Christianity and Evolution

A blog debate with my good friend Mr. Christian over at BMEWS.

My position is this;

It is reasonable and logical to be a Christian and to believe in Evolution as a method of creation.

Let me begin this debate by stating that, as a born again Christian, I firmly believe that God created the heavens and the earth as described in Genesis. However, I believe the Genesis story is told to us to relay a message; this is where my friend Mr. Christian and I respectfully disagree. I believe the Genesis message to be one of God’s divine powers, one of love, one of hope, and one of warning.

In my opinion, man will never completely understand the workings of the Universe or the infinite glory of our Lord God. I believe this is by His design and is the basis of faith. It is the very gaps in our understanding that cause us to have faith in a higher power and to believe that the Universe is unfolding as it should. I believe that there are sections of the bible to be taken literally and then I believe that there are sections constructed to relay a message in a form that can be easily understood and put to use in our daily lives. I will save specific examples for our continued debate.

Now to the “genesis” of our debate; how can a Christian believe in evolution? If you believe the Genesis story literally as it is written, then you obviously can’t believe in evolution. I think I can safely say that anyone who believes in evolution believes that it would have taken longer than 6 24-hour days. So then, why do I believe Genesis to be a story rather and a literal accounting of events? I believe there is opportunity to question the literal translation of the bible’s contents based upon the history of the bible itself.

Mr. Christian rightfully points out that the Hebrew word “Yom” may have more than one meaning based upon the context in which it was intended. Consider the United States Constitution or the Declaration of Independence – documents that you should all read, but that’s a different blog post. How many words in these two documents are unfamiliar to you? Have you ever had a conversation with anyone that spoke in this vernacular? I will guess probably not. My point is that the people who wrote these documents are our immediate ancestors, speaking the same language, and compiling these documents less than 250 years ago. The contents of the current bible, regardless of which version you choose, were originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek over a span of several hundred years. These documents were then translated into Latin and kept from the general public by the church. It was not until Gutenberg invented the printing press in the mid 1400’s that the bible became available to the masses. The first mass printings of the bible were created from a Latin translation known as the “Vulgate”, which itself had been in Latin, translated into Greek, and then back into Latin.

In addition to the translation challenges, there have also been efforts throughout history to edit the bible’s contents and even to keep some of the gospels from being part of the modern bible. I currently use a New American Standard Bible (NASB) in an attempt to have a more literal translation of the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek source documents. Admittedly, the NASB has made edits to the syntax in order to make it more legible according to modern English usage – yet another chance to incorporate opinion rather than fact.

I believe there is opportunity to discuss the literal translation of the book of Genesis. The bible is the Word of God, but it has been written and modified numerous times by man.

So, let’s get started.

##That’s my opinion##

Where Did Our Border Fence Go?

If you have the stomach for it, I invite you all to read (or at least take a look at) the

Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008.

This legislation is over 3,000 pages in length, but fear not, I'm sure that all of our respective elected Senators and House members read it thoroughly before they voted on it. Oh, and if you're wondering who did vote for it, please check out the Roll Call Votes for H.R. 2764.

This piece of legislation does considerable damage to the Secure Fence Act of 2006 which was enacted into law to build a two tier border fence along our southern border. The model for this fence is in place in southern California and has reduced local crime rates by 50%.

The new law reduces funding to the border fence while giving money for lawyers to represent illegal aliens. What? Am I living in the twilight zone? So I guess the game in Washington is if a law is passed that you don't like, you simply stall long enough to pass counteractive legislation to get your way. I thought I read somewhere that we were a nation of laws - huh, guess that was some other country.

It's time we held our representatives and our government accountable. They have sworn an oath to protect the United States and it's citizens from invasion - read the Constitution, it's in there.

Our country is flooding. We need to shut off the water before we start to bail or try to repair the plumbing. Build the fence, close the border, and then we can deal with the illegals that are still here. Everyone knows that it's the correct course of action - so what are we waiting on?

##That's my opinion##

Evolutionary Candidate

"Governor Huckabee, what do you believe..." Be careful what you ask for if you are trying to trap a well educated man of strong moral convictions.

Watch and listen as Gov. Huckabee responds and doesn't exactly stick to the expected script.

I'm a Christian. I also believe in evolution as a process. I believe both can exist together.

##That's my opinion##

A Limo With A View

Maybe there is some hope left for Hollywood. Pat Sajak steps up and delivers a pithy dose of reality for anyone giving celebrities political relevance.

Does anyone decide which candidate to choose based on the recommendation of a TV talk show host or a singer/actress? If any group of citizens is uniquely unqualified to tell someone else how to vote, it’s those of us who live in the sheltered, privileged arena of celebrityhood.

Do your own research and form your own opinions - then get out there and vote. However, if you don't do your research and rely on others to manipulate your vote, then do all of us a favor and stay home on election day.

##That's my opinion##

President of the United States - More than a Politician

The President of the United States not only leads the Executive branch of our government, the President is the face of America to the rest of the world. This fact should influence who we choose as our elected leader.

