I don't understand the controversy about Paul Wolfowitz. Seems to me that if you have an affair with somebody and then use your power to get them a high paying job, you cannot be trusted.
I don't understand why the Bush administration is standing behind him.
I find it pretty crazy that our government is offering massive subsidies for burning food.
A Culinary and Cultural Staple in Crisis - washingtonpost.com
Now not only do the poor have to pay higher prices at the pump because the rich choose to consume massive amounts of gas driving around in Hummers, but now they are going to have to pay higher prices at the supermarket as well.
I managed to avoid the topic of politics on fingertoe.com for this entire election cycle.
Some of you probably think I am apathetic.
I am just sick of the whining. Perhaps if we let the whiners run the show for a while a real leader will emerge who can actually unite the country. Probably not, but it is worth a try.
Note to politicians. Regulations do not prevent terrorism..
I think it is funny how the politicians are making a big stink about the Cory Lidle crash in New York, saying that a terrorist could load up an aircraft with biological weapons and crash simularly. Some are calling for that area to be closed to general aviation traffic.
This is pretty silly in my mind. It is a very busy corridor, but pilots have flown safely there for years. It is not like a suicide terrorist is going to look at his sectional and be detered from flying in there. There isn't anything that Air Traffic control could do to retaliate against a trespassing aircraft except for report it to the FAA. I doubt a suicidal terrorist is going to mind getting written up.
Basically the law abiding are inconvienienced, and the only benefit in exchange is that the politicians get to pretend like they are doing something to fight terrorism.
If somebody famous crashes thier car on the interstate highway, are we going to close that down too?
Ethanol's rise prompts worries of a corn crunch | csmonitor.com
Looks like the new Ethanol craze could have some pretty nasty effects on the price of all of our food over the next few years. Most ethanol is made from Corn. 20% of this years Corn Crop will be converted into ethanol. This figure is expected to double over the next few years. As a result the price of Corn is increasing pretty significantly. Unfortunately Corn is also pretty vital to raising healthy Beef, Chicken or Pork. So as Corn prices go up, so do meat prices. Also as corn prices go up, more farmland is going to be shifted from producing less profitable crops to make more corn. this shift will increase the cost of other crops.
I am not really opposed to ethanol per se. I think all of the recent mandates and subsidies however are one of the biggest scams in a long time. It doesn't burn much cleaner than Gasoline. It provides less power per gallon. You have to burn about 75 energy units of gasoline in order to produce 100 energy units of corn ethanol. Even if all of the farmland in production where converted to growing corn for Ethanol, we couldn't come close to powering our fleets. The Ethanol reformulations that have been mandated are a contributor to the higher gasoline prices that we have been seeing.
I think we have been hoodwinked..
Ted Harvey Invited a Gianna Jessen to Sing the Star Spangled banner before the Colorado House of Represenatives. Ms. Jessen suffers with cerebral palsy, and her story is an inspiring tale of perseverence. After she finished singing, Mr Harvey told her tale, and she recieved a standing ovation from the House.
Then he explained "The Rest of the Story" -- that her condition was caused by a botched Planned parenthood abortion. The chamber went silent. Half of the House was enraged beyond words. They where preparing to debate a resolution celebrating Planned Parenthood's anniversary in their area.
Mr. Harvey's account is definately worth reading: Ted Harvey, not Paul Harvey
HT: @ Large
One of my posts on Thinking Christians got flamebaited yesterday with an off topic comment regarding Christian support of the Iraq war. The church did not support this war. The vast majority of the denominations that took a stand on the war where against it.
The GULLY | Invisible Opposition to Bush's WarIt's not just the firebrands that have been erased. In this most Christian administration, short shrift has been given to the Christian leaders that have questioned a preemptive strike against Iraq. Bush critics include the leadership of the United Methodist Church, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Orthodox Church in America, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Christian Church, and the United Church of Christ. The National Council of Churches, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have also asked whether even a "regime change" in the name of democracy will not do more harm than good.
Like most Christians, I trusted the president to do his job. I know that he had a lot more information than I did. I also trust Congress to examine the evidence, and make sure that the war is being conducted for a reason and in a manner that is in line with our values. That vote passed 296-133 in the house, and 77-23 in the Senate. I wouldn't call that a close vote.
In hindsight, the liberals go and blame the church for the war, when in truth the church stood firmly against it long before the democratic party did.
Purity is not welcome?
