I leave with you with a well-put-together tribute to our troops from a USAF officer, and a message from one of the few spokesmen for freedom in Washington… Ron Paul.

A young Barack Obama

They’ll Let Anybody Vote

I remember being at a party a few months before the election. I was in a side conversation when politics was brought up (not by me, I swear!). An early-twenty-something schoolteacher voiced his enthusiastic support for Obama. To this point the only topic this fellow seemed knowledgeable in was hard liquor (seriously — and indeed this party of mostly church-goers talked more about hard liquor than any other topic… astounding… but I digress).

So, intrigued, I prodded him for a few details of why he supported Obama. His faced turned uncomfortable, but he managed to mumble something about “feeling” Obama was a good choice and would “bring change”. Unsatisfied, I asked for which of Obama’s proposed changes he favored the most. Astoundingly (or not so), this schoolteacher — this young “learned” instructor of my community’s children — could not name even ONE THING Obama professed to change.

His ignorance is not without healthy company…

Electric Justice

A man kept having his McCain signs stolen… so he set up a camera and electrified the sign. [article link] Turns out a local neighborhood liberal had coerced his young son into crime… replacing local McCain signs with Obama signs. But this time he got “caught”.

This is a wonderful, feel-good story. It’s beautiful… really. This man, an electrical engineer, used his skill to electrify his property and brought joy to the world. Joy in the form of pure, justice-honey. Mmmm. Poetry… a balancing of the universe… like the dawn’s light pouring over green hills.

She Said What?!

So What Does Change Really Mean?

Change Means Socialism

Mugshots for Change

Let me leave you with a collection of Obama supporter mugshots? Indeed, this is the kind of thing you’d probably never be able get from a conservative candidate. Behold the faces of change!

Some Obama supporters

In today’s world of political correctness (a true mental disease if ever there was one) Thanksgiving seems to be largely rewritten by elitist swine in our education system. I remember that Maryland public school kids were allowed to thank anyone for Thanksgiving — except God!? Now I’m reading that a 40-year Thanksgiving dress-up tradition in a California school district is being scrapped by un-testicled school officials who are cowering to some young Indian mother with a tomahawk up her butt about the whole thing.

For a fresher perspective on Thanksgiving read Rush Limbaugh’s recent chronicling of the early settlers’ experiments with socialism and free enterprise. Apparently William Bradford learned very quickly what many today will never learn.

Despite the consistent stream of idiocy surrounding me in virtually every facet of my existence on this rock there is MUCH I am thankful for. Much. I am thankful that there are still some around me who believe in truth. There are still some who will stand against stupidity and political correctness — who will rebuke “offended” people just like Jesus did. I am thankful that my life (despite the pool of unintelligence I have to wade through daily) is relative a day in the park… an amusement park… a big amusement park with lots of rides and fried junk food. I’ve got it good, and I am commanded to share what I have been blessed with to those in need – and to do it in God’s name and in an effective manner.

So, happy cynical Thanksgiving!

Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.

This year’s issue is poverty. Let’s be honest… poverty sucks. Nobody who’s in poverty wants to be there. So why is anyone in poverty? What’s the root cause of poverty? Can we do anything about it?

Talking about poverty in the United States seems a little like talking about electricity within the Amish community — we have it, but not much of it (relative to the world), and in seemingly different flavors and for different reasons. I’ve seen some poverty both in the US and in other countries… and frankly, our poverty appears lame by comparison. My wife, who volunteers in a local shelter and has also been to many more regions of the world than I have, has an even clearer perspective. My lineage comes from Armenia… a place with serious, serious poverty. My wife and I support a little girl in Bolivia through Compassion International. And there are of course many, many more places around the globe that are so poor it makes Western poverty look like the Hamptons. I guess it’s relative. Is it?

