MikeknaJ's Xanga

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 01:56:19 GMT

Obama's Image Self Destructs
Or: Why Obama's Change(s) Have Destroyed the Hope
So the junior senator from Illinois shocked the country by taking on the Clinton machine and coming away with the presumptive Democratic nomination for President. He ran as an anti-war candidate, but the strength of his candidacy and the core of his appeal with found in his mantra of "hope," "change you can believe in" and the presented image of a man who represented a new kind of politics. Obama was supposed to be the man who was beyond politics as we knew it. He was different. He was bipartisan. He was the anti-Hillary. Where Bill and Hillary mastered the art of triangulation and poll-driven policy, Obama was going to stand on principle, integrity, and optimism. He was post-racial. He was all of that, a bag of chips, and your new bicycle.

But now the shine is off the halo. And you never got that new bike.

The past few months since wrapping up the nomination have shown Obama to be more masterful at the policy flip-flop than perhaps even Bill Clinton himself. Obama has backtracked, flip-flopped, and contradicted himself on almost every major issue facing the American people today. His defenders have attempted to paint his contradictions as enlightened choices showing growth. But the American public appears to be taking a different perspective, because not only is Obama not blowing McCain away in the polls (as the fundamentals of the nation tell us he should be), but he's only running a single digit lead that is even within the margin of error, depending on which poll you look at. How can that be possible, considering the state and mood of the nation?

There are two main reasons why Obama's flip-flops and contradictions are hurting him, and can't simply be spun away as adjustments or the usual move-to-the-center that most candidates to after securing the nomination:

1. Barack Obama was supposed to be a different kind of politician. This is why the messianic fervor built so greatly around him in the first place. It's why all of the college students have been flocking to the man and the liberals in the press were so taken with him (and had chills run up their legs during his speeches, as on stated afterwards). He was, again, the anti-Hillary. He stood for something. Something different. Something pure. Something you could believe in and not be disillusioned by.

But let us count the recent Obama reversals:
Iraq pull-out date
Public campaign financing
Abortion
FISA
Iran policy
2nd amendment
Gay marriage
Welfare reform
Etc...

A few of these are just beyond the pale. Last year Obama promised to use public financing for his campaign if he won the nomination. Last month he decided he wasn't going to do it - because he could raise more money on his own outside of the public financing limits. And then he had the gall to say that his reversal and rejection of public financing was actually a principled stand against campaign finance corruption!

If there is one thing that betrays someone to be a typical politician more than anything else it is money. $$$$. He found out he could get more of it by breaking a promise, so he broke the promise.

In the past two weeks Obama has flip-flopped on Iraq more than a half-dead fish. He started off his campaign stating he was going to immediately begin to plan a troop pull-out upon taking office. Then he let it slip that he would listen to the advice of the commanders on the ground. But the netroots went nuts when they heard that and he reveresed himself, stating plainly that his plan for immediate withdrawl was still in place. But now he's again stating that he'll take into consideration the advice of Central Command. But he has again stated that troop pullouts are non-negotiable. Which is it, Barack? Are you going to keep your promise to Moveon.org and the Dailykos and pull out immediately, or are you going to listen to the General Petraeus, examine the success of the surge (did you know that 15 of the 18 benchmarks for the surge are now being rated as satisfactory? Probably not, since the media decided that they don't wish to report on Iraq now that conditions have changed and the body count is down), and make a decision based upon the realities of the region and not just political pandering to your base?

(The American people have noticed the differences in Iraq, in spite of the lack of media coverage. A year ago the majority of the country favored a quick pull-out. Since the success of the surge, conditions have improved to the point that voters are now split on the issue.)

Which brings me to the second reason why Obama's flip-flops are killing him.

2. Obama's previous lack of experience combined with his current behavior makes him look naive, ignorant, and way out of his depth. It's one thing for a leader with experience the examine the situation and change his or her mind based upon the results. But when a newbie comes in, tells you one thing, tells you another thing the next day, and tells you something else the day after, it reveals them for what they are - an on-the-job-trainee. If my boss did that with corporate policy I'd be wondering who gave him the promotion and why do I have to listen to this guy?

So when Obama said in the Democratic debates that he would meet with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Cuba, etc without any preconditions and then later changes his mind, that exposes a man who said something in ignorance and now knows better. When he stated he was firmly against the new FISA bill (to the delight of the hard-left liberals), but then votes for it upon final examination (a choice I was fine with, by the way. Thanks Barack!), it exposes a man who still is figuring out the ins-and-outs of national security.

It's okay for a community organizer (what Barack's campaign says he was before he ran for the state house) to make these kinds of changes. It's okay for a state legislator to "grow" in this manner. It's okay for a junior senator even to have these changes of heart. But he wants to be President of the United States. And that demands a different level of experience, conviction, judgement, and conceptual grasp of world affairs.

I believe that the American public is starting to see Obama for what he is - just another politician who really, really wants to win. And that wouldn't be a uniquely bad thing for him - it'd be the usual thing. But when you present yourself as something different, something better, and something more, then it becomes a problem. It's the same reason why the public gets so annoyed with prominent pastors have moral failures. Because you raised the expectations on yourself. You promised it wouldn't be politics as usual. But then that's exactly what you start to deliver. And America is starting to see it. Certainly conservatives are noticing his flip-flopping. And the hard-left is noticing as well; the more he backs away from the progressive/liberal promises he made to them last summer the more annoyed and angry they are becoming with him. They are also realizing he's not the Obamessiah, but just another charismatic politician who talks a really good game.

