Bye

We're leaving our hotel now. I'm not sure when I'll be able to post next...

A Scientific Breakthrough

Now this is great: Scientists have discovered a shark repellent!

It is made from the extracts of dead sharks, but more research is needed to find the actual repellent molecule. Dead sharks have been known to repel live sharks for a long time, but now there is a repellent called A-2 that is being studied. It is so powerful that it can even repel sharks in a feeding frenzy. So far, "Tests have found the repellent effective on four species: the Caribbean reef, blacknose, nurse and lemon sharks."

I really hope that this receives adequate research and a product is distributed as soon as possible. I feel a little put out that the scientists want to protect the sharks first. Forget saving the humans with this product, let's work on a way to save sharks with it. Sheesh. That's for another post though...

Quote Of The Day

"Kerry's chin could sink the Titanic."

From Rachel C.'s blog

I'm Getting Kind of Annoyed Now...

AAAHHH!  I didn't put my hit counter or Bible verse on my sidebar!  What's going on?!

Am I the only one who is seeing stuff on the sidebar that isn't supposed to be there, or are you guys seeing it too?  I checked the template, and everything's in order there.  I'm telling you, Blogger is starting bother me.  I checked around for a better blog hosting server, but Blogger is the best I can find for free.  I'm also loathe to leave this blogging community for some unknown community.  I guess I'm stuck with Blog*Spot for now. 

Are any of you experiencing problems with your blogs?  I also noticed that a link to the TTLB Ecosystem that I added has disappeared.  It was there for a while, and it's still on my template, but it has disappeared from my blog.  My posts have been taking an unethical amount of time to show up on my blog after I publish them too.  I'm starting to get ticked...

Exhortation to Love, Part 2

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, it is not puffed up;
Does not behave itself rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
Does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth…
Love never fails.

This is how the Bible describes love in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. This is the love that we as Christians must show. To show this love shouldn’t be hard for us, since we are Christians and as such we have the perfect example of love. God is our Father, and God is love. We are negligent to not reflect his love on Creation, since not only has he demonstrated his love to us by loving us unconditionally, but he has also written out a description of the love that we are to show. We have no excuse for not being imitators of Christ, except for our own pride and laziness. Let’s take a look at the characteristics of love.

“Love suffers long and is kind…is not provoked, thinks no evil (takes no account of the evil done to it)…”

Basically, this part of the Scripture calls upon us to be patient and kind. Easier said than done, but easily done when one knows who he is in Christ. Patience and kindness are crucial parts of one’s Christian witness; they show that one not self-centered, which gives the person more influence over those around him. Someone who exhibits patience and kindness always has a more willing audience than someone who is constantly focused on himself and what affects him. The phrase “thinks no evil” means “takes no account of the evil done to it.” This means that one who exhibits Christ’s love does not seek revenge against those who wrong him. Of course, we are not supposed to be doormats, but vengeance is the Lord’s, and the Lord’s alone. When we are wronged, we must submit ourselves to God. Believe it or not, to attempt to take vengeance into our own hands is to remove our faith from God. By attempting to get even, we are basically telling God that we don’t trust Him to take care of the injustice, and that we’d rather do things ourselves. We must cast our cares upon the Lord, and place our faith in Him to make things right.

“Love does not envy…does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in truth…”

Someone who has the love of Christ does not get upset because someone has something that he wants. Instead, a loving person rejoices for the blessings of another. A loving person will also not rejoice because of another’s misfortune. We are supposed to love and pray for our enemies, and that leaves no room for rejoicing over someone’s iniquity. To love even one’s enemy again improves one’s witness; if you continue to show love to your enemy for long, giving love in return for hate, then your enemy won’t be your enemy for long. Instead of rejoicing every time misfortune befalls your enemy and thus lowering yourself to his level, show the compassion you would show anyone. People will wonder what you’ve got going for you that even being shown hatred doesn’t affect you negatively and doesn’t change your attitude. To love a lovable person or a friend is simple; to love an enemy is a sign of a mature Christian.

“…love does not parade itself, it is not puffed up; does not behave itself rudely, does not seek its own…”

These things are further proof that love is not selfish. Love is naturally directed toward others. To always concentrate on oneself, or to be puffed up and seek one’s own, are indications that the love of Christ is not present. Christ never paraded himself, puffed himself up, behaved rudely, or sought his own (looked after only His own interests). Instead, He spent his time helping others and teaching them, being the perfect example of love. When we imitate Christ, others will be drawn to us because they know that associating with us will bring benefits.

“Love never fails.”

Real love, the love of Christ, does not fail. When it seems difficult to love, Christ’s love prevails when all other love falters. One with Christ’s love will continue to love even when other love has already withdrawn and turned to selfishness.

People are like bugs: They are always drawn toward the light. We as Christians are to be a light unto the world, and the best way to do that is to imitate the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus was a shining light to the world, and we are to be like Him. In order to evangelize the world, we must have the knowledge to do so, but if we don’t have love, our evangelical ability is shot. If no one will listen to us, we have no chance of reaching them, and they will only listen to us if we prove that we’re worth listening to. If we show that we’ve got something that they need, they will listen. If we don’t show love, then we are no better than the world.

LOL!!!

I haven't laughed this hard in forever!  Worldmagblog is having a contest on the photo to see who can come up with the best caption.  Post your caption on the comments page.

Quote Of The Day

"Terrorist attacks are not caused by the use of strength. They are invited by the perception of weakness."

~ Dick Cheney, speaking to Marines at a base camp in California, July 27, 2004.

Via Seth Simmons

Liberal Paradox: A Violent Peace Protest

I am shocked!  Okay, so I'm not actually shocked.  Really, I'm not surprised in the least.  I'm even a little happy that the liberals' true colors have started to show through.

Good grief, and the liberals call us hypocrites!  They say that we are fighting a war because of a grudge or over oil, but they are willing to fight simply because they disagree with someone.  I can just see their signs:

End Violence:  Kill the Republicans!

Hypocrisy runs rampant on the Left, but rarely does anyone hear about it.  The Left fights for free speech as well--free speech for all who agree with them.  They say that everyone should be tolerant, but they forget to tolerate those that they perceive to be intolerant. 

They say our children should be better educated, while they attack school vouchers and homeschooling, the best hopes for educating America's children.

They claim to be a party that defends the freedom of the average person, or the little guy.  They neglect to defend, and they even oppress, the freedoms of the littlest guys of all.  The Left keeps the destitute in bondage, and supports the oppression of citizens in totalitarian countries. 

The left is all about freedom, but it neglects to spread the freedom around.  They want freedom--for themselves!  Should the Left achieve its goals, it would closely resemble--no, it would be the Dictatorship of the Proletariat which Karl Marx prescribed in his Communist Manifesto and furthermore, that would be their end goal.  The Leftists fight for the exact same things that the Socialists fight for; if you don't believe me, compare the goals of the Socialists and the Liberals!  Central to both systems is the philosophy of secular humanism.  The stated goals of the Socialists and the implied goals of the Liberals are exactly the same.  If they have the same structure, secular humanism, they will never be different.

