SGT Pundit

IN WHAT MANNER SHALL I CONDUCT MY LIFE?

2005-09-08T11:51:00.000-10:00

I was reading the Geeks site today and he had a post regarding big questions. One he mentioned in particular was "In what manner shall I conduct my life?" I'll let his words speak for him.

I once articulated an answer to the third question in a moment of exasperation. I was talking with a friend, concerning a local problem involving people behaving badly.

Closing my eyes and shaking my head, I went off.

"You know, it's not freaking rocket science. Anyone can do it. Just be a {bleep bleep} decent human being. All you really need is to the best of your ability, be brave, speak truths, be willing to learn, have at least a small dose of humility handy, keep your word, and don't go out of your way to harm anyone. I mean, really, even if you get that half right, a quarter right, you'd be a quantum leap ahead of the sort of nonsense we're talking about. You'd think that after umpteen bazillion years of human civilization this all would be common knowledge, and we'd have it down by now."

My friend opened his mouth to speak. I knew what was coming next. He was a Fundamentalist of some flavor or another, and I hadn't made reference to giving oneself over to his particular Deity of choice, or the inherent imperfection and sinful nature of man.

Being a Secular Jesuslander, I get that every once in a blue. It is sometimes outside of the worldview and experience of some of my religiously observant acquaintances that human decency is possible without immolating oneself in the Deity.

I was pleasantly surprised when he closed his mouth, and acknowledged the simple, clear truth of what I said.

"Yeah, you're right. It's not rocket science."

Speaking from a Christian point of view, I agree with what the Geek has to say here, but only within the limits of his stated parameters. If your only goal is to live a "good life", then the Geeks advice will indeed get you to your goal. Where we differ is in our goal. While it is admirable to strive to live a good life, the question has to be asked, by whose standard are you measuring good? Your own? Your mom's? Your circle of friends? Societies? My goal is not to live a good life because the standard I have accepted as "good" is unattainable, that is the standard set forth in the Bible. My goal is to live a life pleasing to God. Living a life which is pleasing to God means obeying Gods commandments, being humble, loving your neighbor, and loving God. It also means acknowladging your fallen, sinful nature, and seeking forgiveness for your sins. While it's true that the outward behavior of a person who lives as I have described and one who lives as the Geek has described will be quite similar, the difference lies in the heart. For the Christian, it is the heart that matters, because it is the heart that God examines. I do not live my life to please man (including myself), I live my life to please God. Living to please man might earn you respect, but it will not keep you from recieving judgement for your sins. Only Christ can do that.

Paul speaks to this issue in Phillipians 3.

Some great essays

2005-08-30T08:48:00.000-10:00

Jennifer Roback Morse has written an excellent article at Townhall on so-called "reproductive rights."

Dennis Prager, possibly the most eloquent advocate of moral clarity in the present day, has a question to pose to those who would oppose the war.

Beatitudes: Part 1 of 8

2005-08-22T16:57:00.000-10:00

Over the course of the next eight weeks I'll be writing a few observations on the "Beatitudes" portion of the "Sermon on the Mount." Much of what follows is derived from the teachings of Pastor Derald Skinner, Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Pearl Harbor.

Matt 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

What does it mean to be "poor in spirit"? The phrase is not used anywhere else in scripture. Henry's commentary defines the poor in spirit thus,

"They are humble and lowly in their own eyes. They see their want, bewail their guilt, and thirst after a Redeemer."

I believe that the key word here is "humble". Humility is the foundation for salvation. This is because, if you are prideful in all things, you will not recognize your need for a savior. If you don't recognize your need for a savior on a deep level that goes beyond the mere intellectual, how can you truly repent? How can you submit to the lordship of Christ? Only a man who knows his weaknesses can surrender to Christ. And only one who has surrendered to Christ can inherit the kingdom of heaven.

Also see:
Matthew 18:1-5

Philippians 2:3-4

Grief and Validity

2005-08-17T11:05:00.000-10:00

One of the most observed fallacies in liberal logic today is that of ad hominem attack, or more specifically "ad hominem circumstantial". Cindy Sheehan is a perfect example of this. She and her supporters purport that anybody who disagrees with her should be dismissed out of hand because they have not lost a child in the war and she has. While this may be true, it has no bearing whatsoever on the merits of either Mrs. Sheehans argument or the argument of he/she who would oppose her. Likewise this applies to Sarah Brady, the fact that her husband was tragically wounded by a madman with a gun does not lend any credance at all to her arguments in favor of gun control. Furthermore, the fact that I have not had a loved one killed or injured by gun violence does not invalidate my arguments against it. There was a politician in Kalifornia a while ago (her name eludes me) who had been shot by a so-called "assault rifle". Whenever anybody attempted to then debate her on the issue she would reflexivly ask them "Have you been shot by an assault rifle?" implying that they had not and therefore were not qualified to debate her on the issue and should just shut up. Of course this is utter tripe, any first year philosophy student can tell you that an argument stands or falls based on its premises and conclusion being sound, the circumstances of the person who presents the argument are completely irrelevent.

