Christianity loses again...

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1626300,00.html?xid=rss-topstories

Once again Christianity loses on the world stage. Because Lina Joy was born into a Muslim family she is subject or subjugated to sharia law and not civil law. The highest court in Malaysia has decided that her conversion to Christianity will not be recognized officially and now her life has just taken a decided turn for the worse. Islam takes a very dim view of apostasy, or people who convert from Islam to another faith. In many countries it's a death sentence and in parts of Malaysia this will get you prison time. Don't be shocked when she's killed in the future.

A religion of peace? Really? Or the scourge of Western Civilization? Each time I see or hear something like this it gets harder and harder for me to really believe that Islam is truly peaceful.

Winston Churchill

I've been reading a biography on Winston Churchill, and all I can say is WOW. I truly believe that he was meant to live and lead in that period of history. Here are a few highlights...

He fought in S. Africa, was captured and escaped.
He recognized the importance of air power in combat before the start of WWI.
He fought in WWI on the front lines and was in charge of producing war material until the end of the war and was head of the Royal Navy in 1914 and 1915...
He recognized that neither pure capitalism nor socialism would work in a modern society, that a mix of the two were needed, and worked to expand worker's rights and to set up machinery to settle labor disputes without violence.
He saw the evil of Communism and Nazi Germany before most others in Europe or the USA.
He held several major positions in government before becoming Prime Minister.
That's just a start. In short this was a man for the ages, I think he would be pleased to see the cooperation that Tony Blair had with George Bush in the war on terror.

This is just a short list up to the 1930's.

All or Nothing

One of the things that has started to worry me about the right side of the political spectrum is people are starting to subscribe to the 'All or Nothing' philosophy that the left has embraced for years. In short you either follow 100% of a,b,c etc., or you're not really a conservative. On the GOP side those such tagged are usually called RINO's short for Republicans in name only. Not 100% against gay marriage? RINO! Not 100% for _________? RINO.

This is bad. The strength of the GOP and the right in general is our ability to have differences of opinion on policy issues and still be conservative. We need to demand it to be honest. As iron sharpens iron this kind of discussion strengthens our position because we've discussed, debated and really thought about what is best for this country of ours. We need to have moderates involved, yes Rudy is socially moderate but he's also anti-tax, pro police and 100% on the war on terror. I love the fact that we have such a wide range of views on these issues, it means that we've thought about these issues and even when we disagree we can still be on the same side. The GOP has plenty of moderates in it's ranks as well as conservatives. You can disagree on issues and still be on the same team. Are there issues that you should be 100% for? Yes, in my opinion they are: low taxes, less government, pro military, pro family, pro faith, and putting the USA first. This is an incomplete list and it will vary depending on what you think is important.

Contrast that with the left. Remember Joe Lieberman? He made one mistake according to the left, he supported and still supports the war in Iraq. His own party turned on him and he was defeated in the primary of the 06 election by his own party! He then had the guts to run as an independent and easily won re-election. The moral is that if you don't march lock-step with the left, they'll turn on you in a heartbeat. There is no room for dissenting opinions in the democratic party. That is their great failing and what will eventually lead (I hope) to their demise.

Iran's role in Iraq and why it matters...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,273474,00.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18492460/

I know that people on the left and some on the right like to bang on the US for the problems in Iraq. What they either fail to realize or just don't care about is a small detail in this situation: Iran.

Over the last few months, the suspicion that Iran is shipping weapons and training fighters has become a certainty. I realize that it's easy and lazy to say that the President is to blame for all that is wrong with Iraq, and yes he shares some of the blame. However, people need to wake up to the fact that Iran is working to undo everything that we've fought for in Iraq. Why? A couple of reasons.

The first reason is that Iran fears a stable democratic Iraq. These two countries share a large border and the last thing that Iran wants is a neighboring country that's free. You see Iran is a religious dictatorship. There are no freedoms in Iran, especially for women and for non Muslims. They keep power via brute force and fear. This is all well and good when most of your neighbors run the show the same way, but when there is a beacon of hope next door for your oppressed citizens it is cause for alarm. You don't want them agitating for freedom, because it comes at the expense of the ruling class.

The second reason is that Iran is at war with the US. It's an undeclared war, but it's a war just the same. This war started when Iran seized the US Embassy and keep our citizens hostage for over a year. They regularly aid terror groups around the world. They are the avowed enemy of Israel. They will do anything to hurt and defeat us. Since they're not yet strong enough militarily to confront us (Thank God!) they use groups like Al-Queda and Hezbollah to do their dirty work. They are the part of the militant Muslims that want to convert everyone to Islam by any means necessary.

Their weapons are killing our soldiers and yet we've done nothing so far. The congress and the MSM are too busy trying to turn the country into another Vietnam and the Bush administration has done a horrible job of bringing this to the collective attention of this country. They've done a worse job of confronting Iran about it as well. I think we need to seriously consider aggressive patrols on the Iran Iraq border and consider air strikes against their arms factories if they don't stop. They can't hate us any more and they need to be taught a lesson about messing with the US, this lesson is long overdue, about 30 years overdue.

Driving Christians out of Bethleham

....chirp chirp
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55718

That is what you hear from the MSM in regards to this story. Bethleham is probably the holiest city on earth for Christians. It's where our and your savior was born. It's also where the muslim population is driving out the Christians by any means necessary. Forged documents, corrupt government, brute force. Just another day in paradise right? At what point are people going to care? Where is the left, the party of "tolerance" and "compassion'? Oh, right we're talking about those evil Christians, and we all know they deserve no pity at least not according to the left.

I think I'm going to throw up now.

It's called the high road, try taking it...

As most people know by now, Rev. Jerry Falwell died yesterday at the age of 73. I don't know if he's dining with God or roasting in hell right now, that's up to God not me. I do know that the venom from the left screams hypocrisy, lack of tact or anything that resembles class. Honestly, it makes me want to vomit.

The left loves to throw the words tolerance, understanding, multiculturalism, etc., at the right and when the time comes to practice what they so loudly preach we get nothing but bitter hatred, bile and venom.

For those of you on the left, either practice what you preach or come clean about the fact that you want US on the right to accept your world view and that you will NEVER return the favor. Otherwise, shut the hell up.

Planned Parenthood not obeying the law...

Update! HT: KC Catholic
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-planned-parenthood-lawsuit,0,853638.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

Guess they don't feel the need to report sexual abuse either. And yet the secular way is preferable to one of faith? I need to switch brands of kool-aid because this one isn't doing the trick...

HT: Michelle Malkin, LaShawn Barber

This is nice. A reporter goes undercover posing as a 15 year old who is pregnant by a 23 man. The employee at PP tells her to pick a birthday to make her 16 so it does not have to be reported as statutory rape. This is against the law in California for obvious reasons. Now PP claims this is an isolated incident and is pursing legal action against the reporter because the PP employee was filming this w/o PP's knowledge, this is also against the law. Why? Don't know...

I doubt seriously this is an isolated incident.

Mother's Day Fun

First I want to wish all mom's out there a happy if slightly belated Mother's Day. You can't get enough kudos for everything you do. Now, I want to tell you what Mother's Day was like at my house.

Travel in the not-so-way-back machine to Saturday the 12th of May. My daughter and I were out to get those all important gifts and cards. After stopping off to get a new fuse for my car so I would know how fast I was going it was off to gift world. Our first stop was Super Wally World to get cards and to pick up a gift certificate at the nail shop so my wife could get a pedicure.

While we were there we also looked for some pipe cleaners and tissue paper so that my daughter could make a special gift. We had no luck on the pipe cleaner or tissue paper, so after we paid for the cards and got the gift certificate, we then went to Payless Shoe Source to get a gift card, and then off to Michael's to get the aforementioned pipe cleaners, tissue paper and also a couple of wooden hearts that she could paint as another gift.

After getting home my daughter headed up stairs to start on the gift making and brought everything up with her so my wife would not find out. And she didn't for about 45 minutes until my daughter asked her if she wanted to see what she was doing... Sigh I really need to train her on the SURPRISE part of gifts... Anyway she then takes everything downstairs to work on.

Forward to Mother's day. I'm up with my son (2 1/2) and assembling the cards and gifts for coloring signing etc. One small problem, I can't find the pedicure certificate. Now my wife is asleep and my son is eating breakfast so I'll go upstairs and look in my daughter's room for the certificate. No luck there either... Now I'm starting to get a bit nervous. I go back downstairs and really start to look everywhere for this certificate. Still nowhere to be found. I then start looking in the garbage thinking that my wife (bit of a neat freak) or my daughter threw the envelope away by mistake. Still nowhere to be found... Now I'm in a total panic. It's 7:30, I have not even started on breakfast for my wife, my daughter has not finished either project and we're missing a gift. I wake her up and grill her about the certificate. She can't remember where it is either. Now at this point I'm resigned to the fact that I ruined Mother's Day. We don't have the $$$ to spare on another certificate nor do I have the time to get another one.

I get my daughter to finish her gifts and we get breakfast made. At 8:30 we surprise my wife with breakfast in bed and give her the gifts we have on hand. I then explain what happened and after a few minutes of discussing this disaster, my wife goes, "Oh a blank envelope? I found one and put it on the filing cabinet...", well what do ya know! It's the certificate! Mother's Day is saved and I'm not sleeping on the couch!

The rest of the day went pretty smoothly, my wife went shopping with her gift card, and I cooked her up a mean steak dinner.

Ah, the best laid plans of men...

And we need to secure the border why?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17874369/

Considering that Hezbollah now has functioning bases in South America, and that Hezbollah is armed, funded, and trained by Iran, and that they want to destroy our way of life, ya think we should really truly secure the damn border?

Do we need another 9/11 before we put the army and marines on the US/Mexico border in force and actually do something to make us safer? I am very afraid the answer is yes. If you care at all about our security write your legislators and tell them to secure the border, now.

Barak Obama

Rush Limbaugh did a song that parodies the belief that many have about Barak Obama as the great black savior. http://thomaschronicles.com/2007/04/03/obama-as-our-savior/ Personally I won't vote for anyone who courts the Pharisee Sharpton. Anyway, people are in a tizzy about his song. >shrug<> Rush uses sarcasam and irony in his show... Deal with it. He is also dead on about Obama being seen as the savior of the Democratic party. Rush is not a racist, so just stop already.

HT: Thomas Chronicles for the savior photo...

Three Martyrs and their last hours

http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/1067893/18109220

Details are starting to come out about the final hours of the three murdered Christians in Turkey. Not only was this brutal crime planned well in advance but the victims were stabbed numerous times and the killings were methodical and ritualized. The killers seemed to be following instructions from the Koran as follows below.

"The distinctively ritual manner of the murder, particularly the slicing of fingertips, is convincing observers of the consciously religious motivation of the assassins. The perpetrators seem to have been following the instructions of Sure 8:12, from the Koran. There it says (in the Rudi Paret German translation of the Koran), “I will strike terror into the hearts of unbelievers. Flay their necks (with a sword) and strike every finger.” The last half of the sentence is translated in even more striking terms in some versions. In the Rassoul and Zaidan translation it says, “chop off every finger;” the Azhar and Ahmadeyya translation says, “chop off every finger tip.”

This is the face of evil, make no mistake about it. They were killed to send a message that only Islam would be tolerated in Turkey. And if any were foolish enough to worship anyone or anything other than Allah that they would meet the same fate. And yet we hear nothing from the MSM, guess they're too busy making sure that we fail in Iraq and that the President's last two years in office are a living hell. Of course they probably think that those evil Christians deserved their fate.

HT The Point Blog

Pastors and Pharisees

If you've read the Bible or have more than a passing familiarity with it you'll know that Jesus had time for everyone, with the exception of the Pharisees. A Pharisee, in Biblical times, were the religious leaders of the Jewish people. They were responsible for the spiritual well being of their people. They were to set the example for all to follow via their actions and teachings.
However, in reality they often lorded their position over the people. They often decided who was acceptable to be with in society and who were not. They looked down upon people who were not Jewish, i.e. the Gentiles and the Samaritans. They considered 'sinners' less than human and would gleefully point them out for judgement and condemnation. During Jesus' time on earth he repeatedly pointed out the gaps between their teaching and their actions. When they questioned his choice of dining partners, he replied that it was the sick that needed a doctor, not the healthy. He repeatedly showed the hypocracy that ran rampent in their ranks, so much so that they ended up having him crucified.

Fast Forward to 2007 in America. Christian leaders daily face the challange of living out their beliefs and teachings. One wrong step and they go from pastor to pharisee. Now let me tell you how I define these two terms and give you some examples so you know where I am coming from.

Pastor: Does his best to live by the teachings in the Bible. Puts words into actions via ministry work like Angel Tree, Christmas in April, feeding the homeless, volunteering at a hospice. They are more concerned with spreading God's message than their own glory and power. They don't want the biggest church they want an effective one.

Think Billy Graham, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Pope John Paul II. The churches who were too busy helping others to rebuild their churches after Katrina were led by real pastors.

Pharisee: Claims to be a Christian and will speak with authority. Knows the Bible from stem to stern. Often makes strong moral statements about hot button issues. May or may not be active in ministries mentioned above. Says one thing and does another. Doesn't live by what is preached or will not preach according to what's in the Bible. Often very concerned with their personal power and glory, God gets the leftovers if He's lucky. Will often fall from grace in public scandal, usually due to an extra martial affair of some sort.

Think Jim Baker, Jerry Falwell, Jimmy Swaggart, Fred Phelps, Pat Robertson, Ted Haggard, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

I'll bet you recognize the Pharisees or had a similar list as you were reading my description. To be honest you'll rarely see Pastors in the news because they don't call attention to themselves or their work, because they're not in it for personal glory. And honestly the MSM won't report on them because they don't like to paint Christians in a positive light. They'd rather focus on the Pharisees and show the world that all Christians are like this, no matter what the reality is.