Liberalism is built on denial and paradox.  Liberals say "Freedom for all--all of us Leftists," and "We are tolerant of everyone--but you."  They claim to be a straightforward philosophy of inclusion, but they are really a philosophy of fine print and exceptions.   They are a philosophy of deception.  They know that they would have no supporters if they said "We fight for our own benefit and no one else's."  Therefore, they say "We fight for everyone's benefit. Some restrictions apply." 
 
They claim that Conservatism is exclusionary and selfish because Conservatism fights for people based on the assumption of each person's inherent worth and right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Conservatives say that everyone has rights that can be improved or lost, based on behavior, and the accountability-hating Liberals find this offensive. 

Lie-beralism has a faulty base.  Secular humanism is a philosophy that can never work.  Such a system as Liberalism can never stand if it adheres to its own principals because it's principals are destructive.  Liberalism self-destructs and it attempts to counter this by convincing itself and others that it actually stands for more wholesome values.  Saying that it stands for freedom sounds better than saying that it stands for freedom to sin.  By changing the definitions of key words, the Lie-berals make their atrocious system of values more palatable to the average person. 

Let there be no doubt in anyone's mind:  Liberalism is a faulty system.  Secular humanism, the foundation of Liberalism, is fallacious in its assumptions and tenets, and thus provides a warped base for the "free and inclusive" system of Liberalism.  Should America adhere to these false tenets and place itself upon the warped base of Secular Humanism, America would surely fall, for if America seeks to imitate a self-destructive system, America would inevitably self-destruct as well.

Peace (through strength), y'all.

Neo

Quote Of The Day

"The liberals in this country aren't anti-war, they're just pro the other side!"

Seth Simmons

Welcome back, Worldmagblog!

Hooray!  Worldmagblog is back up after days of inaccessibility.  I am so happy!  I can finally get back there and comment! 

Life is good. 

In other news, my family went swimming in the hotel pool today, and we were the only people there.  Well, the only people except for.... (ominous music)  THE POOL NAZI!  The Pool Nazi doesn't want water on the floor around the pool, and counsels swimmers to "dry off before getting out."  She would repeatedly scold us for getting water on the floor because "someone could slip and get hurt."  The Persistent Pennsylvania Pool Nazi will accost you every time you splash water or try to get out of the pool, and will promptly mop up any water which finds its way out of the pool.  I don't think we'll try swimming again.

We're leaving tomorrow for Rockaway, New Jersey.  It shouldn't be as long of a trip as we have had previously, so I may end up posting tomorrow.  We should be staying at Rockaway for three days. 

I'm working on improving my blog yet again.  I have added a new category of links, and I am in the process of adding a regular feature to basically congratulate blogging jobs well done whenever I find them.  I'm still trying to figure out how I want to do it, but I hope to get it done soon. 

I realize that my posts haven't been as meaty lately as they have been in the past, and I apologize.  I will get back to normal sometime, but I don't know when.  Rest assured that I have a couple of posts up my sleeve.  Blogger support has e-mailed me back and said in effect that they can't help me.  They simply recommended what D2M recommended, that I erase all my cookies and try again.  Oh well, maybe I will be able to fix it sooner or later. 

Be blessed!
Neo

Exhortation to Love, Part 1

I’m listening to WOW 1998. Right now it’s on a song called “We Need Jesus,” by Petra. I like it a lot.

We Need Jesus (Petra)

Verse 1:

When will the world
See that we need Jesus?
If we open our eyes
We will all realize
That He loves us
When will the world
See that we need Jesus?
When our hearts are as one
And believe that He’s the Son of our God

Chorus:

The Lord is our God
And we shall never want
The Lord is our God
And we shall live forever
When we share the love of Jesus
See each other as He sees us
Then His love will see us through
His love will see us through

Verse 2:

When will the world
See that we need Jesus?
When sister and brother
Love one another as one
When will the world
See that we need Jesus?
Will we ever understand
Jesus is the Son of man?
We must live in the shadow of His love

Okay, so it’s a really simple song, but it’s awesome.  I especially liked the verse that talks about sister and brother loving one another. Recently, Laura mentioned how life would be so much easier for everyone if we just learned how to show a little love and compassion. After all, as Christians, we are to be imitators of Christ, and Christ was God incarnated. Now if Christ is God and God is love, and we are supposed to be imitators of Christ, what the heck are we doing acting just like the cruel world? Come on, folks! A little humility and compassion goes a long way.
Unfortunately, many Christians are too prideful to give up their old ways. They hang on to their sin nature and seek revenge on all who do them wrong. We are all guilty of being like that, but it seems that we as Christians have in general stopped being simply “in” the world and started to become “of” the world. We have lost our positive influence in the world because we have lost everything that has made our influence positive. We no longer take the time to be a cut above the world and we instead make our beliefs appear less appealing than the pointless, superficial, hopeless belief systems that the world has to offer. Go listen to “If We Are the Body” by Casting Crowns; this song very well illustrates the problems with being “of” the world and of forgetting to show love.

We’ve got to start showing more love; we’ve got to start proving that there is a reason to be a Christian and a higher calling on our lives! We can’t do that if we are so wrapped up in ourselves that we don’t reflect God and his unfailing love to humanity! Personally, I’m a big fan of random acts of kindness. Unfortunately we have done such a poor job of teaching those of our own faith how to be kind that we have no hope of rubbing off on non-Christians.

We are Christians. We are supposed to be imitators of Christ. Christ is God. God is love.

Any questions?


 
Be blessed!
Neo

Another Update

Hey, hey, hey!  I'm back!

Well, I made it to the first place we are going to stay for more than just one night.  We're staying at--Get this, Laura-- at the Penn Stater!  Haha!

I'll be staying here for a couple of days, and then we'll be off to New Jersey for three days.  This is really a business trip, but my dad decided to bring us along and make the trip into a vacation of sorts. 

We stopped by Gettysburg on our way here, and it was quite interesting.  We took a bus tour, and I had never realized just what went on at Gettysburg.  Sure, I had read some stuff, but I was able to see just how the battle went with the tour and an electric map presentation of sorts.  I'll post the pictures soon.

Anyway, I thought I'd let you know what's up.  I have been typing all sorts of things on the laptop while we were driving, and I'll try to post some of it.  I should be staying in the hotel room for most of today and tomorrow, so maybe I can get my cyberlife caught up in that time.

Be blessed!
Neo

(collapses)

(BIG SIGH)  Well, I can post pictures now, but I'm exhausted!  I'll post the rest of my photos later...

I think I can post pictures...

, originally uploaded by NeoFascist?.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Road Trip Update 3

Not much time right now, but I thought I'd let you know what was going on.  I'm staying at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Pennsylvania.  This hotel actually has Wi-Fi high speed internet access, so I can now post some of the stuff I have been writing over this long trip.

We are almost to the place that we are going to be staying for a couple of days, but for now we are only staying in one place for the night.  Once I get to The Penn Stater (the hotel we made reservations at), I will be able to post some more entries and visit other people's blogs. 

I have some pictures I want to post, but I'm not sure about how I'm going to do that.  I downloaded Picasa, but I realized too late that Hello Bloggerbot requires Instant Messaging, which I don't have.  I'm looking into getting Flickr, but we'll just have to wait and see how that turns out.  Until then, just be happy that you have more posts to read.

