Wanna Ride?

This guy built a homemade roller coaster.

Cool! But I'll pass, thanks.

Government Health Care

State denies cancer treatment, offers suicide instead

State officials have offered a lung cancer patient the option of having the Oregon Health Plan, set up in 1994 to ration health care, pay for an assisted suicide but not for the chemotherapy prescribed by her physician.

So progressive!

That Is Correct Sir

"the Constitution doesn't authorize Congress to do anything remotely like banning a product that has been used safely and efficiently for more than 100 years in favor of Chinese-imported compact fluorescent light bulbs that pose considerable health and safety risks."

Constitutionality of light bulb ban questioned

Constitutionally Protected?

Not if you don't stand up for it.

They Want To Nationalize the Oil Industry

The United States of America is a Constitutional Republic, we're not a strict democracy, we're not a Socialist, Marxist, or Communist country - much to the chagrin of Democrats - and our Constitution clearly limits the powers of the federal government. Nevertheless, Democrats and, to a slightly lesser degree, Republicans have not been careful to ensure they have not overstepped those bounds. In some cases, in fact, they have leapt over them like Superman leaps over tall buildings. The welfare state comes to mind. Social Security. The socialized health care they so desperately want. I'm just scratching the surface. We let them get away with this behavior because we want something for nothing - and they want the power.

Now they want to nationalize the oil industry. When is enough, enough? It's past time to hit these people upside the head with a clue bat. Our Constitution does not allow for the nationalization of any industry. Period. Just suggesting the idea should be grounds for removal from office. Socialist/Marxist ideas do not fit within the framework of our Constitution. They are not allowed. They are verboten. And besides that they just plain don't work, unless your aim is the lowest common denominator.

So, what do we do now that we have let our politicians slide into socialism for so long that they are at this point of openly declaring that they want to nationalize the oil industry? There is no easy way back from this point. It's been said that you get the government you deserve, maybe that's it. Most Americans no longer rely on God for their daily bread or acknowledge His existence or just give Him lip service. As socialism has slipped in, it has pushed God out. So, let the government provide. The same government that has nothing to provide, save as it first takes.

I am not calling for putting God in our government, but for not putting government in place of God. Very big difference. Our tool has become our master. Time to repent.

More Canadian Justice

Dad grounds daughter, but court ungrounds her

The father had ordered the daughter, who was not identified by the report, to remain off the Internet. She didn't, chatting on websites her father had tried to block and then posting "inappropriate" pictures of herself online, using a friend's Internet portal.

As punishment, the father refused to let her go on a scheduled school trip, so the 12-year-old went to Canada's judicial system to get her way.

Court records indicated the violation of her home's Internet rules was just one in a list of instructions that she had violated. But Justice Suzanne Tessier said the punishment was just too much.

Not going on a school trip is too much punishment? What does the court think would be appropriate? A verbal reprimand, perhaps? But then, the daughter might consider that hate speech.

Obviously, the appropriate thing for the judge to do would have been to throw the case out and make the daughter do community service to pay for the courts time, in addition to not going on the school trip.

Government Schools, Gotta Love 'em

Acting solely on information from a psychic, a public elementary school alerted child welfare authorities when they believed an autistic student had been sexually abused.

"The teacher looked and me and said: 'We have to tell you something. The educational assistant who works with Victoria went to see a psychic last night, and the psychic asked the educational assistant at that particular time if she works with a little girl by the name of "V." And she said 'yes, I do.' And she said, 'well, you need to know that that child is being sexually abused by a man between the ages of 23 and 26.'"

Idiots.

Watch Out Below!

Oops, sorry.

Russian air force planes dropped a 25-kg (55-lb) sack of cement on a suburban Moscow home last week while seeding clouds to prevent rain from spoiling a holiday

Wouldn't it be better to take the cement out of the sacks first?

At Least It's Not In Spanish, Yet

Typo on a Miami Highway.

The mistake -- still there -- is repeated not once, not twice, but four times.

There's a picture.

CSI - BC

Oh, sorry, that's not CSI.

"This might take a long time," Brooks said. "This is not CSI." She said in order to identify the foot, other remains from the body or identifying material such as DNA would be needed. "It's going to be pretty difficult."

You can't get DNA from a foot?

While the similarities to the other found feet is strong, she said there is no indication this foot is related to the other cases.

"We're certainly not discounting the possibility that this may be linked to the other recovered feet, but it's just too premature and very speculative for us to even entertain that right now,"

Fifth foot, same beach - it's not that speculative, serve the drinks already, start entertaining. Are you waiting for a handwritten note of explanation to wash up?

Is This The Change You Want?

Barack Obama aide: Why Winnie the Pooh should shape US foreign policy

Richard Danzig, who served as Navy Secretary under President Clinton and is tipped to become National Security Adviser in an Obama White House, told a major foreign policy conference in Washington that the future of US strategy in the war on terrorism should follow a lesson from the pages of Winnie the Pooh, which can be shortened to: if it is causing you too much pain, try something else.

Mr Danzig told the Centre for New American Security: "Winnie the Pooh seems to me to be a fundamental text on national security."

He spelt out how American troops, spies and anti-terrorist officials could learn key lessons by understanding the desire of terrorists to emulate superheroes like Luke Skywalker, and the lust for violence of violent football fans.

