October 2009

Happy Reformation Day, from Pilgrims’ Progress! And an early happy All Saints’ Day! From Wikipedia, here’s a bit about the two:

“Reformation Day is a religious holiday celebrated on October 31 in remembrance of the Reformation, particularly by Lutheran and some Reformed church communities. It is a civic holiday in Slovenia (since the Reformation contributed to its cultural development profoundly, although Slovenians are mainly Roman Catholics) and in the German states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. It is also a national holiday in Chile since 2008.”

“All Saints’ Day (officially the Solemnity of All Saints and also called All Hallows or Hallowmas), often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November in Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity in honor of all the saints, known and unknown.”

I recently “retweeted” (if you don’t understand what that is, don’t worry about it right now :) a quote from Tom Coburn in which he said, roughly, “you can’t love through the Federal Government.” In response to that, I was asked what the difference was between giving to a charity, and “giving” (through taxation) to the government. That seems like a fair question, so I’d like to address it a little more fully. Read the rest of this entry »

On Wednesday, October 21, CNN broadcasted an interview between Oklahoma State Senator Todd Lamb (who is the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor) and “Jennifer Mondino, a lawyer for the Center for Reproductive Rights.”

The two discuss an Oklahoma law regarding abortion. Here is the transcript.

Of course I’m biased, but think Lamb did a great a job and came out on top. But don’t merely take my word for it. Read it for yourself.

From the Economist.com

Which Americans have been married most?

FOR almost half of America’s brides and grooms, wedded bliss eventually turns to divorce misery. But many go on to marry again (and then again) in the search for the perfect mate. According to Census Bureau data gathered for the first time in 2008, the keenest on remarriage are those in Arkansas and Oklahoma, where over 10% of women who have ever been married have been hitched at least three times. The proportion of men (of those ever married) who go on to have at least three weddings is lower: 9.7% in Arkansas and 9.3% in Oklahoma. Southern and western states have the highest shares of those who are thrice (or more often) married, partly because of younger median marrying ages, more poverty and poorer education. New Jersey and Massachussets have the smallest shares for both women and men.

Read the rest here.

“(LifeSiteNews.com) – A massive crowd of pro-life Spanish citizens captured international headlines Saturday after marching on the country’s capital to protest plans to loosen abortion restrictions in the country.

“Estimates for the numbers of those in attendance varied, with mainstream media such as CNN and the New York Times reporting simply “thousands” or ”tens of thousands.” However, the Christian Post reports that Madrid’s regional government estimated the numbers of attendees at around 1.2 million, and a spokesman for one of the pro-life organizers said 1.5 million people attended. The U.K.’s BBC and numerous other media outlets also put the crowd at over a million.  According to Agence France Press, police put the number at 250,000.

“Signs reading “For Life, Women and Motherhood,” and “Women Against Abortion” greeted Spanish Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s efforts to push through a law making abortion-on-demand legal up to 14 weeks’ gestation, and allowing girls as young as 16 years old to abort their unborn child without parental consent.  The measure is due for consideration in Parliament soon.

“The full text of the story is available here.”

HT: JR

“The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.”

-Edmund Burke

I’m not sure what Irene Vilar will accomplish by publishing her book “Impossible Motherhood: Testimony of an Abortion Addict.”

The South Florida  Sun Sentinel describes Vilar in this article  “… a striking 40-year-old literary agent … from the age of 16 to 33, she could neither stop herself from conceiving, nor from terminating her pregnancies. Fifteen of them.”

Charmaine Yost, president of Americans United for Life said, “Her story is just so tragic. It really underscores everything we always say in the pro-life movement — that abortion is part of a very sad story for women.”

The article also quotes Robin Morgan, who wrote the book’s forward, “There is a perfectly human tendency to say we can’t afford ambiguity, we can’t afford nuance. I am afraid it comes from years of being pummeled by the extreme, anti-choice right. The truth is it’s a complicated issue.”

I believe Ms. Morgan’s perspective contributes to the complexity she states. I’m curious who she includes in the so-called “extreme, anti-choice right.”

“When we say we’re going to be people of compassion, we need to realize what they consider compassion may not be what we consider compassion when we sit around in our circles of politics. They’re concerned about a son who may be held back in school, or about a daughter with asthma, or if one broken arm on the playground means missing the rent payment next month. Those of us who are people of faith have an obligation not only care who gets elected, but to care about lives and communities. That’s how we earn the right to present policies, not only to change America, but to change the world– when we care about life and care about people.”

