Growing up in a small town myself I relate to this letter. I empathize with the author’s feelings and frustrations. I, too, sorta’ shake my head and crinkle my nose at some of the screwy things I hear politicians say about “normal folk”.

Dear Barack Obama:

I grew to like you over the last year.

I’ve always thought of you as dangerously naive at best. Eloquent, gifted, genuine, yes. But dangerously naive at best.

I couldn’t vote for you — but not because of your funny name or your lunatic pastor. I couldn’t vote for you because you say we should raise taxes (even on the rich, who I’m convinced already pay too much), and because you say we should abandon Iraq (which I’m convinced would be surrendering a war we must win), and because you don’t respect the Second Amendment (which I’m convinced should disqualify any politician from any office).

Still, I’ve liked your message of unity and your ability to inspire. And, since your rise I’ve hunted, quite frantically, for young conservative leaders with your talent. (To my relief, I found Bobby Jindal.)

And I’ve long said if you beat Hillary Clinton, you will have done your country a tremendous service. But anymore I’m having a harder and harder time rooting for you.

First came your wife’s comment about being proud of America for the first time — conveniently, right after you started winning primaries. Then came your own words about your grandmother, who is just a “typical white person” — a racist, or at least someone with racist tendencies. (I’m a “typical white person,” I suppose, and I’m no racist. In fact, little makes me angrier than when it’s insinuated I am.)

Sometimes people say things they don’t really mean. But this is a pattern.

Last week, we heard your comments about small-town America. Someone at a San Francisco fundraiser asked you why it’s so hard for Democrats to win in rural areas. You said:

“You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them … So it’s not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them …”

Is that a minority? HEY CLETUS, GET THE GUN! (If only we had a job to go to, some time in the last 25 years …)

Here’s a thought: Maybe gun rights voters know gun control laws kill people and steal freedom.

Here’s a thought: Maybe some of us have moral objections to an immigration system that forces rule-followers to wait decades for legal status, and rewards border-violators with amnesty.

Here’s a thought: Maybe some Americans cling to their church because their pastor is a nice person, because they find love there, because there they have something they can believe in.

Here’s a thought: Maybe, just maybe, us simpletons in small towns find it harder to be bigoted than all o’ y’all cityfolk. Maybe, in small towns, where everybody knows your name — and how hard you work, if you pay your taxes, how well you treat your neighbors, how often you volunteer in the community, and whether or not you’re a good parent — people see the content of your character, so they don’t give a hoot about the color of your skin. (But I grew up in a small town where about a third of the population is of a different race than me. What do I know?)

And here’s my favorite thought of all: Maybe small-town folks are — really — capable of thinking. All on our own.

You’re wrong about why small-town Americans don’t vote for Democrats.

We don’t vote for Democrats because we’re self-reliant so we don’t like the government trying to “solve” everything for us. And because you tell your rich friends in San Francisco that we’re dumb. And because, each election, whichever one of you is running for president traipses all over the country telling us you have all the answers, that you’re the one on our side, that you understand and respect our way of life.

But each time, a little bit here and there slips out — and by the end of the campaign, we can tell what you think about us. And we manage to learn who you really are.

And we see you’re just a horse’s ass.

Will Manly was a reporter for The Hays Daily News and The Stir.

During the conversation I ran into Ashleigh, a 21-yr-old schoolgirl who seemed full of inexperience and strong opinions. For example, she touted environmental responsibility – and indeed wanted everyone to learn a “deeper understanding of poverty” that would permeate their lifestyle choices like what car they drive… yet later admitted that she herself drives an SUV (so much for that “deeper understanding”). Even better… in her blog she recently posted that this carton right here is racist (!?) and she wants people to contact the editors of Christianity Today to “firmly let them know this is not acceptable” (wait ’till you actually see the “racist” cartoon).

Anyways… I engaged this girl in attempted logical discourse – which, for your entertainment, I have included here. My discussion responses are in normal text, my reflective commentary for you is in italics, and some highlighting has been added by me for emphasis.

The Discussion

Ashleigh:

[...] I appreciated the Earth Day snippet, but I also thought it was rather wimpy. It seemed to focus only on “People in the U.S. have too much food,” when in reality, that’s not the biggest problem as far as how the U.S. contributes to environmental degradation. [...] U.S. Americans are so deeply entrenched in an economic system that exploits the poor, and most of them don’t even know it. There are so many ways to continue expanding sponsors’ understanding of poverty that will impact their whole lives (what kind of house and neighborhood they live in, who they vote for, what they drive, where they shop, etc.) [...] I do understand that you will need to restrain your critiques at points– honestly, not all people are ready for them. [...]

Oh boy, a lefty… and a quick check to her blog reveals she’s only 21 and appears to still be in college… yet seems to know so much about “U.S. Americans” and their lack of all her good qualities. Here I go.

@ Ashleigh
I find your comments offensive.

I’m not sure how much of the world you’ve seen (or even if you’re out of school yet), but the United States (and the West in general) is a gold-standard of environmental goodness next to the rest of the planet. The countries that Compassion helps are often huge polluters and it’s only with the help of the US and the West (including the people you call “deeply entrenched in an economic system that exploits the poor”) that Compassion can keep doing what it’s doing for the poor.

We don’t need finger-pointing at Compassion’s generous sponsors – obviously they already must have some “understanding of poverty” to be a sponsor in the first place.

If transparency means that this blog is just going to be about bashing the United States then the superficial marketing style of blog is looking pretty good.

Ashleigh:

Interesting thoughts, Steve. I’m sorry you were offended by my comments. Let me try to clarify:

While I agree that other countries contribute to pollution, most people don’t have cars, multiple TVs, computer, etc. like we do here. Compared with the rest of the world, the carbon footprint of those of us in the U.S. is huge! I agree that we need better environmental standards across the board, but in many areas the U.S. trails behind other advanced industrialized nations in leading the way. For example, the U.S. decided not to sign in on the Kyoto Protocol.

Similar situations exist not only as far as environmental issues go but in a multitude of areas. The U.S. has pushed forward a lot of positive progress in the world, but it is not squeaky clean. There are points at which the U.S. government or businesses have quite intentionally taken advantage of others. All countries do this– not just the U.S. The U.S. just happens to be a position of power, so complaints are rarely heard.

I am not saying bitter finger-pointing is the answer, just that a lot more than $32/month is required if we really want to take on global poverty. Poverty is a complex problem to solve even when everyone wants to solve it. (That’s why economists like William Easterly and Jeffrey Sachs argue with each other about the best way to move forward!) We all always have more to learn, and there may be some very large changes individuals, institutions, and governments of many countries, including the U.S., must make if we are all to do our part.

Yeah, first of all I’m glad we didn’t sign Kyoto. Second, by “the U.S. government or businesses” do you mean businesses like the neighborhood pub? Or more like the local tattoo parlor? Or perhaps you are referring to some big, straw-man, evil corporation business led by a fat, white, male, cigar-smoking, suit-wearing, yacht-sailing CEO having his shoes polished by Mexicans… you know, the guy your liberal professors constantly harp about?

Before I could even address the politics of her post someone beat me to it.

Jore Lund:

We accept that there is much diversity of opinion on topics outside of the ones that bring us together. We choose to “prefer on another in love” and not focus on differences that could result in divisiveness.

This does result in some holding of the tongue, but it is worth it. I love to see liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans working side by side in obedience to Christ. Frankly, the process of laboring together with those of different opinions than my own, while respecting each other, has done more to alter my views than any sort of verbal banter.

If this blog becomes a location for knock-down, drag-out discussions of controversial topics then I think we are eroding something precious.

Compassion’s purpose is not to create a hot-bed of social discourse. As one wise Compassion friend taught me; we are trying to help people see Christ in the children that are living in poverty, and give them an opportunity to be Christ to these children.

So as we try to push the outside of the envelope, let’s not rip the paper.

@ Jore
Well spoken. I think we can credibly have a fulfilling and Christ-honoring discourse here (despite our varied ideologies and perspectives) if we leave the politics and student activism out of it. There are plenty of blogs for that.

Ashleigh:

I don’t think we’ve really gotten into politics.

Is simply admitting that the U.S. isn’t perfect (nor is any other country) so political? People sin against each other, and I think it’s important to remain open to confronting and confessing sin as necessarily. Nehemiah confessed on behalf of his Israelite ancestors– is it inappropriate for us to do the same?

She’s really backpedaling at this point. Apparently ALL she did was admit “that the U.S. isn’t perfect”, and even the Bible says that America isn’t perfect. I’ll make sure to remember in the future that if I say anything offensive it’s merely me pointing out that nobody’s perfect. Anyways, despite indications of leftist retardation I’m going to try and help her.