Did he really say that? Apparently, yes.

I'll say this much for him - Winnie the Pooh, that is - he's cuddly. Richard Danzig? Not so much cuddly. Or bright, either. Apparently.

Scam, Scam, Scam, Scam

The Greatest Hoax Ever Perpetrated

Gore has started giving a disclaimer during his lectures. Gore, and Global Investment Management, LLP (GIM), the London-based private equity firm of which Gore is the founder and Chairman, stand to benefit in untold riches if we invest in the companies he recommends in his lectures. His disclaimers are no different than those of a stock broker or insurance agent. Gore is basically saying, yes, I own stock in these companies, but you should too if you want to save the planet from certain doom. Doom-and-gloom has served Gore well.

Meteorologist Says Money Behind Warming Alarmism 'Can Corrupt Anybody'

"Of course, the root of this whole thing is money," Spann said. "And, there is a vast amount of wealth being generated by this whole issue. And I always recommend to folks – if anyone speaks on the subject, get a disclosure and find out their financial interests in it."

Energy Guzzled by Al Gore’s Home in Past Year Could Power 232 U.S. Homes for a Month

"Actions speak louder than words, and Gore's actions prove that he views climate change not as a serious problem, but as a money-making opportunity," Johnson said. "Gore is exploiting the public's concern about the environment to line his pockets and enhance his profile."

Must Have Been Very Scary For Them

Police say snake eyed as weapon

A city man found himself in a tight spot with the law Monday after he allegedly ordered his 9-foot-long albino python to attack his girlfriend and two police officers.

Officers dispatched to investigate a domestic dispute on Main Street Monday morning were confronted by a man and his huge pet reptile, "and he was saying, 'Get them!' "

A trained attack snake? I think not.

If You Are Unsure ...

Please ask one of our friendly security guards to sort it out for you.

Who Is Like The Beast?

Evil Words by Lenny Cacchio

"How downright treasonable to ask God for bread instead of applying to proper Communist authorities! How criminal to imply that the new People's Republic was an evil from which one needed deliverance!

Too many movers and shakers of this world, whether Communist or not, want us to look to them for our sustenance and security. In them would reside our retirement and employment security, our food, our shelter, and our clothing. To them we are to look for our protection and support.

This has been becoming clearer to me lately, especially with the sight of the Obamaniacs. How could so many people be so fooled by the beast power as described in the Bible (Revelation 13:3,4)? And then I see it on a much smaller scale around Obama or Gore, and by the whole liberal machine. This is the spirit of anti-Christ in our midst, not "the" anti-Christ, not the final or even the only realization - not at all - but the spirit, the tone, the mood is there. That's the direction it will take, but on a global stage.

My opinion, worth price charged.

Wish the Country would Forget in November

Entire town forgets to vote in election

A small town in America is puzzling over what to do about its mayoral election, after nobody turned up to vote - including the candidates.

Shock & Awe

Haditha Truth Massacred by the Media

The evidence clearly shows that a great miscarriage of justice has been imposed on a group of some of the bravest and finest of Americans — the men of the Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment.

Secrets of the Universe

He was in the world, and the world was made by Him ... --John 1:10

Creation is not an open book to man. God is allowing him, by the slow and tedious processes of the centuries, to learn to read its secrets. To Jesus all these secrets were apparent. --G. Campbell Morgan

Bet The Ants Are Still there, Too

Pensioner destroys flats to kill ants

A Polish pensioner destroyed an entire block of flats when he poured insecticide down a ventilation shaft after being driven potty by ants.

Marcin Bartosz, 74, used gallons of insecticide but when it seemed to have no effect on the insects he threw a burning towel after it.

The explosion left the block of flats in Lublin in eastern Poland in ruins and Bartosz in hospital with third degree burns.

Gee, I Wonder ...

Did the government blow this levee, too?

Dirty Dining

It's amazing what a little paint can do for a place.

Startling Discovery At Hialeah Restaurant

But an area where an inspector had found a dead mouse had apparently been painted over.

"Do you see these? Those are mice that have been painted over," Weinsier told a woman who works at the restaurant. "There is a tail. There is one, two. And it smells like mice here. These are mice that have been painted over."

The woman told Weinsier he was crazy. She said the area he was referring to was just part of the floor.

Of Course They Do

Global Warming Alarmists Like High Gas Prices

"The biggest lie in America [sic] politics today is to say you care deeply about global warming and advocate for the price of gas to go down. Those are mutually exclusive concepts,"

America Not Immune From Government Insanity

Of course, we already knew that, but come on.

"The Nation will live to regret what the Court has done today. I dissent." --Justice Antonin Scalia

Constitutional rights for Islamic enemies?

In what is being described only as a "major blow to the Bush administration," the United States Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the terrorists detained at the American detention center at Guantanamo Bay are protected under the rights and guarantees of the U.S. Constitution.

It is still impossible for me to fathom how something can be a "major blow the U.S. administration's war effort" without somehow also being a blow to the rest of us Americans.

Osama bin Laden declared war on all of America, not just the Bush administration. Bush wasn't even in office when this occurred. This ruling doesn't just hamstring the Bush administration's efforts to protect us from unrelenting terrorists – it hamstrings every administration to follow.