-Mike Huckabee

I realize I may be in the minority, but I admire Christopher Columbus.

Though I’m not her biggest fan ever, Phyllis Schlafly has a nice piece about the man, the hero, the legend. It states in part:

“Columbus had great moral and physical courage. Again and again he faced mutinous sailors, armed rebels, frightful storms, and fighting Indians.”

So, as we celebrate Columbus Day, let’s marvel at what he accomplished and at the Lord he strived the serve.

When I first heard that the President won the Nobel Peace Prize, I was really shocked. My first question, and that of everyone I spoke to this morning, was, “Why?” I was anxious to hear what the professional pundit’s reactions would be. My prediction would be skepticism from the Right, and unbridled glee from the Left. I was only half-right. Other conservatives responded as I did, with confusion and bewilderment.

The reaction from the Left, though, surprised me. While some are all but dancing in the streets, some Leftists — major ones at that — are also confused. Matt Lauer said, “We’re less than a year into the first term of this president and there are no — I’m not trying to be, you know, rude here — no major foreign policy achievements, to date.” He even asked David Gregory, “So, what you’re saying in some ways and, again, not to be rude here or sarcastic, that in some ways he wins this award for not being George W. Bush?” to which Gregory responded, “I think that that is an inescapable conclusion about all of this.” I never thought I’d agree with a post on the The Daily Beast, but I think Peter Beinart got it right:

When it comes down to it, I really don’t care who wins the award. It’s been mostly a farce for years now, with terrorists like Yasser Arafat and warm-mongering junk scientists* like Al Gore winning, I don’t think it’s had any real credibility for a long time. Adam Graham at Race 4 2012 sums it up nicely. What bothers me is how weird it is putting a man who has only talked about peace next to those who labored in slums or languished in prisons. It boggles the mind.

* I say junk science because I don’t buy the sky is falling proclamations of Gore and his ilk. Even if one assumes he’s right, though, how is fighting melting ice caps related to peace? Because people might someday fight over dry land in some sort real life Water World scenario? Absurd.

I’ve never been able to put into words why of all the Pixar movies, A Bug’s Life, is my favorite. This article, in part, does it for me. Here’s an excerpt.

In Pixar’s first two feature length films, Toy Story (1995) and A Bug’s Life (1998), after a violent confrontation, two of the main characters are face to face. One of them berates the other in defense of an age-old system of master and servant, a system that the other character actively denounces because this system gets in the way of his lofty ambitions. In both films, the plot centers on this conflict of those who wish to uphold boundaries and those who wish to break through them.

However, there’s one main difference. In the film’s ideologies, Buzz Lightyear is wrong, and Flik is right.

Be that as it may, I say three cheers for (almost) all the Pixar movies. Keep ‘em coming!

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.

-The author of Hewbrews, The Bible

“A life of slothful ease, a life of that peace which springs merely from lack either of desire or of power to strive after great things, is as little worthy of a nation as of an individual.”

-Theodore Roosevelt, from his notable speech, “The Strenuous Life“

Last week, I had the chance to see The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry. I expected the movie to be somewhat typical of recent movie releases with a Christian theme – weak in acting, solid in message.

Staged in the summer of 1970, the film gives an appeal to more innocent times. Boys walking to an ice cream parlor, fishing from a river bank, mowing lawns in the neighborhood are some of the activities of bygone days Sperry features.

Gavin McLeod of The Love Boat and The Mary Tyler Moore Show plays the title role and befriends Dustin and his two young pals, encouraging them to come to his house for a Bible study. Jonathan Sperry shares some great lessons of life. 

He gives them a unique perspective of how to handle a bully who takes a slice of pizza away from the boys. Instead of fighting, Sperry tells them to offer the bully another slice.

Robert Guillaume of Benson plays Mr. Barnes, Sperry’s crotchety neighbor. For an undisclosed reason, Sperry pays Dustin to mow Barnes’ yard, but tells him to never reveal to Barnes who is paying for the work.

Nobody can miss the straightforward message in this film. The plot is creative and reveals some unexpected moments throughout. Of all the Christian-theme movies I have seen, none is as powerful as The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry.