In "Religion should focus on today", Melannie Guyton writes that "churches do not pay enough attention to improving our quality of life, addressing our economy or simply dealing with day-to-day issues."
Churches cannot do any of these things. If they are playing their proper role in society, they point to the one who can: Jesus Christ.
Jesus said: "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Even if we have flush bank accounts and busy lives, it means NOTHING without Christ, who frees every one who believes on Him from death, hell, and the grave--and guarantees eternal life, Here and Now as well as in eternity. Christ declared: "I have come that you might have life, and that more abundantly" (John 10:10)
God does care for our daily needs, but we need to focus on spiritual matters first, for "The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment." (Luke 12:23) Jesus counsels us to "Seek the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you" (Luke 12:31) He even comforts us with the certain success of our quest: "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
If we adhere to what matters, He is more than able to supply all our needs according to his riches in glory, no matter what our circumstances. (Philippians 4:13)
Ultimately, evangelic ministers may be decrying their loss of influence because they do not preach the Gospel in its entirety. Thus, people come to church believing to be blessed instead of believing to be saved. Christ is essential to our lives, not just a mere provider for our needs, which he does indeed care for.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Ebert, Jackasses, and Needless Tweets
Roger Ebert has given himself permission to trash politicians and ridicule actors.
He's a movie critic, so belittling others is second nature to him. Whether it is his place to displace certain people and events, or whether he is justified in investing himself with the right to do so is another matter.
What's more, whether the world at large should give any small-time critic any attention for venting his spleen is also debatable, especially in light of the needless tragedy which has transpired.
However, he has started a twitter-firestorm over his rancid remarks about the recent, violent death of a "Jackass" actor Ryan Dunn, who crashed his car, veering off the guard railing, and his car exploded upon crashing, killing driver and passenger.
Ebert tweeted: "Friends don't let jackasses drink and drive."
Insensitive? Yes. Biting in its accuracy? Yes. Dunn was photographed drinking hours before his fatal crash, with back-handed kudos to TMZ, another petty purveyor in senseless sensationalism.
A real controversy emerges when we consider the wasted time and space sent castigating Ebert, a crippled and declining ideologue whose attempt to bolster his diminished presence in the public is most likely the sole factor pushing him to dash off such incendiary slander.
A man has died in an alcohol-fueled car crash, and the world is bickering about a one-sentence inanity from a has-been critic? If this is the highest standard of moral engagement for this country, where are we headed as a culture?
He's a movie critic, so belittling others is second nature to him. Whether it is his place to displace certain people and events, or whether he is justified in investing himself with the right to do so is another matter.
What's more, whether the world at large should give any small-time critic any attention for venting his spleen is also debatable, especially in light of the needless tragedy which has transpired.
However, he has started a twitter-firestorm over his rancid remarks about the recent, violent death of a "Jackass" actor Ryan Dunn, who crashed his car, veering off the guard railing, and his car exploded upon crashing, killing driver and passenger.
Ebert tweeted: "Friends don't let jackasses drink and drive."
Insensitive? Yes. Biting in its accuracy? Yes. Dunn was photographed drinking hours before his fatal crash, with back-handed kudos to TMZ, another petty purveyor in senseless sensationalism.
A real controversy emerges when we consider the wasted time and space sent castigating Ebert, a crippled and declining ideologue whose attempt to bolster his diminished presence in the public is most likely the sole factor pushing him to dash off such incendiary slander.
A man has died in an alcohol-fueled car crash, and the world is bickering about a one-sentence inanity from a has-been critic? If this is the highest standard of moral engagement for this country, where are we headed as a culture?
Further Comments on Jon Stewart's Interview
I think it is specious to claim that any news organization can be completely unbiased. Fox News at least permits speakers from across the ideological spectrum to speak on the network. They also challenge the reports and reporters who frequent the Mainstream Media.
If nothing else, Fox News provides a much-needed perspective that is suppressed or ignored by the major television networks, which erroneously and arrogantly claim to be unbiased, floating above the partisan fray. Consider, for example, Diane Sawyer's inaccurate editorializing about the Arizona immigration law. Wallace did not have to cut, paste, edit, spin, or distort that segment to expose discomforting bias.
Despite his guest's numerous attempts to filibuster the interviewer, Wallace successfully pointed out that Stewart lampoons conservatives far more than liberals. “The Daily Show” host’s smear on Herman Cain's intelligence, reminiscent of the racist Amos 'n Andy show, was irreverent, unfunny, and unacceptable. Wallace even suggested that Stewart, in an attempt to legitimize his program, unwillingly takes pot-shots at President Obama.
More often than not, Jon Stewart betrays a liberal bias, yet claims to be above the fray because he is a "comedian," albeit a crude and calculating one. He is no better than the Mainstream Media which he mocks.
Once again, Chris Wallace owned Jon Stewart at his own game without condescending to his crass antics.
If nothing else, Fox News provides a much-needed perspective that is suppressed or ignored by the major television networks, which erroneously and arrogantly claim to be unbiased, floating above the partisan fray. Consider, for example, Diane Sawyer's inaccurate editorializing about the Arizona immigration law. Wallace did not have to cut, paste, edit, spin, or distort that segment to expose discomforting bias.
Despite his guest's numerous attempts to filibuster the interviewer, Wallace successfully pointed out that Stewart lampoons conservatives far more than liberals. “The Daily Show” host’s smear on Herman Cain's intelligence, reminiscent of the racist Amos 'n Andy show, was irreverent, unfunny, and unacceptable. Wallace even suggested that Stewart, in an attempt to legitimize his program, unwillingly takes pot-shots at President Obama.
More often than not, Jon Stewart betrays a liberal bias, yet claims to be above the fray because he is a "comedian," albeit a crude and calculating one. He is no better than the Mainstream Media which he mocks.
Once again, Chris Wallace owned Jon Stewart at his own game without condescending to his crass antics.
Kerry and McCain, Arrogant Also-Rans Hijacking U.S. Foreign Policy
Kerry, you got Bush-whacked! (2004)
McCain, Obama bombed you out! (2008)
Guys, the election is over. Neither of you is Chief Executive. You do not appreciate the taxing strain of extended military conflicts on this country's budget and infrastructure.
Senator McCain, why would you give Obama another military junket to distract the American people from his failed domestic policies?
Yet why do you play foreign policy like the Commanders-in-Chief that you never were?
The United States Armed Forces must withdraw from Libya. This nation needs to redirect its dwindling resources toward shoring up outrageous debt and staunching hemorrhaging entitlement programs (which should be abolished as soon as possible).
Afghanistan is a failed mission. We are propping up a klepto-president who is enabling the odious opium trade while dallying with the very Taliban that we tried to neutralize ten years ago.
After years of aid and military reconnaissance, the Iraqi still struggles to form a stable government. They are also making alarming overtures to Iran.
We got Bin Laden. Iraq must care for its own. Syria is teeming with unrest which spilling out across the Levant. Iran is preparing nuclear weapons dedicated to eradicating Israel, this nation's one loyal ally in the Middle East.
The United States has more pressing foreign policy concerns than dethroning a petty, drag-queen megalomaniac choking on his own self-importance in a third-tier African backwater.
McCain, Obama bombed you out! (2008)
Guys, the election is over. Neither of you is Chief Executive. You do not appreciate the taxing strain of extended military conflicts on this country's budget and infrastructure.
Senator McCain, why would you give Obama another military junket to distract the American people from his failed domestic policies?
Yet why do you play foreign policy like the Commanders-in-Chief that you never were?
The United States Armed Forces must withdraw from Libya. This nation needs to redirect its dwindling resources toward shoring up outrageous debt and staunching hemorrhaging entitlement programs (which should be abolished as soon as possible).
Afghanistan is a failed mission. We are propping up a klepto-president who is enabling the odious opium trade while dallying with the very Taliban that we tried to neutralize ten years ago.
After years of aid and military reconnaissance, the Iraqi still struggles to form a stable government. They are also making alarming overtures to Iran.
We got Bin Laden. Iraq must care for its own. Syria is teeming with unrest which spilling out across the Levant. Iran is preparing nuclear weapons dedicated to eradicating Israel, this nation's one loyal ally in the Middle East.
The United States has more pressing foreign policy concerns than dethroning a petty, drag-queen megalomaniac choking on his own self-importance in a third-tier African backwater.
Bias in the Media: NO KIDDING!
What, you mean newspapers, journalists, and the media are biased? I had no idea (*sigh*). . .
Enough already! It is clear, present, and inescapable truth that news reporters are news-makers. Let's assume that reporters could siphon out their viewpoints, adjust the inflections in their voices, and rely on the most neutral language to share current events. Even with all of those precautions, their very choices as to what news to report, which news to ignore, what to downplay, what to parade, all shape the information culture bombarding us.