Are you so anti-Bush that you would see America destroyed rather than admit he may have done a thing or two right? What ever happened to America first? This makes no sense on any level, no matter how you look at it. It is insane.

I’m a social conservative. When the mullahs take over, I’ll grow my beard a little fuller, get a couple of extra wives, and keep my head down. It’s the feminists and gays who’ll have a tougher time. If, say, three of the five judges on the Massachusetts Supreme Court are Muslim, what are the chances of them approving “gay marriage”? (Source: America Alone, Mark Steyn, p. xxvii)

And Mark Levin:

While I am still reviewing the 5-4 decision written by Anthony Kennedy, apparently giving GITMO detainees access to our civilian courts, at the outset I am left to wonder whether all POWs will now have access to our civilian courts? After all, you would think lawful enemy combatants have a better claim in this regard than unlawful enemy combatants. And if POWs have access to our civilian courts, how do our courts plan to handle the thousands, if not tens of thousands of cases, that will be brought to them in future conflicts?

It has been the objective of the left-wing bar to fight aspects of this war in our courtrooms, where it knew it would have a decent chance at victory. So complete is the Court's disregard for the Constitution and even its own precedent now that anything is possible. And what was once considered inconceivable is now compelled by the Constitution, or so five justices have ruled. I fear for my country. I really do. And AP, among others, reports this story as a defeat for "the Bush administration." Really? I see it as a defeat for the nation.

UPDATE: The 5-4 GITMO decision brings to the front, yet again, John McCain's position on judges versus his own policies. McCain undoubtedly supports the 5-4 decision, yet the justices who voted against it, and argued strenuously against it, are of the kind McCain claims to want on the bench. We have seen the same issue arise respecting campaign finance. This is not to say that McCain won't nominate originalists to the bench. But if he does, he will be nominating to the Court individuals who are better adherents to the Constitution than he is.

Libs Want High Gas Prices

Obama all but said it himself.



They are helping keeping supply below demand by blocking oil companies from drilling in the United States, they want to further tax oil company profits which will do nothing but increase prices on gas, and they want this country to stop using oil and they believe that by raising the price of oil enough we will begin using alternative technology. The problem is, there is no acceptable alternative technology that is ready for prime time. They will not accept nuclear power and wind and solar energy cannot come close to replacing oil right now. What they are doing is weakening and will continue to weaken America, and this is the absolute wrong time for a weakened America.

I'm for a strong America. A strong America can develop the technology needed to use solar energy and electric cars and whatever else comes along. If anyone can, we can, but we must be free to do it. America soars on freedom. A free market economy, freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom to defend yourself, freedom of thought, freedom of the press, freedom of education, freedom of assembly - freedom to pursue happiness.

Hilarity Ensues

But we were getting along so well!

So it's a little like watching Lenny Bruce ramble on after they started hammering him but there is comedy gold in Mark Stein's black cloud - and he handles it much better.

Whether or not it is appropriate (or even legal) for Canadians to be "contemptuous" of the Canadian Islamic Congress's thuggish assault on ancient liberties, the fact is Mr. Awan's lawsuit has earned him far more "contempt" than anything in my article. He should be suing himself.

How true. Unfortunately, the "human rights" commissions are dead serious and that kind of steals all the comedic thunder, at least if you have to live under such a system.

"Against the argument that you cannot cry fire in a crowded theatre: Oh yes you can — you must, if in your considered view there is a fire. In that case there is a duty to cry fire."
- Julian Porter, QC, speaking at the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal on Friday

On a somewhat related note please read this blog post - good stuff.

And from a comment on this post:

Try to imagine for a minute Christians succeeding in a similar complaint suppressing all criticism of Christianity. The BC secularist troika would file it in the round file but Muslims have their ear.

Another good post:

There is much to discuss about the impact of Islam on western civilization. Islam is not a religion, its a blueprint for society. While you wish to be free from Christianity as you walk down the street, the reality is, no society exists without a religious morality at its core. There is really no such thing as a secular society.

Exactly

Barack Obama's ideas for changing this country are disturbing to me, because they add up to more taxes, more government, more handouts and less individual responsibility. A lot of people who are excited about his candidacy have not looked past the word "change". I have, and all of his ideas have socialist leanings. It does not sound that way when he is delivering one of his inspiring and eloquent speeches, but that's what it is.

The Imposition Continues

Pakistan will ask the European Union countries to amend laws regarding freedom of expression in order to prevent offensive incidents such as the printing of blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad and the production of an anti-Islam film by a Dutch legislator,

They said that the delegation would also tell the EU that if such acts against Islam are not controlled, more attacks on the EU diplomatic missions abroad could not be ruled out.

Canada is a Hate Crime

Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life, but define yourself.
-- Harvey S. Firestone

Government to pastor: Renounce faith!

The Canadian government has ordered a Christian pastor to renounce his faith and never again express moral opposition to homosexuality, according to a new report.

In a decision handed down just days ago in the penalty phase of the quasi-judicial proceedings run by the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal, evangelical pastor Stephen Boisson was banned from expressing his biblical perspective of homosexuality and ordered to pay $5,000 for "damages for pain and suffering" as well as apologize to the activist who complained of being hurt.

