The best Christmas ever!

My wife went to the local library and brought home "The best Christmas Pageant Ever" by Barbara Robinson. This is a very funny and touching story. When my wife read it, the kids loved it, and we parents did too. This is a great story about some kids from who are from the wrong side of the tracks who get into (and take over) Christmas play unexpectedly. This story helps us focus on the story of Christmas in a different way. It helps us to view these "bad" kids with better perspective and puts a mirror to some of us "dignified and respectable" church goers. This is fun all the way through. I think I may be buying a copy to be read for many Christmas' to come.


Here is a review from someone on Amazon.

Here's a simple, enchanting tale. It's warm and funny and thoroughly unpredictable. It's published in a short and skinny book in large type and, assuming you can tear yourself away from the story, it can be read in small spurts.

The Herdmans are absolutely and without question the worst kids "in the entire history of the world." They are guilty of every unmentionable childhood crime and have thought of more than a few original ones. When they take over the church Christmas pageant (although none of them has ever attended church, much less heard the Christmas story before), the first Christmas becomes new and real in some pretty surprising ways.

Never mind that the publishers call this a children's story. It isn't. The vision it has to offer is hilarious yet deeply touching in a profound yet innocent way.

Stock up on copies for Christmas gifts to teachers and friends. I'd give one to the friend who wails that Christmas has become too commercial or to the harried mother of a lively brood or to someone who dreads the holiday. And keep one for yourself because it's almost as much fun each time you read it.

5 yr. old harassment cheapens crime

The local paper published an article this morning about a 5 year old boy who was accused of sexual harassment for pinching a girls butt and that will stay on his record until middle school.

Charles Vallance, the boy's father, said he was unable to explain to his son what he had done.

"He knows nothing about sex," Vallance said. "There's no way to explain what he's been written up for. He knows it as playing around. He doesn't know it as anything sexual at all."

The incident was described as "sexual harassment" on the school form.

School officials consider a student's age and the specific action when determining what administrative action to take, Mowen said.

Lincolnshire Principal Darlene Teach and Mowen said they were unable to discuss he incident involving the Lincolnshire student.

Teach said any student, regardless of grade level, can be cited for sexual harassment.

"Anytime a student touches another student inappropriately, it could be sexual harassment," Teach said.

I am willing to bet that Miss Teach would not have applied the "sexual harassment" mark if the boy would have pinched another boy. Would she have marked it has harassment if it was a girl doing it to a boy?

This is a much bigger issue than this isolated incident. The article goes on to mention a per-K boy who was suspended in Texas because he hugged a teachers assistant. There are numerous other incidents throughout the country that have little boys being accused of "sexual harassment" when they have no idea what the heck you are talking about.

This completely cheapens the real harassment cases. It is almost equating a 5 year old pinching a girls butt with a 25 years old male (ed...aren't the only harassers male?) who really harasses someone? Or a kid who brings in fingernail clippers with a 17 year old who brings a machete into the classroom?

I can't wait to see the letters to the editors on this and the follow up articles that will be required to come.

Ayman Christmas Wish

Scrappleface gives us a very good translation of Ayman al-Zawahiri's (al Qaeda’s second-in-command) Christmas Video.
If it was only true.

New slogan to stop the N word

Cox and Forkum chimes in on the N word issue over the past two weeks. They reference this to the city employee that used to big of a word for a hold-over from the Marion"the B**** set me up" Barry days.


.

wizbang....your lock is worthless

Over at Wizbang, Nearly every lock you have now is worthless

...well at least most.

A Wii little adventure with Zelda

If you have played zelda...enjoy. If not....you can still injoy this :-)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tQ7Wof6QvM

Tolerating criticism is part of freedom

My friend Doug wrote a letter to the editor and I think it is worth a read.

Tolerating criticism is part of freedom


I hope you'll allow one more letter regarding the pope's now infamous - and infamously hyped - speech, one sentence of which was used as yet another pretext for some Muslims' outrage. This sort of response is becoming commonplace.

Sameea Safi wrote a letter to the editor in which she expressed disappointment and offense at the pontiff's remarks. I'll leave aside the relative innocuousness of the speech, which mainly dealt with broad themes such as faith, reason, the nature of God, and the ridiculousness of forced "conversion" to any faith or no faith at all. Safi further stated that there is no theology in Islam that endorses forced conversions.