@ Ashleigh
I think that there is a line between honest self-critique and politically charged rhetoric. For instance, saying “Americans are so deeply entrenched in an economic system that exploits the poor” is wholly leftist and is not only political, but (in my opinion) is painfully erroneous. Although it may further Obama’s kingdom… it doesn’t further God’s kingdom, which is why we’re here.

With regard to Compassion’s generous sponsors: Have you ever been to a church on a Sunday night where the preacher was scolding his church for its shabby Sunday night attendance? The trouble is… he’s yelling at the wrong people! Don’t be too quick to convict the $32/month sponsor when you don’t know what else they’re doing (besides their support of Compassion) to further His kingdom.

You’ve got energy and spirit and I don’t want to mute that… only to help you channel it to maximize your positive effect on your circle of influence.

Ashleigh:

Steve,
I majored in political science and took a class on international political economy. Though you may disagree with my opinions (and opinions they are), they are valid views and not inherently anti-Christian as you seem to imply. My concern is for the poor, a concern which plays a pivotal role in God’s kingdom, though I realize people have different ideas of the best means by which to help the poor. I would appreciate it if you would refrain the from unsubstantiated bashing of certain political identities without even knowing if I claim them as my own.

I am not in any way trying to say Compassion sponsors aren’t generous people. I just know that in my own life, $32 is only so significant. I am still struggling to understand how I can truly give up my white U.S. American privilege that others might be blessed. $32 is a step for me, too, but I feel called to something higher than that. I think it’s important for us to wrestle with what it means to love the poor beyond simply offering a monthly donation, even one that is heartfelt.

I feel I can speak to this part of the Compassion sponsor experience because I am one, and I know what a struggle it is to truly integrate values of compassion and justice into one’s everyday life. It’s a journey I’m not finished with.

I appreciate your kindly meant closing, but that, when combined with your earlier remarks about my guessed age feel patronizing.

Maybe we can continue to discuss the ideas behind my original post rather than the specifics? I essentially said, (1) Compassion isn’t perfect and should be upfront and (2) the U.S. isn’t perfect and should be upfront. I don’t know how anyone could argue that either of these entities are perfect (even if you believe they’re mostly good!). Do people agree that an important part of this blog’s role would be engage with difficult issues like the struggles of both Compassion and the U.S. to bless the world’s poor with integrity?

Ok, I burst out laughing when I read how she’s majoring “in political science and took a class on international political economy”. With merely a few credit hours of study she’s been transformed into a global economist!! Good Father in Heaven, its a miracle!!

Notice that my mention of Obama is “bashing” to her… which is precisely why everyone should be really bashed in any form at some point in their life – so that our bash-o-meters are calibrated and don’t register false positives. She also seemed taken aback that I would insinuate she supports Obama without knowing for sure – apparently her own blog post using phrases like “my dear Barack” surrounded by near-romantic politi-gah-gah isn’t conclusive.

Still, I’m going to try and help her…

@ Ashleigh,
Ahh, much better… hardly any political rhetoric this time.

Did you notice that your latest comment centered around _your_ own experiences, struggles, and challenges in reflecting Christ to the poor… whereas your earlier comment seemed to center around what _others_ were or were not doing? Do you see the fundamental difference in the way it reads and the perceived attitude?

And while the US and the West definitely have their issues governmentally, open critique seems to be a bit beyond the scope of this blog (although any moderators are free at any time to tell me to go jump in a polluted third-world lake). Although, we can always write our elected officials and let them know our feelings regarding upcoming legislation, current events, and foreign policy. Perhaps a good blog post might be about about just that.

I actually like what Chris was saying the best with regard to the blog “having a blend of posts that run the gamut from promotional, to informational, to educational with some being silly, others being serious, some asking questions and others answering questions”.

Ashleigh:

Steve,
Thanks for your thoughts, but I’d appreciate you let me be my own editor. I’m an adult that can take responsibility for my own thoughts and expressions; I don’t take back my initial comments, nor did I write these later ones in an attempt to please you. As I stated before, despite your good intentions, these kinds of questions and comments are patronizing and hurtful.

If you would like to respond to the new questions/ideas I presented, feel free.

Thanks,
Ashleigh

The Conclusion

*sigh* Poor Ashleigh.

The Acting

This was a pure gem for Robert Downey Jr. as he masterfully filled the shoes of our metallic hero. With all the problems Downey has had in the past it’s easy to approach his performance skeptically… until the movie starts. The ease and comfort with which he fell into the role of Tony Stark (Iron Man) is nearly dizzying, as was his command of the camera and fellow actors.

Stark is a complex character who’s unbridled and energetic approach to women and engineering (a winning combination tantamount to chocolate and peanut butter) would leave both the geekiest slacker-geniuses and the smoothest lady-killers equally schooled. Downey fit the part like a glove.

Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow also rise to the acting occasion to round out the cast of conflicted characters. Bridges was excellent and sold the corporate suited Obadiah Stane. Paltrow, looking better than ever, deftly portrayed a demure yet savvy “Pepper” Potts (Stark’s assistant) including near-perpetual nonchalance at Stark’s antics.

The Physics

Being an engineer I always have a hard spot for bad science (especially physics) in movies. By “bad” I don’t mean things like light sabers or warp drive… I mean science that violates known and common laws of physics.

Now, it’s believable that some super-armor can absorb severe impacts by missiles and bullets… but if you’re inside the suit you still will feel the full forces from your sudden changes in velocity. In Iron Man there are times when Stark’s body undergoes accelerations and decelerations that would near-liquefy his brain, yet he easily survives.

At other times Stark lands (on his feet) onto both hard and soft surfaces from incredible speeds and without leaving much of an imprint… yet in one part of the movie just gently setting down his suit feet-first onto a concrete structure caused it to collapse – under his weight, I guess – and then collapse through an additional floor of the house down into the basement.

The Undertone

My biggest gripe, being a former soldier and perpetual patriot, is the goofy take on national defense and military weaponry that the story partially took. Stark is the mastermind behind his father’s business, the powerful weapons development and manufacturing company Stark Industries. After Stark’s ordeal at the beginning of the movie he starts to rethink the morality of creating weaponry after seeing his weapons used by the bad guys to hurt innocent people.

Hollywood frequently interjects leftism into its movies, and I’ve become numb to their depiction of the US military as a shoot-first outfit. Iron Man was a little better at not doing this. But the annoying thing is that the inevitable conclusion to Stark’s moral crisis would have to have been: making good weapons for ourselves leads to bad people using them for evil so I should stop making good weapons for ourselves. As if our enemies would no longer have any weapons? As if the mere existence of the weapons coerces people to do evil things?

Now, I work for Lockheed Martin (but don’t speak for them in any way construed or misconstrued) and our fighter jets (or any of our weapon systems) don’t find their way into terrorists hands regardless of what Hollywood says. America’s defense technology is kept under such tight export controls that it’s a wonder sometimes even our staunchest allies can get hold of it.

And speaking of… did anybody besides me notice that Stark Industries was a completely un-subtle spoof of Lockheed Martin Corporation, the United States’ biggest defense contractor? Not only does the Stark Industries logo (complete with bold-italic capitals and elongated angle-point) look strikingly like Lockheed Martin’s, but they even make the same F-22 Raptor fighter jets!? [see photo]

The Movie

Despite my bellyaching I highly recommend this flick for any lover of action and acting. I thoroughly enjoyed it and anticipate a sequel, because what’s a comic book story without lots of sequels?

After all the blah-blah the mainstream media windbags have gassed out, I’m left pondering this whole thing. I remember the Waco Massacre and how our government burned alive 76 people, including 21 children and two pregnant women. Now, if you think I’m going to condone any of those Waco nuts, or any of the recent polygamy and child-marriage, you can rest easy – I’m not. However, bigger issues and ethical dilemmas arise.

For instance, what exactly justifies the government removing confiscating kidnapping over 400 children based on one anonymous call from a purported young girl at this ranch? I mean, shouldn’t they first investigate, find this girl, and THEN legally deal with HER parents only (at least initially)? Can you imagine if someone in your church had abused their children, and because of it all the children in your church – including YOUR children – were taken away by the government and prepped for foster care? Where’s the due process?

Another thing that bugs me is that this would NEVER have happened if it were a Muslim ranch… not in today’s politically correct mire where politicians are stumbling over each other to kiss any large potential voting block’s collective arse.

Perhaps the biggest incongruity I struggle with here is the illogical, irrational, and imbalanced “shock” and “outrage”. I’m talking about “outrage” over a 50-yr-old man marrying a 14-yr-old girl – yet if a 50-yr-old man had instead carved out the girl’s brain at birth, then that’s okay. I’m talking about “shock” that a man would have two wives, but two gay men existing as co-husbands is okay. Polygamy is just an organized and religious “marriage” version of what’s already going on in our inner-cities in a very non-marriage and non-religious context.

