Kings in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and now Morocco are feeling the breeze of the "Arab Spring."
King Abdullah II of Jordan was on "This Week with Christiane Amanpour" outlining his opinions on the political protests upsetting the Assad regime in Syria.
Either out of touch or craven in his calculating grasp for power, Abdullah believes that Assad is in control in his nation, despite the growing calls for his removal by Syrians of all ages. Now children are vowing revenge against the state which has butchered, their brother, fathers, and elders.
If King Abdullah is so out of touch about the growing wave of sweeping the region, it is only a matter of time before his grip on power is compromised.
If the King of Jordan's misunderstandings were not enough, the Kingdom of Morocco is beginning to hemorrhage with protests and fiercer police crackdowns. Even the nations which world-watchers assumed would weather out the Arab Revolutions are tumbling into unrest.
Unsettled monarchs are watching as heads of state roll with the punches meted out by their disaffected subjects. With only a matter of time protecting them from down-fall, they are not striking out. Their previous hesitancy has given way to violent apprehension.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Oscar de la Hoya in Rehab, or the Media's Inadvertent Service
Though a man may knock down opponents, make lots of money, and move in high powered circles, it all comes to nought if he has now Higher Power to answered.
In a way, it is refreshing to see the media expose the illicit comfort measures which celebrities pursue in their pursuit of the good life, fecklessly masking emptiness, hurt, and disillusion with success and financial favor.
True favor cannot be bottled up, thrown in a pill, wrapped in a fat paycheck, or amassed by large crowds of people clamoring for a piece of the power, yearning for the good life exuded by the well-positioned.
Even Donald Trump has acknowledged that money will not but happiness a profound admission and admonition from one who went from nearly one-billion dollars in debt to renewed notoriety and wealth through media deals and reality TV shows. He knows what he is talking about. Of course, the wisdom of the Preacher in Ecclesiastes formed this profound comclusion early on, a lesson which far too many have still failed to understand.
Returning to the current exposure of personal misfortune, Oscar de la Hoya seems to have it all: an excellent boxing record, stellar physical presence, incredible wealth, a desire to help people. And yet he still gave into illicit substances to ease himself. Beyond salivating over the downfall of a media golden boy, this incident may induce people to ask: For a man who has it all, why did he still feel the need to abuse controlled substances?
This is the message which the Media inadvertently preaches in exposing the personal and private fall-out of celebrities. Media pundits may have greedy immoral motives in humiliating celebrities who fall from grace, yet they indirectly highlight the vanity of pursuing our deepest needs in money, power, and prestige.
Or as the All-important Teacher and Savior put it: "What doth it profit a man if he gain the world, but lose his soul?" (Matt. 16:26)
In a way, it is refreshing to see the media expose the illicit comfort measures which celebrities pursue in their pursuit of the good life, fecklessly masking emptiness, hurt, and disillusion with success and financial favor.
True favor cannot be bottled up, thrown in a pill, wrapped in a fat paycheck, or amassed by large crowds of people clamoring for a piece of the power, yearning for the good life exuded by the well-positioned.
Even Donald Trump has acknowledged that money will not but happiness a profound admission and admonition from one who went from nearly one-billion dollars in debt to renewed notoriety and wealth through media deals and reality TV shows. He knows what he is talking about. Of course, the wisdom of the Preacher in Ecclesiastes formed this profound comclusion early on, a lesson which far too many have still failed to understand.
Returning to the current exposure of personal misfortune, Oscar de la Hoya seems to have it all: an excellent boxing record, stellar physical presence, incredible wealth, a desire to help people. And yet he still gave into illicit substances to ease himself. Beyond salivating over the downfall of a media golden boy, this incident may induce people to ask: For a man who has it all, why did he still feel the need to abuse controlled substances?
This is the message which the Media inadvertently preaches in exposing the personal and private fall-out of celebrities. Media pundits may have greedy immoral motives in humiliating celebrities who fall from grace, yet they indirectly highlight the vanity of pursuing our deepest needs in money, power, and prestige.
Or as the All-important Teacher and Savior put it: "What doth it profit a man if he gain the world, but lose his soul?" (Matt. 16:26)
Harold Camping, the Fleecing of the Masses, and the Distraction of the Media
Harold Camping, the unlicensed, uncredited, and self-ordained minister of May-Day Doomsday, is caught "flabbergasted." The world did not end, people are still moving to and fro in their busy, fruitless lives, ministers are still preaching the word, whether their hearers are moved into action or lulled into complacency.
