Oh glorious love of Christ my Lord Divine,
That made Him stoop to save a soul like mine;
Through all my days and then in Heaven above,
My song will silence never, I'll worship him forever,
And praise Him for His glorious love.
("Oh Glorious Love" by the Talley Trio)
Celia Padron went on a Hawaiian vacation last year, lured by the prospect of beautiful beaches and friendly people. She, her husband and two teenage daughters enjoyed the black sand beach at Makena State Park on Maui. But a Hawaiian girl accosted her two teenage daughters, saying, "Go back to the mainland" and "Take your white ass off our beaches," says Padron, a pediatric gastroenterologist in New Jersey.
When her husband, 68 at the time, stepped between the girls, three young Hawaiian men slammed him against a vehicle, cutting his ear, and choked and punched him, Padron says. Police officers persuaded the Padrons not to press charges, saying it would be expensive for them to return for court appearances and a Hawaiian judge would side with the Hawaiian assailants, the doctor contends.
"There is no doubt in my mind [the attack] was racially motivated," she adds.
My husband and I were very blessed that when we lived on Oahu from 1990-95, we had no incidents like this directed at us, but even then, Mililani Trask was spouting her agenda. Even then, there were places a haole (white) were wise to avoid. Plus, it was pretty much an accepted fact that if you didn't have ohana (family), your large business or stellar career would have more *ahem* hindrances than if you did.
Please don't get me wrong - I love Hawaii, it's beauty and warm Aloha spirit. This incident, in my experience, is by far the exception rather than the rule.
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for
"All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever."
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
Spurgeon only quotes the last verse, "...but the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you" and then adds:
All human teaching and, indeed, all human beings shall pass away as the grass of the meadow; but we are here assured that the Word of the LORD is of a very different character, for it shall endure forever. We have here a divine gospel; for what word can endure forever but that which is spoken by the eternal God? We have here an ever-living gospel, as full of vitality as when it first came from the lips of God; as strong to convince and convert, to regenerate and console, to sustain and sanctify as ever it was in its first days of wonder-working. We have an unchanging gospel which is not today green grass and tomorrow dry hay but always the abiding truth of the immutable Jehovah. Opinions alter, but truth certified by God can no more change than the God who uttered it. Here, then, we have a gospel to rejoice in, a word of the LORD upon which we may lean all our weight. "For ever" includes life, death, judgment, and eternity. Glory be to God in Christ Jesus for everlasting consolation. Feed on the word today and all the days of thy life. (via CrossWalk)
Let unsaved men rail against God. Let them try to deny Him. Let them ignore the truth of His existence and who He is witnessed by Creation itself. Let them shake their fists in His face...
... at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11)
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-8)
Let them.
One Day, God will mete out His perfect justice, and they will stand mute before Him.
His Word - the written word and the Living Word - will prevail.
The Borg Featured in First Contact, these are the most fearsome aliens in the galaxy, and look like the Tin Man on Goth Night at the local leather bar. You don't know whether to fear the Borg or to ask them if they think that upcoming AFI album will be, like, awesome.
LOL! That bolded portion is worth the price of admission right there, *snicker!*
Very much worth the read - even if you're a die-hard Trekker. And, to be fair, he started out dinging Star Wars. Wonder what he's going after next? Firefly? V? Independence Day? Lost in Space? (Nah, that one would be too easy!)
When police officers act like this, it sure as heck isn't!! I hope this is followed up, because with the information I have just from this video, this policeman needs a reprimand, at least!
WHICH specific law did the protester break? If it was indeed illegal to show the signs on private property, WHY wasn't it enforced for ALL displayed signs? What other people did this officer confront? Did he issue any citations that night?
I would very much like to know more of the story.
And the officer's parting comment - no matter that it was intended in sarcasm - is definitely beyond the pale!
... holding ALL federal government (i.e., the President, Congress critters,advisers, aides, assistants, IRS auditors, etc., not the military) salaries to no more than 10% (see? I'm being generous) above the national mean for private business' salaries.
Because, while the lunatics running the asylum (all those DemonRATS and RINOs) - including the head lunatic - are running up our national deficit (oh, and you do remember that the White House just recently revised their estimates UP by two trillion - that's with a "t" - but what's a trillion or two between friends, huh?), look at their salaries:
Government service is supposed to be just that: a service to your country. It's not a place at the slop trough.
And while we're working on it, anyone in this category caught screwing up on their taxes ought to pay 200% of the penalty that regular folks do, the IRS should assume they're guilty until proven innocent, AND if they mess up on a tax item in a bill they voted FOR, the penalty ought to go to 400%.
Just to kind of level the playing field and remind people leeching around in D.C. that they're citizens of this country, too, and not above the law...
Roger, “What I object to is you automatically treat me like an inferior.”
Obama,” Well I am President.”
Roger,”President? How’d you do that?…by playing to the fears of the poor and minority groups and preaching outdated Marxist dogma of class warfare which codifies discrimination by putting people into arbitrary groups then convinces them to turn over their liberties to an every growing totalitarian government.”