Quote of the Day

2005-08-17T10:56:00.000-10:00

"Mr. Bush's attempt at spending discipline has been especially limp. Back in 1987, when Mr. Reagan applied his veto to what was generally known at the time as the highway and mass transit bill, he was offended by the 152 earmarks for pet projects favored by members of Congress. But on Wednesday Mr. Bush signed a transportation bill containing no fewer than 6,371 earmarks. Each one of these, as Mr. Reagan understood but Mr. Bush apparently doesn't, amounts to a conscious decision to waste taxpayers' dollars. One point of an earmark is to direct money to a project that would not receive money as a result of rational judgments based on cost-benefit analyses." --The Washington Post

President Bush is by no means perfect, and I have disagreed with him on many an occasion, but never as much as I disagree with his lack of frugality with our money. On this issue he is indistinguishable from the anybody on the left. He fights the good fight on Social Security (spit) but passes thru a bill packed with enough pork to supply all of Africa with bacon for life. I believe that this issue, coupled with immagration will be the achilles heel of the stupid party.

The Politics of Cows

2005-08-13T18:27:00.000-10:00

Yeah, this is an e-mail somebody forwarded to me, but I thought it was funny enough to post here.

DEMOCRATIC
You have two cows.
Your neighbor has none.
You feel guilty for being successful.
Barbara Streisand sings for you.

REPUBLICAN
You have two cows.
Your neighbor has none.
So?

SOCIALIST
You have two cows.
The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor.
You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.

COMMUNIST
You have two cows.
The government seizes both and provides you with milk.
You wait in line for hours to get it.
It is expensive and sour.

CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows.
You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.

BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows.
Under the new farm program the government pays you to shoot one, milk the other, and then pours the milk down the drain.

AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one.
You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows.
You are surprised when one cow drops dead.
You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses.
Your stock goes up.

FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You go on strike because you want three cows.
You go to lunch and drink wine.
Life is good.

JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.
They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains.
Most are at the top of their class at cow school.

GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour.
Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.

ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows but you don't know where they are.
While ambling around, you see a beautiful woman.
You break for lunch.
Life is good.

RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You have some vodka.
You count them and learn you have five cows.
You have some more vodka.
You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.
The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.

TALIBAN CORPORATION
You have all the cows in Afghanistan, which are two.
You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature' private parts.
You get a $40 million grant from the US government to find alternatives to milk production but use the money to buy weapons.

IRAQI CORPORATION
You have two cows.
They go into hiding.
They send radio tapes of their mooing.

POLISH CORPORATION
You have two bulls.
Employees are regularly maimed and killed attempting to milk them.

BELGIAN CORPORATION
You have one cow.
The cow is schizophrenic.
Sometimes the cow thinks she's French, other times she's Flemish.
The Flemish cow won't share with the French cow.
The French cow wants control of the Flemish cow's milk.
The cow asks permission to be cut in half.
The cow dies happy.

FLORIDA CORPORATION
You have a black cow and a brown cow.
Everyone votes for the best looking one.
Some of the people who actually like the brown one
best accidentally vote for the black one.
Some people vote for both.
Some people vote for neither.
Some people can't figure out how to vote at all.
Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which one you think is the best looking cow.

CALIFORNIA CORPORATION
You have millions of cows.
They make real California cheese.
Only five speak English.
Most are illegals.
Arnold likes the ones with the big udders.

A Peek Into Somebodies Private Life

2005-08-10T13:24:00.000-10:00

If you really want to see how people live, you need to get a job that entails entering other peoples homes. Some of the observations I made when I was a plumber in SoCal:

1. Most dirt poor, illeagal aliens keep very neat and tidy homes. Their children tend to be well behaved, but not their dogs. Also, most mexican women can cook food that smells so good that I considered waving my fee if they would let me stay for dinner, of course they weren't the ones paying us, their landlord was.

2. Some people live in filth that would make a hog blush. I have seen filth that the average person can't imagine. Garbage (including rotting food) all over the floor , clothes as far as the eye can see (I assume there was a floor only because the clothes/trash had to be resting on something, I couldn't actually see it), kids running around looking like refugees from a "Feed the Children" commercial. I could not imagine living like that at all, let alone of my own accord.

3. There is no stench quite like the stench of a house that is home to ten or more cats, especially when those cats belong to an elderly person who is too infirm to properly care for them. Litter boxes overflow, cats find new "litter boxs", and sometimes a cat will crawl behind a piece of furniture and die, its corpse remaining untouched for God only knows how long. I guarantee that nothing short of a sulfer factory even comes close, an open sewer is like a fresh spring breeze by comparison.

4. Many housewives can be very .....uhh.....friendly. I was always professional and never took advantage of the situation, but I could have.