In short, the "true Muslims" to which Safi refers obviously haven't been able to convince the radical Islamist imperialists that conversion by the sword is un-Islamic.

Anyway, my issue is rather with Safi's offense at the pope's remarks. I fully understand her offense at these remarks. As a Christian I'm offended by many things: movies such as "Dogma;" the ACLU's unending campaign to stamp out all expressions of faith in the public square; snide remarks by entertainers and the media elite regarding evangelical Christians and so forth.

The simple fact that my wife and I have to work so hard to prevent our kids from becoming coarsened by a secularist/materialist society, and that so much of what passes for pop culture these days seems diametrically opposed to most of what we believe, is offensive.

Having said all that, here's the difference between my belief system and the beliefs of many (notice I did not say all) Muslims, both in Western countries and Islamic societies.

I'm willing to engage those with whom I disagree in debate and to attempt to change their points of view. Barring that, I'm free to seek entertainment elsewhere or to ignore offensive remarks, and therefore allow the power of the free market to influence the debate.

What I'm not willing to do is to engage in violence, threats of violence, and other coercive behaviors, all in an attempt to place my beliefs beyond the reach of discourse due to fears of retribution.

In free societies, one has every right to be offended. However, it doesn't place your beliefs beyond the reach of satire, criticism or parody. If Islam is to be above criticism or insult, then I would suggest all who feel this way need to move to a country that doesn't allow criticism of Islam.

Most Americans don't go out of their way to be offensive, but neither do we believe any person, group or belief system to be off-limits to offense. I will not (and I suspect a large majority of freedom-loving people feel the same way) allow anyone to alter my right to speak critically about any topic.

Happy Birthday Marine Corps

Joe over at evangelical outpost post the 24 rules for gunfighting. I particularly like:

21. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.

and he ends it up with the Navy version:
Navy Rules for Gun fighting:

1. Go to Sea

2. Send the Marines

3. Drink Coffee

Since I was Air Force, all I can say is:
1. Fuel planes
2. Send officers with bombs (preferably really big and/or laser guided)
3. Play Spades and drink coffee.

I knew it, but I still listened

Okay, it is official I got 44.4% correct. which means.......
I may have pitch perception deficit.
As anyone in my family can tell you.....welll DDUUUHHHH!!!!
I have always said if you call me tone deaf, it would be a high compliment.

Find out if you are tone deaf....or not.

I got this from lifehacker.....
blogger and musician Jake Mandell posts a simple flash test for tone deafness. The test, which was made while he was working at a music and neuroimaging laboratory, plays two musical phrases back to back, and you have to decide whether they're the same or different.

Obsession can be a bad thing

My brother sent me a link to this and I watched the first link at the bottom of this post and part of the second. I suggest you see it.
See the trailer here.

From Donald Sensing: On terrorism, novelist Roger L. Simon quoted Leon Trotsky: “You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.” So to all the sleepwalkers out there, or those who simply swim in the Egyptian river about the nature of Islamism and its jihadis, undertand this: You may not be interested in al Qaeda, but al Qaeda is interested in you.

"Obsession" is one of the most powerful, expertly crafted and undeniably important films I've seen this year. This courageous, utterly gripping expose' deserves the attention of every American -- and merits serious consideration for the Academy Award for Best Feature Length Documentary."

-- Michael Medved
Nationally Syndicated Radio Host
Film Critic, "Eye on Entertainment

Obsession Part 1
Obsession Part 2
Obsession Part 3
Obsession Part 4
Obsession Part 5
Obsession Part 6
Obsession Part 7
Obsession Part 8

Women need to get "real".

I have a game that sometimes bugs my very beautiful wife. I love to point out the "corrections" to pictures in her magazines ad nauseum.
A couple of years ago a magazine clipped facial features from several people and edited them into a single face with additional enhancements. They left only one clue about this "persons" identity. They had a small inconspicuous computer chip coming out of a cloud in the background.

It's like comparing me against superman. I know he does not exist, but how many women know that these women in magazines do not exist? Check out this video from the dove foundation.



Hat tip to AmericanPapist
Here is the website for Dove's "campaign for real beauty."

