Something Must Be Said

This has been on Drudge for about two days, but I've just now gotten to reading it. Apparently, Pres. Bush is being demonized now for attempting to send aid outside of the U.N.  Evil man...how dare he try to send money to desperate countries!

My favorite part of this whole article accusing Bush of "undermining the U.N." (Go G.W!) is when the woman quoted says "the U.N. is the only one with the 'moral authority'" to send money. lol. Since when has the U.N. ever had 'moral' anything? Oh, the stupidity never ends, therefore I will never cease to blog. Sorry guys.

Waiting, Sweetheart, Waiting

I'm just waiting, not quite with baited breath, but waiting for someone to blame President Bush for the recent Tsunami. I mean, it is only a matter of time before someone does. Michael Moore would be a huge (in size too) disappointment if he didn't at least utter something in that light.

I found out from CNN that Hawaii knew about the earthquake that ultimately caused the wall of water, and they tried contacting those islands to warn them. They even went as far as getting Australia and other countries to help warn them as well. But, obviously, it wasn't enough. And I'm just waiting for someone to pin that on the Bush administration.

Who knows. Maybe they already have. If you have more current information, please, do tell.

Reading List Update with Recommendations

So, my reading list for this two week break has somewhat altered. No longer am I attempting to read 6 books in two weeks. Now, it's just down to three. A much more manageable number, I believe.

So, here's what I'm reading, while listening to Sarah McLachlan (or someone else) on my new iPod (fav Christmas gift ever):

This is a phenomenal book my brother gave me for Christmas. He gave it to me not knowing Alan was a liberal, but he is passionately for Israel, so it's even more fascinating. I highly recommend it.

I have heard so much about G.K. Chesterton. He's been quoted in any number of sermons I've listened to, radio broadcasts I've heard, or books I've read, and I've always been ashamed to say I've never read his work. Now, I know why I was ashamed. This man is amazing. He's definitely a new addition to the hero list. I want to be just like him, except not 300 pounds. :)

I've read this book a number of times, and I'm always amazed at the new insights I get each time I read it. This time I'm reading it for another reason. I'm teaching a "Critical Thinking, Speech & Debate" class to homeschoolers and those in school (ages 13-18) starting the first week in February. I'm very excited and this is the required text for it, so I'm brushing up on the brilliant writing of my favorite author.

Whoever called me a bookworm all those years ago wasn't kidding. Books are my favorite purchase and favorite gift. I love books. I could live in a bookstore if they'd let me. Until then, I'll settle for my ever expanding library. Happy reading to those out there in Bloggerville!

I'm a Liberal

Does anyone else find it highly ironic that the group once so adamantly for the civil rights of blacks and other minorities is now just as adamantly for Islam, a group that mistreats outsiders and inside women far worse than anyone has ever been mistreated on U.S. soil? The group of supporters I'm referring to is, of course, liberal. However, liberal has changed a lot.

Liberal used to mean someone for the human and civil rights of all individuals regardless of race, color, creed, etc. It used to mean that if you were liberal, you were for spreading freedom and democracy to parts of the world so desperately in need of it. Now, a liberal isn't about any of those things, unless he's "Old School" liberal, and in that way, I am.

You heard it here first, folks. Emily is a liberal, but not a modern one, a JFK style liberal. Spread that freedom as far as we can! "The Man" we're fighting now is an Islamic one, and far more dangerous than any Anglo man; but he's going down under my watch...I'm not about to stand for any more women being murdered for no reason, babies being blown up, citizens having their tongues cut out, girls being raped in front of their parents. It has to stop, and it's the "old school" liberals, aka "conservatives," who are really the only ones who recognize this threat. Therefore, we will go down in history as the ones who fought against the greatest evil of our time. Not Nazism, or Fascism, or Communism, but radical Islam.

Good laugh

I've had some interesting referrals to my website recently. The following searches have yielded my website as a result:

"Mansions of the Lord" used at Pres. Reagan's funeral (for those of you who hit my site from that search, click here and scroll down)

"obnoxious (or funniest) Christmas newsletters"

"rich kids"

"young italian guys" (from the Australian google, nonetheless...dirty Aussies)

On another note, a new version of The Merchant of Venice came to the big screen today. I'm very excited. I think I'll be seeing it this weekend. Joseph Fiennes is one of the stars, which makes it all that more appealing. If you haven't read that play, do so. It's an incredible story from which my website gets its name.