Like it or not, being President is partially about stage presence. Ronald Regan's experience as an actor helped him quite a bit with delivering speeches in a forceful but constructive and influential manner. These same qualities would serve Fred Thompson well, but I personally don't believe he is the best choice.

Also, like it or not, most of the rest of the world is still an "old boys club". Considering the current geopolitical climate and the world leaders that will be major players, sending a woman, no matter how qualified, to the White House may not be our best play. I firmly believe that there are women qualified to serve as President - Hillary is not one of them. However, considering the global chess game that we will be playing, a woman will not be taken seriously by most of our adversaries. Is it fair that a women will not be taken seriously? No, but it's reality.

Whatever your party affiliation or political orientation, you should consider all of the roles the President will need to play when making your final decision next November.

Based upon the all the roles a President must play and the current slate of candidates, I would have to say the best Dem choice is John Edwards and the best Rep choice is Mitt Romney. However, injecting my personal bias for changes in Taxation, enforcement of Immigration Law, and upholding the Constitution my choice is Mike Huckabee.

##That's my opinion##

What are the qualifications YOU desire in a President?

I have had many discussions, with many different people about this, and I have a list. Here is mine, what is yours?

1. Someone who has lead people in the past
2. Someone who has run a successful organization
3. Someone who has patience
4. Someone who has a proven ability to work with others
5. Someone who has the understanding that the government does not hold all the answers
6. Someone who realizes this is a REPUBLIC

That is my list. The perfect ticket for me (based on this list and what I know now about the candidates) is a Romeny / Huckabee ticket. Give me your list and your perfect ticket.

-End of Ramble

So Who Is The Real Savage?

Any Savage Nation listerners out there? Michael Savage is a bit, well, raw. However, I will admit on the occassion that I listen to him I find myself agreeing more than disagreeing. He presents information in an abrupt, in-your-face manner, but most of the time he hits the nail on the head.

Now the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is attempting to silence his statements concerning Islam by presuring his advertisers to remove their sponsorship.

Take a look at the article link above, but here is the first of Michael's statements;

"I'm not gonna put my wife in a hijab. And I'm not gonna put my daughter in a burqa. And I'm not getting' on my all-fours and braying to Mecca. And you could drop dead if you don't like it. You can shove it up your pipe. I don't wanna hear anymore about Islam. I don't wanna hear one more word about Islam. Take your religion and shove it up your behind. I'm sick of you."

Now this is pretty harsh language, but I don't disagree. Our complete tolerance for a religion that teaches to kill those who do not believe as they do is a dangerous course.

At a minimum we need to preserve our freedom of speech and be weary of organizations like CAIR who obviously do not put America or the US Constitution first.

##That's my opinion##

FEMA, now Hillary...

So now Hillary is planting questions in her 'town halls'...

Link

So I ask this question of those who would vote for Hillary... if you want to clean up the government, isn't she just proving that it would just be more of the same...

Excerpt:

The tape of the event shows that the question and answer went as follows:

Question: "As a young person, I'm worried about the long-term effects of global warming How does your plan combat climate change?

Clinton: "Well, you should be worried. You know, I find as I travel around Iowa that it's usually young people that ask me about global warming."

The campaign's admission that it planted the question may be another blow to the New York senator's image as a trustworthy politician.

Clinton's critics have accused her of being a double-talker who refuses to answer tough questions specifically. Now her campaign has acknowledged planting at least one question.

-End of Ramble

Obama and the Pledge

I received and e-mail today with the following picture and tag line:
Senator Barack Obama, Governor Bill Richardson, Senator Hillary Clinton and Ruth Harkin stand during the national anthem.

Barack Hussein Obama's photo (that's his real name)......the article said he REFUSED TO NOT ONLY PUT HIS HAND ON HIS HEART DURING THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, BUT REFUSED TO SAY THE PLEDGE.....how can a man like this expect to be our next Commander-in-Chief ?? Better yet, how can any true American support him?

So I did some checking... According to this article at About.com this is not a photoshopped picture but they do go on to say that he does do it at other times. Also that article links to Media Matters (John Podesta's group) which goes off on when Hannity and Colmes talk about this. All that being said, and if he did or did not say The Pledge, the picture speaks volumes for someone who is in the running to be the next President, doesn't it?

-End of Ramble

Just Keep Cleaning Up The Poop

A friend forwarded this to me. Kudos to the author.

I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seeds. What a beauty of a bird feeder it is, as I filled it lovingly with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food. But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue.

Then came the poop. It was every-where: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table ... everywhere! Then some of the birds turned mean. They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud. They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food.

After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore. So I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio.

Soon, the back yard was like it used to be .... quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.

Now let's see .....
Our government gives out free food, subsidised housing, free medical care, and free education and allows anyone born here to be an automatic citizen. Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families; you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor; your child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English. Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to "press one" to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than " Old Glory " are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.

Just my opinion, but maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder.

Freedom is not free. Americans need to stand up and preserve our culture. If we continue to allow our rights and freedoms to be extended to those who have no loyalty or desire to defend America, then soon there will be no American to defend.

