Christianity Done Right

In an article touting the "virtues" of Government assistance, the New York Times buries the true answer on the third page! True help is not in MORE government programs but in dedicated Christian ministries doing what the Church is supposed to be doing!

From the article (p. 3):

In the past 10 years, the infant mortality rate for blacks in most of the Delta has averaged about 14 per thousand in some counties and more than 20 per thousand in others. But just to the south of Hollandale, Sharkey County, one of the poorest, has had a startlingly different record. From 1991 through 2005, the rate for blacks hovered at around 5 per thousand. State officials say the county’s population is too small — it registers only 100 births a year — to be statistically significant. But many experts feel it is no coincidence that a steep drop in infant deaths followed the start of an intensive home-visiting system run by the Cary Christian Center, using local mothers as counselors. “If this is a fluke it’s a 15-year fluke,” said Dr. Glick, the neonatologist.


The website for Cary Christian Center, serving for 35 years to the poorest counties in America, shows a full range of ministries available. [For some reason the banner heading frame does not load on Firefox. It is best viewed, therefore, with Internet Explorer.]

The complaints of the Progressive Secularist establishment is that Governor Barbour's policy of fiscal restraint and welfare reform are contributing to increased infant mortality. The article itself mentions the destructive lifestyles of the poor - notable obesity among poor women and permiscuity among teens - that undoubtably account for the mounting problems. Noteworthy, I suppose, is the reference to "unborn infants." I guess the child is an "infant" if one wishes to carry her to term and a "fetus" if otherwise!

The article has a chart that shows all of the deep south much the same condition as Mississippi, including South Carolina. I am not aware of programs as effective a Cary Christian Center here, but it certainly looks like there should be!

Evil strikes Virginia Tech

Words escape me. The evil that took 32 innocent lives in one morning - 3o of them within less than one agonizing hour - can hardly be imagined. Perhaps the hate of a twisted mind like Adolf Hitler might be capable of contemplating such an act. But even the evil German dictator had other people do his biddings under a reasoned plan.

The victims ranged from freshmen from small town America to a Holocost survivor whose family immigrated to Israel. The killer did not seem to have any particular victim in mind, but did return to classrooms to make sure his deed was done.

I encourage everyone to visit the New York Times and read the profiles and comments on the victims. I spent the better part of today doing just that. It is a sad excercise, but one that will lead you to appreciate life and the grace of God that keeps most of us safe from the greater evil in the world.

Our prayers are with the victims' families, friends, and colleagues. As the nation mourns, let us reflect on our purpose and calling -- whatever it may be.

Of Greenhouse gases and healthy plants

Every once in a while the New York Times gets it. Even in the science section.

In an article entitled Green, Life-giving, and Forever Young Natalie Angier makes a lot of good points about the importance of plants. Unfortunately, she gets into evolutionary theory and messes it up. She finds plants so different from animals that "it's like plants evolved on Mars." And then, the very mechanisms that entice insects and humming birds to polinate many plants are somehow clever tricks of time and chance.

And then, there are a few things left out. Plants are said to make their own food through photosynthesis upon sunlight. And then the wonderful mechanisms of capillary action and evaporation get water as far as 400 feet from the roots. And, of course OXYGEN is produced.

But plants cannot make food out of water and sunlight alone. Sunlight is the energy, chlorophyl is the cataclyst, but the missing ingredient is none other than that -- shall we say it? -- is Carbon Dioxide! Yep, that dreaded "green house" gas that is threatening the planet! According to the article at wikipedia, the equation is:

6 CO_2(gas) + 12 H₂O_(liquid) + photons → C₆H₁₂O_6(aqueous) + 6 O_2(gas) + 6 H₂O_(liquid)

carbon dioxide + water + light energy → glucose + oxygen + water

And so, the plants make SUGAR from atmospheric CO₂ and give off oxygen and that OTHER -- gasp! -- greenhouse gas: WATER! Yes, the unmentioned greenhouse gas that NONE of us can live without, be we animal or plant, is good old H₂O!

In fact, there is more water produced in the burning of fossile fuels than there is in carbon dioxide. If you reverse the equation above you can easily see this:

Heat + C₆H₁₂O₆ → 6 CO₂ + 12 H₂O

It's clear -- twice as much water as carbon dioxide! And -- horror of horrors -- the main combustion of sugars (and other carbon molecules) is done by ANIMALS. Every breath expels both greenhouse gases: water and carbon dioxide. My how well the system was DESIGNED, huh?

Furthermore, studies have found that the photons are not lost in the process. The energy is "trapped" in the food the plant is making. When an animal -- like man -- eats the food, especially "raw," the energy of the photons is ingested to be released as energy in the many processes of the body, including our own building of "bio-mass." I read this aways back, but this article on "bio-photons" is what came up on my google search. Plants actually "give off light"!

Two saints go to glory

This week at Second Church we lost two long-time members. Our prayers are with their families as they adjust to the loss that we only feel faintly. I am not a biographer, so I cannot speak to these lives with authority. However I will provide the links to their obituaries.

Mrs. Opal Holbrook was our church librarian for 15 years prior to her sickness in 2006. Her illness defied easy diagnosis and it seems that certain proceedures to allow treatment turned out to be detrimental to her recovery. It was sad to see her decline so quickly. Go to her obituary here

Mr. George Woods, a respected elder emeritus (thrice retired: US Navy, Cryovac, 2nd Pres. session), had been suffering from multiple problems related to age. He passed away after heart surgery, though he had been showing some signs of improvement. In hindsight, it was probably a bad idea to attempt heart surgery when they did. However, he was an elder statesmen for the the WW 2 generation that we are losing daily to unrelenting time. The picture at his obit is of him as a sailor. Every Thanksgiving he used to let us know how thankful he was just to be alive, noting that his being alive was a gift from God! Our prayers will go with his family.

I Corinthians 15

20 ¶ But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Words mean things

A truism made famous by Rush Limbaugh states simply: "Words mean things."

Unfortunately, conservative bloggers and commentators seem to be as guilty as liberals in taking words out of context. Or even "in context" but attempting to read too much into them.

Recently I have encountered two conservative sources that "took to task" Dr. James Dobson who was quoted by a news source selectively. Even in the simple quote, though, Dr. Dobson was stating an obvious opinion:

Gilgoff quoted Dobson saying of Thompson, "Everyone knows he's conservative and has come out strongly for the things that the pro-family movement stands for, [but] I don't think he's a Christian; at least that's my impression."

Of course, he goes on to explain why this matters, and what it would mean to a potential presidential bid to former lawyer-actor-senator Fred Thompson. Dobson didn't know much about Thompson's religion and was left with the impression that he was a Christian. He assumed, perhaps unwisely, that other Conservative Christians might have the same impression. If this was the case, the candiacy had little chance.

Fellow blogger "Hondo" of ConservativeChristians.blogspot.com felt betrayed as a rising star seemed to be derailed by such inflamatory speech. But the words are simply a opinion and NOT a declaration concerning Mr. Thompson's spiritual state. I tried to find information linking Thompson to ANY religious activity, and found only a video of him in a church immediately after the 9/11 attacks. He said all the "right things" but came across only as a cultural Christian at most. Most Americans came across that way in those early days of September 2001. The wikipedia article doesn't mention his religion in the sidebar. The religion of other potential candidates IS listed in the same source. This leads me to wonder if he even WANTS us to know his religious connections.