The Simple Life?

Great commentary. Choosing to be stupid

I realized that simple living can be crystallized, distilled, condensed and reduced down to three words. Three profound, easy-to-remember words. Got a pen and paper? OK, here they are:

Make good choices.

That's it. Almost everything in life – the good, the bad and the ugly – can be reduced to the choices you make.

If only there was a way to get kids to understand this concept before it's too late. But, it's even helpful later in life to help get you out of a bad situation.

This is actually a biblical concept and goes completely against the 'anything goes' attitude of the liberal mindset. God even tells us what kind of behavior will hurt us and warns us not to make those choices. Not surprisingly, people think they know better, make a miserable mess of their lives, then either blame God or claim He can't possibly exist because of how horrible we've made our own lives. And no one lives in a vacuum. What you choose to do effects others, even if you can't see the connection. It's there. But of course, God leaves you free to make your own decisions - and everyone else, too. Crime, sickness, war - all symptoms of our collective choices.

The choices we make are more important than we give them credit for.

Momma Out for a Walk with the Kiddies

The turkeys took their babies out for a walk today. Boy, are they hard to get a picture of. At one point, they were right outside my bedroom window - literally 2 feet from me - but I couldn't get the shot through the window. The flash went off and the glare ruined the picture. I couldn't open the window or they would have been long gone. I'm glad I at least got this shot of them. They are so cute.

Never Get Between a Man and His Grill

Or park your car anywhere nearby.

Pinhead?

I don't even want to see the rest of his outfit.

OK, I am a bit curious.

The Imposition

"I do not view Islam as a religion - according to my notion of religion. Islam is a political doctrine, which imposes itself by force. Any doctrine whatsoever that calls to kill those who do not believe in it is not a religion. It is a totalitarian doctrine that imposes itself by force." -- Wafa Sultan

This Is Just Too Stupid

Image of toy banned by British Airways

The character's right arm is a gun, and Jayakody was ordered to change his shirt, or miss his flight, because of the threat from the image,

You can't fly with a picture of a transformer on your shirt? "Because of the threat from the image?" Meanwhile an actual threat could be missed as security attention is drawn to something completely silly.

Here We Go

Frank Kameny, a hero to the homosexual community who was integral in pressuring the American Psychiatric Association to reclassify same-sex activities as "normal," has written to a pro-family organization that he believes bestiality is fine, "as long as the animal doesn't mind."

We just can't seem to stop sliding down that hill.

Let the Scientists Eat Them

Eating insects is good for us and for the environment, scientists claim .

I am so sick of social engineers. They decide what's good for us and try to force it down our throats, in this case literally. They did it with ethanol and look what happened there, riots in third world countries because of high food prices. They are trying to force us off oil prematurely and you know what's happening at the gas pumps, which trickles through the economy causing inflation. These are not good people - I'm being nice.

Doing What Government Does Best

Stealing. And many TSA employees appear to have learned well. Five tips to ensure the TSA doesn't steal your stuff

One aviation insider I spoke with believes stealing is a systemic problem the federal agency is unable to control, particularly at problem airports like New York's LaGuardia Airport and Philadelphia International Airport. Not all of the screening areas in U.S. airports are under surveillance, and the TSA's rules have a big loophole that shifts liability for stolen baggage claims to the airline when luggage is delayed, he told me. In other words, there's little incentive for the stealing to stop. "It's the 800-pound gorilla no one wants to discuss at TSA," he says.

Great idea, let's put government in charge of health care, too. Trust them. ;)

How Many Times ...

Does he have to say it before we believe he means it?

"I must announce that the Zionist regime (Israel), with a 60-year record of genocide, plunder, invasion and betrayal is about to die and will soon be erased from the geographical scene," he said.

"Today, the time for the fall of the satanic power of the United States has come and the countdown to the annihilation of the emperor of power and wealth has started."

Make No Mistake

"The global warming fight is not only a battle over big pollution -- it's a battle over big bucks,"

And power. And the power hungry are all over it.

The Money Quote

"I’m not denouncing the church, and I’m not interested in people who want me to denounce the church," he said in response to a question. "It’s not a church worthy of denouncing."--Barack Hussein Obama

That's all you need to know, really.

Thought You'd Like To Know

Tights are not pants

We have tired of tolerating attempts to force tights into non-native garment category and have decided to do something about it.

I didn't know it was a problem, but it's nice to finally see someone take a stand on something important.

Ninja Woman

A homeless woman who sneaked into a man's house and lived undetected in his closet for a year was arrested in Japan after he became suspicious when food mysteriously began disappearing.

How do you not notice someone living in your house for a year?

Finally!

For those times when you're not that hungry, Japanese scientists have created a microscopic noodle bowl.

"The hardest part was to keep the noodles from rising upright from the bowl "like alfalfa sprouts,"

One of the Reasons

Our government is preventing the drilling of American oil reserves is because our government is full of people who think like this.

They are quite willing to sacrifice your financial well being, your home, your job. We should be moving towards alternative energy sources as soon as possible but not at the price of destroying the economy and bringing the country to its knees.

RIP Harvey Korman

Dead at 81

Harvey Korman was one funny guy. He will be missed.

Walkway of Death

I posted a video on this in April but this one is much better. I wouldn't have walked on that when it was brand new let alone now.

Don't Knock It Till You've Tried It?

This woman is married, her husband is the Berlin Wall. Yes, that Berlin Wall.

Which reminds me of this scene from Monty Python's "Life of Brian."

What Is Endangered: Climate or Freedom?

Czech President Klaus ready to debate Gore on climate change

"Like their (communist) predecessors, they will be certain that they have the right to sacrifice man and his freedom to make their idea reality," he said.

"In the past, it was in the name of the Marxists or of the proletariat - this time, in the name of the planet," he added.

Is it too much to ask for a Republican Presidential nominee who thinks like Czech President Klaus? I guess so.

Up, Up, and Away!

High-Altitude Skydiver can't get off the ground because someone forgot to tie the balloon to the capsule.

What would We Do Without Safety Experts?

Celebrate!

They want to cut down a much loved, landmark, 150-year old tree because children might get poked by the needle-like points of its leaves.

Here's another.

A primary school abandoned plans to hatch chicks in a classroom incubator because of ‘ludicrous’ health and safety rules.

Teacher Jean Williams wanted seven-year-olds to see how the birds developed from six eggs.

But council health and safety officers insisted biological, electrical, child and teacher risk-assessments would first have to be carried out.

And yet another example of lunacy.

For nearly a quarter of a century, Lourdes Maxwell has celebrated the arrival of summer by putting a paddling pool in the garden.

This year, however, her two grandchildren and the children of her neighbours may have to find another way to cool off in the heat.

Miss Maxwell's local council has decided that the pool - which is only 2ft deep - needs a lifeguard.

The 47-year-old divorced mother of three has also been told she must have insurance before she can inflate the toy outside her house in Portsmouth.

For the Person Who has Everything

They probably don't have this ... yet. Ghost in a Bottle

Each ghost is unique.

Figures it's from St. Augustine.

Purchase at your own risk.

Go Away Devil or I'll Jump Over This Baby!

I warned you! Spanish village holds baby jump

Grown men have been leaping over rows of babies in the north Spanish village of Castrillo de Murcia in an annual rite meant to ward off the Devil.

Somewhere (in Spain in this case) there is a spirit being snickering over what he can get humans to do.

Is it just a tradition or do they really believe that jumping over babies will keep evil spirits away? And how exactly does that work?

The Final Expression?

Although I didn't plan it, this post relates to the one immediately below it.

The inevitability of world government

Global governance is not the overthrow of the U.S. government by an invasion of blue-helmeted troops delivered on black helicopters. Global governance is the gradual expansion of international rules and regulations developed by unelected international bureaucrats and voluntarily accepted by the likes of the Clintons, Obama and a Democrat-led Congress.

Global governance is largely responsible for land-use policy in the United States. The wetland policy arises from the RAMSAR treaty. The Endangered Species Act arises from several U.N. treaties listed in the Act. The comprehensive planning laws arise from U.N. policies first adopted in 1976, and incorporated into Agenda 21. Government
control of all land use is established in the Convention on Biological Diversity. Even though this treaty has not yet been ratified, its provisions have been implemented through the Ecosystem Management Policy from the Clinton/Gore era.

Government control of energy use arises from the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol. The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Seas not only gives the U.N. taxing authority, but the authority to control drilling and all use of resources under the seas.

This is the world the Democrats have pursued in the past and have announced they will pursue in the future.

I'm not saying - because I don't know - it is the final expression, but it is another attempt by men to establish themselves either in rebellion against, or without reference to, the Divine plans. And it will fail, although it may not at first appear that it will.

It is the people of the free world and the United States in particular who have the most to lose from this increasing government control, but we don't love our freedom.

No, we don't. What does a mother do if she sees someone trying to hurt her child? You will see the wrath of mom unleashed. Why? Because she loves her child. We protect what we love. And we should! Some things are worth fighting for, must be fought for if we are to find any worth in it. We, the people, having been handed our freedom, have put it up on a shelf somewhere collecting dust and the thieves are carrying it away. We don't even remember what it looks like.

Too bad, because it's not easy to get back. In fact, it's beyond hard. It takes blood to take back freedom, and the lives of many brave men and women. So take time this Memorial Day to think about the many who gave their lives for your freedom and those who give their lives - a living sacrifice - to protect your freedom.

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

John Stuart Mill
English economist & philosopher (1806 - 1873)

I stole that quote from Charming, Just Charming, so go read his Memorial Day post.

Therefore was the name of it called Babel --Genesis 11:9

So a name is given to the Mystery of Lawlessness as it operates in human society. From here, the evil thing is seen running on through all succeeding ages of the history of man, until it comes to final expression, and is destroyed. (Revelation 18:21)

This story of Babel is that of man's attempt to realize a social order in defiance of a Divine purpose. The purpose of God was the full realization of the race, and that necessitated the replenishing of the whole earth by the scattering of men over all its face. Man took counsel against this scattering, and attempted to realize a State of Shinar, "lest we be scattered abroad." In order to the fulfillment of the larger purpose, God confused their language and drove the nations into separation. The purpose of the scattering was that of the larger gathering which should fulfill His purpose. He confused their scheme so that His plan might be realized. This is not only an ancient story, it is the story of a perpetual process.

Over and over again men have sought to establish themselves either in rebellion against, or without reference to, the Divine plans. The result has always been confusion. God has never permitted humanity to realize a social order from which He is excluded, nor will He do so to the end. Such an order would mean the limiting and ultimate destruction of humanity. Therefore He confuses all such attempts, and, compelling men to work out their own false conceptions to their logical issue, destroys them. --G. Campbell Morgan

Not Caused By Man

A more in depth article about climate change on Mars and Jupiter.

Here We Go

Group wants Wi-Fi banned from public buildings.

A group in Santa Fe says the city is discriminating against them because they say that they're allergic to the wireless Internet signal. And now they want Wi-Fi banned from public buildings.

Cell phones are next.

Late to the Party

Hillary Clinton is staying in the race in the event some nut kills Barack Obama.

We have seen an X-ray of a very dark soul. One consumed by raw ambition to where the possible assassination of an opponent is something to ponder in a strategic way. Otherwise, why is murder on her mind?

Where have you been?

We could have seen it coming, if only we had realized Clinton's thinking could be so cold.

The blind leading the blind.

First Earth, Then Mars, And Now Jupiter!

Now we've gone and done it, we're causing global warming on Jupiter

Jupiter's recent outbreak of red spots is likely related to large scale climate change as the gas giant planet is getting warmer near the equator.

We're polluting the entire solar system!

We're Infested With Them

Your government at work, what a joke. Her own colleagues are laughing at her. They want to nationalize health care, oil - everything. Socialism is the order of the day. How did we go from the greatest generation to the absolute worst generation? America traded its heroes for ghosts.

Link: sevenload.com

Hat tip: HotAir

Why I Don't Fly

Newark Planes Take Off In Wrong Direction

Planes at Newark Liberty International Airport depart southwest have historically turned to the left on take-off, but now a new regulation that went into effect in December allows controllers to tell pilots to take a right turn.

"We're running into confusion at the runway," said Ray Adams, vice president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. "The pilots are being told one thing 30 minutes before departure and then they get on the runway and we're required to tell them another thing."

Said one passenger: "That is very scary."

That one passenger must be a scientist.

What Would We Do Without Scientists

Scientists: Gigantic Earthquake Would Devastate Southern California

They are so smart.

Oddly Appropriate

European Court (of Human Rights) agrees to hear chimp's plea for human rights

Amazing Tornado Footage

I wouldn't have been surprised if this footage was taken from a broken camera found in the middle of a corn field. It wasn't.

Paranoia Will Destroy Ya!

Or, in this case, it will be a death sentence for thousands in Burma.

Burma shuns aid from U.S. warships

The report cited fears of an American invasion aimed at grabbing the country's oil reserves.

1. Create major natural disaster
2. Enter country under the guise of disaster relief
3. Kill everyone, take over country and steal oil

Well, it was a brilliant plan, too bad they figured it out.

Teaching Your Dog To Listen

I just tried this today with my dog and it worked literally this fast.

Paralyzed With Fear

The Omniphobia Epidemic

See the pattern? It sounds like omniphobia to me, the fear of everything. Omniphobia was never seen before in the annals of medicine, at least not before the most media-maddened society in history. (That's us.) But you can't miss it today. Omniphobia is all around us, and it'll get us in the end.

Not only is this piece not an exaggeration, it barely touches the surface of the fears that grip this society. Tip of the iceberg.

The First Thing

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness --Matthew 6:33

Obedience is the first thing. In the beginning, seek first the kingdom; and when the soul seeks the kingdom by obeying the King, the soul discovers the Father; and discovering the Father obeys more readily; and obeying more readily, has a larger revelation which makes obedience easy and the horizon greater. -- G. Campbell Morgan

Redefining Society

Dennis Prager makes some very good points on the gay marriage decision in California, among them:

Another reason for this decision is arrogance. First, the arrogance of four individuals to impose their understanding of what is right and wrong on the rest of society. And second is the arrogance of the four compassionate ones in assuming that all thinkers, theologians, philosophers, religions and moral systems in history were wrong, while they and their supporters have seen a moral light never seen before. Not a single religion or moral philosophical system -- East or West -- since antiquity ever defined marriage as between members of the same sex.

That is one reason the argument that this decision is the same as courts undoing legal bans on marriages between races is false. No major religion -- not Judaism, not Christianity, not Islam, not Buddhism -- ever banned interracial marriage. Some religions have banned marriages with members of other religions. But since these religions allowed anyone of any race to convert, i.e., become a member of that religion, the race or ethnicity of individuals never mattered with regard to marriage. American bans on interracial marriages were not supported by any major religious or moral system; those bans were immoral aberrations, no matter how many religious individuals may have supported them. Justices who overthrew bans on interracial marriages, therefore, had virtually every moral and religious value system since ancient times on their side. But justices who overthrow the ban on same-sex marriage have nothing other their hubris and their notions of compassion on their side.

Since the secular age began, the notion that one should look to religion -- or to any past wisdom -- for one's values has died. Thus, the modern attempts to undo the Judeo-Christian value system as the basis of America's values, and to disparage the Founders as essentially morally flawed individuals (They allowed slavery, didn't they?). The modern secular liberal knows that he is not only morally superior to conservatives; he is morally superior to virtually everyone who ever lived before him.

Contrasts

If Barack Obama had given a speech on bowling, it might well have been brilliant and inspiring. But instead he actually tried bowling and threw a gutter ball. The contrast between talking and doing could not have been better illustrated. --Thomas Sowell

The Way of Truth

We thy servants are twelve brethren, ... and one is not. --Genesis 42:13

How constantly wickedness and deceit break down within their own borders. Just at the moment when evil should be most careful, it breaks down by its own methods, and puts itself in danger of discovery and defeat. To say that "murder will out," is really to say that truth will be made known, however desirable it may seem, in the interest of unrighteousness, that it should be hidden. In that sense also it is seen that truth is mighty and will prevail. In some unguarded moment something is said which gives up a secret which there is no wish to reveal. In this story, of course, Joseph was the one who "was not" of that family circle, and sooner or later these men would be confronted again with their sin. But from the standpoint of their desire to hide the past - seeing that, so far as they knew, this high official with whom they were dealing could have no knowledge of them - why did they not say: We thy servants are eleven brethren? There is no answer save that suggested. Evil is ultimately foolishness, and is overcome by the truth. The whole fact was now given away; and by their own confession as to the twelve, they must sooner or later account for the one. Thus God created man. He cannot wholly escape from the truth. However he try to conceal it, he himself will sooner or later utter it to his own condemnation. "The lip of truth shall be established forever; But a lying tongue is but for a moment." To do the right thing is to be able to speak the true word; and that is to live the life free from fear. The way of truth is the way of simplicity and liberty. --G. Campbell Morgan, Searchlights from the Word.

"Please Urinate Here"

A restaurant in China has an aquarium in the bathroom. Not too unusual you say? This one is, in fact it's the 12 foot long urinal.

"It's really interesting," added another, Mr Sun, who said he was planning to use the bathroom again, just to repeat the experience.

If it's that good they should make it a pay-per-pee urinal.

The Far Wrong

"We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK," Obama said.

"That's not leadership. That's not going to happen," he added.

I was not aware that we needed the permission of other countries to do... anything.

Leadership is doing the right thing regardless of what anyone else thinks. It's not leadership to have to get the nod from someone else. What's wrong with this guy? Oh, yeah, he's a Marxist.

Obama: Wrong for America. Just plain wrong.

Listen to Him

He knows what he's talking about, he's a prince. 18 months people. That's all you've got to stop a climate change disaster. Now go! Make it so! Did I tell you he was a prince? That's almost a king! What are you waiting for?

BEDEMIR: How do you so much about climate change?

CHARLES: Well, you have to know these things when you're a king you know.

Extinguishing Darkness

Jesus Christ was manifested to take away sins. This is the great purpose of His coming into the world. Linked with that purpose is the great possibility that flows from it: "in him is no sin." This is the glorious gospel of hope. There is a way, but there is only one way. That is like saying that air is the only thing to breathe. We need only one way out of this human dilemma. There is only one way, because there is only one who has ever appeared in human history who can take away sins.

He does not do it by an act of magic. He does not wave a wand or utter some religious abracadabra and the problem is solved—poof! Suddenly you are free from sin, lawlessness is gone, and you will never have any problem with it again. If that is your idea of Christian faith, then you are badly mistaken.

Continue reading

© 2007 by Elaine Stedman -- From the book The Power of His Presence: a year of devotions from the writings of Ray Stedman; compiled by Mark Mitchell. Ray C. Stedman Library

I Want It, So I'll Take It

Woman's Dead Body Lies in Flat for 35 Years

Residents of her loft building in downtown Zagreb had broken into Golik's flat after deciding that the apartment should belong to them, and not to her.

They decided the apartment should belong to them and not her?

Neighbors now argue the apartment should be divided among the remaining tenants.

This Has Got To Stop

Judicial Fiat

"A bare majority of this court, not satisfied with the pace of democratic change, now abruptly forestalls that process and substitutes, by judicial fiat, its own social policy views for those expressed by the People themselves," said the dissent written by Associate Justice Marvin R. Baxter and joined by Associate Justice Ming W. Chin.

"Undeterred by the strong weight of state and federal law and authority, the majority invents a new constitutional right," the opinion said.

You may be happy about it because you believe gays should be able to be married, but be warned, it's not always going to be something you want. This isn't about gay marriage, this is about judges overstepping their bounds.

Hat in Hand

In the courts of those who hate us.

Pathetic.

"This species is not endangered."

Alaskan leaders react to listing of Polar Bears as threatened species.

"I am disappointed and disturbed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to weaken the Endangered Species Act by listing the polar bear as threatened despite the steady increase in the species’ population. Scientists have observed that there are now three times as many polar bears in the Arctic than there were in the 1970s."

"Never before has a species been listed as endangered or threatened while occupying its entire geographic range."

"This decision was made without any research demonstrating dangerously low population levels in polar bears, but rather on speculation regarding how ice levels will affect Arctic wildlife. Worse yet, today’s decision cannot and will not do anything to reverse sea ice decline."