My Biggest Pet Peeve

2005-08-09T22:31:00.000-10:00

Well, it may not be my biggest, but it's the biggest one I'm thinking of right at this moment. People who don't use turn signals!!!! If there is a better way to tell the world that you are a self absorbed butt munch, I'm not aware of it. Turn signals aren't for you, they are for everybody else. They are there for no other reason other than to inform your fellow driver of your intentions and allow them to plan accordingly. Now, I know for a fact that every car made for at least the last 35 years came equipped from the factory with turn signals, and I also know that their use isn't a difficult skill to master. Yet for some reason (cough, arrogent, self absorbed, inconsideration, cough) many people can't seem to muster the requisite arm strength required to flip that little lever on their steering column before they change lanes on the freeway. What's even worse is when said person is going 20 mph over the limit and weaving thru traffic like Mario Andretti on crack. Let me make this clear, if you want to speed, whatever, I don't care as long as you don't a)talk on your cell phone b)tailgate c)cut people off. I don't consider speeding (within reason) in and of itself to be overtly dangerous, but tailgating, cutting people off, driving distracted, and not using your turn signals are overtly dangerous. As a motorcyclist who witnesses the carnival of horror and stupidity that is the average American freeway on a daily basis, it occurs to me that most unsafe acts that occur on our interstates are indeed driven by selfishness, lack of awareness, and a general sense that "I am the only person in the world, or at least the only one that matters." And my fellow motorcyclist, don't think I'm letting you off the hook, we can be just as bad (or worse) than the cagers. We are just less likely to cause death on a large scale.

RIP Peter Jennings

2005-08-08T20:57:00.000-10:00

I wonder if Tobey Keith is going to sing at the funeral?

I Hate Spending Money!!!!!

2005-08-08T20:52:00.000-10:00

Had to spend almost $400 this weekend on my bike. 8000 mile service, new front tire, and a saftey inspection. I really like the new tire though. It's a Dunlap Sportmaxx and it dives in really well. I just nudge the bike and it turns like it's on rails, great feeling.

Witnessing vs. Debating

2005-08-05T16:59:00.000-10:00

What do you do when your discourse becomes an argument? Often when we attempt to share our faith we let our zeal get the better of us, and since I'm argumentative by nature this has happened to me quite often and generally speaking it's my fault. It usually happens when talking with a so-called atheist. I believe the problem lies with the approach that I have used in the past. Instead of sharing the love of Christ I have tried to use logic. I now realize that logic only works with somebody who is open to the Word. Somebody who is looking for a savior can be nudged toward Christ by using reason, but a dogmatic "atheist", not a chance. They must first realize their fallen nature, their need for redemption, and their helplessness. The bible gives a great example of what happens when we try to reach a hostile person or group through logic, behold Acts 9:22-23,28-29

22But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

And how do you think this turned out for our zealous young convert?

23Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. 24But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. 25Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket.

Hmmmm, not quite the reaction he expected. Maybe the folks in Damascus were an aberration and a change of venue was in order, Jerusalem perhaps?

28So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. 29And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him.

Errr, maybe not. Now I suppose you could argue that Paul wasn't having any success in Jerusalem and Damascus because these were Jews and he was called to preach to the gentiles, but I reject that argument because it is akin to saying "I'm called to be a missionary in Africa therefore witnessing to anybody here in the states would be useless and would bare no fruit." Besides, the Hellanists were not Jews, they were Greek.

My point is, save the debate for your political discussions and use the love of Christ as your primary witnessing tool.

Education Debate

2005-08-04T07:52:00.000-10:00

On the foolishness that is the debate over teaching intelligent design in schools, what a bunch of crap. If our intent is to provide our children with the best education possible, if our intention is to give them a wide array of facts, and if our intention is to be intellectually honest, then intelligent design must be taught in school. That does not mean that it has to be taught from an explicitly Judeo-Christian POV, only that the concept of intelligent design, which can be presented in a manner which is religiously neutral, should be taught if for no other reason than because there are many, many respectable scientists who believe it to be a viable theory. The fact of the matter is, despite the numerous gaping holes in the evolutionary world view (lack of transitional forms, circular reasoning in the fossil record, and inconsistencies in radio-carbon dating just for starters), evolution is taught exclusively in schools because the intelligensia find the concept of intelligent design, with all that it implies, repulsive. I do not fear evolutionary theory, I welcome open debate about the origins of life and the universe, opponents of teaching intelligent design in public school do not share this feeling. That alone should tell you something.

Highly Reccomended

2005-08-01T17:03:00.000-10:00

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Federalist Patriot, I would highly recommend that you check them out. They have some great stuff.

Spending Millions to Tell You Something You Already Know

2005-08-01T16:57:00.000-10:00

I hope you're sitting down because what I'm about to say is going to shock you. Are you ready? SMOKING IS BAD FOR YOU!!! Real shocker huh? What's that you say? You already knew that? Then why in the name of all that is holy do I have to see a barrage of anti-smoking commercials everytime I sit down to watch something on the tube. Not only do the tobacco companies have to fund these moronic commercials, but they have gone beyond telling us smoking is bad to telling us how the tobacco companies are full of maniacal billionairs who meet in dark conference rooms in the middle of the night to worship Beealzebub and plot to get second graders hooked on their products. And while we're on the subject of the anti-smoking crusaders, let me point out just a bit of hypocracy. It has been my experience that most of the vehement do-gooders are either young liberals or soccer moms. So I have a hard time buying the "People shouldn't smoke because they get sick and cost the rest of us money" arguement when it comes from two groups with a solid record of backing tax dollar draining, social engineering programs. All this and I don't even smoke.