What was this old falsehood thinking when he expounded with heady certainty a date which no one, not even Christ himself, knows?
It was all about the money, no doubt. It cost millions of dollars to mount an extensive ad-war of ministerial deception on the radio, with billboards, through the minds of desperate believers willing to believe anything that would remove them from the empty, hostile frustration of their lives.
People desperate for a quick fix have reverted to believing in soon-to-come end-times follies. Mr. Camping was more than willing to indulge them in their fantasies.
Then there is publicity. Mr. Camping and his "ministry" have dominated the airwaves for some time. I'm sure even TMZ will jump on the "hate-the-wacky-preacher" bandwagon, which is now rolling through the current news-cycle. Doomsday prophets market themselves widely, and they make good news, whether any of their predictions come true or not. As far as the media is concerned, as long as they have something newsworthy to bring to press, news organs are happy.
It brings one pause: perhaps the widespread phenomenon of false teaching is due in part to a ravenous media dedicated to printing whatever flippant froth it can foist on a foolish public, all the more fresh if it mocks religious sentiment of any denomination.
What was this old falsehood thinking when he expounded with heady certainty a date which no one, not even Christ himself, knows?
It was all about the money, no doubt. It cost millions of dollars to mount an extensive ad-war of ministerial deception on the radio, with billboards, through the minds of desperate believers willing to believe anything that would remove them from the empty, hostile frustration of their lives.
People desperate for a quick fix have reverted to believing in soon-to-come end-times follies. Mr. Camping was more than willing to indulge them in their fantasies.
Then there is publicity. Mr. Camping and his "ministry" have dominated the airwaves for some time. I'm sure even TMZ will jump on the "hate-the-wacky-preacher" bandwagon, which is now rolling through the current news-cycle. Doomsday prophets market themselves widely, and they make good news, whether any of their predictions come true or not. As far as the media is concerned, as long as they have something newsworthy to bring to press, news organs are happy.
It brings one pause: perhaps the widespread phenomenon of false teaching is due in part to a ravenous media dedicated to printing whatever flippant froth it can foist on a foolish public, all the more fresh if it mocks religious sentiment of any denomination.
May 21, End-Time Prediction Fails--No Kidding
Harold Camping, the fundamentalist minister from Norther California, is shocked--shocked! that the world did not come to an end May 21, 2011. Despite hammering this
end-time prophecy for years, beguiling many people into believing, proselytizing, and advertizing this misinformation, the mistaken minister is "flabber-gasted".
So are hundreds of thousands of disillusioned followers. Maxed out credit cards, mounting bills, broken relationships, ruined lives: all a testimony to the effects of religious licentiousness at its worst.
Yet the very Scriptures which this fringe movement was relying have made it abundantly clear many times over"
"The day that the Lord comes will a like a thief in night.
"You will not know the day nor the hour" when the Lord may come (Matt. 25:13)
"For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night." (1 Thes. 5:2)
and
"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." (2 Pet. 3:10)
These scriptures make it very clear that the Lord's Return will be a surprise, one which we cannot predict and mentally prepare for with a few strokes of the pen to our calendars.
In fact, the secrecy of the date of the Lord's return is so cryptic, that:
"But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. (Matt. 24:36; see also Mark 13:32)
Even the One who is returning has not yet been inoformed when He is returning! Who is anyone on earth to presume, therefore, that he can predict to the day and the hour when Jesus is coming back?
It is astounding, if not laughable, that preachers and thinkers insist on using archane and erudite methods to calculate the date of end-times, yet will not be bothered to read the Words of He who is to Come!
Well did Jesus say of the Pharisees and all other false teachers:
"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." (John 5:39) How sad that those well-verse in God's law, then and now, could know written word so well, yet miss the Written World walking in their midst.
end-time prophecy for years, beguiling many people into believing, proselytizing, and advertizing this misinformation, the mistaken minister is "flabber-gasted".
So are hundreds of thousands of disillusioned followers. Maxed out credit cards, mounting bills, broken relationships, ruined lives: all a testimony to the effects of religious licentiousness at its worst.
Yet the very Scriptures which this fringe movement was relying have made it abundantly clear many times over"
"The day that the Lord comes will a like a thief in night.
