Religio-Political Talk

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2010-12-24T05:17:00.000-08:00

Religio-Political Talk (RPT)

Sorry for Lack of Posts -- Working On A NEW SITE

2010-04-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

I am switching over to a .com and am cramming "WordPress" in ... so if any of you have Verizon and know WordPress well, I would love to connect with you once in a while... most of my questions are dumb ones, for example: I asked a question that the answer ended up being "religiopoloiticaltalk.com" DUH!

At any rate, my new site's URL is:

http://religiopoliticaltalk.com

The banner photo has some history to it, simply click on the Marines and you will be taken to it. My thinking is I am planting a "flag" here at this URL and will do so in a more professional way than I have before (at least in the layout and usability of the site). I will transfer over time some key articles and posts I did that I think stand out and bring info to the reader that I think is a must... so some older posts that some may have read here may pop up over there.

The search tool and categories will be more user friendly... I am [again] trying to learn how to use WordPress... I am getting "WordPress for Dummies" today. So bear with me guys and gals... and I hope you enjoy the Mr.T Stain Glass -- I like it... "FOOL!"

LargeMouth & Tragic Mountain

2010-04-27T10:44:00.000-07:00

Posted With Humorous Concern -- Generalizations Are Usually Taken from Truth

2010-04-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to point out that even though I look like that, I did not produce this short video... I only bring this stuff to you! Keep in mind I have cousin's who are "more black" than the gal in this humorous video, if that dissuades any fears. Take note that I did not attach the "humor" tag to this video -- not because this thinking is universal in the black community, but a good portion of the Democratic left within the black community thinks like this in some fashion. By good portion I bet more people believe this way in the black community than the white community think Obama was born in Africa.

BROLIATH h/t

"people who look exactly like you" ~ Keith Olbermann

2010-04-26T18:45:00.001-07:00

Broliath h/t

Crazy Global Warming Alarmists Always Needing To Be Rescued from Freezing to Death

2010-04-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

HeraldSun.com.au
TOM Smitheringale wanted to prove the world was warming. Now he's another alarmist with frostbite.

The 40-year-old from Perth planned to be the first Australian to trek unassisted to the North Pole, but announced he'd raise some consciousness along the way.

As he wrote on his website: "Part of the reason Tom's One Man Epic is taking place now is because of the effect that global warming is having on the polar ice caps."

Indeed, he wanted to see the North Pole while it was still there: "Some scientists have even estimated that the polar ice cap will have entirely melted away by 2014!"

But Antarctica isn't melting away, and Arctic ice has slowly increased since its big low in 1997.
But no one seems to have told Tom, who soon found his extremities freezing.

Two weeks ago he nearly called off his trek after suffering excruciating pain in his fingers and thumbs, forcing him to call in emergency help.

And last week he had to be rescued by Canadian soldiers after falling through the ice sheet.
"(I) came very close to the grave," he said, on being flown out.

This is actually now the fourth year running that warming alarmists have had to be rescued from expeditions to prove the Arctic is warmer than it actually is. It's a metaphor.

Last year it was British eco-explorer Pen Hadow and his two-person team who had to be flown out mid-stunt, after battling brutal sub-zero weather conditions that gave the team's photographer frostbite.

The year before, eco-adventurer Lewis Gordon Pugh was similarly thwarted.

He'd planned to kayak 1200km to the North Pole to raise awareness of how global warming had allegedly melted the ice sheet so badly that scientists warned the North Pole that summer could be ice-free.

No such luck. Pugh had to pull out, still 1000km from the finish, when a great barrier of sea ice blocked his route.

The year before gave even more farcical entertainment.

"Explorers and educators" Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen said they were off on what reporters described as "a historic 75-day expedition to the North Pole and beyond to raise awareness of global warming's impact on the fragile Arctic".

It turned out that what was fragile was not the Arctic but the alarmists, who had to call off their big trip not long after it started, when Arnesen suffered frostbite in three of her toes, and extreme cold drained their batteries.

Explained a spokesman: "They were experiencing temperatures that weren't expected with global warming."
Like the globe, really.

The fact is that when Arctic rescuers must save more people from global warming stunts than from global warming itself, it's time to heed again the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

"We have nothing to fear but fear itself." So if alarmists settled down, they might just live longer, and keep their toes.

And the rest of us might not be put to so much needless expense. Like rescues, for instance.

RE-POST:


	Sunday Night Overcast. Low: -101 °F . Wind West 8 mph . Windchill: -124 °F .
	Monday Chance of Snow. Overcast. High: -56 °F . Wind North 13 mph . 20% chance of precipitation (trace amounts). Windchill: -126 °F .
	Monday Night Chance of Snow. Overcast. Low: -94 °F . Wind NW 13 mph . 20% chance of precipitation (trace amounts). Windchill: -128 °F .
	Tuesday Overcast. High: -68 °F . Wind WNW 13 mph . Windchill: -121 °F .
	Tuesday Night Overcast. Low: -101 °F . Wind WNW 11 mph . Windchill: -133 °F .
	Wednesday Overcast. High: -81 °F . Wind West 6 mph . Windchill: -135 °F .
	Wednesday Night Overcast. Low: -110 °F . Wind SSW 17 mph . Windchill: -153 °F .
	Thursday Overcast. High: -81 °F . Wind South 6 mph . Windchill: -135 °F .
	Thursday Night Overcast. Low: -108 °F . Wind WSW 11 mph . Windchill: -137 °F .
	Friday Overcast. High: -76 °F . Wind WSW 15 mph . Windchill: -140 °F .
	Friday Night Partly Cloudy. Low: -94 °F . Wind SSW 8 mph . Windchill: -124 °F .
	Saturday Overcast. High: -56 °F . Wind South 11 mph . Windchill: -121 °F .
	Saturday Night Chance of Snow. Overcast. Low: -81 °F . Wind ESE 17 mph . 20% chance of precipitation (trace amounts). Windchill: -119 °F .

John Stossel vs. Energy Independence

2010-04-26T17:53:00.000-07:00

Learning Lessons Early

2010-04-26T17:46:00.001-07:00

CH-46 Being Fazed Out, Osprey Being Fazed In

2010-04-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

My son's MOS (assigned job specialty) is a CH-46 frame mechanic... but rumor has it that these guys are being switched over to the Osprey, as, they are the new standard. The hope is that my son will be one of those switch-overs. Here are a few of my thoughts on it. The Marines and Air Force are the only branches so far who are utilizing it... more will be bought for them as they faze out the CH-46s.

My son's reservist job is up at Edward's Air Force base, where they have some stationed... chances are good they will want to train the next generation of Osprey mechanics and have them get hands on these machines.

CH-46E - 6152 Airframes
6152 Helicopter Airframe Mechanic, CH-46
MOS Type: Enlisted Primary

N23E2X2 Aviation Warfare Apprentice Training (AWAT) Course taught at Marine Aviation Training Support Group, NAS Pensacola, FL

N23WSG2 Aviation Structural Mechanic Core taught at Marine Aviation Training Support Group, NAS Pensacola, FL

N23WSH2 Aviation Structural Mechanic Organizational Level Strand taught at

Marine Aviation Training Support Group, NAS Pensacola, FL

M05WNU1 H-46 Structural And Hydraulic Systems Organizational Maintenance taught at CNATT MARUNIT, MCAS New River, NC

C-603-3419C, H-46 Structural And Hydraulic System OMA Course

Woman Gives Her Testimony About Leaving the "Health & Wealth" "Gospel"

2010-04-26T05:37:00.000-07:00

Word on the Word of Faith h/t

Black Tea Partiers Set the Record Straight

2010-04-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

ViralVideo h/t

I Haven't Posted Something on MEcha/La Raza in a While... Arizona Is Proving To Be A Great Catalyst for Such A Post

2010-04-25T16:22:00.000-07:00

Gateway Pundit makes the salient point that Obama Demands Proof of Health Insurance But Proof of Citizenship Is “Misguided”

Gateway goes on:

It’s an Obama World–
Good Question: So just to be clear, it’s constitutional to penalize someone for not showing proof of health insurance but not request proof of citizenship?

Human Sacrifices -- Eastern Religion

2010-04-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

Kali
Three Indian men were arrested for killing and beheading a man. The head for adorned with flowers and was thought to be part of a human sacrifice to the goddess Kali.

Digital Journal reported:
Police in Eastern India have arrested three men in connection to a beheading that is thought to be part of a human sacrifice to the goddess Kali.
The nude, decapitated body of a male factory worker was found in a section of a temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali in West Bengal, India. His head was smeared with red vermilion and had flowers and incense sticks surrounding it.
“Three men, all in their late 30s, have been arrested in connection with the beheading, District police chief Rabindranath Mukherjee told Sky News.
Two of the arrested men work in a factory where the victim once worked and the third man was a local laborer.
“We heard that incidents of human sacrifice by tantriks in different temples of the goddess Kali in Birbhum were common over a century ago,” a priest named Utpal Bhattacharya said.
The priest went on to explain that the Birbhum district of West Bengal is considered a center of energy and power in Hindu mythology.
In March, a married couple in Western India were arrested for allegedly killing five young boys after a mystic told them it would help the wife conceive.
And in September last year, police in Northern India arrested four people after a nine-year-old boy was kidnapped and murdered in a case of suspected human sacrifice.

Homeless Hero Dies Because People Walked By -- Sickening

2010-04-25T15:36:00.001-07:00

Alliance Defense Fund & Michael Medved Talk About the "Constitutional" Challenges Ragarding the Banning of the National Day of Prayer (Plus, Atheist Call Taken)

2010-04-25T10:52:00.000-07:00

Here is some background on the judge who ruled the National Day of Prayer as unconstitutional. Some discussion of Franklin Graham takes place as well as an atheists concern with the Day of Prayer -- who's case is shown to be vacuous when another proposition is offered.