##That's my opinion##

Multiculturalism - inch by inch

I've said it before and current events keep proving the point. Even though our nation is somewhere between 75 and 80% Christian, the silent majority continues to let minorities demand equal (and sometimes superior) treatment in the public square. Allowing Muslims to demand separate and equal holidays in our government schools (that's public school for the uninformed) is not only wrong it's dangerous to our culture. Our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs and we continue to be a Christian nation. It is a slippery slope from Christian beliefs to a multicultural and weaker nation.

While it is true that America is a melting pot of immigrants, we have become a unique and vibrant culture. This strength has left us as the sole remaining superpower and we should not shy away from that responsibility. We should celebrate our place in the geopolitical arena and constantly remind ourselves of our "Americanness".

We should be proud of our heritage and our history. We are American, and we should not forget it or allow it to fade away - inch by inch.

##That's my opinion##

The Circus Is Back In Town

It's probably a bit early for most of you, but the 2008 Presidential election is 13 months away - so I guess we had better start paying attention to the circus while there are still choices. Unfortunately, our system of elections has evolved into survival of the wealthiest instead of the fittest (or most worthy) - so if you don't start paying attention now and voicing your opinion, the slate of choices will be made for you via financial elimination.

So, if you have not already done so, I would like to invite you to take a look at Mike Huckabee - former Governor of Arkansas. He is a relatively soft spoken man with strong convictions on fiscal policy and national security. Oh, and he is a FairTax supporter too!

One of the most interesting exchanges that I have seen thus far is posted on YouTube from one of the Republican debates - it's only three minutes so give it a look.

Who knows what the next year will bring, but Mike Huckabee is worth a look now. Whatever your opinion or party affiliation, information is power - make sure you get yours.

## That's my opinion##

America's downfall -- The New Deal

I have often thought that the real downfall of this country started with FDR and the New Deal. Now Amity Shlaes has been published in Imprimis here with excerpts from her speech. She is right on... and I am looking to get her book "The Forgotten Man: A new History of the Great Depression" where she supports her position of how FDR used the words "The Forgotten Man" to manipulate the people, along with his New Deal projects, into dependence on the Federal Government.

A great article, worth the read, and it may change your opinion on how we got into the position we are currently in in America.

-End of Ramble

An Inconvenient Truth - Really Inconvenient

I recently finished reading The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming and Environmentalism, which I highly recommend, and coincidentally received an email from a good friend with a very inconvenient truth. In what is evidently old news, a comparison of Al Gore's home in Tennessee to George W. Bush's home in Texas illustrating some surprising differences. I didn't believe them at first since they are so striking, but after some Internet research I found several corroborating sources.

And now PETA is after Al because he's a meat eater. According to PETA eating meat is worse on the environment than driving cars or flying in jets. Poor Al just can't catch a break.

The average surface temperature of the earth has gotten a little warmer over the last 10 years, just as it has done for millions of years in a repeating cycle. However, as the P.I.G. discusses in abundant detail, there is no evidence or scientific consensus that the warming affect is anthropogenic. Meanwhile in response to the media hype, our government and many others are throwing money at this mythical problem with no hope of "stabilizing the climate". The majority of green house gases (GHG's) are emitted from naturally occurring sources, so even if GHG's cause warming and we stop manmade GHG's completely, the climate will continue to fluctuate as always. There is a much greater correlation between the sun's temperature cycle and a warmer earth than rising GHG's and rising temperature.

Al should stop spinning the truth and causing us to waste money chasing political footballs. There are too many other worthy causes for us to pay attention too, rather than feeding the ego of a failed politician.

##That's my opinion##

Who is Mike Huckabee?

I believe that 18 to 24 months is really too long to campaign for President, so I don't blame anyone who has not been paying much attention to this point. However, if you have not heard of or don't know much about Mike Huckabee, I would strongly suggest you take a look at this exchange during the 9/5/07 Republican debate between Huckabee and the wing-nut Ron Paul.

Mike Huckabee may not have the name and face recognition of Giuliani, McCain, Romney, or Thompson, but as of right now he has my support.

I would love to see some poll numbers on a Thompson / Huckabee ticket for '08.

##That's my opinion##

Castro-sized

Well now, what does it say to you when a communist dictator endorses you for a political office? That doesn't really spell freedom now does it?

It seems that some of Fidel's favorite people are Jimmy "I gave away the Panama Canal" and Bill "slick Willy" Clinton - nice guys. He also favors a Hillary - Barack ticket in 2008. You have to be doing something right if Fidel is in your corner.

I wonder when good buddy Chavez is going to throw his endorsement Hillary's way?

It may be time to start packing for a small Caribbean island.

##That's my opinion##

No to Diversity -- Yes to Unity

To start out this post I want to be completely fair to Michael Abrashoff who has HEAVILY influenced my thoughts in this manner in his book "It's Your Ship" where he speaks of eliminating the diversity program on his ship and migrating it to a unity program. I recommend the book... it is a great read.

Now I see an article from Gregory Rodriguez in the Orlando Sentinel on Diversity which supports the unity idea and am further emboldened to share it with you here. In this article Mr. Rodriquez does a wonderful job discussing the new report from Robert Putnam on what his research has determined around Diversity. Amazing thing is that it turns out the more diverse your culture is the less trust for individuals there is. What does this mean? To boil it down it means that if you don't belong to something you tend to distrust everyone.

