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Arrogance in Action

As most folks know by now the MA state legislature, acting in constitution convention, voted to kill a proposed homosexual marriage ban last week. This proposed constitutional amendment was brought forward by petition IAW state laws and certified as a valid petition by the state AG. The next step would have been for a state-wide public referendum on the proposed amendment.

What the legislature did was legal, according to the laws of the state, however that does not make it acceptable or conscionable. The arrogance in attitude that came through, "We know best what's good for you", was disgusting.

Many of the politicians that voted against this said they voted their conscience: Good for them that they got a chance to do so, too bad their conscience did not include the concept of have the people vote democratically on this issue. It was imposed upon us by an appointed court and we should have our say.

Personally I think it would have failed at the ballot box, but the point is that we the people did not get to vote. For something this important we should have that right.

p.s. Voting is a real right; unlike marriage, be it homsexual or hetrosexual.

Kellogg Co. Goes Fruity

More political correctness craziness from the Food Nazis:
"Kellogg to raise nutrition of kids' food".
Here some random quotes to illustrate the nanny-state, sue-happy, blackmail-oriented mindset of the Food Nazis and the French-like corporate reaction:

The Threat (note the assist from the democracy-loving MA politicos):

"Jacobson's nutrition advocacy group, along with two Massachusetts parents and the Boston-based Campaign For A Commercial-Free Childhood, had served notice in January 2006 of intent to sue Kellogg and the Nickelodeon cable TV network under a Massachusetts law to stop them from marketing junk food to kids."

The Offer:

"Center spokesman Jeff Cronin said Kellogg contacted the plaintiffs shortly thereafter and began negotiating the new standards, so the lawsuit was not filed and will not be filed."

and The Payoff

"The Battle Creek, Mich., company avoided a lawsuit threatened by parents and nutrition advocacy groups worried about increasing child obesity."

Now That's Interesting

Via Captain's Quarters: CAIR membership plummets (Wash. Post). They are down to less than 1,700 from a high of 29,000 in 2000. Most of there money comes from about 24 "individual donors". Hmmm, AQIA,?

There is a God - Part 2

Paris Hilton Ordered Back to Jail
Judge Sauer strikes a blow against "celebrity (in)justice". Way to go your honor!

"Coupe" Deval on Education

Optimistic Patriot over at New England Republican has put together a nice succinct review of King Cadillac Coupe Deval Free 'Em All Patrick's education "reform" proposal; "Governor Patrick, vision without funding is hallucination". Read and heed.

My only addition would be to point out that the 2 hour increase in school day part is clearly a salary for teachers increase not a kids education reform proposal; in other words a real stinker.

It's About Time!

"Feds say La. congressman to be indicted"
I wonder what they were waiting for, the start of hurricane season?

Morning Commute Rants

It was raining this morning driving to work. It seemed to bring out the crazies.

• To 25% of the drivers: It's raining, turn on your lights. The idiot that gets seen before they get hit may be you.
  
• To the woman in the Mazda: I don't mind you using your cell phone, just keep driving, or move over into the right hand lane.
• To the lady in the white Infinity: Smooth move, ex-lax, cutting across traffic to get into the left hand turn lane.
• To the guy in white work van: Thank you for cutting me off when the right hand lane was wide open; it let me swerve around you on the right. Hint: There was nobody behind me; If you had stayed over in the right lane for, say 5 seconds, you could have easily moved over and saved us both some blood pressure points.
• To the truck drivers at the entrance to the base: Don't try to come through the barriers until the inspection area is open. You just end up blocking the whole entrance for everyone.
• To the rent-a-cops in the inspection area: Your job is to inspect the trucks, then get them moving, not chat up the driver then walk around it kicking the tires like you're on a used car lot.
  

[rant off]

Thoughts on the Emerging/Emergent Church

This post over at the World Magazine Blog got me thinking (and researching and writing). The premise of the post was that the Christianity Today magazine has moved from an evangelical perspective to a Emerging Church perspective. Personally I've always considered Christianity Today to be pretty liberal to the point that I would not really have called it an evangelical magazine. To see it more further in that direction would not be a surprise. But this is not the real subject of my post here.

I would like to give my take on what I've found out about the Emerging Church movement. (And yes I will call it a "movement" because that is what it is, contrary to their claims.) For this I'll use the outline of the basic characteristics from the Emerging Church entry in Wikipedia. I researched a variety of sources, but this one is as good a list as I found elsewhere. I'll not define their terms in depth, go read the article for that, but I will give my take on each aspect.