Time lapse controll of the middle east

Joe Carter at Evangelical Outpost has a flash animation map of who controlled the middle east since 3000 B.C. until present day. It uses the politically correct B.C.E. and C.E. I can overlook that since Joe did not create it.

Check it out.

Breast cancer donations helping abortion?

I posted something about this last year and figured I needed to bring it up again.

There are more and more Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation supporting adds this year....BUT Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation is among those that fund Planned Parenthood.

When Eve Silver joined an advisory board for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, she thought she was working with an organization that supported life. Komen supports breast cancer research and sponsors annual Race for the Cure events around the country.

But what Silver didn't know until just recently is that Komen also financially supports Planned Parenthood. In fact, in 2003 the foundation gave $450,000 to the group.
...
What Silver also found out is that Komen's founder, Nancy Brinker, is on the advisory board of Planned Parenthood in Dallas, and, after the $450,000 donation, Planned Parenthood built a new $5 million clinic in Dallas, something Silver called "a very clear conflict of interest."
...
Alternative organizations that support life

Want to give your money to organizations that are clear of Planned Parenthood and other bad ties? Try these:

The Breast Cancer Prevention Institute was founded by Joel Brind and Dr. Angela Lanfranchi to look at the connection between abortion and contraceptives and breast cancer. On the web at: www.bcpinstitute.org.
Instead of the American Red Cross, your local Catholic Charities also provides emergency relief services.
In the Diocese of La Crosse, Wis., many parishes have begun walks that benefit Catholic Relief Services directly rather than going through CROP Walk.
Easter Seals, according to Jim Sedlak at Stop Planned Parenthood, is a "completely clean" organization.
...
And the Michael Fund (www.michaelfund.org)gives money for birth-defect research and is pro-life, Sedlak said.

I can't find the orignal article, but it was linked from here.

Ben "Fake" Cardin the Voters?

Ben Cardin needed his staff to be voters that are enthusiastic about him.

n contrast with other commercials, it is considered unethical to fail to identify paid spokesmen or to have them pose as random members of the public in political advertisements.
...
In Cardin’s ad, a number of Marylanders endorse Cardin. Ashley Peddicord, apparently a college student, says “Thanks to Ben, I can afford college.” In reality, Peddicord works for the campaign. Her campaign email is: Ashley@bencardin.com.
Kelton Anderson, posing as an ordinary working man, is in fact a high-ranking official with United Auto Workers union, which has endorsed Cardin.
...

Read the whole thing.

Catholic or Protestant heaven? Simpson style

I found this over here.

Homer goes to one Heavan, Marge to another. Well...kinda....

If you do not see the box below, you can see it here.... Catholic or Protestant heaven.

Quick change artist

Would this help your wife/girlfriend get ready in the morning? Of course I have a hard enough time getting one outfit on in the morning :-)
This is pretty amazing stuff.
If you can not see it, go here.

Everything is Albright with North Korea

Curtjester has a link to this David Zucker Albright Ad that is quite funny. As he said after he had seen it once...

When I went to view it again later it had been flagged by users as having offensive content. You just got to love the tolerance of some liberals that they consider anything that pokes fun or depart from their party line as being offensive.

I watched it three times myself :-)

Gaming old school

Lifehacker has a link to virtual NES (nitendo entertainment system) website. It has a plethora of the original games for you to play. Including the first game I ever beat without a cheat, Milon's Secret Castle. That was back in the day when there was no "Save Game" option and you would have to play for an hour just to get back to where you last died. This site hints in its update today that it is looking to add a "save game" option.

Tolerant hypocrisy

Gerald links the WSJ about tolerant hypocrisy. I was talking to someone about the same thing today because I heard the same thing from a left leaning pundit and a democrat consultant. They were saying Hasert should have been keeping a closer eye on Foley because he was a homosexual. Apparently only republicans are bad homosexuals. Could you imagine if it was a dem and the republicans said that. It was overshadow what happened and the MSM would turn the scandal into what the republicans said. Don't get me wrong, Foley needs to be out of congress and I am sure more punishment is to follow.