We’ve driven 476 miles since this morning, which means we only have about 200 miles to go tomorrow.  We have been in five states today: Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and now Pennsylvania. While we were in West Virginia stopping for gas, we witnessed a traffic accident.  A minivan collided with a small car, and the accident looked bad, since there was a lot of smoke coming from the minivan (I couldn't see the car).  Besides that, today's drive has been uneventful.

Well, I must get going if I am going to figure out how to post pictures.

Be blessed!
Neo

Road Trip Update 2

Originally typed at 6:10 on Sunday, July 25.

Hello again! Time for another update!

I am presently on Highway 81 North, coming up on Harrisonburg, Virginia. We stopped in Roanoke to eat lunch, at a place called Famous Anthony‘s. I didn’t mind it too much until the waitress brought me a little kid drink, complete with a lid. Now, I don’t look that young--most people actually think I’m older than I am--but this waitress, or whatever reason, brought me a kids drink. I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich, and I could have sworn that I was eating grilled cardboard jerky. However, Famous Anthony redeemed himself with some excellent hot wings. I hate most spicy food, but these hot wings were just right.

From there we traveled to Natural Bridge, Virginia to see the--you guessed it, the natural bridge. It was very interesting to learn about it. It was originally owned by “the English crownhead, deeded to Thomas Jefferson, surveyed by George Washington, visited by John Marshall, James Monroe, Henry Clay, Samuel Houston, Daniel Boone, and others…” It was quite large, and there was more stuff there besides just the natural bridge, but we only visited the Indian village, fish pond, and natural bridge. It was a nice detour. I took a few pictures…

And now, as I type, we are on the road to our next overnight stay, Gettysburg. I am having to endure my brother’s joke reading, and it is very distracting to do so while I type. Here’s his favorite joke:

PRIZE FIGHTER’S SON: My dad is stronger than yours!

TRAFFIC COP’S SON: Oh yeah? My dad can hold up a line of cars with one hand!

So there you have it. His favorite joke. Now you can do some sort of a happy dance.

Hmm…what else do I have to talk about? We ate at Cracker Barrel for breakfast today, which means that we ate two meals in a row at the same Cracker Barrel (we ate there for supper last night). The power inverter that we had in the car gave out on us, making it to where I couldn’t type on my laptop for a while. We had to stop a K-mart and get a new converter, and we got one with two outlets so I can type and charge a digital camera at the same time.

My dad says we are now five hundred fifty-five miles from home right now. This is quite far away. I am already farther north than I have ever been, and the farthest away from home that I have ever been was Oklahoma. I am officially in unknown territory.

My laptop is about to run out of power. I can’t plug it in because we are charging two batteries, and the inverter only has two outlets. I can’t wait until I get to a hotel with broadband so I can post everything and send all of my e-mails. Anyway, that’s all I have to say for now.


 
Be blessed!
Neo

Road Trip Update 1

This post was finished at about 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 24, while on the road to Pennsylvania

Howdy everybody! Just thought I’d pop by and say hi! I’m presently on the road in easily the best traveling conditions I have ever encountered. I brought along my laptop so I can type stuff as I think of it, and since I can plug it in to a special outlet in the back of the van, I’m quite content. I brought along my CDs, so my brother can listen to music from the laptop while I type. Meanwhile, my parents are enjoying the peace and quiet.

If I get bored with this, I can practice piano on my keyboard that I brought along (also with headphones). It’s pretty small (only four octaves), so it should fit, though I’m not sure if it will because I haven’t used it yet. I also brought along some reading material (WORLD Magazine and Let Freedom Ring by Sean Hannity) in case I needed more still to occupy me. I had to return Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville before I finished reading it, but I will finish it. It is quite deep reading, and by far the most difficult reading I have ever attempted. Still, I am confident that I can conquer it.

I guess I’ll take this opportunity to tell you about my reading list. First, we have the aforementioned Democracy in America. For those of you who don’t know, it was written by a Frenchman who was visiting America in order to study the country. France had just been through a revolution, and Tocqueville wanted to study the pros and cons of democracy, or majority rule. It is a very interesting book; a must read for the well educated person, I’ve been told.

The next book on my reading list is Evidence That Demands a Verdict, a book that was recommended to me as a result of my questions about the inspiration of the Bible. My main question is if we, when we believe in the verbal-plenary inspiration of the men who wrote the Bible, are also believing in the inspiration of the men who compiled the Bible. My question has basically been answered (we also believe that those who compiled the Bible were inspired by God), but it has been recommended that I read the book so that I can know how to intelligently answer any questions on the subject.

I also plan on reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. For a total change of pace, a fiction book called Timeline has been recommended to me as well. Have any of you read it?

This seems like a good stopping point for the first of my road trip posts.


 

Be blessed!
Neo 

Heigh-Oh Silver, Away!

Well, I'm in the process of leaving for Pennsylvania now. We should have actually left hours ago, but we are running late and will be leaving shortly.

My blog publishing problems haven't yet been fixed, but I have e-mailed Blogger Support and I am awaiting a reply. The problem appears to lie in the fact that I am using Window's ME.

I will be gone for about a week and a half, but don't fear. I think we are staying in some hotels with Wi-Fi, so I will be able to post there. Also, I will be using my laptop, so I can post just like I used to.

I am going to use the massive amount of time in the car to type e-mails on the laptop, for I am hopelessly behind in that area. I will also try to write some posts. I am taking a digital camera with me, so maybe I will be able to post some pictures. This is my first expedition into the Northern Unknown, so wish me luck.

I hope I've packed everything I'll need. I, being a perfectionist, get a strange sort of complex every time I have to pack, because I am always sure that I forgot to pack something. Hopefully reality will dispell my anxieties.

And with that, my friends, I must bid you farewell. Parting is such sweet sorrow. Fear not, however, for I shall return soon. Until then, may God bless you abundantly beyond anything you could ever ask for. Oh, and don't forget to visit the blogs on my blogroll, and get over there and visit David Sessions's blog!

Farewell!

Rides off into the sunset...

Realizes that he's supposed to be heading towards Pennsylvania, so he turns and heads the right direction.

Slams into a tree...

Regains consciousness, moves around tree, and rides off to Pennsylvania.

So Maybe it's the Windows version...

Or it could just be a sorry PC. I am typing this on Mozilla Firefox, and nothing has changed on my publishing page. I am using Window's ME (have I mentioned that yet?), and even though I have switched browsers, I still don't have any formatting buttons. I'm not a big fan of this Firefox stuff either; it seems a little slow.

I deleted all of my cookies, so there's nothing wrong there. Life's just hard. I will continue to look for a way to fix my publishing problems, so maybe I can get back to being the Neo that you know and love. Expect a new post from me soon, as I am currently working on a post that doesn't involve any links. I will also look for ways to work around my lack of publishing buttons, as well as possible ways to fix my problem. Let's start by seeing if my scant HTML lingo is still usable:

TEST

TEST

Uh, yeah; that's all I can remember at this late hour. My parents are telling me to get in bed, so I figure I should oblige them.

Be blessed!
Neo

A Simple (and Somewhat Upset) Update

Ugh. I have found quite a few things that I would like to do with my blog, but I don't have the time or the ability to do them right now. As soon as my blogging tools get back up and running, you can expect a few changes. Nothing drastic, just a few changes to make my blog more interesting. Unfortunately, I still can't blog correctly, for as I have said, I DON'T HAVE MY FORMATTING BUTTONS!!! I'm kind of bothered by that.