More Campus Free Speech Follies

2005-08-01T16:50:00.000-10:00

WAYNE, N.J., July 20, 2005—William Paterson University in New Jersey has convicted student employee Jihad Daniel of “discrimination” and “harassment”—without due process—for describing homosexuality as a “perversion” in a private response to a professor’s unsolicited announcement of a university event that promoted a positive view of lesbian relationships.

Daniel’s “offense” took place on March 8, 2005, when he responded to an unsolicited e-mail from Professor Arlene Holpp Scala, chair of the department of women’s studies, about a viewing and discussion of a film described as “a lesbian relationship story.” Daniel privately replied to Professor Scala, requesting that he not be sent “any mail about ‘Connie and Sally’ and ‘Adam and Steve.’” Daniel went on, “These are perversions. The absence of God in higher education brings on confusion. That is why in these classes the Creator of the heavens and the earth is never mentioned.”

On March 10, Professor Scala filed a complaint with the university’s Office of Employment Equity and Diversity, accusing Daniel of violating university nondiscrimination policy because his message “sound[ed] threatening” and because she didn’t want to “feel threatened at [her] place of work when [she] send[s] out announcements about events that address lesbian issues.”

Director of Employment Equity and Diversity John I. Sims subsequently proceeded to “investigate” Scala’s complaint. On June 15, William Paterson President Arnold Speert wrote Daniel a letter of reprimand, stating that “the investigator concluded that since the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of ‘perversion’…is clearly a ‘derogatory or demeaning’ term,” Daniel therefore was guilty of violating state discrimination and harassment regulations. The president also wrote that the letter of reprimand would be placed in Daniel’s permanent employee file.

Full Article

Hate in the Name of God

2005-07-29T11:51:00.000-10:00

There is a saying in Texas "Some people are only alive because it's illeagal to kill them." I would say that this has never been truer than in the case of Mr Fred Phelps. Phelps, a "pastor" in Kansas likes to protest at the funerals of fallen US soldiers.

BOISE, Idaho -- A Kansas preacher and gay rights foe whose congregation is protesting military funerals around the country said he's coming to Idaho on today to picket the memorial for an Idaho National Guard soldier killed in Iraq.

Westboro Baptist either has protested or is planning protests of other public funerals of soldiers from Michigan, Alabama, Minnesota, Virginia and Colorado. A protest is planned for July 11 at Dover Air Force Base, the military base where war dead are transported before being sent on to their home states.

"Our attitude toward what's happening with the war is the Lord is punishing this evil nation for abandoning all moral imperatives that are worth a dime," Phelps said.

If ever somebody needed an attitude adjustment, it was this chap. I'll be posting an essay on why Mr Phelps' stance is completely unbiblical this weekend.

Honda Ridgeline

2005-07-27T11:14:00.000-10:00

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that the Honda Ridgeline is going to be a flop two reasons. I'll list them here for you. Don't thank me, I'm a giver.

1. Asthetics - the Honda truck looks like the bastard love child of an H2 and a Chevy Avalanche IMO. There isn't anything really original about it and if I wanted an Avalanche, I'd buy an Avalanche.

2. Owner loyalty - Most truck owners tend to be very loyal.

a) In the rural market the big three reign supreme. You would have to visit many farms or ranches to find a truck that didn't wear a bowtie/blue oval/rams head on its grill, so I don't see the Ridgeline gaining any market share there.

b) In the urban/suburban market the Ridgeline might receive a better welcome, but it will also face more competition. Whereas the rural market is effectively closed, the urban market is more open, and more fierce. Not only do you have to face the big three, you also have to face Nissan and Toyota, both of whom have an excellent product. Nissan and Toyota also have market name recognition. Both companies have been in the truck market for over 20 years, and both companies have mid-sized trucks designed to appeal to younger buyers with smaller budgets. When those younger buyers grow up and make better money, that brand loyalty then influences them to buy a full size Nissan or Toyota. The big three also use this same strategy in the urban/suburban market. Honda has no such entry level truck with which to attract young buyers.

If the Honda sells well then I'll eat my words, but I feel safe in predicting that this might be Honda's biggest mistake in recent memory. If the Ridgeline stays alive for more than 2 - 3 years it will only be because Honda has deep enough pockets to eat the loss, not because of any profitability.

Heh Heh, Misha Unleashes the Fury

2005-07-27T10:59:00.000-10:00

The Emporer lets loose with a rant of epic proportions.

Tragic

2005-07-26T09:26:00.000-10:00

This sort of thing really breaks my heart. My prayers and condolences go out to the families of these men.

Funny Stuff

2005-07-25T22:04:00.000-10:00

I am 18% Hippie.

What? Am I a Republican? Why did I even bother taken this test?! I guess I’ll back to my George W. Bush fan club and tell them I just wasted 10 minutes of my life. At least I don’t stink, man.

Take the
Hippie Test
@ FualiDotCom

I am 76% Evil Genius.

I am pure evil. I lie awake at night devising schemes of world domination, and I will not rest until all living souls bend to my will.

Take the
Evil Genius Test
@ FualiDotCom

I am 25% White Trash.

The white trash in my blood will not keep me from becoming a doctor or a lawyer, but it will keep me from a good haircut and any sort of fashion sense.

