A subject near and dear to my heart, lately. The topic deserves some discussion.
The entire currently elected political body should be run out of office. That's from the president on down to the last representative, probably down to your local dogcatcher. Obviously, the entire system is corrupt. Even the guys like Ron Paul who have supposedly been doing the right thing all these years need to go. Why? Because they're ineffective.
Once they're gone, we start replacing our elected officials with regular people. Farmers, ranchers, business heads, PTA moms, etc. In other words, people who know what it's like to work for a living. Have each of them vote to apply two term limits to every elected official at the Federal level. Professional politicians have gotten us in this mess, and it's time to clean house.
This stuff with Congressman Foley, for instance. There's a few things that need to happen. First, he should resign. Second, he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, after an investigation telling us just exactly what the piece of crap did while in office. I'm thinking that somewhere along the way more fire will turn up amidst the smoke. Third, whoever else gets smoked out in the investigation needs to face appropriate punishment.
Why say something like this? Because every person on both sides of the political spectrum should be calling to hang Foley, if there's sufficient evidence. What we have is political maneuvering, at this point. That drives me nuts. Tony Snow came out today and had the audacity to say we shouldn't be making such a big deal about what he termed are, "naughty emails."
Tony, you've officially sold out. I'll go so far as to say he'll never work with any sort of respect in the talk radio circuit again. I won't listen to him any more. And by downplaying this stuff, he's complicit in it.
Blame goes to the demoncrats here as well. Why wait for years to pull this one out? Why wait until an election? Why does Bob Woodward wait to publish a book that damages Bush on the Iraq war? Simple. It's a power play.
None of those sorry dogs in Washington care about us once they are elected. They show some concern again when they try to get re-elected, but otherwise the game is political power up there. It's obvious they'll use every dirty trick in the book to get it. We have only to look at the border issue, the war on terror, and this Foley stuff to see how bad it's gotten. George Allen's senate race is another great example.
So the solution is to limit how much power these morons can have. Prevent them from getting to be lifers, like that fat gasbag Kennedy. Get 'em out. We won't get these stupid, constraining laws if we put people who actually work for a living in office. If they have to go back to work and live with the laws they pass, they'll be a bit more selective about creating new legislation.
Hold them accountable. If somebody pulls something like what Foley has done, the punishment needs to be worse than what an ordinary citizen would face. They deserve it, because they've breached our trust.
Instead, we have politics played. Instead of taking out this monster when they all could have years ago, they've played politics with a pedophile. They've endangered our children because of it. It's both sides that are doing this.
Why the vehemence in this post this evening? Let's just say that I'm realizing more and more that when principles get sacrificed for any purpose; be it money, politics, or whatever, it's a pathway towards evil. It can't be allowed to happen.
I'll soon be a father. And the world my little boy is going to come out in scares the fire out of me. We've got Muslims lining up to kill us. We've got idiots in our own country that think socialism is a nifty idea. We've got pedophiles loose in the streets, and loose within our highest elected offices. Their fellows rally around them, when they should be lynching the sorry dog. We've got the people who were elected to protect us selling us out. It's wrong; pure and simple.
Whatever reason our politicians come up with to justify selling us out is simply the beginning of a slide in morality. And we can't tolerate it any more. So it's time to run these bums out, and replace them with people who aren't afraid to do the right thing. Further, they need to be limited in terms of the amount of damage they can do while in office.
It's a question of right and wrong. I am now more convinced than ever that allowing just a bit of evil to get a foothold opens the door for much more to follow. That's in our jobs. In our politics. In cutting off somebody in traffic.
More on this as the week goes on....
Monday, October 02, 2006
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Siege Weapon
I honestly don't know whether to laugh or cry. I hope the little fella made it ok.
Watch this video, judge for yourself.
So if you are suddenly attacked by flying squirrels that don't normally fly.....
Via THE TEXICAN TATTLER. A pretty good shooting forum.
Watch this video, judge for yourself.
So if you are suddenly attacked by flying squirrels that don't normally fly.....
Via THE TEXICAN TATTLER. A pretty good shooting forum.
Friday, September 29, 2006
What is a Janissary, You Ask?