Scrooge? I think not

Amidst the horror of the SouthEast Asia Tsunami disaster (reports are now that close to 100,000 people have been killed), the U.N. has found time to criticize the Bush administration for not giving enough money to the cause of restoration and aid. Currently, we have pledged $35 million to the area, and Colin Powell and others have said that's just the beginning, that the total will end somewhere around $1 billion. But the initial amount is what the U.N. and other critics are scoffing at, ignoring the fact that that money has already drained our emergency relief fund, and steps have to be taken now to ask for more. That the U.N. thinks it can make any moral judgment (remember, they have Sudan as the lead nation of the human rights dept.) is nearly hysterical.

Pres. Bush countered such criticism this morning saying that the United States provided $2.4 billion "in food, in cash, in humanitarian relief to cover the disasters for the year...That's 40 percent of all the relief aid given in the world last year."

So, let me get this straight. We're are greedy imperialists who want to take over the world and govern it according to our own policies, but when it comes to situations in which the world wants us to be its "big brother," so to speak, we're not doing enough. So, we're supposed to act like an older brother, but we aren't. Does this confuse anyone else, or is it just me? This can't possibly go both ways. Either we give, and give what we want (even with stipulations), or we don't give at all. Right?
 

A Great Talent, Lost

One of my favorite on-screen and broadway actors, Jerry Orbach, has died of prostate cancer at the age of 69. This is so sad. I had no idea he was sick, so this is slightly shocking. All of the Law & Order junkies are going to be having a hard time with this one. He was set to star in a spinoff of that show called Law & Order: Trial by Jury. He filmed a few episodes, but the cancer was diagnosed after and prevented him from further filming. He will be missed; he was such a great one to watch.

Good things do happen

Today I received emails from people I knew.  This is truly a miracle.

I know that seems ridiculous to be excited about, but you don't understand how many email lists I'm on, most of which I didn't sign up for. I get emails from Pottery Barn, the RNC, Young Republicans, Amazon, American Eagle, George Bush, Alibris, and the list continues. It is always depressing to open your inbox and see mass emails. But today, a day that will live on forever, I received emails only from people that I have a personal relationship with. Wow. It was a good day. Plus,  got a really cute hat from J-Crew. Who could ask for anything more?

Merry Christmas!

Buon Natale! Joyeux Noel! Feliz Navidad! Froehliche Weihnachten! Kala Hristougenna! Mele Kalikimaka! ....you get the idea. :)

Merry Christmas to all! May your day be filled with joy and the knowledge that no matter where you are in life, there is One who loves you more than you can possibly know, and He came in the form of a child 2,000 years ago that you might know life more abundantly than you could ever imagine. When God created man, he knew he was taking a risk, but He chose to make beings capable of choice, because love given out of free will is far more precious and meaningful than that given out of robotic programming. Though man had everything, he still separated himself from God by doing the one thing God had instructed him not to. When man broke the rules, or sinned, he immediately created a great divide between himself and God. It would take an act of God to fill that divide, and he did so in the form of Jesus. God's Son forfeited His place in heaven because He so desperately wanted that separation to end, and it only could through His death and resurrection.

While this is scratching the surface, I pray that those who are new to all of this will begin to seek out the truth regarding the one so many of us call "Savior." We joyfully and expectantly celebrate His birth this day, knowing that though it was two millenia ago that He came, He still does miracles in our lives today.

All God's best for you and yours this Christmas and New Year.
With much love,
Emily

A Little Perspective

Keeping the proper perspective on the "persecution" of Christians in the United States, here's an excellent article by Michelle Malkin. I've discussed this a number of times, that we aren't "persecuted" here, just discriminated against. Though we don't suffer trials like those in the Middle East, Africa, and parts of Asia, it is still imperative that we don't let what's going on here escalate because, God forbid it actually becomes persecution. So, while it's important to understand the true sufferings of Christians around the world, it doesn't mean we give up fighting discrimination here. History has shown that remaining silent in such situation is the greatest folly. See 2 posts prior to this for reference.

More Brilliance

Another Brilliant article by Dennis Prager defending Christmas and Christmas shopping. A teaser excerpt:

In Defense of the 'commercialism' of Christmas

Every year, as predictable as the arrival of the winter solstice is the arrival of criticism about the commercialization of Christmas. We are told by well meaning killjoys that Christ and all religious meaning have been taken out of Christmas because Americans spend too much money on Christmas gifts and because stores have rendered Christmas little more than a great time to sell product.

If there is a better example of people complaining about something that is overwhelmingly good and wholesome, I would like to know what it is.