When will we finally concede that news organizations cannot completely sever advocacy from objectivity?
At least when news sources acknowledge their bias (see the "pro-business Economist", or the libertarian-leaning "Orange County Register"), readers know that they are not being treated like sheep easily mislead by sinister spin-meister shepherds.
the Mainstream Media must concede that they are no longer the main, a stream, or the finally form which broadcasts the news. Instead of straining for an unattainable standard, news organs should invest their resources in a niche-market, or promote a wider array of views, which inclined readers can select from.
Enough already! It is clear, present, and inescapable truth that news reporters are news-makers. Let's assume that reporters could siphon out their viewpoints, adjust the inflections in their voices, and rely on the most neutral language to share current events. Even with all of those precautions, their very choices as to what news to report, which news to ignore, what to downplay, what to parade, all shape the information culture bombarding us.
When will we finally concede that news organizations cannot completely sever advocacy from objectivity?
At least when news sources acknowledge their bias (see the "pro-business Economist", or the libertarian-leaning "Orange County Register"), readers know that they are not being treated like sheep easily mislead by sinister spin-meister shepherds.
the Mainstream Media must concede that they are no longer the main, a stream, or the finally form which broadcasts the news. Instead of straining for an unattainable standard, news organs should invest their resources in a niche-market, or promote a wider array of views, which inclined readers can select from.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Fox News Sunday--Chris Wallace vs. Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart: OWNED!!!
Finally, a legitimate, respected journalist has put that obnoxious crypto-liberal partisan in his place.
It pained me when Stewart relentlessly badgered and ridiculed Fox Contributor Bill Kristol when he was a guest on "The Daily Show." This is more than pay-back.
Chris Wallace is everything that Jon Stewart is not: direct, respectful, professional, relentless, and on-key.
And to top it off, Stewart had to concede the existence of a liberal bias in the mainstream media and to apologize for his previous nasty rhetoric against conservatives.
Well done, Chris Wallace! Well done, Fox News!
Finally, a legitimate, respected journalist has put that obnoxious crypto-liberal partisan in his place.
It pained me when Stewart relentlessly badgered and ridiculed Fox Contributor Bill Kristol when he was a guest on "The Daily Show." This is more than pay-back.
Chris Wallace is everything that Jon Stewart is not: direct, respectful, professional, relentless, and on-key.
And to top it off, Stewart had to concede the existence of a liberal bias in the mainstream media and to apologize for his previous nasty rhetoric against conservatives.
Well done, Chris Wallace! Well done, Fox News!
Mass Amnesia in China
"He who controls the Present controls the Past.
He who controls the Past controls the Future." -- George Orwell
Tienanmen Square: June 1989. The scene of a failed attempt by the Chinese people for Democratic reform. The world took note when one lone briefcase man withstood a long column of tanks, only to be spirited away by members of the Red Army.
Fast forward 22 years, and tragically, it appears that today's youth in China have no knowledge of the massacre which dispersed would-be democrats demonstrating for reform.
Preoccupied with new hyper-technologies, fighting to strike out in the expanding economic world, the exploding population of Chinese youth is losing memory of the core fight that was waged for a crucial point. At issue: would the people of the People's Republic of China decide whether they will be able to enjoy their economic freedom, or be forced to tow the Party line and buttress the cruel Red China authoritarian regime.
Yet there are cracks showing in the facade of imposed sino-amnesia. Chinese publications operating state-side keep the world informed of the harsh Communist regime's increasingly feckless tactics. Human Rights functions which celebrate persecuted activists remind the world, if not the Chinese population as a whole, that Beijing enjoys economic growth at the expense of its people, not on their behalf.
Within, growing labor unrest is shaking the enforced policy-comity which has branded the Red Regime since its inception. Struggling farmers seeking a better life in the burgeoning urban centers are protesting the unending corruption and neo-feudal shackles which have imposed long-term poverty on millions of ethnic Chinese. The labor uprisings in Inner Mongolia also point to the volatile trend of populist unrest slowly weaving its way through the country. All of this combined with the ethnic revolts in the Uighur regions of Western China, and by many accounts, The Communist Regime is losing to fight of state-sponsored forgetting (all in spite of the State spin machine to keep these developments quiet from the world).
He who controls the Past controls the Future." -- George Orwell
Tienanmen Square: June 1989. The scene of a failed attempt by the Chinese people for Democratic reform. The world took note when one lone briefcase man withstood a long column of tanks, only to be spirited away by members of the Red Army.
Fast forward 22 years, and tragically, it appears that today's youth in China have no knowledge of the massacre which dispersed would-be democrats demonstrating for reform.
Preoccupied with new hyper-technologies, fighting to strike out in the expanding economic world, the exploding population of Chinese youth is losing memory of the core fight that was waged for a crucial point. At issue: would the people of the People's Republic of China decide whether they will be able to enjoy their economic freedom, or be forced to tow the Party line and buttress the cruel Red China authoritarian regime.
Yet there are cracks showing in the facade of imposed sino-amnesia. Chinese publications operating state-side keep the world informed of the harsh Communist regime's increasingly feckless tactics. Human Rights functions which celebrate persecuted activists remind the world, if not the Chinese population as a whole, that Beijing enjoys economic growth at the expense of its people, not on their behalf.
Within, growing labor unrest is shaking the enforced policy-comity which has branded the Red Regime since its inception. Struggling farmers seeking a better life in the burgeoning urban centers are protesting the unending corruption and neo-feudal shackles which have imposed long-term poverty on millions of ethnic Chinese. The labor uprisings in Inner Mongolia also point to the volatile trend of populist unrest slowly weaving its way through the country. All of this combined with the ethnic revolts in the Uighur regions of Western China, and by many accounts, The Communist Regime is losing to fight of state-sponsored forgetting (all in spite of the State spin machine to keep these developments quiet from the world).
Kucinich the Libertarian, Cont'd -- Segue to Ending the War on Drugs
Not only does the little Congressman from Ohio want to defund extended military excursions in the Middle East, he has repeatedly called for an end to the failed War on Drugs.
Republican President Richard Nixon declared War in 1973, only to instigated the longest, the most deleterious, and the most egregious war that the United States has ever waged.
Drug use, abuse, and sale is as rampant as ever. Students from elementary school to high school and beyond abuse drugs, both legal and illegal.
Two elite campuses in the South Bay have instituted drug searched with dogs: Mira Costa and Peninsula High School. No matter how deprecating one may describe the poorer schools in more troubled communities, the wealthier students are fueling the drug trade at a far more alarming rate.
From local school grounds to national borders, the Drug War has escalated to the breaking point in struggling nations like Mexico, where drug cartels dictate domestic policy and intimidate law enforcement.
All the funding North-South to slow the spread of narcotics has only fed the price and profit of the business.
Decriminalization alone will put an end to the rapid fighting, mass murders, plundering of coast lines, ghettoization of poor neighborhoods, destruction of future opportunities for youth, and starve the bloated military-industrial complex which has for too long impoverished this country and distracted law enforcement from preventing real crime.
Republican President Richard Nixon declared War in 1973, only to instigated the longest, the most deleterious, and the most egregious war that the United States has ever waged.
Drug use, abuse, and sale is as rampant as ever. Students from elementary school to high school and beyond abuse drugs, both legal and illegal.
Two elite campuses in the South Bay have instituted drug searched with dogs: Mira Costa and Peninsula High School. No matter how deprecating one may describe the poorer schools in more troubled communities, the wealthier students are fueling the drug trade at a far more alarming rate.
From local school grounds to national borders, the Drug War has escalated to the breaking point in struggling nations like Mexico, where drug cartels dictate domestic policy and intimidate law enforcement.
All the funding North-South to slow the spread of narcotics has only fed the price and profit of the business.
Decriminalization alone will put an end to the rapid fighting, mass murders, plundering of coast lines, ghettoization of poor neighborhoods, destruction of future opportunities for youth, and starve the bloated military-industrial complex which has for too long impoverished this country and distracted law enforcement from preventing real crime.
Kucinich in League with Libertarians
Who would have guessed? Dennis Kucinich, the Democratic Darling of the Progressive Left is spouting off about government encroachment into the private lives of our nation's citizens. He denounces the United States' prolonged engagement in Afghanistan. He has spoken out against the reauthorization of the Patriot Act, which Libertarian-Republican Ron Paul has famously opposed.
And now, Kucinich has criticized President Obama for usurping his authority as Commander-in-Chief. 90 days have elapsed since Obama sent forces to attack Libya, without having asked for approval. In light of this brazen violation of the War Powers Act, Kucinich lamented that at least President George W. Bush asked Congress for permission before committing troops to invade Iraq (the Ohio Congressman still vehemently reminds everyone that he voted against sending troops).
Fringe elements of the Democratic party are rising up against the centrist-statist tendencies of the current Chief Executive.
