In a Word…
September 21, 2009
The epitome of it. Seven men who have served this country under presidents Democrat and Republican, band together and with one voice plead with the President to cease and desist on this CIA probe–and Mr. Obama, apparently, knows more than these guys.
I keep wondering what’s the greatest threat about this man’s presidency: his far-left agenda, his gross inexperience, or his arrogance. Put together, they make for a powerful punch to the mid-section of this country.
“No Kids”: The Ultimate in Self-Centered Culture
September 20, 2009
Have you heard of this one? A lady named Corinne Maier has written a book entitled No Kids: 40 Good Reasons Not to Have Children. Now, I stop short of saying that it’s demonstrably sinful for a couple to choose not to have kids, but I don’t stop very far short of it. There are Biblical and cultural reasons why I sincerely hope that this lady’s book is ignored to the degree it so richly deserves to be. But if you click on the link, you get, not only the chapter titles, but some of the actual chapters themselves.
What I want you to notice, though, is the underlying assumption: you exist only for the comfort, promotion, pampering, and coddling of yourself. It’s all about you–hang anybody else. I’m reminded, by contrast, with the words of H.I. McDonough (as played by Nicholas Cage) in the epic Raising Arizona. “We figured that every day we waited to bring a child into the world is a day he might regret having missed.”
Couldn’ta said it better myself…
The Stimulus that Didn’t Stimulate
September 18, 2009
Of course, the rhetoric from our Dear Comrade began a few weeks back, claiming that his master stroke of genius, the Ridiculous Government Pork Spending Bill of 2009 (that was the name of it, wasn’t it? Maybe not…) was the reason the economy was showing signs of life.
Ummm…no, Mr. President.
Oh, my, I hope Jimmy Carter doesn’t read this…
Right at the Top of the Chart
September 16, 2009
Take this “world’s smallest political quiz“, and score yourself. I’m at the very top (I’ll leave it to you to find out what that means). Hint: personal freedom, personal responsibility. Limited government like the Founding Fathers envisioned. It’s a beautiful thing.
And it shore, shore ain’t coming your way from the Cowardpublicans or the Socialists anytime soon.
Joe Wilson, Part II
September 16, 2009
Joe Wilson’s rude outburst gave ammunition to the race-baiters–well, it actually didn’t, but that didn’t stop the race-baiters from playing the race card, injecting a racial tone into the whole conversation. It’s despicable; it’s unAmerican; it’s godless. But there were some of the usual hacks:
– Jimmy Carter–the little president who cried “race”–is either a liar or a loon (here’s the video). I’m honestly not sure which; he may be getting senile, I don’t know, and I’m honestly not trying to be mean–but when one says what Mr. Carter has, he’s either just lying through his teeth, or he’s just losing his mind. How else can one read his inane comments?
– Maureen Dowd, who’s never been too worried about accuracy or fairness; she hears “an unspoken word in the air: ‘You lie, boy‘”. Well, hmmm, Ms. Dowd, wonder why you hear it? Maybe it’s what you’re listening for? Maybe you’ve got those ears trained to detect what isn’t there, because you’ve been schooled well in playing that race card every time things get a little hot for your leftist of choice, if he happens to be black? Thank you, by the way, for mentioning that “no Democrat ever shouted ‘liar’ at W.”, a fact as irrelevant as it is misleading (“lying with the truth”, is what I’m coming to call it); it may be technically true, of course, but to paint a picture of Democrats being genteel and warm toward the ex-Prez is, as we all know, total malarkey.
Funny: when I think of liberals, I’m reminded of a rude/hilarious remark by Jack Nicholson in As Good as it Gets: remember the scene on the elevator with the lady who compliments Nicholson’s gruff, insufferably rude character on his abilities? “How do you write women so well”, she asks (and I paraphrase). “Well”, Nicholson says, “when I want to think of a woman, I think of a man, and then subtract reason and accountability”. OK, it’s crude and unfair, and my female readers probably hate me for referencing it–but you gotta admit, it’s a funny line. My point is that it must be nice to be a liberal and not have to really concern oneself with things like factuality and consistency.
– Certain U.S representatives who follow right along, all too eager to make political hay by making ugly allegations, despite a dearth of evidence.
And so a few thoughts:
1. Racism is an ugly, egregious, godless evil. It is inexcusable, a remnant of our fallen nature. Any civilized society must continue to work until racism is shamed out of existence.
2. Racism is practiced by people of all colors, ethnicities, and political sensibilities. White conservatives do not have a corner on the racism market. Yes, it is racist to take the color of an individual into account when voting. It is racist to vote against a black man (or woman) just because of the color of the person’s skin. It is also racist to vote for a black candidate simply because of the color of that person’s skin. Those of us with half a brain know that there were people on both sides of the coin in the last election, people who voted against President Obama because he was black, and others who voted for him because he was black. Both are wrong, any way you slice it.
How come folks in the latter camp get away with their racism?
3. Racism is still alive in America. Anyone who suggests otherwise is, of course, out to lunch. There are nutjobs among the Teaparty movement, racists who make graphic, inappropriate signage. There are nutjobs among the liberal elite as well, less likely to espouse in-your-face bigotry, but more likely to espouse “the soft bigotry of low expectations”. When we fail to hold people to equal account despite skin color, and the basis for our failure is skin color, we engage in that “soft bigotry”.