I'm glad you did. Because POSSE INCITATUS has provided you a great answer to that question here.
One of the things I've blogged about recently is the conversion at the point of a sword espoused by Islam.
I've heard many people who should know better historically claim all sorts of stuff about Christians, that should have been blamed on the proper religion. And no, the answer is not "Mormonism."
As the Posse so cleverly notes, the Muslims marched peacefully into Constantinople and bought it. Right?
Wrong. Dead wrong.
Read the above. Have fun. Learn something. This is a pretty good blog.
One of the things I've blogged about recently is the conversion at the point of a sword espoused by Islam.
I've heard many people who should know better historically claim all sorts of stuff about Christians, that should have been blamed on the proper religion. And no, the answer is not "Mormonism."
As the Posse so cleverly notes, the Muslims marched peacefully into Constantinople and bought it. Right?
Wrong. Dead wrong.
Read the above. Have fun. Learn something. This is a pretty good blog.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
A Long Absence and Lessons Learned
And so it has been awhile since I posted.
I could write all night about what's been going on that has kept me from writing anything. I don't really wish to discuss it at this point and time. Depression about a few things has kept me from having any sort of creative spark whatsoever. Suffice to say; another major life change is in the works, which is probably ok. The circumstances aren't ok, but are they ever?
However, great lessons have been learned. Re-iterated, actually. I'll touch on them here a bit. I seem to be hard-headed and obtuse to an almost suicidal extreme. Which is probably why the good Lord has to really rare back and smack me hard to get a point across. We'll just say that he has yet again taught me a lesson, that if I had an ounce of sense I could have avoided. It's almost like my life is a Greek tragedy at times. The hero in a Greek tragedy is always felled by something called hubris. It's a fatal flaw that all the characters have. Here's the goodies that I'm getting this time around, and in no particular order:
1. Never sacrifice what you believe in for financial security. Ever. If you have an ounce of self-integrity, you'll hate yourself for what you are doing. And that will prevent and prohibit any sort of success, consciously or subconsciously. And the enemy wins every time it happens, no matter what the outcome.
2. The inner voice that's telling you something is not a good idea should be heeded at all costs. It's right.
3. No matter what sort of moral standards preached. No matter how good the package looks. If the thing itself is inherently wrong, it can't be rehabilitated. Cloaking itself as something else doesn't change the inherent nature of the thing. In much cruder terms, it does you no good to polish a turd.
4. Subscribing to a moral code means it has to be applied across the board, in all aspects of your life. It does you no good to be fine Christian on Sunday, and debase yourself come Monday morning. That even applies to what you do for a living. I knew this, but see the justification item somewhere below.
5. Family and friends might sometimes seem to be an abstract concept. But when in times of crisis, they'll be there for you. I've got the best of both, and they've really proven it yet again. It makes you feel so unworthy. I've not done anything to deserve what they have done and continue to do for me. I hope that I can be a fraction of what they have been for me. On so many levels, unconditional love is the most powerful force imaginable.
6. Sometimes drastic, dramatic change is the catalyst needed for growth. Forests actually need forest fires to reproduce themselves. It's destructive, but something new and beautiful rises from the ashes.
7. If it doesn't kill you, it will make you stronger. From BATMAN BEGINS: "Why do we fall, Master Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up again."
8. Learn from your mistakes. And the biggest lesson to learn is contained in item #1 of this list.
9. Quit making them, you Nimrod.
10. Evil doesn't think it's evil. That's what's so seductive about it. We carry an innate capacity for good within us. Call it what you will. I have my own belief as to what that is. Nevertheless, it will serve us well. Evil gets a foothold within us by disguising itself, and allowing our earthly desires to override that which is spiritual in us.
11. Along the same lines as #10 above, we can find ways to justify bad behavior. Justification doesn't make it right. It's probably a noble thing to want a better standard of living for one's family. It's not noble to sacrifice principles for that noble end. The ends do not justify the means. To paraphrase, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
12. Just because there's not a law against it does not mean it's not evil.
13. If you believe in God, and that he will steer you where you need to go, then shut up, sit down, and let him drive. Quit trying to force something that's obviously not in grand scheme of things. More on that in another post.