Looks like San Francisco is begining to realize that they did their city no favors by opposing a prayer convention of Junior high and High school students in thier city:
Intolerant CityAssemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, was quoted telling counterprotesters Friday that the gathering Christians were "loud, they're obnoxious, they're disgusting and they should get out of San Francisco." On Monday, however, Leno struck a more reasoned tone, acknowledging that his rally cry was "not one of my prouder moments." He said the youth group was "welcome in San Francisco," even though he does worry that its religious rhetoric could "under a cloak of love" feed a "fearful world's appetite for hate."
The city supervisors passed a resolution condemning the convention. Checking Battle Cry's website, it appears that they are trying to encourage kids to stay off drugs, alcohol, and sex. Apparently the leaders in San Francisco find this offensive.
Not only did this create a huge wave of publicity for the organization. It also removed any doubt from validity of their message. This culture is opposed to our youth staying pure, and will fight to corrupt them in every avenue available: Television, Music, Internet, Advertizing, and now apparently City board resolutions.
I think that Battlecry's approach is very good. They are encouraging youth trust in God's promises and remain pure. They fight this battle one heart at a time. They also work to train these kids to become leaders in their community, loving other kids, and setting a pure example.
Thanks to Junglepop for the heads up.
Comment Contest: New City slogan for San Francisco?
Much excitement and legislation is circulating regarding increasing Ethanol consumption in the US.
Carbon cloud over a green fuel | csmonitor.com
I am beginning to believe that we have all been had. There is quite a bit of controversy about it in the academic circles, but there is hardly any in the political circles. Farmers get to grow federally subsidized corn, and sell it to factories that have markets guaranteed for them by state regulations. Now it is beginning to look like Coal mines are going to get a chunk of the revenue.
The automaker's lobby has been bought off by the ability to count dual fuel vehicles as higher MPG vehicles than they really are. This allows the automakers to sell more low economy vehicles, and still remain under their regulated Corporate MPG limit.
If Ethanol where really an economically viable option, would a 51-71 cent per gallon subsidy really be necessary? That is the current government subsidy. (Through a fuel tax exemption).
There is still a lot of debate about how efficient Ethanol is to produce. The most recent studies indicate that it is efficient enough to be economical, but not efficient enough to be revolutionary. Previous studies indicated that you actually had to burn more energy in the production process than you received in the end product.
The other issue is a shortage farmland. It would take an enormous amount of farmland to create enough corn fuel our cars. Much more than is currently in production now. Brazil is the largest producer in Ethanol in the world, and they are plowing down Rainforests to make room for more farmland.
Anyway, there are lots of special interests who stand to profit from ethanol. I am not sure that there is a point however. It is not a solution for the energy shortage, and it is not very green, if it is green at all.
The way to solve the energy problem is pretty simple: Burn less fuel.
"When Would Jesus Bolt?" by Amy Sullivan
I have been saying for quite a while that the Media has overblown the Evangelical church's relationship with the right. I believe that the Christian Right is bound to the GOP based on one or two non-negotiable issues. Once those issues are resolved or settled, all bets are off as far as who they will vote for.
There is a lot in the Republican platform that doesn't have much appeal from a Biblical worldview. There is quite a bit in the Democratic platform that does. I think most Christians would be significantly more liberal than the GOP, but they are not willing to sacrifice the lives of innocent unborn babies to aid the liberal social causes.
Political victory can cost you. Satisfied constituents are less committed constituents. Odd but true.
Bush faces split with key allies over UAE port deal - Yahoo! News
The government should not be able to squash transactions in the capital markets on a whim. Dubai Ports World is a reputable company that operates ports successfully throughout the world. They have agreed to conform with US laws. Their personnel will have to go through the same immigration and security screenings that the current British ownership does. I doubt there will actually be much change at all as this is a merger.
The main reason for this firestorm of opposition is racism. We don't like the color of the skin and the country of origin of the applicant. It is egregious in my opinion. We allow European and Asian, and Chinese interests to buy all kinds of commercial ventures in this country. China is our biggest military rival on the planet. UAE is a longtime ally.
From the State Department website:
U.S.-U.A.E. RELATIONS
The United States has enjoyed friendly relations with the U.A.E. since 1971. Private commercial ties, especially in petroleum, have developed into friendly government-to-government ties which include security assistance. The breadth, depth, and quality of U.S.-U.A.E. relations increased dramatically as a result of the U.S.-led coalition's campaign to end the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait. In 2002, the U.S. and the U.A.E. launched a strategic partnership dialogue covering virtually every aspect of the relationship. The U.A.E. has been a key partner in the war on terror after September 11, 2001. The United States was the third country to establish formal diplomatic relations with the U.A.E. and has had an ambassador resident in the U.A.E. since 1974.