During one period of time each year, the great majority of Americans feel obligated to buy presents for their friends and relatives. Imagine that! What an awful thing!

You think you know, but you have no idea

The lovely slogan from MTV's Diary just seemed so appropriate here. :) As all MTV slogans are, of course. Last night I went to a Christmas party where I was able to talk to a Holocaust survivor for close to an hour.  She was in the death camp Auschwitz for 5 months and a factory concentration camp for another 7. She lost her mother, father, grandparents and aunt in those camps. She is the only living survivor of her family. She and her mother were holding hands and being lead to the crematorium in Auschwitz (she was 17 at the time but didn't want her mother to die without her) when an SS guard had a moment of humanity and grabbed her arm, said she was too young and let her go. As miraculous as that was, her mother was still killed. Here's an isolated and small reminder of the horrors inflicted on people in death camps such as Auschwitz. Read more here.

Bone, muscle, and joint transplantation

"To learn if a limb or joint from one person could be successfully attached to another who had lost that limb or joint, experimenters at Ravensbruck amputated legs and shoulders from inmates in useless attempts to transplant them onto other victims. They also removed sections of bones, muscles, and nerves from prisoners to study regeneration of these body parts. Victims suffered excruciating pain, mutilation, and permanent disability as a result."

I have so much to say regarding this issue, and I'm actually going to interview her today to get more of her story for something I'm working on. In the meantime, if I ever hear another liberal call President Bush, "Hitler," or if I ever hear that we're guilty of fascism here, I may have to beat you with my clever wit and a history book, of course.  :) As every Diary star has said, "You may think you know, but you have no idea." Here's another quote to help those who still might be tempted to rail against Bush in said manner: "Better to be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." For visual reminders of what occurred you can continue reading this post. If you're squeamish, I wouldn't recommend it.

Ebeneezer incarnate, omnipotent

Yet more hostility toward Christmas. The voices in my head aren't lying to me!

Seasonal Displays Being Looted

Teen Shoots Santa with a Pellet Gun

And the French have joined the ranks as well:

French Teens Mug Santa Claus

I know I keep going back to this, but imagine again the flipside of these situations. "Christian teen shoots Ramadan mascot." "Religious Right burns effigy of Dalai Lama." First of all, these wouldn't happen. Secondly, if they did, I'm pretty sure we'd bring back death by firing squad. Until then, I will faithfully blog the hypocritical tales of the secular, Christian hating left.

Unbelievable?

Little Green Footballs has just posted about this. This is unbelievable, yet makes perfect sense. Here's an excerpt of an article that you have to read. It's by Robert Spencer for FrontPageMag.

Two Christian pastors in Australia have been found guilty of religious vilification of Muslims. The decision threatens us all.

One of the pastors, Daniel Scot, is Pakistani. He fled his native land seventeen years ago when he ran afoul of the notorious Section 295(c) of the Penal Code — which mandates death or life in prison for anyone who blasphemes “the sacred name of the holy Prophet Muhammad.” It’s a treacherously elastic statute that has been and is often used to snare Christians: cornered and made to state that they don’t believe Muhammad was a prophet, they then find themselves charged with blasphemy......

Can you imagine if people were prosecuted for saying negative things about Christianity? lol. The entire Eastern world would be sentenced to death. I just can't imagine the flipside of this coin. For those who think Christians are out to destroy other cultures and rape their religions, think again.

Posted by Portia at 02:44 PM | Comments (1)

I'm just trying to "reach out"

I've gotten a number of complaints recently that my posts have not been partisan enough. Ironically, most of those complaints (spare a few) have come from my liberal readership. My apologies for offending any of you by being too neutral. This is a mistake I will gladly not replicate.

My reasons for diminishing partisanship are a few. First, it's Christmastime, and somehow, "The War for Oil" doesn't seem like anything I'd be interested in diving into compared to the joys of my favorite holiday. Second, I've been basking in the sun of American capitalism in the last few days; some might call this "Christmas shopping." I call it giving my economy a shot in the arm. Due to my capitalistic endeavors, I have had limited time for the decidedly non-capitalistic activity of blogging. Apologies, again. Third, I've been taking the liberals' advice and I've been "reaching out" in my posts, but apparently this isn't as entertaining, so I'll do away with it and get back to the usual Liberalism-is-destroying-my-country schpiel (or however you spell that one).