14. Eight rounds from a .45 fired into a big watermelon in less than 2 seconds makes a hellacious mess. It's also extremely cathartic. I just thought I'd throw that one in.
Just to prove the point, the reader is encouraged to go back and review the very first post on CEREBRAL MISFIRE. Maybe I should go back and read my own stuff. I had it figured out then, and I've never written anything that was more true. The formatting was terrible, but give me a break. It's the first post I ever did as a blogger. I digress. So how did I manage to forget that hard-earned lesson?
Simple. I sacrificed a core principle for security. I justified it by thinking I was doing the right thing for my wife and our well-being. The scary thing was: it seemed the right thing to do at the time.
How wrong I was. More frightening: how many are in the same boat as I? Hopefully this will serve not only as a warning to me, but to others.
Another great paraphrased quote: it could be that your sole purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others.
I'm serving that role quite nicely at the moment, thank you.
I could write all night about what's been going on that has kept me from writing anything. I don't really wish to discuss it at this point and time. Depression about a few things has kept me from having any sort of creative spark whatsoever. Suffice to say; another major life change is in the works, which is probably ok. The circumstances aren't ok, but are they ever?
However, great lessons have been learned. Re-iterated, actually. I'll touch on them here a bit. I seem to be hard-headed and obtuse to an almost suicidal extreme. Which is probably why the good Lord has to really rare back and smack me hard to get a point across. We'll just say that he has yet again taught me a lesson, that if I had an ounce of sense I could have avoided. It's almost like my life is a Greek tragedy at times. The hero in a Greek tragedy is always felled by something called hubris. It's a fatal flaw that all the characters have. Here's the goodies that I'm getting this time around, and in no particular order:
1. Never sacrifice what you believe in for financial security. Ever. If you have an ounce of self-integrity, you'll hate yourself for what you are doing. And that will prevent and prohibit any sort of success, consciously or subconsciously. And the enemy wins every time it happens, no matter what the outcome.
2. The inner voice that's telling you something is not a good idea should be heeded at all costs. It's right.
3. No matter what sort of moral standards preached. No matter how good the package looks. If the thing itself is inherently wrong, it can't be rehabilitated. Cloaking itself as something else doesn't change the inherent nature of the thing. In much cruder terms, it does you no good to polish a turd.
4. Subscribing to a moral code means it has to be applied across the board, in all aspects of your life. It does you no good to be fine Christian on Sunday, and debase yourself come Monday morning. That even applies to what you do for a living. I knew this, but see the justification item somewhere below.
5. Family and friends might sometimes seem to be an abstract concept. But when in times of crisis, they'll be there for you. I've got the best of both, and they've really proven it yet again. It makes you feel so unworthy. I've not done anything to deserve what they have done and continue to do for me. I hope that I can be a fraction of what they have been for me. On so many levels, unconditional love is the most powerful force imaginable.
6. Sometimes drastic, dramatic change is the catalyst needed for growth. Forests actually need forest fires to reproduce themselves. It's destructive, but something new and beautiful rises from the ashes.
7. If it doesn't kill you, it will make you stronger. From BATMAN BEGINS: "Why do we fall, Master Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up again."
8. Learn from your mistakes. And the biggest lesson to learn is contained in item #1 of this list.
9. Quit making them, you Nimrod.
10. Evil doesn't think it's evil. That's what's so seductive about it. We carry an innate capacity for good within us. Call it what you will. I have my own belief as to what that is. Nevertheless, it will serve us well. Evil gets a foothold within us by disguising itself, and allowing our earthly desires to override that which is spiritual in us.
11. Along the same lines as #10 above, we can find ways to justify bad behavior. Justification doesn't make it right. It's probably a noble thing to want a better standard of living for one's family. It's not noble to sacrifice principles for that noble end. The ends do not justify the means. To paraphrase, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
12. Just because there's not a law against it does not mean it's not evil.
13. If you believe in God, and that he will steer you where you need to go, then shut up, sit down, and let him drive. Quit trying to force something that's obviously not in grand scheme of things. More on that in another post.