"You will not know the day nor the hour" when the Lord may come (Matt. 25:13)
"For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night." (1 Thes. 5:2)
and
"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." (2 Pet. 3:10)
These scriptures make it very clear that the Lord's Return will be a surprise, one which we cannot predict and mentally prepare for with a few strokes of the pen to our calendars.
In fact, the secrecy of the date of the Lord's return is so cryptic, that:
"But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. (Matt. 24:36; see also Mark 13:32)
Even the One who is returning has not yet been inoformed when He is returning! Who is anyone on earth to presume, therefore, that he can predict to the day and the hour when Jesus is coming back?
It is astounding, if not laughable, that preachers and thinkers insist on using archane and erudite methods to calculate the date of end-times, yet will not be bothered to read the Words of He who is to Come!
Well did Jesus say of the Pharisees and all other false teachers:
"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." (John 5:39) How sad that those well-verse in God's law, then and now, could know written word so well, yet miss the Written World walking in their midst.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
The King of Demons Takes on the President of the United States
Gene Simmons, né Chaim Witz, lead guitarist for the 70's-on rock band "KISS", was born in Israel to Hungarian Jews who had fled the Holocaust. Early in his life, he even thought about becoming a Rabbi. Declining the Rabbinate, he went with music, rocked and rolled all night, rocked in Detroit City, put the X in . . . well, you get the idea.
A child of the homeland, Jewish to the core, he's speaking up for the Jewish State.
For a man who has perversely played out his private life for the world to see, it is refreshing to hear him call Obama to the carpet about the ludicrous call for Israel to return to its pre-1967 borders.
It's a shame that Simmons still regards Obama in a positive light. Because he is such an unabashed liberal, it was inevitable that Obama would have reneged on resolute support for the State of Israel.
At least the Demon is starting to see the error of his ways.
Let's hope that voters across the country will share his sentiment come November 2012. With a solid Republican in office and more certain support for the Jewish State, Simmons, the United States, and the world at large will be able to "Rock and Roll all Night. . . "
A child of the homeland, Jewish to the core, he's speaking up for the Jewish State.
For a man who has perversely played out his private life for the world to see, it is refreshing to hear him call Obama to the carpet about the ludicrous call for Israel to return to its pre-1967 borders.
It's a shame that Simmons still regards Obama in a positive light. Because he is such an unabashed liberal, it was inevitable that Obama would have reneged on resolute support for the State of Israel.
At least the Demon is starting to see the error of his ways.
Let's hope that voters across the country will share his sentiment come November 2012. With a solid Republican in office and more certain support for the Jewish State, Simmons, the United States, and the world at large will be able to "Rock and Roll all Night. . . "
Three Republicans Refuse to Run . . Now What?
Some Republican walkers, runners, pundits, and supports may look at the sudden reconsideration and refusal of number of potential Republican candidates for the 2012Presidential Elections with some trepidation, if not dismay.
Where have all the good candidates gone? Who will have the right mix of integrity, ingenuity, and intellect to persuade a wary electorate to vote for them in the face of the "We-are-the-Change-we-have-been-waiting-for" inanity of the current President?
Just because a worthy standard bearer for the party has not emerged, Republicans, and the nation at large, has nothing to worry about. In fact, the efficient winnowing process has more than ensured that the final nominee will command the allegiance of a significant and diverse electorate, not just within the Republican Party, with disaffected voters of all stripes.
Tim Pawlenty, former Governor of Minnesota, will announce his decision to run (or not). Herman Cain, well-established business mogul and radio host, has declared his candidacy, along with Ron Paul, another darling of the Tea Party who is commanding a growing legion of respect among voters, not just political wonks and college grads.
We still have not heard from Sarah Palin, which is all for the good. Mitt Romney has enlarged his war chest significantly, yet elections over time have asserted that money cannot buy elections. Newt Gingrich is foundering beneath his immediate change of mind and plans, almost as irresolute as his marriage vows.
There is still time for galvanizing potential candidates like Governor Rick Perry and Chris Christie to reconsider their disinclination to run.
Anything can happen, and this heighten, heated uncertainty is only a good thing!
Where have all the good candidates gone? Who will have the right mix of integrity, ingenuity, and intellect to persuade a wary electorate to vote for them in the face of the "We-are-the-Change-we-have-been-waiting-for" inanity of the current President?