Obama, “I am your President!”
Marissa (Roger’s wife) “I didn’t vote for you.”
Obama, “It doesn’t matter if you voted for me. I defeated Hillary Clinton for the nomination and John McCain for the Presidency.”
Roger,” Defeating some farsical woman and a Republican who thinks he is a Democrat is no basis to go getting all full of yourself.
Obama,”Be quiet!”
Roger,” If I went around trying to ram my plans down people’s throats just because I defeated two people who practically defeated themselves, people would think I was crazy.”
(UPDATE: Yikes! Serious typo in the title, now corrected. Note to self: don't post before the caffeine has had a chance to hit your brain, mmm'k?)
I just loooooove Steven!
Really, the hypocrisy and deception that runs rampant on the left is truly foul. I wish more people would do what Steven did to expose these groups that are trying to destroy our country; I really do!
My heart and prayers go out to his family. They knew him best, and I'm sure they loved him and will miss him.
I'm going to keep an old adage in mind and keep my opinion out of it. But the fact is that Sen. Kennedy is now beyond the reach of us here on earth. He has already been judged by the Perfect Judge, for good or ill. For those of us still here on earth, we may debate and argue over his actions and policies, but he himself is beyond our condemnation or approbation.
For those who "cannot forgive," particularly those who claim to be Christians, I would remind you of three things:
You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15)
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)
Mourn for the family left behind, and then turn to the business our Father has laid before us.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1, ESV)
My thoughts on Spurgeon's Bible meditation inspired me to get serious again with my study of the book of Romans. For several years, it has been my desire to memorize Romans 5 through 8 (and who knows, maybe one day the entire book!), and it has unfortunately been an on-again off-again ambition.
But Spurgeon inspired me to try again, so I pulled out Romans 5 and am giving it another go. This time, I'm going to try not to memorize, exactly, but rather to really get to know each verse - to take it apart, put it back together, kick the tires, and understand how it actually works.
One good thing that has already happened is that I got a chance to show the Darling Munchkin a glimpse into the fascinating and rewarding world of serious Bible study. I took her to the Blue Letter Bible site and demonstrated some of the wonderfully powerful study tools they have. The Blue Letter Bible's resources are what I use when I'm doing a down-and-dirty-serious study, so pretty much all of my citations here will be from them. It's a fantastic site, and I am grateful for all their hard work!
Yesterday's post about the Bible meditation from Spurgeon totally grabbed me up into some serious Bible study. So, for the past - oh, I dunno - six hours? (cumulative), I've been doing a study on Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
It's FIVE PAGES, printed, already - but thank God I'm writing my last point right now (well, OK, at this particular moment I'm procrastinating), so it's probably 85% done.
ONE verse. FIVE (probably will end up seven) pages!
And where was this motivation when I had to write essays in school?! ;-)
Anyway, I should have it done and edited by this afternoon, so... Be ready!
The first thing that surprised me about Auschwitz is that it is not as secluded these days as I expected; it is just right there in what seems like the middle of this average small town. It’s just…right there. It is jarring. There’s a busy parking lot about 50 yards from the “front door,” a lot that is filled with buses and cars and noisy tourists. Again. Very jarring.
Rachel Lucas is one of my favorite bloggers - she can talk about pretty much anything (and does), and does so in her own style which can make you laugh or cry... Or change your world view.
I read this post early this morning, and it reminded me of my visit to Dachau back in 1980.
I urge you to go over to Rachel's and read her post, and remember the depths of depravity and cruelty that humans can descend to - and vow to keep earnest watch so we can stand fast against this sort of obscenity.
"There's a lot of vets out here on the streets," he said. "I've seen men lay right in the middle of the road and people walk by like they're not there. If that was a whale, if that was a dog, wouldn't someone save it?"
The government buildings are like islands in a sea of struggling Americans.
As Washington's policymakers debate health care bills and promise economic recovery, Cali tries to stay afloat, as do thousands of others in the District of Columbia and millions across the country. About $1.5 billion from the $787 billion stimulus package was set aside to go toward preventing homelessness, but most of the money hasn't been distributed yet, advocates for the homeless say.
Some who live in the parks in the capital are mentally ill with no one to care for them. Among them are the conspiracy theorists whose fantasies led them to the streets just beyond the White House.
However, more and more people like Cali — sometimes alone, sometimes with their families — are homeless as they fight to survive a spiraling descent into destitution.
"For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent" (1 Corinthians 1:19).
This verse is a threatening so far as the worldly wise are concerned, but to the simple believer it is a promise. The professedly learned are forever trying to bring to nothing the faith of the humble believer, but they fail in their attempts. Their arguments break down, their theories fall under their own weight, their deep-laid plots discover themselves before their purpose is accomplished. The old gospel is not extinct yet, nor will it be while the LORD liveth. If it could have been exterminated, it would have perished from off the earth long ago. We cannot destroy the wisdom of the wise, nor need we attempt it, for the work is in far better hands. The LORD Himself says, "I will," and He never resolves in vain. Twice does He in this verse declare His purpose, and we may rest assured that He will not turn aside from it. What clean work the LORD makes of philosophy and "modern thought" when He puts His hand to it! He brings the fine appearance down to nothing; He utterly destroys the wood, hay, and stubble. It is written that so it shall be, and so shall it be. LORD, make short work of it. Amen, and amen.