But words mean things. What Dr. Dobson said stands on its own. He had doubts that a one-time senator (who "replaced" Al Gore!) could stand a chance against political guru Newt Gingrich (who worked hard to impeach Bill Clinton). Of course, of the non-candidates, Thompson is now polling ahead of Gingrich. Dobson's statements may have been unwise, but they certainly weren't malicious.

"I don't think he's a Christian; at least that is my impression." Subsequent "evidence" of is status as a "baptized member" of the Church of Christ not withstanding, I have to ask, "Is he or isn't he?"

Another Fellow Blogger puts it well:
http://dakotavoice.blogspot.com/2007/03/dobson-on-fred-thompson.html

WorldNetDaily gives the "rest of the story":
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54963

Of course "the rest of the story" is a trademark of Paul Harvey, for whom Thompson subs occasionally. I think I wrote "rest of the story" before I researched Fred Thompson, but the irony of the use is fitting. I am astounded that some conservatives were so easily offended by this statement. Again, what do these words MEAN?

"I don't think he's a Christian; at least that is my impression.

A dot in the middle of Canada

I have a "neat" counter in the side bar that locates hits from all over the world. Lately I have used Google maps to locate the lone dots out in the middle of "nowhere." I am pretty certain of one in Russia (Google only had ONE town in the vicinity) and tonight I was zooming in on the Northwest Territories to see if I could identify a couple of lone dots there as well. One was on Hudson Bay and I am almost certain it was from the hamlet of Arviat (pop. 2060, again the only settlement near that spot on the map). I am split between two small towns on the McKenzie River for another hit: either Ft. Providence (pop. 835) or Ft. Simpson (it has it's own website and looks to be about the same size as Ft. Providence) with Ft. Simpson more likely since it seems more connected to the net (internet access at the library!)

Just a little distraction on a Saturday evening. Maybe these accidental hits will re-contact me.

The Government should stay out of medicine

I am a conservative, and I don't lean "libertarian" often, but when the government tries to forbid folks with MEDICAL reasons to partake of a relatively benign drug, then I resent its intrusion! States across the nation are passing "medical marijuana" laws that the federal government refuses to recognise. This is an unreasonable extention of federal drug laws - almost as far off mark as using RICO laws against lawful abortion protesters!

To quote the New York Times:

On Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found that while they sympathized with Ms. Raich’s plight and had seen “uncontroverted evidence” that she needed marijuana to survive, she lacked the legal grounds to exempt herself from federal law.

The court “recognizes the use of marijuana for medical purposes is gaining traction,” the decision read. “But that legal recognition has not yet reached the point where a conclusion can be drawn that the right to use medical marijuana is ‘fundamental.’"

In spite of the evidence and new laws, federal judges continue to hold fast to antiquated decisions going back decades. This is not justice as it should be. Justice must be tempered with compassion and common sense!

And for any family and friends who might read this - I have NEVER touched marijuana, and only know its smell because of a demonstration (burning some confiscated weed) at a police station when I was in high school (Civic Youth Day, I had been "elected" Mayor). In this one incident, at least, I agree with the ACLU. Does that make me a bad person? :-(

March Madness!!

I am not a basketball fan, but I clicked through to "the bracket" at the NYTimes site and made my picks based on the standings. I chose only six "upsets," four in the first round. My only luxury, as I see it, is Duke getting to the final four. The championship will be Florida vs. North Carolina. The winner will be North Carolina!

After a very close game, # seed 6 Duke will probably beat # 4 Pittsburg in the second round. They will have to beat #2 seed UCLA and # 1 seed Kansas on the way to the showdown with Florida. They will most certainly lose then. Duke's last five games have been disappointing, and the only thing that makes them "favored" over Pitt is number of points scored against their opponents. In that stat, they have Pitt by an average 5 points. I see Duke 74, Pitt 69. The other games, though, are wishful thinking. :-)

My ususal scheme is: East beats West, South beats North, and University beats State. Tech is a long shot. :-)

It really doesn't mean anything since I am not a betting man. To all you fans out there -- have fun.

Return to "Eden"

Actual measurements from the atmosphere and space over the last forty years or so do not support the computer models being used by enviromentalists for "global warming." A special thanks to Hondo at conservativechristians.blogger.com (see sidebar) for this link:

http://www.oism.org/pproject/s33p36.htm

Their conclusion is basically the same I came to months ago ("Paradise Restored"):

"Human use of coal, oil, and natural gas has not measurably warmed the atmosphere, and the extrapolation of current trends shows that it will not significantly do so in the foreseeable future. It does, however, release CO2, which accelerates the growth rates of plants and also permits plants to grow in drier regions. Animal life, which depends upon plants, also flourishes.

As coal, oil, and natural gas are used to feed and lift from poverty vast numbers of people across the globe, more CO2 will be released into the atmosphere. This will help to maintain and improve the health, longevity, prosperity, and productivity of all people.

Human activities are believed to be responsible for the rise in CO2 level of the atmosphere. Mankind is moving the carbon in coal, oil, and natural gas from below ground to the atmosphere and surface, where it is available for conversion into living things. We are living in an increasingly lush environment of plants and animals as a result of the CO2 increase. Our children will enjoy an Earth with far more plant and animal life as that with which we now are blessed. This is a wonderful and unexpected gift from the Industrial Revolution."

Over 17,000 scientists have signed this petition. Why isn't anyone listening?

Redefining morality?

Riding high on what is arguably "bad science," the New York Times in a short editorial calls morality that is defined by how "humans behave with other humans" as antiquated. They "emphatically disagree" with traditional values when it comes to abortion and homosexuality -- two sins that destroying society -- while upholding the morality of "saving the planet."

The true science that upholds the true humanity of developing is disregarded in favor of false claims that went out with microscopes! As for homosexuality -- the open practice of such anyway -- the Times would insist that in is totally acceptable IN SPITE OF the verifiable facts of its dangers.

For over thirty years we have been losing the war with the children of the sixties -- and now they think they have the upper hand. It is time for us to stand up against the travesty of "Secular Progessives." Tonight I saw the movie Amazing Grace. This movie tells the amazing story of how William Wilberforce spent the better part of two decades bringing an end to slavery in the British Empire. The movement behind him did this by wide publication of the TRUTH. Against the odds, with the support of his friend, William Pitt (the youngest ever prime minister), he succeeded. John Newton, of course, was a big supporter of Wilberforce. He convinced him to persue the cause against the odds.

Where is the likes of William Wilberforce in our Congress today? Is there a presidential candidate of the caliber of William Pitt?

If we return to traditional values then we won't have to worry about our stewardship of the planet. If we care about the weakest among us, we will care about the world we leave to them.

The End of the World as we know it?

Just who is in control? Are we indeed entering the last of the "last days"?

And if we are, can we stop it? How will we resist?

Click here and decide for yourself.

This is a long documentary (1:49) and makes a good argument against individual income tax. The truth of the Federal Reserve and the "phony money" the government "borrows" from them is well stated as well. The thrust in the last third of the report, though, makes applicaton of this double threat to the present War on Terror. It assumes that the present situtation is all staged for monetary gain of these unseen manipulators. I remain unconconvinced of this, though I am sure that the powers behind the "Federal Reserve" do indeed "profit" from the present effort.

Is Walgreen's Racist?