Over on David's blog, "My Own Newspaper," I have been listed as the top blog for last week, even through my blogging difficulties. Now I must defend my title...

I realize that there has been an unfortunate lack of political posts lately (and really a lack of posts in general). I am very busy at present; I have about five e-mails to write, comments to place on other people's blogs, and about twelve acres of grass to cut. Not to mention my LACK OF FORMATTING BUTTONS ON MY PUBLISHING PAGE!! It really makes it hard to blog since I can't post links. I really hope Blogger gets this stuff fixed soon.

Have any of you been experiencing problems publishing your blogs? Tell me if you have or haven't, and let me know what browser you use (as in, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Firefox, etc.). I'm using Internet Explorer 6.0, which means my new improved publishing page should work. But as I have said before, IT DOESN'T!!

Soon I will be going out of town for a week or more (I'm not quite sure how long I will be gone), and I will not be able to blog. Therefore, I will be on hiatus. At present, I am only on a semi-hiatus, since I still post, though I'm not posting very frequently. While I am on hiatus, please visit some of the blogs on my blogroll. They all rock. While you're at it, visit David Sessions's blog and website. And don't forget to vote in my poll.

Well, I must go now. I have to go cut a whole lot of grass, and I don't have much time to do it in.

Be blessed!
Neo

So That's What's Wrong With My Publishing Page!

Hmm... This is bad. I have discovered that I can publish correctly on my laptop, but when on my PC I can't get the bar with all the little buttons to come up above my text box. After the publishing page is finished loading, that little bar above the task bar says "Error on page." I guess that means that it didn't load the little buttons.

This is bad, because my laptop has a slower connection and I don't have as much internet time on it (parental controls, you know). I've got to figure out a way to fix this. Do you think Blogger Support could help me? I could try them...

Man, this is definitely putting a cramp in my blogging style. I'll try to be back to normal as soon as possible. In the meantime, everyone vote in my poll, and then go visit David Session's Blog. Maybe that will keep you occupied until I get things back to normal.

Where Is Everybody?

Hello? Is anyone there?

No one on my blogroll (not to be confused with conservative blogs I visit or liberal blogs I visit) has updated recently. What's going on? I'm all alone! I'm the last blogger left who is willing to post.

At least David Sessions is posting. And he's doing it with great frequency as well; allow me to renew my command to GO VISIT HIS BLOG (which I presently can't provide a link to)!

Maybe I'll do a little searching of the Blogger profile index. Then I'll e-mail Blogger support to find out what's going on with the publishing interface. I also just realized that I need to eat lunch.

I just noticed, D2M and Sara updated yesterday, so that's a plus. For all you Blogspot users, do you still have the "add link" option on your publishing page?

Well, I just thought I'd update you on what's going on around here. Be blessed, y'all.

The F Scale

Okay, before I get to my post, I've got to say a few things.

#1: Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I've wasn't home from 9 in the morning to 10 at night. Would you believe I was playing tennis the whole time?

#2: Uh, I think the publishing interface has changed for Blogger. I like it so far, but I haven't checked it out completely.

#3: Okay, I can't think of a number three...

Now, about the F Scale. The F Scale is basically a way to "yield an estimate of fascist receptivity at the personality level." Considering my name, I figured this would be a good way to see if I have any fascist tendencies. As it turns out, I scored a 4.03, a perfectly average number. I am "...disciplined but tolerant; a true American."

If I am conservative, and if I am also average, that completely blows the "right-wing extremist," "intolerant fundamentalist," and "out of the mainstream" arguments out of the water. Technically, those who call us conservatives "fascists" are the ones who are not only out of the mainstream, but also quite ignorant. They have no clue of what the fascists actually stood for, and so they choose to draw a comparison between two unlike groups (American conservatives and fascist bigots).

In order to see what you rank on the F Scale, click here--uh, okay, so I just realized that I can't make a link right now. Instead, go to http://www.anesi.com/fscale.htm . Then take the quiz.

I sort of miss the "preview" and "add link" features. I hope they are added again soon.

Blog Recommendation

I have just been directed to an excellent blog and website owned by David Sessions, a college student. On his website, David-Sessions.com, David profiles John Edwards. On his blog, he wrote an excellent post on the irrelevance of states' rights in the homosexual marraige issue. David apparently does a great amount of research, and that becomes evident in the quality of his posts.

Everyone, go check out his blog right now!

If It Weren't for the Facts, They'd Be Right.

I find it amazing how America's liberals hold such a vehement disdain for history. Somehow they are always able to come up with some new way to distort and conceal the truth, often by simply lying. Someone once said something to the effect of "tell enough people enough lies for long enough, and they will begin to believe them." (can someone point me to the actual quote and author?)

The public school system in America has taken this to heart, teaching Evolution as fact. That was unthinkable in Darwin's day, and despite the complete lack of evidence which would even remotely prove Evolution, the public school system has gotten away with teaching a false hypothesis. The same could be said of "safe sex"; it is a baseless idea which has been advocated for so long that many people forgot why they opposed it.

But I'm off track...

Apparently the folks who made this sign were likewise failed by the public school system. Their history class obviously did nothing to further the cause of truth, or foster a love of facts. Even today, kids are being raised to believe that we lost the Tet Offensive and that we did some great thing by simply containing Communism, rather than wiping it out.

Sorry. That's not what this post is about. I must stay focused...

My point is this: What on earth led these poor folks to believe that democracy is best taught by example? There is not a democracy in existence (to my knowledge) that has not been won by the blood, sweat, and tears of the lovers of liberty. Dictators are always reluctant to relinquish command to the people; they will never look at a democracy and think "wow, those guys are doing so good; I should run my country like that!" Instead, dictatorships hate America because it is run by the people, and we out-perform their authoritarian genocide-machines.

It is a fallacy to believe that democracy must be taught by example. How appealing would our democracy look if we walked around flaunting our freedom, all the while turning a blind eye to the brutal, genocidal dictators in the world? In Iraq, we fought to free the Iraqis, and in so doing we got rid of those who would never learn democracy, whether by war or by example.

It is illogical to believe that democracy will form out of a dictatorship when liberty it is taught by example. Dictators will not give up their positions of authority without bloodshed, and their people are rarely strong enough to fight for freedom themselves (remember Tiananmen Square?). Those who are already free need to give a hand up to those who are in bondage.

To teach democracy by example is fine, once the democracy has been established. I pray that Iraq will follow America's example in forming its democracy, even though they are following Islamic law, which has proven to be detrimental to democracy. In ousting Saddam Hussein, however, we were not trying to teach democracy to anyone. Instead, we were trying to establish a democracy which we were then going to teach by example.

Therefore let me offer this summary: We are teaching democracy by example rather than by warfare. We first used example to instill in the people of Iraq a longing for freedom, and then we used warfare to liberate them. They shall now be taught democracy by our example and our guiding hand. Example is the only way to teach a love of freedom, warfare is the only way to gain freedom, and example is the only way to teach freedom.