None of this means that we are doomed by diversity. But it does suggest that simply celebrating it and promoting it is not going to help us get along. Putnam points to a need for everyone to construct new social identities. He recalls growing up in a Midwestern town in the 1950s, when religious affiliations acted as strong social barriers between neighbors. Three decades later, he says, Americans had "more or less deconstructed religion as a salient social division." Although it was still personally important, religion's power as a social identity had diminished significantly.

The article talks in terms of race relations, but also mentions the elimination of religious affiliations as well. I find this very interesting in relation to a personal story. I recently visited Central Eastern Europe and during that trip I decided to attend Church on Sunday. It was amazing at how I felt instantly at home in a foreign country just by going to someplace where we all shared the same basic ideas and thoughts. As I reflect on this article, my experience in the CEE, and my own Church it seems to me that it is true. Here at home in our own Church we have people from all races, creeds, backgrounds yet everyone is the same. We all belong to the same group. We all have UNITY of purpose. Isn't that interesting? As we move through the post-modern age with everyone seemingly worried about what is in it for "me" and only looking at the short term to find pockets of unity and group belonging seems to become more rare. To cover it up under the guise of "Diversity" is nothing more than a sham... a ruse... something that is damaging the very fabric of our society.

Read the article (and this one for a slighlty different slant on Robert Putman's research)... make up your own mind. Read the book. Tell me what you think

-End of Ramble

Could 4 Years of Hillary Help Conservatives?

Recent polls regarding the Democrat Presidential candidates indicate that Hillary still has the best chance of winning the Democrat nomination for 2008. However, polls regarding Hillary's positives and negatives show some interesting trends as well. According to Ron Fournier from AP , Hillary's negatives will provide little coattail room for fellow Dem's and may drive more Republicans to the polls.

It chills me to think that Hillary may have a shot at being the next President, but if it takes four years of Hillary to wake up our country to the horrors of socialized medicine and open borders, then it might just be the medicine we need.

##That's my opinion##

The World That Works -- The World That Doesn't Work

I'm not a hard core Newt supporter by any means, but he nails the "who's here illegally" problem pretty well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15D3ElV1Jzw

I work in the Information Technology field and I know it's not that hard to collect, validate, track, modify, and report on 300 million unique and individual records. And, provide access to those unique records to hundreds of users in different geographical locations. It's actually pretty simple technology. So, why is it we can't get a record of who is in America legally and who is in America illegally? It's because our government does not have the desire to - you'll have to ask them why. By the way, there are about 300 million Americans - anybody want to buy a database program?


Debate Illegal Immigration all you want, pass whatever laws you want, but while that debate is going on, do all of America a favor and build a wall on the border. Legislation already exists to protect our borders, build a wall, and secure our nation.

It's the law, we know what to do, so build the wall already.

##That's my opinion##

Ding Dong the Witch is DEAD!

The poorly drafted immigration bill is dead!

YEA!

Yahoo! Post here

-End of Ramble (Dances away...)

For something light hearted

Here is something a little more light hearted. Enjoy... I do...

We all agree - secure the border

Charles Krauthammer spells it out in plain English.

A border fence is effective, relatively cheap, and immediate. What are we waiting on? Congress should be ashamed of itself.

##That's my opinion##

Four Point Immigration Plan

Absolutely! Copied from www.billoreilly.com

The Senate completely blew this. They're at fault. The American people don't want an 800 page immigration bill loaded with a bunch of bullfeathers. The folks want clarity and a fair deal.
So it's no surprise the Senate's deal collapsed into chaos. And that is a bad thing for America, because now we'll have more of the same. Millions of people trying to sneak into the country and the feds having no idea who is here and what they're doing.
So right now, I'm going to give you the No Spin immigration solution. It is simple because, as you know, I am a simple man. There are just four components:
1) secure the southern border with 700, not 300 miles of barrier, double the border patrol and back them up with 10,000 National Guards people. That would effectively shut down human and drug smuggling from Mexico.
2) require all illegal aliens in the country right now to register at the post office with Homeland Security. After registering, they would be given a tamper proof ID card, designating their status and their right to work temporarily in the USA. If the illegal aliens do not register, it's a criminal felony. Right now sneaking across the border is a civil action. Remember that. Subjecting the person to immediate deportation or jail time. The criminal penalty goes way up.
3) Any business that hires an illegal worker who doesn't have a tamper proof ID card faces draconian fines and possible prison time for the executives.
4) Each illegal alien would have his case reviewed by federal authorities. And they would decide who would receive a Z-visa to stay and who would not. That takes the blanket amnesty, something many American hate, off the table. It also allows the feds to make rational decisions about who's helping America and who isn't.
Under that banner, no illegal alien who commits a crime while here would be allowed to stay. Also under that program, no welfare of any kind would be paid to folks here illegally. They'd have to work for their living.
Now that is a fair immigration plan that I believe would be acceptable to most Americans. It would also allow the feds to quickly build a database, so Homeland Security would know the extent of the alien intrusion, which we don't know now.
Again, any illegal alien who didn't cooperate with the new law would immediately become an outlaw. And immediate action could be taken against that non-citizen who doesn't comply. That would end the sanctuary city madness and give the federal government more tools to regain control over this out of control situation.
So there you have it — a fair plan to give good people a chance to stay here and earn citizenship down the road -- but a plan that also protects Americans. The No Spin immigration plan is, again, one page and not 800 pages. And it would work.