In Case You Guys Never Knew... Eugene Oregon is a "Hate Free Zone"

2010-04-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

Apache Assists In Taking Out Some Insurgents via a Hellfire

2010-04-24T22:29:00.001-07:00

A City Founded on Atheism

2010-04-24T21:30:00.003-07:00

A Compilation of Evidential Arguments Against "Birthers" -- As Well As Dr. Smaples Giving Christians A Rough Outline On How To Tackle Bad Thinking

2010-04-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

I am not here saying that there will not be evidence in the future that would persuade me, that would be closed minded. What I am saying is that the evidence that exists exists in totality on one side... and it is not the birther's side.

This subject has hurt the conservative cause. Many man hours were spent on this rather than fighting against Obama's agenda. One case in point is G. Gordon Liddy, whom I enjoy normally. But I would have rather had his voice already sounding the health-care alarm on the Chris Matthew's show rather than this crazy conspiracy stuff: "These Guys are Embarrassing Us! G. Gordon Liddy Gets Worked by Chris Matthews on Obama's Birth Certificate." Time and energy lost.

Issues Etc Radio Interviews Ken Samples (of Reasons to Believe) About Testing Conspiracy Theories In Light of Truth Claims.

Uncommon Knowledge Classic: The Sixties with Hitchens and William F. Buckley (25-minutes)

2010-04-24T11:39:00.001-07:00

In this rereleased interview from 1998, Christopher Hitchens, a contributing editor of Vanity Fair magazine, is a self-proclaimed radical. William F. Buckley, Jr., editor-at-large of National Review magazine, is one of the most noted conservatives in the country. During the 1960’s, Hitchens enjoyed the counter-culture, whereas Buckley was one of the founders of the politically conservative counter counter-culture. Thirty years later (1998), and Hitchens and Buckley are still wrangling over the Revolution.

Healing in the Name of Death

2010-04-24T11:34:00.000-07:00

[ReligionNewsBlog Import]

OREGON CITY — Clackamas County District Attorney John Foote kept his promise to reach out to an Oregon City church whose members have been prosecuted for failing to provide adequate medical care for their children.

Foote sent a letter last week to 415 families who belong to the Followers of Christ Church. The church has a long tradition of using faith healing rather than mainstream medical treatment, sometimes with fatal consequences.

“As a starting point towards a possible dialogue between the church and law enforcement, let me ask the following question: Is there an opportunity for us to agree under what circumstances parents should take their children to a doctor or hospital for appropriate medical care?” Foote wrote.

“Our goal would be to try and find ways to make sure that children of the church are safe and receive appropriate medical care. We would work with you to make that happen,” the letter said.

It is hard to say how many church members would be open to using doctors. Current and former members have said seeking medical treatment shows a lack of faith. An attorney representing the church did not return a call to his office on Tuesday.

[...]

Foote said he was reluctant to talk about the letter. “The letter was not intended as a public act. It was intended as a private communication. The real conversation should go on in private,” Foote said Tuesday.
[...more...]

- Source / Full Story: district attorney reaches out to families in faith-healing church, Steve Mayes, The Oregonian, Apr. 20, 2010 — Summarized by Religion News Blog

Be Thankful Cartoons

2010-04-24T09:41:00.000-07:00

Sean Hannity Interviewes Brent Bozell on the Hannity Show

2010-04-24T08:52:00.001-07:00

Government Killing Jobs Again -- This Law Effects Small Businesses and Thrift Stores (yes, even garage sales)

2010-04-24T08:38:00.000-07:00

Ohmega Watts -- Eyes and Ears

2010-04-23T22:09:00.000-07:00

On May 20th -- There Will Be A Giant Release of Muhammad Drawings/Likenesses (I Will Post My Drawing Then)

2010-04-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

Seattle cartoonist launches "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day"

After Comedy Central cut a portion of a South Park episode following a death threat from a radical Muslim group, Seattle cartoonist Molly Norris wanted to counter the fear. She has declared May 20th "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day."

Norris told KIRO Radio's Dave Ross that cartoonists are meant to challenge the lines of political correctness. "That's a cartoonist's job, to be non-PC."

Producers of South Park said Thursday that Comedy Central removed a speech about intimidation and fear from their show after a radical Muslim group warned that they could be killed for insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

The group said it wasn't threatening South Park producers Trey Parker and Matt Stone, but it included a gruesome picture of Theo Van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker killed by a Muslim extremist in 2004, and said the producers could meet the same fate. The website posted the addresses of Comedy Central's New York office and the California production studio where South Park is made.

"As a cartoonist I just felt so much passion about what had happened I wanted to kind of counter Comedy Central's message they sent about feeling afraid," Norris said.

Norris has asked other artists to submit drawings of any religious figure to be posted as part of Citizens Against Citizens Against Humor (CACAH) on May 20th.

On her website Norris explains this is not meant to disrespect any religion, but rather meant to protect people's right to express themselves.

This Dog Hates "Happy Birthday"

2010-04-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

Arizona Confronts Crime Rates, Allows Police To Do Their Job

2010-04-23T15:55:00.000-07:00

SOURCE

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer today signed into law an immigration bill that gives the state toughest law in the nation, making it a state crime to be in the country illegally and requiring local police to enforce federal immigration laws.
Brewer said she signed the bill in response to "the crisis the federal government has refused to fix."

Hispanic leaders addressing the hundreds of protesters at the Capitol immediately vowed to wage a legal fight, and Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon said he wants the city to sue.

The new immigration law will require anyone whom police suspect of being in the country illegally to produce "an alien registration document," such as a green card, or other proof of citizenship such as a passport or Arizona driver's license.

It also makes it illegal to impede the flow of traffic by picking up day laborers for work. A day laborer who gets picked up for work, thus impeding traffic, would also be committing a criminal act.

John Stewart Tackles the Double-Standard of Censoring South Park's Recent Muhammad Episode

2010-04-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

South Park Death Threats

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

Bob Parks (from Black & Right) Was On Al Sharpton's Radio Show Talking About Tea Parties

2010-04-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

(NewsBusters h/t)

Bob Parks was on Al Sharpton's radio program yesterday. Bob was on opposite another guest, Professor Eddie Glaude of Princeton University. The topic was Tea Party "racism." Al Sharpton shows his educational level, and the professor shows his ignorant bias.

"We don’t know what ObamaCare costs will be" ~ Kathleen Sebelius

2010-04-23T09:16:00.000-07:00

(HotAir h/t)

America's Benefit from Israel -- We Should Continue Support for the Hebraic Peoples

2010-04-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

America's three permanent strategic interests in the Middle East are as follows:

1 - Ensuring the smooth flow of affordable petroleum products from the region to global consumers through the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal.

2 - Preventing the most radical regimes, sub-state and non-state actors from acquiring the means to cause catastrophic harm.

3 - Maintaining the US's capacity to project its power to the region.

A strong Israel is the best guarantor of all of these interests. Indeed, the stronger Israel is, the more secure these vital American interests are. Three permanent and unique aspects to Israel's regional position dictate this state of affairs.

1 - As the first target of the most radical regimes and radical sub-state actors in the region, Israel has a permanent, existential interest in preventing these regimes and sub-state actors from acquiring the means to cause catastrophic harm.

Israel's 1981 airstrike that destroyed Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor prevented Iraq from acquiring nuclear weapons. Despite US condemnation at the time, the US later acknowledged that the strike was a necessary precondition to the success of Operation Desert Storm ten years later. Richard Cheney - who served as secretary of defense during Operation Desert Storm - has stated that if Iraq had been a nuclear power in 1991, the US would have been hard pressed to eject Saddam Hussein's Iraqi army from Kuwait and so block his regime from asserting control over oil supplies in the Persian Gulf.

2 - Israel is a non-expansionist state and its neighbors know it. In its 62 year history, Israel has only controlled territory vital for its national security and territory that was legally allotted to it in the 1922 League of Nations Mandate which has never been abrogated or superseded.

Israel's strength, which it has used only in self-defense, is inherently non-threatening. Far from destabilizing the region, a strong Israel stabilizes the Middle East by deterring the most radical actors from attacking.

In 1970, Israel blocked Syria's bid to use the PLO to overthrow the Hashemite regime in Jordan. Israel's threat to attack Syria not only saved the Hashemites then, it has deterred Syria from attempting to overthrow the Jordanian regime ever since.

Similarly, Israel's neighbors understand that its purported nuclear arsenal is a weapon of national survival and hence they view it as non-threatening. This is the reason Israel's alleged nuclear arsenal has never spurred a regional nuclear arms race.

In stark contrast, if Iran acquires nuclear weapons, a regional nuclear arms race will ensue immediately.

Although they will never admit it, Israel's non-radical neighbors feel more secure when Israel is strong. On the other hand, the region's most radical regimes and non-state actors will always seek to emasculate Israel.

3-- Since as the Jewish state Israel is the regional bogeyman, no Arab state will agree to form a permanent alliance with it. Hence, Israel will never be in a position to join forces with another nation against a third nation.

In contrast, the Egyptian-Syrian United Arab Republic of the 1960s was formed to attack Israel. Today, the Syrian-Iranian alliance is an inherently aggressive alliance against Israel and the non-radical Arab states in the region. Recognizing the stabilizing force of a strong Israel, the moderate states of the region prefer for Israel to remain strong.

From the US's perspective, far from impairing its alliance-making capabilities in the region, by providing military assistance to Israel, America isn't just strengthening the most stabilizing force in the region. It is showing all states and non-state actors in the greater Middle East it is trustworthy.

On the other hand, every time the US seeks to attenuate its ties with Israel, it is viewed as an untrustworthy ally by the nations of the Middle East. US hostility towards Israel causes Israel's neighbors to hedge their bets by distancing themselves from the US lest America abandon them to their neighboring adversaries.