Even the New York Times has taken notice. The paper has practically cheerleaded for him through most of his campaign, but a recent editorial took a different glance at the man:

Senator Barack Obama stirred his legions of supporters, and raised our hopes, promising to change the old order of things. He spoke with passion about breaking out of the partisan mold of bickering and catering to special pleaders, promised to end President Bush’s abuses of power and subverting of the Constitution and disowned the big-money power brokers who have corrupted Washington politics.
Now there seems to be a new Barack Obama on the hustings. First, he broke his promise to try to keep both major parties within public-financing limits for the general election. His team explained that, saying he had a grass-roots-based model and that while he was forgoing public money, he also was eschewing gold-plated fund-raisers. These days he’s on a high-roller hunt.
Even his own chief money collector, Penny Pritzker, suggests that the magic of $20 donations from the Web was less a matter of principle than of scheduling. “We have not been able to have much of the senator’s time during the primaries, so we have had to rely more on the Internet,” she explained as she and her team busily scheduled more than a dozen big-ticket events over the next few weeks at which the target price for quality time with the candidate is more than $30,000 per person.
The new Barack Obama has abandoned his vow to filibuster an electronic wiretapping bill if it includes an immunity clause for telecommunications companies that amounts to a sanctioned cover-up of Mr. Bush’s unlawful eavesdropping after 9/11.
In January, when he was battling for Super Tuesday votes, Mr. Obama said that the 1978 law requiring warrants for wiretapping, and the special court it created, worked. “We can trace, track down and take out terrorists while ensuring that our actions are subject to vigorous oversight and do not undermine the very laws and freedom that we are fighting to defend,” he declared.
Now, he supports the immunity clause as part of what he calls a compromise but actually is a classic, cynical Washington deal that erodes the power of the special court, virtually eliminates “vigorous oversight” and allows more warrantless eavesdropping than ever.
The Barack Obama of the primary season used to brag that he would stand before interest groups and tell them tough truths. The new Mr. Obama tells evangelical Christians that he wants to expand President Bush’s policy of funneling public money for social spending to religious-based organizations — a policy that violates the separation of church and state and turns a government function into a charitable donation.
He says he would not allow those groups to discriminate in employment, as Mr. Bush did, which is nice. But the Constitution exists to protect democracy, no matter who is president and how good his intentions may be.
On top of these perplexing shifts in position, we find ourselves disagreeing powerfully with Mr. Obama on two other issues: the death penalty and gun control.
Mr. Obama endorsed the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the District of Columbia’s gun-control law. We knew he ascribed to the anti-gun-control groups’ misreading of the Constitution as implying an individual right to bear arms. But it was distressing to see him declare that the court provided a guide to “reasonable regulations enacted by local communities to keep their streets safe.”
What could be more reasonable than a city restricting handguns, or requiring that firearms be stored in ways that do not present a mortal threat to children?
We were equally distressed by Mr. Obama’s criticism of the Supreme Court’s barring the death penalty for crimes that do not involve murder.
We are not shocked when a candidate moves to the center for the general election. But Mr. Obama’s shifts are striking because he was the candidate who proposed to change the face of politics, the man of passionate convictions who did not play old political games.
There are still vital differences between Mr. Obama and Senator John McCain on issues like the war in Iraq, taxes, health care and Supreme Court nominations. We don’t want any “redefining” on these big questions. This country needs change it can believe in.

Let me be clear one more time. Most of this is not unusual for a typical candidate running for President. Candidates change their mind, refine and re-define themselves and their positions, and even outright lie at times. What makes is a bigger problem for Barack is that he told us that wasn't going to be him. Change. Hope. Moving beyond the politics as usual. That was Barack.

But it's not.

Barack doesn't have experience and isn't qualified to be President beyond being a first term Senator of little accomplishment. He knows that, which is why he has always run on the Hope/Change platform. But if the Hope/Change image is a lie and if the image he presented to America continues to be shattered every time he opens his mouth, what is left? A typical liberal politician with no experience. Why would anyone vote for this man? Why would we elect a man to the most powerful position in the world so he can learn on the job? If there is no Hope and the only Change he brings is when he changes his mind, is that the kind of leadership that will protect us from terror, fix our energy problems, secure the border, and lead in the times of crisis?

Obama has destroyed his own myth, and all that's left is what he wasn't supposed to be: politics as usual.

High School Musical 3 Trailer
Yeah, it's out and you know you're going to watch it:

Step Brothers Trailer
You know what looks hilarious? Step Brothers! The last few Will Ferrell movies have been stinkers, but this one makes me laugh out loud, and I think he has another winner on his hands again. Finally. You may be skeptical, but check it out anyway just in case:

The Office Spin-off Sunk?
Looks that way. I guess that's too bad, though I wasn't really big on it to begin with.