Quite frankly, America’s (and Britain’s) inner-cities have sorta become an urban underage-illegitimacy farm where poorly-raised girls of single mothers copulate with multiple poorly-raised boys of single mothers and produce multiple babies by multiple fathers (that we foot the bill for, of course). These children would be better off with polygamist parentssss who are more stable, more nurturing, and wait at least until puberty to whore out wed their daughters… yet it’s the Texas ranch folks who got their kids taken away. [Two great books to read more about inner-city "nurturing" and illegitimacy are Freakonomics by Steven Levitt, and Marriage and Caste In America by Kay Hymowitz]

So I’m troubled a bit. I’m troubled that we’re on a slippery slope and nobody cares enough about some pioneer-dress wearing simple folk to at least raise an eyebrow. I’m raising my eyebrow… and curious to see how this turns out in the next few weeks.

Heston was the quintessential iconic male… using his rugged face and deep voice to play all manner of heroes and leaders – Marc Antony, John the Baptist, Moses, Ben-Hur to name a few. Of course, Heston was better in known later in life as being a staunch supporter of the right to bear arms as granted by the Constitution of the United States of America. He was president of the Nation Rifle Association from 1998 to 2003.

What you’ll see from the life of someone like Heston is somebody who’ll stand up for what he thinks is right, period. Indeed it seems he chose the correct side of every issue he addressed. He was marching for civil rights, as he says, “long before Hollywood found it fashionable.” He stood for racial equality and against affirmative action, which is the only stance on those issues that make sense together – but the logic of which still seem to escape the left-leaning elite. He was against infant-murder for any reason, let alone convenience sake. He faced opposition by those who would render American citizens helpless to government tyranny – the crazy left-leaning gun-prohibition lobby and its cronies like Michael Moore and George Clooney, but that never deterred Heston who always seemed to maintain an air of class in the face of Hollywood idiots.

Indeed Heston was a man’s man… a conservative’s conservative. America has lost a patriot.

Parting words from Wayne LaPierre, Executive Vice President of the NRA:

Today, my heart is heavy with the loss of Charlton Heston. America has lost a great patriot. The Second Amendment has lost a faithful friend. So have I, and so have four million NRA members and eighty million gun owners. And so has every American who cares about the Bill of Rights, individual liberty, and Freedom.

My heart is heavy, but not without a sense of pride. Pride in a man who devoted his life to his profession with grace and dignity. Pride in an American who devoted himself to civil rights, to correcting injustices around him, and to standing up for what he knew was right. Pride in a friend who stood with me and stood with fellow NRA members to preserve our freedom for future generations. Pride in a patriot who believed with every fiber of his being that our Bill of Rights is the foundation of our freedom that makes Americans singular among the masses of nations.

And now, Charlton Heston has passed that duty to us – the next generation. I am as proud to continue his cause as I am to have known him as my friend.

But today, my thoughts cannot leave the Heston family. They have always had my utmost respect and admiration and, today, they have my deepest sympathy and most earnest prayers, And they will always have my friendship.

Charlton Heston, rest in peace.

Why did I vote for someone who had little to no chance of winning? Because I think (with the exception of his VERY Libertarian view of Iraq) he most closely represents my positions on the major issues. I think I should vote for who I am most aligned with. Otherwise, my views will never be represented.

For example, take gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgenderbenders (referred to herein as ‘gays’ for simplicity). Democrats know that gays will never, NEVER, EVER vote for the GOP. As a result, liberal candidates can ignore gays and their political issues, and “reach out” to the more moderate voters who wouldn’t support gay marriage (and all that), knowing the whole time they will STILL get the gay vote.

I was down in Florida once at a Jack Kemp rally just before the 1996 Presidential Election, and I started a conversation with a shouting protester outside the grounds. She was young and cute, and amorously holding the hand of another woman (who was NOT young OR cute), while gesturing to me with her free hand how Bob Dole was going to pull public radio off the airwaves, thereby preventing America from “freeing our minds”. I mentioned to her that Bill Clinton had JUST signed the Defense of Marriage Act a week prior (defining marriage as one man and one woman), but she merely “hurumphed” as her father-figure-mistress towed her away from me.

See? Those were gays supporting Bill Clinton even as he was signing legislation into law diametrically opposed to their agenda. That’s some power, my friends! And that’s why I voted for Ron Paul, because I don’t want to be gay.

What do Ron Paul and I have in common? Against the killing of babies (that’s numero uno, period) – For lower taxes and abolishing the cruel death tax – Against socialist health “plans” – For secure borders – For 2nd Amendment protection – For parental choice in education – Against all the enslaving entitlements – For property rights. Geez, you could sum all that up by saying he’s for the Constitution of the United States. At the very least, from every other clown I can see, he’s the most conservative and most libertarian.

Now, it looks like my folk will be picking McCain… so in November I’ll have to choose between being gay or voting third party. I feel disenfranchised… and inexplicably whenever I feel disenfranchised I keep expecting Jesse Jackson to show up and start kissing my butt. Weird.

Flying out of Albany International Airport has become a real treat. Newly renovated and clean airport. Fast lines. Not crowded. Efficient even at its busiest. Smaller airports are just that much better post-9/11. However, my iPod nano earned me a wanding and a frisking after I forgot it in my pants going through the detectors (my fault).

One thing that really bugs me about the uppity security these days is the incomprehensibly insane use of “randomness” to spot-check travelers with extra measures. Most TSA workers will let travelers who fall into the terrorist-typical demographic just pass by – usually for fear of legal reprisals instigated by Islamic defense foundations… while little old white men in wheel chairs who can barely walk are made to struggle to their feet for a wanding and frisking – all in the name of “not singling anybody out”.

Now, the fact is – not all Muslim men aged 17-33 are terrorists… not even half are… not even 1% percent are (I don’t think). BUT, almost all terrorists have been Muslim men aged 17-33. Doesn’t that tell us something about how we should protect ourselves? I mean… do we really have to jerk around the poor old man in the wheelchair just to feel good about how “fair” and “sensitive” we are?

Okay, so Tami and I walked the National Mall… which to my dismay was not a place to shop. The monuments were handsome and dignified. The memorials were plentiful and truly moving… I especially enjoyed the World War II memorial (always makes me want to watch Band of Brothers again… but that’ll be discussion for another post).

View the full gallery of Washington, DC pictures here.

While at the World War II memorial I could see a few scattered vets recounting battles, scars and lost friends to their families or even to strangers – whoever would listen. I was listening. A quote inscribed onto a granite wall says it best:

OUR DEBT TO THE HEROIC MEN AND VALIANT WOMEN IN THE SERVICE OF OUR COUNTRY CAN NEVER BE REPAID. THEY HAVE EARNED OUR UNDYING GRATITUDE. AMERICA WILL NEVER FORGET THEIR SACRIFICES.

President Harry S. Truman

Yet, an inescapable incongruence gnawed at my gut as I stood at the World War II memorial. You see, we often hear the phrase “Support Our Troops” – mostly justified, but perhaps tossed about too flippantly at times… much like the American Flags purchased on September 12, 2001, that by September 20 were sitting atop their owners’ trash heaps. However, even more curious to me is the phrase “I support the troops, but I don’t support the war.” I don’t question the patriotism of this phrase’s speaker simply because of the phrase… but it seems that many of this phrase’s speakers actively disregard, dismiss and even loathe the military. I personally know a few of the exceptions… but the rule prevails easily. As I stood at these war memorials – and the feeling of national sacrifice and diligence stirred my insides – the inescapable incongruence gnawed at me. How can you “support the troops” while you are holding rallies “against the war” and calling out American soldiers as rapists and murderers? How can you “support the troops” when all your activism is geared towards raising money for partisan political organizations and for “impeaching Bush”?

I would be remiss not to mention the DC rail system – the Metro. I am spoiled with NYC’s subway system that is a flat $2 fee no matter where you go. The DC Metro fee system was nearly incomprehensible. I started laughing when I saw it… each stop has it’s own individual charge!? Check out the picture of the kiosk below to see what I mean.

And alas, while flying out of Albany is a pleasure, flying out of BWI is painful… very painful. The lines at security were retardedly and unnecessarily long. One guy got sick of waiting and started cutting in front of huge groups of people. The TSA checker nearest me saw the man doing this (mostly because a few justifiably angered travelers spoke up) and ordered him to stop and stand fast – but he told her “no” and said if she didn’t like it she could call her supervisor. She did, and her supervisor came over… and did NOTHING!? I could overhear him say that because the guy was really mad about the long line that they’ll just leave it be. Wait a minute – this guy can cut in front of people, swear at the people who object, disobey the lawful orders of a uniformed TSA worker… and TSA security does nothing? Whiskey tango foxtrot?

OLD VERSION

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.

The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!

MODERN VERSION

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.