• Postmodern worldview: The existence of the Postmodern worldview is a reality, however it is not a valid basis for defining Christian belief. Neither is Modernism or any other previous worldviews. Christianity is it's own worldview. I can see Evangelicalism as an expression of how to relate the Christian worldview to a modern world, but contrary to claims from the Emerging Church, Evangelicalism is not "based on" a Modern worldview.
  
• Narrative theology: Storytelling can be a good technique for conveying the gospel message, but it is not how the gospel is defined. The gospel is defined in God's Word.
  
• Generous orthodoxy: This smack of relativism and the rejection of the truth of God's Word as the definition of the gospel message. There are absolutes in the Christian faith which means it is possible to be outside them and therefore not Christian. I fear that the Emerging Church is throwing out the baby in the bath water in their rush to be relevant.
  
• Postmodern Hermeneutics: Look up the term. In short it is the rejection of knowable, absolute truth. Dangerous, see above.
  
• Authenticity: There is some good in this area, in learning how to apply Christ in all areas of one's life, but again it smacks of emotionalism and legalism. "I feel saved, I act saved, therefore I am saved".
  
• Conversation/dialog: Again, a good technique for relating to people and sharing the gospel: It does not replace the gospel.
  
• Missional living: The way one lives should reflect one's beliefs, not be the determinant of them.
  
• "Fluid" ecclesiology or "deep" ecclesiology: See above, Postmoderm Hermeneutics.
  
• Creative spirituality: See above, Generous Orthodoxy.
  
• "Non-Legalistic" conduct: Sounds good, but is actually contradictory in practice with the definition of Authenticity above.
  
• Use of new technologies: Using new technologies to share the gospel and relate with people is fine, as long as the technology does not become the object of worship.
  
• Postmodern terminology: Using the terminology is fine, as long as Christian terms and more importantly Christian beliefs are not redefined as well.
  
• Justice: Social justice is a good thing, but again it is not the primary purpose of the gospel. The "social gospel" path practiced by many mainline denominations has been shown to ultimately be contradictory to Christ.

The overwhelming sense I got from researching the Emerging Church movement was one of fuzziness and anti-definition. It is not clear exactly what many in the movement do believe, although there is much that they apparently do not.

The bottom line is that I think there are things to be learned from the Emerging Church movement about how to relate and share the gospel message to people with a postmodern worldview. It could become the next Evangelicalism, but the gospel message cannot be redefined in order to relate it to people and still be called "Christian." Evangelicalism did not redefine the gospel message and neither should the Emerging Church.

There is a God

From MArooned:

Train Kills Man Trying to Kill Woman

LOS ANGELES - A man trying to kill his girlfriend by stopping a car in front of an approaching train was himself killed Monday when the train hit the vehicle and launched it into him as he tried to flee, police said.

The girlfriend survived.

Back on Hiatus

Sorry, I do not expect to have much time to post for the next month or so because of new responsibilities at work, town finance committee activities as part of the run-up to annual town meeting, and the usual slate of home-life events.

I WILL be back.

Recent Events in Global Warming

Sorry it's been almost 2 weeks since the last update. Life and liberty has had me rather busy.

Here are some recent tidbits on the "global warming" silliness:

1. BBC Video "The Great Global Warming Swindle". The original on Google is gone (surprise, surprise surprise), but here is a 2 minute preview, and another source for the full video courtesy of Curmudgeonly & Skeptical.
2. This delightful bit of irony also came from Curmudgeonly & Skeptical, "Frostbite ends Bancroft-Arnesen trek". The quote at the end of the report is delicious:
   

   "They were experiencing temperatures that weren't expected with global warming"

3. Kim Du Toit's observations on the global warming models are insightful. They can be summed up by this quote:

   "'The global warming models have some disturbing characteristics. For example, their output doesn’t depend on their inputs'"

4. Also interesting is his take on carbon offsets:

   “'Carbon offsets' (2007) = 'Papal indulgences' (1517)
   

   Seriously. It’s just payola to a different absolutionist."

5. Seems to me Al Gore is running some kind of Ponzi scheme (or maybe a check kiting ring) with his "carbon offsets". From "Signal 94: Global Warning is Gore's Retirement Plan"
   

   Gore's carbon footprint may be the size of Godzilla's, but he eases his conscience with 'carbon offsets.' He buys them from himself. And every time someone else buys them, Big Al gets richer.

Enjoy.