Democratic Convention In Denver: No Homeless Please
So the Democrats, who are supposed to be the party of the poor and the party who cares about the homeless, are showing just how much they care. When the Convention comes to Denver in August the homeless will be swept under the rug, away from the media spotlight. Actually, they are going to be given... wait for it... movie tickets! This is going to work wonders for box office numbers of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 05:01:27 GMT

CMCentral
Wow, I stopped by the forum tonight for the first time in ages. Saw a thread about the future of the forum so I felt inspired to leave a message. Then I clicked around and read some more. I guess they changed admin's again because there's some new guy who's just crazy. And patronizing and vaguely nazi-like. It's too bad. I still have a soft spot in my heart for that place, but it's never going to be a shadow of what it used to be as a community. One girl said it best:

Normally I'd say everyone should give you a break, you're new around here, let him get a feel for the place. You aren't even TRYING to get a feel for the place. You're trying to turn it into a Crosswalk clone. If I wanted to hang out on Crosswalk, I'd get a Crosswalk account. I don't. I want to hang out on CMC. This board, in the what, three? days since you joined has gone from shaky but ok, to way lower than its lowest point under Sean.

Sad. She pretty much nailed it w/ her comment. They might as well just dump the forum and re-direct to Crosswalk at this rate.

Black Pastors: Some Wary of Obama
Well, Barack Obama has the vast majority of the african-American vote sewed up according to the polls. But apparently there are a few out there that are taking a closer look and not liking what they see. This story is about some black pastors who are worried about some of Obama's stances on moral issues, like we blogged about in our last post about Obama and abortion:

"People say, 'This is an opportunity that will never come again for our people,' " he said. "I say, 'Yes, we are African-Americans, but we are also Christians."
Several pastors interviewed said they have had to work overtime to tutor their flocks about Mr. Obama's views, especially on abortion, which has disproportionately affected blacks. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research group, black abortion rates are three times that of whites and twice that of Hispanics.
As an Illinois state senator, Mr. Obama voted against the Illinois Born Alive Infants Protection Act, a bill that protected babies who survive abortions. Last year, the senator condemned the Supreme Court's ban on partial-birth abortion.
"Obama I am afraid of," said the Rev. Kim Daniels, pastor of the 400-member Spoken Word Ministries in inner-city Jacksonville, Fla. "I have a problem of people voting for him because he is black. Some of our African-American preachers are so excited to see someone who looks like them even though they are not getting someone who believes like them.
"But my life as a black person does not mean more than my life as a believer. I am voting for that baby that never gets to vote," she said.

Muslim Outrage: Police Show Puppy On A Postcard
Continuing the line of ridiculous and insane stories about Muslims in the UK, Muslims in Scottland are outraged - outraged, I say! - that police dared to show a cute puppy on a postcard notifying the populace of a new non-emergency phone number. Outraged!

The reason they're upset is that Islam considers dogs to be ritually unclean.

Nevermind the fact that in the west the puppy dog has been the #1 most popular domesticated pet since... how many centuries now? But some Muslims show up and complain and all of a sudden we should consider the puppy persona non grata?

Once, just once, I would like these offended Muslims to put the shoe on the other foot and consider how they would react if British or American citizens moved to an Islamic country and demanded that the people of that country adopted our sensibilities and our culture, rather than vice-versa. What if we showed up in Saudi Arabia and opened a pork butcher shop on Main Street? It'd be just slightly stupid and insenstive on our part to do. My friend Michelle just moved to Cambodia; I wonder if she is adapting to Cambodian culture and sensitivities, or if she is outraged that they are not adapting to her? You know what an "ugly American" is? So how come they can be an "ugly Muslim," get away with it, and even have special protection or consideration half the time to do so?

British Student Punished... For Refusing To Pray To Allah
Yeah, here's another one, only worse. This one doesn't even need comment; the story speaks for itself:

One parent, Sharon Luinen, said: "This isn't right, it's taking things too far.
"I understand that they have to learn about other religions. I can live with that but it is taking it a step too far to be punished because they wouldn't join in Muslim prayer.
"Making them pray to Allah, who isn't who they worship, is wrong and what got me is that they were told they were being disrespectful...
Another parent Karen Williams said: "I am absolutely furious my daughter was made to take part in it and I don't find it acceptable.
"I haven't got a problem with them teaching my child other religions and a small amount of information doesn't do any harm.
"But not only did they have to pray, the teacher had gone into the class and made them watch a short film and then said 'we are now going out to pray to Allah'...
"My child has been forced to pray to Allah in a school lesson." The grandfather of one of the pupils in the class said: "It's absolutely disgusting, there's no other way of putting it...
"But if Muslims were asked to go to church on Sunday and take Holy Communion there would be war."...
Parents said that their children were made to bend down on their knees on prayer mats which the RE teacher had got out of her cupboard and they were also told to wear Islamic headgear during the lesson on Tuesday afternoon.

Okay, I will comment a bit. You know what? Those student are awesome. It reminds me of the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, from the book of Daniel. And while he may not have been threatened with a fiery furnace as punishment, they still chose to take a stand and not bow down to worship another god. Call it educational, informative, tolerance teaching, or whatever you want. It was wrong. And they took a stand. And it must have taken guts and courage to do so. Good for them.

Apparently the offending school was not aware that they were technically guilty of almost converting their students to Islam in the process, because all it takes to do so is to say you give yourself freely to Islam, by kneeling on the prayer mat & reciting verses of the Koran.

Britian: Sex Ed Should Begin At Four
And since we're on the topic of the UK, here's one more for you. Family planners in Britain are now saying that mandatory sex education should begin at the age of four. Yeah, that's right. Four years old. It just keeps getting younger and younger. Remember my blog from awhile back about the schools that wanted to distribute birth control to middle school students (ages 11-13) upon request?