In today's New York Times I read a confusing article. The gist of it is that the world's largest pharmacy "makes" African-American managers work in inner-city stores, thus reducing their ability to advance in the company. Johnny Tucker, a black manager with the company 21 years, is suing because he has always worked "in the 'hood" (my words, not his). From the article:

He applauded Walgreen for having stores in inner-city neighborhoods. But he said the company needed to spread the challenges of managing such stores among all its employees, not just black ones. Over the years, he added, he had been held up at gunpoint and threatened with a knife.

“I didn’t live in these neighborhoods, so why was I working there,” Mr. Tucker said.

It seems to me that if such people were not available to staff these stores, they would not open so many of them. Walgreens builds pharmacies across the street from their competitors and even within a mile or two or EACH OTHER on the same thoroughfare! They are "everywhere."

Mr. Tucker thinks that they should "spread the challenges" to all its employees. But not even a retail giant like Walgreens can dictate that good managers work stores that by there locations will not turn good profits. I am surprised that some stores open where they do. This suit is against Walgreens for placing the right people in the right stores in a society that is fractured in to "communities" of hyphenated Americans.

Walgreens with more than a hundred years in the business has learned what works. Neighborhood pharmacies serving neighbors is a proven formula. It would be a shame if this government action should force a socialistic answer to a personnel problem.

The circled area of this map is "my" route at work. I presently serve FIVE Walgreens stores, with one taking shape (M). I personally have NOT seen or heard any such prejudice here in the deep south!

Global Warming CAUSED the Ice Age

I have been meaning to post my thoughts on this "politically incorrect" minority opinon for weeks now. I remembered reading Walt Brown's In The Beginning concerning the Ice Age.
To find this article, go to creationscience.com and search for "Global Warming" on that page. That short overview presents valid scientific theory as to how a WARM earth is the ONLY way excessive evaporation could produce the snow necessary for the observed ice caps. In part it reads:

"For a few centuries after the flood (during the ice age), much of the moisture that evaporated from the warm oceans fell as snow and accumulated so rapidly on the cold continents that large Antarctic lakes are still covered by glaciers today. Heavy cloud cover from so much evaporation and from volcanic dust further cooled the continents. Large temperature differences between cold continents and warm oceans generated strong wind systems that quickly carried the moist air up and over the continents where it cooled and fell as snow. Each winter’s glacial advances were followed by summer glacial retreats; these yearly cycles left marks on earth that some mistakenly associate with multiple ice ages."

Dr. Walt Brown's work, with it's working theories that have predicted discoveries from salt water pockets under mountains to the composition of comets, is probably the best out there!

The rapid "cooling" caused by warm seas evaporating is generally accepted science. It HAD to be warm before the evaporation could get water into the air to dump large amounts of snow! QUICKLY.

Does the Cent make sense?

A New York Times Op-Ed piece raises an interesting question: Is the Lincoln Penny disrespectful of the Great Imancipator?

Of course, the fact that I am a diehard southerner, and long-time resident of the sovereign state of South Carolina, might just color my opinions of the "greatest president." But, be that as it may, I suppose my earlier blog in the penny's defense still stands. But should it retain Lincoln? And should he be replaced by a new indian or perhaps another president?

The NYT writer supposes a new president of lower standing for the penny (after the planned commemoratives in 2009 and 2010). After that, he supposes a new $2 or $5 coin with the same portrait of Lincoln. I vote for the $5 coin to coincide with the $5 bill. That will make it easier for the paper money to be phased out!

The writer proposes James Buchanan or Andrew Johnson [Lincoln's successor who survived impeachment by one vote]. How about it, readers? Any suggestions?

"Illegal" Immigration, reconsidered

Several days, or perhaps weeks, ago I come across an interesting video of "border volleyball" over a 30 foot wall at the California-Mexico border. Unfortunately, I was just surfing the blogosphere and failed to bookmark the site. However, today I thought I would use Google maps and Mapquest to view the border. You can actually see a "line" from space across southern Arizona! Well, actually from an arial shot high above. [Some physics whiz or photographer can probably tell by the scale in the pictures below.] Anyway, look up "Walleyball" on YouTube for the video.

I included identically distant shots to indicate what an actual wall looks like. Most of my viewing today was on the border with no apparent fence. I wondered to myself about those making the difficult journey across desert to avoid the border guards. You can see that there is a large highway on the Mexican side that parallels the visible white line (dirt road?) at about a 200 foot distance. The actual line, according to the overlay, goes right by the structure. Pictures of trash strawn in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Park shows that the traffic is heavy.

It is in this park, though, that the truely ILLEGAL aliens often lurk. These are the drug and "slave" trafficers promising a "better" life to those they smuggle and to American drug users that demand their product! It is such scum of the earth that gunned down a dedicated public servant, a true hero in the war on terror, Kris Eggle. If we are to "fight" illegal activity, let us go after the truely ILLEGAL aliens, not those who are only guilty of being human.

If anything, in my virtual trip down the border, I have seen populations of people just wanting what is best for their families. Let us make it as "easy" for them as it was for our forfathers to come take this land.

Is nicotine the villian?

I have often mused about the fate of tobacco in this nation, once even in this format. However, the I have to disagree with a recent editorial in the NY Times (fancy that).

The conclusion in a NYTimes article on FDA control of cigarettes:

"It’s not enough to regulate the varying degrees of nicotine in cigarettes. Ultimately, there’s only one way to deal with the addictive effects of nicotine, especially on children: grant the F.D.A. the authority to get nicotine out of cigarettes altogether. Anti-smoking groups shouldn’t settle for anything less."

I am not a smoker, but I am not an anti-smoker either. The fact is, it is NOT the nicotine that is the "dangerous" part of a cigarette or other tobacco product. Even this article admits that the tars are what carry the carcinigens. Unfortunately, these "tars" and other plant fats also carry the flavor. To simply remove the nicotine from cigarettes would only make them less addictive. Or even non-addictive. Smokers would continue to smoke out of psychological habit and suffer from withdrawal symptoms needing medicinal nicotine for months. And then, believing it didn't matter, they might just keep smoking the cancer-causing product for the psychological "fix" they are use to!

The real dangerous substances are the tars which are very absorbant of trace minerals - especially RADIOACTIVE minerals! In fact, it is probably possible to grow "safe" tobacco in clean soil that has none of these trace elements. It is sure worth a study if nothing else. I propose that this noble plant - sacred to the Native Americans - be treated with more respect. It is more than likely that English settlers, in turning it into a commercial success, have ended up destroying its "reputation" forever.

Why not process the weed down to a non-radioactive (tar free) nicotine delivery system, even ADDING nicotine to make fewer necessary to the addicts. Or, if it is perceived that their will be a great loss of market, then formulate a "flavoring" to replace that lost when removing the tars. Meanwhile, tobacco marketers need to consider a post-smoker world in which the tobacco plant could be transformed into a plant protein source to feed livestock or even human populations. The nicotine could be exptracted for medicinal purposes and as an insecticide.

In remembrance of Brenda

I wish I had pictures and family comments, but I will have to just post my condolences to the extended family of my cousin Brenda on her passing this week. She lived in Wewahitchka ("Wewa") Florida. She was only a little older than me and was a stabilizing force in the Holmes clan. She will be missed.

Growing up, I always spent time with her brothers nearer my age. Larry still lives in the area, and Randy died a few years back. Their father, Troy, died around 1971 (I had just graduated from high school), but their mother, my dad's older sister, just died last year. Brenda had spent the last years of her mother's life as her primary caregiver.