But in today's politically correct culture, it's easy to understand how senior Republicans might well have decided they had no grounds to doubt Mr. Foley merely because he was gay and a little too friendly in emails. Some of those liberals now shouting the loudest for Mr. Hastert's head are the same voices who tell us that the larger society must be tolerant of private lifestyle choices, and certainly must never leap to conclusions about gay men and young boys. Are these Democratic critics of Mr. Hastert saying that they now have more sympathy for the Boy Scouts' decision to ban gay scoutmasters? Where's Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on that one?

Pointless Family Photo

I found this picture over at Jimmy's place with the same title.
One of the commentors had it right.
"I don't care if you say 'cheese'-- just don't blink!"

I was thinking it was the annual photosensitivity(sun allergy) convention.
My mom wishes that she was able to have the name of more of our ancestors names on old photos. I bet this family is REALLY good at that. How else would they know who the heck is in the picture?

Unbelievably "the peaceful" want to kill.

Over a Michelle Malkin's blog scroll down in this post to just below the picture that says "Behead those who insult Islam." Start reading at "Reader S. writes:"
He put it very clearly what the Pope B16 was talking about. There are many good post around the internet about this, but I would have to say the MSM has purposely screwed this up. I count both liberal and conservative's in it. World Net Daily selectively quoted a link yesterday to cause more of their base readers to want to read it. I can not find the link now but wish I could. Glenn Beck being misleading in what he said as well. I have found that the last few Pope do not speak for the news cycle. This has, of course, given them some bad press. However, down the road they are usually right and no one puts the apology on the front page. If they even do it at all.

In the speach it clearly shows the quote is from an "erudite Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus and an educated Persian on the subject of Christianity and Islam, and the truth of both". Here is the quote. "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached". I do not disagree with this statement. Though I think you need to put it into its full context. I can quote a lot of things from the Bible that can mislead you from the real intention. I think you should read the whole speech. Pope B16 next line was " The emperor, after having expressed himself so forcefully, goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable. Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul."



If you want to read what he really said, the Vatican has it for all to see. I think most will not want to read it because it may not line up with what they want it to say.

Kathy Shaidle has a post about what's up with the Vampire thing.

Park this!

I got this from NRO. It is a timewaster and you can blame Goldberg at NRO.

name it, claim it

Over at GetReligion a quick review on this weeks Time cover story. (Does God want you to be Rich?)

I am a very leary of the "Health and Wealth" Theology. As a local pastor says on his commercial. Jesus came to deliver us from sin, sickness, and disease. Where is that in historical Christianity? Are you saying I am sick because I am not a "True Believer™ "? Apparently John the Baptist did not get the memo. I do not think getting your head on a silver plate qualifies for this!

I Just Called to Say I Love You

Via the Curt Jester he links to Peggy Noonan's article on 9/11.

This is what I get from the last messages. People are often stronger than they know, bigger, more gallant than they'd guess. And this: We're all lucky to be here today and able to say what deserves saying, and if you say it a lot, it won't make it common and so unheard, but known and absorbed.

Please go read her whole article! It is well worth it and it was better than anything that I happened upon on any of the news channels on 9/11.

New testaminted

Via Evangelical Outpost comes a link to a review of "Jesus Junk" that I can mostly agree.
There are many useful things to use out there, but then there's this:

Picture this. A man, dead in trespasses and sins, sits on Waikiki Beach as he gazes across the mostly naked bodies baking in the sun. He decides to take a stroll/strut down the water’s edge to “see what he can see.” Luckily, he glances down and sees an impression in the sand—right there in bold letters on the sand “Follow” and a little further “Jesus.” His eyes follow the footsteps and sure enough. About 15 feet further down the beach is a beautiful babe wearing just enough clothes to keep a squirrel warm on a windy day. Conviction overwhelms him as he gazes at her. He runs to her and grabs her hand and says, “Please, give me a reason for the hope that lies within you.” She says, “I’d love to. I’ve been waiting for this divine appointment.” He takes in her breath, recently made fresh by her Scripture Mint. And right there, she flips her hair over her shoulder, takes out her EvangeCube, kneels with him on the beach, and leads him in the sinner’s prayer. As they part, she encourages him to take her sandals and continue to spread the Word wherever he goes. After all, how beautiful are the feet of them . . .

Yep, I can just see it now :-( The rest is not quite as sarcastic as the excerpt.