With every betrayal of the hard left, it appears more likely that Obama will face a challenger on his left for the Democratic nomination in 2012.
And now, Kucinich has criticized President Obama for usurping his authority as Commander-in-Chief. 90 days have elapsed since Obama sent forces to attack Libya, without having asked for approval. In light of this brazen violation of the War Powers Act, Kucinich lamented that at least President George W. Bush asked Congress for permission before committing troops to invade Iraq (the Ohio Congressman still vehemently reminds everyone that he voted against sending troops).
Fringe elements of the Democratic party are rising up against the centrist-statist tendencies of the current Chief Executive.
With every betrayal of the hard left, it appears more likely that Obama will face a challenger on his left for the Democratic nomination in 2012.
Christie Takes on Inferred Hypocrisy on Education
Last week, one New Jersey constituent challenged Governor Christie for stripping away funding from public education, yet at the same time sending his own children to private schools.
Apparently, the woman posing the questions was alluding the Governor's apparent hypocrisy in upending the revenue for the state school system. As in: why would he go to any lengths to protect k-12 education, since his kids are not enrolled to begin with.
He retorted very sharply: "It's none of your business!" Yet he gave an reasonable set of explanations for sending his own kids to a private school:
1) He and his wife want their children to have a parochial education
2) They spend $38,000 in property taxes to fund failing schools, which they do not want their kids to suffer through.
3) He has also pointed out that because the teachers' union in New Jersey refused to permit teachers to fund 1.5% more toward their benefits' packages, the state was forced to cut One Billion dollars in funding to the k-12 system, which forced the massive layoffs and down-sizing across the state.
It is a low blow for a voter to go after the family. It is inexcusable to insinuate any double-talk because one statesman recognizes the poverty of public education and wants to ensure at all costs that his kids are properly trained for the adult world.
On the other hand, the Governor better keep his cool, not give off the impression that he is easy to set off. His calm approach to negotiations, his direct talk, his blunt style all depend on keeping an even keel.
Apparently, the woman posing the questions was alluding the Governor's apparent hypocrisy in upending the revenue for the state school system. As in: why would he go to any lengths to protect k-12 education, since his kids are not enrolled to begin with.
He retorted very sharply: "It's none of your business!" Yet he gave an reasonable set of explanations for sending his own kids to a private school:
1) He and his wife want their children to have a parochial education
2) They spend $38,000 in property taxes to fund failing schools, which they do not want their kids to suffer through.
3) He has also pointed out that because the teachers' union in New Jersey refused to permit teachers to fund 1.5% more toward their benefits' packages, the state was forced to cut One Billion dollars in funding to the k-12 system, which forced the massive layoffs and down-sizing across the state.
It is a low blow for a voter to go after the family. It is inexcusable to insinuate any double-talk because one statesman recognizes the poverty of public education and wants to ensure at all costs that his kids are properly trained for the adult world.
On the other hand, the Governor better keep his cool, not give off the impression that he is easy to set off. His calm approach to negotiations, his direct talk, his blunt style all depend on keeping an even keel.
Christie Joins Walker's Win Against the Unions
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, joining with a potentially contrary state legislature, has helped push through a bill to force the state service employees to contribute more toward their benefits.
Heralding this landmark legislation, Christie proves once again that he is sticking to his guns as he brings down outrageous public pension costs which have wrecked the Garden State's credit, have reddened the state balance sheets, and have imperilled the state's financial future.
How welcome to find another Republican Governor in a traditionally Democratic state who has the courage to take on the loud and proud public unions. Despite their massive media blitzes against the Governor, their massive protests in the capital and around the state, plus the illicit recruitment of children, state agencies, and public resources to push their souring agenda, the public unions are rapidly losing clout. Heeding the dire warnings of their Reality-driven governors, the general public is putting a stop to rampant, wasteful handouts to overpaid, under performing public servants.
His growing political success, in contrast to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, is all the more remarkable in that he is instituting fiscal discipline in a state which put him in office by a thinner margin than Walker. Making his task more challenging, Christie must negotiate with a Democratic-controlled legislature. Whatever the source of his secret skills, Christie can keep it real with the public, talk tough with the Unions, spell out the needed reforms to avert fiscal collapse, yet reach across the aisle with the opposition.
A man who has detailed the core issues that need to be addressed against all other peripheral issues, Christie takes the state of the state seriously, never wavering, pushing off media flak, and still delivers points for the private citizen and the business community.
Heralding this landmark legislation, Christie proves once again that he is sticking to his guns as he brings down outrageous public pension costs which have wrecked the Garden State's credit, have reddened the state balance sheets, and have imperilled the state's financial future.
How welcome to find another Republican Governor in a traditionally Democratic state who has the courage to take on the loud and proud public unions. Despite their massive media blitzes against the Governor, their massive protests in the capital and around the state, plus the illicit recruitment of children, state agencies, and public resources to push their souring agenda, the public unions are rapidly losing clout. Heeding the dire warnings of their Reality-driven governors, the general public is putting a stop to rampant, wasteful handouts to overpaid, under performing public servants.
His growing political success, in contrast to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, is all the more remarkable in that he is instituting fiscal discipline in a state which put him in office by a thinner margin than Walker. Making his task more challenging, Christie must negotiate with a Democratic-controlled legislature. Whatever the source of his secret skills, Christie can keep it real with the public, talk tough with the Unions, spell out the needed reforms to avert fiscal collapse, yet reach across the aisle with the opposition.
A man who has detailed the core issues that need to be addressed against all other peripheral issues, Christie takes the state of the state seriously, never wavering, pushing off media flak, and still delivers points for the private citizen and the business community.
Response to "Truth Matters" in The Jewish Journal
Chazzan Maseng in "Truth Matters" (from the recent issue of "The Jewish Journal") gives a spurious, specious, and injurious reading of Parashat Shelach.
Certainly, "faith matters, and love matters, and hope matters," but for the writer to assume that they conflict with truth is unfounded.
He neglects another omnipresent variable in this conflict. There were facts, there was faith, but there was also the antithesis of both: fear.
Fear causes our senses to magnify challenges that are not so. Faith causes us to see opportunities which our senses miss or mistake for challenges.
Moses and the two faithful spies were truthful. Because of fear, the remaining ten spies were timid and despaired of ever taking the Promised Land.
Yet they forgot one crucial person in this adventure: God, YHWH, the Great "I AM" who promised the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants, the people of Israel.
Moses, Joshua, and Caleb were not spinning "the evil report" of the timid ten to puff up their outrageous fantasies; they were spurning the fear of the timid ten because they trusted the LORD. He had quite a track-record for trustworthiness.
It was the LORD who had preserved the Israelites during the Passover. He led them out of Egypt and across the Dead Sea. He drowned the Egyptian army with one crashing wave of the Red Sea. He faithfully maintained his Chosen People through the wilderness. It was the LORD who brought them to the Promised Land, a land "flowing with milk and honey", a land whose immense resources even the timid ten could not deny.
No one denied that there were giants in the land. Bear in mind, though, that when Moses dispatched the spies, he did not ask them to determine whether the Israelites could take the land or not. Moses wanted to know what the land was like, who lived there, and what was growing.
Moses, and the two true spies upon returning, understood that the Israelites would face immense challenges to take the Promised Land. Yet consider their faith transforming the facts into certain victory in light of the looming impasse which intimidated the timid ten:
Numbers 14: 8 -- [Joshua said]: "If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it to us . . .
: 9 -- " Only rebel ye not against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land."
Joshua clearly honored the One who would lead, empower, and enrich the Israelites: the LORD! If only the Israelites would trust the One who had led them so far. . .
Also, consider the ironic report of Rahab the harlot of Jericho when the next generation of Israelites laid siege to the city:
Joshua 2: 9 -- [Rahab:] "I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you."
While the previous generation of Israelites was fooled into fearing the Anakim of the Promised Land, in fact...IN TRUTH, the Anakim were afraid of the Israelites! Why? Because the LORD, who had promised them the land of Canaan, was with them. However, because the timid ten spies neglected to honor the LORD's power and presence in their lives, they chose fear and aroused doom in the hears of the previous generation of Israelites.
In short, Mr. Maseng is wrong to conclude that the Timid Ten spies were speaking the truth about the impossible conquest of the Promised Land. Distorted by fear because they refused to factor in the all-powerful God Most High, they proffered an "evil report", despising God's power by focusing exclusively on their own. Maseng is also wrong to claim that Moses was an invidious censor who "could not handle the truth" of the timid spies. His, and the LORD's, wrath stemmed from the stiff-necked Israelites refusal to trust the Holy One who had led them all this way, who would lead the next generation of Israelites to take the land which He had Promised 400 years before.
Certainly, "faith matters, and love matters, and hope matters," but for the writer to assume that they conflict with truth is unfounded.