A strong Israel empowers the relatively moderate actors in the region to stand up to the radical actors in the region because they trust Israel to keep the radicals in check. Today's regional balance of power in which the moderates have the upper hand over the radicals is predicated on a strong Israel.

On the other hand, when Israel is weakened the radical forces are emboldened to threaten the status quo. Regional stability is thrown asunder. Wars become more likely. Attacks on oil resources increase. The most radical sub-state actors and regimes are emboldened.

To the extent that the two-state solution assumes that Israel must contract itself to within the indefensible 1949 ceasefire lines, and allow a hostile Palestinian state allied with terrorist organizations to take power in the areas it vacates, the two-state solution is predicated on making Israel weak and empowering radicals. In light of this, the two-state solution as presently constituted is antithetical to America's most vital strategic interests in the Middle East.

When we bear in mind the foundations for the US's alliance with Israel, it is obvious that US support for Israel over the years has been the most cost-effective national security investment in post-World War II US history.

...(read more)...

Just Wars, Good & Evil, Worldviews and Paradigms, Secular vs. Religious Societies and Standing Armies -- Ravi Combines Many Ideas to Answer This Question

2010-04-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

Many topics intersect here into one. First, Ravi Zacharias puts all questions into a paradigm. Then he makes the point that depending on which paradigm one comes from gives any weight to the moral aspect of the question. "Good" and "evil" are examined as well as Adam and Eve's original redefining of what is the meaning behind those concepts. Ravi then explains a bit about justice, just wars, and man's aversion to actual evil. He comments a bit on Jesus' examples of military analogies, and ends with a wrap up of the Ten Commandments. A longer response than usual.

Ravi is Asked About Standing Armies and Religious Societies from Papa Giorgio on Vimeo.

Ravi Zacharias is Asked About Free Will -- Quick Response

2010-04-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ravi Zacharias Answers a Question About Free Will from Papa Giorgio on Vimeo.

Camel vs. Soldiers

2010-04-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

Muslims Threaten To Kill South Park Creators -- Anderson Cooper Interviews Aayan Hirsi Ali

2010-04-23T06:39:00.000-07:00

Live version of Forget Cassettes song "Quiero, Quieres" from their album, Salt

2010-04-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

NASA's new Solar Dynamics Observatory Images (I will post the HD when I get it)

2010-04-22T20:47:00.000-07:00

The Deadliest Place In the Solar System Is Beautiful. This is the deadliest place in the solar system, photographed as never before by NASA's new Solar Dynamics Observatory.

The Deadliest Place In the Solar System Is Beautiful

SDO was launched on February in a five year mission to study the sun's magnetic field. Its image quality is ten times better that 1080p television, four times the resolution of the previous king of the Sun observers, the STEREO spacecraft.

"Conspiracy Show" (4-20-2010): A Caller Tries To Take Up Michael Medved's Challenge About Obama's Birth

2010-04-22T18:07:00.000-07:00

Caller Challenges Michael Medved Using Chief Justice Marshall's Quoting Judicial Law from Papa Giorgio on Vimeo.

Does God Care For You?

2010-04-22T16:33:00.001-07:00

Juan Williams on Brandeis University's Use of a Swastika with Tea Parties

2010-04-22T16:28:00.001-07:00

More Closed Door Meetings... On Cap N' Trade -- Health Care and Cap N' Trade Will Ruin This Country (Chris Horner)

2010-04-22T16:23:00.000-07:00

Great Home Plate Dive/Triple

2010-04-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

HotAir h/t

Obama Plays More Golf Than He Has Met With the Press

2010-04-22T13:52:00.000-07:00

Comparing Progressive Protests to Conservative Protests (NewsBusters & The New Centrist)

2010-04-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

Shocking Report: Police Find TEA Parties More Peaceful Than Anti-war Protests

On Monday, the Christian Science Monitor bucked its mainstream peers by reporting something truthful about the TEA party movement: police officials have begun to relax security requirements at conservative rallies because of the remarkable absence of violence.

Yes, you read that right: despite nonstop media warnings about hateful protests, violence from TEA party attendants is so nonexistent that police feel safe allowing them to bring large items and sometimes even guns.

The Monitor was compelled to check things out when a TEA party in Raleigh, North Carolina, persuaded officials to overturn a ban on flag poles. Such items are typically banned because a flag pole is really just a very big stick that could be used as a weapon. The Monitor's research led the paper to admit that conservative protests are far less threatening than many past demonstrations.

Patrik Jonsson's article drew a refreshing contrast between violent rallies of the Vietnam era versus the new model of peaceful civil uprising:
To be sure, permitting rules and police preparedness are often developed based on past behavior at various kinds of protests. Many go back to the 1960s and 1970s when violent rallies erupted over the Vietnam War. Such protests sprung up again during the presidency of George W. Bush, when protesters clashed with police in New York City and elsewhere during large-scale demonstrations against the Middle East wars. With tea party rallies so far proving more orderly, police have given them more latitude.
This flies directly in the face of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) comparing TEA parties to California in the 1970s - and that of MSNBC's Keith Olbermann comparing them to Selma during the fight for minority civil rights.

No matter how much prominent liberals talk about rampant violence, the facts on the ground tell a different story, and reporters end up leaving with rather dull footage - no police clashes, no tear gas, no images of people being carted away in handcuffs.

In fact, the narrative of violence was such a dud on Tax Day, the Huffington Post's coverage of the "most outrageous" images became a small collection of homemade signs.

Security officials in North Carolina were unconvinced by the left's hysteria, and on the morning of April 15, the state rescinded its ban on flag poles. Raleigh's News and Observer reported on the decision:
The little-known restriction applied not just to flag poles, but to any posts attached to signs or banners and was out of a concern that the metal, plastic or woods posts could be used as weapons.
But there had been no prior instances of violence, and was questioned this week in advance of a Tax Day tea party demonstration being held at 5 p.m. on the State Capitol grounds.
So comfortable are various police departments with TEA party rallies that some are allowed to bring guns as an expression of Second Amendment rights. The Monitor relayed this to show how much leeway conservatives are given:
Alarm around tea party protests cropped up last year when tea partiers began showing up armed. One much-publicized incident involved a man who carried a high-powered rifle to an anti-Obama rally close to where the president was speaking in Phoenix. The man was not breaking any laws, and the Secret Service said Obama was never in danger.
Kudos to the Christian Science Monitor for reporting the truth - but will anyone else in the media follow its example?

It isn't looking likely. ...

Demonstrations and Double Standards

Whatever you think about the Tea-Party protesters, whether you think their cause (or causes) is right or wrong, you cannot help but notice different standards applied to them and the demonstrations organized by the far left.

First, the matter of numbers. It’s strange how a protest of tens of thousands will make the first few pages of the NYT but a conservative protest with hundreds of thousands is back on page A-37. Moving further left, the various IMCs–the reporters of political rallies, protests, demonstrations, and the like–have been silent. Why is that?

Second, the organizations represented. When the NYT recently reported on an anti-war rally in Washington, D.C. they noted the anti-war movement “consists of dozens of organizations representing pacifists, veterans, military families, labor unions and religious groups.” Nothing was mentioned about the groups on the radical left (communists and anarchists) who organize these anti-war protests. Nothing was mentioned about the black bloc and others who routinely destroy property and aggressively confront the police in these demos.

And, as Zombietime points out, nothing ever gets mentioned about the people who threatened violence against president Bush when he was in office.

Zombie asks:

Is there a double standard? Seems to be.

Every threat to Obama is now vigorously pursued, trumpeted and dissected by the media and the blogs, and roundly condemned. And I condemn such threats as well.

But in the past, whenever someone threatened Bush at a protest, there was a deafening silence on the part of the media and the left-leaning blogs, and consequently very little (if any) follow-through on the part of the Secret Service. Which I find quite distressing. I was condemning those threats in the past (as best I could, by drawing attention to them on my blog) — but few people were joining me in my condemnation.

This is not a new development. The NYT regularly downplays the prevalence of extremists on the left, instead preferring to focus on the right. However, where were the racist skinheads, brownshirts and other neo-Nazis at this conservative demonstration? Where were the organizations representing the far-right? Nowhere to be seen or found.

Sure, you had some “birthers” and other kooks but nowhere near the prevalence of “truthers” and other crackpots one finds in left gatherings. Yes, there were nutty Paulistas and people who think Obama is a Muslim Marxist. Like this dude (see photo to the left).

But these people, and the people who compare Obama to Hitler, are far and away in the minority on the conservative right. Most conservatives find those comparisons offensive. Yet comparisons between Bush and Hitler were common on the progressive left during Bush’s two terms in office and few in the mainstream media or on the left were offended by that.

This brings me to the third double standard, the issue of motivation. What drives individuals to engage in collective action? In the case of left-wing protesters, they are pushed to participate due to a sense of great moral conviction. They protest because it is the right thing to do. What about conservatives who protest? What is their motivation?

The predictable response from the mainstream media is racism. Conservatives protest because our president is black. That is some sad commentary on the state of American politics in the 21st century.

...(please read more)...

Sometimes You Just Have To Scratch

2010-04-22T13:02:00.001-07:00

A Day In The Life Of New York City, In Miniature

2010-04-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

Moral Absolutes vs. Moral Relativism -- William Lane Craig

2010-04-22T06:18:00.001-07:00

Obama Mentions the VAT (Remember Our Prophet Krauthammer? [March 22nd, 2010]) -- PLUS, Paul Ryan's "Roadmap for America's Future"

2010-04-22T05:56:00.000-07:00

The Democrats are killing jobs, growth, and the family! Paul Ryan has a better way out!

Obama suggests value-added tax may be an option

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama suggested Wednesday that a new value-added tax on Americans is still on the table, seeming to show more openness to the idea than his aides have expressed in recent days.

Before deciding what revenue options are best for dealing with the deficit and the economy, Obama said in an interview with CNBC, "I want to get a better picture of what our options are."