25 Perfect TV Theme Songs
EW ran this list in a recent issue. I love it. You've got The A-Team, Friends, The OC, Charles In Charge, 90210, etc. Check it out here. A few I would've included that were left off: Growing Pains, Smallville, and Family Ties. Actually, I could go on and on: Airwolf, Knight Rider, My Two Dads, Hunter, The Fall Guy, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Mad About You, etc...

Music Update
Here's an update on new music that I've been digging over the past few months.

Paul Alan, Drive It Home (he's finally back)
Meredith Andrews, The Invitation (coolest new pop/rock female vocalist of the year, hands down)
Brooke Fraser, Albertine
Michael W. Smith (w/ Christy Nockels and Israel Hougton), "So Great" (from WOW Hits 1)
Lady Antebellum, self-titled

Also, Delirious? is calling it quits next year. Thanks for the memories - and the songs - guys.

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:39:14 GMT

Barack Obama & Abortion
Or: Why Obama Would Be the Most Extreme Abortion Rights President In History

Obama and abortion. I've been tossing this around in my head since last fall, thinking about how I wanted to bring it up. Then yesterday I read a feature article on MSNBC.com about how Obama is trying to woo evangelical Christian voters, and that did the trick. Obama has talked for some time about how he wants the Christian vote to move to the Democrats so this is nothing new, but now that it's down to him versus McCain the positioning has become more pronounced, so it's time for me to blog.

First, I want to talk about the church and abortion. Sometimes I think we Christians lose sight of just how much the abortion issue matters. 20 years ago it was if not the most important issue to most Christian voters it was certainly near the top. But that has changed in recent times. With the focus on relevance, the emerging church, and a post-modern mindset seeping into the pews there has been a subtle but pronounced shift in the church's attitude towards abortion. We're now more concerned about not being percieved as our father's Christian - we don't want to be reactionary or unenlightened. we want to be relevant and modern. There is some validity to those sentiments. And yes, issues like the environment and the war are important. But at the same time some values should never lose their importance or their urgency. And unfortunately more and more today we are abandoning those who need us the most, while our vote is swayed by other voices. Opposing abortion has become passe - commentators are saying it's what evangelicals did in the 80's and the 90's, but today we've "moved on." We fall for the "you can't legislate morality" fallacy and find ourselves using the term "choice" to describe the abortion issue, just as the abortion lobby in the country has worked to program us to do. We have allowed the holocaust that is the abortion industry to continue on its merry way and let the most innocent and defenseless among us be slaughtered in the name of convenience, fear, and, yes, "choice."

I'm all for the church not being known for its politics (right or left), and I'm all for the church not being ignorantly stereotyped, but all of that should never be reason for us to abandon causes that are truly principled, especially when it comes to actual life and death matters. In such things I will gladly accept a stereotype, just as Christians who hid Jews from the Nazi's should be proud of that kind of label. Jesus said the world will hate us, and in cases like this it should be both understandable and expected, not dodged or shunk away from regardless of how unpopular it may be.

I'm not saying we should be one issue voters. but how can abortion not be one of the most serious matters to us as Christians who do vote? How can we vote our self interests in so many other ways but not the single most vital issue for the innocent who do not have a vote - the right to live? We shudder and rage when we hear about how a lunatic murders a pregnant woman and kills the fetus inside of her on purpose - that's a double murder in the eyes of our legal system - but as long as the woman herself chooses to do it it's okay? What kind of insanity and schitzophrenia is this? And while we may not want to be single issue voters, it has to in the very least disturb us to our core that a man with the record that Obama does on abortion wants to be our president where he will then be able to appoint Supreme Court justices that share his views. On a side note, have you heard that he may have cut a deal with Hillary Clinton to appoint her to the Supreme Court, as part of her being willing to drop out of the race and endorse his candidacy? That's unconfirmed and could change, but the thought of the possibility alone is enough to give me nightmares. That'd be worse than her in the White House; at least that would only last eight years.

So, what exactly does Obama's record on abortion say? Let's take a look.

NARAL endorses Obama. They picked him over Hillary, which was a huge controversy at the time, since Hillary has always been extremely friendly with abortion activists, and she's also a woman. But NARAL liked Obama, enough to spurn Hillary and many of her feminist supporters. NARAL has given Obama a 100% vote rating each of the past three years. 100%. That means Obama has never once voted in a manner that disagrees with the agenda of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League. Not once.

Partial Birth Abortion. When the Supreme Court finally banned partial birth abortion, Obama had this to say: "I strongly disagree with today’s Supreme Court ruling, which dramatically departs from previous precedents safeguarding the health of pregnant women." In Illinois Obama voted against SB 230 which would've banned partial birth abortions, and voted in 2000 against banning state funding of them, even though they contained an exception for the life of the mother.

Ah, yes, the Supreme Court. Obama voted against the confirmation of both Roberts and Alito - the two superb new justices appointed by Bush that tilted the court enough to actually outlaw partial birth abortion. There is no more politically important matter in the fight against abortion in Supreme Court justices. In this matter President Bush has been superb in his choices. Obama, on the other hand, would appoint extreme liberal judges, the likes of which voted against the partial birth abortion ban. Obama has stated that he admires Justices Breyer, Souter, and Ginsburg, the three most liberal members of the court. Given the chance, Obama will tilt the court back in favor of partial birth abortions.