Brenda is the third of my older cousins -- children of my dad's older sisters -- to die. Our mutual cousin (they were "double" first cousins) Shirley (the oldest of her siblings) died several years back of complications from diabetes. Randy, Brenda's brother, died in an accident at his home near Jacksonville, Florida, a few years after that.

And so, I guess this is about all I can say right now. Pray for her family as the funeral is Monday, January 29.

It is suspected that Brenda suffered a stroke. Consider this, from a blog on heart disease:

What does a bad heart cost?

From now until 2050, they calculate, stroke treatment will cost $1.52 trillion among non-Hispanic whites, $313 billion for Hispanics, and $379 billion for African Americans. Corresponding per capita costs were roughly $16,000, $17,000 and $26,000.

"Lost earnings and informal caregiving were the highest two individual cost contributors in all race-ethnic groups," Brown's team notes, "constituting approximately half of the total costs."

Be sure to take the risk assessment test available at the link at the top of that page, or just go to the link directly from here.

Fifty Million Killed

Fifty Million Dead! That's more killed per day than were killed on 9/11 !

The last thirty-four years have NOT seen an improvement in the lives of America's women. And it is NOT the fault of the political or religious right with a "continuing prejudice" against the fairer sex.

Abortion on demand has slacked off a bit in some places - such as South Carolina - but it is not all together clear why. I mean, really, the very ones that would be seeking abortions are those that never saw life outside of the womb. It can be reasonably assumed that around twenty-five million of those abortions were to the developing lives of girls, many of who would undoubtably grown up as "victoms" of society and "used" by the men in their lives!

But the numbers seem to be about the same year by year. Of course, we have gone from 200 million to 300 million in those three decades or so. And so, the "rate" of abortions has fallen. But our politicians can't seem to uphold the nations abhorance to "partial birth" abortions. That is, if you can call the court system "political." And you know it is (even if they deny it).

And so, here it is. After two weeks of silence, I rant again!

We pro-lifers have "science" our side and still continue to stumble politically. A conservative president gets two appointments to the Supreme Court in one year and we still have to "worry" about a "swing" vote in a pseudo-conservative put in by a previous "conservative" president. You'd think that with FIVE of NINE justices being Catholic the pro-life issues would be a "slam dunk." Not so. A "Kennedy" holds the cards in the Court even as a far-left Kennedy takes over a "ruling" position in the Senate. No relation. But we wonder. Hmmm....

Enough for now.

Just So Stories

A little over a century ago, Rudyard Kipling, author of The Jungle Book, published a series of children's stories called Just So Stories. Recently, in an anthropologist Dr. Nina G. Jablonski explains the importance of man's "sweaty skin" to evolution:

"On an evolutionary level, there are three remarkable facts about skin. It comes in colors, of course. Compared to other mammals, our skin is relatively hairless. And it’s sweaty. In the last few million years, humans became the sweatiest of mammals.

Q. Is that important?

A. Absolutely. It’s often said that our large brains are what made it possible for us to evolve from ape to human. But those big brains could never have developed if we didn’t have exceptionally sweaty skin.

It happened this way. There was a tremendous takeoff in human evolution about two million years ago when primates who could no longer be called apes appeared in the savannahs of East Africa. These early humans ran long distances in open areas. In order to survive in the equatorial sun, they needed to cool their brains. Early humans evolved an increased number of sweat glands for that purpose, which in turn permitted their brain size to expand. As soon as we developed larger brains, our planning capacity increased, and this allowed people to disperse out of Africa. There’s fossil evidence of humans appearing in Central Asia around this time."

Mr. Kipling had nothing on this lady! This story may make logical sense if such changes came about according to the conditions. However, according to theory, these changes take way more time than a few hot summers in Africa. But give it ten years and this story "It happened this way ..." will be standard fare in the science texts read by our impressionable young people.

Is it any wonder that our young people are leaving the church in droves. The "public " schools push the evolutionary dogma and persecute children that seek to pray on school time. The church is lucky to have them two hours a week! Most parents, if the truth be told, probably have them for less time than the church!

Indeed, Jesus could not stand such hypocrisy. When will we learn??

The Anti-christ revealed?

Tonight I updated my profile, adding a new picture of myself.

In the process, I saw that I was born in the Chinese "year of the dragon" (just barely, since the New Year usually begins in late January). Even more scary, my astrological sign is that of the GOAT. The goat head "pentagram" is a symbol most often identified with Satan.

In a posting to my blog months ago I received an unsolicitated appeal from a writer who claims that Christianity is the worst of the Abrahamic faiths all of which are false religions. That writer claims to be the "Lion of Judah" and the Lamb as seen in the Revelation. He bases this belief partly on his being born simultaneously in the year of the Sheep and under the sign of Leo. This, he says, is PROOF that he is the one spoken of in the Revelation!

And so, I figure that the same logic makes me a great candidate for the Antichrist! Couple that with the "fact" that my name "Henry Martin," phonetically spelled in the Greek as 'enri martin, does happen to add up to "666" the evidence adds up! Of course, the original photo of my profile is irrefutable "proof":

Scary indeed!

The fullsize picture, before correction, catches the "red eye" effect quite well. The goatee and the toothy smile help add to the illusion. Prophecy watchers, look for this creature to emerge in 2019 at the age of "66 and 6months" (That's on the 6th month and 6th day)!

Wait, that's about a decade too early for the 2000th anniversary of Jesus' earthly ministry. I see a fallacy to this myth in the making! Hmmm...

You can do quite a bit with a few numbers and "coincidences," can't you?

Happy New Year everyone. :-)

A new Governor for Massachusetts

By some quirk of fate, the most liberal state in America has been governed by a Republican for the last 16 years! And now, in the course of political cycles, an African-American Democrat has been installed as the new Governor of Massachusetts. Governor Deval Patrick promises "change."

He says, “For a very long time now we have been told that government is bad, that it exists only to serve the powerful and well-connected, that its job is not important enough to be done by anyone competent, let alone committed, and that all of us are on our own.”

Huh? Just WHO has been saying government is to "serve the powerful and well-connected"? And what is this about lack of competence or commitment? But that is the way a "big government" liberal sees things! The poor peons out there must be "taken care of" from the cradle to the grave. Government must replace family, church, and, I guess, God!

One citizen, Beth Gilbert of Norfolk, MA, puts it this way: “When you elect a Republican governor, part of their bargain is they don’t really believe that government can solve the people’s problems. That’s probably what’s led to higher expectations here.”

Yep, higher expectations. I am not sure whether Ms. Gilbert is stating this as a positive or a negative, but the point is a good one. Except I think that the Republican phylosophy is not that the government CAN'T solve the problems, but that it SHOULDN'T. The more that the people come to EXPECT the government to help, the less they will do for themselves. History is filled with failing civilizations that have been "top heavy."

As far as the fact that this is the "first black governor" of Massachusetts, and only the second US governor since reconstruction (wait, wasn't "reconstruction" only in the South!), I for one don't see any significance in the color of a candidate's skin. What was it that Martin Luther King, Jr., said? Something about character, I think.

By the way, it seems that Massachusetts has been sort of split on the governors in the past century. Check out masshome.org, where the list of governors reveals more REPUBLICANS than Democrats since 1914. One of the Republicans, Calvin Coolidge, became President of the United States. One of the Democrats, Michael Dukakis, was soundly defeated by our present President's father George H.W. Bush in 1988. Will the exiting governor, Mitt Romney, repeat "Silent Cal's" rise to the top, or repeat Dukakis' flop?