After Obama adviser Paul Volcker recently raised the prospect of a value-added tax, or VAT, the Senate voted 85-13 last week for a nonbinding "sense of the Senate" resolution that calls the such a tax "a massive tax increase that will cripple families on fixed income and only further push back America's economic recovery."

For days, White House spokesmen have said the president has not proposed and is not considering a VAT.

"I think I directly answered this the other day by saying that it wasn't something that the president had under consideration," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters shortly before Obama spoke with CNBC.

After the interview, White House deputy communications director Jen Psaki said nothing has changed and the White House is "not considering" a VAT.

Many European countries impose a VAT, which taxes the value that is added at each stage of production of certain commodities. It could apply, for instance, to raw products delivered to a mill, the mill's production work and so on up the line to the retailer....

...(read more)...

Just a reminder that all taxes put on a "corporation" or business are incurred by the people buying the product or the person who works for the company (thusly, putting the burden of the tax on the families Dems are "trying to help":

Double-Entendre

2010-04-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

The Power of Life and Death in the Tongue -- Mark Driscoll

2010-04-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

The Word on the Word of Faith Movement h/t

Proverbs 17:22

A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (ESV)

A cheerful disposition is good for your health;
gloom and doom leave you bone-tired. (Message)

Some Good Commentary:
22 One's psychological condition affects one's physical condition: a healthy attitude fosters good health but a depressed spirit ruins health. The antithetical idea, describing the two effects, stresses the importance of a cheerful heart. The first line presents the ideal: a "cheerful heart" (leh game-h) causes "good healing" (yetih gehah; NIV, "is good medicine"). The heart, as with the spirit in v.22b, refers to the mind, the psyche. The positive and healthy outlook on life brings healing. On the other hand, a "crushed spirit" (rush neke'ah), i.e., one that is depressed or dejected, has an adverse effect on the health of the body. "Bones" figuratively represents the body (encased in the bony frame): fat bones means a healthy body (3:8; 15:30; 16:24), but dry bones signify unhealthiness and lifelessness (cf. Ezek 37:1-14).

Proverbs 18:21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits. (ESV)

Words kill, words give life;
they’re either poison or fruit—you choose. (Message)

Some Good Commentary:
21 Many a one has been his own death by a foul tongue, or the death of others by a false tongue. and, on the contrary, many a one has saved his life' by a prudent gentle tongue, and saved the lives of others by intercession (an interposing or pleading on behalf of another person; a prayer to God on behalf of another) for them.

NRCC "Pop-Up Democrats"

2010-04-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

HotAir h/t

"Ed Schultz... Is a Joke" ~ Hugh Hewitt

2010-04-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

Awesome

Whitesnake -- Slow & Easy

2010-04-21T11:14:00.000-07:00

Volcanism, Cap'n'Trade, & Global Warming

2010-04-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

OSLO (Reuters) – A thaw of Iceland's ice caps in coming decades caused by climate change may trigger more volcanic eruptions by removing a vast weight and freeing magma from deep below ground, scientists said on Friday.

They said there was no sign that the current eruption from below the Eyjafjallajokull glacier that has paralysed flights over northern Europe was linked to global warming. The glacier is too small and light to affect local geology.

"Our work suggests that eventually there will be either somewhat larger eruptions or more frequent eruptions in Iceland in coming decades," said Freysteinn Sigmundsson, a vulcanologist at the University of Iceland.

"Global warming melts ice and this can influence magmatic systems," he told Reuters. The end of the Ice Age 10,000 years ago coincided with a surge in volcanic activity in Iceland, apparently because huge ice caps thinned and the land rose.

"We believe the reduction of ice has not been important in triggering this latest eruption," he said of Eyjafjallajokull. "The eruption is happening under a relatively small ice cap."...

....(read more)....

Grouchy Old Cripple h/t

Charlie Sheen & 12-Step Mistress... Red Eye Commentary - Caution

2010-04-21T10:45:00.001-07:00

Zo on Tea Parties and Race Cards

2010-04-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

Some Background: Zo was the only speaker at the Dallas tea party specifically named in the now infamous “minstrel show” hit piece.

Water Powered Fuel

2010-04-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

A Shockwave Filmed Coming Out Of Eyjafjallajökull (The Volcano in Iceland)

2010-04-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

By the way, this volcano is putting more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than pretty much all of mankind's impact during his time on earth.

Democrats Yelling At Democrats for Being Tea Party Members

2010-04-21T06:02:00.000-07:00

Ed Schultz should know that only a few people knew what was in the bill, and those were the people that wrote it. We are still finding out what is in the bill -- as Nacy Pelosi said the passing of it will do. Like the calorie count menu thing which will kill jobs. Schultz is like a Hannity of the left. He doesn't allow for dissenting callers much, and when he does he yells or talks over them. He would be a person of interest to add to NewsBusters list.

57 percent Republican, 28 percent Independent and 13 percent Democratic

http://religiopoliticaltalk.blogspot.com/2010/04/breaking-40-of-tea-partiers-are.html

This Is Leftist Comedy At Its BEST! Joe Scarborough Holds Back

2010-04-20T20:58:00.001-07:00

This is from NewsBusters (Sparks Fly on Morning Joe After Joan Walsh Unable to Name Leftwing Extremists). I found this at HotAir (Comedy gold: Salon editor can’t name any extreme voices on the left)... what a great example of the Left just being absolutely clueless about the religion they preach to us. The Salon editor mentions Rush before being cut-off... NewsBusters points out the obvious. Too funny! Here's HotAirs short Commentarry:

No, the funny part is that Scarborough and Brzezinski do have someone in mind and it’s painfully clear to everyone on set — except Walsh — who that person is. If you follow the MSNBC soap opera, it’s also painfully clear why Joe and Mika can’t name him, but between the hand gestures, facial expressions, and Scarborough cracking up with laughter at their dilemma, I dare say you’ll be able to figure it out. (In case you’re struggling, here’s a tiny hint!) Exit question: Couldn’t they at least have named Frank Rich?

Here's NewsBusters:

Hot sparks flew on the set of MSNBC's Morning Joe today igniting a brief but entertaining firestorm. The cause? Joan Walsh somehow being unable to name any leftwing extremists. This set off an angry reaction from co-host Mika Brzezinski which included a funny impersonation of a conveniently clueless Walsh. It was one of those moments that needs to be viewed in order to be fully appreciated but here is a transcript of the heated exchange:

JOE SCARBOROUGH: ...I think it helps us all to say there are extreme voices on the left, there are extreme voices on the right, and it's our responsibility to call out people, I believe, on our side.

JOAN WALSH: Who would you have me call out? I mean who would you say on the left is comparable to Rush and...

SCARBOROUGH: Don't do it.

MIKA BREZEZINSKI: Mmm-mmm! No thanks, Joan. We're good. We're good.

SCARBOROUGH: Can we talk about the Chinese now?

MIKA: I think it's all very obvious.

WALSH: Is it obvious? Who on the left is comparable to Rush and Glenn on the right?

MIKA: Okay, Joan, if it's not obvious to you I'll talk to you off-set. I mean, my God! Alright so let's read from the Washington Post...

SCARBOROUGH: We'll talk off-set.

WALSH: Okay...

MIKA: Seriously, it's like BLIP... BLIP... BLIP... right in front of you and you're like [imitates willfully clueless Walsh] "I'm sorry, I don't see it!"
A shocked Walsh was left with her mouth hanging open over Mika's hilarious but dead on impersonation as she pleaded to Willie Geist: "Wow! Willie, help me out here!"

Willie wouldn't help Walsh out but your humble correspondent will. You want the names of some leftwing extremists, Joan? Okay, here are a few names:
Rosie O'Donnell

Mike Malloy

Bill "The Bomber" Ayers

Mrs. Bill "The Bomber" Ayers

Van Jones

Dylan Ratigan

Rachel Maddow

Keith Olbermann

Keith Olbermann

KEITH OLBERMANN

This is only a very abbreviated list of crazed leftwing extremists, Joan, but I hope it proves useful if you are asked to identify a few in your next Bluebook exam presented to you by Mika.

BLIP... BLIP... BLIP!!!

BONUS:

Keith Olbermann Apologizes For Scott Brown Comment: 'I Have Been A Little Over The Top Lately' (VIDEO)

Keith Olbermann apologized for his comments about Massachusetts Senator-Elect Scott Brown Friday night just one day after being called out by Jon Stewart over the...

Olbermann vs. Scarborough On 'Homophobic,' 'Racist,' 'Sexist' Scott Brown (VIDEO)

Conan and Jay aren't the only dueling hosts in the NBC family: add Keith Olbermann and Joe Scarborough to that list. Olbermann doubled-down on his...

MSNBC Infighting Boils Over
MSNBC problems seem to be everywhere, with a truckload of stories, infighting caught on tape, and bad ratings. Here is a collection of links that...

"Daily Show" Mocks MSNBC Infighting: "It's Lord Of The Flies On The NBC Roof!"

Wednesday night on "The Daily Show" — broadcasting from Denver during the DNC — Jon Stewart, Samantha Bee, and Wyatt Cenac mocked the infighting at...

Leftism and Fascism, Europe Cannot Make Up Its Mind

2010-04-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

Very good story over at Libertarian Republican. Here is a portion of it, for the whole thing go to, "'Far-Right' Expert in Europe slips up: Admits Jobbick, other Fascist groups actually Leftwinger Socialists"

...one of Europe's most respected on-line journals the EU Observer.... inadvertently links the so-called "Far Right" with Euro-Socialists. And he manages to - albeit unknowingly - de-link them with Free Enterprise advocates.

Too much Free Market Capitalism to blame for Rise of Fascists

From Eu Observer:
"The frustration I have with the sudden burst of media coverage is that for most of the time, the far-right phenomenon is not treated seriously," complains Graeme Atkinson, the European editor of the UK's anti-fascist monthly, Searchlight. "They're treated as cranks, so papers don't write about them, don't notice them. And then suddenly something like this happens and they think the sky is falling."