Take the
White Trash Test
@ FualiDotCom

Who is Screwing Up America

2005-07-25T13:00:00.000-10:00

In honor of Bernard Goldberg's excellent new book "100 People Who are Screwing Up America" I have put out the call to some of the bloggers I respect most asking for their #1 nominee, along with suitable reasoning of course. The only rule was to be original, don't just cough up one of the usual suspects unless you had some compelling new reason we should loathe said person (there's not much fun to be had in beating a dead horse.) Results below.

Acidman:

Frightened people are screwing up this country today. Risk aversion has become a tool of professional politicians and the "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!" story of the week is in the papers every day. That's where gun control, among many other idiotic ideas, came from. Fear--- usually of NOTHING--- will be the downfall of this nation.

Jim of Smoke on the Water:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Former chief counsel of the ACLU, and in my view should have never, ever have been nominated, much less confirmed. Talk about a built-in conflict of interest, she's the poster-child for a lifetime recusement, not appointment. Anyway, she and Souter are driving the Internationalist (communist) trend in the courts.

Subjecting U.S. Constitutional law to the review of extra-constitutional influences, much less foreign influences is beyond treason. Sadly, the uninformed sheeple would rather feed their reality-show addictions, all the while blissfully igonorant of the reality of their freedom and sovereignty being rapidly forfiet by anti-American bitch in a black robe.

I would not cry were she to be struck by lightning.

Mad Ogre:

Peter Singer of
Princeton University. Mr. Singer has got to be the most disgusting human being in the United States. Indeed, he tops the list… higher on the roster than Michael Moore, higher than Tom Dash-Hole… Higher even than Ed Asner and even Bill Clinton. Do you know why? This guy is so far Left on the political spectrum, he is Infra-Liberal. My history professor at my college had given a lesson about the political wheel of life… that politics is like a ring with centrist moderates at the top and then right and left according to tradition, and bending through Communism and Fascism on either end down to totalitarianism. Peter “Lennon Wasn’t Left Enough” Singer breaks this metaphor with a sledgehammer. Prof. Barton is going to have to draw a new map to include Peter Singer’s particular brand of nucking futs. I think the Pie Chart of Politics is going to have to be shaped like a Frying Pan now. This wouldn’t be so bad if it was just one super-liberal dipshit. Here is the bad news. This guy is a Tenured Professor at Princeton University… he is teaching his brand of Ultra-Bullshit to others… he is the one that all these new young and impressionable minds are following… this is the guy that is writing tomorrows liberal political agenda. Brothers and Sisters of the Horde – I submit that Peter Singer is the most dangerous man in the world. Peter Singer is the Ogre’s #1 Most Wanted to Bitch-Slap with a cinderblockTM. I was living my life happily oblivious of this jack-hole, Peter Singer. I learned of him through Hillsdale College’s newsletter “Imprimis”. And I learned of Imprimis from Paul Harvey. Thanks Paul. Now I can’t sleep at night. Peter Singer’s Ideas:
#1: Middle Class Americans should pay 33% of your first $30,000 and 100% of everything over that [in taxes].
#2: Infanticide: It’s a Good Idea! You have 28 days to think about it after the birthday.
#3: Bestiality: Once you have Cat – You never go back! Doggie Style? Be sure to lift up the tail!
#4: Animals for Food? That’s like the Nazi-Jew Holocaust!
I’m only comforted in the fact that this lunatic is not just my own worry. This person should be expelled from the United States… Preferably in a locked and weighted duffle-bag into the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean.

My nomination?

I'd have to go with Chuck Schumer (though Dianne Feinstein got serious consideration for the same reasons.) Why Chuck? He pretty much encapsulates everyhing that goes against that which I am for.

1. He is a GFW in the first degree. He actively seeks to curtail our second amendment rights and insure that we are unarmed subjects as opposed to armed citizens.

2. He is a revisionist. He believes the constitution is a living document that needs to be updated in order to be applicable to our modern society.

3. He is an obstructionist. Somebody forgot to tell Chuck that the donks lost the presidential election (not to mention the majority of the legislative seats.) He seeks to impose his will on the nation, majority be damned, and if that means obstructing the presidents nominations, or new Republican sponsored laws, so be it.

So there you have it. I didn't get as many responses as I would have liked, ohh well, it was still intersting and perhaps when my blog is more well known I will get a better response. If anybody has a thought on who's screwing up America e-mail it to me and I'll post it.

Michael Czysz, American Hero

2005-07-23T11:21:00.000-10:00

OK, hero might be a bit of hyperbole, but this is a man I truly admire. He is trying something that nobody else in America has been able to accomplish, try as they might. Michael Czysz (pronounced sis, like sister) is building, from scratch, a completely revolutionary, state of the art, competitive, American sports bike. Eric Buell has tried, but being chained to Harley Davidson has essentially ensured that his bikes will always be an also ran. They handle well, but they are underpowered, and given 2 riders of equal skill, cannot compete with any of the Big 4's 600cc sportbikes, let alone the liter bikes that their +900cc engines demand they be compared against. Csysz on the other hand is going racing. His Motoczysz C1 is being built to compete (and hopefully win) in MotoGP. It's about time the US caught up with the rest of the world and started building bikes worthy of our national pride. Godspeed Mr Czysz, and good luck.