"New Bagdad" or a new Babylon?

This week I saw a news streamer mentioning a "New Baghdad" proposed as the center for the government of Iraq. I have searched the web and have only found mention of the section of the city called Baghdad Al Jadidah ("New Baghdad"). However, I am sure that such a secured place, surrounded by moats and/or soldiers would suffice in the present distress. Plans for the city have been optimistic in the past, and certainly could be constructed.

However, I have long thought that the "solution" for the unrest in the "ancient" capital of what is now "Iraq" would be to move it to a much more ancient site: Babylon! In a recent article I found, this idea seems to have the backing of none other than the United Nations itself. The recent execution of Saddam Hussein brought back mention of what HE had attempted there. He had rebuilt some of the walls with new bricks bearing his own name. He had also built a palace there which is now used by the US military.

It would be an interesting fulfilment of ancient prophecy if such a construction did take place, though not on the present site. Jeremiah 51:62 seems to indicate that such ruins are permenant! However, the plan is still in the works with those that have little regard for the word of God. On the other hand, a "New Babylon" could easily be built NEAR the ancient site. It is in such a new city that a more secure capital could be constructed. If that happened, Baghdad could be abandoned or even destroyed. And THEN a literal "Babylon the Great" could arise as a "wonder of the modern world."

The symbolic "Babylon the Great," as I propose the USA is in these latter days, would seem to be the necessary power structure making the literal fulfilment a possibility.

A "King" that became President

On July 14, 1913, a King was born. His given name was Leslie Lynch. Named after his father L.L. King, Junior was his pride and joy. While Europe was at war, battles apparently raged in the King's realm as well. In fact, before America joined the war, little Leslie had a new father. The young "King" was soon being called Gerald, after his mother's new husband Mr. Gerald R. Ford.

Though his family called him "Gerald R. Ford, Jr." from 1916 on, it was "Leslie King" that played on the championship University of Michigan football teams in 1932 and 1933. His name was not officially changed until he was at Yale earning his law degree (in 1935). One wonders what happened to Mr. Leslie Lynch King, "Sr." Did he ever meet with his son after a divorce that was apparently so complete that his son did not even retain his name in the house? Mr. King died in 1941, just as the man then officially known as Gerald R. Ford, Jr., was beginning his carreer as lawyer in Grand Rapids, MI.


It was one district, around Flint, MI, elected Gerald Ford with comfortalble margins for over two decades. In that time, of course, Mr. Ford rose to prominence to be the House minority leader. He was an obvious choice when President Nixon wanted a honest man at his side. With Nixon's resignation, this choice made Mr. Ford a president of a land that had never voted for him!

Pres. Ford served well for two and a half years, and almost beat Jimmy Carter in 1976! He was probably one of the most respected presidents of the twentieth century! He has just surpassed Ronald Reagan (his primary opponent in 1976) as the longest living president. Our prayers are with his family as they mourn with America the passing of this historic man from Michigan.

A Man, a legend, a "way of life"?

A greater than life figure in American life has fallen silent. The Godfather of Soul has breathed his last. It is no surprise to many that James Brown, 73, would have succombed to a heart attack. His lifestyle in the past 20 years or so has not been one of moderation. His drug use alone would take its toll on a much younger man.

However, his affect on African-American music is the point of this short blog. How can we not wonder what the wholesome gospel music of the 50's, as sung by Brown and his "idol" Little Richard, might have become if it had not been changed to the angry angst-filled music heard from boom boxes and iPods everywhere today. James Brown did to the "Negro Spirituals" what Elvis Pressley did to the Gospel music of the Tennessee hills back in the 50's. As Gospel morphed to "rock and roll" and then to "hard rock" and beyond, Jazz morphed to "funk" and on to "rap" and "hip-hop."

And as went the music, so went the youth. The discipline that was in the music of the first half of the twentieth century (reflecting the "rules" of music as did classical music) gave way to the "freedom" of rock and hip-hop. Undisciplined life, fed by an increasingly godless society, has brought America to the brink of destruction.

Perhaps I will listen to my copy of Handel's Messiah one more time before the year is out! Now THAT'S what I call MUSIC!

On the 2nd Day of Christmas

Your blogger friend gives to you:

The most recent picture of my grandson - Jett James Martin, age 8 months, 15 days.














I hope that you all had a great Christmas holiday. And now, back to work! :-)

Brownback takes a stand

I have not decided which of the presidential hopefuls to support in the 2008 primaries (coming in Feb. 2008, I believe), but I certainly think that Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas looks promising. In a recent editorial in the NY Times, the paper lambasted him for daring to block the nomination of Janet Neff. Why would he do such a thing?

Well, according to the Times, to be against gay marriage is showing "hateful views toward gay people." Sen. Brownback took note that the judge had not only "attended" a commitment ceremony for a woman, but gave a homily at said ceremony. The senator seemed to think that this showed that the judge may just be too biased to sit on a federal bench. He offered a compromise - to stop blocking the nomination if the good judge would recuse herself on any cases dealing with "gay marriage." And this, to the Times, is hateful.

This is the same editorial board that has supported the efforts of the Democrats for the last six years in blocking the nominations of pro-life judges based on their bias towards life and against abortion. For some reason I have missed the editorials that considered such actions as "hateful"!

I guess "hate" is in the mind of the writer.

Jesus vs. "public" schools

For the last 43 years public schools have been actively campaigned AGAINST Jesus. But it seems that the Lord warned these august institutions in the most certain terms that their modern mission is totally against HIM:

Matt. 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

That is pretty heavy stuff! These public "educators" that discipline children for giving religious Christmas cards had better think twice. The numbers of Christian children that are leaving the church is alarming. Imagine the answers the public school teachers that taught the folly of evolutionary science as THE science must give at the throne.

I tremble to think of what is to come for these "educators."

A Role model?

Well it seems that ONE "role model" has decided to grant grace to another. "The Donald" has said "bless you child" to the face of the USA - the former Miss Kentucky, USA. The 5'5" blonde southern belle decided to live the good life of the Big Apple from the poshness of Trump Towers. The bar-hopping swinger (at the time underage) was developing a drinking problem, though in her own words "I wouldn't say that I'm alcoholic. I'd think that would be pushing the envelope."

Donald Trump is arguably the best known real estate tychoon in the world. In his numerous holdings and successful books and reality TV, he lives the "American dream." And so, he now is partnered with NBC to own the Miss USA franchise of the Miss Universe organization. And so, Miss Tara Conner went to him fully expecting his 'patented' "You're Fired!"

But "Venus" found grace in the eyes of "Zeus." Or whatever. The god of commercialism favored the goddess of hedonism to allow a continued role model to stand as an example of all that is "great" about America. Yeah, right!

Evolution or just good design?

It amazes me that the popular press seems to equate obvious design with "evolution." In the century following Darwin first published "Origin of Species" science made great strides in the fields of genetics. This was NOT in an attempt to prove the theory, but it provided a mechanism by assumed change toward complexity might take place. However, it seems a lot more logical to assume that the original gene pool was way more complex and thus produces variants that become less complex.

In a recent editorial at the New York Times the writer assumes that genetic mutation coincided with the need for lactose tolerance as mankind in different parts of the world began to domesticate cattle. Such an assumption is ludicrous. The choices people make cannot influence the course of "random" mutation! It is far more reasonable to interprelate that such tolerance for cow's milk was in the genes all along only to be "activated" when people began to consume the milk meant for bovine infants. Those that could not tolerate such milk undoubtably could not last as long in harsh conditions that required ingestion of easily stored cheeses, for instance, but that does not mean they could not a least live long enough to produce offspring.