14. Eight rounds from a .45 fired into a big watermelon in less than 2 seconds makes a hellacious mess. It's also extremely cathartic. I just thought I'd throw that one in.
Just to prove the point, the reader is encouraged to go back and review the very first post on CEREBRAL MISFIRE. Maybe I should go back and read my own stuff. I had it figured out then, and I've never written anything that was more true. The formatting was terrible, but give me a break. It's the first post I ever did as a blogger. I digress. So how did I manage to forget that hard-earned lesson?
Simple. I sacrificed a core principle for security. I justified it by thinking I was doing the right thing for my wife and our well-being. The scary thing was: it seemed the right thing to do at the time.
How wrong I was. More frightening: how many are in the same boat as I? Hopefully this will serve not only as a warning to me, but to others.
Another great paraphrased quote: it could be that your sole purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others.
I'm serving that role quite nicely at the moment, thank you.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Forced Conversion--What Would Peter Do--Part II
This post was placed in La Shawn Barber's comments portion concerning yesterday's discussion of forced conversion to Islam. It also ties nicely with a discussion we had going with Flametoad a couple of weeks ago. The guy knows his stuff, historically, as well as the propensity of Wahabi Muslims. The radicalization gets worse. Moderates; if there truly were such a thing, are vanishing. I think the blueprint he lays out in this post is just the way it's going to go, unless it's stopped cold. Somehow.
Islam is a menace to Western society, and it does not tolerate any other religion, way of life, or viewpoint. We cannot coexist and maintain our way of life with a religion like this. I think this ought to motivate the rest of us non-Muslims. Don't give a freaking inch to this evil. Historically, appeasement has never worked. You simply give the enemy a stronger foothold when it comes at you again.
Sometimes, despite Flametoad's feverent wishes otherwise, all-out conflict is the only solution. We may not want it, but we may not have any choice in the matter; if we want to preserve our own existence, religion, and way of life. The historical evidence indicates that is exactly where this is headed.
I hope and pray otherwise. But I'd prepare for this conflict to get a lot worse.
See this post for an example. This kind of behavior is getting more and more widespread, as warned. Hat tip again to Michelle Malkin, and Drudge Report.
Islam is a menace to Western society, and it does not tolerate any other religion, way of life, or viewpoint. We cannot coexist and maintain our way of life with a religion like this. I think this ought to motivate the rest of us non-Muslims. Don't give a freaking inch to this evil. Historically, appeasement has never worked. You simply give the enemy a stronger foothold when it comes at you again.
Sometimes, despite Flametoad's feverent wishes otherwise, all-out conflict is the only solution. We may not want it, but we may not have any choice in the matter; if we want to preserve our own existence, religion, and way of life. The historical evidence indicates that is exactly where this is headed.
I hope and pray otherwise. But I'd prepare for this conflict to get a lot worse.
See this post for an example. This kind of behavior is getting more and more widespread, as warned. Hat tip again to Michelle Malkin, and Drudge Report.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
What Did Peter Do?
As you probably know, the kidnapped Fox journalists were released, after they were forced at gunpoint to convert to Islam.
La Shawn Barber discusses this, and wonders what she would have done as a Christian. Read this post and discussion.
I wonder, myself.
I'll post more on this later. This is something worth discussing.
A tip of the hat to Michelle Malkin's website for finding this little discussion.
_______________________UPDATE_____________________________
Well, that's certainly a deep subject to kick around.
I would like to think that I'd stand firm. The truth is, I don't know. I would hope that I would stand like the girl we've all read about at Columbine, and die a martyr. What I really hope is that I never have to be tested like that.
On the one hand, Paul tells us the only unforgivable sin is to deny the Holy Spirit. So what does that mean, exactly? Have you denied it when you convert to Islam at the point of a gun?
I can say honestly that I don't know. My first impression is that I don't think so. I think that a person hasn't really given up on Jesus when faced with certain death at the hands of nuts like this. That is, if he's really accepted Jesus in the first place. I think God would know what's in a man's heart. The survival instinct in a person is pretty strong. It's a God-given response, built in there for the specific purpose of keeping our happy rears alive.