Official Motoczysz Website

Report for Deprogramming

2005-07-21T06:19:00.000-10:00

Thanks to liberals, today we have public education, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, environmental protection laws, a minimum wage law. . .among many other wonderful programs. - Babs

Talk about proof of Hollywood's isolation from reality, here we have a prime example of why singers should sing, actors should act, and both groups should shut their bloody pie holes. Actually, upon closer examination, I agree with the above quote right up to the "among many other wonderful programs" part. It is thanks to liberals that we the taxpayer are being fleeced by Uncle Sam to pay for these atrocious programs. Let's run down the list shall we?

Our public education system ranks among the worst in the industrial world. It is ruled by the teachers union who is more concerned with advancing a socialist agenda than teaching our children.

Our Social Security system is on the brink of imploding. There is no reserve for the future, current payments are going out as soon as the come in, and it's only going to get worse.

Our environmental protection laws seem to have a primary purpose of strangling business, preventing economic growth, and ensuring our continued reliance on foreign oil. They do serve some good I will concede, but there needs to be some compromise.

And let's not forget minimum wage laws. My high school economics class told me that if you make something more expensive, the consumer won't be able to buy as much of it. In this case the product is labor. Translation? The higher the minimum wage law in relation to the cost of living, the higher the unemployment rate.

So to sum it up, uneducated kids, overpriced and collapsing socialist program, and a plethora of economy killing laws. Gee liberals, how can we ever thank you?

Slowing Down

2005-07-21T05:53:00.000-10:00

"Idle hands are the devils tools" People who subscribe to this theory suppose that it is better to be occupied than unoccupied on the assumption that if you don't have something constructive to do you will find something destructive to fill the time, or conversely, they suppose that if you're predisposed to doing bad things you can quell that behavior by staying so busy that you don't have time to indulge that behavior. While I would agree that this is definitely true, I would go on to point out the downfall of being busy; the neglecting of one's spiritual walk. Why is it that for many Christians (myself included) whenever things get really hectic the first thing to go is devotional time, or prayer time? Sometimes you just need to slow down and prioritize. You also need to rest or you'll burn out. It just doesn't make sense that when life is really coming at you, during a time when you should probably lean on God the most, that is when he is most likely to fall by the wayside.

Fatwah in AZ, news at 11:00!!

2005-07-20T10:38:00.000-10:00

The islamofascists have declared a fatwah on blogger Anarchangel. Somehow I doubt that Chris has anything to worry about. Why? Because terrorists are cowards and not as stupid as we would like to think. True, they are willing to die for their cause, but generally only on their terms. Anybody who knows Chris or has read his site knows that any attempt on his life would be a bloody affair to say the least. Quite frankly, all of their rhetoric aside, Chris is not a high enough of a priority considering the likely cost in islamofascist lives. Despite the media's portrayal of the contrary, suicide warriors do not grow on trees and I doubt that the local terrorist cell is willing to sacrifice a handful of theirs just to take out one infadel in an operation that may or may not receive any appreciable news coverage. Time will tell.

What Bias in Higher Education?

2005-07-19T17:07:00.000-10:00

Observe the following lunacy.

Washington State University Bankrolls Vigilante Censorship:
Student Play Falls Victim to Double Standard

PULLMAN, Wash., July 18, 2005—In a shameful distortion of the First Amendment, Washington State University has morally and financially supported disruptive heckling and threats at a controversial student play.

Washington State went so far as to pay for hecklers to attend student playwright Chris Lee’s Passion of the Musical. It then allowed the hecklers to repeatedly disrupt the musical through shouts and threats of violence. Washington State’s president later defended the hecklers’ behavior as a “responsible” exercise of free speech.

“Students have a right to leave a play, protest outside of the theater, and condemn a play in the newspaper. But they do not have the right to obstruct and censor other students’ protected expression,” remarked David French, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), which has intervened on Lee’s behalf. “Washington State’s defense of this vigilante censorship will encourage students to unlawfully silence others whenever they feel offended.”

On April 21, 2005, Lee and his student cast performed the final production of Passion of the Musical, a play they had widely publicized as being potentially “offensive or inflammatory to all audiences.” During the play, a group of 40 student protestors repeatedly stood up, shouted about being offended, and verbally threatened audience members and the cast. FIRE has obtained a document confirming that administrators at Washington State’s Office for Campus Involvement (OCI) purchased the hecklers’ tickets.

The disruptions were so severe that at one point, Lee requested that campus security remove the hecklers from the audience. Campus security refused, instead asking Lee (who is African American) to censor part of his production by changing the word “black” to “blank” in the satirical song “I Will Do Anything for God, But I Won’t Act Black” in order “to avoid a possible riot or physical harm.”

Lee later complained of this censorship to Washington State’s Center for Human Rights (CHR) and other administrators. CHR’s May 13 report justified the disruptions as protected expression, claiming that because the play provoked and “taunted” the audience, it exhibited “qualities of a public forum.” Washington State President V. Lane Rawlins was quoted in the campus paper as saying that the protestors “exercised their rights of free speech in a very responsible manner by letting the writer and players know exactly how they felt.”