"I don't go for either picture. It's not that the crisis has suddenly caused this. This is a phenomenon that goes back much further than the last two years ... Of course it exacerbates the situation - it would be surprising if the crisis did not result in some increased support for the far-right. But it's a long-term phenomenon that needs monitoring and countering. It's no reason to panic and then forget about it once the next big news item happens."

Mr Atkinson actually lays the bulk of the blame on the centre-left establishment in Europe: "Social democrats everywhere have abandoned their traditional constituency. This is the vacuum the far right are filling."

As socialist and labour parties have, pace Tony Blair, embraced business, backed privatisation and instituted social spending cuts, he argues, extremist ideas provide an easy answer to the thousands that feel disoriented by the slings and arrows of the free market.
So, because of the fact that the UK Labour Party has moved Right on Capitalism, and have abandoned the much adored Dickensian Working Class, the Working Class has turned to National Socialism.

And now for the coup de grâce (Continuing):
The Perspective Institute, a Budapest polling firm, demographically backs this analyis, noting already in an analysis after last year's European elections in which the party scored 14.8 percent that left-wing voters were en masse turning toward Jobbik: "The Hungarian extreme right doesn't primarily recruit its supporters from the centre-right but instead from the leftist camp disappointed with the governmental performance of MSZP [the Socialists]. Jobbik, in certain cases, succeeded in doubling its nationwide share of the votes in cities that had been Socialist strongholds."
Euro-Fascists hate the Libertarian Right

Jobbick much like Hitler's National Socialist Workers Party in the 1930s, doesn't "recruit its supporters from the centre-right but instead from the leftist camp" who are disgruntled because the liberals in power are not sufficiently Pro-Government Welfare State.

Wouldn't it follow that the "Far Right" would then be categorized as Capitalist Free Marketeers, with all the varied Socialist interests groups lumped on the Left? The most prominent Exemplars of the Pro-Free Market Euro-Right of course, would be Boris Johnson and Darryl Hannan of the libertarian wing of the British Tories, Nigel Farage and the UK Independence Party, Geert Wilders and the Party of Freedom in the Netherlands, sometimes free marketeer Nikolas Sarkozy, and Hungary's own "Center-Rightists" Fidesz.

This is why, for example, we see the great animosity which exists between the working class-centered British Nationalist Party and Farage's pro-liberty/pro-sovereignty UK Independence. And it also explains why libertarian Wilders is written off by Euro-Fascists as a "Zionist" and "pawn of the Jews."...

...(read more)...

A Step-by-Step Media Guide on How to Discredit the Movement

2010-04-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

(NewsBusters h/t)

According to Your Standard, Are You Good?

2010-04-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

Darryl Postell --Tea Partier Accosted by Main Stream Media (Comments & Interviews)

2010-04-19T12:11:00.000-07:00

Darryl Postell ~ Race Card Question and Darryl's Response

Dennis Prager Comments

FoxNews Interview

Obama's Spending Habits

2010-04-19T09:05:00.001-07:00

Wall Street Journal (January 2010)

WSJ – Mr. Axelrod wrote that no one is entitled to his own facts, even as he argued that George W. Bush is responsible for Barack Obama’s deficits. He argued that Mr. Bush forced the hand of this administration by leaving office in the midst of a sharp recession.

That argument won’t fly for two reasons. First, at some point this administration has to take responsibility for itself. It’s also not even close to accurate. Consider that from Jan. 20, 2001, to Jan. 20, 2009, the debt held by the public grew $3 trillion under Mr. Bush—to $6.3 trillion from $3.3 trillion at a time when the national economy grew as well.

By comparison, from the day Mr. Obama took office last year to the end of the current fiscal year, according to the Office of Management and Budget, the debt held by the public will grow by $3.3 trillion. In 20 months, Mr. Obama will add as much debt as Mr. Bush ran up in eight years.

Mr. Obama’s spending plan approved by Congress last February calls for doubling the national debt in five years and nearly tripling it in 10.

Mr. Bush’s deficits ran an average of 3.2% of GDP, slightly above the post World War II average of 2.7%. Mr. Obama’s plan calls for deficits that will average 4.2% over the next decade.

Team Obama has been on history’s biggest spending spree, which has included a $787 billion stimulus, a $30 billion expansion of a child health-care program, and a $410 billion federal spending bill that increased nondefense discretionary spending 10% for the last half of fiscal year 2009. Mr. Obama also hiked nondefense discretionary spending another 12% for fiscal year 2010.

Mr. Bush did move to give voters more control over their tax dollars. Both his Social Security reform ideas and the drug program he created offered templates for driving federal spending curves in the right direction, counter to what Democrats wanted to do.

Democrats, for example, proposed creating a prescription drug program as an alternative to the one Mr. Bush proposed that would have cost a projected $800 billion over 10 years. The Bush drug benefit was originally expected to cost half that amount and today costs a third less than what it was initially expected to cost because it uses market forces to drive prices down.

Mr. Axelrod claims the pork-laden stimulus package has been a success. But Mr. Obama told Americans that if it were passed, unemployment wouldn’t rise above 8%. It is now 10%. The president also said it would create 3.7 million jobs, 90% of which would be in the private sector. By Mr. Obama’s standards, the stimulus failed miserably.

Mr. Bush did sign the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) into law and loaned $240 billion to banks. But those loans are being returned at a profit to the Treasury. Rather than using those funds to pay down the deficit, Mr. Obama wants to use them for new spending. What’s more, he has lavished some $320 billion from TARP on car companies, union allies, and pet causes that will never be fully returned.

Mr. Axelrod boasts Mr. Obama’s proposed health reforms will “not add to the federal deficit.” But if that turns out to be true, it will only be because Massachusetts voters just elected a senator who promises to vote against those reforms.

In going after Mr. Bush’s fiscal record, Mr. Axelrod unwittingly revealed why Democrats are losing. Mr. Obama and congressional Democrats have made a mess of the nation’s finances and are desperate to pin the blame on someone else. It’s not likely to work.

(Source)

Washington Examiner (Feb of 2009!)

Back in 2006, when Democrats were hoping to win control of the House and Senate, party leaders worked themselves into a righteous outrage over the issue of out-of-control federal spending. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called the Republican budget “irresponsible” and “unpatriotic” because it increased the amount of U.S. debt held by foreign countries. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., accused Republicans of going on “an unprecedented and dangerous borrowing spree” and declared GOP leadership “the most fiscally irresponsible in the history of our country … no other president or Congress even comes close.”

You won’t find too many defenders of George W. Bush’s record on spending these days, even among Republicans. But a check of historical tables compiled by the Office of Management and Budget shows that the spending that so distressed Pelosi and Reid seems downright modest today. After beginning with a Clinton-era surplus of $128 billion in fiscal year 2001, the Bush administration racked up deficits of $158 billion in 2002, $378 billion in 2003, $413 billion in 2004, $318 billion in 2005, $248 billion in 2006, $162 billion in 2007, and $410 billion in 2008.

The current administration would kill to have such small numbers. President Barack Obama is unveiling his budget this week, and, in addition to the inherited Bush deficit, he’s adding his own spending at an astonishing pace, projecting annual deficits well beyond $1 trillion in the near future, and, in the rosiest possible scenario, a $533 billion deficit in fiscal year 2013, the last year of Obama’s first term.

And what about the national debt? It increased from $5 trillion to $10 trillion in the Bush years, leading to dramatically higher interest costs. “We pay in interest four times more than we spend on education and four times what it will cost to cover 10 million children with health insurance for five years,” Pelosi said in 2007. “That’s fiscal irresponsibility.”

Now, under Obama, the national debt — and the interest payments — will increase at a far faster rate than during the Bush years.

“We thought the Bush deficits were big at the time,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, told me this week as he prepared to attend Obama’s Fiscal Responsibility Summit. “But this is going to make the previous administration look like rank amateurs. We could be adding multiple trillions to the national debt in the first year.”

At some point last week, the sheer velocity of Obama’s spending proposals began to overwhelm even experienced Washington hands. In the span of four days, we saw the signing of the $787 billion stimulus bill, the rollout of a $275 billion housing proposal, discussion of Congress’s remaining appropriations bills (about $400 billion) and word of a vaguely-defined financial stabilization plan that could ultimately cost $2 trillion. When representatives of GM and Chrysler said they might need $21 billion more to survive, it seemed like small beer.

The numbers are so dizzying that McConnell and his fellow Republicans are trying to “connect the dots” — that is, to explain to the public how all of those discrete spending initiatives add up to a previously unthinkable total. Obama’s current spending proposals, Republicans point out, will cost more than the United States spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the general war on terror and Hurricane Katrina in the last seven years. And that’s before you throw in the $2 trillion fiscal stabilization plan.

“This is big government, man,” McConnell exclaimed, his matter-of-fact manner giving way to sheer amazement. “It makes previous attempts at big government pale in comparison — they’re going to go beyond the New Deal and the Great Society by far.”

The new spending guarantees that the problems that so disturbed Pelosi and Reid just a couple of years ago — high interest payments and an increasing number of foreign debt-holders — will get worse. Yet so far, the Democratic leaders have refrained from using words like unpatriotic, irresponsible and dangerous to describe Obama’s budget.

Of course, they would never use such phrases to attack their own team. But the most important thing to understand about Pelosi and Reid is that while their rhetoric has changed, their substance hasn’t. Back in the Bush days, when they were denouncing Republican over-spending, they were also pushing the congressional leadership to spend more, not less, on just about everything. Now, returned to power, they’re doing the same thing. Only bigger.

Libertarians We Can Trust In -- Good News In My Minds Eye

2010-04-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

From: Eric Dondero, Libertarian Republican

With his son Rand in a hotly contested race for the Republican nomination for US Senate, Ron Paul may be treading a bit more lightly on the non-interventionist/isolationist rhetoric of the past. In fact, he may even be inching closer to a more mainstream Republican view.