Adaptation is NOT the same thing as evolution. Though changes are passed on in offspring, and those with beneficial traits tend to survive into child-bearing years, it does not follow that whole populations change this way. Lactose intolerant folk still exist, and it may be that MOST folk are actually intolerant but have competing enzymes that mask the inefficient use of these products. The only thing that happenned back in the days of Jabal (Gen. 4:20) was that animals were domesticated and thus people began to utilize them in inventive ways. Can you imagine the first time they tried to milk a cow! :-)

Who's afraid of Dr. Kennedy?

In an opinion piece in The State newspaper we read:

>>Dr. D. James Kennedy of Coral Ridge Ministries, founder of the Center For Reclaiming America For Christ, makes this scary statement: “Our job is to reclaim America for Christ, whatever the cost. As the vice regents of God, we are to exercise godly dominion and influence over our neighborhoods, our schools, our government, our literature and arts, our sports arenas, our entertainment media, our news media, our scientific endeavors — in short, over every aspect and institution of human society.” <<

The reader or editor that penned this is "concerned" about the source of the curriculum that produced a "Bible as literature" course in a local public school. The writer, Holli S. Emore, quotes all the liberal watch groups that seek to "protect" children from religion. She goes on:

"Our Founding Fathers and mothers were clear in their intent to establish separation of church and state because they had seen the horrors of state religion and theocracy in Europe."

To "reclaim America" is NOT to establish the "horrors of state religion," but instead to free the masses of the grip of ungodliness. And please tell me what "theocracy" ever existed in Europe? The pilgrims fled to secular Holland to get away from a corrupt state church, for sure. But the only close to a "theocracy" that existed in Europe was for a short time in England under Oliver Cromwell and his successors (he for five years, others for about a year!) These years were not pleasant, and the problem was not in God, but with men.

And I just love the PC "founding mothers." The wives and daughters were great support, but hardly "founders" of this nation. The Pilgrims DID set out to establish a "theocracy," and many rallied behind the cry "no king but Jesus" as late as the Revolutionary war. Even the commercial endeavours in Virginia (predating th Pilgrims by over 15 years) had as one of their purposes the propogation of the Gospel. The Pilgrims HAD been sailing for Virginia but were blown off course.

As late as the 1950's godliness and reverence for God meant something in the US. Events and decisions since then have driven this great nation further and further from God. It is not suprising that the thought of "reclaiming America" for God scares the godless. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, the ancient proverb declares. Perhaps the liberals are becoming "wise." :-)

When tradition overrules history

We went to see The Nativity Story Saturday evening after finding that a local production of a new "operetta" had sold out. The musical production of "Simeon," telling the story of the Christ child's dedication in Jerusalem, was actually the one thing that the movie missed 100% ! It is almost like the drama department at Bob Jones University KNEW this would be the case!

Let me start over. I had not seen reviews of the film ahead of time, and had not actually PLANNED on going to see it last evening. I suspected that the movie would follow tradition and put the birth in December (it did), but I did not expect it to change the timeline to the extent to make it match with the traditional manger scenes! But that is exactly what it did, to the expense of the historical record.

The producers had gone to great expense to research the first century era to get the dress and technology right, only to fall short when they touched on Biblical accuracy. They did an excellent job at portraying the personal inner feelings of Joseph, Mary, and even Herod. The caricatures of the "three wise men" were more of "comic relief" than anything else.

Apart from missing the clues to what I have already shown for a Autumn birthday, the accuracy of the movie fell apart when it came to the timing of the magi's visit. Even tradition has this to be in January, giving the holy family time to find more suitable shelter. The account in Luke, which most will admit is more strictly historical, mentions both the shepherds coming to the stable AND the dedication in nearby Jerusalem some eight days later.

The movie, though, in getting the magi to the stable, completely bypassed the dedicaton at the temple. The film has Herod's soldiers coming to Nazareth the very night of the birth, necessitating their fleeing just moments before the murderers arrive! Meanwhile, in the film, the "wisest" of the magi decides on his own that they would not go back to Herod. God is left out of the picture there, for it was "in a dream" that they, too, were warned by an angel.

The scenary, while not on location, was authenic. The costumes and customs were authenic. The people, even, were believable. But the STORY missed the mark.

But so do most of our Christmas carols (and even nativity hymns). This was a "touchy-feely" attempt to humanize the story. And that it did. But I think that more attention to the WHOLE story would have made a much more interesting experience.

I hope that I can get a video of "Simeon."

If I were a politician ...

You Are Most Like George W. Bush

So what if you're not exactly popular? You still rule the free world. And while you may be quite conservative now, you knew how to party back in the day!

What Modern US President Are You Most Like?

The guy that put these together seems to have a more or less balanced approach. I tried to determine WHICH questions weighed the answer and the first THREE tries matched George W. Bush. The answers to the quiz are just ambiguous enough that I COULD honestly be "more like" just about anybody from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush, I guess. However, I didn't find the right combination of "right" answers to make me "more like" Ronald Reagan. :-(

And speaking of Reagan, I am saddened to hear of the passing of one of his most effective appointments. Jean Kirkpatrick. She like Mr. Bolton, "hated" the UN to which she was appointed. But she got things done it a tense time in our history. As Reagan's spokesperson to the world community she was a great conservative (even as a Democrat). One wonders what world history would have been like if SHE had won the nomination instead of vice president Bush in 1988. Even she could have beaten Michael Dukakis!

Old hobbies and New

I found an interesting post while checking out my email today. I use "Legacy Family Tree" and in their email "Legacy News" I found out that Santa Claus has died! His family fondly remembers him though. :-)

Geneaology, though, is my "old hobby." Since I have gone as far as I can using free softwarer and websites, I thought maybe encyclopedia articles would be a good way to get my "gift of knowledge" dispensed to the world!

I spent the good part of the evening editting an article at "Wikipedia." The English language version is found at http://en.wikipedia.com. If you type in wikipedia.com the home page will come up from which you have to choose "English" to go to the proper "version." Any way, I chose to edit the page for "Dawson, Georgia," having found a celebrity who had been born there. Additionally, I added a section on local education since I and my siblings were educated in the area.

It went okay, though I inadvertantly used a "blacklisted" URL for one of the schools. A little googling found the official link, though. I found out that this predominantly black school (the only four year school in Albany, Ga.) was originally a BIBLE school established in 1903! Go to the "Dawson, Georgia" page at "Wikipedia" for all the details. :-)

Prayer Requests from VOM

This has been a hard week. However, I will pass along these prayer requests from Voice of the Martyrs. Christians are being persecuted from civilized Canada to developing world Ubekistan.

Read the prayer requests here.

Cats do the darnest things!

This evening, as with most of this week, I am rather tired. However, I did do some surfing of the blogs and in the course of things came upon Bestest Blog, a link exchange where I am one of over a thousand blogs (see sidebar for permanent link). Today's "Bestest" is Trisha's Musings, Bestest Blog for Dec. 7, 2006 (the guy is either on UT or is posting early!)

Trisha is a nurse and a mom, as is my wife. And she featured this video from youtube recently. Since we have a cat that is sometimes skidish, and sometimes sleeps quite close to the edge of the couch, I especially enjoyed this (I played it over at least three times!)