EO adds on his blog: If you give people Scripture mints or wear Virtuous Woman perfume and think your are fulfilling the Great Commission, then you must read this post -- and repent of your misguided ways.

How to rock on treadmills

Sadly, this more likely how I would use treadmills than how I ought to use them :-)


The Treadmill Dance

The line is getting thin for plan B

The CurtJester is commenting on a Christianity Today link for Amy Welborn.
First, check out the first comment that really puts things in perspective on Amy's link and then check out Curtjester's comments.

The line is really thin for Catholic and protestant alike who are trying to walk that line.
Christianity Today does a good job of summerizing it for the average person.

Bush supports backup plan.

This artilce from lifesite.net indicates that the President Bush is accepting of the "Plan B" pill over the counter status. He stated that it should be a prescription for minors. This is rediculous! If I was caught giving alcohol to a minor, I would be in be big trouble. I will predict to you right now, that there will be women (and some older boy friends) getting this pill and distributing it to minors with no worry of prosecution. I think Planned Parenthood (part of Evil Inc) within a year will be giving it out to minors without any prodecution. They are already transporting minors across state lines for abortion and not being successfully prosecuted. No judge is going to nail them for it because of this kids constitutional right to this abortificient.

I have said since 1999 the President was not commited to the pro-life cause from the beginning and there were plenty of warning up front. Then his compromise on ESCR was the clincher if you needed any proof. Don't get me wrong, I am glad he is POTUS instead of Kerry. John (if you didn't know, served in 'nam) Kerry would have created a special government department just for funding ESCR. Kerry would have also put SCOTUS nominees that would have been wildly endorsed by the ACLU and Planned parenthood. I just want to point out that we can't give Bush a pass just because we agree with him on a few other things.

7 Sacroments of the Party of Death

I have lifted the first part of a Bishop Doran letter from the Curtjester. Please take the two minutes to read it.

Reaping the whirlwind of abortion

I want to touch on this matter before we get too close to the November madness. As human beings, as citizens of a “first world country,” as Americans, and as Catholics, most importantly, we have to take count of the circumstances in which we live. We know that the only creatures of God that outlast time are those created having intellect and will. All other things, with the passage of time, break up or break down.

Many of the issues that confront us are serious, and we know by now that the political parties in our country are at loggerheads as to how to solve them. We know, for instance, that adherents of one political party would place us squarely on the road to suicide as a people.

The seven “sacraments” of their secular culture are abortion, buggery, contraception, divorce, euthanasia, feminism of the radical type, and genetic experimentation and mutilation. These things they unabashedly espouse, profess and promote. Their continuance in public office is a clear and present danger to our survival as a nation.

Since the mid-1940s we have been accustomed to look askance at Germans. They were protagonists of the Second World War and so responsible for fifty million deaths. We say, “How awful,” and yet in our country we have, for the most part, allowed the party of death and the court system it has produced to eliminate, since 1973, upwards of forty million of our fellow citizens without allowing them to see the light of day. They have done their best to make ours a true culture of death. No doubt, we shall soon outstrip the Nazis in doing human beings to death.

I do not think that we should spend a great deal of time in lamentation over the children whose lives have been snuffed out by the barbaric practice of therapeutic abortion. They passed from their lives quickly in this world and have gone into the hands of the Lord of Life and Mercy for all eternity. We must make it clear too, that many who have sought to have practiced on themselves therapeutic abortion are in many instances driven to it by persons heedless of their welfare, or by well- meaning but inept parents or guardians who regard abortion as a solution and not as what it is — an immense problem. There are some, I think few, largely given over to immoral lives who regard abortion as a good, but their number is not great.

What we have to remember is that violence breeds violence. When we tolerate unjust attacks upon the tiniest innocents among us, we habituate ourselves to violence. And so we have allowed these barbaric practices to corrupt our laws, our medical practice, and even our ordinary lives. How accustomed we have become to the immense loss of life in our wars throughout the world! Those who have killed millions under their mother’s hearts cannot be expected to balk at a mere few thousand killed in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Somalia, in Darfur, in Bosnia, in Madrid, in London, in Baghdad, in Beirut, in Washington, in New York. The violence of abortion coarsens the lives of all of us.

God's Protection?

From the Wall Street Journal editorial section comes this piece from an assistant professor from Wheaton College.