So how do we end poverty? Well… we don’t. For me as a Christ-follower I’m called to fight poverty, but not to END it. We’re NEVER going to end poverty. You can’t end poverty any more than you can end indigestion or greed. Poverty is the result of humanity’s fallen-ness and depravity. We are by nature very clever and slightly evil. Anyone who’s spent any time at a homeless shelter knows that some people, no matter how much wealth they’re given, will be impoverished again eventually.

Ok, so how do we fight poverty? And even more importantly for Christ-followers like me… how do we fight poverty in a way that glorifies God, rather than in a way that glorifies secular humanism. One of the best scriptural assessments I’ve found anywhere addressing this issue was this article here, titled The Cause and Cure of Poverty, written by John Armstrong for Mark Driscoll’s TheResurgence blog. My own attempt to directly word-tackle this issue would seem pathetic next to John’s article… so just read his! Seriously!

Some excerpts:

What causes poverty? The question presently plagues many serious Christian thinkers and leaders. The answers vary but the proposed solutions are the stuff of our political campaigns every four years. We can already hear the discussion from the various candidates for the presidency in 2008, both Republican and Democrat.

[...]

…Capitalism is deeply rooted in the Judeo-Christian moral code. (This is not to defend all that Adam Smith, the so-called father of modern capitalism, wrote since Smith made mistakes as any theorist will.) …Capitalism is not rooted in greed at all, as is falsely argued by numerous Christian activists today. …Capitalism, when it is rightly understood, is rooted in altruism. And it is fundamentally based upon creativity, the creativity of both service and wealth. …Wealth is good, something many pious Christians have a hard time appreciating.

[...]

Simply put, capitalism creates new wealth, it doesn’t simply capture it or steal it from others.

Think about the much-maligned Wal-Mart chain. Politicians, and the various critics of modern forms of American capitalism, routinely attack Wal-Mart even though their overall record as a company is generally one of helping create jobs, of providing goods at cheaper prices and of stimulating creative economic changes. Yes, mom and pop stores do suffer when Wal-Mart moves to town. But that is the nature of the system. Mom and pop will have to adjust. The spirit of freedom allows them to do exactly that if they become creative enough to work better within the free-market system.

[...]

Socialism always destroys personal freedoms by trying to plan for other lives through a central government system that watches out for you. (This is why President Reagan once quipped that the worst words you could ever hear were these: “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you!”) Capitalism allows you to plan for yourself. It allows for creativity and enterprise. Furthermore, it encourages people to provide for others in order to express their creativity through goods and services. Greed is, in reality, inimical to capitalism. Greed drives the welfare state more than it does capitalism since greedy people want unearned rewards to be given to them by a benevolent government that levels the playing field. Such a system directly causes people to petition governments to solve their personal problems, and the bigger the government’s role becomes the worse the nightmare.

The problem with liberal economic state-based solutions is that they undermine this cycle of personal success and initiative. Capitalism allows even “the wretched of the earth” to succeed. Envy and greed create wars and revolutions. Witness the great twentieth century bloodbaths, most of which revolved around economic thoughts and the role of government in engineering material possession and seeking to level the playing field economically.

[...]

Many young Christians are being sold a bill of goods about the evils of capitalism by evangelical writers such as Ron Sider, Tony Campolo and Jim Wallis. The intentions of these men are generally good. They desire equality, which is good. They also hate injustice and racism. This is also very good. But the equality of means and income is not the basis of real freedom. Even lifting everyone out of poverty is not possible since poverty is rooted in much more than access to more money.

Indeed, it seems too many Christian folks are buying into a form of humanist socialism as a means to address society’s social justice issues. Their heart may be in the right place… but Christ tells us that WE (His followers) are the ones who are supposed to be doing that work IN HIS NAME, so that HE get’s the glory rather than some socialist system. So rather than pay higher taxes into an impersonal, godless system of idiotic wealth redistribution we should be supporting free markets and lower taxes so that not only is new wealth is created for all, but so we have more personal income to directly invest (both with our money and volunteer time) into Christ-honoring ministries that fight poverty and win souls.