Build the wall already! If your house is flooding with water, you don't start to fix the dry wall until you get the water turned off. Build the wall, secure the border, then talk till you're blue in the face about what to do with the illegal immigrants already here.

##That's my opinion##

Solution for Iraq Military problem

I'm not a military man by training, but this seem so obvious I wonder why no one has thought of it to date. Given that we would like to maintain a military presence in the region and that we desire to get our military out of the day to day security operations in Iraq why don't we sign a deal for an unlimited lease of some land for a military base (Think Guantanamo Bay in Cuba) in Iraq and then instead of a pull out of Iraq we are pulling into our base... one where we can protect our people. We will still be close enough to help out if necessary and then have a military presence in the area from which we can be a stabilizing force. This will force the Iraqi's to step up for security, will provide a time table for from which we can move towards, and save face for everyone involved.

Why hasn't this been though of by anyone other than a rambling ordinary guy?

How do we push it forward?

-End of Ramble -- Maybe....

Illegal Immigrants - Net Fiscal Contribution or Net Loss?

Net Loss! About $20,000 per year per illegal immigrant household. Don't believe me, read the Hertiage Foundation research for yourself.

Immigration Enforcement - not immigration reform.

##That's my opinion##

Rule Of Law or Just Political Football?

I have previously stated my opinion (Illegal Alien or Undocumented Immigrant) on the Rule of Law and the difference between a Republic and a Democracy. On May 20, 2007 Senator Charles Schumer appeared on Fox News Sunday to debate several issues with Senator Lindsey Graham. During the discussion Sen. Schumer used that key phrase, rule of law. Unfortunately for us the good Senator uses that phrase when it suites his political agenda and ignores it when it gets in his way. Senator Schumer said,

This is serious stuff. The rule of law, putting law above whether you're a Democrat or Republican, is at stake. The attorney general has violated it. We ought to be doing everything we can to get a new attorney general.

Schumer was talking about Attorney General Gonzalez and the firing of those federal judges. The Senator is certainly welcome to his opinion, but it is far from certain that Gonzalez did anything wrong, much less broke any law. Now being a Senator, Schumer has taken an oath to obey the laws of the United States and to protect it from invasion (read the Constitution). On February 27, 2006 the Senator choose to ignore that fact when he addressed a mostly Irish audience and spoke of "immigration". Senator Schumer said,

I love America, and I truly believe that the more Irish there are here, the better America is...The worst thing we could do is close the door, not only for those who want to come, but for those who are already here.

Once again, we should put forth some effort on immigration enforcement before we attempt immigration law reform.

Senator Schumer, please honor your oath of office and protect us from invasion - it's the Rule of Law - close the door already!

##That's my opinion##

Immigration Enforcement vs Reform

Immigration reform seems to be making the news these days as our "American royalty" jockey for political position. It has also been suggested that it would be impossible to deport all of the current illegal aliens in the United States. Impossible? Really? Have we given it an honest effort with the resources and willingness to enforce the laws of our country? It may be extremely difficult, but not impossible. Now an impossible task will be trying to administer the proposed Z Visa. If we can not track current illegals and deport them, why do we think that we will be successful in the logistics of the ridiculous Z Visa?

Do yourself and and your country a favor by contacting your US Representative and telling them that you do not support the Immigration Reform Act and to start immigration enforcement rather than immigration reform.

##That's my opinion##

The Cleaning Lady

Hillary evidently sees herself as having a future in the cleaning business. Playing to a mostly black audience with Al Sharpton, Hillary said,

When I walk into the Oval Office in 2009, I’m afraid I’m going to lift up the rug and I’m going to see so much stuff under there... You know, what is it about us always having to clean up after people? But this is not just going to be picking up socks off the floor. This is going to be cleaning up the government.

Now, I'm not an African American, but I think if I were I would find the "what is it about us" comment to be a bit offensive - but I'm sure they gave Hillary a pass since Bill was "the first black president".

But lets reminisce for a minute. Hillary, is that the same oval office rug that Bill didn't have sex on?

Are you not married to the man who left the Old Executive Office Building with a quarter of a million dollars in damages when he left office?

Maybe you'll find one of the five missing copies of the after-action report that Sandy Berger admits he stole from the National Archive. Too bad no one on the 9/11 commission ever got a chance to look at the most relevant piece of terror prevention documentation that we had at the time.

Maybe you'll find those missing Whitewater papers that were subpoenaed by the Senate.

Hillary, looks to me like you've got plenty to clean up at your own house.

##That's my opinion##

Enough!