“Washington State’s ‘public forum’ excuse is so ridiculous I don’t think even they believe it,” commented Greg Lukianoff, FIRE’s director of legal and public advocacy. “Does this mean that any time a play addresses the audience, it becomes a public forum? Under this theory, every soliloquy in Shakespeare would turn a theater into a discussion hall. Everyone knows what a play is—and that the audience does not have the right to disrupt it or to threaten the cast.”

Interestingly, the same office that bankrolled the hecklers at Passion of the Musical sponsored Washington State’s 2005 production of The Vagina Monologues. Washington State also played host in April to Tales of the Lost Formicans, in which a cast member simulated masturbating into the American flag. Washington State called that play “a whimsical look at the idiosyncrasies of human interaction” and promoted it via a university press release.

“Clearly, Washington State does not treat equally all plays that some might find offensive,” Lukianoff observed.

On June 17, FIRE wrote President Rawlins to request that Washington State renounce its support of a “heckler’s veto” over constitutionally protected expression. President Rawlins’ June 20 response to FIRE was a non-answer in which Rawlins claimed that the university was “committed to everyone’s exercise of all their human rights at WSU, including free speech, without fear of unlawful obstruction by anyone.”

FIRE reiterated its request on July 1, reminding Rawlins that “Washington State is a public university bound by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and therefore may not tolerate, let alone support, attempts to disrupt, silence, and censor a theatrical work.” On July 14, a local paper reported that Rawlins responded to FIRE without withdrawing his support for the hecklers, but FIRE as yet has received no such response.

“As Lee said in a recent article, ‘The whole point [of the play] was to show people we’re not that different, we all have issues that can be made fun of,’” noted Lukianoff. “The very function of satire and parody is to challenge, provoke, and, yes, offend. If Washington State is not comfortable with this, it is not comfortable with the idea of free speech.”

FIRE is a nonprofit educational foundation that unites civil rights and civil liberties leaders, scholars, journalists, and public intellectuals from across the political and ideological spectrum on behalf of individual rights, due process, freedom of expression, academic freedom, and rights of conscience at our nation’s colleges and universities. FIRE’s efforts to preserve liberty on campuses across America can be viewed at thefire.org.

I wonder if any students had requested that the school subsidize a heckling trip to the Vagina Monologues, how would that have been recieved? Somehow I doubt that they would have been sitting front row on the school dime. Double standard? Yep. Outragous? Absolutely. Changing anytime soon? Umm....no.

Personally, I like the irony of the school touting as free speech, one student threatening another with physical violence in order to censor him.

Parents beware, don't send your kids or your money to WSU.

Bush's Choice is Questionable

2005-07-19T14:17:00.000-10:00

President Bush has done the one thing that many in the conservative base which got him thought he would not, he nominated a conservative, white, male to take the place of SDO on the USSC. I'm a wee bit skeptical however that this choice is going to help the President, and more importantly purple state senators like Rick Santorum, gain support in the conservative grassroots movement. Many political junkies like myself were looking for Bush to nominate a constructionist in the mold of Thomas, alas it appears that Bush couldn't bring himself to do it. John Roberts Jr. could be a solid choice casting conservative friendly votes and helping to return our country to its constitutional roots, or he could be SDO II, casting unpredicable tie breaking votes that cause both conservatives and liberals to fear his presence on the bench. Fact is we just don't know. He has made statements that indicate he could go either way. I haven't seen his record from his two years on the appellate court, but I'm sure it will soon be brought to light. I'm more than a little uneasy about this choice, and besides, I wanted to see Bill Frist and Harry Reid slugging it out on the Senate floor for my own personal amusement. Alas, Roberts will likely be confirmed with only minor opposition, and there lies the problem, if the Dems don't absolutely seeth at the prospect of the President's nominee being confirmed, then chances are the nominee is not the right judge for the job.

BMW Throws Down the Naked Bike Gauntlet

2005-07-18T10:30:00.000-10:00

BMW has just leap frogged the Yamaha FZ1 and Aprilia Tuono in the race for naked bike supremecy. The new K1200R has radical love it or hate it styling, top of the line components, and push button adjustable electronic suspension. Ohh yeah, did I mention the 156hp engine with 93.6lb-ft of torque. At just a touch under $15 large it is not cheap, but so far it looks like you'll get your moneys worth. I'll be test riding one soon with an eye toward trading up next year. More to follow.

All is Right With the (Sports) World

2005-07-18T10:19:00.000-10:00

Tiger won the Open by 5 strokes, Lance has a commanding lead in the tour, and I managed to play 36 holes on Saturday with my close friend who is home on R&R leave from Iraq. Played the Turtle Bay Fazio course in the morning and the Palmer course after lunch. Good times.