So, now for something quite neoconish: Oil prices are dropping, so finally that blasted "war for oil" is paying off! It's about time. I guess knocking down all those Iraqi doors and killing innocent women and children is finally amounting to a kick back for my little pocket book. {If you don't know me, please know I'm being unbelievably tongue-in-cheek right now.}

I'm still researching the facts behind our initial reasons for going to war. If indeed we did know that Iraq had no WMD or capability of making such, I will be quite upset. However, I still support us being there. Our reasons might have been wrong in going (but they also might be right), but we've removed a terrible dictator and we just might facilitate the first working democracy in the Middle East, spare Israel. For that reason alone, we must not retreat and we cannot relent in our pursuit to secure the safety and liberty of every Iraqi citizen. To lose this fight would be far more disastrous than the invasion of their country. We've got to stick it out and see radical change in that heavily Islamic part of the world.

I've got loads more to say about Islam, but for now I'm retreating to a happier place. Three more days till Christmas!! Oh, and wish every employee and person you know a "Merry Christmas." Screw this "Happy Holidays" nonsense. That means as much as voting for Nader. Say "Merry Christmas," or if you want to be over the top, sing something from Handel's "Messiah."

We Were Soldiers

I just found out that the lyrics to the beautiful requiem sung at President Reagan's funeral, while the pallbearers entered the cathedral, were written by Randall Wallace, of Braveheart screenwriting fame. I had been wondering where that song came from and just saw Mr. Wallace on Hannity & Colmes where he said that he'd written those lyrics to the end credits of We Were Soldiers. The poetry is incredible, so I thought I'd share it.

The Mansions of the Lord
Music by Nick Glennie-Smith/Lyrics by Randall Wallace

 To fallen soldiers, let us sing
Where no rockets fly or bullets wing
Our broken brothers let us bring
To the Mansions of the Lord
No more bleeding no more fight
No prayers pleading through the night,
Just divine embrace, eternal light
In the Mansions of the Lord
Where no mothers cry and no children weep
We will stand and guard though the angels sleep
All through the ages safely keep
The Mansions of the Lord
 

~Sung by The United States Armed Forces Chorus

 [Originally sung by the West Point Glee Club to close the movie We Were Soldiers 2002.]

Quote of the Day

"The biggest argument against democracy is a five minute discussion with the average voter."  (Sir Winston Churchill, 1874-1965)

Great quip by one of my greatest heroes. Very quotable man, indeed.

More Late Breaking News!

The Band blog has been updated. Can I hear a Hallelujah!

Bell'Italia

I miss Italy.

Where else can you get genuine cappucinos for a dollar? Amazing.

Some previously unpublished photos for your viewing pleasure. If you ever get a chance, go to Italy. It's wonderful.

Buon Natale to all my Italian friends: Davide, Luigi, Niccola (did I spell that right?), Simona, Lorenza, e Signore e Signora Giorgi. (And who could forget Jon Luca.) Much love from Emily and Rachael! Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo!
~Emilia

I am OFF the Charts!

Does anyone know anything about the website or logic behind BlogShares? Someone accessed my site by searching my URL through this tracking site, and I'm so lost as to what it all means. Apparently, my valuation (whatever that is) is at $1,946.94. Am I supposed to be making money off of this blog venture, 'cause if I am, shoot, where's my check? :) Appreciate any info, or any random thoughts as well.

Oh, and if anyone wants in on being a shareholder with my site, you'd better hurry. I mean, look at me...I'm through the roof! You can make checks out to Portia and I'll give you an address. :)

New Features

I've added another typelist (on the left) of fellow bloggers with similar interests. I'm trying to make my lists as accurate as possible. More will be added when I've had the time to research all the blogs first. I don't want to recklessly recommend you to other sites. :)

Found

The baby cut from her mother's womb yesterday afternoon has been found alive. Here's the link. Thank God.

{Ha, I got this up before Fox News. Score! :)}

When Bad Things Happen to Good Churches

AP just reported that a Crystal Cathedral employee opened fire in the church and then ran to the men's restroom where he killed himself this morning. The Crystal Cathedral has a very famous Christmas pageant called "The Glory of Christmas" that has been cancelled today due to this situation.  This is so bizarre. This  is a great church and a very unfortunate event.

AP also reports another bizarre and tragic story. A pregnant woman was murdered in her home yesterday. Unfortunately, it doesn't end there. The murderer took the baby from her womb and authorities are now on the hunt. This is disgusting.