The founders of our country risked everything to establish a society governed by the rule of law and to enable themselves to escape religious persecution. Their intentions were not to separate church and state, which is no where in our Constitution, but that government should not sanction the establishment of any single religion over others.

What does it say to you that the Kansas City International Airport has added several foot basins in restrooms to enable Muslim cab drivers to wash their feet for daily Islamic prayers? In western civilization, which is where we are for the moment, restroom basins are provided for hygiene and not religious rituals. I find this highly offensive.

I believe that our founders would be disappointed in America today. Today in America the ACLU sues the Boy Scouts, a private organization, because they require their members to recognize a higher power. Today in America the ten commandments are not allowed in many government buildings. Today in America over zealous government bodies are seizing private property, one of the fundamentals of free society, for economic profit. Today in America Muslim cab drivers are allowed to deny service to patrons with animals or alcohol and Muslim cashiers are allowed to not handle pork products at the checkout counter.

This post is biased against the favoritism being given to Muslims in this country - since it appears to be the politically correct flavor of the month. In an attempt to not offend anyone or deny anyone their religious freedoms, we are slowly loosing our own identity.

You know the old saying that if you drop a frog in boiling water he will jump out, but if you slowly increase the temperature from cool to boiling the frog will boil to death without realizing it? Well, the temperature is rising...

##That's my opinion##

Virginia Tech and the Gun Debate

Wacko. They guy was a Wacko. A Wacko with a Gun. We could have all the debate you want about how Mr. Cho got into the position he was in. It is my opinion that he did not have the right value set and reinforcement of that value set in his life, but that is not why I started this post...

Neal Boortz has made comments about gun control (see here)and I tend to agree with him. If there was one student who had a weapon they could have stopped this whole thing. The wussification of America MUST STOP. The elimination of all guns does not solve this problem. As an example look at Iraq. Do they kill with guns or with pipe bombs? Look at Timothy McVey. Guns do not kill people, people kill people. We need to stand up for our own rights. We have to stop being Brook Trout... Sheep... many other docile animals. We need to be prepared to protect and defend ourselves, our families, and our country.

Stand up for yourself. Do not depend on the Government to take care of you. Be what you should be... what you can be... be and American.

- End of Ramble.

Illegal Alien or Undocumented Immigrant?

I recently sent this reply to Joanne Ostrow of the Denver Post in response to her article aimed at Bill O'Reilly:

Ms. Ostrow, we live in a Republic even though most of the country, when asked, would respond that we live in a Democracy. The difference being that a Republic is governed by the rule of law, while a Democracy is majority rule. Our founders specifically called out the dangers of Democracy and deliberately constructed a Republic.

If we choose to ignore the rule of law the United States would slip into anarchy and cease to be the country we know today. That being said, the term undocumented immigrant has no place and no meaning in our system of government. There are immigrants and there are illegal aliens. These two terms are specific and correct and should not be confused with each other. We continue to need immigrants to infuse our country with diversity and new ideas, while the rule of law must be maintained to protect the essence of who we are and the Republic our founders envisioned.

Illegal aliens are simply that, illegal. If you do not like the laws of this country, there are mechanisms in place to change the law. However, you can not simply ignore the laws that you disagree with and pursue your own set of rules. I don't like to pay taxes and believe that the 16th Amendment should be repealed. That does not mean that until that happens I can simply not pay my taxes - there are dire consequences - just as there should be for illegal aliens.

If you would prefer to live in anarchy, there are plenty of countries to choose from, but I prefer to live in the Republic to which I pledge my allegiance.

## That's my opinion ##

It's April 16th... Do you know where your taxes go?

Anyone who reads this blog will find it fairly obvious that we support the FairTax and are fiscal conservatives. Now when you see something like this: Congressional junkets picking up steam it just makes you want to scream!

All told, the military flew at least 13 congressional delegations to various destinations during the Easter recess -- at an estimated rate of $10,000 or more per flying hour.

$10,000 and hour X 13 X how many hours? HOLY COW!

At the Caneel Bay resort, where room rates reach $1,100 per night, the spokeswoman said Thompson and his wife paid the “government rate.” But, according to the reservations department, Caneel Bay doesn’t “offer any government rates.”

And to lie about it when they are caught?

Some of the culprits:

Traveling with Engel and his wife were Reps. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Tex., and Barbara Lee, D-Calif. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who went to Belgium in a delegation led by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., earlier in the week, also joined Engel’s Caribbean trip. She brought her husband with her.

Hmmm... Democrats...

Do you know where YOUR tax dollars are going?

-End of Ramble

What is going on in this country?

Imus get's fired... Granted that is no great loss to Radio.

Then there is this article on Yahoo:

Imus firing should not end U.S. race debate: experts

What experts? What race debate? Why is this still a problem in America?

Ask yourself this question: Who makes money off the 'race issue'? Does mainstream America really care about the 'race issue'? Is there really a problem? Is Imus just part of an OLD problem?

This is just stupid. Take a look at how bigoted Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton are. This is all about money... and power for Al and Jessie. They are never held accountable for what they have said or continue to say. Yet they scream and complain when something happens like with Imus.