How can this be, that in a country of such wealth this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing, “It’s Not Easy Being Green.”

Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant’s house where the news stations film the group singing, “We shall overcome.” Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper’s sake.

Barack Obama exclaims in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and he calls for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

Hillary Clinton gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients.

The ant loses the case.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant’s food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant’s old house, crumbles around him because he doesn’t maintain it. The ant has disappeared in the snow. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be very, very careful how you vote!

Again, this post could have also been called: Al Gore Finally Won Something

And even before you read any further you should think about checking out Planet Gore.

Last night at the Democratic National Conven- err… I mean at the Academy Awards, Al Gore’s well-made yet scientifically shady documentary called An Inconvenient Truth won for best documentary (or something like that). I have trouble believing a guy who parades around the world on private jets to persuade people to “use less fuel”. While I’m at it why doesn’t Rosanne Barr invite me to Old Country Buffet to pitch me a low calorie diet.

Al Gore’s ‘Inconvenient Truth’? — $30,000 utility bill
ABC News

Back home in Tennessee, safely ensconced in his suburban Nashville home, Vice President Al Gore is no doubt basking in the Oscar awarded to “An Inconvenient Truth,” the documentary he inspired and in which he starred. But a local free-market think tank is trying to make that very home emblematic of what it deems Gore’s environmental hypocrisy.

Armed with Gore’s utility bills for the last two years, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research charged Monday that the gas and electric bills for the former vice president’s 20-room home and pool house devoured nearly 221,000 kilowatt-hours in 2006, more than 20 times the national average of 10,656 kilowatt-hours.

[...]

Gore is not the only environmentalist associated with “An Inconvenient Truth” who has come under fire for personal habits — and not all the criticism has come from the Right.

Writing in The Atlantic Monthly in 2004, liberal writer Eric Alterman criticized producer Laurie David for her use of private Gulfstream jets. David, he wrote “reviles the owners of SUVs as terrorist enablers, yet gives herself a pass when it comes to chartering one of the most wasteful uses of fossil-based fuels imaginable.” New Republic writer Gregg Easterbrook followed up, computing that “one cross-country flight in a Gulfstream is the same, in terms of Persian-Gulf dependence and greenhouse-gas emissions, as if she drove a Hummer for an entire year.” [...]

So why is it that über-wealthy jabber-jaws can get away with such insane hypocrisy? Why can Rosie O’Donnell say that no “normal” citizen has any reason to own a gun, yet she hires personal bodyguards who carry concealed firearms to protect her? Why can the president of Virgin Airways be stroked alongside Al Gore at environmental symposiums when his industry is “supposedly” the problem? It’s because none of this is about truth… it’s about image and agenda. Surprise, surprise.

Governments in rich nations are spending billions of dollars to buy a clearer conscience over climate change. Are they getting their money’s worth?

Enlightened individuals, those who stay awake at nights wondering what they can do to prevent the polar caps from melting, at least have a growing menu of choices.

Sydney-based Easy Being Green says it will mitigate your cat’s flatulent contribution to global warming for $8. The same company could also make your granny “carbon-neutral” at $10 a year, according to a report in the Australian newspaper last weekend. [...]

~ China, India Smile as West Overpays for Climate, by Andy Mukherjee

You can’t make this stuff up. In lieu of the “findings” that a huge portion of global-warming comes from bovine flatulence, the normal pet owner can now buy credits to offset their pet’s flatulent contribution to greenhouse gases. This is more like a sick dystopic sci-fi novel than reality… but inconvenient truth is stranger than inconvenient fiction, I guess. However, I did find an article that I think deserves serious attention – The Onion reports that the temperature of coffee is expected to rise nine degrees by the end of the 21st century!

Anyways, I’ll leave you with a little inconvenient truth about Al Gore’s personal conservation efforts:

POWER: GORE MANSION USES 20X AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD; CONSUMPTION INCREASE AFTER ‘TRUTH’
Mon Feb 26 2007 17:16:14 ET
www.drudgereport.com

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research, an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization committed to achieving a freer, more prosperous Tennessee through free market policy solutions, issued a press release late Monday:

Last night, Al Gore’s global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, collected an Oscar for best documentary feature, but the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has found that Gore deserves a gold statue for hypocrisy.

Gore’s mansion, [20-room, eight-bathroom] located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES).

In his documentary, the former Vice President calls on Americans to conserve energy by reducing electricity consumption at home.

The average household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, according to the Department of Energy. In 2006, Gore devoured nearly 221,000 kWh—more than 20 times the national average.

Last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh—guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of his energy consumption, Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359.

Since the release of An Inconvenient Truth, Gore’s energy consumption has increased from an average of 16,200 kWh per month in 2005, to 18,400 kWh per month in 2006.

Gore’s extravagant energy use does not stop at his electric bill. Natural gas bills for Gore’s mansion and guest house averaged $1,080 per month last year.

“As the spokesman of choice for the global warming movement, Al Gore has to be willing to walk to walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use,” said Tennessee Center for Policy Research President Drew Johnson.

In total, Gore paid nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate in 2006.

For Further Information, Contact:
Nicole Williams, (615) 383-6431
editor@tennesseepolicy.org

I am utterly tired of hearing about so-called man-made global warming. Why? Not because I’m in the middle of a snowstorm. Not because of any weather pattern I’ve seen in my own lifetime. More than anything… I am sick of hearing about it because I firmly believe it is exaggerated to the extreme… and when I research into the politics and money-trail of it the smell intensifies.

The hoax of the doctrine of man-made global warming that is being foisted upon the world by decree, and the junk science that is manipulated to support it, represents a creeping fascism whose agenda to stifle open debate betrays the fact that climate change hysteria is a farce intended to crush freedoms and further centralize global power.
~ Paul Joseph Watson from a post at PropagandaMatrix.com

You see, there are mountains of evidence showing our climate to be driven by very, VERY large forces outside our control as a society. The sun’s complex cycles control our climate more than anything else combined times several orders of magnitude. The research exists… but it is boring, you see, because the reality of not having control of the climate renders politicians, militant environmentalists, and grant-hungry researchers powerless and cashless. Like anything else, simply follow the money.

There is something quite horrible about the complete failure of America’s journalists to even acknowledge there might be something terribly wrong about the theory of Global Warming. So far the published science that purports to support the theory has been severely challenged and even disproved to the point of having deliberately falsified data.
~ Alan Caruba from an article in the Canada Free Press

Now I know that climatologists can reasonably discern that over the short-term temperatures give indications of a slight increase in overall global temperatures… but they also know that temperatures follow many complex cycles that include “mini”-ice-ages and “mini”-meltdowns and such. We also know that the ice caps regulate some of this activity much the same way a buffer moderates a chemical solution. And while it is evident that people have an effect on the environment it is rather alarmist to assert that the current warming trend (which appears to be solar-related) is man-made.

Yet alarmism seems to rule the day, and hysteria drives big lies. The big problem with hysteria is that it is lucrative. Lobby groups and politicians use it to gain political capital. Environmentalist wackos use it to push a social agenda. Researchers use it to scare up big grants. The mainstream media uses it to drive big advertising revenue. Plainly… hysteria sells. In fact, it sells so well that anybody daring to disagree is immediately attacked by hysteria’s cunning benefactors. I’ve too often heard the term “denier” thrown about lately with regard to man-made global warming. I hold a viewpoint highly suspect whose supporters so venomously and irrationally attack the dissenting opinions.

All this was inspired by the principle – which is quite true in itself – that in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods. It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously. Even though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly to their minds, they will still doubt and waver and will continue to think that there may be some other explanation. For the grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down, a fact which is known to all expert liars in this world and to all who conspire together in the art of lying. These people know only too well how to use falsehood for the basest purposes.
~ Adolf Hitler as written in Mein Kampf

A great rule of thumb to follow is to not immediately believe anything you read or hear from people who benefit from your belief in what they are printing or saying. Did you get that, because that was a biggie. Ok, I’ll repeat it louder. A great rule of thumb to follow is to not immediately believe anything you read or hear from people who benefit from your belief in what they are printing or saying. Do your homework and use extra common sense, especially when something is being touted as “potentially catastrophic”… after all, how many pieces of mail do you receive that say “extremely urgent – open immediately” only to find out that it’s junk mail? Man-made global warming… yeah, that’s probably junk mail, too.

Two New Books Confirm Global Warming is Natural; Not Caused By Human Activity
Tue Jan 30 2007 10:02:32 ET

Two powerful new books say today’s global warming is due not to human activity but primarily to a long, moderate solar-linked cycle. Unstoppable Global Warming Every 1500 Years, by physicist Fred Singer and economist Dennis Avery was released just before Christmas. The Chilling Stars: A New Theory of Climate Change, by Danish physicist Henrik Svensmark and former BBC science writer Nigel Calder (Icon Books), is due out in March.