By invading Iraq, therefore, we were not teaching democracy by warfare. What we were doing is attaining freedom for the Iraqis in the only way possible, considering Saddam's love of his authority and his desire to keep control over the Iraqis. An example of teaching democracy by warfare would be to hold people at gunpoint and force them to go to the polls. We are not doing that. Instead, fought for liberty, and we prevailed, thus liberating millions of Iraqis. These are the ones who fought, not for freedom, but simply to survive. They lived fearful and destitute lives under Saddam, and now they have won their war against death. They survived to see a better day, and even though they didn't free themselves, at least they made it. The Iraqis would have never been able to depose Saddam Hussein. It would have been suicide to attempt such. We have given a hand up to the suffering Iraqis by using warfare to oust their malevolent ruler. Now we shall teach them democracy, and we shall teach it by example.

Peace (through strength), y'all!
Neo

You Can't Be Serious...

Well, the good news is that I found a cool quiz. It tells you what movie you should be in. The bad news is what I got for a result. I'm sure my parents will get a kick out of this...


Power Rangers Movie!


What movie Do you Belong in?(many different outcomes!)
brought to you by Quizilla


Sigh...

I Told You Not to Feed the Animals!

Dang it! Because the terrorist animals have captured and threatened to kill a Filipino truck driver, the Philippines are withdrawing their soldiers from Iraq (all fifty of them).

Okay, so this won't hurt our numbers very much, but still, the loss is annoying. Manila is withdrawing its troops because of terrorists, just as Spain did. I keep wondering when the collective amnesia which pervades the world will lift, and people will begin to see that terrorists aren't just going to give up if you relent to them. They have never done so, and they never will.

This will surely only encourage more terrorism in Iraq and abroad. I doubt that the Filipino truck driver will even be released, though I have found it to be very hard to predict such evil, depraved neanderthals as those terrorists who capture and behead civilians. The whole point of their kind of crime is to keep people guessing. They want us to be sure of nothing, quivering with anxiety and apprehension, unsure of what the tomorrow, or even the next minute will bring. If they can accomplish that, they can break the spirits of those whom they beseige, and once a nation's spirit is broken, the nation is lost.

Terrorism is as effective as it is vile, for bravery and grit are certainly not trademarks of our instant-gratification, if-it-feels-good-do-it culture. Terrorism attacks the spirits of those towards whom its wrath is directed, and spirit of our nation has been weakened. In WWII, our nation was strong, even in the face of several superpowers. Japan made a sneak attack with suicide bombers on Pearl Harbor and was a threat to our mainland, but still our spirits remained unbroken. Now, we are fighting against criminals using more radical forms of terrorism, bypassing soldiers at times in order to prey on civilians, and instead of being repulsed by the utter lack of conscience of those barbarians, we, in our spiritual brokenness, have those among us who would fight to appease and pacify our adversaries. There are those among us who would rather throw down our hunting rifles and offer the rabid terrorist animals a cookie than valiantly defend the cause of liberty.

This sickens me. Compassion, self-sacrifice, and strength of character have not been taught to those who preach modernized hippie-like liberalism. Instead, self-preservation, impulsiveness, and avoidance of accountability are what define our culture. No longer do we sympathize with the plight of millions of Christians and other demographic groups who are being brutally murdered by ruthless genocidal dictators around the world. Instead, we look to the impotent U.N. to condemn the actions of such despots, which is also often avoided, since the despots are often among the ranks of the U.N. itself. The United Nations is can no longer defend the world from the likes of those that it embraces. When terrorists and dictators enter the U.N. in greater and greater numbers, its ability to fight injustice and crime is diminished, until it reaches its present point, which is total uselessness.

In Iraq, there is still a flickering light. The Salvation Movement, a vigilante group in Iraq, has threatened Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a dangerous terrorist. I'm glad that this story got out; hopefully it will show America that we are actually doing a good thing and that there are still some people in the world who are willing to fight back against terrorism, even when America's liberals are not. Kudos to the Salvation Movement; they are doing something that an established democracy, because of some of its more reluctant members, cannot.

Terrorists don't give up when they meet with success. Period. Their goal is world domination, and they view the U.S. and Israel as their biggest enemies. If we give them a little bit of what they want, they will see our weakness and strive even harder to get more. We can continue to give them little pieces of what they want, and eventually, America will be no more. We can't give in to them now, or it will be harder to resist them later. Spain has given in and the Philippines have already given in (something that is understandable, considering the political turbulence there), and we must fight with all our strength to avoid succumbing to the terrorist dogs. If that means fighting unilaterally, so be it. Simply because everybody else is doing it (or in this case, not doing it), that doesn't make it right. We must fight terrorism, even alone if we have to. If no one else fights against terrorism, then our victory will be all the greater, for when everyone else was too scared or too stupid to fight for liberty, we stepped up to the plate and conquered.

Peace (through strength), y'all!
Neo

Why Liberals Don't Write Famous Children's Stories

Okay, so imagine a world where liberals were the only ones who wrote children's stories. Scary huh? If you can't visualize it, let me help you with these examples of politically correct and left leaning variations of classic stories.

Little Red Riding Hood would read:
Red: Why Grandmother, what a small welfare check you have!

----

The Tortoise and the Hare would read:
Tortoise: Yay! I won the race!

Hare: What?! There's no way I could have lost! I demand a recount!

----

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves Would be titled:
Snow White and the Seven Gay Dwarves

----

The Boy Who Cried Wolf would be titled:
The Bush Who Cried WMDs

----

Frosty the Snowman would read:
Frosty: Oh no, I'm starting to melt!

Karen: Dang it, and it's all because of global warming!

----

Cinderella would meet Princess Charming.

----

Jack and the Beanstalk would read:
Jack's Mom: Quick Jack! Kill the Giant!

Jack: Not yet mom. I have to wait until I can prove that he has "a smoking gun."

----

Chicken Little would read:

Chicken Little: THE SKY IS FALLING! THE SKY IS FALLING, AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF BUSH'S IRRESPONSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES!

----

*Romeo and Juliet would read:
Juliet: Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo, and didst thou remember to bring "protection?"



Okay, so Romeo and Juliet isn't actually a kids' story. Still, I couldn't resist...

Quote of the Day

"Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds."

Albert Einstein



Wow. That pretty much sums up my philosophy. I LOVE IT!

Quote Of The Day

"Sure, to them it was only a song, but every time my preschool class had to sing 'Do Your Ears Hang Low,' it just tore me up inside."

Dumbo

Pre-emptive Defense Is Unlawful Too?

In case you haven't been following the situation in Israel, the Israelis have been trying to build a barrier to keep Palestinian suicide bombers out of Israeli settlements. The World Court, however, has ruled that Israel has no right to defend herself. At least, not in any effective manner.

The part of the wall that has thus far been constructed has saved many lives already, and will hopefully continue to do so. A corrupt, biased court has attempted to override the national sovereignty of the nation of Israel, instead favoring the right to violence of an agressive terrorist society.

I just don't understand the reasoning behind the World Court's decision. How is this supposed to decrease violence? How are lives saved by denying defensive rights to a beseiged nation? All that is accomplished by denying Israel the right to take defensive measures, something that is completely out of bounds for the World Court, is the satisfaction of terrorists, and that will not get anyone anywhere. Though they will be satisfied, they will by no means be pacified; rather, they will be strengthened by receiving exactly what they have been working for and will meet kindness (or at least obedience) with renewed vigor in terrorist attacks. Remember, don't feed the animals.