That is the way I see it.
Governor Gregoire gets some points in my book. (For the first time ever)
KREM.com | News for Spokane, Washington | KREM Top StoriesWashington's Lottery will not continue earlier plans to market itself to young adults after an order from Gov. Chris Gregoire, officials said.
The lottery, which reports $13.7 million in annual sales to 18- to 20-year-olds, said in its 2005-2007 business plan that it planned to advertise to that age group.
I absolutely despise the lottery's "It's good to play" campaign. This is a humongous lie, and a fraud that the state is peddling on its citizens.
We have 2 or three generations now that have their hopes tied up on the miracle windfall. No longer to we dream of serving our fellow citizens to gain a living. No longer do we dream of creating new valuable products. Those are unglamorous dreams, discouraged by every one of the state's lottery ads.
Most people who play the lottery lose. They give up their heard earned money, and get nothing in exchange except for a covetous heart, and false hope.
The state should be in the business of creating and encouraging hard work and success. Instead, they are in the business of creating as many losers as possible.
The lottery is basically a tax on those without hope.
Gregoire is doing the right thing. She needs to go much, much further.
Enough Cheney shotgun jokes already, but wait..
I bet the liberals will be changing their tune about Justice Scalia hunting with Cheney.
Counting down the minutes until I hear from the liberals why the mine accident is President Bush's fault.
Also counting down the minutes until Pat Robertson or somebody in his camp explains why God is angry at the West Virginia folks.
Should we open a office poll on when these events happen?
Townhall.com :: Columns :: Thin green line is bad science by Debra Saunders
"Consensus science isn't science" --William M. Gray Colorado State University professor of atmospheric science
I love watching the science shows that describe the history of a scientific fact.. Almost all of them started with a single voice being ridiculed by the scientific community.
Those who are considered crazy now are often seen as brilliant in 30-60 years.
An interesting debate is emerging regarding the churches in China.
Luis Palau's Chinese church registration comments correct, or misguided?
I have heard from some missionaries and bible study leaders that some of the registered churches in China are quite effective.
Some leaders such as Luis Palau are encouraging churches to register with the government, so that the persecution is reduced, and they can preach the Gospel more effectively.
The Voice of the Martyrs argue that registering the church puts the communist party in front of Jesus Christ. The party has veto power over who leads worship services, can regulate who can come, and when, and "discourage" certain biblical teachings.
Earlier this month, I Blogged about Christian entanglement with politics in this country. It seems to me that many of the issues are the same, but the stakes are much higher over there.
It is hard to second guess those who are living through persecution for their faith over there, but I think it would be more couragous to preach the gospel to a large crowd, with the government censors listening, then to be persecuted for breaking a law about meeting secretly.
Even if you are unable to preach the entire bible, so long as you are able to open somebody's heart to the Savior, the Holy Spirit, can grow their knowlege and relationship with God.
I think submiting to an unjust government is always a challenge.
What do you guys think?
IR // News // Anti-abortion group seeks aerial advertising over Honolulu
This is quite an interesting debate. I think that the content of the advertizing is a free speech issue, and should be irrelevant to the discussion. You should either be able to fly a banner, or you shouldn't no matter what the message.
Should a local government have a right to regulate the appearance of aircraft that fly overhead?
Would it be acceptable for the state to regulate the bumper stickers on the car that you drive through their state? Should an airplane be any different?
Certainly a curious topic.
I wonder if the true reason for all of the negative reaction within the conservative camp to the Harriet Miers nomination is because they fear having a judiciary system that is on their side.
It doesn't make much sense for the GOP to oppose an Evangelical Christian pro-business nominee. I am totally cynical regarding their motives. Even if she is only moderately qualified, she is by all accounts going to vote on their side on most issues.
How many votes have the Republican Party earned this year because of the gay marriage issue? How many votes do they retain each year because of Roe vs. Wade? If the courts where to settle these issues, those voters would no longer be trapped voting for the Republican Party. I would argue that the Evangelical Christian movement is actually middle-right, not far right. Once the life issues are no longer in contention, other issues like poverty, health care, and environmental stewardship could be voting issues for evangelical Christians, and many of them would vote for more liberal candidates.
Having the judiciary consistently irking the middle-left will be a huge boost for the Democratic Party.
I think that many politicians in the GOP are pretty insincere in their pro-life convictions. They talk the talk to get the votes. It is very odd, how many GOP Senators are very negative regarding Miers' nomination while the Democrats are taking a wait and see approach.
KRT Wire | 10/03/2005 | Miers possesses qualities important to Bush: loyalty, trustworthinessFollowing Bush's election as governor, Miers accepted a part-time appointment as chairwoman of the Texas Lottery Commission, which had been beset by corruption charges.
During her five years on the commission, sales fell and the commission fired two lottery directors. But The Dallas Morning News editorialized that Miers deserved high marks for restoring integrity to the commission.
Isn't removing corruption from the Lottery kinda like removing crime from the Mafia?
Overall, I figure that Bush is picking somebody who he trusts to be a conservative on the court. He knows this person, and his judgement is probably correct.
It is interesting to see all of the hostility toward her, particularly from the right. I suspect that this is a sign that president Bush has squandered a lot of his credibility. Evangelical Christians supported him on the war in Iraq, basically because we trusted his judgement. It turns out that his judgement was incorrect, and now that trust is gone.
The right now has a "Trust but verify" relationship with the president.
World stunned as US struggles with Katrina - Yahoo! News
"I am absolutely disgusted. After the tsunami our people, even the ones who lost everything, wanted to help the others who were suffering," said Sajeewa Chinthaka, 36, as he watched a cricket match in Colombo, Sri Lanka."Not a single tourist caught in the tsunami was mugged. Now with all this happening in the U.S. we can easily see where the civilized part of the world's population is."
I suscpect that the stories of evil are being reported, while the stories of good are not. Can anyone point me to the stories of people taking care of one another?
We take so much for granted in this country. The tragedy in New Orleans goes to show us that without our infrastructure we are no different than a third world country. Actually, we are quite a bit worse in many ways.
The foundation of our civilization can be destroyed in a few hours.
I pray for the recovery of these poor folks. I also pray that we find a firmer foundation to base our civilization on.
They want to build a light rail system through my neighborhood. The sales pitch is pretty good. Probably too good to be true.
My neighborhood is a block or so away from the Appleway Avenue simulation. That simulation shows the neighborhood as it is today. Appleway runs right along the back of University city, A nearly abandoned shopping mall. They show a simulation of the effect that mass transit is going to have on University city.
I am suspecting that there is similar propaganda out there for the Appleway-Sprague couplet. They converted Sprague avenue to a one way street a few years ago, and installed Appleway Avenue. The couplet does make it easier to get around the valley, but it certainly has not lead to an economic boom.
I don't necessarily oppose the light rail, or transit. I just think that we should be realistic about it. The mass transit system will be really good for downtown Spokane. It will likely increase the property value in the immediate vicinity of the rail system. (Hey that is me) It will not impact the aesthetic properties of the neighborhood however. I don't believe that property owners are going to be inclined to put in a massive park in the middle of their property.
Trains don't make trees magically appear on the side of every road. Take a look at the Napa simulation, and it is obvious that that is what they are inferring.
I wonder if William Rehnquist is sick of having the paprazzi follow him around like he is a 21 year old hearthrob movie star?
My hometown has some interesting characters.
Tri-City Herald: WeirdSPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - When Rachel Dunham took out a restraining order against her boyfriend, she didn't expect to be marrying him a short time later. So instead of honeymooning in Mexico, Rodney Tomsha sits in the Spokane County Jail, accused of violating the order by getting within two blocks of Dunham.
In an obvious publicity stunt, Freestar Media has petitioned to have Supreme Court Justice David Souter's home condemed to make room for their "Lost Liberty Hotel"
Freestar Media, LLCOn Monday June 27, Logan Darrow Clements, faxed a request to Chip Meany the code enforcement officer of the Towne of Weare, New Hampshire seeking to start the application process to build a hotel on 34 Cilley Hill Road. This is the present location of Mr. Souter's home.
Clements, CEO of Freestar Media, LLC, points out that the City of Weare will certainly gain greater tax revenue and economic benefits with a hotel on 34 Cilley Hill Road than allowing Mr. Souter to own the land.
The proposed development, called "The Lost Liberty Hotel" will feature the "Just Desserts Café" and include a museum, open to the public, featuring a permanent exhibit on the loss of freedom in America. Instead of a Gideon's Bible each guest will receive a free copy of Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged."
I wonder how high fuel prices have to be in order in order for transportation costs to offset the benefit of using cheap labor.