Induced Infant Liability Act / Born Alive Infants' Protection Act (IILA/BAIPA): In 2002 as an Illinois legislator Obama voted against IILA, which would've protected the life of a baby who survived an abortion. Most babies are torn apart in the uterus and the pieces are removed via suction, but late term abortions usually involve some sort of poisoning of the baby and then induced labor on the mother; only sometimes the baby in question does not die. This bill would've protected that child's life once it was outside the womb, alive. The same year the US congress passed BAIPA, a similar bill. The House passed it unanimously and the Senate passed it with only 15 "no" votes against it. This was a bill that even NARAL did not oppose! But Obama voted against the bill in the Illinois senate, voting "present" once and "no" another time.

Let's be clear - Obama plainly voted against a bill that would've protected the life of a baby who survives an abortion.

Living baby + outside womb + killing that baby = infanticide. Do the math. Jill Stanek, a supporter of the Illinois bill, argued for its passage, but Obama would not relent:

At the end of the hearing, according to the official records of the Illinois State senate, Obama thanked Stanek for being “very clear and forthright,” but said his concern was that Stanek had suggested “doctors really don’t care about children who are being born with a reasonable prospect of life because they are so locked into their pro-abortion views that they would watch an infant that is viable die.” He told her, “That may be your assessment, and I don’t see any evidence of that. What we are doing here is to create one more burden on a woman and I can’t support that.”

Babies as "punishment": Obama stated, "Look, I got two daughters — 9 years old and 6 years old," he said. "I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby. I don't want them punished with an STD at age 16, so it doesn't make sense to not give them information."

Note the sequence of events he describes - if they make a mistake, then I don't want them to be punished with a baby.

Michelle Obama and Partial Birth Abortion: "In February 2004, U.S. Senate candidate Barack Obama's wife, Michelle, sent a fund-raising letter with the "alarming news" that "right-wing politicians" had passed a law stopping doctors from stabbing half-born babies in the neck with scissors, suctioning out their brains and crushing their skulls. Michelle called partial-birth abortion "a legitimate medical procedure," and wouldn't supporters please pay $150 to attend a luncheon for her husband, who would fight against "cynical ploy[s]" to stop it?" [link]

The Bottom Line: Obama wants the support of evangelical Christians, and so this Christian is going to weigh him based upon his actual record and not just his rhetoric and charisma. And what I see is on the matter of abortion and innocent life, Obama is grotesquely off-base, and that is putting it kindly. This man claims to be a new kind of politician. He wants to put divisive politics behind us. He says he's against the politics of personal destruction. He says he stands for hope and for change. He says he wants to unify the country.

The hard truth - a truth that too many of those considering supporting him are blindly ignoring - is that Obama's kind of unity only exists when we fall lockstep behind his extreme liberalism. The hope and change he speaks of are merely implementation of his liberal policies and ideology under the guise of a gentle, smiling presentation. He talks a good game and says the right buzzwords, but what he actually stands for is clear liberalism that is no different or better than Gore, Hillary, or Kerry. How can I, as a Christian, unify behind the ideology and voting record of a man with so little regard for the lives of innocent babies?

This goes well beyond simple pro-choice vs. pro-life arguments. I can willingly agree to disagree with a pro-choice voter who does not see an embryo as a human life. I disagree, but I can understand why someone who does not share my worldview would not see the matter in the same way so early in a pregnancy.

But when you are talking about babies who are viable outside of the womb, when you are talking about the vile procedure of partial birth abortion, and when you are even talking about BAIPA and babies who survive an abortion only to be then killed outside of the mother's womb, I cannot and will not ever unify behind a man who supports such things. I couldn't do it even if I wasn't a Christian. But even more so as a Christian, I can not support a candidate who is so blatantly willing to allow for the destruction of the most innocent of God's creations. Furthermore, I will not support the candidacy of a person who is so intellectually dim that they either fall for or hide behind the "woman's choice" argument/propoganda even in extreme cases like BAIPA babies. I find no "hope" in that kind of worldview, and that is the last kind of "change" that I want to see anywhere in the world.

Each person has to make up their own mind how they will vote and what importance they will place upon issues like abortion. I would hope that when considering our vote we would do it with open eyes and a clear mind, and a conscience that remembers our responsibility to the unborn. Obama has surrounded his IILA votes with more rhetoric and excuses, cloaked in the guise of reluctance and sadness. Such talk is just noise - what matters is the vote. He can talk all he wants, but it doesn't change any of his anti-life votes. When push comes to shove, Obama does not stand up for the lives of aborted babies, no matter how old or viable, inside or outside the womb. And no excuse that he could ever possibly give will be good enough to explain that away.

Wall-E
On a side note, I saw Wall-E today. I loved it. I was totally enchanted and it was exquisitely told. Is it even possible for Pixar to make a bad movie? I don't think it is. Here's how I'd currently rank the Pixar flicks, in order of how much I like them:

Toy Story 2
Finding Nemo
Toy Story
The Incredibles
Wall-E
Ratatouille
Cars
Monsters Inc
A Bug's Life

Starbucks
They're closing 600 stores. Wow. Guess you might actually have to walk around the corner or across the street now for your latte. Horrors!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:38:35 GMT

Young Voters For Obama
Two of them go on O'Reilly, and he presses them with some very core questions and gets some very telling answers.

It's interesting how youthful idealism, when pressed, quickly becomes quite socialistic in nature, where the government has a responsibility to meet all of the needs of its citizens (health care, food, even housing) by taking money away from those who earn it to give it to those who do not. I liked how Bill cut to the quick and took their positions to their logical extent - that really is socialism, kids, whether you want to word it that way or not, and that's what Obama wants to bring our way. And that's what failed so miserably in all of the other socialistic countries around the world that already tried it. And it's what we already moved away from in American - The Great Society of LBJ that utterly failed to eradicate all of the social ills that Obama now wants to solve with the same liberal methods that already proved unworkable.