Free market capitalism and lower taxation actually become a major part of the Christ-follower’s fight against poverty — surprise surprise.

This morning the United States of America marked the seventh anniversary of the 9-11 attack on our country, our people, and our freedom. It’s been a few years since I touched on this, but I felt compelled today to reiterate that the perpetrators of this barbarous act against everything good we stand for were cowardly, gutless, sac-less, spineless, dog-molesters who are presently writhing in an afterlife of pure, unimaginable pain… devoid of virgins.

I read today that Europe isn’t in agreement on who perpetrated the attack 7 years ago… with some saying the United States set it up, and others blaming Israel for masterminding the act. All hail the mighty European education system. Let there be no doubt that if the politically correct pansies in Europe and the US had their way, we’d all be offering our infidel children up to be sacrificed to Allah in the name of tolerance.

And today I get to fly from California to New York. I get to be wanded, poked, and prodded. I get to remove my shoes… because they could be bombs. I get to pack toiletries in my checked luggage, rather than my carry-on’s, because my cologne and body gel could be bombs. I get to watch all ages and all genders of law-abiding, lifelong United States citizens get treated as if they were Muslim males aged 18-35 traveling on temporary visas and acting twitchy. May God have mercy on all our souls.

I, for one, would rather initiate flurries of high-velocity lead than let myself forget what happened, or forget that we’re always at war… whether politically, spiritually, or militarily. May God deal with us be it ever so severely if we ever forget… and may God bless the USA.

Why was it exciting? John McCain made me proud in picking a true conservative as his VP. [yahoo][reuters] A maverick conservative at that. One with a reputation for clashing against the establishment, including the Republican establishment, when it’s corrupt… which is GREAT by me because I’m a conservative first.

Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, is a wife and mother of five. She was previously the mayor of a small Alaskan town. Her husband is part Eskimo and a semi-pro snowmobile racer. She hunts moose (those smelly global warmers) and is a life-long member of the NRA. Her son is shipping out to Iraq next month. She’s smart, eloquent, young (for a pol), attractive, ballsy and unafraid. Holy smokes… what’s not to like?

But seriously now… is the United States ready for the Palins? They’re like a “real” family! What’s that about? I mean… she’s a hockey mom with five kids (including a Down syndrome baby she “boldly” decided not to have her doctor slice up)… this is like the family living down the street. Hmm… that sounds like “change” to me. Perhaps even “change we can believe in”?

So the Barack Hussein folks are saying that she has no foreign policy experience. Ok, sure… her weakest point may just that. BUT, she’s a #2… and since Obama, the blue team’s #1, has no foreign policy experience either I’d say that’s advantage GOP. And besides… if Battlestar Galactica has taught us anything it’s that a seemingly-inexperienced female educator can be thrust into leadership amid catastrophic circumstances and do just marvelous. [paste]

Dems are ones to talk about VP picks… didn’t they say McCain was an old, crusty Washington insider unfit for reforming the beltway? Yeah… so Obama goes and picks a VP who is an old, crustier, deeper insider in Washington. Real smooth.

And nothing says you’re ready for change like finding one of the biggest problems in partisan DC politics and making him your VP. Whereas McCain has chosen someone far, far, FAR removed from the beltway, even by liberal media accounts. Indeed, McCain and Palin may represent a party ticket combining for the largest reputation for intra-party critique of any potential duo ever. Did someone say “change”?

Sarah Palin is more qualified to be President than Barack Hussein. The other side likes to babble on about hope ‘n change incessantly. I say keep the change — we’ve got a change for the better.

We, in Ireland, can’t figure out why people are even bothering to hold an election in the United States.

On one side, you have a pants wearing lawyer, married to a lawyer who can’t keep his pants on, who just lost a long and heated primary against another lawyer who goes to a loony church, who is married to yet another lawyer who doesn’t even like the country her husband wants to run.