Real Persecution

A Christian pastor in China has been arrested. His wife and children, believed to be one of the targets of the raid that arrested the pastor, were able to flee before the police arrived. The Chinese Gov't has been even more aggressive in their persecution of Christians. They've even gone so far as to launch a new propoganda campaign using media outlets to circulate their lies (apparently the left in China isn't too different from our papers). Here's an excerpt: (source: Voice of the Martyrs)

His arrest comes in the midst of a serious crackdown on China’s house churches. In addition to a generally worsening situation and increased arrests, it is reported that there is now a disinformation campaign, similar to that used against the Falun Gong before the major crackdown against them. In recent weeks, the Chinese government has launched an international media propaganda campaign. It was reflected from articles both in an overseas pro-China website called DUOWEI news and the New York Times. The articles portrayed house churches as secret religious fanatics who even commit murder in the fight for new membership.

It is believed that the Chinese government purposely provided misleading and untrue information to these news outlets by linking the house church with a criminal group disguised as religion called Eastern Lightning.

On the topic of hatred toward Christians, here's an interesting read. (Hat tip: Jihadwatch) It's a website called Play & Learn that teaches the Moral Values and Teachings of the Qu'ran. There is a specific section dedicated to informing Muslims that there should be no love toward unbelievers. Hollywood's kidding itself if it thinks that by pandering to this belief system, they might find an ally. Islam will use you to gain access where needed, then it sells you out because it has to: you are not a believer, you're an infidel. Prime Example: France. The poor frogs are now scared because they've been so permissive with Islam that now they're beginning to be a bit overrun with them and terrorist activities and "honor killings" have now begun bubbling up in various parts of the country. They thought by treating the bully nicely, they'd have a defender. Nope.

Caught Red Handed

Little Green Footballs  had a post Wednesday that read:

An industrious moonbat has gone to the trouble of setting up a web site identifying retailers by their Republican/Democrat donations: Choose The Blue. (Hat tip: Guzziguy.)

This is a very interesting resource! Thanks to Choose The Blue, I now know that “Progressive” Auto Insurance is not just a name.

This is a very interesting site that can help us chose where we shop as well. It's especially interesting to see what specific industries tend to swing right and which ones swing left. But if you've still got some Christmas shopping left to do, it never hurts to support companies that support you.

Don't confuse me with the facts

More evidence that I'm not making up the fact that the secular left is out to abolish any religious association to Christmas. Reuters has an article on it now. And here's yet another article on a Christmas tree protest organized by a group of athiests. Not only is this a ridiculous fight for them to start on the "Separation of Church and State" front (nowhere in the constitution is this mentioned), but it is also destroying language.

Nothing drives me nuts more than vague language or ambiguous statements intended to "beat around the bush." What in the world does "Happy Holiday" mean? What "holiday"? Wait, are we talking about the only holiday that's celebrated on December 25th?

Why can't we be specific in our language? Say "Christmas," and I promise you won't spontaneously combust.  Enough of this hyper culturally sensitive nonsense. Are people really offended by you wishing them a Merry Christmas? I just did that all week at my school, and not one person complained. In fact, I've never gotten more smiles and hugs. This is utter nonsense by the secular left, but then again, what else should we expect.

Here's some links to other posts on the same subject.
Vindication.  I have another few posts on this in the December archives listed on the right hand side of the page. Can't figure out how to link them. Hope you find them!
 

Why Stop Now

I just found this video through Little Green Footballs. Kerry-Edwards supporters, get out some tissue, this is a tribute to your efforts, your hopes. I found the video very sad and slighly amusing. I guess when your worldview is based on emotions, you too would weep when your candidate lost. Somehow, I just have a hard time envisioning enough still shots and video footage of Republicans doing the same, had Bush lost. I could be wrong though, but I'm pretty sure that we're better at picking ourselves back up after a loss. For all those still heart broken, fear not, someday you'll realize Bush wasn't what the NYT said he was, and you'll be thankful he was here these 8 years. :) Please email me 20 years from now when you have this epiphany. In the meantime, your fellow comrades' disappointment is expressed in this video.

Sleep is for babies

Right now would be the perfect opportunity to catch up on much  needed rest, but there are far too many interesting things to read and write about. Beside, who needs sleep when you're almost done with finals.  I'm used to it by now...that's right. Six down, one to go. I had three today, two the day before. Two last week, and one tomorrow. Wait, that's seven..whatever, I'm majoring in music.