Those two Obama supporters obviously have the right to their opinions. And if they honestly believe that socialism is the answer then more power to them. I'm just glad that an accurate picture of what Obama stands for was portrayed - the kind of hope and change and hopeful change he is going to bring us would fit very nicely into, say, Cuba or Venezuela or China. And that's exactly why I do not support Obama. I believe in hope, but the kind of hope I believe in does not come from a government handout, forced redistribution of wealth, and suppression of innovation and hard work by reducing incentive and reward.

More later.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:36:58 GMT

EDIT ADD:

No, this blog is not dead. I'm just taking a blog vacation. It's like my real vacation last week, only extended. The director's cut version. Be back soon.

===

So I'm planning on blogging again and working on a new entry, but until then here's one story for you.

Oregon School Bans Pledge of Allegience, So Not To Offend Muslims
Continuing my focus on the downfall of western civilization as we do the PC-bow to the altar of Islam. This is not a joke. Story here. And the hits just keep on coming. This follows my previous blogs about schools in Britain that won't teach the Holocaust because it offends Muslims, and a public school in San Diego that gives Muslims special classes and teacher-led prayer times. What is going on in this world?

Friday, June 06, 2008

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 04:14:39 GMT

Hmm... I should probably update this thing.

Happy birthdays to: Tim, Rachel, and Janelle. And an early one to my godson, Nathaniel. We're celebrating his birthday a month early tonight.

I guess I'll write more later. Maybe this weekend. Peace out.

Sunday, June 01, 2008

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 17:52:11 GMT

UK: It's a "Hate Crime" To Pass Tracts To Muslims Now?
I've blogged frequently in the past about how overly-PC attitudes towards Islam in Britain (as well as other places) are actually threatening the rights of Christians and historic western civilization traditions. It continues:

The preachers, both ministers in Birmingham, were handing out leaflets on Alum Rock Road in February when they started talking to four Asian youths.

A police community support officer (PCSO) interrupted the conversation and began questioning the ministers about their beliefs.

They said when the officer realised they were American, although both have lived in Britain for many years, he launched a tirade against President Bush and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr Cunningham said: "I told him that this had nothing to do with the gospel we were preaching but he became very aggressive.

"He said we were in a Muslim area and were not allowed to spread our Christian message. He said we were committing a hate crime by telling the youths to leave Islam and said that he was going to take us to the police station."

The preacher refused to give the PCSO his address because he felt the officer's manner was "threatening and intimidating".

The ministers claim he also advised them not to return to the area. As he walked away, the PCSO said: "You have been warned. If you come back here and get beaten up, well you have been warned".

This is so disturbing to me. This trend that non-Muslims have to be so overly sensitive towards Muslims today, to the point that their "rights" trump our historic rights to freedom of speech, press, and religion, is ridiculous. And borderline out of control. And to be threatened with a hate crime for the simple act of evangelizing and fulfilling the Great Commission? That is the kind of thing you expect to see in a Muslim-dominated society. Not in one of the great western nations of the world, the UK. It's disturbing. And it's another in a long line of warnings about the kind of future we face if immigrants continue to refuse to assimilate to our cultures and values.

More later.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Sat, 31 May 2008 00:35:04 GMT

Not a lot of blogging for me right now. Kinda busy with other things. But I'll comment on a few items really quick-like.

Battlestar Galactica
Past few episodes have been an improvement. A slight improvement. But here's my new beef: how many times can they say "frack" in one episode? It's become almost sublime. Yeah, we get it. You say "frack" instead of the f-word. But once you pass the 20th use of it in one episode it becomes a huge, lame, annoying cliche. Quit fracking saying "frack" every other sentence, thank you. Annoying. And frankly I don't care who the fifth cylon is. At this point whoever they reveal it to be it can't live up to the build and the hype so it's going to be a big letdown.

Lakers Vs Celtics
It's the 80's all over again! Poor Cottrell. Personally, I can't wait. I don't think I've been this excited about an NBA Finals since... well, in a really long time. This should be the Lakers' to lose right now. They've been more consistant, play better on the road, and have a better, more well-rounded offense. But anything can happen, I suppose. Still, I like the Lakers in 6.

Lost Update
What a fantastic season finale last night was. There are a million things that could be said and a million more that could be examined. I'll leave those to better folks. I knew it was Locke in the casket. My one complaint is about Desmond and Penny. Their story is one of my favorite on-going plotlines. I was thrilled to see them reunited on the Searcher, but at the same time I couldn't help but think "that's it?" Maybe some twists will be thrown in, but I expected their path to reunification to be longer, more dramatic, and more intense. That being said, it didn't make last night's stellar episode any less excellent. The show is totally in gear these days and if it doesn't win Best Drama this year then the Emmy's have absolutely zero relevance anymore.

Autism Story
Check out this link (thanks bdg) for a story about a Florida teacher who let his students vote a child with mild autism out of the class, Survivor-style:

Each student was also allowed to say what he or she did not like about Alex. By a 14-to-2 margin, the students voted Alex out of class, according to The South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

“She said this was her way of correcting his behavior,” Barton said. “I asked him how that made him feel and he said, ‘I feel sad.’”