Do I agree with what Imus said? No. Ultimately, does it matter what I think? Only if I choose not to listen to Imus (I never did anyway, Michael Savage has more listeners and I don't listen to him either). Let the free market decide. Why do we give power to those who don't deserve it?

When are we going to wake up and realize that we are all Americans, and that we should all be here for America, and that sometimes people do stupid things. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? What ever happened to forgiveness? Where are the compassionate people now?

Check out what a popular Brit has to say about being in America here.

Wake up people... We are all in this together... we are all Americans.

-End of Ramble

Michael Savage

So I was flipping through channels and was lulled into listening to the Savage Nation today. Why is he the one who's name cannot be spoken? What has he done? Listening to him talk he is very learned and seems to know what is wrong with this country.

I'm not a "Savage Nation" listener... nor a Savage fan... but he does seem to speak the truth. Is he just not "in" with el-Rushbo and Hannity? What did he do?

-End of Ramble

The future of Internet Video

I found this article at "globeandmail.com" very interesting. Why you ask? Because the author's statement here:

In a case that will pit the old guard of media against the new giant of Internet video, Viacom Inc. said yesterday it is suing YouTube and Google for $1-billion (U.S.), accusing them of "brazen disregard" for copyright laws.

Is right on. The Big Media companies need to evolve or die. It's time to wake up and realize that the new world order is Customer choice. They need to realize that the Customer comes first, not their pocket books. It is widely known that the Artist only gets a small fraction of the profit on their produced works. If that is the case... where does the rest of the money go? Especially in this world of electronic distribution?

Quite a few companies have been making inroads to solve for this problem. Look at ABC delivering shows on the Internet right after they air. They have realized that brand identity and customer care is far more important than squeezing every penny out of the system.

To the Media Companies: Wake up and smell the bacon. Evolve or die.

-End of Ramble

The 'hidden' US

What an ominous title, huh? Sounds like I know something that no one else does... like I'm a CIA operative or something, right? Nope. I was driving in my care the other day and I started to think about those of us "ordinary" people... People who go to Church every Sunday... People who spend time with their kids every chance that they get... People who are just looking to take advantage of the American dream and how far apart we are from the 'elites'.

Who are the 'elites' (self titled)?

They are those who worry about going to the latest gallery opening. Those who will put aside a baseball game for their kid so they can got to a wine bar to be with their shallow and superficial friends. You know the type, right? You know who I'm talking about, right?

The non-elites are those of us who do the work to make it possible for them to have their superficial relationships. We run the 7-11's. We run the grocery stores. We pave the roads. We deliver the mail. We are the America that makes the them wonder why we, as a country, are so inept (as they would say.)

We are the underpinnings of our society. We are America.

God Bless us. We who have a soul.

-End of Ramble

Obama meets the big leagues

Well ... The freshman Senator come Presidential hopeful has now learned that the waters are much colder and shark infested at that level... Turns out "Mr. Ethics" has invested in some stock deals from donors... hmmm...

Link on ABC's "The Note"

Interesting on "The Note":

Make your predictions now: Does he cancel? If not, what is his body language and tone like? Does he come with more facts? Does he refuse to take questions on this topic? Will there be live cable coverage? Does Obama call the reporters "guys" in that frustrated way of his? )

I get a chuckle out of that...

The real question becomes... What does the Democratic party look like after Obama and Hillary?

-End of Ramble

Pelosi, Clinton, Obama OH MY!

Talk about a dysfunctional family! We have Hillary and Obama at each other (Read more Here)

and Pelosi is complaining to President Bush about Cheney (Read more here)

Someone commented that now that we have all these women in power all they can do is complain. I can't find a reference to that, but I'm looking because I think it's funny as hell. Now really, is this dirty politics or people who just have thin skin? Does Nancy Pelosi think that because of her position everyone should respect her every decision? Are the Clinton's that thin skinned that they can't take some criticism from Hollywierd?

Just remember... these are the people that we elected (well, not me...)

-End of Ramble

President Bush Impersonation - 2006

President Bush Impersonation - 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner - Google Video

If you haven't seen this yet (because you are living under a rock) it shows that Bush can laugh at himself.

It is worth the 11 min, 24 seconds.

-End of Ramble

George Orwell was mostly correct -- Just wrong country... Should have been France

George Orwell's 1984 predicted a society run by the government and "Big Brother" based in London. He was a bit off... It will be "Big Sister" in France.

Ségolène Royal unveils far-left economic campaign platform - International Herald Tribune

-End of Ramble

Global Warming at it's best

Global Warming?

I just don't get it

Snow just won't stop in upstate N.Y. - Yahoo! News

Unofficially, the squalls have dumped 12 feet, 2 inches of snow at Redfield. If accurate, that would break the state record of 10 feet, 7 inches of snow that fell in nearby Montague over seven days ending Jan. 1, 2002, said Steve McLaughlin, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

-End of Ramble (ROTF LMAO)

Building a Democractic Government in Iraq

I have for some time been concerned that, with all of our good intentions, the people of Iraq may not be able to sustain or even comprehend our (Western) view of a Democratic government. There are so many fundamental cultural differences that even though the Iraqi people may desire more freedom, a succesful Democratic government in Iraq will look very little like the United States. Recently, while catching up on some back reading, I came across the September issue of Imprimis, where Bernard Lewis captured my concerns and elaborated on "Freedom and Justice is Islam". If you also ponder these concerns, then this quick read article is well worth your time.