I think back to what Peter did, in the face of the capture of Jesus. Peter stated that he would never deny him. Jesus, knowing a bit better, predicted Peter would disavow any knowledge of him not once; but three times. When the soldiers came and took Jesus before the Sanhedrin, Peter cracked. He did exactly what Jesus figured he'd do. He vowed he didn't know Jesus at all. By doing so, he stayed alive.
I think Peter never really gave up on Jesus. That much is obvious, given what he accomplished in Jesus' name later on. He was just overwhelmed with the survival instinct that God gave all of us. Later, he was martyred, in a pretty horrible way. I don't know for sure, but I think Peter probably made it to Heaven. He stood up when he was supposed to. And maybe that's the answer. We'll play whatever role God has decided for us.
Bottom line: I sure can't judge these two journalists. It's not my place. I don't know what I'd do. I know whatever conversion I supposedly made would not be what was in my heart. I just hope God doesn't place me in that position. But if he does, it will play out the way he wants it to. I'm not going to sweat it. Nor am I going to condemn these guys for wanting to stay alive at all costs. I'm sure some Christians will, but it's really not their place.
I do think this is illustrative of what the West will face with Islam. This is not an historic anomaly, by any means. The whole history of Islam vs. everybody else is rife with stories like these. I'll bet this won't be the last time this little problem comes up.
La Shawn Barber discusses this, and wonders what she would have done as a Christian. Read this post and discussion.
I wonder, myself.
I'll post more on this later. This is something worth discussing.
A tip of the hat to Michelle Malkin's website for finding this little discussion.
_______________________UPDATE_____________________________
Well, that's certainly a deep subject to kick around.
I would like to think that I'd stand firm. The truth is, I don't know. I would hope that I would stand like the girl we've all read about at Columbine, and die a martyr. What I really hope is that I never have to be tested like that.
On the one hand, Paul tells us the only unforgivable sin is to deny the Holy Spirit. So what does that mean, exactly? Have you denied it when you convert to Islam at the point of a gun?
I can say honestly that I don't know. My first impression is that I don't think so. I think that a person hasn't really given up on Jesus when faced with certain death at the hands of nuts like this. That is, if he's really accepted Jesus in the first place. I think God would know what's in a man's heart. The survival instinct in a person is pretty strong. It's a God-given response, built in there for the specific purpose of keeping our happy rears alive.
I think back to what Peter did, in the face of the capture of Jesus. Peter stated that he would never deny him. Jesus, knowing a bit better, predicted Peter would disavow any knowledge of him not once; but three times. When the soldiers came and took Jesus before the Sanhedrin, Peter cracked. He did exactly what Jesus figured he'd do. He vowed he didn't know Jesus at all. By doing so, he stayed alive.
I think Peter never really gave up on Jesus. That much is obvious, given what he accomplished in Jesus' name later on. He was just overwhelmed with the survival instinct that God gave all of us. Later, he was martyred, in a pretty horrible way. I don't know for sure, but I think Peter probably made it to Heaven. He stood up when he was supposed to. And maybe that's the answer. We'll play whatever role God has decided for us.
Bottom line: I sure can't judge these two journalists. It's not my place. I don't know what I'd do. I know whatever conversion I supposedly made would not be what was in my heart. I just hope God doesn't place me in that position. But if he does, it will play out the way he wants it to. I'm not going to sweat it. Nor am I going to condemn these guys for wanting to stay alive at all costs. I'm sure some Christians will, but it's really not their place.
I do think this is illustrative of what the West will face with Islam. This is not an historic anomaly, by any means. The whole history of Islam vs. everybody else is rife with stories like these. I'll bet this won't be the last time this little problem comes up.
Right On
Every once in awhile, I read something that makes me want to cry, scream, and stand up and cheer. All at once.
Kim Du Toit is usually pretty good at it.
This is a very moving piece, and worth the read.
Just looking at the place gives me the creeps.
He's right: this can never be allowed to happen again.
Kim Du Toit is usually pretty good at it.
This is a very moving piece, and worth the read.
Just looking at the place gives me the creeps.
He's right: this can never be allowed to happen again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)