It is a travesty of justice for a court to rule in favor of avowed terrorists and order a sovereign nation such as Israel to make herself vulnerable to terrorist and guerilla tactics. It is proof of the insanity or out time, and it is proof that anti-Semitism lives on despite the tragic memories of the Holocaust. A Holocaust is still happening, and now it is happening in the Jewish homeland. No longer are the Nazis mass-murdering Jews, but now it is the Muslims who attack and terrorize Israelis, indoctrinated differently, but by the same spirit as the Nazis.

In the world today, a Nazi is despicable. The Nazis are seen for what they were, and few cling to their beliefs now. However, a new anti-Semitic power is rising, and it is called radical Islam. They indoctrinate children from birth to hate the Jews, and they send them to Israel strapped to explosives, vainly hoping for seventy virgins as a reward for their good deeds against the people who are referred to as "the descendents of apes and pigs" in the holy book of Islam.

Now, the radical Muslims have an added protection that the Nazis didn't have. Whereas the Nazis were a political group, not necessarily united by race, but rather by ideology, the Muslims are a racial group. To denounce Islam is considered tantamount to denouncing Arabs, and is quickly censored. In this politically correct age, wrong is considered indefinable except in terms of intolerance. Unfortunately, biggest intoleration of all is ignored, for pointing it out would be considered intolerance, rather than prudence.

These things indicate how far our feel-good culture has slipped into multiculturalism; we have struggled to be more open-minded for so long that our mind has fallen out. No longer can we call evil evil, for to do so might hurt the feelings of the evil we speak of, and that would be truly evil. Intolerance has been deemed the worst of all crimes and sins, but it has yet to be correctly defined. Intolerance is now seen to be disagreement, and therefore all ideological disagreements with groups such as gays and welfare abusers are deemed intolerant and bigoted. Meanwhile, Israel continues to suffer the per-capita equivalent of a 9/11 every week at the hands of the most active group of bigots ever to be supported by the civilized world.

If the Palestinians have a right to use terror tactics, then Israel should have a right to defend herself. Israel is often condemned for capturing or killing Palestinian terrorists, the equivalent of enemy combatants, should the Palestinians be fighting a legitimate war. Meanwhile, the Palestinians inflict heavy losses, not on Israeli military forces, but on the civilians who are going about their peaceful daily lives. Such tactics are despicable, and any nation that supports them is thereby holding a double standard, allowing the Palestinians to fight illegally, while forcing Israel to fight with two hands tied behind her back.

Just how civilized is Europe and the U.N.? Not civilized enough to recognize racism and bigotry, apparently.

Peace (through strength) y'all.
Neo

The Mission Trip to Costa Rica

Remember when I said that I had three friends going to Costa Rica for a mission trip? Well, I found out that one of them has a weblog, and she has been posting some about her trip. Her blog is called LivingNtheLight. So, if you want the scoop on Costa Rica, take a gander on over there.

I Was Beginning to Wonder...

The real identities of Kerry and Edwards.

From Amanda Strassner's blog.

NOOOOOOOOOOO!

For any Trekkies out there, I just found this depressing piece of information.

James Doohan, affectionately known as "Scotty" by Star Trek fans, has been diagnosed with Alzheimers. As it turns out, Mr. Doohan is a very interesting man. Besides starring in Star Trek, he was also an infantryman who was part of the D-Day attack on Normandy, where he was wounded. It was while he was in the army that he learned the accent he used in Trek.

According to the article,

In honor of Doohan, the theme of this year's "Star Trek" convention will be "Beam Me Up Scotty -- One Last Time,"

Thesis: The Problem and the Solution

I hate teen culture. It’s true. Call me crazy, but I tend to avoid people and things that are completely out of touch with reality, so it follows that I absolutely detest the stupidity that is teen culture. Unfortunately, I find myself surrounded by it. It is everywhere; to find it in schools is expected (though still disappointing, as stupidity is a disappointment wherever it is found), but teen culture is so ingrained into so many teenagers’ minds, that it follows them even to church.

When I denounce teen culture, I am not denouncing the musical styles that define it or any other such superficial thing (though the lyrics to the songs are often detestable and worthy of strong criticism), but rather I am criticizing something that goes much deeper. When I criticize teen culture, I am criticizing the heart issues that so define and pervade our culture that every teen is at best affected by them and at worst engulfed in them.

Unfortunately, teens in general today tend to have little positive influence. They spend hours at a time in front of the television, beaten over the head by images of illicit sex, drugs, immorality, and vulgar language, none of which is discouraged by the little glowing box in the corner, but rather glorified. The kids see the illicit sex making its participants happy and without regret. They see the drugs without the consequences. They hear vulgar language so frequently that one would think that it is not only common and accepted, but encouraged and healthy. They are shown immorality, but not taught that the wages of sin is death.

Upon being affected by the media in such a way, the more weak-minded in society go out and imitate what they have seen (monkey see, monkey do). Since misery loves company, the weak-minded legions (for they are many) attempt to pressure their peers into joining them in their sinful pastimes. Some consent, and thereby assimilate into the masses of immoral teens, increasing their numbers, and thus their influence over non-assimilating teens.

Over time, the depraved masses have grown in number and influence to the point that they nearly hold a monopoly on the minds of teens across the country. Even the teens who choose not to participate in the pastimes of their immoral peers have a tendency to be overly accepting and lax toward immorality and sin. Rather than calling sin as it is, they operate on the doctrine that has been pumped into them by the school system and the media, and they believe that sin is a personal choice, something subjective rather than objective. Rather than holding their peers accountable to a higher power, they tend to brush off the sins of their peers, again operating under the pretense taught to them by society, that if many people are committing a sin, then it ceases to be a sin and becomes a matter of personal choice.

If anyone should find my analysis to be incorrect, they need only look at some teenagers to prove my points. The media glorifies gangsta rappers, who wear their pants about ten sizes too large. The village idiots (which are unfortunately great in number) proceed to imitate their role models both in manner and appearance. They then lose all fashion sense (perhaps the least of their offenses), they lose their respect for women, and they begin to act with all manner of immorality in order to become like those who have been deemed cool. They then begin to collectively apply pressure to the non-idiots in society, and force them to conform as well to the standard placed before them by such trendsetters as Nelly and Eminim. Unfortunately, many teens don’t realize that they shouldn’t conform to standards which require them to crouch to new lows; instead they only see that if they conform, they will be accepted by those “cool” peers who have shunned them of late.

If guys wear clothes that are too big, girls just refuse to wear clothes. Some of the things that girls wear today wouldn’t have been fit to be underwear in saner times. In their attempts to please guys and get attention from them, they imitate the objects that the guys rave about. I’m sorry, but Playboy is not a good place to get tips on how to dress. Whereas fashion sense is one of the lesser offenses of the male gender in the quest for acceptance, it is among the worse offenses of the young ladies. It is wrong to lead other people to sin, and that’s exactly what girls are doing today. The problem is sort of a vicious cycle; girls wear such clothes because that’s what the guys like to see, but the girls could have the self-control and simply dress modestly and the problem would be over. At the same time, if guys stopped pressuring girls to wear such attire, the problem would likewise be fixed. Neither party is innocent.