Just because a worthy standard bearer for the party has not emerged, Republicans, and the nation at large, has nothing to worry about. In fact, the efficient winnowing process has more than ensured that the final nominee will command the allegiance of a significant and diverse electorate, not just within the Republican Party, with disaffected voters of all stripes.
Tim Pawlenty, former Governor of Minnesota, will announce his decision to run (or not). Herman Cain, well-established business mogul and radio host, has declared his candidacy, along with Ron Paul, another darling of the Tea Party who is commanding a growing legion of respect among voters, not just political wonks and college grads.
We still have not heard from Sarah Palin, which is all for the good. Mitt Romney has enlarged his war chest significantly, yet elections over time have asserted that money cannot buy elections. Newt Gingrich is foundering beneath his immediate change of mind and plans, almost as irresolute as his marriage vows.
There is still time for galvanizing potential candidates like Governor Rick Perry and Chris Christie to reconsider their disinclination to run.
Anything can happen, and this heighten, heated uncertainty is only a good thing!
Haley Barbour Declines to Run
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour made a number of not-so-subtle solicitations of interest for the Presidency. Newspaper columnists and talk-show hosts talked up his potential to run.
As soon as his name his the headlines, people outlined his accomplishments as tenure as Governor of Mississippi. They also brought his previous work as a Beltway Lobbyists, a move which some argued would sour his chances with voters.
He has a commanding presence, a booming voice, plus a track record as a proven leader, having shepherded his native Gulf State through Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. In office, he instituted tort reform and medical insurance reform to lower medical costs in Mississippi, proposals which fiscal conservatives have been recommending to improve the quality and cost of health care in this country.
In addition to his accomplishments, Barbour has demonstrated remarkable character in making his decision not to run. Succinctly, he stated that he was not willing to make a ten-year commitment to a new career. This resolution shows accurate self-awareness, a character trait highly wanting and desperately needed by the next chief executive of the United States
As soon as his name his the headlines, people outlined his accomplishments as tenure as Governor of Mississippi. They also brought his previous work as a Beltway Lobbyists, a move which some argued would sour his chances with voters.
He has a commanding presence, a booming voice, plus a track record as a proven leader, having shepherded his native Gulf State through Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. In office, he instituted tort reform and medical insurance reform to lower medical costs in Mississippi, proposals which fiscal conservatives have been recommending to improve the quality and cost of health care in this country.
In addition to his accomplishments, Barbour has demonstrated remarkable character in making his decision not to run. Succinctly, he stated that he was not willing to make a ten-year commitment to a new career. This resolution shows accurate self-awareness, a character trait highly wanting and desperately needed by the next chief executive of the United States
Mike Huckabee Steps out Before Stepping in
Another Republican Governor, Mike Huckabee, will not be joining the Republican race to challenge President in 2012 for the Presidency.
A sociable, voluble, gregarious man (who is literally half the man that he used to be), he held considerable sway over the evangelical vote.
With the distinction of winning the Iowa Caucuses and sweeping a number of Southern states in the primaries, Huckabee could very well have capitalized on his homespun charm and religious connections to make a second run for the White House.
Factors against him included his not-so-stable stance on taxes, his pardon of a convicted killer who went on to offend again (in Oregon). His economic populism also troubled more fiscally-restrained conservatism. Above all, a candidate heavily allied with the Religious Right would have a harder time reaching out to disaffected Democracts, secularists, and independents in a general election.
In the end, Huckabee's departure leaves a large bloc of voters open to courting by a more viable candidate. His pundit support as a Fox News Contributor will boost a lackluster campaign for a worthy candidate or at least highlight the strengths of a future presidential contender.
A sociable, voluble, gregarious man (who is literally half the man that he used to be), he held considerable sway over the evangelical vote.
With the distinction of winning the Iowa Caucuses and sweeping a number of Southern states in the primaries, Huckabee could very well have capitalized on his homespun charm and religious connections to make a second run for the White House.
Factors against him included his not-so-stable stance on taxes, his pardon of a convicted killer who went on to offend again (in Oregon). His economic populism also troubled more fiscally-restrained conservatism. Above all, a candidate heavily allied with the Religious Right would have a harder time reaching out to disaffected Democracts, secularists, and independents in a general election.
In the end, Huckabee's departure leaves a large bloc of voters open to courting by a more viable candidate. His pundit support as a Fox News Contributor will boost a lackluster campaign for a worthy candidate or at least highlight the strengths of a future presidential contender.