The younger Paul of course, is running on a strong defense platform. In fact, he's made some statements like supporting intervention against Iran over nuclear missiles, and fiercely opposing closing down Gitmo, that have likely made some Ron Paulist's hairs stand on end.

Cong. Paul sent out a press release endorsing Senate primary candidate and his former House colleague John Hostettler in Indiana. In the 4th paragraph down he made the following slightly nuanced remark:
John also understands that we need to fight for a stronger national defense, where we support our troops and defend our country without policing the world or subsidizing the security of other wealthy nations.
A "stronger national defense"? Defending "our country?" Those are welcomed sentiments by those of us who are in the Pro-Defense wing of the libertarian movement....

...(read more)...

Allen West Pep Rally

2010-04-18T21:28:00.001-07:00

http://allenwestforcongress.com/

POLAND PAPER: 'Obama Goes Golfing Instead of Attending Kaczynskis' Funeral'... Obama Plays 32nd Round of Golf During Presidency -- Bush Played 24 Over Span of 8 Years

2010-04-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

Washington Times

...Mr. Obama has played golf far more often than former President George W. Bush. In his eight years in office, Mr. Bush played just 24 times. His last time as president was Oct. 13, 2003.

He said in 2008 that he gave up golf "in solidarity" with the families of soldiers who were dying in Iraq.

"I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf," Mr. Bush said in a White House interview Saturday with the Politico. "I feel I owe it to the families to be as — to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal."

He stopped playing after he received word of a deadly attack in Iraq while playing golf during a stay at the family ranch near Crawford, Texas....

...(read more)...

The Party of Peace and Tolerance Attacks

2010-04-18T15:53:00.000-07:00

(Big Gov Story)

On Friday April 9, 2010, GOP official Allee Bautsch ahd her boyfriend Joe Brown attended a Republican dinner at Brennan’s restaurant in New Orleans. When they left this event they were followed from the restaurant by a group of five white men who hurled insults at them calling Allee a “little blond bitch” and calling Joe a “f**king f*ggot.” They brutally beat and stomped on the young Republican couple just blocks from the restaurant.

Allee Bautsch suffered a broken leg from the beatdown outside to the SRLC dinner at Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans. She had her leg operated on over the weekend and it will take her months to recover. Her boyfriend Joe Brown suffered a broken nose, a broken jaw, and a concussion. They were attacked after leaving the Southern Republican Leadership Conference dinner at Brennan’s Restaurant...

...(read more)...

Katherine Jenerette's Tea Party Speech

2010-04-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

Libertarian Republican h/t

Katherine Jenerette, former U.S. Congressional Field Representative for the 1st District, SC; U.S. Army Veteran Persian Gulf War - Army Paratrooper; Married mother of four and college History Professor. April 15, 2010 - Myrtle Beach Tea Party Federal Tax Protest. She gave the Tea Party a taste of her unconventional campaign style for the U.S. Congress. Katherine then went to Charleston, SC for that Tea Party celebration.

http://www.jenerette.com/

Tea-Party "Leader" Slams Heraldo! Good Stuff

2010-04-18T14:12:00.001-07:00

(For the hit-piece, go to HotAir)

John Stossel - Teaching Capitalism in our Schools

2010-04-18T13:35:00.001-07:00

Taxed Cartoons (Cartoon Catchup)

2010-04-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

Killing Babies for Dreams

2010-04-18T07:44:00.000-07:00

"No One Is Increasing Taxes"

2010-04-17T23:15:00.000-07:00

(HotAir h/t)

Global Warming My Arse! (Temps from Vostok, Antarctica)

2010-04-17T23:02:00.000-07:00

	Sunday Overcast. High: -72 °F . Wind WSW 6 mph . Windchill: -133 °F .
	Sunday Night Overcast. Low: -101 °F . Wind West 8 mph . Windchill: -124 °F .
	Monday Chance of Snow. Overcast. High: -56 °F . Wind North 13 mph . 20% chance of precipitation (trace amounts). Windchill: -126 °F .
	Monday Night Chance of Snow. Overcast. Low: -94 °F . Wind NW 13 mph . 20% chance of precipitation (trace amounts). Windchill: -128 °F .
	Tuesday Overcast. High: -68 °F . Wind WNW 13 mph . Windchill: -121 °F .
	Tuesday Night Overcast. Low: -101 °F . Wind WNW 11 mph . Windchill: -133 °F .
	Wednesday Overcast. High: -81 °F . Wind West 6 mph . Windchill: -135 °F .
	Wednesday Night Overcast. Low: -110 °F . Wind SSW 17 mph . Windchill: -153 °F .
	Thursday Overcast. High: -81 °F . Wind South 6 mph . Windchill: -135 °F .
	Thursday Night Overcast. Low: -108 °F . Wind WSW 11 mph . Windchill: -137 °F .
	Friday Overcast. High: -76 °F . Wind WSW 15 mph . Windchill: -140 °F .
	Friday Night Partly Cloudy. Low: -94 °F . Wind SSW 8 mph . Windchill: -124 °F .
	Saturday Overcast. High: -56 °F . Wind South 11 mph . Windchill: -121 °F .
	Saturday Night Chance of Snow. Overcast. Low: -81 °F . Wind ESE 17 mph . 20% chance of precipitation (trace amounts). Windchill: -119 °F .

Rieti Hill Climb (I wish this was HD)

2010-04-17T08:11:00.001-07:00

Did Obama Give 95% of Peaople a "Tax Cut"? (Responding to a recent recantation of this 95% myth)

2010-04-17T07:19:00.000-07:00

Obama's 95% Illusion

It depends on what the meaning of 'tax cut' is.

Wall Street Journal, October 13, 2008

One of Barack Obama's most potent campaign claims is that he'll cut taxes for no less than 95% of "working families." He's even promising to cut taxes enough that the government's tax share of GDP will be no more than 18.2% -- which is lower than it is today.

It's a clever pitch, because it lets him pose as a middle-class tax cutter while disguising that he's also proposing one of the largest tax increases ever on the other 5%. But how does he conjure this miracle, especially since more than a third of all Americans already pay no income taxes at all? There are several sleights of hand, but the most creative is to redefine the meaning of "tax cut."

For the Obama Democrats, a tax cut is no longer letting you keep more of what you earn. In their lexicon, a tax cut includes tens of billions of dollars in government handouts that are disguised by the phrase "tax credit." Mr. Obama is proposing to create or expand no fewer than seven such credits for individuals:
A $500 tax credit ($1,000 a couple) to "make work pay" that phases out at income of $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 per couple.
A $4,000 tax credit for college tuition.
A 10% mortgage interest tax credit (on top of the existing mortgage interest deduction and other housing subsidies).
A "savings" tax credit of 50% up to $1,000.
An expansion of the earned-income tax credit that would allow single workers to receive as much as $555 a year, up from $175 now, and give these workers up to $1,110 if they are paying child support.
A child care credit of 50% up to $6,000 of expenses a year.
A "clean car" tax credit of up to $7,000 on the purchase of certain vehicles.
Here's the political catch. All but the clean car credit would be "refundable," which is Washington-speak for the fact that you can receive these checks even if you have no income-tax liability. In other words, they are an income transfer -- a federal check -- from taxpayers to nontaxpayers. Once upon a time we called this "welfare," or in George McGovern's 1972 campaign a "Demogrant." Mr. Obama's genius is to call it a tax cut.

The Tax Foundation estimates that under the Obama plan 63 million Americans, or 44% of all tax filers, would have no income tax liability and most of those would get a check from the IRS each year. The Heritage Foundation's Center for Data Analysis estimates that by 2011, under the Obama plan, an additional 10 million filers would pay zero taxes while cashing checks from the IRS.

The total annual expenditures on refundable "tax credits" would rise over the next 10 years by $647 billion to $1.054 trillion, according to the Tax Policy Center. This means that the tax-credit welfare state would soon cost four times actual cash welfare. By redefining such income payments as "tax credits," the Obama campaign also redefines them away as a tax share of GDP. Presto, the federal tax burden looks much smaller than it really is.

The political left defends "refundability" on grounds that these payments help to offset the payroll tax. And that was at least plausible when the only major refundable credit was the earned-income tax credit. Taken together, however, these tax credit payments would exceed payroll levies for most low-income workers.

It is also true that John McCain proposes a refundable tax credit -- his $5,000 to help individuals buy health insurance. We've written before that we prefer a tax deduction for individual health care, rather than a credit. But the big difference with Mr. Obama is that Mr. McCain's proposal replaces the tax subsidy for employer-sponsored health insurance that individuals don't now receive if they buy on their own. It merely changes the nature of the tax subsidy; it doesn't create a new one.

There's another catch: Because Mr. Obama's tax credits are phased out as incomes rise, they impose a huge "marginal" tax rate increase on low-income workers. The marginal tax rate refers to the rate on the next dollar of income earned. As the nearby chart illustrates, the marginal rate for millions of low- and middle-income workers would spike as they earn more income.

Some families with an income of $40,000 could lose up to 40 cents in vanishing credits for every additional dollar earned from working overtime or taking a new job. As public policy, this is contradictory. The tax credits are sold in the name of "making work pay," but in practice they can be a disincentive to working harder, especially if you're a lower-income couple getting raises of $1,000 or $2,000 a year. One mystery -- among many -- of the McCain campaign is why it has allowed Mr. Obama's 95% illusion to go unanswered.

HealthCare Emporium

2010-04-16T17:37:00.000-07:00

Moving Mountains: Faith in Faith (My First "Sermon" - Given 4-15-10, Tax Day)

2010-04-16T14:12:00.000-07:00

Keep in mind that I envision this presentation being in the middle of a series. While this is not a traditional sermon, this would be fitting for a Saturday night series or adult class sermon. There would also be copious amounts of overhead use for the congregation.