...evangelicals overwhelmingly support birth control (88%).

...Such pleasures are not lost on evangelicals. A recent trip to a local Christian bookstore suggests that evangelicals enjoy sex--and often. The classic Christian sex manual, "Intended for Pleasure" (1977), has been joined by many others. "Sizzle" seems to be the new goal: At least four new books use the word in their promotions.

A pro-contraception outlook among evangelicals does not, however, imply a "pro-choice" position on abortion. In some cases, like Plan B--which may thin the uterine lining and prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg--contraception and abortion may appear to be the same thing.
...
At issue is the matter of control. Anti-contraception evangelicals assert that birth control inappropriately wrests control of the body from the body's creator. Interestingly, the opposite argument is being made by evangelicals in the sexual-abstinence movement, according to my study of church-based virginity-pledge programs. Such evangelicals adopt the feminist argument of "my body, my choice" to curb teenage sexual activity. They believe that our hypersexualized culture--including the condom-in-the-schools crowd--wrongly implies that there is no choice.

Both the anti-contraception and the abstinence movements offer rewards: great sex in marriage for abstinent teens and the blessing of children for anti-contraception couples. But what reward is there for the 40-year-old virgin or the infertile couple? The rhetoric of sacrifice, it seems, has lost its sizzle.
...
Still, many evangelicals portray abstinence not as obedience but as an investment in future great sex. For those who marry, the "my body, my choice" attitude contributes to a contraception culture that places fulfillment of personal desires ahead of God's desires.

Some evangelicals charge that the Pill has contributed to the moral breakdown of society; perhaps, but evangelicals' embrace of the contraception culture has not helped. It may have made Christianity sexier to potential adherents but diminished a public understanding of marriage in the process. For evangelicals, this may be a bitter pill to swallow.

You can read the whole thing Here.
Please comment on how this affects, or does not affect, your position on Embrionic Stem Stell research.

The Rapture and Purgatory

Just a quick thought. Isn't the evangelical "Rapture" closer to what they think Purgatory is than what the Catholic Church teaches?
The Church teaches that when you die, you are going to Heavan or Hell. You may have to spend some time in purgatory getting cleaned up to enter Heavan. But the decision was already made between Heavan and hell.
The Rapture indicates that all who are saved will be "caught up" with the Lord. The rest will remain on earth and still have a chance at salvation if they choose. Aren't the people being left behind getting a second chance at the end?
I realize the this is not an apples to apples comparison because the people on the ground would still be alive in an earthly sense. Just something to think about.

Darth Vader's Humor

This is made me laugh pretty hard. Maybe I am just too tired....maybe not....

You can decide for yourself here.

Time to get Roto-Reutered

Rueters has apparrently run with multiple doctored photos in Lebanon. They are about as clean as Barry Bonds.
Michelle has a full rundown here on the use of ster-rueters in the news.


We can see in this 18 minute documentary how many of these scenes are just staged for the media. The MSM picks up the edited copy that they did not have to do themselves and run with it as if it was real. I am sure the makers of these films are glad there are very few (if any) MSM fact checkers for this type of footage.

Colbert Debates Himself On Stem Cells

YouTube - Colbert Debates Himself On Stem Cells


Sometimes comedy is more truthful than the news.

Math for Heaven's sake

In response to this entry at the Curt Jester, Brendan responded with this:

Which reminds me. . . .
. . . .after the waters had subsided, and the Ark came to rest, the doors were opened, and Noah said to all the animals: "Go forth and multiply".

All the animals left the Ark; but then Noah saw that two snakes were still inside.

"I said to go forth and multiply", said Noah; and they replied:

"We can't - we're adders."

Snow To Thomas: “Thank You For The Hezbollah View” (Video) » Outside The Beltway | OTB

I am glad that she is in no way related to me......oh I pray that she is not :-)

Snow To Thomas: “Thank You For The Hezbollah View” (Video) » Outside The Beltway | OTB: "Although that’s the quotable moment of this exchange between Tony Snow and Helen Thomas, the entire thing is worth watching simply for its entertainment value alone. It’s old school Helen Thomas, trying to “Scott McClellan” Tony Snow. And somehow Tony has already mastered the art of dealing with the queen of combativeness and irrationality. It’s really quite impressive."