That is so wrong in so many different ways, and that teacher has no business holding onto his job. What a sad excuse for an adult.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Mon, 26 May 2008 04:32:35 GMT

Ban Wi-Fi, Demands Those Who Are "Allergic"
Yeah, no joke. In Santa Fe NM a group of people are demanding that the city ban wi-fi in public buildings because they are "allergic" to it, they claim: “I get chest pain. It doesn’t go away right away. I suffer for a couple of days,” says one man. The city is looking into it. But:

According to the World Health Organization, “a number of studies have been conducted where [electromagnetic hypersensitivity] individuals were exposed to [electromagnetic fields] similar to those that they attributed to the cause of their symptoms. The aim was to elicit symptoms under controlled laboratory conditions. The majority of studies indicate that EHS individuals cannot detect EMF exposure any more accurately than non-EHS individuals. Well controlled and conducted double-blind studies have shown that symptoms were not correlated with EMF exposure,” the USA Today reports.

The idea is just ridiculous. It's the tyranny of the minority again, to the extreme.

Memorial Day
It's easy to just think of Memorial Day as an opportunity for a day off of work or school. It's so much more than that. Take a moment today to remember all of the soldiers from all of the previous wars who fought - and often died - so that we could live in freedom in this great country today. Indeed, so that this country even could exist. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for them and the sacrifices that they made. And to the soldiers who are serving today around the world - God bless you. You have nothing but my respect and admiration.

Videos I Love
Just some random music videos that I really like right now:

Sara Bareilles' "Love Song"
I've been listening to this song for well over a year now but I still love it, and every time I go into Target they're playing this video. I always have to stop and watch.

Carrie Underwood's "All American Girl"
It's Carrie. And it's fun. And it's better than the "Last Name" video that just came out.

Brad Paisley's "Letter To Me"
This is just an awesome song. It's everything and every reason why I love country music so much. There's heart, and sincerity, and down-to-earth sensibilities that are practically oozing out of every frame but not in a cheesy way. It's just real, and it's meaningful, and I love it. And the video really oozes nostalgia.

More later

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Wed, 21 May 2008 22:27:55 GMT

EDIT ADD: In Memory of Maria
The Chapman family has set up a special blog if you would like to leave a comment or a prayer for them. You can also view a video that was made of Steven and Maria just two months ago.

The Chapman Family

It's just so incredibly sad. It's always sad when someone loses a loved one, I know. And I never met Maria, personally, and only briefly met Steven. But isn't it weird how sometimes it just affects you in a different way? I guess music can cause that sort of thing - after awhile you start to feel that you know the artist more than you actually do. You get to know them through their songs and they become a part of your life. Chapman has been a part of my life for about 19 years now, and his music has helped shape who I am today. And the fact that he and his family have such a heart for adoption only endears them to me more (I was adopted). It's hard to understand why things like this happen. Why a family would only be able to hold onto their daughter for a few years and then lose her to something so random and tragic. It's gotta be extra hard on the family at the moment, with so many eyes on them. May God's strength, peace, and grace be with them right now, in an extra special way. And may this remind us all of all that is truly important in life.

He wrote a lot of songs that could relate to this tragedy. But the one that sticks out to me right now is "Still Called Today" (off of The Great Adventure).

There a hole the size of a cruel word
In a wounded heart somewhere that's learning to hide the pain
There's a thorn stuck in the conscience of
Someone who spoke a word in anger
And they can't wash away the stain, sorry's such a hard word to say

CHORUS
But while it's still called today, won't somebody make it right
Before the day slips into night and the moments waste away
While it is still called today, we've got to say the words
That are longing to be heard 'cause tomorrow may be too late
Go on and say what you need to say while it is still called today

There's a girl who's waiting day after day
To hear her daddy say "I love you," now the days have turned to years
There's a wall that silence has turned to stone
Between a man and woman, she's holding back the tears
And he's holding on to his fears

BRIDGE
'Cause there's a time when the sun goes down
And the flowers are laid on the grave
Will the tears that fall to the ground
Be the tears of regret for the words someone didn't say
(Chorus)

===

Steven Curtis Chapman's Dauther Killed In Accident
His 5 year old daughter, Maria, was killed today in an accident in their driveway. What a tragic thing. I'm sure the family could use your prayers right now.

Maria, one of the Christian singer’s six children, was taken byLifeFlight to Vanderbilt Hospital, which confirmed the death, accordingto Laura McPherson, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The 5-year-old was hit by an SUV driven by her teenage brother, she said. Police did not give the driver’s name.

Theteen was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser down the driveway of the ruralhome at about 5:30 p.m. and several children were playing in the area,McPherson said. He did not see Maria in the driveway before the vehiclestruck her, she said.

“It appears to be a terrible accident,’’ McPherson said.

Nocharges are expected, she said. The accident was witnessed by two otherchildren; the entire family was home at the time, McPherson said.

Singer/songwriterChapman, who recently was inducted into Music City Walk of Fame, is oneof contemporary Christian music’s most recognizable and most awardednames.

He and his wife Mary Beth have long been supporters ofinternational adoption, having brought three girls from China intotheir family. Maria was the youngest. The couple is so active in the cause that they formed an organization, Shaohannah’s Hope, to aid families wanting to adopt.

American Idol Swami: Final Results
I'm not blogging the show. Don't feel like it. Though I will say, did you see Seacrest dancing while Donna Summer sang? That was hilarious. And the Cook/Arch/Risky Business Guitar Hero commercials were pretty funny. Overall the show lacked the energy, star power, surprises, and excitement of previous finales. The Taylor/Kat finale was really well done, even though Taylor ended up winning. The past two haven't lived up to that. Except that Carrie has been on all the shows. That part is always awesome.