Singer and Avery note that most of the earth’s recent warming occurred before 1940, and thus before much human-emitted CO2. Moreover, physical evidence shows 600 moderate warmings in the earth’s last million years. The evidence ranges from ancient Nile flood records, Chinese court documents and Roman wine grapes to modern spectral analysis of polar ice cores, deep seabed sediments, and layered cave stalagmites.

Unstoppable Global Warming shows the earth’s temperatures following variations in solar intensity through centuries of sunspot records, and finds cycles of sun-linked isotopes in ice and tree rings. The book cites the work of Svensmark, who says cosmic rays vary the earth’s temperatures by creating more or fewer of the low, wet clouds that cool the earth. It notes that global climate models can’t accurately register cloud effects.

The Chilling Stars relates how Svensmark’s team mimicked the chemistry of earth’s atmosphere, by putting realistic mixtures of atmospheric gases into a large reaction chamber, with ultraviolet light as a stand-in for the sun. When they turned on the UV, microscopic droplets—cloud seeds—started floating through the chamber.

“We were amazed by the speed and efficiency with which the electrons [generated by cosmic rays] do their work of creating the building blocks for the cloud condensation nuclei,” says Svensmark.

The Chilling Stars documents how cosmic rays amplify small changes in the sun’s irradiance fourfold, creating 1-2 degree C cycles in earth’s temperatures: Cosmic rays continually slam into the earth’s atmosphere from outer space, creating ion clusters that become seeds for small droplets of water and sulfuric acid. The droplets then form the low, wet clouds that reflect solar energy back into space. When the sun is more active, it shields the earth from some of the rays, clouds wane, and the planet warms.

Unstoppable Global Warming documents the reality of a moderate, natural, 1500-year climate cycle on the earth. The Chilling Stars explains the why and how.

~ Matt Drudge

5 Myths About Turning Out The Vote

By Michael McDonald
Sunday, October 29, 2006

If you’re an upstanding U.S. citizen, you’ll stand up and be counted this Election Day, right? Well, maybe not. Just because Americans can vote doesn’t mean they do. But who shows up is what decides the tight races, which makes turnout one of the most closely watched aspects of every election — and one that has fostered a number of myths. Here are five, debunked:

1. Thanks to increasing voter apathy, turnout keeps dwindling.

This is the mother of all turnout myths. There may be plenty of apathetic voters out there, but the idea that ever fewer Americans are showing up at the polls should be put to rest. What’s really happening is that the number of people not eligible to vote is rising — making it seem as though turnout is dropping.

Those who bemoan a decline in American civic society point to the drop in turnout from 55.2 percent in 1972, when 18-year-olds were granted the right to vote, to the low point of 48.9 percent in 1996. But that’s looking at the total voting-age population, which includes lots of people who aren’t eligible to vote — namely, noncitizens and convicted felons. These ineligible populations have increased dramatically over the past three decades, from about 2 percent of the voting-age population in 1972 to 10 percent today.

When you take them out of the equation, the post-1972 “decline” vanishes. Turnout rates among those eligible to vote have averaged 55.3 percent in presidential elections and 39.4 percent in midterm elections for the past three decades. There has been variation, of course, with turnout as low as 51.7 percent in 1996 and rebounding to 60.3 percent by 2004. Turnout in the most recent election, in fact, is on a par with the low-60 percent turnout rates of the 1950s and ’60s.

I remember hearing back in 1996 and 2000, amidst the campus “Rock the Vote” slogans, all the rhetoric with regard to politicians “disenfranchising” the youth of America. The media were heartbroken that today’s youngsters were turned off by politics, and that somehow this meant that something was wrong with politics, and that politicians needed to start resonating with young skater punks and slutty beeper-chicks.

Frankly, modern culture has so cultivated a generation of fast-food entertainment addicts that the fact of the matter is young voter-eligibles don’t vote because it bores them. And of course, they believe they have the right to be entertained by all. Politicians in drag with little chirping LED buttons would “resonate” more, you see.

Personally, I’m glad when politics is wicked boring… because it keeps the easily distracted and the entertainment junkies away, and that produces a higher quality result (in general) in the election.

2 Other countries’ higher turnout indicates more vibrant democracies.

You can’t compare apples and oranges. Voting rules differ from nation to nation, producing different turnout rates. Some countries have mandatory voting. If Americans were fined $100 for playing voter hooky on Election Day, U.S. participation might increase dramatically. But in fact, many people with a ballot pointed at their head simply cast a blank one or a nonsense vote for Mickey Mouse.

Moreover, most countries have national elections maybe once every five years; the United States has presidential or congressional elections every two years. Frequent elections may lead to voter fatigue. New European Union elections, for instance, seem to be depressing turnout in member countries. After decades of trailing turnout in the United Kingdom, U.S. turnout in 2004 was on a par with recent British elections, in which turnout was 59.4 percent in 2001 and 61.4 percent in 2005.

Americans are asked to vote more often — in national, state, local and primary contests — than the citizens of any other country. They can be forgiven for missing one or two elections, can’t they? Even then, over the course of several elections, Americans have more chances to participate and their turnout may be higher than that in countries where people vote only once every five years.

This one really speaks for itself. However, I don’t think voting once every two years is even approaching the level of voter fatigue. For crying out loud, it’s only once every two years?!

3 Negative ads turn off voters and reduce turnout.

Don’t be so sure. The case on this one is still open. Negative TV advertising increased in the mid-1980s, but turnout hasn’t gone down correspondingly. The negative Swift boat campaign against Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) apparently did little to depress turnout in the 2004 presidential race.

Some academic studies have found that negative advertising increases turnout. And that’s not so surprising: A particularly nasty ad grabs people’s attention and gets them talking. People participate when they’re interested. A recent GOP attack ad on Rep. Harold E. Ford Jr. (D-Tenn.), a Senate candidate, has changed the dynamic of the race, probably not because it changed minds or dissuaded Democrats, but because it energized listless Republicans.

We’ll have to wait to see whether the attack on Ford backfires because voters perceive it as unfair. That’s the danger of going negative. So campaigns tend to stick to “contrast ads,” in which candidates contrast their records with those of their opponents. When people see stark differences between candidates, they’re more likely to vote.

I saw the Ford ad he speaks of and thought it was hilarious. I think the attack ads are effective. I think they mobilize the “base”, even though I only partly even agree with the concept of “mobilizing the base” in the first place.

Now some apathetic or undecided voters may be turned off by the negative ads, but not many… and when you hear people tout numbers claiming the voters want positive campaigns, don’t believe it. People, because we are a miserable lot of pulp-lovers, are drawn to salacious details of impropriety and corruption. It’s like a reality show or a soap opera. If the negative ads didn’t work they wouldn’t be used… it’s that simple.

4 The Republican “72-hour campaign” will win the election.

Not necessarily. You can lead citizens to the ballot, but you can’t make them vote.

Republicans supposedly have a super-sophisticated last-minute get-out-the-vote effort that identifies voters who’ll be pivotal in electing their candidates. Studies of a campaign’s personal contact with voters through phone calls, door-to-door solicitation and the like find that it does have some positive effect on turnout. But people vote for many reasons other than meeting a campaign worker, such as the issues, the closeness of the election and the candidates’ likeability. Further, these studies focus on get-out-the-vote drives in low-turnout elections, when contacts from other campaigns and outside groups are minimal. We don’t know what the effects of mobilization drives are in highly competitive races in which people are bombarded by media stories, television ads and direct mail.

Republican get-out-the-vote efforts could make a difference in close elections if Democrats simply sat on the sidelines. But this year Democrats have vowed to match the GOP mobilization voter for voter. So it’ll take more than just knowing whether a prospective voter owns a Volvo or a BMW for Republicans to eke out victory in a competitive race.

This election is the first I’ve ever heard about this super-whamo-dyne GOP 72-hour race for the cure. Sounds like more of a mystical Dem-demoralizer to me… make’em think you’ve got magic pixie-dust that’ll hack into voting machines untraceably.

5 Making voter registration easier would dramatically increase turnout.

Well, yes and no.

In 1993, the Democratic government in Washington enacted “Motor Voter,” a program that allowed people to register to vote when they received their driver’s license or visited a welfare office. Democrats thought that if everyone were registered, turnout rates would increase — by as much as 7 percentage points.

But while many people registered to vote, turnout didn’t go up much. Subsequent studies found only small increases in turnout attributable to Motor Voter, perhaps 2 percentage points.

Sizable increases in turnout can be seen in states with Election Day registration, which allows people to register when they vote. This may be related to the fact that lots of people don’t make up their minds to vote until Election Day, rather than months in advance when they get a license.