He neglects another omnipresent variable in this conflict. There were facts, there was faith, but there was also the antithesis of both: fear.
Fear causes our senses to magnify challenges that are not so. Faith causes us to see opportunities which our senses miss or mistake for challenges.
Moses and the two faithful spies were truthful. Because of fear, the remaining ten spies were timid and despaired of ever taking the Promised Land.
Yet they forgot one crucial person in this adventure: God, YHWH, the Great "I AM" who promised the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants, the people of Israel.
Moses, Joshua, and Caleb were not spinning "the evil report" of the timid ten to puff up their outrageous fantasies; they were spurning the fear of the timid ten because they trusted the LORD. He had quite a track-record for trustworthiness.
It was the LORD who had preserved the Israelites during the Passover. He led them out of Egypt and across the Dead Sea. He drowned the Egyptian army with one crashing wave of the Red Sea. He faithfully maintained his Chosen People through the wilderness. It was the LORD who brought them to the Promised Land, a land "flowing with milk and honey", a land whose immense resources even the timid ten could not deny.
No one denied that there were giants in the land. Bear in mind, though, that when Moses dispatched the spies, he did not ask them to determine whether the Israelites could take the land or not. Moses wanted to know what the land was like, who lived there, and what was growing.
Moses, and the two true spies upon returning, understood that the Israelites would face immense challenges to take the Promised Land. Yet consider their faith transforming the facts into certain victory in light of the looming impasse which intimidated the timid ten:
Numbers 14: 8 -- [Joshua said]: "If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it to us . . .
: 9 -- " Only rebel ye not against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land."
Joshua clearly honored the One who would lead, empower, and enrich the Israelites: the LORD! If only the Israelites would trust the One who had led them so far. . .
Also, consider the ironic report of Rahab the harlot of Jericho when the next generation of Israelites laid siege to the city:
Joshua 2: 9 -- [Rahab:] "I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you."
While the previous generation of Israelites was fooled into fearing the Anakim of the Promised Land, in fact...IN TRUTH, the Anakim were afraid of the Israelites! Why? Because the LORD, who had promised them the land of Canaan, was with them. However, because the timid ten spies neglected to honor the LORD's power and presence in their lives, they chose fear and aroused doom in the hears of the previous generation of Israelites.
In short, Mr. Maseng is wrong to conclude that the Timid Ten spies were speaking the truth about the impossible conquest of the Promised Land. Distorted by fear because they refused to factor in the all-powerful God Most High, they proffered an "evil report", despising God's power by focusing exclusively on their own. Maseng is also wrong to claim that Moses was an invidious censor who "could not handle the truth" of the timid spies. His, and the LORD's, wrath stemmed from the stiff-necked Israelites refusal to trust the Holy One who had led them all this way, who would lead the next generation of Israelites to take the land which He had Promised 400 years before.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Walker Wins in a Walk (and so does Wisconsin)
Hurray!
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's controversial bill to strip public unions of their bargaining rights has been upheld by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
It was a long battle. The majority of Wisconsonians elected a Republican majority to take out the Progressive choke-hold that was holding up the state's recovery.
Walker and his newly-formed Republican majorities in the state Legislature went to work, balancing the budget, avoiding taxes, and staving off en masse lay-offs.
The octopus responsible for the sclerotic hold-up on Madison? Two groups, actually, played a role.
1) The Democratic minority, which ran away to Illinois in order to prevent a quorum on the budget.
2) Public employee unions, the same source of trouble throttling the state of California. They clamored together in the streets of the capitol, denouncing the governor. If nothing else, unions are very good at getting a lot of angry people together.
Yet their spent outrage would not deter the rightfully-elected majority. TEA party advocates stepped out for the governor. Conservatives and limited-government advocates across the nation showed their support.
Even when a Democratic prosecutor sued to have the law blocked, even when one over-stretching judge held up the law on procedural grounds, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, one of whose members won a hard-fought reelection against a union-backed challenger, upheld the law.
Public unions have had their last gasp in the Dairy State. In Ohio and other states across the Midwest, other public unions are attempting the same last-ditch efforts to shore up their ebbing strength, all to no avail.
It would appear that the era of Big Government is waning, if not ending.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's controversial bill to strip public unions of their bargaining rights has been upheld by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
It was a long battle. The majority of Wisconsonians elected a Republican majority to take out the Progressive choke-hold that was holding up the state's recovery.
Walker and his newly-formed Republican majorities in the state Legislature went to work, balancing the budget, avoiding taxes, and staving off en masse lay-offs.
The octopus responsible for the sclerotic hold-up on Madison? Two groups, actually, played a role.
1) The Democratic minority, which ran away to Illinois in order to prevent a quorum on the budget.
2) Public employee unions, the same source of trouble throttling the state of California. They clamored together in the streets of the capitol, denouncing the governor. If nothing else, unions are very good at getting a lot of angry people together.
Yet their spent outrage would not deter the rightfully-elected majority. TEA party advocates stepped out for the governor. Conservatives and limited-government advocates across the nation showed their support.
Even when a Democratic prosecutor sued to have the law blocked, even when one over-stretching judge held up the law on procedural grounds, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, one of whose members won a hard-fought reelection against a union-backed challenger, upheld the law.
Public unions have had their last gasp in the Dairy State. In Ohio and other states across the Midwest, other public unions are attempting the same last-ditch efforts to shore up their ebbing strength, all to no avail.
It would appear that the era of Big Government is waning, if not ending.
Greece's Bankrupt Finances and Politics
Greece is on the Brink. And she may take the entire European Union down with her.
She cannot bring herself to pay her bills. The austerity measures championed by the ruling government in Athens and demanded by the European Community are unpopular with the Greek populace, to say the least.
Non-stop rioting in the streets, old and young fighting with police, tourism shut down: Greece is having a hard time making do with reality.
A generous welfare-state, socialist policies throughout, has impoverished the Southern European nation. Did the Greeks really think that they could strong-arm the government into lavishing them with bursting pensions, benefits, and job security without any accountability? Did they really think that they could cheat on their taxes without ultimately cheating themselves and their posterity?
The Greek government is far from guiltless in this matter. In order to qualify or EU membership, Athens forged its way into the European Union, pretending to manage its debt by cooking its financial accounts with the help of Bear Stearns. Their dissolute conduct is past condemnation, a washout financial corporation whose irresponsible fraud helped usher in the Great Recession world-wide, which has exposed the Greek nation's financial abyss.
Now Greece is begging for another bailout from the stronger EU countries, namely Germany. Yet the Germans are justifiably weary from pouring their hard-earned wealth into a country which has prided itself on living off others without having to pay it back.
If the island-archipelago will not take any responsibility for its own doing, if Athens cannot lead by example with hard decisions in the face of violent protests, then let Greece sink into the Aegean. No amount of bailouts will bring the Greeks back from the brink. It will merely succor them into depending all the more on others to save them when they spend themselves beyond their limits.
The one menace which keeps stronger markets on edge about Greece is fear. Fear of financial failure is dominating financial markets throughout the world. If Greece defaults, will it induce other governments to renounce their debt and default as well? Will it cripple banks with more red than black on their ledgers? Will it seize to a halt the anemic recovery plodding its way through the United States?
What is fear? False Evidence Appearing Real, simple as that. Nations with capital, nations who have balanced their checkbooks, who have invested their money, who have grown economically in spite of the recessions, must not bail out any other nations.
Push aside fears, stand on strong moral ground. Let Greece default, followed by any other nation which would be foolish enough to jeopardize its long-term financial well-being.
Greece defaults, people live in poverty, citizens must resort to free market principles to get by. They stop depending on the government, which could never pay its bills to begin with.
Germany can always expand its markets into thriving nations which are not shouldering massive amounts of debt, as few and far between as they may be.
Do not bail out Greece, EU. If that means the demise of the Euro, so be it.
She cannot bring herself to pay her bills. The austerity measures championed by the ruling government in Athens and demanded by the European Community are unpopular with the Greek populace, to say the least.
Non-stop rioting in the streets, old and young fighting with police, tourism shut down: Greece is having a hard time making do with reality.
A generous welfare-state, socialist policies throughout, has impoverished the Southern European nation. Did the Greeks really think that they could strong-arm the government into lavishing them with bursting pensions, benefits, and job security without any accountability? Did they really think that they could cheat on their taxes without ultimately cheating themselves and their posterity?
The Greek government is far from guiltless in this matter. In order to qualify or EU membership, Athens forged its way into the European Union, pretending to manage its debt by cooking its financial accounts with the help of Bear Stearns. Their dissolute conduct is past condemnation, a washout financial corporation whose irresponsible fraud helped usher in the Great Recession world-wide, which has exposed the Greek nation's financial abyss.
Now Greece is begging for another bailout from the stronger EU countries, namely Germany. Yet the Germans are justifiably weary from pouring their hard-earned wealth into a country which has prided itself on living off others without having to pay it back.