Cats are a hoot, huh? :-)

Transgender Nonsense

We have the technology ...

Back a generation ago a fictional government program was able to rebuild a man to be "better in every way." And now, with the science of biology advancing daily, the PC secularists are wanting to follow the path of least resistence.

Some children, it seems, show early "transgender" tendencies. Pre-school boys want to be girls, and vice versa. The solution seems obvious to me:

The writer of a recent NY Times article writes:

"The biological underpinnings of gender identity, much like sexual orientation, remain something of a mystery, though many researchers suspect it is linked with hormone exposure in the developing fetus."

So, why not develop tests to check those hormone levels to keep it from effecting the developing child? And meanwhile, figure out how to tweak those hormones just a bit to relieve the abnormal tendencies within the children.

At least one researcher has the right idea:

"But Dr. Kenneth Zucker, a psychologist and head of the gender-identity service at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, disagrees with the “free to be” approach with young children and cross-dressing in public. Over the past 30 years, Dr. Zucker has treated about 500 preadolescent gender-variant children. In his studies, 80 percent grow out of the behavior, but 15 percent to 20 percent continue to be distressed about their gender and may ultimately change their sex.

Dr. Zucker tries to “help these kids be more content in their biological gender” until they are older and can determine their sexual identity — accomplished, he said, by encouraging same-sex friendships and activities like board games that move beyond strict gender roles."

But those PC administrators in California don't see it that way. Nope, they want to play to the children's "self esteem."

"The Los Angeles Unified School District, for instance, requires that students be addressed with “a name and pronoun that corresponds to the gender identity.” It also asks schools to provide a locker room or changing area that corresponds to a student’s chosen gender."

It seems that the hormone treatment is not totally out of the question in FAVOR of the transgendered:

"One of the most controversial issues concerns the use of “blockers,” hormones used to delay the onset of puberty in cases where it could be psychologically devastating (for instance, a girl who identifies as a boy might slice her wrists when she gets her period). Some doctors disapprove of blockers, arguing that only at puberty does an individual fully appreciate their gender identity."

Yep, just make them STAY that way until they can "decide for themselves" if they are "normal."

It brings to mind the alternate interpretation of Prov. 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Taken as a WARNING, this means: "If you let a child determine what is right, that is the way he will act when he grows up."

Transgendered children, indeed!

Pray for the Assyrian Christians

In the confusion which is Iraq (largely ancient Babylon), there is a neglected group of persecuted people. Just this fall at least fifteen murders have been committed which have recieved very little coverage by the media.

This group is known as "Assyrian" Christians. Largely in northern Iraq, they practice an ancient form of Christianity that preserves the ancient Aramaic language spoken by Jesus and his disciples. They are not part of the fighting, but have come under attack since Pope Benedict has spoken up about the violence prevalent in Islam.

On Monday, December 4, a group of supporters will demonstrate at the White House. Learn about this at their News Release here. Pray for this demonstration. Persecution is not new, but our response to it in Washington may determine its course in "occupied" Iraq.

Let me know with comments if you are aware of developments here in the USA or abroad concerning this or other persecutions. Also, find out about persecution around the world by visiting persecution.org or Voice of the Martyrs (free membership registration). I actually meant to get to the latter when I created the first link, but the "dotorg" seems to be a worthy site as well. VOM is older an has the "dotcom" address for "persecution." I have not checked out International Christian Concern personally so anyone connected with them feel free to give me a review.

Authors in my library

This "Author cloud" is from the 27 books that I have entered at LibraryThing.com. The bigger the author the more readers they have in the 8 million or so books listed by members.

It is interesting to check and see how many people have the same books that I have. So far, I have found one listed that actually has 9 of the 27. Many folks have Lewis, Calvin, and Schaeffer. This particular member also has BOTH Rush Limbaugh books, too.

Election 2008

I clicked through to SurveyUSA from a political newsletter. The tagline asked which DEMOCRAT would be the strongest! The answer is John Edwards of NC! No other contender stands much of a chance against the leading candidates for the Republican side.

The nomination of John McCain is only slightly weaker than for Rudy Guilani. A race between John McCain and John Edwards would likely be down to the wire (the guy in the corner is the CEO of SurveyUSA):



272-266! Wow! In this race one state, any state, going to Edwards would either TIE (3 votes) or give him the win. This would be 2000 and 2004 all over again. (Clicking above will bring you to the home page of SurveyUSA.)


With the two New Yorkers, however, it is surprisingly Guiliani all the way!

However, consider these figures:

Two-way race: Guliani over Clinton (354-184), BUT:

14+8+11+13+9+7+9+32=94 [the total votes of the deep south (NC,TN,GA,AL,LA,and TX)]

354-94=260 [Ten votes short of the majority of 270 needed to win]

In what I had surmised would be a tight race between the New Yorkers, Guiliani is the clear favorite by the SurveyUSA polls. But if there is a solid third party candidate with the drawing power of, say, a modern day Teddy Roosevelt, the Senate might have to make the call! I can't see the deep south going for a moderate Republican like these polls show if there is another choice thrown in. Just for fun, I put myself in the picture as the "favorite son" of the South.




A realistic choice might be John McCain, but then I would have to change the colors to reflect AZ and NM (and given that choice SC probably WOULD go with Guiliani!) That would change the count to 184-92-262.

Well, the next two years will be interesting, that is for sure!

Sharing My Library

Tonight I came upon a neat online service to allow one to "share" his library with the world. The site is "LibraryThing.com" where you can catalogue your library for free (up to 200 entries) or for a fee ($10 a year or $25 for lifetime priviledges) you can add unlimited volumes.

I started with C.S. Lewis, Toliken, and Calvin. I have a long way to go!

I will share my library with readers of this blog when I have added my full 200 free entries (or at least a good assortment). Much of my library is theological from my seminary days, but I have much that I have picked up in the past 30 years or so.

Is The State Newspaper biased?

I don't know how many readers I have in South Carolina, but this blog is a reaction against the accusations from an article by Lee Bandy of The State Newspaper. It is my understanding that a news article is supposed to TRY to be unbiased. Opinion should be reserved for the editorial pages, or at least one could hope that would be the case. The whole tenure of the article seems to be pro-McCain and even anti-Bush!

Eight years is a long time, but I do seem to remember that Senator McCain voiced quite some disdain for Conservative Christians BEFORE the "Christian Coalition" ever got involved with the campaign. I remember being quite unconfortable with BOTH Bush and McCain, voting instead for Alan Keyes, a true conservative that had very little chance of winning.

That being said, the article is found here. A pertinient quote states about the 2000 primary:


"So, the Bush operation here decided to play hardball. Some say dirty. There were tough ads all over radio and television. The Christian Coalition turned loose its army of soldiers to spread falsehoods about McCain and his family. Bush began each day with a new blast at his opponent. They tried to paint McCain into a liberal corner — liberal, at least, compared with Bush."

Well, at best McCain has proved to be a moderate. He is most certainly more "liberal" than President Bush. I would say that he is certainly more concervative than Rudy Juliani, while being to the left of Mitt Romney. It will be interesting to see the "spin" the media puts on the Fundamentalist-leaning upstate as it comes out in favor of a prominent Mormon politician. And a "yankee" to boot! :-)

I remember hearing Dr. Bob Jones III speak of sharing a seat with a Mormon on a political trip to Taiwan. He was in perfect agreement with the man's political views while definitely being against his theology. At least in that kind of situation there seems to be a "separation of church and state." It will not be a question of religion, but of conservativism. Who knows, perhaps the trials of a national campaign will drive a staunch Mormon into a fuller understanding of who Jesus Christ is.