Personally, I hate anything that makes it easier for people to vote… including (and especially) lazy people. Or easier for people who don’t plan for the future (i.e. election day). Chances are, if registering ahead of time to vote – and looking up ahead of time where you need to go to do so – is too much work for you to be bothered with, then your vote most assuredly should NOT count.

The best election results are during periods of inclement weather and heavy reality show programming.

Thankfully, the resurgence of microbrewing in the United States is helping to overcome the great loss and to resurrect the art of brewing. I personally long for the return to the glory days of Christian pubs where God’s men gather to drink beer and talk theology.
- Mark Driscoll, The Radical Reformission

Now, many Protestant Christian churches in America have been near-continually lying to their congregations for almost a century about what the Bible says on wine and alcohol. They deny that Christ both made and drank wine with his apostles despite overwhelming scriptural evidence. Not until fairly recently in US history has the newer church generation been mature and powerful enough to start casting out the feminism-driven romance with prohibitionism (alcohol is sin) and abstentionism (it’s not a sin but Christians should abstain) that has been perpetuated by “nearly-false” prophets. To be fair, not EVERYONE preaching such blasphemy does so from a Satanic heart… some are merely ignorant or mentally blocked by their legalistic upbringing… but never-the-less it is a sin to declare a sin something that is not.

Diligently do everything I command you, the way I command you: don’t add to it; don’t subtract from it.
- Deuteronomy 12:32 (The Message Bible)

It never ceases to amaze me how anyone (even people trying to pass off as Christ-followers) will re-write and re-interpret history and scripture to suit their own purposes. I’ve expanded on such in my previous post Chardonnay and Lean Pockets. Here’s a link regarding what the Bible says about alcohol [LINK] and a link that even specifically addresses Jesus drinking beer [LINK]. And yet another link on the history of beer in the Christian-influenced world [LINK].

If self-righteousness were an art form, many Protestants’ work would be in the Guggenheim!
- Brad Stine

Here is a little history refresher (taken from The Radical Reformission by Mark Driscoll) that I like to bring up every now and then:

• Saint Gall was a missionary to the Celts and a renowned brewer
• After Charlemagne’s reign, the church became Europe’s exclusive brewer
• When a young woman was preparing for marriage, her church brewed a special bridal ale, from which we derive the word bridal
• Pastor John Calvin’s annual salary included upwards of 250 gallons of wine to be enjoyed by him and his guests
• Martin Luther once wrote of the Reformation, “While I sat still and drank beer with Philip and Amsdorf, God dealt the papacy a mighty blow.”
• Luther’s wife Catherine was a skilled brewer, and his love letters to her when they were apart lamented his inability to drink her beer
• When the Puritans landed at Plymouth Rock, the first permanent structure they erected was a brewery

It is a striking truth how scarce the above facts are within Protestant sermons in the US. And as if our myopic faith had no limit to its hypocrisy… our “teachers” often neglect the fellow brothers and sisters in Christ across the ocean who live in cultures not plagued by relics of abstentionism and having no temptation to re-write the Bible. They regularly drink beer and wine with such Christ-given freedom that American visitors from legalistic backgrounds often express great shock and discomfort, a testament to the false doctrine they were force fed from birth.

Some Methodist minister by the name of Welch invents grape juice in 1869 to replace communion wine and we’ve been suckling it ever since.
- Steve Mooradian

I’m no liberal Christian… I’m a politically conservative, theologically fundamental Christ-follower who happens to drink beer and worship in blue jeans playing electric guitar. And now I will brew… but with so many choices of fine ales and lagers I am left to ask myself… what would Jesus brew?

America, and all it’s people, were attacked by gutless pigs… Islamo-fascist cowards. They wanted fathers to be crushed. They wanted little girls to burn alive. They wanted elderly to be broken into pieces. They are evil. They validate that evil exists in our time. Never forget that evil exists. Never forget that with evil afoot your duty is to protect your friends, family, and country with your life. Never forget that evil knows no reason, nor mercy. Evil cannot be rehabilitated, nor reeducated. Either fight evil or surrender to it… and since they have professed that they will not stop until the entire United States converts to Islam that kinda narrows down the choices.

Thousands of people fled those burning towers, while hundreds of police, firemen, and emergency workers ran INTO the doomed buildings. That’s courage. Those are heroes. Don’t let politically correct pussification bind us, blind us, muzzle us, desensitize us, and dull our minds. Don’t listen to Hollywood idiots who can’t figure out why we’re “harping” on this event.

Our friends and family are being targeted by Islamo-crazies as we speak… 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Keep living free, and keep vigilant. Support out troops, and support the fight against evil. Find a fireman or cop you know (or mayber even one you don’t) and thank them… and when they say that they’re just “doing their job” you tell them that their job is a hero’s job and you’re thanking them for their courage. And then find your politicians and ask them why elderly wheelchair-bound Asian women are being frisked at the airport in response to a terror threat from young, male, Middle-Eastern, Muslim extremists. And then find your family and hold them close… because life is the frailest of things.

Most of all… never forget.

You’ll hear many try and characterize the red states and the blue states (red being GOP and blue being Democrat – so labelled because of the traditional colors used to “color” the states in election coverage maps).

Of course, the biggest misconception is that red staters are the “rich” and the blue staters are the “poor”. Mostly Democrats and the media like to perpetuate this… because since wealth ALWAYS follows a curve in a free nation there will ALWAYS be a larger population below the mean income than above (much the same way that there are fewer athletes making above the average salary than below). Now, the mean income is still among the richest on the planet… but let’s not let perspective cloud our relativistic tantrums. All the Democrats need to do is convince the “below average” majority that they deserve more… that it’s their “right” to have more – to have what the wealthy (and therefore, greedy) anglo-folks have been selfishly hoarding. (Ahhh… but wealth is spreading these days… more on that later.)

Much to the chagrin of the blues, and much to the surprise of the urban-fortressed media, there are A LOT of poor folks living away from the cities and deep in the rural 95% of America. It may come as a shock to you (if you’re liberal) that indeed folks do live outside of city limits. Many country folks are poor (relatively). Dare I say that the lowest incomes in the inner-cities match the lowest incomes in the rural townships. The only difference is that the rural folks don’t have a city bus to take to the voting boothes come election day… talk about disenfrachised. (I know I’ve oversimplified it, but not much)

And the seperation of wealth based on race is again misleeding indeed, because the black and hispanic upper-class are growing in numbers (and would both be growing in percentages, too, if not for illegals crossing the Rio Grande). I was in Vegas recently, and believe me, there were many people of every color, shape, size, and age imaginable. It didn’t matter if you were white or black.. you were still tossing cash around like it was dirty tissues. The upper-class “of color” (I hate that term) are growing because of hard work and determination… either reaching out into investing or starting a business or entering into some opportunistic partnerships. And I say, GREAT! That’s what happens when smart people put their minds to work and take a chance… that’s what this country is all about. And it’s a logical poem how the percentage of red staters among successful entrepeneurial blacks and hispanics is sharply higher than the average.

Stay tuned for more…

There are several phenomena at work here… probably the chief of which is cowardice. People are cowards… which is primarily why they choose to flatter rather than be honest. Candor is seen as offensive… and blunt truth is the highest evil of all. We’re so freaked out about offending anyone that we’ll let utter filth freely defecate all over us and our laws right in front of us, rub our nose in it, and then call us bigots. It is a shameful group of pansies we have become.

So is it any surprise that we take opinion polls all the time? Oh yes… we have to take polls to see if waves are being made anywhere on any issue… because that’s obviously the truest measure of noble direction – lack of dissent. Surely if everyone is happy with what’s happening then we must be doing it right. And by extension we must also ensure everyone in the international community is pleased with us, too. Because… obviously… other countries have the United States’ needs and wants truly at the core of their belief system. Yeah right…

Here is the article mentioned above:

If you are ever morally confused about a major world issue, here is a rule that is almost never violated: Whenever you hear that “world opinion” holds a view, assume it is morally wrong.

And here is a related rule if your religious or national or ethnic group ever suffers horrific persecution: “World opinion” will never do a thing for you. Never.

“World opinion” has little or nothing to say about the world’s greatest evils and regularly condemns those who fight evil.

The history of “world opinion” regarding the greatest mass murders and cruelties on the planet is one of relentless apathy.

Ask the 1.5 million Armenians massacred by the Ottoman Turks;
or the 6 million Ukrainians slaughtered by Stalin;
or the tens of millions of other Soviet citizens killed by Stalin’s Soviet Union;
or the 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis and their helpers throughout Europe;
or the 60 million Chinese butchered by Mao;
or the 2 million Cambodians murdered by Pol Pot;
or the millions killed and enslaved in Sudan;
or the Tutsis murdered in Rwanda’s genocide;
or the millions starved to death and enslaved in North Korea;
or the million Tibetans killed by the Chinese;
or the million-plus Afghans put to death by Brezhnev’s Soviet Union.