Enjoy

ESCR - are you really pro-life?

Via the Curt Jester.
It starts out with this......

"Here is a fairly good article from Rick Esenberg an adjunct professor at Marquette University Law School on Stem cells and semantics. Which to me brings up the point if proponents of abortion and ESCR are on the side of good why is it that they have to obfuscate and lie in support of their advocacy. If their moral points were so strong then why do they have to hide behind concrete bunkers of words that give no light to what they are supporting? Is this just a case of elites doing what they think is best for us and putting the debate in terms that is like putting medicine in baby food so the child won't notice. That we can't be expected to truly understand the debate so they have to frame it to make it more palatable for us."

Go read the whole thing and also read the excellent link at the end of the post that points to an article by Peter Kreeft entitled Human Personhood Begins at Conception. Please read the whole thing.

Mary: Still the V word?

Here is a post from Mark Shea that I think answers most of the questions very well and in a simple way. You will not have to learn Greek, Latin, or Aramaic....I promise :-)

You should read the whole thing HERE.

In the name of the Mother, Child and Womb?

Everynight before bed I cross myself with .....what? wait a second.
Yes, more news from the Presbyterian 217th General Assembly.
In the name of the Mother, Child and Womb?


The ECUSA elects a female bishop. Her strong liberal stances along with other ECUSA decisions may be unwinding the tapestry even quicker now with multiple strings being pulled. Here is a quote from her CNN interview. Can you understand what she is trying to say. I would run from any paster that answer this question like she did. Should she be Unitarian?

CNN Interviewer.. PHILLIPS: So what happens after I die?

SCHORI: What happens after you die?.. uhh– I would ask you that question.. but what’s important about your life; what is it that has made you a unique individual.. what is the passion that has kept you getting up every morning and engaging the world..uh.. there are hints within that about what it is that continues after you die.

Getreligion's All eyes are on Canterbury (again) gives more (and better) info.

Did God set this up?

BANG! The gavel came down!"

This is an amazing story for a few people to cross paths at the right time. They went forward, even though they may have had doubts internally.

Hat tip to Mark Shea.
I agree with Mark :God bless Mr. Harvey and Miss Jessen."

A mothers day card for mom

Hat tip to HH for this Mothers day card for Mom

I can relate to this very easily :-)

Posting at Dawn

As seen on the Dawn Patrol: Why do Catholics Cross themselves? To get to the other side :-)

Also this peice that Planned Parenthood won't be showing on MTV

Also The Beatles with Balls (it's Clean)

new sites to read

Well I have found a few new sites to read and figured I would pass it on to the 4 of you :-)
Also you need to get a RSS and/or ATOM feed reader. Press a button and "bam" all your sites ready for veiwing. (well...at least if you have broadband)
If you are using firefox try Sage.

Getreligion - "The press.... just doesn't get religion."

Get religion pointed me to The Dawn Patrol Read the article about her at getreligion and go take a look.

The cafeteria is closed is updated quite often.

Pontifications will make you think real hard at times.

That movie we shall not see

I think I agree that this is a good response.

From Church of the Masses: "...we absolutely do not need to see the film to talk about Jesus. No more than we need to see porn to talk about human sexuality. Or to read Mein Kempf to decide whether we can have an opinion about gassing Jews. Besides, it would be dignifying a really inane story."

.....

ANYWAY.... here's what I think we should do. I am hereby announcing my personal "How to Respond to Da Vinci Code Strategy." And the answer is to go to the movies on May 19, 2006. Every Christian who loves Jesus, your mission, if you will accept it is to buy movie tickets. We need to bring our kids, our church groups, our youth ministry clubs, our seniors groups - and buy tickets for the homeless for after we feed them. And we all need to go to see THIS!

Let's make this little movie the biggest release of the year. Let's have DVC positively dwarfed in the weekend box-office, because all of us dutifully marched off to register our vote for the other movie opening that weekend. It's brilliant, mais oui?

Over the Hedge! Over the Hedge! More screens for Over the Hedge!"

Go read the WHOLE THING!

It Ain't Natural

Here is a short interesting argument for ID and Global Warming :-)
The Fifth Column: It Ain't Natural


Hat tip to The Curt Jester

ECUSA

I have been more reluctant to talk about others lately...however....you sometimes need to point a light on a dark spot.