Some interesting things I learned in school today, beside your run-of-the-mill improvisations on the pentatonic scale and harmonizing chords based on a 2-5-6-1 progression:

**But first! An article describing the continued swing toward conservative thinking. "Poll Shows GOP on the Move: More Ink to Follow?" Now, back to your regular programming.**

1. Men like pedicured toes.

2. College teachers like getting Christmas presents. Yes, I buy my grades.

3. Weird Al looks old in person. Walked right by him at the Grove.

4. You can take any word you want and change it's meaning based on inflection. Take, for example, "sick." Since over half my department is made up of young men predominantly influenced by the hip-hop culture, I've come to know this trick well. "Sick" is one of the words most commonly used in this tribal community. (Yes, Zach, I'm officially "clowning" you right now.) Sick can, of course, mean physically ill, but that's too pedantic. It's really used to describe "sick beats" or "sick rhythms" or whatever other one syllable word you may pair it with. "Killing it," "clowning," "mad," and other words I can't type on this site are also commonly utilized expressions. Half the time, I feel like a sociologist studying a foreign culture, but mostly, I play up the sheltered white girl pretense. Ah, but you know I love you guys! Heck, you have expanded my vocabulary. That or assaulted it...the jury's still out. :)

Just in case you haven't had enough of my uncharacteristically auto-biographical post, here is a list of books I'm planning on reading during my short two week break. And I will read them all.

Matt Redman's Facedown. I've been reading this book, but it's so heavy, that it must be absorbed in small amounts. I highly recommend it. But if you want to read books about worship, I'd start with Darlene Zchech's book Extravagant Worship, which is a good preface to this one.

The perfect follow up to the previously listed book, I will be reading what the other side has to say about the war. I don't know about you, but I am still constantly amazed at the fact that books were published on the war about two days after it began. What a time we live in.  This is on loan to me from one of my good friends from school. We are desperately trying to convince one another that we're right. Quite fun, actually.

Excellent book for any who need to hear someone say, "RELAX!" This is written by a jazz piano giant, but I highly recommend it to anyone who struggles in messing up when things really matter. Whether you're into public speaking or soccer or music, and you find that you can't quite perform as well as you do when it's just rehearsal, this book's for you.

Dennis Prager said that this was one of the top three books that influenced his life and thinking, so I bought it.

Started reading this online and it's fascinating. I love reading the writing of genius scientists who believe in an ultimate cause. This will be an exciting read.

Well, that about sums up what I'll be doing on my much needed break. That and practicing jazz voicings, soloing and a million other things as I get ready for a private teacher who's going to kick my butt. I'm so excited. Well, I hope you all have a lovely Wednesday. If you're in school, take heart, you're almost done and Christmas is only 11 days away! :) Well, probably 10 as soon as I get this posted.

Oedipal urges

Freud would have a field day with this latest piece off of Drudge. Apparently, in Japan, they've made both male and female foam pillows. The female version is a lap, as seen above. And women can snuggle up to a soft male torso, of sorts. It's all done to stave off lonliness this season. Another irony, as Japan really doesn't celebrate Christmas or any other "cozy" holidays at this time. This is too much. I'm waiting for the punchline. It's funny and really quite sad at the same time.

Vindication

See, I'm not making it up if ABC reports on the fact that Christmas is under fire, so to speak. The liberal media giant has a story about recent attempts to remove any reference to Christmas in various parts of the country. I'm not a paranoid delusional. I just know things before you. :) That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Other interesting news sides:

A renowned athiest has become a deist. This is big news for his former community. I find it more than coincidental that he got his start debating theology in C.S. Lewis's "Socratic Club" at Oxford, being that Lewis coined himself "the most reluctant convert in all of England." He too was an outspoken athiest, turned deist, turned Christian. It will be interesting to see what other conclusion Mr. Flew comes to in the next few years.

A very well known liberal NYT journalist has written an excellent piece about the upcoming Iraqi elections. I have issues with Thomas Friedman on many of his beliefs, but I have to give it to him, he is quite intellectually honest and intelligent. You'll enjoy the article.

Burn, Baby, Burn

The jury that convicted Scott Peterson of murder has now recommended him for the death penalty. This is amazing, especially in that part of California. This gives me hope that justice in many cases will be served. I was starting to really wonder, but this has restored a bit of faith I would like to have in my fellow citizens' critical thinking and judgment capabilites. It certainly speaks volumes of these twelve jurors, that they didn't fall for all the ridiculous pleas of his mother such as, "He's a gentle person." Riiiight. Gentle...Scott Peterson. How could I ever doubt that? Well, thank God, this jury didn't buy that crap.

The only downside in this great ruling is that we don't have the electric chair. The death penalty is far too nice here. I personally think that those who murder should be subjected to the same death as their victims, but I somehow don't think that will ever happen. But, what is it that they say, "Hope springs eternal"? :)

Must Read!!