It sees that this could be an economic disaster. If fuel prices go up, and we are shipping most all of our real goods from the other side of the world, prices are going to have to go up to compensate.
I don't think we have the industrial infrastructure here in the states to produce all of good we are buying from overseas.
Supply will go down drastically, causing some nasty inflation problems.
That threshold Transportation/Labor cost threashold is important. I wonder where it is.
Chinese dragon awakens - Special Report - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper
U.S. defense and intelligence officials say all the signs point in one troubling direction: Beijing then will be forced to go to war with the United States, which has vowed to defend Taiwan against a Chinese attack.
Our country has never really abandoned our reliance on slavery for economic advantage. We just keep moving our slave labor further and further off-shore. Looks like the Chinese have us exactly where they want us. If we stopped buying stuff from China, our store shelves would quickly be quite empty.
If we don't stop buying China's goods,we will be subsidizing the expansion of their tyrany over even more people.
Is this real?
Forsake The Troops! Official Website
The website claims that the webmaster was killed for the opinions expressed on his website. A Google News search returns nothing.
Apparently this Michael Crook guy found a digital camera belonging to a military person at a NFL game and decided to hold it for ransom. There are pleanty of media refereneces to that incident. He then registered some inflamatory domain names to further his infamy. You would think that the media would notice if he was murdered.
Update: Finally a link on Google news. The Marine Times are backing my hoax theory for now: Marine Corps Times - News - More News
Update 2: Mr Crook's blog (not worthy of a link) confirms that he is indeed a liar.
I think they should have to package the Spokesman Review in Brown paper or something. The last few days they have been discussing the Mayor's masturbation habits on the front page.
Bill Clinton got away with having an adultorous affair in his office. The media didn't think that there was anything wrong with that, but the idea of the mayor having computer fantasy sex in his office is abhorant.
If he had offered job and internships to attractive ladies, I don't think people would be raising such a stink. I think he should resign, but It would be nice if the media had the same determination to expose corruption in all politicians.
Spokane politics has been quite nutty for years. I thought it was finally on the mend until I turned on the news today.
Jim West :: A Spokesman-Review Investigative Report
Apparently the Mayor offered an city internship to a young man that he met on the chat boards at gay.com.
Turns out that this 18 year old high school student was actually a private investigator who was hired by the local newspaper who's parent company just settled a multi-million dollar lawsuit with the city.
The paper also reported that 2 convicted felons claim to have been molested by Mayor west back in the 1970's when he was a Sheriff's Deputy and a Boy Scout leader.
I had a very uneasy feeling last time I watched Mayor West speak. He was supporting settlement of the Riverpark Square fiasco and he likened the deal to a divorce. He then went on to discuss the "Blessing of a Divorce". Nothing angers me more than seeing those two words in the same sentence. For the former Senate majority leader (Republican) to throw out language like that was disheartening. His was using one of the devil's most powerful lies to move his agenda forward.
If it is true that Mayor West was giving out jobs (or unpaid internships for that matter) because of his own sexual interests, he should resign immediately. From the transcripts of the chats that the Spokesman had, that appears to be the case. The mayor didn't know this kid well enough to realize he was imaginary, and he was recommending him for a position.
It is quite a waste. Mayor West has been an effective leader for the city. It is a bad idea to follow the leader with a broken compass however.
Yahoo! News - Arch-Conservative German Elected Pope
It only took a few hours before the media turned on the new pope.
I commented earlier on how the media seemed to be campaigning for a liberal pope. Now they are stunned, that somebody was elected who actually believes what the Church teaches.
Go figure. I think it will be a long time before there is a liberal Episcopalian pope. It is impressive how the failure of fantasy suddently becomes news.
Confused Cops Swarm Woman After Birth
Sounds like an episode on a bad TV Sitcom.
Eyewitness News - Student suspended for taking photos of principal smoking at school
If a picture is worth a thousand words—then one Central High School student has proof, in photos, showing his principal is breaking the rules!But....guess who's in trouble?
Sometimes you do things that you can't take back. Once you are caught, nothing you do will repair your integrity. The harder you fight, the worse you will look.
Apparently a youngster survived 3 abortion attempts and is alive and healthy 3 years later.
Clarke reveals that paediatricians often intervene to save babies who have survived abortions.
He writes: “Late abortion raises serious practical, ethical and professional concerns. The dilemma of being telephoned about an infant born showing signs of life following termination of pregnancy is one that many paediatricians have faced. If viable, and resuscitated, those infants who survive may suffer significant illness.”