These are only a few examples of the destruction the media has wrought. It is slowly desensitizing us to sin, and encouraging us to participate in it. It is taking the minds of our peers captive, and using them to pressure us into conforming and becoming cool. It is destroying our society, starting with our Christian heritage. When sin is portrayed as something of personal choice, it opens the door for things like gay marriage.

Unfortunately, the devil’s hand in this world, the media, has ensnared many of our peers. They now subscribe to the destructive, relativistic worldview that defines what has been the downfall of so many nations before us. Teenagers are the future voters, the future leaders. If we cannot win them back before adulthood, our nation will be lost, and our causes with it. Teenagers, as I have shown, take on the characteristics that they are shown by the media and by their peers, and the media is blatantly anti-Christian on every subject imaginable, leading many teens to be of similar convictions. With our young people being taken hostage and brainwashed, the future looks bleak.

There is only one antidote for this, and that is the Gospel. We would have a hard time convincing television stations to change their programming, especially since the majority of their audience is simply enthralled by sin. Instead, the task is ours to be salt and light to the world. We are in the world, and there is no way around that; we must strive to not be of the world.

I say this so often, and that is because it rings so true. As Edmund Burke said,

‘The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing.’

We must fight the generations of good men’s apathy toward the spread of evil. Those good men in the world neglected to put out the sparks of pluralism and progressive education, and now they have grown into raging fires. Good men failed us in earlier times, but that is no excuse for us. Surrender is not an option. Co-habitation is not an option. Good and evil cannot coexist, and I don’t plan on going anywhere. Though we suffer from lesser numbers, we have the truth on our side; we have God on our side, and if God is for us, who can be against us?

There is a crisis at hand. We are good men, and let us never be accused of doing nothing. If our predecessors allowed evil’s cause to gain a strong foothold, we have no cause to blame them. Instead, our call is to fight the evil tooth and nail. Let it be so that, no matter what was done before us and no matter what is done when we have passed, we can always say that during our watch, evil didn’t gain an inch. The Gospel must be spread, and righteousness must now replace the sinfulness that the world idolizes. We must win the hearts and minds of our peers, thus retaking territory that we should never have lost in the first place.

America must experience a revival, and that revival must be strongest in the hearts of the young people, for as has already been stated, on the young people rests the future of America. Revival will not start itself, but the fervent prayers of righteous men availeth much. We, as good men, must fight inaction and pray. We must then take action on our prayers and win the souls of the hopelessly lost who populate our schools and our neighborhoods.

Let it never be said of us that we, in our selfish apathy, allowed evil to triumph in our time. Instead, let us fight for Truth, “…for albeit she wander outcast now, I see around her throng troops of beautiful, tall angels to enshield her from all wrong.” (James Russell Lowell, The Present Crisis)

Instead, let us be remembered as those valiant few who effected worldwide change by simply placing their faith in God and acting upon it. As good men, if we can’t be remembered for that, let us not be remembered at all.

Not Much Longer...

I realize that I haven't posted much lately, but please be patient; you haven't got much longer to wait. I am presently on the third draft of a rather lengthy thesis and am hoping to post it today or tomorrow. I can't make any promises, but it will be here soon.

Until then...

John Kerry is now on the campaign trail with his V.P. pick, John Edwards. Liberal Mommy seems quite happy about this, even though she didn't get what she wanted.

Personally, I think the choice was all right, but I had hoped Kerry would make this choice for his runningmate.

I still think that Bush is going to win. Edwards seems more in touch with reality than Kerry, but Kerry is so "out there" that I think he's unelectable. Remember what I said about his dreamworld where America is a third world country in need of inspiration from such enlightened countries as France?

I guess Kerry chose Edwards because people say he is good looking. The Americans are such a dumb people that many of us will vote for a person just because he is good looking (or in this case, because he has a good looking runningmate). Well, it doesn't matter. The White House is not gained by way of a fashion show; it is gained through an election which takes place in this place called reality, and Kerry is so absent from reality that he can't possible be elected. He does have a few followers of the "anyone-but-Bush" kind who will stick with him, but that's just because they have left the real world in favor of the one Kerry inhabits.

Maybe I'm wrong. What do you think? Can Kerry, with his new runningmate, beat Bush in November (a frightening prospect)? I shudder to even think about that. So tell me, what chance does Kerry have?

Quote of the Day

"When in doubt, duck."

Anonymous

An Explanation

You may have noticed that I haven't been posting very frequently lately, and that is due to a combination of factors. First, I have been very busy cutting grass. We have about 12 acres of grass to cut, and even though my dad helps me out, it still takes a few days. Also, since I am homeschooled and we just built a house and moved a few days ago, I am not finished with school for the year yet. It will get done, I just won't get much of a summer vacation.

I have also been visiting other blogs and commenting on them. A busy life, combined with the fact that the parental controls on my computer only allow me two hours of internet access on weekdays, makes it hard for me to find stories of interest.

Hopefully, things will be calming down soon, and I will be able to return to my previous posting schedule. Until then, I will just have to do my best. Thanks for reading!

Be blessed!
Neo

CCM Focus: I'm Not Ashamed

There hasn't been a lot to post on, or a lot of time to post lately. Therefore, I'm going to toss a some CCM song lyrics out there for your enjoyment.

This song, I'm Not Ashamed, is pretty much vintage Newsboys. Though it's by no means my favorite song, it has a worthy message.

I'm not ashamed to let you know
I want this light in me to show.
I'm not ashamed to speak the name of Jesus Christ.

What are we sneaking around for?
Who are we trying to please?
Shrugging off sin, apologizing like we're spreading some kind of disease.
I'm saying, "No way. No way."

I'm not ashamed to let you know
I want this light in me to show.
I'm not ashamed to speak the name of Jesus Christ.

This one warns it's lost cause, save your testimonies for churchtime.
The other ones state you'd better wait until you do a little market research.
I'm saying, "No way. No way."

I'm not ashamed to let you know
I want this light in me to show.
I'm not ashamed to speak the name of Jesus

Hmm, I wonder if Bunnie would call this song craptacular. It appears to mention Jesus enough for her, but would she take issue with the cliches, which are scarce (more scarce than in most songs, actually), but nonetheless there.

This song has a good message about boldness. Sometimes we as Christians get too timid, and we need to be reminded that we must be a light to the world. The Gospel is not a disease, but rather, it's the cure. To quote DCTalk,

"The disease of self... is a cancer fatal to my soul"

God's big. I mean really big. Why would we be scared to share the Gospel, the cure for all that ails the world, considering that God is on our side?

"If God be for us, who can be against us?"

Saddam and Kerry: Long Lost Brothers?

Saddam Hussein, in a hearing on Thursday, made a quite Kerry-like statement:

"You know that this is all a theater by Bush, the criminal, to help him with his campaign,"

Maybe Kerry and Saddam are long lost brothers; they seem to think a lot alike, considering they both lie and convince themselves that their lies are true. Or, Maybe Saddam has just been watching too many Michael Moore movies; he seems to think that he has done nothing wrong and that Bush is an evil dictator. Excessive Moore-watching would definately account for Saddam's willful ignorance. I still don't understand how someone like Saddam can refer to Bush as a criminal.