If the island-archipelago will not take any responsibility for its own doing, if Athens cannot lead by example with hard decisions in the face of violent protests, then let Greece sink into the Aegean. No amount of bailouts will bring the Greeks back from the brink. It will merely succor them into depending all the more on others to save them when they spend themselves beyond their limits.
The one menace which keeps stronger markets on edge about Greece is fear. Fear of financial failure is dominating financial markets throughout the world. If Greece defaults, will it induce other governments to renounce their debt and default as well? Will it cripple banks with more red than black on their ledgers? Will it seize to a halt the anemic recovery plodding its way through the United States?
What is fear? False Evidence Appearing Real, simple as that. Nations with capital, nations who have balanced their checkbooks, who have invested their money, who have grown economically in spite of the recessions, must not bail out any other nations.
Push aside fears, stand on strong moral ground. Let Greece default, followed by any other nation which would be foolish enough to jeopardize its long-term financial well-being.
Greece defaults, people live in poverty, citizens must resort to free market principles to get by. They stop depending on the government, which could never pay its bills to begin with.
Germany can always expand its markets into thriving nations which are not shouldering massive amounts of debt, as few and far between as they may be.
Do not bail out Greece, EU. If that means the demise of the Euro, so be it.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Clinton and Dean "Endorse" Hahn
Former President "Slick Willy" Bill Clinton has now endorsed Janice Hahn to represent the CA-36th Congressional District, along with "Screaching" Howard Dean, East-Coast West-Coast Liberal Nancy Pelosi, and the two Elites from Northern California .
Has anyone considered the track record of these people? Have we forgotten that President Clinton sat on his duff fooling around with White House Staff (which he vehemently denied) while Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaida operatives were attacking US forces and blowing up US Embassies?
Have we forgotten that the extreme-left-wing politics of "Mean" Howard Dean sank him to third place in the 2004 Iowa Caucuses? More scream (YEAAAARGHH!!!) than substance, DNC Chariman Dean presided over one of the largest party-reversals in the History of the US House of Representatives.
Let's not overlook the reasons why the San Francisco Queen Nancy Pelosi, a progressive demagogue, was dethroned from her lofty perch as Speaker of the House:
1) Forcing Obamacare, an unpopular, unconstitutional, and unnecessary medical mandate, down the throats of the American people who desperately want job growth, not more red tape that will throttle the U.S. economy.
2) Failing to drain the swamp of corruption that permeates Washington, including ethically-challenged Charlie Rangel (D-NY) and Bang-for-the-Bank Maxine Waters (D-CA.
As for the Northern California Senators Feinstein and Boxer. . .what exactly have they done for the tarnished Golden State or the nation? We are still reeling from high unemployment, huge budget deficits, and burdensome entitlements for public employee unions--the Senators' prime supporters. They have accomplished a whole lot of nothing, just like ten years of a Certain Los Angeles City Councilwoman
So, Hahn has rallied five out-of-touch, dishonest, disingenuous, dysfunctional Democrats to her aid. . .is this the best she can do? No wonder her election bid is in dire straits.
Has anyone considered the track record of these people? Have we forgotten that President Clinton sat on his duff fooling around with White House Staff (which he vehemently denied) while Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaida operatives were attacking US forces and blowing up US Embassies?
Have we forgotten that the extreme-left-wing politics of "Mean" Howard Dean sank him to third place in the 2004 Iowa Caucuses? More scream (YEAAAARGHH!!!) than substance, DNC Chariman Dean presided over one of the largest party-reversals in the History of the US House of Representatives.
Let's not overlook the reasons why the San Francisco Queen Nancy Pelosi, a progressive demagogue, was dethroned from her lofty perch as Speaker of the House:
1) Forcing Obamacare, an unpopular, unconstitutional, and unnecessary medical mandate, down the throats of the American people who desperately want job growth, not more red tape that will throttle the U.S. economy.
2) Failing to drain the swamp of corruption that permeates Washington, including ethically-challenged Charlie Rangel (D-NY) and Bang-for-the-Bank Maxine Waters (D-CA.
As for the Northern California Senators Feinstein and Boxer. . .what exactly have they done for the tarnished Golden State or the nation? We are still reeling from high unemployment, huge budget deficits, and burdensome entitlements for public employee unions--the Senators' prime supporters. They have accomplished a whole lot of nothing, just like ten years of a Certain Los Angeles City Councilwoman
So, Hahn has rallied five out-of-touch, dishonest, disingenuous, dysfunctional Democrats to her aid. . .is this the best she can do? No wonder her election bid is in dire straits.
Rebuttal to Obama's Advice
Newsflash:
"Obama: 'I would resign' in Weiner's situation".
President Obama has labeled the disgraced Congressman from Queens
"a distraction," an embarrassment to the Democratic Party, who for the good of his colleagues and constituents, should leave office as soon as possible.
Perhaps the President ought to heed his own advice.
Under his tenure of office, the national rate of unemployment has surged near ten percent, when he had promised it would stay at 8%.
He has flushed away nearly $1 trillion in stimulus money which has not stimulated the economy.
He has sat idly by while Congress racks up a $1.5 trillion dollar deficit, adding to the now $14 trillion nation debt, dwarfed by the multi-trillion dollar entitlement liabilities which will devour the earnings of future generations.
He has lavished power on unelected czars who micromanage industry and innovation, both of which must have free rein to rise up and prosper.
He harnessed the illiberal zeal of liberal Democrats to barricade an unconstitutional mandate on the American people, which is working its way through federal appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court.
His one major accomplishment, capturing Osama bin Laden, he accomplished only because he did what REPUBLICAN President Bush would have done as opposed to promoting the Democratic line of peace through appeasement at all costs.
All things considered, President Obama's track record is a disgrace to the Democratic Party.
In his position, for the good of himself, his party, and the nation, President Obama "ought to resign".
"Obama: 'I would resign' in Weiner's situation".
President Obama has labeled the disgraced Congressman from Queens
"a distraction," an embarrassment to the Democratic Party, who for the good of his colleagues and constituents, should leave office as soon as possible.
Perhaps the President ought to heed his own advice.
Under his tenure of office, the national rate of unemployment has surged near ten percent, when he had promised it would stay at 8%.
He has flushed away nearly $1 trillion in stimulus money which has not stimulated the economy.
He has sat idly by while Congress racks up a $1.5 trillion dollar deficit, adding to the now $14 trillion nation debt, dwarfed by the multi-trillion dollar entitlement liabilities which will devour the earnings of future generations.
He has lavished power on unelected czars who micromanage industry and innovation, both of which must have free rein to rise up and prosper.
He harnessed the illiberal zeal of liberal Democrats to barricade an unconstitutional mandate on the American people, which is working its way through federal appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court.
His one major accomplishment, capturing Osama bin Laden, he accomplished only because he did what REPUBLICAN President Bush would have done as opposed to promoting the Democratic line of peace through appeasement at all costs.
All things considered, President Obama's track record is a disgrace to the Democratic Party.
In his position, for the good of himself, his party, and the nation, President Obama "ought to resign".
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Bibi Pro America -- Bibi For President?
Noy Alooshe, the mixing genius behind "Zenga Zenga", has cut a new single, mixing Benjamini Netanyahu's May 25 speech to Congress with "We speak no Americano".
Alooshe takes Bibi's refrain "Israel will always be pro America", and spins: "Bibi Pro America!"
Without a doubt, Bibi is more "Pro-America" than the current President, Boo-boo bum Obama.
Bibi is not afraid to speak truth to power. He had ever right to explain to the U.S. President, the media, and the world at large why Israel cannot retreat back to the pre-1967 borders.
Bibi talks tough to terrorists, and backs his words with action. He would never have let the Palestinians take back Gaza, and his foresight is grimly justified in the wake of the frequent rocket attacks launched from that terrorist strong-hold.
He respects national sovereignty. He allows Jewish settlers to build Jewish settlements in Jewish territory, regardless of what Biden, Obama, or any other bumbling politician detractor has to say.
He understands the forces of evil which imperil the Middle East, including the Jewish State. He knows that radical-Muslim Iran seeks nuclear power not for electricity, but to blow Israel off the face of the earth, and Israel is not afraid to strike before struck.
Forget Chris Christie or Rick Perry . . . let's elect Bibi Netanyahu for U.S. President in 2012.
"Bibi for America!"
Alooshe takes Bibi's refrain "Israel will always be pro America", and spins: "Bibi Pro America!"
Without a doubt, Bibi is more "Pro-America" than the current President, Boo-boo bum Obama.
Bibi is not afraid to speak truth to power. He had ever right to explain to the U.S. President, the media, and the world at large why Israel cannot retreat back to the pre-1967 borders.