Mr. Gingrich, Please Leave
Mr. Gringrich has been in the race for President for only one week, and already he's struggling with damage-control.
Then again, his life following his departure from the House of Representatives as its beleaguered, ineffective Speaker to the present has been a natty exercise in cleaning up his own messes, explaining away past mistakes, and hiding latent indiscretions.
It appears that many have already forgotten the many strikes already lined up against "Mr. Gingrich for President":
For starters, this man cheated on his wife not once, but twice, having stepped out on his first wife and then on his mistress, who became his second wife, all while prosecuting President Bill Clinton for lying under oath about his infidelity with a staff intern. I wonder what goes through the mind of Wife Number Three every time someone brings up these unpleasant, previous problems. Now, I am all for forgiveness and remembering not former sins, but Mr. Gingrich has a penchant for minimizing his gross personal misconduct as "mistakes", only to engage in them again. It's one thing for a man to fall and rise again, but its inexcusable for a man to excuse himself endlessly.
Then there are his seeming reversals time and again over cap-and-trade legislation. But the epitome of disqualifying misjudgements was his unqualified judgement of Congressman Ryan's budget proposal as "right-wing social engineering." Tea Party advocates of all stripes want less government, less manipulation, less engineering. If Gingrich cannot cast his own constituents in a favorable light, then he has no business attempting to represent them in his run for nationwide office.
Mr. Gringrich, do yourself, your party, and your country a favor:
Please leave the 2012 United States Presidential Race!
Then again, his life following his departure from the House of Representatives as its beleaguered, ineffective Speaker to the present has been a natty exercise in cleaning up his own messes, explaining away past mistakes, and hiding latent indiscretions.
It appears that many have already forgotten the many strikes already lined up against "Mr. Gingrich for President":
For starters, this man cheated on his wife not once, but twice, having stepped out on his first wife and then on his mistress, who became his second wife, all while prosecuting President Bill Clinton for lying under oath about his infidelity with a staff intern. I wonder what goes through the mind of Wife Number Three every time someone brings up these unpleasant, previous problems. Now, I am all for forgiveness and remembering not former sins, but Mr. Gingrich has a penchant for minimizing his gross personal misconduct as "mistakes", only to engage in them again. It's one thing for a man to fall and rise again, but its inexcusable for a man to excuse himself endlessly.
Then there are his seeming reversals time and again over cap-and-trade legislation. But the epitome of disqualifying misjudgements was his unqualified judgement of Congressman Ryan's budget proposal as "right-wing social engineering." Tea Party advocates of all stripes want less government, less manipulation, less engineering. If Gingrich cannot cast his own constituents in a favorable light, then he has no business attempting to represent them in his run for nationwide office.
Mr. Gringrich, do yourself, your party, and your country a favor:
Please leave the 2012 United States Presidential Race!
Mitch Daniels Takes Hat out of the Ring
Mitch Daniels, well-documented fiscal conservative and darling of the Tea Party, has decided not to run for President in 2012.
He would have been a worthy candidate. Disciplined, consistent, well-spoken of, this Hoosier-Governor turned a massive budget deficit in his native state into a stable surplus. He championed privatizing measures, cut spending for socially immoral programs, and ingratiated himself to people of all persuasions throughout the state.
He was a straight talker, too, acknowledge the priority of this nation's fiscal woes enough to request a "moratorium on social issues." That was a necessary move, a moment of frank boldness which may ultimately have decided him against running.
Notwithstanding apparent factors, Daniels conceded publicly that he did not want the pressures of a nation-wide campaign to impinge on his family: a responsible, socially conservative stance.
His example as a man and statesman noteworthy, even though the country as a whole will not have the privilege of witnessing his leadership skills in action.
He would have been a worthy candidate. Disciplined, consistent, well-spoken of, this Hoosier-Governor turned a massive budget deficit in his native state into a stable surplus. He championed privatizing measures, cut spending for socially immoral programs, and ingratiated himself to people of all persuasions throughout the state.
He was a straight talker, too, acknowledge the priority of this nation's fiscal woes enough to request a "moratorium on social issues." That was a necessary move, a moment of frank boldness which may ultimately have decided him against running.
Notwithstanding apparent factors, Daniels conceded publicly that he did not want the pressures of a nation-wide campaign to impinge on his family: a responsible, socially conservative stance.
His example as a man and statesman noteworthy, even though the country as a whole will not have the privilege of witnessing his leadership skills in action.
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