On the other side, you have a nice old war hero whose last name starts with “Mc” and is married to a good looking younger woman who owns a beer distributorship.

What excuse, in the Lord’s name and by all that is holy, could you possibly have for even pausing at this decision?

[HT: Dan Neville]

The 2008 NBA Champion Boston Celtics apparently had no players worthy of being sent to China to play for the US… despite spending the 2008 season wiping the court with the rest of the league. Oops… have I forgotten how successful our more flashy players can be in international play. We wouldn’t want to put in Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, or Paul Pierce… who collectively surrendered their individual games in favor of a cooperative team-centered style… would we? Do we really want to start winning against those other big-name basketball countries… like Greece, Argentina, and Puerto Rico? Countries who would gladly shove that basketball up your rear if they could score soccer tickets out of the “exchange”. Team-centered play… what’s that nonsense about?

Bless my soul, I thought basketball was a still a team sport!? Instead of sending the so-called all-stars to showboat, trip all over each other and screw up another year of international play (a far cry from the Bird, Magic, Jordan days)… why not send an actual team? Why not send the NBA championship team? That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout. China baby! Someone said tea… I heard you ask for a little Boston 3 Party to march all over your misshapen paint!

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.

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!?

I checked Google and my blog was the first to make the direct connection between the two (albeit obvious). Since then, it has popped up on a few other blogs and the Stark Industries entry on Wikipedia has been updated to reflect the company logo’s peculiar likeness to Lockheed Martin’s.

I would say “you be the judge”, but is there any doubt?

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?

Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?
- Adolf Hitler… while persuading his generals that a Jewish holocaust would be tolerated by the West

…the Armenian massacre was the greatest crime of the war, and the failure to act against Turkey is to condone it … the failure to deal radically with the Turkish horror means that all talk of guaranteeing the future peace of the world is mischievous nonsense.
- Theodore Roosevelt… in a May 11, 1918, letter to Cleveland Hoadley Dodge

I am confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such horrible episode as this. The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915.
- Henry Morgenthau, Sr. US Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire

On this day, we pause in remembrance of one of the most horrible tragedies of the 20th century, the annihilation of as many as 1.5 million Armenians through forced exile and murder at the end of the Ottoman Empire. This terrible event remains a source of pain for people in Armenia and Turkey and for all those who believe in freedom, tolerance, and the dignity of every human life. I join with my fellow Americans and the Armenian community in the United States and around the world in mourning this loss of life.
- George W. Bush, April 24, 2004

Armenian Genocide // Armenian Genocide Map // Armenian Genocide Photos // genocide1915.info // never-again.com

• Educate yourself on nuclear power. Learn to pronounce it (noo-clee-er, not like noo-kyoo-ler) and then learn all about it. The Nuclear Energy Institute has a great educational website filled with facts, truth, and mythbusters. Seed Magazine has a well-produced one-page cribsheet on nuclear energy. And my own website has a small Nuclear Engineering section with some good resources.
• Once educated, take action whenever you hear misinformation about nuclear energy recklessly interjected into popular debate. Dispel the myths, refute the lies, and lay a logical smackdown on the blathering freaks zombified from prolonged exposure to neo-utopian green-ness. Write your politicians about supporting nuclear energy. Write your politicians about equal environmental standards for so-called “developing” pollution mammoths (like China and India).
• Don’t believe the hype. Actively disregard anything being loudly shouted by student environmental activists. They’ll stand outside at protests screaming nonsensical eco-chants, yet they haven’t even done anything useful for the “Earth” yet to begin with… see what they’re like in 20 years trying to hold a job and raise a family. Usually these snot-nosed airbags are just echoing the sentiments of some socialist professor, and carry with it vehement disdain for the environmental policies of the United States. News flash, the US (and most western countries) are meccas of green gold – veritable bastions of crunchy tree-hugging hippies – compared to the rest of the planet. Ignoring environmentalist wackos usually can only benefit the Earth.
• Live reasonably. If you live in the West and you aren’t giving time and/or money to some worthy cause somewhere… then there’s a good chance you are selfish, and selfish people hyper-consume for their own ends. Break the habit by supporting a poor child. Consider setting aside a portion of what you’d normally spend on intra-family gifts to help out the local city mission. Contact your local church and find out if they know of anyone in need of some groceries or yard work. By spending your wealth (and if you’re in the US, you’re wealthy) partially on others, you’ll consume less and be a better steward of the environment.
• Don’t pollute. That includes YOU – fat lady driving in front of me throwing your McDonald’s bag out the car window onto the road! That also includes YOU – smoker who thinks the entire friggin’ planet is an ashtray for your cigarette butts! If I could magically cast two spells… the second one would be that every conscious act of polluting would take a week off the polluter’s life.
• Whatever Al Gore says… the opposite is probably true. Act accordingly.