Ask any of these poor souls, or the hundreds of millions of others slaughtered, tortured, raped and enslaved in the last 100 years, if “world opinion” did anything for them.

On the other hand, we learn that “world opinion” is quite exercised over Israel’s unintentional killing of a few hundred Lebanese civilians behind whom hides Hezbollah — a terror group that intentionally sends missiles at Israeli cities and whose announced goals are the annihilation of Israel and the Islamicization of Lebanon. And, of course, “world opinion” was just livid at American abuses of some Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. In fact, “world opinion” is constantly upset with America and Israel, two of the most decent countries on earth, yet silent about the world’s cruelest countries.

Why is this?

Here are four reasons:

First, television news.

It is difficult to overstate the damage done to the world by television news. Even when not driven by political bias — an exceedingly rare occurrence globally — television news presents a thoroughly distorted picture of the world. Because it is almost entirely dependent upon pictures, TV news is only capable of showing human suffering in, or caused by, free countries. So even if the BBC or CNN were interested in showing the suffering of millions of Sudanese blacks or North Koreans — and they are not interested in so doing — they cannot do it because reporters cannot visit Sudan or North Korea and video freely. Likewise, China’s decimation and annexation of Tibet, one of the world’s oldest ongoing civilizations, never made it to television.

Second, “world opinion” is shaped by the same lack of courage that shapes most individual human beings’ behavior. This is another aspect of the problem of the distorted way news is presented. It takes courage to report the evil of evil regimes; it takes no courage to report on the flaws of decent societies. Reporters who went into Afghanistan without the Soviet Union’s permission were killed. Reporters would risk their lives to get critical stories out of Tibet, North Korea and other areas where vicious regimes rule. But to report on America’s bad deeds in Iraq (not to mention at home) or Israel’s is relatively effortless, and you surely won’t get killed. Indeed, you may well win a Pulitzer Prize.

Third, “world opinion” bends toward power. To cite the Israel example, “world opinion” far more fears alienating the largest producers of oil and 1 billion Muslims than it fears alienating tiny Israel and the world’s 13 million Jews. And not only because of oil and numbers. When you offend Muslims, you risk getting a fatwa, having your editorial offices burned down or receiving death threats. Jews don’t burn down their critics’ offices, issue fatwas or send death threats, let alone act on such threats.

Fourth, those who don’t fight evil condemn those who do. “World opinion” doesn’t confront real evils, but it has a particular animus toward those who do — most notably today America and Israel.

The moment one recognizes “world opinion” for what it is — a statement of moral cowardice, one is longer enthralled by the term. That “world opinion” at this moment allegedly loathes America and Israel is a badge of honor to be worn proudly by those countries. It is when “world opinion” and its news media start liking you that you should wonder if you’ve lost your way.

Being an Armenian helped me relate to this even more.

Now the Cape is a beautiful place that has a peaceful quiet that transcends its mere appearance of beaches and seagulls. And P-town is no exception. It was remarkable to me, however, that of all the places I’ve ever been to on the entire planet, P-town was the only one that had anything like “A Non-Hate Community” written on its welcome road sign.

So what was my impression of this “non-hate” community? I thought it was the most hateful place I had ever been… ever. Really. It wasn’t like I feared for my life or that everyone was running around with red glowing eyes and eating each other… but there was definitely something wrong with the place. I have never felt more disapproving glances. I have never seen bumper stickers and apparel with such hateful and intolerant content (usually about President Bush or Republicans). Really, this place – that touts tolerance – was the most intolerant I’d ever seen. A sick irony in an already sick country of political correctness and hypocrisy.

It was no surprise that this article just came out in the Boston Globe regarding the July 4 weekend just two weeks ago:

A new intolerance visits Provincetown

Police say gays accused of slurs

[...]

Police say they logged numerous complaints of straight people being called “breeders” by gays over the July Fourth holiday weekend. Jamaican workers reported being the target of racial slurs. And a woman was verbally accosted after signing a petition that opposed same-sex marriage, they said.

[...]

Winsome Karr, 45, originally from Jamaica, has worked in town since 2002. Lately, she said, the off-color comments stem from gay visitors who mistakenly believe that all Jamaicans share the views of an island religious sect that disagrees with homosexuality.

[...]

On same-sex marriage, the clashes have occurred as the state Legislature grapples with whether the electorate should vote on a measure to limit marriage to heterosexuals. A group that supports gay marriage, knowthyneighbor, has created a website displaying the names of more than 100,000 signers of a petition that calls for the state Constitution to be amended to prohibit same-sex marriage.

Knowthyneighbor’s tactics are controversial, with critics alleging that knowthyneighbor is making the names of same-sex marriage opponents public in an effort to expose or intimidate them. The group’s founders say they are simply promoting civic discourse.

The names of 43 Provincetown residents are listed on the website. Most of the petition signers attend St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, which serves the Portuguese community and others in town. The Catholic Church has helped lead the fight against same-sex marriage.

One St. Peter’s parishioner, Yvonne Cabral, was verbally accosted last Friday by Provincetown Magazine publisher Rick Hines after Hines learned that Cabral signed the petition, according to police.

Police Chief Ted Meyer plans to seek charges of disorderly conduct against Hines, who saw Cabral shopping and loudly called her a “bigot,” according to both Hines and Meyer. Other people who signed the petition — and subsequently had their names posted on the same website — said manure has been spread on their properties in recent months, Meyer added.

This is the kind of stuff that keeps Westboro Baptist Church in business.

I find her show to be a wealth of information. Much of it is basic and the people who call in don’t always ask the hardest questions… but even somebody like me… who lives and breathes computers (and who has a graduate degree in the stuff) can learn a bunch just by listening to her. She always has tons of tips of helpful hints on about any computer related topic you can think of. And her website is loaded with info and links to preferred software.

I get asked a lot of computer questions by people… people from all my circles of life… because they think of me as “the computer guy”. Quite frankly, many times the questions I get asked are simple… not just simple by my standards… but even simple for a layman. People ask me these questions because they want a quick answer and don’t want to take the moment to look up the answer on their own. In fact, you should see the disappointment that falls over someone’s face when I tell them which website has the answer to their question. Now you may say – what do you mean… shouldn’t they be excited to have a website to find their answer. Yes, they SHOULD, but they aren’t… they are disappointed that they actually have to GO to the website THEMSELVES… and they don’t feel like writing the URL down and/or committing it to memory so they usually never go there. Isn’t that crazy?

On Kim’s website and you’ll find much, but the real gem to most people is her downloads section with great links to shareware and freeware applications to perform some of the most important functions on your computer… like spyware detection and virus protection.

I highly recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about their computer (and is not into lots of geek-speak) to listen to Kim Komando’s show. I especially recommend this if you find yourself constantly asking help for routine and basic questions regarding commonly used software and features. I super-mega-recommend this if you know me!

Every time you see a news story about the “catastrophic sky-rocketing” price of gasoline they always stick a microphone in the driver’s window of some rusty lemon and get candid comments from a below-average joe claiming to be sweating crude because he can’t afford to buy gas to go to work… but he’s got $20 of McDonald’s and $15 in cigarettes sitting in the front seat. And seriously… a buck more a gallon makes commuting to work unaffordable? Are you kidding me? Where do you commute to work… the sun? We’re paying a fraction of what Europeans pay… is it still too much? We’ll pay $2.75 for 12oz of Spring Water (whatever the heck that is) and $4.60 for a 16oz Mochaccino, but that extra $5 that it’ll cost to drive to work this week is out of the question? Puh-lease.

This is the friggin’ United States of friggin’ America. This is an amusement park where everyone is richer than they realize. Really. People drop $5000 on a family vacation but then tell the news reporter that because of gas prices they’re afraid they’ll have to change their plans. What?! NEWS FLASH: Unless you’re going to travel the friggin’ country by automobile gasoline is not, has never been, and will never be the primary, secondary, or tertiary expenditure on a vacation. This family who’s ready to drop five G’s is going to pay about $30 more in gas. That’s less than 1% of their total vacation cost and they’re thinking of scrapping the whole thing?! What about sales tax (from around 5 to 8%)? Sales tax is like ten times the extra cost of gasoline on our vacations… but I don’t hear anyone saying that they’re going to have to scrap that exotic nude tropical island getaway because of the blasted sales tax. School taxes will go up ridiculous amounts each year… hundreds of dollars… but everyone would rather freak out about the extra $.80 in gas it cost to go to the mall and buy $125 sneakers and $62 cologne. I feel like I’m taking crazy pills.

Should I mention that many complaining of fuel prices are driving highway-legal Sherman tanks not known for their efficiency? That’s ok… the people didn’t buy them for their efficiency… because they didn’t have to… because they could pay $20 a gallon for gas before they’d change their driving habits. And you know what? They’d probably still buy the Sherman tank. And nothing says “I Love Me” quite like a Lincoln Navigator or a Cadillac Escalade.