Irresponsibility Personified

2005-07-15T10:51:00.000-10:00

Melissa Irene Tanner, 37, had a blood alcohol content of 0.29 percent when she gave birth June 30, and her daughter's was 0.21 percent, according to an affidavit by police.
Hospital staff had to use an oxygen bag to help the baby start breathing and gave her medication to counteract any narcotics, according to the affidavit. Tanner allegedly told police she and another person had consumed a case of beer and that she regularly drank during her pregnancy. AP

Wow, a libertarian by nature, I very rarely advocate the regulation of any behavior by the government unless that behavior places others at risk of losing LLE, or it infringes upon the inherent rights of others. Seeing that this baby had to have her breathing kickstarted due to the unmitigated stupidity of this woman, I would say that this is beavior that qualifies. Do I think that a glass of wine with dinner while pregnant should be illeagal? No. Should it be illeagal to get falling down drunk while pregnant? Probably, but how to fairly enforce such a law? Something to ponder. I suppose that the rule "When in doubt do nothing" as applied to enacting new legislation would be the prudent decision in this case.

Misplaced Outrage

2005-07-15T10:30:00.000-10:00

According to the news, hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Los Angeles last night to condemn the police for their involvement in the death of a 19 month old child. While it should be obvious to any right thinking individual that the violent death of a baby should produce a good deal of anger, in this case I believe this anger to be misplaced. The blame should be placed squarely on the shoulders of the man who choose to hold the baby in front of himself like a human shield (his own child no less) while shooting at the cops. Granted he is dead now, making it difficult to hold him responsible for this behavior, but that doesn't excuse the shamefull practice of transferring blame to the constibulary (not that I believe for a second that his survival would have changed the nature of this blame game.) The details are still forth coming, it should be interesting to hear the final report.

Tour de Lance

2005-07-15T10:15:00.000-10:00

Despite the considerable attention being given to Lance Armstrong and his quest for his seventh tour win, it still doesn't seem like many people really grasp the weight of this awe inspiring event. Granted it is only sports, a mere athletic competition, but still the combination of raw talent, training, and dedication needed to win this race six (hopefully seven) times is beyond the comprehension. I am a huge golf fan and was in awe with everybody else when Tiger won four straight majors, but even that amazing feat does not compare to what Lance has done. Granted there are many more golfers than cyclists in the US, but that shouldn't keep us from appreciating this athlete, the likes of which we may never see again.

On Promiscuity

2005-07-14T12:44:00.000-10:00

Promiscuity - n : indulging in promiscuous (casual and indiscriminate) sexual relations

Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University

Promiscuous behavior is all around us, the media glorify it and our young (and not a few older) people pride themselves for it. While it is still more acceptable in men than in women the gap would appear to be closing. In many urban locales, gone are the days when a girl who has had more than her share of sexual partners is dimissed out of hand by all as a slut. Likewise, whereas it used to be merely acceptable for a young man to cat around it now nigh expected. What I wish to speak to in this essay is not promiscuity itself but rather what I believe to be its root cause (in men at least for I will not presume to speak on the female mind, a subject about which I am thoroughly clueless.)

Let us begin by covering some of those things that one would presume cause promiscuity but do not.

1. Sex - It seems silly to say that promiscuous behavior is not caused by a desire for sex but in fact this is the truth, just as overeating is rarely caused by a desire for Big Macs. While it's true that your average promiscuous individual has quite a bit of sex, does he really have more sex than his monogamous counterparts? Rock stars and pro athletes not withstanding, I doubt it. What about the quality of the sex? It doesn't take Dr. Ruth to figure out that a loving monogamous couple intent on pleasing each other are going to have better sex than than two relative strangers who are in it for themselves. So we can rule out sex as the cause of promiscuity in your average guy.

2. Impressing others - Some guys who are promiscuous make a habit of telling their buddies (who are generally promscuous themselves) about all of their conquests. This desire to impress others is related to the root cause of promiscuity but is not the root cause in and of itself. We know this for one simple reason, nobody over the age of 15 is impressed with the number of sexual partners you've had. Other promiscuous types invariably think that, given enough time, they could surpass you (assuming they havn't already), and monogamous types simply pity you for a misguided fool (some may envy you for reasons discussed in the next paragragh.)

So what is the cause of promiscuous behavior. In my opinion it is pride, that which C.S. Lewis refers to as the most wicked of sins. While I was contemplating this essay my first thoughts on the matter centered around "the hunt". Surely most men who have lived a promiscuous life style know this feeling of which I speak, going out to the hunting grounds, surveying the game, choosing a target, and then, conquest. Truth be told, the difficulty of the hunt is really of little importance, the belt will be notched regardless. In truth though, what is the hunt but an expression of insecurity? The unspoken questions are always the same, am I good enough? attractive enough? smooth enough? desirable enough? A confident man feels no need to answer these questions, and consequently, feels no need to engage in the hunt. And what is insecurity but an expersion of pride? It is a desire to lift ourselves up. A desire to glorify ourselves. How appropriate then that this increase in promiscuous behavior coincides with the rise of tee shirts that say "It's all about me" and "Do I look like care?"

This I know, a change in hearts is required before there will be any change in action.

And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:11-13

Off and Running....again

2005-07-13T13:13:00.000-10:00

Well, here we go again. I shall endeavor to post regularly and thoughtfully. Here is to exchanging ideas, broadening our horizons, and the search for the ever elusive truth. I hope to be joined on this journey by many, for it is a journey worth taking.