced Aurelian's edict in order to "expunge Christianity."Moreover, also in the mid-fourth century, Christians considered March 25 "to be the actual date of both Christ's Passion and Resurrection and his conception [sic] so that December 25--exactly nine months later--was originally chosen from a computation based on the assumed date of Jesus' death, resurrection, and conception." Hence the attempt to link Christmas Day with Mithraism's sun god festival does not have unequivocable historical support.

Liberal Iconoclastic Pagan Solstice Anthem

Deck the halls with condom wrappers.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
See our jack-boots; ain't they dapper?
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
'Tis the season for unreason.
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la!
Aiding hostiles sure ain't treason.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!

Clap your hands for fruitcake marriage.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
Noble virtues we disparage.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
We adore social upheaval.
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la!
Christian thought is so Medieval.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!

Relish slander, smears, and libel.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
Kiss the Koran. Mock the Bible.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
We know Lenin would adore us.
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la!
"Hill in '08!" is our chorus.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!


--With apologies to the author of "Deck the Halls."

Washington D.C. Nativity Scene

I found this on the 'net; it cracked me up.

U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that there cannot be a nativity scene in Washington, D.C. this Christmas. This isn't for any religious reason though.They simply have not been able to find three wise men and a virginin the Nation's capitol. There was no problem, however, finding enough asses to fill the stable.

The 12 Days Of Christmas (For the Politically Correct)

I didn't write this, but I sure wish I had. I'd credit the author, if I knew who he/she/it (see, I'm all about inclusiveness) was:


On the 12th day of the Eurocentrically imposed midwinter festival, my Significant Other in a consenting adult, monogamous relationship gave to me:

TWELVE males reclaiming their inner warrior through ritual drumming,

ELEVEN pipers piping (plus the 18-member pit orchestra made up of members in good standing of the Musicians Equity Union as called for in their union contract even though they will not be asked to play a note),

TEN melanin deprived testosterone-poisoned scions of the patriarchal ruling class system leaping,

NINE persons engaged in rhythmic self-expression,

EIGHT economically disadvantaged female persons stealing milk-products from enslaved Bovine-Americans,

SEVEN endangered swans swimming on federally protected wetlands,

SIX enslaved Fowl-Americans producing stolen non-human animal products,

FIVE golden symbols of culturally sanctioned enforced domestic incarceration,

(NOTE after members of the Animal Liberation Front threatened to throw red paint at my computer, the calling birds, French hens and partridge have been reintroduced to their native habitat. To avoid furtherAnimal-American enslavement, the remaining gift package has been revised.)

FOUR hours of recorded whale songs

THREE deconstructionist poets

TWO Sierra Club calendars printed on recycled processed tree carcasses

AND a Spotted Owl activist chained to an old-growth pear tree.

Full of It

Dover Area School Board members violated the Constitution when they ordered that its biology curriculum must include the notion that life on Earth was produced by an unidentified intelligent cause, U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III said.

The plaintiffs challenging the policy argued that intelligent design amounts to a secular repackaging of creationism, which the courts have already ruled cannot be taught in public schools. The judge agreed.

"We find that the secular purposes claimed by the Board amount to a pretext for the Board's real purpose, which was to promote religion in the public school classroom," he wrote in his 139-page opinion.

This is just good old-fashioned stupidity dandied up in a black robe. Exactly what religion was espoused, here? The Religion of Possibilities? Intelligent Design advocates aren't even in synch on Who or What created the universe. Some believe in the God of the Bible; some believe highly advanced aliens got tired of counting quasars one day and fashioned the earth and its inhabitants like Da Vinci splashing paint across the canvas. The point is, if ID involves the promotion of religion, could someone be so bold as to explain which one? How rabidly secular, and how typically representative of what passes for atheist "tolerance." Even the mere conjecture of God's existence is now paramount to a theocratic coup.

Jones wrote that he wasn't saying the intelligent design concept shouldn't be studied and discussed, saying its advocates "have bona fide and deeply held beliefs which drive their scholarly endeavors."

As opposed to Darwinistic evolutionists, who are utterly dispassionate and objective in their beliefs. Who's he kidding?

But, he wrote, "our conclusion today is that it is unconstitutional to teach ID as an alternative to evolution in a public school science classroom."

And the basis of its unconstitutionality is a non-existent clause in the aforementioned document. If James Madison scrabbles out of his grave, lurches down to the Library of Congress with a fine-toothed comb and a magnifying glass, even he will have no luck locating the "separation of church and state," concept in the Constitution. A declaration of love and loyalty to King John, sealed with a kiss in the Magna Carta, is of greater likelihood.