Speaking of habits and behavior… oil is one of the most inelastic commodities there is… and until oxygen is no longer free oil will probably be THE most inelastic commodity (see the graph to the right). In our society everyone drives except in deep urban settings with robust public transportation systems. As such, people will buy gasoline so they can drive where they need or want to go. The price of gas goes up… but people still buy the same amount of it. Why? Because their driving habits stay the same. In our culture it’s not like we’re all in a big dorm room and all my dorm-mates head to the same class at the same time every day and we can carpool just like that. No. Everyone does their own thing and they have different destinations… different stops on the way… different times they like to leave and different times they like to arrive… and in our fiercely independent society nobody is in a hurry to give any of that up an inch, even if it means paying more in gas. We’re demonstrating everyday that we’re willing to pay mad duckets in gasoline so that we don’t have to change our personal routines… myself included.

And with regard to gas prices… many like to target the oil companies because they’re making record profits. Well done them. Here’s another NEWS FLASH: Oil companies don’t set the price of gas. Their profits are reflections of the rising price of gas. If you purchase real estate and the price of land in your area jumps up, then you’ve made yourself a big profit. Well done you. Oil, being a commodity, is set on the commodities market… and the price is whatever commodities brokers are willing to pay. Most of the fluctuations in price are due to human skittishness and fear more than anything. And it’s too easy to envision the oil companies as fat, white, middle-aged CEO’s who are stealing these so-called profits right out from under us. Oil companies are like any big company… they are tens of thousands of employees of various levels who are all smiling at the high cost of gas… just like you’d be smiling if you’re industry came into mega-bucks. Now, if you want to ask why the CEO gets a $400 million dollar bonus… that is a good question, but not related to gas prices.

So what’s the solution. Ask four people and you’ll get five answers. There’s no viable competing auto fuel that’s feasible for present-day society… maybe eventually electric or hydrogen cars will be more prevalent, but not yet. So as long as gasoline is the only car fuel and we refuse to change our habits the demand curve for oil will stay inelastic. As long as the demand curve is inelastic there won’t be sufficient feedback in gas prices to offset the rising costs of it. In effect we’re all doing the Kabuki Dick Dance here… so if you want to do something proactive either learn all the horse trails that lead to your job and local malls, or do what I did. I heavily invested in oil funds, both last year and this year, and I’m smiling ear to ear when I see the price fluctuate, because I make money the more scared people get about gas and the future of energy. So please… be afraid… be very afraid.

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.
- unknown

Now you may want to know why a liberal, left-hugging periodical not known for being faith-friendly would take front-page notice of a conservative, Biblically-based church? Let me suggest that Terra Nova was noticed just as much for what it is NOT as for what it is. Terra Nova is not suits and ties… not felt pews and purple thrones… not smile-all-the-time-or-go-to-hell. This may seem very strange and foreign to many church-folk so stick with me. Terra Nova, quite simply, ventures to be everything of substance the true Biblical church is supposed to be while shedding any non-Biblical ideosyncrasies that traditional “church” has picked up along the way. Indeed, most Christians think that their traditions made popular in the 17th century (and subsequently converted into doctrine in the 1950′s) have their foundation with the very roots of Paul and Peter themselves! Many Christians think that singing songs not older than two centuries and not sung to pre-America drinking tunes are… *gulp*… of the devil.

Aghast! By what demon doth thou curseth me, oh wretched and horrible ghost, that thouest hath wrought my ruin upon the face of this leftist propaganda?!
- Any of the lesser Albany pastors after hypothetically being featured in the Metroland

Terra Nova is just a group of people who know they don’t have all the answers and are seeking Christ for those answers. And while we’re at it, let’s not pretend we live in a different century or on a different continent. Perhaps that’s just what makes Terra Nova stick out a little bit… we’re Christians who’ll readily interact with the rest of their own culture. Christians who see their church featured in Metroland and go “Cool!”

Oh yeah… it doesn’t hurt that the worship totally rocks, too. [Thank you Scott Womer]

Here’s some excerpts from the well-written article by Chet Hardin:

I was told before the service that the band would rock. That 800-year-old songs written by St. Francis of Assisi would be brought up to speed and the windows would rattle. That people passing on the streets would wonder what on earth could be going on inside Revolution Hall on a Sunday morning.

“It’s just Terra Nova,” Phil Taylor, executive pastor, said and laughed.

[...]

Taylor tells me they chose Revolution Hall because of its size (it can accommodate 800 people), its acoustics (it’s been billed as upstate New York’s “most advanced musical venue”) and because it’s just cool.

And that’s Terra Nova. A cool, confident, Generation X church that has come of age. The teaching pastor, Ed Marcelle, looks like an average Gen-Xer. He is dressed casually in worn jeans and a pullover zipper-neck sweatshirt. His hair hangs a little long, a little curly and a little out of control. Up on the stage, while he preaches, he paces slowly back and forth, like a college professor, feeling his way through his teaching with modesty and charisma. It is my first church service in 19 years, but I find myself completely engaged.

[...]

Stephen Bugler and his fiancée, Kim Cahill, in their early 30s, have been coming to Terra Nova since it started up four months ago. Bugler says he has spent years searching for a church that he could connect to.

“I went to a traditional church where everyone wore robes,” Bugler says. “And they had all these rituals that were completely dead to me. With Terra Nova, they are taking those ancient traditions and making them relevant to my life.”

Relevance is key at Terra Nova, says Cahill, who is the director of the Albany chapter of Campus Ambassadors, a national Christian fellowship organization. “I feel comfortable inviting a student to Terra Nova,” she says. “It’s like, they’ve been in Revolution Hall before. It’s not a church; it’s a bar. They are like, ‘Oh, I can do a bar.’ ”

“It’s nice to have a church where you can wear whatever you want and you can go and feel comfortable,” she adds.

But most important, they say, it is the core values of Terra Nova that keep them coming back. Terra Nova might be cool, but it is fundamentally, Biblically grounded.

[...]

[Ed Marcelle] says, “We are pretty boring and orthodox, in terms of ancient Christian belief.”

It’s true. Theologically, Terra Nova is nothing new; its core beliefs would appeal to any conservative evangelical. For all the guitars and the come-as-you-are aesthetic, this is not a liberal church.

Terra Nova members believe that the Bible is the unerring truth, the infallible word of God. They believe in original sin, wine from water, the virgin birth and the resurrection of Christ. They believe that there is only one God and that there is only one way to salvation . . . and that there is a Hell waiting for the unsaved and that a hell of a lot of people are headed that way. They believe strongly in marriage between a man and a woman. They believe that homosexuality is a sin, though they are quick to point out that persecuting homosexuals is just as much of a sin, and, for that matter, everyone is a sinner. And they believe that God’s truth is irresistible.

[...]

Terra Nova belongs to a large and growing movement of churches trying to break down [barriers] by reaching out and relating to the 18- to 35-year-old crowd. It is a movement of Gen-X pastors who listen to Radiohead, Matisyahu, Green Day and Death Cab for Cutie and drop quotes from Fight Club, Marshall McLuhan and The Matrix. They hold services in bars, coffee shops, dance clubs and auto-parts stores.

It is a movement in which authenticity is a coveted word. A quick scan of any of the thousands of blogs, Web sites and books dedicated to the Gen-X church movement, also known as the emergent or post-mod movement, shows just how important a marker for success authenticity is. It can make or break the reputation of young churches and pastors. Being in touch, being culturally relevant is vital. Be a member of your own community, and your community will be your congregation: This is the equation the guys at Terra Nova are operating upon. And their message seems to resonate.

[...]

The institutional church, Marcelle argues, has become so enamored with tradition it has become a preservationist society.

“It’s the fundamentalist and evangelical Amish of our day. It doesn’t look that weird now, but give it 100 years. I went to a church where they handed me anticommunist literature, like it’s 1955. I was like, ‘I don’t know how to tell you guys this, it might shock you. . .’ ”

There are so many people who want to have a dialogue about God, he says, “who were me when I was hanging out on Lark Street. And the Christian church, who is supposedly the keeper of those truths, isn’t talking.”

[...]

[Scott Womer says] “People are looking to something beyond this world.”

The church leaders at Terra Nova and in Acts 29 are touching a nerve in a seemingly secular and skeptical generation, a generation I have always thought was moving beyond religion in favor of science and relativism. But it seems I’ve been exactly wrong. Gen-Xers haven’t given up on religion; they’ve been waiting for it. And in the meantime, they have been using popular culture to express the same sort of wrought emotional outpouring, desperation for meaning and finality of action that now some of them are expressing every Sunday morning at Revolution Hall.

Amen.