Seriously though, he's denying that he gassed the Kurds, and he tried to justify the invasion of Kuwait. I think he believes that he didn't do any of those things. Repeatedly, those in contact with him have referred to him as psychotic. Even over the course of the hearing, he experienced several mood swings. The man's a psycho!!

Ok, enough of that. Let's look at the facts:

We know that he murdered the Kurds, no matter what he says.

We know that he had WMDs, and there is much evidence that they are still in existence (it is widely believed that he shipped them out of Iraq at the last minute).

We know that he had WMDs because he used them on the Kurds.

We Know that there was a connection between al-Qaeda and Saddam. Here an excellent viewpoint on their connection.

We know that he defied authority by refusing to allow investigators into his country, making a mockery of the "Oil for Food" program, and ignoring the U.N. in its commands for him to destroy his WMDs.

We know that he invaded Kuwait in order to "give (his army) something to do" because he distrusted them.

We know that he and his officials (including his sons) beat, raped, tortured and killed civilians for entertainment.

We know that Saddam and his loyalists have a plan for destablizing Iraq.

These are all things that we know, and considering the immense loss of life at Saddam's hands (not to mention all of his other crimes), I would say that the death penalty is the only just punishment for such a vile man. I'm not the kind of person that goes around screaming for shoplifters to be executed, but some crimes against humanity simply must be punished.

He has been handed over to the Iraqis, so his fate is in their hands. I hope they have the presence of mind to remember what he did to them and to make the right choice about his punishment. It would be a true travesty of justice to let such a bloodthirsty villain live.

Quote of the Day

"Given the fact that everyone is unique, it stands to reason that there is no such thing as a 'normal' kid; those who try to become normal only succeed in becoming boring."

Anonymous

The Loneliest Man In Hollywood

Bill Cosby is certainly brave. He has spoken against the gangsta culture which pervades low-income black America, and he continues to hold his ground. GO BILL!!!

Please ignore the liberal slant in the article I linked to; I thought it might be neat to see what the dems think about Bill's "tirade." I wonder what happens to a conservative black man in Hollywood when he speaks out in such a way as Mr. Cosby has? Cosby has said things that white compassionate conservatives have been saying for years, only they said it under their breath to avoid being labeled racist.

I am not a racist; if anyone believes that then he is in a dreamworld where Kerry is president. I am someone who agrees with Bill Cosby. I see behavioral problems in low-income black America (LIBA) which need to be fixed. I also see behavioral problems in low-income white America, and high-income America. The middle class has it's own set of problems. All of these problems need to be fixed.

Unfortunately, every time someone tries to point out the quite obvious problems that bind LIBA, they are labeled as a "racist," and quickly ostracized. I can't even say that all of LIBA has these problems, but all of LIBA has to deal with these problems. The problems that they have are more common in LIBA than in other demographic groups; that is not debatable.

I could go on, but I think that "the Cos" has already said everything I would say, and he has said it better than I can anyway. God bless Bill Cosby.

Heaven On Earth, Part One

“Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”

I think we can all recognize the first part of the Lord’s Prayer. Recognition, however, is not what we are shooting for. What does this prayer imply, and why should we pray like this? I could examine the whole Prayer, but for now I will stick with this part.

First, let’s think about prayer. What is it? The way I see it, prayer is simply talking to God. We can intercede for people through prayer; in other words, we can pray for them. We can also pray for ourselves, that our needs will be met. We can also pray to God and simply spend time with Him, getting to know Him through prayer and reading His word.

When we pray, we are to pray according to God’s will; in other words, if we pray “God, in the name of Jesus, I pray that I will become a duck,” we will not be made into a duck. However, if we pray something that God wants to do, something that He wills, it will be done. So how do we know what God wills? Through reading the Bible. God lays out his will in the Bible. Therefore, we know that when we pray something, say, that He would “…supply all my needs through his riches in glory through Christ Jesus,” we know that it will be done, because He said so in His word, and God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Another example is that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and of sound mind.” That is in the Bible, and therefore, it is to be believed. It follows, then, that we have no reason to be afraid because that fear that we feel comes not from God but from the devil. Also, “The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy,” but “all God’s promises are yes and amen.” Therefore, if someone loses everything they have, if they die, or if other misfortune falls upon them, it has not been sent by God, but rather it has been sent by the devil. God does not hurt his beloved creation; He can, however, remove his protection from his wayward children. When He does that, the devil is free to come into that person’s life and steal, kill, and destroy, since God’s protection has been removed. God can chasten his beloved, but He does so by removing his protection from them.

But now let’s look at the Lord’s prayer. I want to focus on this part: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” Jesus said that is how we are to pray. So why would we pray something like that if there is no chance we are going to get it? We are to pray that because it is God’s will.

Now what would happen if God’s will was done on earth as it is in heaven? To determine what God’s will in heaven is, we must look to heaven. For starters, there would be no strife. In heaven the Baptists aren’t still fighting with the Methodists and the Pentecostals aren’t still arguing with more reserved denominations. Instead, I think that in heaven, all are united in their love and worship of God. If heaven is like that, it is undoubtedly God’s will that heaven would be like that, and when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are asking for God’s will in heaven to be done on earth. I believe that God wants unity among Christians (though not ecumenism), even if we don’t agree on certain points of doctrine which don’t affect our overall salvation.

The bickering among denominations in the body of Christ is sinful. The body of Christ is meant to work like a body, with all the parts working together. However, with all the fighting, the body of Christ looks like it is having a seizure. The toes are pulling on the ears and the mouth is biting the knee. That’s not what’s meant to happen. God wants us to work together to further the influence of the Gospel, not argue over whether baptism is sprinkling or dunking. Such matters which don’t affect the salvation of the individual are small compared to common ground which all Christians have in Christ. To cause strife because of them is prideful and sinful.

Paul warned us to avoid sectarianism, saying that is carnal, or of the flesh, to say “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” reminding us that we are all “of Christ.” Unfortunately, different groups interpret the Bible differently. Therefore, differing opinions are inevitable. The best thing we can do is, in my opinion, to avoid causing strife with one another. Debate is great among Christians, so long as there is no strife. When strife ensues, it is best to simply agree to disagree, and to remember that all Christians have the common ground of Jesus Christ.

Finally, I must remind you that I am not advocating ecumenism, or Unitarianism, which is basically believing that there are many ways to God. The Unitarians are a liberal sect (or even a cult) which, in its attempts to avoid offending people, has watered down everything in its teaching until nothing but a skeleton remains where Christianity once stood. That is not the solution to division. Instead, we must understand that even though we interpret the Bible differently, we agree on Salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and nothing else is worth causing strife over. In other words, if you want to sprinkle water on someone’s head in order to baptize him, be my guest. I’ve been dunked, and I will advocate dunking. Even though our methods differ slightly, the point is that the person has been baptized. Christ is bigger than any of our petty differences.

The Power Transfer

So the Iraqis now have power in Iraq. The transfer of power came two days early, in order to thwart the terrorists who would undoubtedly try to coordinate some attacks and "make a statement."

The situation in Iraq is still not perfect in my opinion. However, I want to hear from you guys on this one.

Was it a good idea to transfer power two days early? Was it a good idea to transfer power at all before Iraq can be reconstructed? Can Iraq succeed, or will it flounder in radical Islam?

What do you think?