Cook. I think the right David won, though I am a bit surprised. Archuleta always had more widespread appeal I thought, and had a better pure voice (though it takes more than that to win). But in the end I think he suffered from the same syndrome that cost people like Melinda and Daughtry in the past. You start strong and for some reason enough people get bored with you that you can't finish. Cook, on the other hand, did not start out as a favorite but grew and built his base a bit more each week. It's what Jordiin did last year. It's hard to be the year-long favorite. Carrie did it but it's easier to stumble off that pedestool than hang onto it for the whole season. Archuleta couldn't do it. Cook's win actually is better for the show because it gives it a bit of credibility that it's been lacking after Jordin and Taylor won. He can make a better record than Archuleta can, and probably will.

The winning song was weak. W.E.A.K.

What you'll see below are combined point totals for the past two weeks. Sorry for not updating them last week. The first name listed is your boot pick from last week. The next name listed is who you picked to WIN this week. The first number is your point total from last week. The second number is your point total from this week; basically you could get either 11 points or zero points each of the past two weeks by picking correctly. The third number is all of the bonus points you may have recieved the past two weeks for your pre-season predictions. Make sense? Last number is your total points for the season, of course.

The bonus points broke down this way. It was 10 bonus for each correct F3 pick, 20 for each F2 and 30 for picking the winner. So if you had Cook or Arch in the top two, you got 20 points for each of them. Then if you had Cook winning, you got 30 more bonus points. So if you had them both F2, but Arch winning you end up with 40 for that. If you had them both F2 and Cook winning you get 70. If you had Arch winning but didn't have Cook in the F2 at all you get 20.

Thanks to some solid pre-season picks, briansbabe and csemsen leapfrog into the top spots, and briansbabe is the ultimate winner of this season's Idol Swami. Congratulations. Dang it. I will have my vengeance next season!

FINAL STANDINGS
Name - (LW pick, TW pick, LW, TW, BONUS) // Total Points
1 briansbabe94 - (Syesha, Cook, 11, 11, 70) // 218
2 csemsen - (Syesha, Archuleta, 11, 0, 70) // 205
3 MikeknaJ - (Syesha, Cook, 11, 11, 20) // 187
4 Dowens - (Syesha, Archuleta, 11, 0, 40) // 183
5 dsemsen - (Syesha, Archuleta, 11, 0, 20) // 148
6 pedro1music- (Syesha, Archuleta, 11, 0, 0) // 147
7 jsrichie - (Syesha, Archuleta, 11, 0, 20) // 138
8 KariStar86 - (no pick, Cook, 0, 11, 20) // 129
8 wsemsen - (Syesha, Archuleta, 11, 0, 20) // 129
10 curlyprincess - (no pick, no pick, 0, 0, 20) // 110
11 spiritvsFLESH - (Archuleta, Cook, 0, 11, 0) // 105
12 alittlebitrocknroll - (no pick, no pick, 0, 0, 20) // 100
13 paulaangela - (no picks, no pick, 0, 0, 0) // 27
20 traviscottrell - (no pick, Archuleta, 0, 0, 0) // 0
21 marshallismyalias - (An Album Cover, The Pen Is Mightier, -4, -101, -777) // -42,666

Pre-Season Final Three Predictions
csemsen: 3. ~~Carly~~ 2. David A WINNER: David C
MikeknaJ: 3. David C 2. ~~Brooke~~ WINNER: ~~David A~~
briansbabe94: 3. ~~Brooke~~ 2. David A WINNER: David C
Dowens: 3. Syesha 2. David C WINNER: ~~David A~~
dsemsen: 3. ~~Michael~~ 2. ~~Syesha~~ WINNER: ~~David A~~
jsrichie: 3. ~~Brooke~~ 2. ~~Carly~~ WINNER: ~~David A~~
spiritvsFLESH: 3 ~~Michael~~ 2. ~~Jason~~ WINNER: ~~Brooke~~
KariStar86: 3. ~~Carly~~ 2. David A WINNER: ~~Brooke~~
curlyprincess: 3. ~~Michael~~ 2. ~~Carly~~ WINNER: ~~David A~~
pedro1music: 3. David A 2. ~~Jason~~ WINNER: ~~Brooke~~
HuckabeesFriend: 3. ~~Michael~~ 2. David A WINNER: ~~Brooke~~
wsemsen: 3. Syesha 2. ~~Chikezie~~ WINNER: ~~David A~~
alittlebitrocknroll: 3. David C 2. ~~Carly~~ WINNER: ~~David A~~
paulaangela: no picks made
marshallismyalias: 3. Burt Reynolds 2. Alex Trebek WINNER: Sean Connery

Rating the Idol Winners
With a new name in the fold, here's my ranking of all seven Idol winners, based upon how much I like them:

1. Carrie Underwood
2. Kelly Clarkson
3. David Cook
4. Jordin Sparks
7. Reuben Studdard (tie)
7. Fantasia Barrino (tie)
7. Taylor Hicks (tie)

And my non-winning favorites:

- Chris Daughtry
- Katharie McPhee
- LaToya London
- Brooke White
- Elliott Yamin
- Kimberly Locke
- Tamyra Gray
- Clay Aiken
- Anwar Robinson