Bibi talks tough to terrorists, and backs his words with action. He would never have let the Palestinians take back Gaza, and his foresight is grimly justified in the wake of the frequent rocket attacks launched from that terrorist strong-hold.
He respects national sovereignty. He allows Jewish settlers to build Jewish settlements in Jewish territory, regardless of what Biden, Obama, or any other bumbling politician detractor has to say.
He understands the forces of evil which imperil the Middle East, including the Jewish State. He knows that radical-Muslim Iran seeks nuclear power not for electricity, but to blow Israel off the face of the earth, and Israel is not afraid to strike before struck.
Forget Chris Christie or Rick Perry . . . let's elect Bibi Netanyahu for U.S. President in 2012.
"Bibi for America!"
Friday, June 10, 2011
Weiner is Cooked
Unpackaged, Grilled, and Cooked: nothing better describes New York Congressman Anthony Weiner's fate
It would be a real shame if the media, the public, and the pols in the Beltway let the Congressman's multiple indiscretions pass.
He misused technology. He littered the Internet with filth
He cheated on his wife. He deceived the American people (surprise, surprise!)
He has humiliated many, including his wife, his child to be, and the American people. He has lost the necessary credibility to remain in office
Rather than tackling the mounting economic problems swamping this country, pundits are chattering and nattering over the sophomoric improprieties of one lost-cause liberal, which should have been exposed, condemned, and removed, along with the foolish politician who perpetrated them.
Weiner has got to split, like a hot dog bun.
It would be a real shame if the media, the public, and the pols in the Beltway let the Congressman's multiple indiscretions pass.
He misused technology. He littered the Internet with filth
He cheated on his wife. He deceived the American people (surprise, surprise!)
He has humiliated many, including his wife, his child to be, and the American people. He has lost the necessary credibility to remain in office
Rather than tackling the mounting economic problems swamping this country, pundits are chattering and nattering over the sophomoric improprieties of one lost-cause liberal, which should have been exposed, condemned, and removed, along with the foolish politician who perpetrated them.
Weiner has got to split, like a hot dog bun.
Gingrich's Last Stand
His troops have cut and run.
His opponents have stopped fighting. They have left him for dead.
The media have frittered away this remaining fifteen minutes of fame. There is nothing left for him to do but go off quietly into the sunset.
Newt Gingrich's campaign for the Presidency was dead in the water before he launched it.
How many slip-ups, follies, infidelities, and just plain tom-foolery did he think the American People would tolerate before passing over him once and for all?
We need real candidates to compete for the Republican nomination, statesman who learn from their mistakes, admit their faults, rise above populist sentiment, and engage the public with the pressing issues of our time.
Mr. Gingrich could not fulfill these duties as House Speaker sixteen years ago. Did he really delude himself into believing that he could impress anyone that he, an unrepentant womanizer, would be any different this time around?
His opponents have stopped fighting. They have left him for dead.
The media have frittered away this remaining fifteen minutes of fame. There is nothing left for him to do but go off quietly into the sunset.
Newt Gingrich's campaign for the Presidency was dead in the water before he launched it.
How many slip-ups, follies, infidelities, and just plain tom-foolery did he think the American People would tolerate before passing over him once and for all?
We need real candidates to compete for the Republican nomination, statesman who learn from their mistakes, admit their faults, rise above populist sentiment, and engage the public with the pressing issues of our time.
Mr. Gingrich could not fulfill these duties as House Speaker sixteen years ago. Did he really delude himself into believing that he could impress anyone that he, an unrepentant womanizer, would be any different this time around?
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Obama's Cold Comfort
President Obama claims that there is no second recession on the horizon for the flagging U.S. Economy.
Economist, legislators, and the American People are weary and leery of another stimulus liked the failed hand-outs of 2009.
Rising food and gas prices spring from one source: inflation, or quantitative easing, as the Fed likes to dress up its job-, currency-, and recovery- killing tactics for the public.
There certainly is nothing that the Fed or the President can do to help jumpstart the slowing economic uptake in this country. Free markets alone can correct the trade and business cycles previously assaulted by easy loans and malignant regulation.
The less that the President and Congress do, the better for all parties concerned. Yet the current politician insist on intervening and intruding into systems which they know nothing about. all to the detriment of businesses and consumers alike.
Since they cannot leave well enough alone, the best actions for recovery are:
1) Remove President Obama from power
2) Renew Congress with members who respect the needs of their constituents, not the greed of lobbyists and entrenched interest groups.
Economist, legislators, and the American People are weary and leery of another stimulus liked the failed hand-outs of 2009.
Rising food and gas prices spring from one source: inflation, or quantitative easing, as the Fed likes to dress up its job-, currency-, and recovery- killing tactics for the public.
There certainly is nothing that the Fed or the President can do to help jumpstart the slowing economic uptake in this country. Free markets alone can correct the trade and business cycles previously assaulted by easy loans and malignant regulation.
The less that the President and Congress do, the better for all parties concerned. Yet the current politician insist on intervening and intruding into systems which they know nothing about. all to the detriment of businesses and consumers alike.
Since they cannot leave well enough alone, the best actions for recovery are:
1) Remove President Obama from power
2) Renew Congress with members who respect the needs of their constituents, not the greed of lobbyists and entrenched interest groups.
President of Yemen Badly Hurt, other Dictators Going Down
President Saleh of Yemen has fled Sanaa after rebel strikes hit his compound a few days ago.
His destination: Saudi Arabia, where all deposed dictators seem to seek refuge.
Recent updates suggested that Saleh fared far worse than previously released, with wounds to his upper bound and 40% of his body burned. It would appear that this ruthless ruler will not be returned into power.
Syria'a Assad is also imperilled, not personally but militarily, as more of his elite soldiers are breaking ranks, just like the key members of the armed forces in Yemen. Bashar's days are numbered.
With Libya's Gadhafi further impounded by NATO, his forces faltering and the rebels winning, these major dictators in the region our foundering, with the threat of growing civil war in the Middle East.
The Jasmine Revolution is breaking into a scorching Summer as longstanding strongmen in the region are wilting under populist pressure. Military personnel defecting, political henchmen resigning, coalition forces firing on leaders who have turned on their own people, all spell doom for the no-longer indeterminate dictators of the Middle East.
One can only speculate, however, if the withering summer will lead to a robust autumn harvest and a stable hibernation to follow.
His destination: Saudi Arabia, where all deposed dictators seem to seek refuge.
Recent updates suggested that Saleh fared far worse than previously released, with wounds to his upper bound and 40% of his body burned. It would appear that this ruthless ruler will not be returned into power.
Syria'a Assad is also imperilled, not personally but militarily, as more of his elite soldiers are breaking ranks, just like the key members of the armed forces in Yemen. Bashar's days are numbered.
With Libya's Gadhafi further impounded by NATO, his forces faltering and the rebels winning, these major dictators in the region our foundering, with the threat of growing civil war in the Middle East.
The Jasmine Revolution is breaking into a scorching Summer as longstanding strongmen in the region are wilting under populist pressure. Military personnel defecting, political henchmen resigning, coalition forces firing on leaders who have turned on their own people, all spell doom for the no-longer indeterminate dictators of the Middle East.
One can only speculate, however, if the withering summer will lead to a robust autumn harvest and a stable hibernation to follow.
LA-15th cannot represent the CA-36th
Councilwoman Janice Hahn has represented the 15th Los Angeles City Council District since 2001.
She has very little to show for her efforts.
Her one major accomplishment: she lead the overheated effort to bring Reggie the Alligator out of Lake Machado and into the LA Zoo, where he only escaped again, all at a huge cost to tax-payers plus a needless diversion from her real responsibilities.
Hahn should have been attending to more pressing matters affecting her constituents, like gangs, crime, failing schools, failing business, and government dysfunction.
Councilwoman Hahn has demonstrated no real leadership on the Council with her fourteen colleagues in Downtown LA, all of whom have failed to balance the city's budget, to close the looming and lingering deficits impoverishing the city and its citizens, and to take on the exorbitant public sector pensions and benefits which are draining the city coffers now and into the unforeseeable future.
In fact, she has been exposed by local news channels for using too much water when she had advocated curbing water use in the city. She has dithered frequently about revamping the abandoned properties on Western Ave in San Pedro, refusing to commit to any plan that would revitalize the area.
Even in her "support" for Israel, she has vacillated plaintively between supporting the Israelis and the Palestinians instead of committing to a positive solution. The next Congressional Representative must be decisive in advocating fiscal and foreign policies in the best interests of the CA-36th.
Craig Huey is the better candidate to represent the constituents from San Pedro to Venice. Decisive, articulate, and committed, he has a vision for the proper scope of government.
She has very little to show for her efforts.
Her one major accomplishment: she lead the overheated effort to bring Reggie the Alligator out of Lake Machado and into the LA Zoo, where he only escaped again, all at a huge cost to tax-payers plus a needless diversion from her real responsibilities.