This sermon is one I am ambivalent to preach, there are not any funny stories or happy endings, merely a call to preserve “the faith once and for all given to the saints.” Before we dive in however, since it is the day we give to Caesar what is Caesars, I figured a thought experiment would be fitting:

On a dark street, a man draws a knife and demands my money for drugs.
Instead of demanding my money for drugs, he demands it for the Church.
Instead of being alone, he is with a bishop of the Church who acts as the bagman.
Instead of drawing a knife, he produces a policeman who says I must do as he says.
Instead of meeting me on the street, he mails me his demand as an official agent of the government.
If the first is theft, it is difficult to see why the other four are not also theft.

Contending for the faith can be a grueling job, considering all the variations offered to us.

What is a proper definition of faith?
How can it be applied to our lives?

A sound understanding of faith may take some patience and thoughtful understanding today as we tackle just a few of the many differences between a healthy faith and the kind that leads to a very troubled praxology. We will take the time here to look at some of the key concepts of a healthy faith through a verse many times misapplied. How one interprets Mark 11:20-25 will tell you a lot about a person’s understanding of faith. Again, the verse we will be reading from is Mark 11:20-25, so if you are ready we will jump in.

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.” So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”

This verse is often used to make the point that our faith is big enough to remove any aliment that besets us. It is often combined with another verse from Isaiah 53 that reads in-part, “by Your stripes we are healed.” As you will find, however, context and historical setting are key to a proper understanding of working out these types of verses into our everyday lives and the impact they have on our personal faith. We will cover just a few topics in this presentation, they are:

How these verses are misused by some, and subsequently faith;
we will discuss some of the Jewish cultural context and history involved;
and finally, we will look at an oft overlooked interpretation of these verses.

Starting with how faith is often misused by many of the faithful, we will consider what Pastor Bob DeWaay calls anthropogenic fundamentalism. The term anthropogenic fundamentalism can simply be defined for our purposes as a “man-centered faith,” rather than “God-centered faith.” Or, man trying to capture what God only provides.

E.W. Kenyon, sometimes called the grandfather of the Word-Faith movement, wrote a book entitled, Two Kinds of Faith, in which we find Kenyon saying that “a spiritual law few of us have recognized is that our confessions rule us.” Kenneth Hagin, who is known as the father of the Word-Faith movement, has taken bits-and-pieces from Kenyon and well-known faith healer William Branham and ordered them into a systematic word-faith doctrine, culminating in the opening of Rhema Bible Institute in 1974. Mark 11:23 was one of Hagin’s favorite verses he used to justify his creating verbalized capsules of thinking by “laws of faith” that control one’s circumstances with “formulas.” This was a big-deal to him, even coining the term “have faith in your faith.” In contradistinction Calvin says that…

True faith “unites us to Christ and inserts us into His body creating the bond that enables us to receive, posses, and enjoy Christ Himself.” This is Calvin’s “union with Christ by Spirit worked faith.”

True faith is God centered, and aligns us — or tries to — with God’s will. Not the other way around. There are many examples of what faith should not be, but one James Montgomery Boice mentions that can replace true faith is optimism. Which he simply defines as a “mental attitude which is to cause the thing believed in to happen.” In this “faith in your faith” aspect, you will never hear a person graduating from Rhema pray like Christ did in Matt 26:39:

“My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

A.H. Strong points out that God does “not change his mind when men pray, or when they believe… as [God] fulfills his purpose by inspiring true prayer, so he fulfills his purpose by giving faith.” Finishing his thought Strong quotes Augustine, “He chooses us, not because we believe, but that we may believe….”

You see, we want a faith that unites us to Christ and His work, nothing of ourselves. In Reformational thinking, we are not even capable of generating this kind of faith. Take note that Ephesians 2:8 ends with “it is a gift of God.” Dr. John McArthur points out that faith is included as preceding this statement. By contrast, Kenneth Hagin makes his concept of faith clear when he enumerates his understanding of Mark 11:23:

He believes in his heart,
He believes in his words. Another way to say this is: He has faith in his own faith . . . Having faith in your words is having faith in your faith.”

This “optimism” in one’s faith rather than a God Centered faith is really an old heresy that started with the early influence of Gnosticism on the Desert Fathers. If you do not know about these mysterious persons that are so influential on the emergent version of this Gnostic heresy, here is a quick introduction. These early Desert Fathers were small isolated communities that separated themselves in order to follow God in solitude. They were the early monks, so-to-speak, and were based primarily in the area stretching along the Nile river in Egypt. Originally refugees during the persecution of Christian’s at the hands of the Roman’s, later, they became outposts that attracted many Christian ascetics and hermits. About this same time and place Gnostics were busy writing their texts, the biggest find of which was at Nag Hammadi, Egypt, also along the Nile. Something I argue influenced some of these desert hermits greatly. Gnosticism that is, not the Nile. For example, paleo-theologian Thomas Oden, in his Systematic Theology mentions the following:

Amma Theodora, one of the fourth-century ascetic Desert Mothers, recognized the principle that when “one believes one is ill” the soul tends toward illness. She tells a story of a monk who was seized by cold and fever and horrible headaches every time he began to pray. … one day he said to himself, ‘I am ill, and near to death; so now I will get up before I die and pray,” yet simply by getting up, his fever abated. Merely by doing something positive – just getting up – he was taking a step of faith that tended toward his health. (adapted)

Apologist Robert Bowman documents in his book The Word Faith-Controversy Hagin’s view of “stepping out in faith”

Hagin claims that since 1933 he has never had a headache. This claim should probably be taken with a grain of salt (or perhaps an aspirin!) — since, Hagin has admitted that if he did have a headache he would never tell anyone he did. … he did admit once that his “head started hurting” but claims that by telling the devil, “In the name of Jesus I do not have a headache,” the pain went away. So when Hagin says he has not had a headache or been sick since 1933, he means he has never admitted to such ailments. (adapted)

So this Mind/body dichotomy found in Eastern thinking which infected the early church in some form via Gnosticism was seemingly addressed in-part early in Paul’s ministry as documented in Corinthians 15.

Now, As some may know, others here may not, my father was deeply involved in this understanding of faith. He would routinely claim financial success and good health as a matter of habit… neither of which he ever truly possessed. A few years back he was very-very sick. He looked and felt awful. However, he refused to go to the hospital, instead, he spoke health and healing to his body. When he finally acquiesced to the pain that C.S. Lewis says is our body verbalizing that something is wrong, he was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer. In case you do not know, colon cancer is one of the most survivable cancers one could contract today. Rejecting his doctors advice of immediate surgery, my father found renewed vigor that he wasn’t truly sick — even yelling at me in the doctor’s office:

“GET BEHIND ME SATAN!!” (pointing an accusing finger at me)

In surreal fashion and doggedly claiming that this sickness was curable via faith in his faith, his body no longer allowed him the option of denial and he gave way to his doctor’s advice. Even with surgery, he had waited too long.

On October 25th, 2008, I was reading Scripture to my dad who was recently sent home with me diagnosed with two-months to live when his breathing started getting worse than it already was. I stopped reading from the Word and started to fluff the pillows and blankets surrounding my father. He managed to gasp “help” and shortly thereafter was strong enough to cry a bit… as… did I… all the while telling him that I loved him while wiping the drool from his mouth and the sweat from his brow. I could not dial 911 or call for help because my father was sent home with us for this reason… to pass as comfortable as possible. All I could do is watch my father suffocate to death. He looked scared. I suspect for a few reasons, one is man’s tendency to not want to die. Another reason is that if your faith is connected to your health and your health fails… failing faith in God’s finished work on the cross is not far behind. He was coming to the stark reality that his theology was flawed and death is a one-for-one statistic.

While I know the work wrought on Calvary’s Cross was bigger than my dad’s praxology, his view of faith led to a troubled walk that stifled his connecting with God and God’s people in a healthy well balanced manner. Even shortening his own life considerably.

Another example of faith gone awry is told by a fellow contributor to a group blog dealing with the Word-Faith heresy. After John graduated from Rhema Bible Institute — having his degree conferred to him by Kenneth Hagin — he founded and pastored over a church for some years all the while living and teaching this formulaic view of faith. His children were steeped in this belief system. One day his daughter fell very ill, so John and his wife brought her to the emergency room. They were told that their daughter had inoperable brain cancer. The doctors were at a loss. Usually this illness showed some signs that would possibly have allowed them to save her life. John and his wife, after talking to their daughter, were horrified to learn that she had in fact been getting horrible headaches for quite some time. Staying true to her accepted theology she would dutifully rebuke these headaches and go on with her ignoring of them in light of her optimism.

Needless to say John is no longer affiliated with the Word Faith movement. Thankfully, he is still a Christian, and a strong one at that. John touches many lives for the better after he disbanded his church and wrote on his experiences. Many, however, walk away from the faith after their disillusionment is excised through the circumstances of life.

These two stark examples are the consequences of anthropomorphic fundamentalism, making oneself god in some sense of the word by guiding your own faith rather than allowing Godly faith in.

Another important aspect that seems to be missed by these Word Faith types is that the Bible incorporates parables, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, and history. Within these categories you will find metaphors, symbols, and elevated language. For instance, in Psalm 91:4 we read, “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.” Obviously God the Father being Spirit, known only by God the Son, does not have literal feathers. Reading on in the verse we find it is a metaphor for God protecting us like armor — just more comfortably… metaphorically speaking.

Likewise, we find commonly used in the Jewish texts of the day speech about “removing mountains” as metaphorical for an “infinitely long or virtually impossible task accomplished only by the most pious of rabbi’s.” James Brooks in his commentary on Mark mentions that Mark 11:23 may be an “allusion… to the temple mount, in which case faith in God makes the temple system obsolete.” You see, since we are considered “priests” or “rabbi’s” in God’s new and better covenant, we do not rely on our own piousness, but Christ’s alone.