Happy Earth Day!

I think the movie is one of the best independent flicks I’ve seen. I watched it with my wife – we found it full of passion and sincerity. Particularly, it was refreshing to see professional musicians acting in lead roles with such engaging realism… probably so engaging precisely because they aren’t actors, and therefore their acting was much more believable, if that makes any sense.

Without giving anything away, the movie is about two amateur musicians each struggling in their own way. They by chance embark on a week-long musical collaboration that culminates with them recording their songs over a weekend. Throughout the movie each of them shares songs that find their way into the storyline (and ultimately onto their recorded CD).

Mere hours passed after watching Once before I bought the soundtrack… which was filled (pleasingly) with all the songs from the movie. For fellow musicians especially, I highly recommend this movie and its soundtrack.

From wikipedia…
Once is an Academy Award winning 2007 Irish musical film written and directed by John Carney. Set in Dublin, this naturalistic drama stars musicians Glen Hansard (of popular Irish rock band The Frames) and Markéta Irglová as struggling musicians. Collaborators prior to making the film, Hansard and/or Irglová composed and performed all but one of the original songs in the movie.

Shot for only €130,000 ($160,000), the film was very successful, earning substantial per-screen box office averages in the United States. It received extremely enthusiastic reviews and awards such as the 2008 Independent Spirit Award for best foreign film. Hansard and Irglová’s song “Falling Slowly” received a 2008 Academy Award and a 2008 Grammy nomination, and the soundtrack as a whole also received a Grammy nomination.

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.

Part of the irony comes from the right-leaning “red state” map of the by-county vote breakdown, and the left-leaning political alignment of the (RED) movement, (PRODUCT)RED, and the Global Fund.

Now that I think about it, I have posted about (PRODUCT)RED before:

So I walk into the Apple store. Now, I am admittedly a PC guy… partly because my brain and motor coordination can handle more than one mouse button. Actually, I even PREFER more than one mouse button and find myself using the so-called “mousewheel” very frequently. I’m walking into the Apple store to pickup a little hard case for my new fancy red 8GB iPod nano. It’s my first iPod and I’m diggin’ it. My choice of red was because I greatly preferred it over black (the other choice), and not because it’s part of the product red movement which is a somewhat leftist dick-dance of an effort to fight AIDS in Africa by donating $10 of your red iPod purchase in the name of Oprah and Bono. This inexplicably satiates the little activist hearts of the young Starbucks demographic and relieves them of the drudgery of actually doing something to help Africans.

This photo-concept is ©Copyright 2007 by myself. The (RED) logo and markings are trademarks of The Persuaders, LLC, and used here for parody/satire purposes.