Hahn should have been attending to more pressing matters affecting her constituents, like gangs, crime, failing schools, failing business, and government dysfunction.
Councilwoman Hahn has demonstrated no real leadership on the Council with her fourteen colleagues in Downtown LA, all of whom have failed to balance the city's budget, to close the looming and lingering deficits impoverishing the city and its citizens, and to take on the exorbitant public sector pensions and benefits which are draining the city coffers now and into the unforeseeable future.
In fact, she has been exposed by local news channels for using too much water when she had advocated curbing water use in the city. She has dithered frequently about revamping the abandoned properties on Western Ave in San Pedro, refusing to commit to any plan that would revitalize the area.
Even in her "support" for Israel, she has vacillated plaintively between supporting the Israelis and the Palestinians instead of committing to a positive solution. The next Congressional Representative must be decisive in advocating fiscal and foreign policies in the best interests of the CA-36th.
Craig Huey is the better candidate to represent the constituents from San Pedro to Venice. Decisive, articulate, and committed, he has a vision for the proper scope of government.
Craig Huey: Just What the CA-36th Needs
Craig Huey, successful small businessman, is just what the CA-36th needs.
He has balanced budgets.
He has attacked waste in business and in the public sector.
He has experienced first-hand the burden of government regulations and over-taxation.
He knows the needs of this constituency. He understands the economic burdens which are hurting the residents of the South Bay, from Venice to San Pedro.
He agrees to term limits, and wants to limit career politicians who spend more time currying favor with lobbyists than responding to the needs of the voters.
He is not a career politician who wants to expand the role of government at the expense of individual and economic liberty.
He is just want the CA-36th needs.
Vote for Craig Huey on July 12th.
He has balanced budgets.
He has attacked waste in business and in the public sector.
He has experienced first-hand the burden of government regulations and over-taxation.
He knows the needs of this constituency. He understands the economic burdens which are hurting the residents of the South Bay, from Venice to San Pedro.
He agrees to term limits, and wants to limit career politicians who spend more time currying favor with lobbyists than responding to the needs of the voters.
He is not a career politician who wants to expand the role of government at the expense of individual and economic liberty.
He is just want the CA-36th needs.
Vote for Craig Huey on July 12th.
Anthony Weiner Caught, General Caution Sought
Congressman Weiner, strident New York Representative, has been caught in a lewd photo-twitter scandal.
He sent nasty pictures of himself to a college student in Washington State, and now there are reports that he has made inappropriate advances to other women over the Internet.
There is no end to the foolish risks that people will take in exposing themselves to others. Not just that some information has no business being shared through electronics, but that it should not be shared at all.
There is something to be said for having the common, simple decency not to say, discuss, or disclose certain things except in private between two persons.
In the case of Congressman Weiner, certain things should not be discussed, period.
Fidelity is essential, now more than ever, not just to protect the integrity of one's marriage, but to protect the integrity of one's image, of one's reputation.
The less one shares of oneself, the better. Yes, these are more general remarks beyond the usual moral castrations, yet they deserve to be mentioned.
He sent nasty pictures of himself to a college student in Washington State, and now there are reports that he has made inappropriate advances to other women over the Internet.
There is no end to the foolish risks that people will take in exposing themselves to others. Not just that some information has no business being shared through electronics, but that it should not be shared at all.
There is something to be said for having the common, simple decency not to say, discuss, or disclose certain things except in private between two persons.
In the case of Congressman Weiner, certain things should not be discussed, period.
Fidelity is essential, now more than ever, not just to protect the integrity of one's marriage, but to protect the integrity of one's image, of one's reputation.
The less one shares of oneself, the better. Yes, these are more general remarks beyond the usual moral castrations, yet they deserve to be mentioned.
Janice Hahn's Desperate Attempt
In another desperate attempt to curry favor with her much-maligned constituency, Councilwoman Janice Hahn is pushing to reduce the 400% increase on parking fees in Downtown San Pedro, which have more than certainly contributed to the business slump cramping that languishing business district.
In 2009, Hahn voted along with the rest of the LA Council to increase parking fees as a petty stop-gap measure to close up the huge budget deficit weighing on the City of Angels.
Where was she two years ago, one year ago, to reverse the parking fee increase? If nothing else, this last-ditch effort to right a stupid fiscal wrong merely exposes, once again, not only how out-of-touch Hahn is with her constituency, but that her every political move is wrapped up in one need: advancing her own causes and candidacy, whatever office she may be running for.
Never focusing on the duties before, she looks ever upwards, serving no one but herself.
Vote Craig Huey for U.S. Congress!
In 2009, Hahn voted along with the rest of the LA Council to increase parking fees as a petty stop-gap measure to close up the huge budget deficit weighing on the City of Angels.
Where was she two years ago, one year ago, to reverse the parking fee increase? If nothing else, this last-ditch effort to right a stupid fiscal wrong merely exposes, once again, not only how out-of-touch Hahn is with her constituency, but that her every political move is wrapped up in one need: advancing her own causes and candidacy, whatever office she may be running for.
Never focusing on the duties before, she looks ever upwards, serving no one but herself.
Vote Craig Huey for U.S. Congress!
Friday, June 3, 2011
Ron Paul is NOT an Anti-Semite
Ron Paul wants to limit the amount of foreign aid that the United States sends to other countries.
That includes all countries in the Middle East, including strong and constant ally against terrorism, Israel.
Paul made his case very convincingly. Israel does not need out help. The Jewish State is one of the wealthiest and most innovate nations in the world. A free society which protects its citizens from tyranny within and marauders abroad, Israel deserves to represent itself and fight for its interest without depending on foreign aid.
To favor free markets and limited encroachment in foreign entanglements will not endanger the Jewish State, nor will it embolden terrorists to further imperil the only vibrant Western Democracy in the Middle East.
Besides, for all the foreign that the United States hands out, this country gives more to the hostile Arab nations that are threatening Israel. In effect, the U.S. Government is funding a self-defeating policy which enlarges our enemies.
Just because Paul wants to eliminate wasteful, contradictory spending does not make Ron Paul an anti-Semite. His efforts will strengthen the Jewish State.
That includes all countries in the Middle East, including strong and constant ally against terrorism, Israel.
Paul made his case very convincingly. Israel does not need out help. The Jewish State is one of the wealthiest and most innovate nations in the world. A free society which protects its citizens from tyranny within and marauders abroad, Israel deserves to represent itself and fight for its interest without depending on foreign aid.
To favor free markets and limited encroachment in foreign entanglements will not endanger the Jewish State, nor will it embolden terrorists to further imperil the only vibrant Western Democracy in the Middle East.
Besides, for all the foreign that the United States hands out, this country gives more to the hostile Arab nations that are threatening Israel. In effect, the U.S. Government is funding a self-defeating policy which enlarges our enemies.
Just because Paul wants to eliminate wasteful, contradictory spending does not make Ron Paul an anti-Semite. His efforts will strengthen the Jewish State.
Pope Benedict XVI and the Palestinians
First, Pope Benedict goes out of his way to exonerate the Jewish race from the blood-guilt of killing Jesus Christ.
Now, he has met with PLO President Mahmoud Abbas cementing Vatican support for the foundation of an independent Palestinian State.
Is this statescraft, dithering, or a crass attempt to build up the ranks of the declining church enrollment?
Sometimes the cause of social justice will lead to great injustice. Palestine belongs to the Jews, has for thousands of years, and no one will change that. Not statesman, not politicians, not corporations, not even the Catholic Church.
Still, the Vatican's (seemingly) more legitimate interest in the Arab-Israeli conflict relates to two issues:
1) The displaced Catholic-Christian Arabs in the West Bank. In no wise did they deserve to be moved off of their land, yet no one can blame the Jews for the dispute which has lead to the Christians' unwarranted removal. To this day, Christian pilgrims from around the world can still visit the region to visit holy sites and practice their faith in the cradle of the faith.
2) The integrity of Christian Holy Sites in the West Bank. As long as the Jewish State remains in charge of the West Bank, Christians from around the world, including the Vatican, have nothing to fear regarding the future integrity of the Christian holy sites in the region, including Bethlehem and Nazareth. Besides, the chief site, Jerusalem, now rests completely within Israeli borders, where its political and religious integrity remains intact.
Christians are not in jeopardy in the West Bank--certainly not in the rest of the state Israel, the only nation in the Middle East practicing religious tolerance. If Pope Benedict wants to promote peace in the Middle East, he should not legitimize the cause of the Palestinians by meeting with their terrorist-allied leader. The PLO, Hamas, Fatah, and other Radical Muslims have fostered terrorism, indoctrinated their youth with anti-Semitism, and have frustrated every effort for peace. Does the head of the Catholic Church want to be allied with such wicked company?