You all must read this essay! It's written by a private in the Army as punishment for not bringing his poncho to a meal. That's right...he had to write a 1000 word essay about why he'll never forget to bring his poncho to the mess hall again. It is truly one of the funniest things I've ever read. This guy is hilarious. Here's a little excerpt for a teaser, but you've got to read the whole thing to truly appreciate the mundane task this guy accomplished with such pizzaz. :) {To give credit where credit is due, I got this story from Football Fans for Truth.}

"It is Extremely Important that I Bring my Equipment Every Day Because if I Don't the Drill Sergeant makes me write a stupid R.B.I., which I must write, because if I don't the Army will kick me out, instantly ruining my life because I will be unable to get a job, and I will wind up living in a cardboard box because sometimes society can be a cruel, cruel entity.

Therefore, I will always from now on bring my poncho to chow because as everyone knows, it often rains inside of the mess hall. I also do not like to live in a cardboard box."

It just get's better from there. You'll laugh out loud, I promise. And if you don't, you're just boring and probably don't appreciate my site anyway. Have fun kids!

Because it's Friday

On a lighter note, here are some interesting quotes taken from an email my Grandma sent me. The emails says that these are "actual" messages that computers in Japan send when errors occur. I don't buy that for a second, but they are funny, and I can imagine my reaction if my computer told me some of these things. I hear them as being read by either Christopher Walken, Steve Oedekerk, or Kevin Spacey imitating Christopher Walken.  (They are also in Christmas colors for your holiday pleasure. :) Enjoy!

1. Program Aborting: Close all you have worked on. You ask too much.

2. Windown NT crashed. I am the Blue Screen of Death. No one hears your screams.

3. Your file was so big. It might be useful. But now it is gone.

4. Out of memory. We wish to hold the sky, but we never will.

5. Screen. Mind. Both are blank.

~Have a good weekend!

And the List Continues

Ah, another fine example of left-wing love. The party of "tolerance and compassion" has a new crusade. Read about it here.

I'm ever in awe of the hypocrisy of liberalism. I mean, let's think about this. If a small group of right wing law professors, oh wait...there aren't any. Nevermind.

Oh, but the love doesn't stop there! Bill Moyers is retiring and going out in a blaze of glory, Dan Rather style, spare the scandal part.  He accuses the "right-wing media of being a propoganda arm of the Republican National Committee." Yes, Bill, if only there were a right-wing media. Who do we have...Fox News? And then a bunch of online news sites. Pretty scary stuff. My favorite line of the entire article is paragraph four. The whole article reads like the journalist is begging him for a job; the brown nosing is almost repulsive (isn't there some creed about objectivity in the news world? I'm sure I'm making that up.) And he accuses us of propoganda. Just read the article, again the hypocrisy is shameless.

In other news, Saddam Hussein's lawyers say they're not ready for trial. Ya think? I'm not sure that anyone could ever defend that man and truly make people think he was innocent of all charges brought against him. They'll never be ready because a good defense is simply not possible. But, hey, it's worth a shot. No one else wants to touch this case even with a ten foot pole. Good luck fellas!

To Be

I just did something totally out of character for me, but fun nonetheless. I took an online quiz whose outcome compares you to a famous actress/actor. Basically, it's a "who would you be if you were famous" quiz. Interestingly enough, this was my result:

I'm Gwyneth Paltrow. Quite ironic to me, especially considering my site is named after a famous Shakespearean heroine (and no, that's not a drug).

Hmm...so if I were an actress, would I be Gwyneth?

Some people

I've just read a large portion of an article that can be described as  nothing less than ludicrous. It is an article that links to other articles that are basically thesis statements of the extreme left. This is written by one of the most biased, and unintelligent, writers working for what would appear a legitimate paper. The article in question is called, Is Bush the AntiChrist?

Want to know the first tip off that it isn't written by someone who can actually objectively report on such a loaded topic? In the title, the author chooses to write "Bush," not President Bush. That is one of the first signs, semantically speaking, that illustrates the differences between the left and right. The left doesn't call him President Bush. Even journalists, who are supposed to be objective (not even going to go there), refer to him as Mr. Bush or just Bush. It's ridiculous. Even though the right was far less than thrilled with Clinton, we called him President Clinton because we respect the office. Not that there weren't exceptions to this; don't comment on this point guys, let's look at what I'm really writing about...for once.

Okay, enough of that rabbit trail.