What does this say? Perhaps the type of parents that use the mall as a proxy childcare service for their school kids are of sufficiently lower class and intelligence that they are more likely to raise ignorant kids. Perhaps the schools themselves could have helped by preempting the previous Friday’s tolerance-and-sensitivity (read muzzle-straight-males) assembly to instead spend an entire day learning how every freedom we in the US enjoy (including holding ridiculous school assemblies) is only because of the American soldier and sailor (and their supporting cast). Perhaps the kids have simply succumb to parentally enabled self-absorption in sufficient quantities to preclude any comprehension apart from instant messages and ringtones.

I say that if you’re a teenager and you don’t know why your off from school on Veteran’s Day, then you should have to show up for school anyway… and clean erasers or something. And, so help you, if you’re a school kid who has been brainwashed by the leftist adults in your life, and you think soldiers are “murdering, savage, terrorist butchers”, and you don’t think the entire country owes every freedom it has to our military heroes past and present… then I have a special treat for you – you will spend the entire 24 hours of Veteran’s Day (observed) reporting to every American Legion post in your area to clean their toilets with a toothbrush.

I may be a little hardcore in my patriotism… but really, is there such a thing? True patriotism (not nationalism or imperialism) is the lifeblood of a safe and healthy nation. We can either protect what we have, knowing how much it cost us, or we can sit back and watch it erode in a sea of historical ignorance and lost perspective.

I recently enjoyed dinner with a good friend… we were former classmates, cadets, and then Army officers. He spent over a year in the sandbox. I shared with him how I had just heard that a fellow classmate we graduated with and was commissioned with (and who had reached the rank of Major) was recently murdered by a roadside bomb. It’s a reality that military personnel and families know well… but that snotty school-kid peace activists know nothing about the significance of.

But today, the fact is that many World War 2 vets are passing away every day. I’ve played taps at their funerals. I’ve heard the rifles salute the fallen. These are citizens who take with them to the grave more wisdom and perspective than I can imagine. I can only hope that we as a nation absorb as much as we can from this dying generation of heroes.

Happy Veteran’s Day. Find a vet near you who may not have many years left and thank them from the bottom of your heart.

My state, New York, wants to give legal state driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. Yep… you heard me correctly. That should be a twisted joke, but it’s a twisted reality. Among the ir-rationale is the standard drivel about “they’re just here to work” and “this will let us keep better records on them”. Better records? Why would we need better records… are we going to be using these “records” to arrest them? Then why not just arrest them when they apply for the license? How is it that the laws requiring known illegal aliens to be detained and deported don’t apply at the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles)? This is lunacy… yet elected cronies taking in high salaries (compliments of the taxpayers) support this madness because it BUYS THEM VOTES.

And of course this issue runs much deeper, but let me say that there is no comparison between a United States citizen from Mexico, and an illegal alien. They are two totally different people. They both may be hard workers, but one is duly and lawfully eligible for all the rights, freedoms, and opportunities of every other American citizen – while the other has not only disrespected our borders, our immigration rules, and broken our laws, but is also stealing health care, welfare, and pretty soon driver’s licenses. Mexico doesn’t tolerate illegal border crossings INTO Mexico (just as no country does, nor should they)… but Mexico gets on us for protecting our border. And why? Follow the money… Western Union money transfers from the US are Mexico’s third highest source of income!

Al Gore wins the Nobel Peace Prize. For what? A documentary? A movie of questionable science? For parading an entourage around the globe in private jets to talk about the dangers to the environment from parading around the globe in private jets? And the rationale why global warming would have ANYTHING to do with peace is that global warming will “eventually start conflicts”? How about the conflict between “An Inconvenient Truth” and the actual truth? How about Al Gore preaching that society needs to start living more simply and efficiently – while Al goes and buys another mansion to visit in his private jet (read mega-petroleum-guzzling sky-beast). The Nobel prize has become a bit of a joke, I guess. I actually think Borat was a much more accurate documentary… we should have given the peace prize to Sacha Cohen.