This article by Lewis also illustrates the motivation behind on of my greatest passions - alternative energy sources. In the mid 1920's the discovery of oil by the House of Saud transformed, "...what would have been a lunatic fringe in a marginal country [to] a major force in the world of Islam". That single event more than any other, in my opinion, is the source of power and world influence now held by Middle Eastern countries. If Western civilization could break away from its dependence on oil, the money trail for most terrorist activities would dry up.

##That's my opinion##

Imam's gone wild

Not to take anything away from "Girls gone Wild"... as this is completely different.

I don't know if you have heard but the UK's Channel 4 did some undercover work on some of the 'seedier' mosque's in the UK. What they found was disturbing and should be a wake up call for us all. Michelle Malkin has a post here and a link on that post will take you to some video out takes here.

Wake up people... Religion of peace...

-End of Ramble

OH.. and for something really funny check THIS out.

Worring about America

I worry. I worry a lot. I find that it is starting to affect the way that I interact with people. I find that would I would really like to do is become Grizzly Adams and go live in the mountains someplace without the constant bombardment of stupidity. A classic example of that stupidity can be found in this article. The article is fine... The reporter is fine... The person he was reporting on is a fruitcake. An excerpt of the article is here:

A Raleigh activist and bookstore owner told a panel at Howard University Law School on Oct. 14 that the solution to many of the problems faced by black people is the extermination of “white people off the face of the planet.” Dr. Kamau Kambon, who taught Africana Studies 241 in the Spring 2005 semester at North Carolina State University, also said this needs to be done “because white people want to kill us.”

Addressing a panel on “Hurricane Katrina Media Coverage,” broadcast in its entirety on C-SPAN, Kambon told the audience that white people “have retina scans, they have what they call racial profiling, DNA banks, and they’re monitoring our people to try to prevent the one person from coming up with the one idea. And the one idea is, how we are going to exterminate white people because that in my estimation is the only conclusion I have come to. We have to exterminate white people off the face of the planet to solve this problem.”

Where do these people come from? What is wrong with our planet? Is it the advent of processed foods?

I have posted on this several times. I think that the constant bombardment of people pushing anything racial does our society more harm than good. I believe that Diversity is a crock. We should have "UNITY" where we all work together for the betterment of society.

-End of Ramble

History Lesson

Captured from cyberspace...

Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomadic hunters/gatherers. They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer and would go to the coast and live on fish and lobster in the winter.

The two most important events in all of history were the invention of beer and the invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the beer. These were the foundation of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups:

1. Liberals
2. Conservatives

Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That's how villages were formed.

Some men spent their days t racking and killing animals to B-B-Q at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as the Conservation movement.
Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly B-B-Q's and doing the sewing, fetching, and hair dressing. This was the beginning of the Liberal movement.

Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women. The rest became known as girlie-men.
Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy, group hugs, and the concept of Democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer that conservatives provided.

Over the years conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by the jackass.
Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine or im ported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare.

Another interesting evolutionary side note: most of their women have higher testosterone levels than their men. Most social workers, attorneys, journalists, dreamers in Hollywood and group therapists are liberals. Liberals invented the designated hitter rule because it wasn't fair to make the pitcher also bat.

Conservatives drink domestic beer. They eat red meat and still provide for their women. Conservatives are big-game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, corporate executives, athletes, Marines, sailors, airmen, soldiers, and generally anyone who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work for a living.

Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers and de cide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when conservatives were coming to America. They crept in after the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get more for nothing.

Here ends today's lesson in world history: It should be noted that a Liberal may have a momentary urge to angrily respond to the above before forwarding it. A Conservative will simply laugh and be so convinced of the absolute truth of this history that it will be forwarded immediately to other true believers and to more liberals just to piss them off.

What were they thinking?

During the execution of Saddam, camera phone video clips were captured. "In the version doing the rounds of Sadr City, members of the execution party could be heard taunting Saddam by chanting Sadr's name: "Moqtada, Moqtada, Moqtada!" http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061231/wl_mideast_afp/iraqexecutionsaddam_061231174002

At this quintessential moment, the members of the execution party could have thought of many things. They could have thought of the new Iraqi potential, or a life without a dictator, or their children growing up with a chance at more than death. But at least some of the Iraqi's gathered to see Saddam put to death thought of Moqtada al Sadr - a political thug at best.

What were they thinking?

##That's my opinion##

So - you want to be a Senator

One of the first acts that new U.S. Senators have to take is the Oath of Office. Should it matter whether or not the new Senator places his hand on the bible or not? On the Qur'an? On anything?

When I heard that the first Muslim Senator had been elected, the question of placing his hand on the bible for the Oath came to mind. It bothered me. Then I tried to understand why it bothered me. I'm still pondering that question.

What say you?

##That's my opinon##