Don't Try This At Home

You know how Steve Irwin & friends used to just jump on the back of a croc to subdue it. Yeah, well, it's not as easy as it looks.

"So then they decided they were gonna throw a towel on the thing and try to jump on it, and the dude that tried to jump on it got bit by the alligator,"

Hurry, Hurry, Hurry

See them while you still can. They're "endangered" don't you know.

"People want to see them while they are still there,"

What a crock!

Where is the Lead?

Rubbish

"It all seems very childish."

CSI : Nagoya

Oops, that's not good.

Where's the Beef?

Apparently, it's right here.

"As Chilli was growing up we began noticing that he was bigger than our other cows.

I'll say.

Home & Garden & Funny

Loo tries out for HGTV.

The New Brainwashing

Environmental psychotics

"Kids are no longer learning to read and write and do arithmetic, but they are learning that their parents are irresponsible stewards of the planet. They are learning that their Western way of life is a threat to Mother Earth, or the Gaia goddess. They are learning that human freedom is the cause of most environmental ills and that man must be reined in through willing submission to the gods of government and regulation to "save the world from destruction."

I think he's got this right. There is normal concern for the environment and then there is this psychotic, all-consuming neurosis that's taking over society and threatening to destroy it. Which, I guess, is the whole point.

Here's the truth: The worst environmental disasters in the world have been caused by over-reaching government control, not by people exercising stewardship over their own property.

Keep this in mind above all else, because it is over-reaching government control – on a grand international scale and without any accountability to people or the rule of law – that is being prescribed by these quacks as the cure when, in fact, it is the disease.

Some Days Are Diamonds ...

Some days are stone.

Sometimes the hard times won't leave me alone.

Survival of the Fittest

"We aren't born knowing we should go extinct; we have to learn it."

So trendy. Good luck convincing the world.

Losing His Bearings

57, and one left to go. Not including Alaska and Hawaii. No wonder he's got so many delegates.

If this was George Bush it would be all over the news and on Saturday Night Live, too.

Cat Found

Not friendly.

Playground Rules

Don't Kill "The Cartoonist"

"If you give into intimidation, you will not get less intimidation, you will get more intimidation."

What the ... ?

How did he get in there? Pit Bulls are everywhere! That's actually pretty funny. It's a good thing he chewed things up a bit or he would have been toast.

Don't Get In Her Way!

No, not Hillary, Danica! She ran over a pit crew member. He'll be OK. Check the video.

How Can These Things Be?

--John 3:9

"The first steps may be taken in the dark without seeing a reason, but take them, and you begin to see the wisdom, and tenderness, and compassion, and love of God." --G. Campbell Morgan

Flying Cars

No. That's one of those ideas that sounds so cool, but on second thought would actually be quite a nightmare. Seriously, do you see the way people drive? You want that up in the air and falling on your house? I don't want flying cars. Stop trying to make them.

Life's Simple Pleasures

Instant Rimshot

3rd Kid In 5 Days?

Time to kill some coyotes.

The coyote attacked the girl around noon Tuesday when her mother, Melissa Rowley, went inside the home for a moment to put away a camera, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in an incident report.

Rowley came out of the house and saw the coyote dragging her daughter towards a street. She ran towards her daughter, and the animal released the girl and ran away, said sheriff's spokeswoman Arden Wiltshire.

Rowley took her daughter to a hospital where the toddler was treated for several punctures to the head and neck area, and a laceration on her mouth. She was then flown to Loma Linda University Hospital for further treatment, although her injuries were not life-threatening.

Better yet, move them to Berkeley.

Shocking!

Teen Survives 25,000-Volt Shock That Burned Off His Clothes

The shock sent Sam Cunningham, 16, 25 feet off a railway bridge and onto the tracks below. He had been retrieving a rugby ball on a bridge near his home in Wigan, England, last Thursday when the current jumped from the electric railway lines to his steel-toe boots, according to the report.

Rugby is such a dangerous game.

Inflation? There's Inflation?

The shocking truth about inflation

"the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in August 2007 a remarkably low inflation rate of only 1.7 percent.

Solving this riddle – that is, why everything costs so much when the government tells us inflation rates are low – is simple:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lies.

Inflation numbers are intentionally manipulated to keep cost-of-living numbers low.

If the average chief executive officer cooked balance sheet numbers the way the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates the Consumer Price Index, the CEO would be in jail, even without Sarbanes-Oxley reporting standards."

Tragedy Unfolding

Aid workers fear Burma cyclone deaths will top 50,000

This is a horrible tragedy and my heart and prayers go out to the victims.

And speaking of horrible things, how dare Al Gore use this tragedy to further his ridiculous claims of global warming.

Gore claimed global warming is forcing ocean temperatures to rise, which is causing storms, including cyclones and hurricanes, to intensify.

From what I am reading, including in the first article above, this cyclone (hurricane) had wind speeds of about 120 mph. That makes it a category 3 storm. Bad, yes, but hardly unprecedented. The high death toll is no doubt due to the primitive living conditions and lack of preparedness on the part of the government and people of Burma (Myanmar). They are still refusing aid.

The people’s plight is not helped by the disposition of their Government. Running the country on a combination of internal repression and xenophobia, the junta seems not to have made up its mind that this is a tragedy that it cannot remedy on its own.