I’m already done with the Presidential campaigns. They have used up my entire allocation of bicker-absorption. I can’t listen to it any more. Does that make me “disenfranchised”? I think it does. I think in the name of all that is good and right I shouldn’t have to see Hillary’s, Osama/Obama’s, Rudy’s, or McCain’s face for another 12 months. At the very least I want to see the candidates actually work for their air-time… like perhaps in a “Survivor: Washington DC” or “Fear Factor” style reality show where Hillary would have to drink monkey snot while wearing a slinky little bikini in order to earn 5 minutes of sound bites. Obama and McCain would have to wrestle in a tub of broken glass while eating scorpions to see who gets to speak next. Or how about the Price is Right? That would be sweet… watching politicians who haven’t shopped for their own groceries in decades try and guess the price of baking soda or cooking spray. Ha!

And again… on my recent trip to Chicago… I got to watch airport screeners hassle aged World War 2 vets and little old Asian ladies so that the TSA doesn’t look “insensitive” towards male 18-34 year-old Arabic-speaking non-US-citizens who have legal support agencies ready to sue the city, county, state, and federal government at the drop of a Koran. Another example of how not having the moral courage to be a jerk to non-citizens means having to be a jerk to EVERYONE… which then quickly erodes into usually just being a jerk to people who you know aren’t carrying bombs (e.g. World War 2 vets and little old Asian ladies).

Fatigue.

Anyways… I hope all my fellow Americans are having a great July 4th, and I just want to leave you with this Independence Day speech from July 4, 1946, given by a young John F. Kennedy (excerpted from his full speech as found in the JFK Presidential Library).

The informing spirit of the American character has always been a deep religious sense.

Throughout the years, down to the present, a devotion to fundamental religious principles has characterized American thought and action.

Our government was founded on the essential religious idea of integrity of the individual. It was this religious sense which inspired the authors of the Declaration of Independence:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights.”

Our earliest legislation was inspired by this deep religious sense:
“Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion.”

Our first leader, Washington, was inspired by this deep religious sense:
“Of all of the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.”

Lincoln was inspired by this deep religious sense:
“That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

Our late, lamented President was inspired by this deep religious sense:
“We shall win this war, and in victory we shall seek not vengeance, but the establishment of an international order in which the spirit of Christ shall rule the hearts of men and nations.”

Thus we see that this nation has ever been inspired by essential religious ideas. The doctrine of slavery which challenged these ideas within our own country was destroyed.

Recently, the philosophy of racism, which threatened to overwhelm them by attacks from abroad, was also met and destroyed.

Today these basic religious ideas are challenged by atheism and materialism: at home in the cynical philosophy of many of our intellectuals, abroad in the doctrine of collectivism, which sets up the twin pillars of atheism and materialism as the official philosophical establishment of the State.

Inspired by a deeply religious sense, this country, which has ever been devoted to the dignity of man, which has ever fostered the growth of the human spirit, has always met and hurled back the challenge of those deathly philosophies of hate and despair. We have defeated them in the past; we will always defeat them.

How well, then, has DeTocqueville said: “You may talk of the people and their majesty, but where there is no respect for God can there be much for man? You may talk of the supremacy of the ballot, respect for order, denounce riot, secession–unless religion is the first link, all is vain.”

Last night I whisked my wife (whom I married Biblically in one-man/one-woman matrimony) off to a local shooting range where we celebrated the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Local marksman Bernie Gansle generously offered his instruments of freedom for us to send heavy metal downrange. The AR-15 was very much like my old friend, the M-16… but I also made a new friend, the Colt 45 semi-automatic. And by the way, this was my wife’s first shoot, and she did VERY well.

Afterwards we enjoyed some delicious Sam Adams Seasonal Summer Ale at a local eatery while watching the Red Sox play the Yankees. In between refreshing sips of ale I enjoyed steak smothered in caramelized onions paired with garlic-mashed potatoes. MMMmmmm.

Rifle / pistol shooting – Major League Baseball – steak and potatoes – Boston-brewed ale… and THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is how it’s done!