A Strange Encounter

Read Matthew 15:21-28

I know, I made you get out the Bible. But it could be worse, I might just make you read it in Greek! Well, anyway, I thought I might share with you what I got out of the passage this morning.

It really is a strange passage. Jesus seems to be acting quite unlike we'd expect from the Saviour of "the world." But then, Matthew 1:21 says that he came to save "his people" from their sins!

Jesus had left the crowds of Judea behind in hopes of some rest with his disciples. And what should happen but one of the local women finds him anyway! You'd think in a world without radio and telephones that the word wouldn't get out so fast, wouldn't you? But God has His ways.

This woman, like Rahab of Jerico, had heard of Yahweh's work through His Messiah among the Jews. And now, when she is in need of assistance, Jesus acts like He doesn't even hear her! She continues to cry out as the Lord and his disciples walk toward her town. And the disciples are not pleased.

So Jesus turns to the woman and "explains" that His mission is to Israel, and not to the pagans in adjoining nations. But she was desperate, turning His apparent ethnic slur around. She admits she IS a "canarias" but that children will feed dogs that are kept as pets!

She had passed the Master's test. Her faith was not in His miracles, but rather in His person. He was the Messiah. And as such He could accept a poor gentile if He so pleased. He was impressed with her "great faith" and fulfilled her desires long distance. Her daughter, who had been horribly influenced by demons, was freed of such bondage at Jesus' word.

One wonders what became of that woman and her daughter. But one thing's for sure: neither monther or daughter was ever the same afterword.

Dr. Erick Keroack - Has PP met its match?

The liberal elite is running scared! In the euphoria of the midterm election results, they hoped that the "thumpin'" wound have moderated the president. So he appoints a pro-life advocate to the Dept. of HHS!

An "unchastened" Bush appoints OB-GYN Dr. Eric Keroack as undersecretary that needs no confirmation who supports "traditional values" and this is how the media elite react:

The NY Times

... whose method of trying to dissuade women from having an abortion includes spreading the scary and medically inaccurate myth that having an abortion steeply increases the risk of breast cancer. The group also has a policy against dispensing contraception even to married women. It has stated on its Web site that the distribution of contraceptive drugs or devices is “demeaning to women, degrading of human sexuality and adverse to human health and happiness.”

... promoted the novel argument that sex with multiple partners alters brain chemistry in a way that makes it harder for women to form bonding relationships. One of the researchers cited by Dr. Keroack has called the claim “complete pseudoscience” unsupported by her findings.


The Washington Post

"Dr. Keroack, an obstetrician-gynecologist, is about to start work at the Department of Health and Human Services, overseeing federally funded family planning programs. To put it simply, the Bush administration's choice to direct the federal effort to make contraceptives available to low-income women works for a group that doesn't support using contraception. What comes next -- a science adviser who doesn't believe in evolution?"

----

It seems that at least in minor appointments Mr. Bush is appointing those with traditional values to stem the liberal tide. The arrogance of the liberal elite is what is really scary. They have been telling lies and half-truths for so long that they believe their own propoganda!

I have seen the evidence for breast cancer risks, for example, and I see real sustainable data that not only shows corelations but physical mechanisms for such risks. And to lambast an organization that seeks to uphold the dignity of women (though with politically incorrect reasons) seems to be a slippery ground, don't you think?

Though I am Protestant and not strictly in the camp of traditional Catholic teachings on contraceptives, I can see where an organizaiton like A Woman's Concern could take a stand against "dispensing contraceptives." In light of the declining fertility rates among the "developed" nations, it seems a little disingenuous to deride those that disuade contraception! That Dr. Keroack "works for" such a group as an advisor shouldn't disqualify him to work for a conservative government, should it?

And what would be wrong with a science advisor who doesn't believe in evolution? :-)

Happy Thanksgiving

Here we are again, the one fully American Holliday (though other nations have similar celebrations). I hope you all had a fabulous day.

As hard as it is to believe, in moderation the traditional holiday meal is extremely healthy for you. The turkey meat is among the healthiest meats - especially the white meat. Along side that you have the iced tea and pumpkin pie for dessert. These among the fourteen most healthy foods available. Meanwhile, the cranberry sauce is from a high antioxidant berry. If you have sweet potatoes, as we did, then you are adding a dark yellow "vegetable" into the mix (not as good as pumpkin, but close).

I have documentation, two whole books of it, but it is late and I have to work on this "Black Friday." However, I really don't envy those working on Saturday -- the day we collect all the monies from those who shopped on Friday!

When Camelot Fell

Today marks 43 years since President John F. Kennedy was gunned down in Dallas. There have been theories as to how it was done and even WHO was involved. But whatever the full truth, an era in America came to an end that day.

Camelot had not begun in January of 1961, but instead in the glory days of America's post war "golden age." After a horrendous and surreal ending to World War II, the general who had made it happen, Dwight D. Eisenhower, had been pushed into further service as president. Radio gave way to television and a technology war with our WW2 "allies" began a race into the heavens. Rock and Roll ruled the airwaves and the parlours as the "baby boomers" began to repopulate the western world. Prominent theologian Loraine Boetner could confidently write of post-millenialism in 1957, the same year that the Russians sent Sputnik into orbit!

In 1954 Congress added "under God" to the pledge of allegiance at the suggestion of President Eisenhower. The nation felt good, re-electing "Ike" overwhelmingly in 1956. Everything was looking good. The fifties ended and the short lived "golden age" began to show some tarnish.

A very close race in 1960 brought Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts into the Whitehouse. All seemed well, but the young politician had inherited two political hot potatoes from Eisenhower - Viet Nam and Cuba. The war in Viet Nam was not too hot, yet, though the Soviets and Chinese were playing it to their advantage. The Soviet involvement in Cuba, though, almost brought on World War III! Some say that attempts to depose Castro were tied to the assasination of Kennedy.

The same year that Kennedy was assasinated, though, the Supreme Court ruled that prayer in school was unconstitutional! In nine short years the movement to put God IN the pledge had evolved to a couunter-movement to remove God FROM the morning ritual of millions of school children nation-wide. Meanwhile, the stage was being set for a phenomenon in music that would transform the music of Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly into today's "rock." In the month that the president was killed, Ed Sullivan was persuaded to sign the Beatles to sing on his show. In February, 1964, "Beatlemania" came to America!

President Lyndon B. Johnson moved drastically away from Kennedy's fiscally conservative policies in his "war on poverty" and his "great society." The anti-war movement and the "free love" of the hippies marked the sixties as a cultural phenomenon of which we are now seeing the full effect as the nation is locked in a idelogical "civil war" after two 51-49 presidential races and a mid-term race that resulted in a split just about as close.

Perhaps the "golden days" were only polished brass, but they were glorious nonetheless. Let us not, therefore, look to them for our hope. Our hope is in the Master of that land of transparent gold - the New Jerusalem. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Jett Martin with housemate

Well, folks, I guess it is about time I showed off my grandson again.

Well, actually, his mother Meredith is showing him off in this video:

Posted By:Meredith

Get this video and more at MySpace.com


Now that's a patient cat. She doesn't live up to her name, given to her in her younger days, of "Imp Kitty."