It is truly shameful to see Pope Benedict XVI, the head of the Catholic Church, mire the message of the gospel on the fraught politics of Palestinian hate. Spirituality and the Gospel pay a rueful price when religious authorities venture into sordid politics.
Now, he has met with PLO President Mahmoud Abbas cementing Vatican support for the foundation of an independent Palestinian State.
Is this statescraft, dithering, or a crass attempt to build up the ranks of the declining church enrollment?
Sometimes the cause of social justice will lead to great injustice. Palestine belongs to the Jews, has for thousands of years, and no one will change that. Not statesman, not politicians, not corporations, not even the Catholic Church.
Still, the Vatican's (seemingly) more legitimate interest in the Arab-Israeli conflict relates to two issues:
1) The displaced Catholic-Christian Arabs in the West Bank. In no wise did they deserve to be moved off of their land, yet no one can blame the Jews for the dispute which has lead to the Christians' unwarranted removal. To this day, Christian pilgrims from around the world can still visit the region to visit holy sites and practice their faith in the cradle of the faith.
2) The integrity of Christian Holy Sites in the West Bank. As long as the Jewish State remains in charge of the West Bank, Christians from around the world, including the Vatican, have nothing to fear regarding the future integrity of the Christian holy sites in the region, including Bethlehem and Nazareth. Besides, the chief site, Jerusalem, now rests completely within Israeli borders, where its political and religious integrity remains intact.
Christians are not in jeopardy in the West Bank--certainly not in the rest of the state Israel, the only nation in the Middle East practicing religious tolerance. If Pope Benedict wants to promote peace in the Middle East, he should not legitimize the cause of the Palestinians by meeting with their terrorist-allied leader. The PLO, Hamas, Fatah, and other Radical Muslims have fostered terrorism, indoctrinated their youth with anti-Semitism, and have frustrated every effort for peace. Does the head of the Catholic Church want to be allied with such wicked company?
It is truly shameful to see Pope Benedict XVI, the head of the Catholic Church, mire the message of the gospel on the fraught politics of Palestinian hate. Spirituality and the Gospel pay a rueful price when religious authorities venture into sordid politics.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Letter to Herald Publications: Craig Huey for the CA-36th
Craig Huey, small business in the South Bay, deserves to be the next House Representative for the CA 36th Congressional District.
Janice Hahn, his opponent in the July 12 runoff, has attempted to smear him as some out-of-touch Tea Party extremist. Yet voters already realize how devastating Democratic, statist principles have undermined this country, including the CA-36th Congressional District. Responsible voters will choose Craig Huey, a successful businessman in touch with the needs of this district.
Despite Hahn’s assurance that she can create jobs, her record clearly suggests otherwise. Within her own council district, Downtown San Pedro is struggling (where she allowed a 400% hike in parking fees), and the troubled Watts area still languishes economically. Her only real achievement was finding a new home for an alligator on the loose in Lake Machado. Capturing that animal turned into a costly waste of resources that should have been used to fight unemployment and gang crime.
I hope that the residents of the CA-36th will appreciate the future implications of the July 12 Congressional run-off and elect a fiscal conservative who will tackle this nation's budgetary problems and invigorate economic recovery.
On July 12, for House Rep for the CA-36th, Vote for Craig Huey!
Janice Hahn, his opponent in the July 12 runoff, has attempted to smear him as some out-of-touch Tea Party extremist. Yet voters already realize how devastating Democratic, statist principles have undermined this country, including the CA-36th Congressional District. Responsible voters will choose Craig Huey, a successful businessman in touch with the needs of this district.
Despite Hahn’s assurance that she can create jobs, her record clearly suggests otherwise. Within her own council district, Downtown San Pedro is struggling (where she allowed a 400% hike in parking fees), and the troubled Watts area still languishes economically. Her only real achievement was finding a new home for an alligator on the loose in Lake Machado. Capturing that animal turned into a costly waste of resources that should have been used to fight unemployment and gang crime.
I hope that the residents of the CA-36th will appreciate the future implications of the July 12 Congressional run-off and elect a fiscal conservative who will tackle this nation's budgetary problems and invigorate economic recovery.
On July 12, for House Rep for the CA-36th, Vote for Craig Huey!
Jaycee Dugard: Free at Last, Ready for Restoration
Slave-drivers who practiced merciless perversion on Ms. Jaycee Dugard, Philip and Nancy Garrido are going to jail for a long time. Having fathered and delivered two more children into the world by this young lady, they have now been delivered to the law, once and for all. Their guilt will lock them up for far longer if they do not repent and come clean to the One who counts.
As for Ms. Jaycee Dugard, she has received $20 million settlement from the negligent and incompetent state of California, an enormous sum which will provide for her through the next phase of her life. No longer a hapless victim in recovery, she can step into life and fulfill her
From AP, which recorded her written statement read at the sentencing of the Garridos: "I chose not to be here today because I refuse to waste another second of my life in your presence. Everything you ever did to me was wrong and I hope one day you will see that." She asserted simply what was done to her. Ms. Dugard does the right thing to let the past go. She should not let the rampant evil perpetrated against her ruin the rest of her long and exciting life.
Dugard continues, "There is no God in the universe that would condone your actions," Dugard wrote to Nancy Garrido. No, certainly not, without a doubt. It is comforting that Dugard does not abandon her faith in God, despite the horrible evil that was inadvertently permitted to be perpetrated against her.
She also told Phillip Garrido "you do not matter anymore." Let him go, Jaycee. That's the way. Her rescue, recovery, and restoration will be an example to the world and be an encouragement to all those who suffer in silence at the hands of perpetrators and predators.
At the sentencing, the district attorney condemned Philip Garrido for stealing "the childhood and innocence from an 11-year-old child."
I take issue with the chronic condemnation. No one can steal a person's innocence. Viewed another way, childhood is shrouded in ignorance, but the restored purity of redemption more than compensates for any peace and safety lost, no matter how extreme the circumstances.
You CAN have your childhood restored! Everything can be restored! See Isaiah 63:
1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek . . .
3To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
And a few verses later, the LORD promises:
For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.
Consider also the glorious example of Joseph, betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, sold out by the lecherous wife of Potiphar to an unjust term in prison, only to promote to lead Egypt through a terrible famine. His two children speak of the glorious restoration he enjoyed: Manasseh--Forgetting the past; and Ephraim--Double portion for all his troubles.
Well did Jesus Christ promise "Behold, I make all things new" (Rev. 21:5). This is also true for Ms. Dugard, if she is willing to live in His righteousness, which no one can take away from her.
No evil will ever have to threaten the new-found peace of Ms. Dugard, for Jesus Christ has also promised: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27)
What glory you have entered into, Ms. Dugard!
As for Ms. Jaycee Dugard, she has received $20 million settlement from the negligent and incompetent state of California, an enormous sum which will provide for her through the next phase of her life. No longer a hapless victim in recovery, she can step into life and fulfill her
From AP, which recorded her written statement read at the sentencing of the Garridos: "I chose not to be here today because I refuse to waste another second of my life in your presence. Everything you ever did to me was wrong and I hope one day you will see that." She asserted simply what was done to her. Ms. Dugard does the right thing to let the past go. She should not let the rampant evil perpetrated against her ruin the rest of her long and exciting life.
Dugard continues, "There is no God in the universe that would condone your actions," Dugard wrote to Nancy Garrido. No, certainly not, without a doubt. It is comforting that Dugard does not abandon her faith in God, despite the horrible evil that was inadvertently permitted to be perpetrated against her.
She also told Phillip Garrido "you do not matter anymore." Let him go, Jaycee. That's the way. Her rescue, recovery, and restoration will be an example to the world and be an encouragement to all those who suffer in silence at the hands of perpetrators and predators.
At the sentencing, the district attorney condemned Philip Garrido for stealing "the childhood and innocence from an 11-year-old child."
I take issue with the chronic condemnation. No one can steal a person's innocence. Viewed another way, childhood is shrouded in ignorance, but the restored purity of redemption more than compensates for any peace and safety lost, no matter how extreme the circumstances.
You CAN have your childhood restored! Everything can be restored! See Isaiah 63:
1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek . . .
3To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
And a few verses later, the LORD promises:
For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.
Consider also the glorious example of Joseph, betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, sold out by the lecherous wife of Potiphar to an unjust term in prison, only to promote to lead Egypt through a terrible famine. His two children speak of the glorious restoration he enjoyed: Manasseh--Forgetting the past; and Ephraim--Double portion for all his troubles.
Well did Jesus Christ promise "Behold, I make all things new" (Rev. 21:5). This is also true for Ms. Dugard, if she is willing to live in His righteousness, which no one can take away from her.
No evil will ever have to threaten the new-found peace of Ms. Dugard, for Jesus Christ has also promised: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27)
What glory you have entered into, Ms. Dugard!