So the question, I think, becomes this: “as priests, what types of unmovable mountains would be in the context of our offering of prayer to the object of our faith?” In Matthew 5:23-24 we find this:

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

Let’s compare this to the passage we are reading in Mark, starting a bit into verse 24:

…whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

(Brothers?) True faith causes good works, so in this salvonic understanding: forgiveness of our brother or our enemies is often times an insurmountable task and one that shows true regeneration. Therefore, with faith based in what God has already done for us while we were yet sinners, forgiveness of others is what we are called to.

With that PapaG’ism in mind, do not forget that this verse is connected to Christ overturning tables for a second time on the Temple Mount and cursing the fig-tree as representative of Israel’s faithlessness, another seemingly insurmountable task. As applicable and connective as I think these comments are, there is yet another often overlooked understanding which keeps Christ firmly in context, and not us.

Again, James Brooks mentions that Jesus may have been referencing “the Mount of Olives and the Dead Sea,” the “latter being seen from the summit of the former.” William Lane expands on this in his commentary on Mark, mentioning likewise that the…

…Dead Sea is visible from the Mount of Olives and it is appropriate to take the reference to “this mountain” quite literally. An allusion may be intended to Zech. 14:4. In the eschatological day described there the Mount of Olives is to be split in two, and when the Lord assumes his kingship “the whole land shall be turned into a plain” (Zech. 14:10). The prayer in question is then specifically a Passover prayer for God to establish his reign.

Evangelical scholar Walter Elwell likewise hits on this idea:

Jesus has acted out two parables of terrible impending judgment of unbelief—the withering of the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple; now, in response to Peter’s remark, he turns to the vital component in the eschatological drama that is inexorably coming to pass, namely, faith in God. This Israel does not have, but the disciples can and must have faith if they are to participate as victors in the coming destruction of the enemy-occupied land which will split at the Mount of Olives when the terrible day comes that precedes the kingly reign of the Lord over the whole earth (so Zech. 14:1–11). Jesus urges his disciples to pray with the faith expressed in Isaiah 65:24 and participate with him in the new exodus, and so avoid the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the faithless land. But they must humbly seek forgiveness and harbor no resentment (v. 25), as Israel has not done in the presence of Jesus the Son, if they are to stand in the Father’s righteousness through this cataclysmic time.

So like the parable of the faithful and wise servant (Luke 12:35-48), we must watch over this great gift of faith and its awesome responsibility by prayer to the object of our faith… asking for these mountains of faithlessness, self-centeredness, and our unforgiving hearts to be cleared daily by God’s word and our union with Him… always saying like John did, “come Lord Jesus, come!"

Bibliography
Boice, James Montgomery. Foundations of the Christian Faith. Downers Grove, Illinoise: Inter Varsity Press, 1986.
Bowman, Robert M. The Word-Faith Controversy: Understanding the Health and Wealth Gospel. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2001.
Budziszewski, J. The Revenge of Conscience: Politics and the Fall of Man. Dallas, Texas: Spence Publishing, 2004.
Dewaay,Bob. The Emerging Church: Undefining Christianity. Saint Louise Park, Minnesota: Bob Dewaay, 2009.
Geisler, Norman, Thomas Howe. When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook On Bible Difficulties. Wheaton, Illinoise: Victor Books, 1992.
Hall, David W., Peter A. Lillback, ed. A Theological Guide to Calvin’s Institutes: Essays and Analysis. Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P & R Publishing, 2008.
Hanegraaff, Hank. Christianity In Crisis: 21st Century. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, 2009.
Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinoise: Inter Varsity Press, 1993.
Kelly, Douglas F. Systematic Theology: The God Who Is: The Holy Trinity. Vol. 1. Ross-Shire: Christian Focus Publications, 2008.
Kenyon, E.W. The Two Kinds of Faith: Faith’s Secret Revealed. Lynnwood, Washington: Kenyon’s Gospel Publishing Society, 1969.
Lane, William L. The Gospel According to Mark. Edited by F.F. Bruce. Vol. 2. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdman’s Publishing, 1974.
Lewis, C.S. The Problem of Pain. New York, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996.
Lewis, Gordon R., Bruce A. Demarest. Integrative Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1996.
MacArthur, John. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2007.
McConnell, D.R. A Different Gospel: Biblical and Historical Insights Into the Word of Faith Movement. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1995.
Oden, Thomas C. Systematic Theology: The Living God. Vol. 1. 3 vols. Peabody, Massachusettes: Hendrickson Publishers, 2006.
Strong, A.H. Systematic Theology. New York, New York: A.C. Armstrong and Son, 1896.
Yungen, Ray. A Time of Departing. 2nd. Silverton, Oregon: Lighthouse Trails Publishing, 2006.

Post Script: I wanted to point out just a couple of after thoughts. The first part of the verse we read from (v. 20), there is an interesting event that is mentioned. Something I know the Jewish mind would have surely known considering how well the pharisees knew (at least memorized) Scripture. in verse 20 we read this: "Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots." Now let's read from Hosea 9:16, and then from Job 18:16, respectively.

Ephraim is stricken;
their root is dried up;
they shall bear no fruit.
Even though they give birth,
I will put their beloved children to death.

His roots dry up beneath,
and his branches wither above.

This miracle of Jesus cursing the fig-tree then, can be seen as one of the many instances Jesus showed Israel He was their Messiah through fulfilling of Old Testament prophecy. Another quick thing I wish to point out is that many Bibles seperate verse 25 from verses 20-24. This shouldn't be. I think you can completely drop verse 26 and not include that at all, however, verses 20-25 should be looked at as a cohesive pericope.

Joan Walsh -- April 14 edition of Hardball vs. December 30, 2009 edition of Hardball

2010-04-15T20:43:00.001-07:00

(NewsBusters h/t)

How Complex Is Our Tax Code??

2010-04-15T20:39:00.001-07:00

Russia and Israel - Eschatology Watch

2010-04-15T18:43:00.000-07:00

MOSCOW, (PIC) -- The Russian foreign ministry on Wednesday warned of implementing the Israeli military order 1650 that went into effect on Tuesday and that allows the expulsion of thousands of Palestinian citizens from the West Bank.

Russian foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said that the decision would escalate tensions in the region and might lead to instability in the Palestinian land.

Following is the statement of Nesterenko on the Israeli decision:

"Israel’s possible implementation of these decisions is cause for the most serious concern. It may entail a further sharp aggravation of tension in Palestinian-Israeli relations and in the region as a whole and destabilize the situation in the Palestinian territories.

The planned actions look especially provocative amid efforts by the world community, primarily through the Quartet, to facilitate resumption of the Palestinian-Israeli negotiation process with the ultimate goal of establishing an independent Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in peace and security.

We have repeatedly in recent weeks underscored the urgent need to refrain from actions that prejudge the outcome of negotiations, and in general can dangerously “heat up” the situation. We reaffirm this Russian position and urge the Israeli side to reconsider its decisions and moves in the West Bank."

The Black Confederate

2010-04-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

Great Photo

2010-04-15T18:25:00.000-07:00

I Love This Era... But This Is a First For Me

2010-04-15T18:09:00.001-07:00

Obama, Econ Professor, and Tests

2010-04-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had once failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan".
All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A...

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.

The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

Could not be any simpler than that. (Please pass this on)

Remember, there is a test coming up. The mid-term election in 2010!

Good Enough?

2010-04-15T10:00:00.001-07:00

Re-Birth of Birtherism - Well, If There Is Any Truth To This, Maybe This Will Settle It? Nah... Just Joking

2010-04-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

Some Video & Pics from My Son's Graduation from MCRD - A New Marine Is Birthed

2010-04-14T05:50:00.000-07:00

"Display run" prior to hanging out with family on Family Day

(Dom-Diego) Family Day Run from Papa Giorgio on Vimeo.

Dismissed - Family Day

(Dom-Diego) Dismissed from Papa Giorgio on Vimeo.

Lining up for graduation formation

(Dom-Diego) Last Formation for Boot Camp from Papa Giorgio on Vimeo.

Dismissed! This is the LAST order Dom will hear from his D.I. (Drill Instructor)

(Dom-Diego) Last Order from Drill Sgt. -- Dismissed! from Papa Giorgio on Vimeo.

Herman Cain @ Southern Republican Leadership Conference

2010-04-12T06:20:00.000-07:00

(HotAir h/t)

Ahead of Their Time ~ I-PAD Commercial MAD-TV, Recorded In 2006

2010-04-07T07:07:00.000-07:00

(Caution - Adult Theme, MadTV)

I will be gone for about a week

2010-04-06T22:47:00.000-07:00

I did change and add some stuff though... to keep you busy. In the left-hand column I joined the Prager & Medved boxes with other "Pundits & Personalities." I added many Milton Friedman videos via LibertyPen, more to come of Stossel, Sowell, Williams, and others.

I am going down to San Diego to pick up a Marine.

The Free Lunch Myth -- Why We Should Drop The Corporate Tax Altogether

2010-04-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

Judge Andrew Napolitano Discusses The Constitutional Implications Of The Congressional Proposal To Force Individuals To Purchase Health Insurance (An Oldie But Goodie)

2010-04-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

Milton Friedman & the Pencil -- Money Bringing Thousands of People Together

2010-04-06T18:07:00.000-07:00

Glenn Beck in Documentary Form Discusses Fascism and Communism

2010-04-06T12:47:00.001-07:00

Medved Mixing It Up with College Students at Washington University

2010-04-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

Regime Based on Oil

"I am a revolutionary communist..."

Michael Medved On Birth Certificate Nonsense - A Liberal 9/11 "truthers" Started This

2010-04-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

Michael Medved Debunks the Many Conspiracies Surrounding Obama's Birth from Papa Giorgio on Vimeo.