Read the article. I still haven't gotten through all of it because it's late, and I've got the point. He has extreme contempt for Christians...that's original. Oh, and Zach, here's yet another example of someone other than you using "fascists" but this time in reference to the followers of Christ. Told you. :) You'll never win, I'm always right.

In other news: I love Keith Urban. That is all.

Amendment

There is an error in my post about the teacher who was reprimanded and kept from teaching his class from the Declaration of Independence. Zach was the first to point this out to me this morning (thank you, Zach), and he was absolutely right. I wrote that the teacher was fired. This is not true. He was simply kept from using one of our founding documents as material from which to teach.  Still just as absurd.

I had gotten this story confused with the story of a teacher who was kicked out of her school's building because she had a display of the US presidents. Naturally, a picture of our sitting president was included, and parents complained. The vice-principle demanded she either remove the picture of President Bush or at least include a picture of John Kerry. The teacher refused on the grounds that  it was a bulletin board profiling American presidents; it was historical, not political, therefore including a picture of John Kerry would be ridiculous.

I love how the left calls the right fascists, but it's the left that is trying to derail our freedom of speech and just plain freedom to teach history and current events. Really, they're doing such a disservice to the future generation by preventing them from knowing our heritage. But maybe that's the intention...the continued dumbing down of our kids. Dumb people do make great followers.

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas

I'm sorry for my recent neglect in posting as regularly as I normally do.  I can't begin to describe how insanely busy my schedule is. I'm "booked," if you will, nearly every minute of every day up until 11 p.m. No exaggeration, I promise. But I love being busy, so no complaints, it's just that being so busy wears on my ability to read the news and comment as I like to do on my site.

So, I don't have any real insights into pop culture, government or religion, at present. I know, I know, it's terribly disappointing, and what in the world will you do until my next insight? :) Well, I recommend starting a dialogue on this site. I certainly have some faithful left wing posters, but not too many right wingers. Let's just keep it clean folks. :)

Though I may not yield any brilliant thoughts at the moment, I must guide you to someone who always does.  Dennis Prager's latest article, published today, is a must read.  If you ever want to get inside my head, read this man's writing. He is among probably 6 people who have shaped my world view and thought process. I can't say enought about him, but I'd rather you just read his own words. His article is called "Blue America: The land of the easily offended."  If there's one thing you read this week, read Dennis. You'll be a better human being for it.

Oh, and for those of you who are observant Jews, Happy Hanukkah!  Have a blessed celebration.

So Close, Yet so Far Away

Here's an interesting article by the Washington Post that reports that while both parties far surpassed previous fund-raising figures, the Democrats beat out the Republicans by about $4 Million dollars.

Yes, but we beat them by 4 Million Votes! 

JesusLand My Eye

The recent landslide Bush victory has clearly shown the left side of the United States (and the world, for that matter) that no longer can they call Christians, and others on the political right, "extremists," "radicals," fundamentalists," and the list goes on. Clearly it would be a mistake to call 60 million people extremists. That would be a gross factual and linguistic error, and you all know how I feel about language.

However, despite the epic win for conservative values, there still exists great opposition to our way of life. I'm not going to go as far as saying it's persecution, because we really have no clue what persecution is when compared to situations in Sudan like the recent flogging of a 14-year-old Christian boy. But I will call it opposition. And here's my evidence:

Recently, a fifth grade teacher was fired for showing his class The Declaration of Independence because within the document there is a reference to God. Agh! The Horror!!

In addition to this ridiculous story, all over the country there are movements to ban the word "Christmas" or any reference to the actual reason why there are wreaths and holly berries adorning every shopping mall in the US.  In my own personal experience, I tutor a third grader who attends a public school. This year, they're singing "winter songs" that freely mention Hannukah and Kwanzaa but Christmas cannot be found in the verse whatsoever. In other news across the country, a school in New Jersey is banning any religious reference in any Christmas song. Highly ironic and stupid, if you ask me.

Now, to all my loyal lefty readers, I pose a question. How exactly does it make America any better or more tolerant (your favorite virtue, I know) to cut out all references to the one holiday that makes this season what it is? Why is it dangerous for people to: 1. know that the "holiday" in question is Christmas, and 2. to know the meaning behind the Christmas holiday? Really, what is it that incites such resentment and opposition, and how would it cure things to remove any reference to what has been a sacred and highly celebrated holiday for hundreds of years in this country?

I'm not asking rhetorically, I truly want to understand the other side on this. I can explain my side in much greater detail. But to all the Ziggys, Henrys and Zachs, I want to know first if you support this, and second why or why not. I really want to know. Promise.