Apparently a couple of teenagers where successfully sued for delivering cookies to their neighbor's door. The neighbor was scared by their knocking and had to go to the hospital.
DenverPost.com - LOCAL NEWSThe families had offered to pay Young's medical bills if she would agree to indemnify the families against future claims.
Young wouldn't sign the agreement. She said the families' apologies rang false and weren't delivered in person. The matter went to court.
I don't blame them for not delivering the apologies in person. Last time they knocked it cost them 900 bucks...
Now that prostitution is legal in Germany, if a woman turns down a prostitution job, she loses her unemployment benefits.
Telegraph | News | 'If you don't take a job as a prostitute, we can stop your benefits'"Now that prostitution is no longer considered by the law to be immoral, there is really nothing but the goodwill of the job centres to stop them from pushing women into jobs they don't want to do."
The problem as I see it is that when the goverment removes the sanction of something becoming immoral, is magically becomes moral. This woman is being treated like she is an unemployment fraud case because she is not willing to participate in a "moral" profession.
Those Blue Iraqi thumbs are a pretty beautiful sight.
The Iraqi's apparently love democracy as much as we do. They had at least the proportion of their population vote then we do here in America. And we didn't have anyone shooting at us or blowing us up.
It is now their country. They earned it with their courage. More courage will be needed to clean up the mess over there. Now that Iraqis can fight for Iraqi government appointed by Iraqi ballots, I suspect that the terrorists better turn tail and run. Iraq is taking their country back.
To all of those pessimists here in the US who said that democracy wouldn't work over there, you should repent. Your racism is being exposed for what it really is.
WRAL.com - News - Company Fires All Employees Who Smoke
This may not be a bad idea. I don't think it is a good idea to fire your employees for smoking at home, but I do think it is reasonable to make them pay for their own health insurance.
I think that if you choose to do something detrimintal to yourself, you shouldn't expect everyone else to pay the bill to fix you up.
USATODAY.com - 'Rolling Stone' reverses, will accept Bible ad
"We have addressed the internal miscommunications that led to the previous misstatement of company policy and apologize for any confusion it may have caused," Lisa Dallos, spokeswoman for Wenner Media, Rolling Stone's parent company, said Monday. She declined to elaborate.
Interesting that they have a spokeswoman issue the apology, when they had a General Manager articulate the rejection. They are doing the right thing though, so I won't give them too much flack.
The University of Oregon is doubling up its efforts to be the most liberal place in the US. Now they have ruled that University employees can't express support of our troops.
First time I have linked to a blogger for posting a dead link... Cute...
Matt Margolis - Blog » daschle.senate.gov could not be found.
I have the coolest bug in my yahoo. It has been happening all year, and I don't know why.
The Boise State- Louisville game is listed like this:
vs. 0 3:30
Louisville 0 ET
As an Idaho Vandal fan, I have been quite pleased not to have my yahoo page defaced with reports of Boise State winning all year.. It sure is a weird bug... I don't think I will report it though.
When I was going to school at Idaho, I believe we where working on a 13 game winning streak over BSU.. I am pretty certain they are in the process of returning the favor now..
Yahoo! Sports - NFL - Gambling revenue proposed in financing for new Colts stadium
Doesn't it seem like this gambling stuff is becoming a big Ponzi scheme? It really spread like a Pyrmid scheme. It started with Nevada, and New Jersey, then it spread to State Sponsored Lotteries, then it spread to Indian Reservations, Then to Indian casinos just outside of town, then to card rooms in your neighborhood. Now it is trying to spread into Video poker machines in ever gas station and supermarket...
Each layer has the state skimming some off the top, and paying the rest back to the gamers. As the States become more and more dependant on that revenue to build their schools and stadiums, eventually the gamblers will run out of money, and the whole scheme will collapse.
If you fund your society by making people lose money, eventually you will become a society of losers.
"Responsible Gambling" is as oxymoronic. It is like "Responsible Bull-riding" or "Responsible Base-jumping" If you engage in high risk activities, you will get hurt. It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when. Yes, you can be very lucky, but it is not likely.. Especially if they are building Schools and Sports stadiums with your losings..
Here is an excelent article discussing how technology is finally giving the governed power over the goverment.
Until recently, one-party or no-party governments had a standing list of answers for people with a different notion: a) we don't care what you think; b) shut up; c) we kill you. There's no sure cure for c, but Plans a and b are becoming obsolete. Once impervious political authorities must now face the possibility of having their information monopoly hammered by an array of mostly American-engineered technology--smart cell phones, communication satellites, e-mail, Web logs (or "blogs") and a seemingly endless stream of information-sharing programs whose arcane names (RSS, Atom) hide their great power. The mass-market power of the older media--radio, TV, print--is also being integrated with the precision targeting of new technologies.
Time will tell!
I have long said that it was only a matter of time before the "Wall of Separation" crowd attempted to repeal the Declaration of Independence because of it's religous content.
According to this Reuters News Article it is starting to happen.
It is only a matter of time before we become British subjects again. ;-)
It looks like this Vioxx mess is going to offer us a taste of truth.
Yahoo! News - Expert Warns Against 5 FDA-Approved Drugs
I would argue that "Safe Drugs" are probably as safe as "Safe Sex". That is better than nothing, but not really all that safe at all.. Abstainence is the only real way to be safe. You may get a few moments of pleasure (or pain relief), but one time can sometimes cause a lifetime of disease, addiction or psychological trauma.
Human beings are a pretty amazing piece of machinery. We may think we know how one works, but really we have only theories. There are millions of parts interacting together to make a Human being. It is difficult to know what any substance is going to do to the perfomance of the millions of parts.
Pain generally serves a purpose. I think it is dangerous to eliminate pain by taking a pill. Half of the people on the steet are constantly medicated. If something is really going wrong, will they even notice? Or will they just pop another pill?
I suspect that our economy is growing like mad. Every person I chat with is extraordinarily busy at work right now.
It will take the economists a while to notice...
the evangelical outpost: Zogby's Crystal Ball:
Values Voters and Moral Relativism
From a James Zogby study in January:
But the differences between the two groups are not only found in their voting patterns but in their views as well. "Red State" voters, for example, tend to believe that moral values are "absolute" while "Blue State" voters were more inclined to accept "a live and let-live" moral philosophy.
I think now is the time for Moral Relativism to stand trial. I believe it is a fad that will soon die. Hopefully we don't have to witness the results of a society that fully buys into this "nothing is absolutely wrong" mentality.
Radical Congruency » What Will Replace Evangelicalism?
Much of what is broken is evangelicalism's reputation with non-Christians, especially those on the other side of the political aisle from the Christian Right. Just as the US has alienated other nations by invading Iraq as part of the "war on terror", the Christian Right has alienated much of the American public in the quest to see God's will done "on earth as it is in heaven."
I disagree. I believe that the Church is healthy, and this media barrage that it is facing is silly excuse making by the democrats and the liberal media.
According to The Barna Group\, Evangelical Christians make up 7% of the population and 11% of the electorate. They voted for Bush by an 85-15 margin.
Evangelicals have tended to vote Republican anyway, so while this is a good margin, it is not surprizing. frontline: the jesus factor: evangelicals: the evangelical vote | PBS
The Democratic candidates in recent years have gotten about between 30 percent and 40 percent of the evangelical vote.
Really we should be looking elsewhere to see why Bush won. He made substantial gains in the Catholics, Substantial gains among hispanics, and modest gains among African Americans.
In the 11 states where there where gay marriage amendments on the ballot they recieved support from an overall average of 2/3rds of the voters. 2/3rds of Americans do not belong to the "Christian Right". Even assumeing that a majority of evangelicals voted for these amendments there still where a ton of non-evangelicals voting for them.
The secular left is calling these voters "Ignorant". I believe that this stratagy will work quite poorly, and will alienate them from the secular worldview and move them to seek fellowship with people who share their values. Hopefully the church will have an excelent opportunity to share Christ's love with them.
Contrary to the left's conspiracy theories, by and large the church teaches it's congregations what the Bible says. They do not tell the members who or what to vote for.
If Churches did take political stands, I feel that often they would be much different than the voting patterns of their members. The IRS bans political speech from the pulpit, so it is hard to tell.
The Church will always have (And always has had) people who hate it. This is nothing new. They may have a new reason, but if it wasn't this reason, there would be another.
Andee and I had a great time today at this marriage conference that was being held in Couer d'Alane this weekend:
FamilyLife Conferences: Weekend to Remember (R)
It was a great time, and we learned a ton.
One of the points I thought was most key, was the idea that marriage is not a 50/50 endevor. It should be 100/100. Also if you only give in porportion to what you are getting from your spouse, pretty soon, neither of you will give anything, and you will be very unhappy.
Anyway, I would highly recommend this conference to anybody who has a spouse, or is engaged. Learn God's model for marriage.
If the democrats ever want to be competive and relevant again, they will need to listen to people like this guy:
The Backseat Philosopher: To My Fellow Democrats
Dismissing everyone from the Red States as ignorant seems to be the democratic sentiment right now. We are not ignorant. We have reasons for our beliefs. Liberals will never make any progress if they are too arrogant to have a real discussion.
Via Wild Bill
I think there is a ton of disinformation going around about the Evangelicals effect on the election.
Here is an example from Sidney Blumenthal that a "less conservative" friend sent to me today:
Guardian Unlimited | US elections 2004 | A moral dilemma
The evangelical churches became instruments of political organization. Ideology was enforced as theology, turning nonconformity into sin, and the faithful, following voter guides with biblical literalism, were shepherded to the polls as though to the rapture. White Protestants, especially in the south, especially married men, gave their souls and votes for flag and cross. The campaign was one long revival.
I have been to a lot of evangelical meetings in the last few months... At least 2 per week, and I didn't see any effort by any church to make us vote for a particular candidate. I was encouraged to vote. That is it.
What compelled Evangelicals to vote wasn't a big conspiracy by Carl Rove or threats of eternity in hell from their pastors. It was liberal activism. "Under God" being removed from the pledge of allegiance. The imminent demise of the partial birth abortion ban. Activists deciding to write their own laws and begin performing gay marriages in several places across the country. The war against Ten Commandment monuments in courthouses. All of these activities have been going on in the last 12 months, and there are a lot of evangelicals who are offended by these actions. The only thing that they can do about these issues is to vote. And vote they did.
Most denominations opposed the Iraq war. Some very strongly. But Conservative Christians Where Biggest Backers of Iraq War The churches really don't have nearly as much power over politics as they are given credit for.
I would guess that if the IRS didn't prohibit churches from taking political stands, most pastors would be more moderate than the stereotypical conservative Christian. The values would likely be the same, but the intensity would be different.
We should be looking to God for solutions, not to the President, Congress, the Courts or anybody else in this world. People like myself who become consumed by politics get separated a bit from our prayer life. We argue pridefully, and not prayerfully. We become more human, and less Christian. When a non believer hears an unprayerful argument from a Christian, often it comes across as arrogant, and intolerant. A prayerful argument tends to bring out an internal examination. A non-believer will still be attracted or repelled by a "Spirit driven" the argument, but It will be much more effective, and much more reflective of Christ's love.
Good pastors know that too much faith in political solutions becomes competition for faith in the Living God. We should vote our consciences and do what we can in this world, but remember our prayer is much more powerful than our ballot.
I think that the real underlying issue that caused religious folks to vote heavily for Bush, and non-religious folks to vote for Kerry was moral relativism. Bush is quite "Black and White" while Kerry is mostly "shades of Grey". Religious people inherently accept the fact that there is a truth. Non religious people don't; everything is relative. Bush appears insane to the moral relativists, but those who believe there is an absolute truth don't get understand what the big fuss is about, and think that the anti-Bush activists are the crazy ones..
I would argue that activism nearly always helps the incumbent. Nixon, Reagan and Clinton and now Bush 43 where all quite controversial and had people marching in the streets, declaring them Satan and the like.. Moderates are turned off by this behavior. If they don't want to join your parade, usually they run the other way. These presidents all won their elections pretty convincingly. Jimmy Carter and Bush 41, where quite a bit less controversial, and they where defeated with a yawn.
What went wrong with the Kerry Campaign? Move-on.org, George Sorros, Michael Moore. Too much activism. Kerry's proper response would be to run away.. Instead he joined the parade at least here and there. This was the same parade that moderates where running away from.
It looks like there is little doubt that the republicans did very well this cycle. Republicans Up in the Senate, Up in the house, and defeated the senate minority leader.
Bush garnered more votes than any other presidential canidate in history.
It was quite entertaining to wantch Brokaw, Rather and Jennings all try to tear into Ed Gillespie for expaining that there is no way that Kerry would win Ohio.. It was evident that the mainstream media was in denial. "Can't we wait for a day?" they asked.. We can wait, but the laws of arithmetic will not change overnight.. Math is not spin.
Watching the talking heads jabber on about electoral vote paths and the like has been entertaining and boring all at the same time..
Everyone talking about the how the states need to fall in order for Kerry to win have written off Florida to Bush... But the networks refuse to call it.. If they know Kerry can't win, why don't they call it? Chicken? I would say so..