Double Standards Again in the MSM

"‘That’s so gay’ prompts a lawsuit" From the article:

When a few classmates razzed Rebekah Rice about her Mormon upbringing with questions such as, "Do you have 10 moms?" she shot back: "That's so gay."

For that she was sued, yet nothing appears to have been done to the thugs that subjected Rebekah to religious hate speech. What is good for the goose should be good for the gander. Of particular note is the total lack of coverage of of this double standard in the article.

Don't Ya Just Love It

"The Rev. Al Sharpton said he wants a DNA test to determine whether he is related to former segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond through his great-grandfather, a slave owned by an ancestor of the late senator. "

Be careful when throwing rocks, the tree you hit may be your own.

"It's a small world after all, it's a small world after all..."

More Political Correctness

I've blogged about this before, but the University of Illinois has finally decided to cave in to the NCAA's political correctness blackmail. Sadly, it appears that the chairman of UI values the dollar over their principals. What a educational statement to their students.

Two students do not appear to have learned that lesson very well: They are suing to keep Chief Illiniwek. Good for them. If you can, donate to their legal fund at Chief Legal Fund, Box 11472, Champaign, Ill., 61826.

It is good to see that there is hope for some of our young people.

Really, Really Bad Music

Here's my list of what I consider to be the worst pop songs ever:

• Feelings by Englebert Humperdinck
  
• MacArthur Park by Donna Summer
  
• You Light Up My Life by Debbie Boone
• Copacobana by Barry Manilow
• Muskrat Love by Captain and Tennille
• Ebony and Ivory by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
• Tonight's The Night by Rod Stewart
• Sailing by Christopher Cross
• Daydream Believer by The Monkees
• Call Me by Blondie
  
• Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar
  
• Song Sung Blue by Neil Diamond
• Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry
• You've Lost That Loving Feeling by Isley Brothers
  

This list has been running through my head for the last 2 days; don't ask me why. Maybe it will go away now. Feel free to add to the list via comments.

Kim du Toit Takes on The "S" Word

"Socialization" that is. For those of us in the homeschooling community "socialization" is the most frequent issue that gets thrown at us as a counter argument. Mr. du Toit has written a very effective critique of this so-called argument. For example:

"High school kids, unsupervised, are the most feral little beasts on the planet, and we saw no reason why we should subject our kids to that ordeal."

Personally I view the socialization gambit as a "t-ball" pitch to be hit outa-da-park. Socialization as exhibited in the public, and even most private, schools is the most artificial and harmful type of social behavior I can imagine. We do not, and will not inflict that upon our children. We care too much for them.

Romney Runs to the Right

Mitt Romney is a member of the NRA, but only since August.

Does he not realize how transparent this is. He supported gun control while governor of Massacusetts, and reportedly while in Utah and running the Olympics as well. This is clearly a temporary swing to win the primary, then he will be back to is two-timing RINO ways for the general election.

Some people are saying that we should get behind Romney (or one of the the other leading RINOs like Giuliani or McCain) now because they're most likely to be able to defeat the Democrats. Pox on their house I say. I'm not supporting a RINO until I have to. Until then, let's take the fight to the liberal, regardless of their party, and get a real conservative nominated.

Thus, with apologies to Lesly Gore, I give you the following fight song:

It's my party and I'll trash who I want to
Trash who I want to, trash who I want to
You'd trash them too if it happened to you

Nobody knows where my party has gone
But Rudy and Mitt left the same time
Why was he holding her hand
When the GOP's supposed to be mine

It's my party and I'll trash who I want to
Trash who I want to, trash who I want to
You'd trash them too if it happened to you

Then all my records keep dancing all night
But leave me alone for a while
'Till my party is back on track
I've got no reason to smile

It's my party and I'll trash who I want to
Trash who I want to, trash who I want to
You'd trash them too if it happened to you

Rudy and Mitt just walked thru the door
Like a queen with the king
Oh what a birthday surprise
The're both a pair in the ring

It's my party and I'll trash who I want to
Trash who I want to, trash who I want to
You'd trash them too if it happened to you

Emerging Trend?

Hal Lindsey has a most interesting editorial on WorldNetDaily. In it he identifies two interesting trends over the last 4 years. One is a pattern of terrorist attacks by individuals of Muslim persuasion in the US, and more disturbingly a corresponding pattern on the part of law enforcement and the media to ignore this religious terrorist connection. Read it and think.

Oh the Irony of It All

HOUSE HEARING ON 'WARMING OF THE PLANET' CANCELED AFTER ICE STORM
Bwahahahaha.

Now I have to go plow another 6" of "global warming" off my driveway.