Said the judge: "It is ironic that several of these individuals, who so staunchly and proudly touted their religious convictions in public, would time and again lie to cover their tracks and disguise the real purpose behind the ID Policy."

Oh, yes, how dare they express religiosity in public, those witch-burning, Bible-thumping, freedom-stomping miscreants!

The real purpose of ID is the offering of an alternative to Darwinian dogma. I don't necessarily subscribe to specific intelligent design theories, but I appreciate what they're trying to do.

I'm a hard-core creationist. I wonder what Judge Clueless would think of me?

This judge's citation of the Constitution as the foundation of his argument is laughter-fit inducing. What a mockery of everything our Founders held dear. Not only is he uninformed, but he's proud and brazen in his ignorance. We've reached a pretty low state, when judges cannot decipher the simple language of the Constitution, while simultaneously--perhaps magically--finding whole concepts and clauses which are as phony as a North Korean's smile.

We've come a long way down, since 1776.

Not much left to do, but flush.

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

It came upon a midnight clear,
that glorious song of old,
from angels bending near the earth
to touch their harps of gold:
'Peace on the earth, good will to men,
from heaven's all-gracious King!
'The world in solemn stillness lay
to hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come
with peaceful wings unfurled;
and still their heavenly music floats
o'er all the weary world;
above its sad and lowly plains
they bend on hovering wing,
and ever o'er its Babel sounds
the blessed angels sing.

But with the woes of sin and strife
the world has suffered long;
beneath the angel strain have rolled
two thousands years of wrong;
and man, at war with man, hears not
the love song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
and hear the angels sing.

For, lo! the days are hastening on,
by prophet bards foretold,
when with the ever-circling years,
comes round the age of gold,
when peace shall over all the earth
its ancient splendours fling,
and the whole world give back the song
which now the angels sing.

Imagine: Variant Version

In honor of John Lennon's recent boneyard tour anniversary, I've written a tribute of sorts to this departed hippie.


Imagine there's no freedom;
It's easy if you try.
Hell all around us.
It makes you wanna cry.
Imagine all the people
In abject misery. . .

Imagine you've no country;
It isn't hard to do.
No borders around us.
English is taboo.
Imagine all the people
living on welfare. . .

You may say I'm a schemer,
But I'm not the only one.
I hope someday you'll join us;
Trampling liberty can be so fun.

Imagine one big commune.
It's simple as can be.
No food or health care.
Forget prosperity.
Imagine good ol' Big Brother
Scouring the bourgeoisie.

You may say I'm a traitor,
But I'm not the only one.
Someday soon you will join us,
By choice or at the barrel of a gun.

Southron Improvisation

"Stand still, Bertha. I'll make a ringer 'round yore pretty red neck. "

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Movie

Hey, everybody, I just wanted to let you all know that I just got back from seeing this film. Wow, what an experience! It's the best movie I've seen since The Return of the King, and one of the best I've seen, period. It's violent, but not graphic or gratuitous, so even the chillun can see it. The special effects are top-knotch. It also follows the book very well, and does not dilute the message presented. After having read the book and now having viewed this film, it's hard for me to understand how anyone can suggest that it has no Christian undertones.

I highly recommend it.

Open Season

Fifi had endured quite enough of Rover's meddling.

So Long, "Dookie"

The case became the state's highest-profile execution in decades. Hollywood stars and capital punishment foes argued that Williams' sentence should be commuted to life in prison because he had made amends by writing children's books about the dangers of gangs and violence.

Oh, yes, a few kiddie books just washes away all that pesky blood.

In the days leading up to the execution, state and federal courts refused to reopen his case. Monday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger denied Williams' request for clemency, suggesting that his supposed change of heart was not genuine because he had not shown any real remorse for the countless killings committed by the Crips.

"Is Williams' redemption complete and sincere, or is it just a hollow promise?" Schwarzenegger wrote. "Without an apology and atonement for these senseless and brutal killings, there can be no redemption."

Williams' supporters stood at the back of the room and gave what looked like black power salutes several times, said the reporters. After he was declared dead, the supporters left and yelled in unison, "The state of California just killed an innocent man," said the reporters.

Williams was condemned in 1981 for gunning down convenience store clerk Albert Owens, 26, at a 7-Eleven in Whittier and killing Yen-I Yang, 76, Tsai-Shai Chen Yang, 63, and the couple's daughter Yu-Chin Yang Lin, 43, at the Los Angeles motel they owned. Williams claimed he was innocent.