4. We have made great strides in this country in the area of racism in the last 50 years. If you don’t understand or agree with that, please stop reading this post and learn some history.
Nothing else I say will matter to you until you do, and nothing has already, probably.
5. The Jimmy Carters, Jeanine Garofalos, and Maureen Dowds of the world set back racial progress every time they turn an event like the Joe Wilson comment into a racial thing. There is enough real racism that we ought to continue to combat that to find it where it is not there is the equivalent of the little boy who cried wolf. One is tempted to draw the obvious conclusion: when you’re losing the argument, attack the opposition. The liberal argument is being lost–as it is every time it finds itself exposed to the light of day and seen for what it is. And so you’ve got these simpletons whipping out the race card and playing it. How will we know when we’ve put racism to bed once and for all? I doubt we’ll ever fully do that, of course, but it’ll be a good sign when no longer do the Carters and their ilk pull out that card and play it at every opportunity.
6 (and final). Political dissent does not prove racism. It doesn’t even suggest racism. It doesn’t have anything whatsoever to do with racism (at least by its simple existence). I opposed most of Mr. Carter’s policies, Mr. Clinton’s policies, and frankly, a good deal of W.’s policies (particularly the longer he stayed in office). I suppose I was racist against these guys? Right. Where y’all getting the really good stuff? ‘Cause you’re sure smoking it…
Look, Barack Obama proved an extraordinary candidate and swept into office; though I don’t like his policies, he’s a great politician who made it to the top, regardless of color. Now that he’s there, he must be held to account for what he does. To do otherwise, just because he’s black (half-black/half-white, actually, but that’s irrelevant, of course), is to engage in that soft bigotry, and that’s every bit as bad–and more insidious–than the clowns in the white robes. Do we believe that people are “created equal”? Either we do, or we don’t. I do.
I’m not convinced that Mr. Carter really does.
Joe Wilson, Part I
September 16, 2009
It’s old news now: though I didn’t care to watch Mr. Obama’s speech last week–and it apparently proved to be exactly what I thought it would, justifying my decision to ignore it–Rep. Joe Wilson made headlines by shouting “you lie” at a point in the speech. Thoughts:
1. Joe Wilson was right. The President did lie–as he has been at points during this entire healthcare debate. The President has been fundamentally dishonest in his approach to this issue. My friend Bob Robinson catalogues some of these. Bob also, by the way, lists some of the inaccuracies in the Republican response. I’m not convinced, by the way, that Bob’s first comment, that Obamacare would not cover illegal immigrants, will prove to be true in the end. One of the things that has characterized this debate is that the Administration and its apologists have effectively lied by telling the truth: no, nothing in Obama’s plan will force people to give up their current insurance–but that begs the question. If Obamacare is enacted with a “public option”, many small businesses will opt to cease offering insurance as a benefit, turning that responsibility and expense over to the government. If the Administration and its liberal cronies don’t understand this, what business do they have running my country? And if they do, they’re lying. What’s the truth? Well, the problems with this Administration–and they are myriad–don’t include being stupid…
2. The President called many of us “liars”. He spoke of mischaracterizations and misrepresentations, and while there have surely been some, there are a lot of truths that the Democrats find to be “inconvenient truths”, and label them “lies”.
3. President Bush was treated rudely by the Democrats.
4. That doesn’t deny the reality that Joe Wilson was wrong. To his credit, he said so in an apology, and to the President’s credit, he graciously accepted the apology. The Democrats complain about the poisoning of political discourse–largely ignoring their own massive culpability–but Wilson was certainly a doofus for providing them ammunition (more on that in Part II), and a bigger doofus for doing it in the first place. Conservatives need to set the pace for constructive engagement, fact-based debate, reasoned argument, considered conversation. His outburst ought have no place in the conversation.
On Being Robbed
September 14, 2009
So I come back to my car from playing tennis Saturday evening, and the passenger-side window has been busted out; come to find out my wife’s purse had been taken. But Jesus is still Lord, of this and every situation. I’m reminded of the comments of Matthew Henry, after his home had been burglarized, praising the Lord for several aspects of the situation; I paraphrase loosely. We thank the Lord that
1. Though the thief took her purse, neither she nor I were harmed in any other way.
2. Though her money was taken, it wasn’t much (frankly, the hassle is worth more than the money that was taken). Credit card was canceled before any charge accrued.
3. Though the purse was stolen, several other things in plain view (GPS, my wallet, my BlackBerry) were not taken, and she had her cell phone with her (she was taking a walk with other wives of tennis players).
4. We were the ones stolen from, and not the one(s) doing the stealing.
Stuff comes, and stuff goes; moth and rust corrupt, and thieves break through and steal. But the treasures we lay up in heaven? Hey, thief, just try to grab those away from us!
This phrase comes from the 1978 "Jonestown massacre" in which most members of the Peoples Temple cult, blindly following their leader Jim Jones, committed suicide by drinking cyanide-laced Kool-Aid.
Osborne: A Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God
Schlossberg: Idols For Destruction