The Episcopal community officially supports abortion. In the link you will this: "NAC 017: Approve the Episcopal Church membership in the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice." You should take at that groups Orwellian speach.

http://www.rcrc.org/
The Coalition members are national organizations from the Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalist Association, Conservative and Reform Judaism, and many other traditions. While we are religiously and theologically diverse, we agree that reproductive choice is consistent with our faith and values.

This is definately an orgainization that I would not like to be associated. They have a links for "The Black Church Initiative." Doesn't that just sound like the founder of the National Organization for Women(NOW)? She was against blacks and devised a plan to reach the black church pastors so they would talk in favor of abortion. More blacks having abortions, the less blacks there would be in the world. A very sad situation.
They also have "What does my religion say about choice?" Doublespeak again.

Book Review : The Marketing of Evil

The Marketing of Evil: How Radicals, Elitists, and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption Disguised As Freedom By David Kupelian

From the back cover

"From pitching promiscuity as 'freedom' to promoting abortion as 'choice,' the marketers of evil are always selling you something destructive—with catastrophic results. Kupelian shines a light on them all." —Michelle Malkin
"Like the dazzling disclosures found in the final page of a gripping whodunit or the fascinating revelation of a magician's secrets, The Marketing of Evil irresistibly exposes how it was done." —Rabbi Daniel Lapin, Toward Tradition

This book is very informative on many topics from the "Myth of Churh-state Seperation", fraudulant "sex science", to how the lies of abortion were spread so successfully. I think this is a must read book and I really like how he finishes the book with what I feel is the correct hopeful answer.

Fastest growing church in the World

This just may be the fastest growing church in the world.
This Advertisement must be what is bringing them in. I heard that several congressmen joined.

Ever Virgin...part 1

Did Mary, the Mother of Jesus(God), have additional Children?

Let's start with the reformation{1}:


Luther wrote on the Virginity of Mary:

It is an article of faith that Mary is Mother of the Lord and still a virgin. ... Christ, we believe, came forth from a womb left perfectly intact. (Weimer's The Works of Luther, English translation by Pelikan, Concordia, St. Louis, v. 11, pp. 319-320; v. 6. p. 510.)

Calvin also up held the perpetual virginity of Mary, as did the Swiss reformer, Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531), who wrote:

I firmly believe that Mary, according to the words of the gospel as a pure Virgin brought forth for us the Son of God and in childbirth and after childbirth forever remained a pure, intact Virgin. (Zwingli Opera, Corpus Reformatorum, Berlin, 1905, v. 1, p. 424.)

Now to the Early Church Fathers{2}:

Athanasius said "Let those, therefore, who deny that the Son is by nature from the Father and proper to his essence deny also that he took true human flesh from the ever-virgin Mary" (Discourses Against the Arians 2:70 [A.D. 360]).

Hilary of Poitiers said "If they [the brethren of the Lord] had been Mary’s sons and not those taken from Joseph’s former marriage, she would never have been given over in the moment of the passion [crucifixion] to the apostle John as his mother, the Lord saying to each, ‘Woman, behold your son,’ and to John, ‘Behold your mother’ [John 19:26–27), as he bequeathed filial love to a disciple as a consolation to the one desolate" (Commentary on Matthew 1:4 [A.D. 354]).

{1} The Perpetual Virginity of Mary by Dr. Robert Schihl

{2} Catholic Answers

Body Language

I think all guys should read this artilcle called Body Language.

New Years resolu.....nah, This is more important

Two things. Can you firgure out the two things I am talking about?

1) Hugh Hewitt had a POST that is worth the 3 minute read. Hugh excerpts part of an interview with Fr. Fessio talking about the current Pope Benedict XVI meeting with some of his former students about Islam. I will not spoil it for you, so go read it.

2) At the end Hugh's blog entry, he talks about a Mark Steyn article. Go over to The Cafeteria is Closed and read Geralds take on that column.


Update: Mark D Roberts is doing a series to answer Hugh Hewitts question in regard to #1 above.

What type of food are you?

You Are Italian Food

Comforting yet overwhelming. People love you, but sometimes you're just too much.

What Kind of Food Are You?