Witnesses at the trial said Williams boasted about the killings, stating "You should have heard the way he sounded when I shot him." Williams then made a growling noise and laughed for five to six minutes, according to the transcript that the governor referenced in his denial of clemency.

What Conan the Governor said is right-on. Why in the world should he be given clemency, when he's not even repentant of these horrific acts? By all accounts that I've read, his guilt was unquestionable.

His supporters are nothing but vicious anti-white fools, for the most part.

The Left never ceases to amaze me with its callousness. These people wail and gnash their teeth over the plight of monsters, while the innocent murdered don't even warrant a footnote in their protests.

The Funeral and After

The funeral went well, yesterday evening. I'm not sure how many people showed up, but I'd say it was at least three hundred. If the number of people attending one's funeral is a testimony of love, then my grandfather was a well-loved man, indeed.

This morning, the burial service included an honor guard and twenty-one gun salute, preceded by a few words from a minister friend of the family. Quite a few people braved the cold weather, as well.

I just wanted to say thanks again for all the prayers and well wishes. They're very much appreciated. The family is sorrowful, as is expected, but we're all getting by.

"Arkansas Man Scales White House Fence. . ."

. . .When I first saw this heading on World Net Daily, I immediately thought: "Bill, give it up! You had your two terms in the Oval Brothel. It's over. Move on."

South of Heaven

The Devil's work is far from done. More than a third of Scotland's clergy still believe in the literal existence of Hell as a place, according to a new survey.

What interested me about this is that only just over a third believe? How does one rationalize non-belief in Hell after reading the Bible? Much of scripture makes no sense, if one assumes it's a fictional place. Take Jesus' parable of Lazarus and the rich man, for example.

UPDATE

Erik pointed out to me that the link was broken. I failed in finding the original story, so I linked a different story that gave the same report. Sorry 'bout that, folks.

Rest in Peace, Granddad

At 11:00 PM EST, December 8, my grandfather went home to be with the Lord. He was just over eighty years old.

He'd endured a rare form of bone cancer over the past two-and-a-half to three years, going through ups and downs in his health and spirits during that time.

When the end came, it was in his own home, surrounded by family. He slipped into unconsciousness and became unresponsive, his breathing shallow. Shortly thereafter, he passed away peacefully and without suffering.

He was a wonderful man--perhaps the best man I've ever known. He would give the shirt off his back to help a person in need. He was self-made, too, with no formal education beyond the eighth grade; yet through hard, unrelenting work and perseverance, he achieved financial success and retired from his job at ALCOA Aluminum Company, debt-free and with a good pension.

But even more importantly, he was a success as a human being. Friends and acquaintances respected him. His family admired and loved him. He raised four children who grew into fine adults.

He saw heavy combat action in the Army in World War II, in the European theater. He witnessed the deaths of many friends in those days, and even in his later years, had difficulty speaking about those times. He went on to serve in the Air Force during the Korean War.

And he loved Jesus. He provided a fine Christian example to all who knew him, and served as a deacon in his local church for about twenty years. He was never ashamed of that name above names.

I know now that he rests in the bosom of our Savior, and theirein is no suffering or sorrow any more. He is far, far better off than you or I, and that is the one consolation I've gained from his passing. He is in the presence of the Father, and one day, I'll see him again.

It's difficult for me to write these words, but I wanted to share with my readers a brief glimpse of this extraordinary man's life, to honor him with these few feeble sentences strung together with memories. I also wanted to share that blessed assurance we each have in Christ. He does not discriminate against those who search him out earnestly. Seek, and you shall find Him. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Now my grandmother must pick up the pieces of her life and figure out how to cope with losing her husband of fifty-three years. She, too, has Christ in her heart. I'm sure He'll carry her through her grief. I don't often make prayer requests, but I humbly ask that those who are willing, pray for her strengthening and recovery from this awful loss. And remember the family in your prayers. I would appreciate that more than words can say.

Sometimes death is seen coming, far down the road, giving us time for preparations. Others, it swoops in upon us suddenly, without notice. Yesterday in the early evening, there was no indication that this was my grandfather's final day on earth. And yet he is gone from us, now.

Hold your children and grandchildren and siblings and spouses and parents close. If you haven't said "I love you" lately, say it now. There may not be a chance tomorrow.

I love you Granddad. I'm glad you're home. The rest of us will be on in a little while.