This is today's devotional from Charles Haddon Spurgeon's Faith's Checkbook devotional, hosted at OnePlace.com. It really reminded me that in 1 Corinthians 1 and 2 the Apostle Paul reminds us that God's wisdom - the only true wisdom - is disdained by unsaved man:
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Cor 1:18)
For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1 Cor 1:25)
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Cor 2:14)
So I should not be surprised when unsaved people heap scorn and derision upon God's Word and His people. They cannot help it, because they are dead in sin, they are hostile to God
For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:7-8)
I need to remember that God is God! He is above all things and there is nothing and no one that can thwart His will. When He brings history to a close, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Therefore, it doesn't matter what eyebrows are raised when I say I believe in a literal six day creation. It doesn't matter that people's jaws drop in astonishment when I say I believe in the miracles of the Bible. It doesn't matter when people roll their eyes and mock me when I say I believe in the literal, physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It doesn't matter when people laugh and say, "Oh, you just use religion as a crutch!"
My faith is in Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. His Spirit lives in me and has raised me from spiritual death and given me His wisdom and His love and His promises.
So let them mock.
But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. (2 Tim 1:12)
The Obama administration expects the federal
deficit over the next decade to be $2 trillion bigger than previously
estimated, White House officials said Friday, a setback for a president
already facing a Congress and public wary over spending.
The new projection, to be announced on Tuesday,
is for a cumulative 2010-2019 deficit of $9 trillion instead of the $7
trillion previously estimated. The new figure reflects slumping
revenues from a worse economic picture than was expected earlier this
year. The officials spoke only on the condition of anonymity ahead of
next week's announcement.
We've been in this house - completely moved in (um, so to speak) - for five years now. Before we all came out here from Chesapeake, the Beloved Husband installed a sub-floor in the basement, and did some finishing work down there as well. He did an absolutely stupendous job: you can't tell there's a concrete floor below you (and my legs say THANK YOU!!!). We painted before the carpet was laid down, so the downstairs has always been pretty much finished.
But, one of the other things I had done before the Munchkin and I came out was a complete overhaul of the kitchen and dining room. Everything went - all the old cabinets, all the old appliances - and I got a completely new kitchen. I figured that if I was going to be living here for the next several decades, I really didn't want to be whining and complaining about how I hated my kitchen (even tough I love to cook). I think the lady at Lowes was rather astonished when I came in, looked around a bit, and then sat down and said, "I want this floor, these cabinets, this countertop, this butcher block, and these appliances." Bam - just like that! (Of course, I'd been planning this kitchen in my mind for at least ten years!)
Anyway, I painted before the cabinets were installed, and in the process I took off the crappy, cheap framing around the dining room and kitchen windows.
I am fortunate that it wasn't completely in-your-face-OMG-I'm-in-a-construction-zone!, but it was something that was on the gosh-I've GOT-to-do-something-about-this list. I'd even bought and prepared the new trim, so it was really only a matter of asking my Beloved and scheduling a time to do it. And thus, the project languished for five years...
Well, this past Sunday, my Beloved and the Munchkin got together and put the trim on all these windows!
Yesterday, my Beloved installed the curtain rods, and I got busy sewing the "valances," and LOOK at how AWESOME it looks now!!!
[happy dance]
Now all that needs to be done upstairs is painting the master bedroom, making the valances for the MBR and guest room, and installing the tile backing above the stovetop. Of course, I need to choose the tile, but I have a pretty good idea of what I want...
I looks like it might be working in a way - the Drudge Report links to an AP article that states:
Technical support issued a warning to congressional staff that the site
- - may be slow or unresponsive because of the large volume of e-mail
being sent to members.http://www.house.gov
Jeff Ventura, a spokesman for the House's chief administrative officer,
which maintains the Web site, said traffic data was not available and
could not be released without the lawmakers' consent.
But anecdotally, he said, the spike in e-mail volume was widely believed to be a result of the health care debate.
"It is clearly health care reform," Ventura said. "There's no doubt about it."
Certainly I can't authoritatively claim that the bottleneck is due to people flagging themselves... But I'm sure they've helped contribute to the problem, even thought it's the house.gov site vs. the whitehouse.gov site...
Or perhaps I ought to say "WE'VE helped to contribute to the problem," because I flagged myself, too. It is inexcusable for our President and his administration to encourage Americans to become informants on their fellow citizens, and we should do all we can to push back and beat this infringement on our right to free speech into smithereens.
Health care reform is an important issue, certainly. However, whenever the government pries into our private lives and exceeds its Constitutional boundaries, we-the-citizens are the ones who suffer - not the fat cats in Washington!
So exercise your right to free speech and e-mail flag@whitehouse.gov to flag yourself. E-mail your House Representative and your two Senators to state your disgust with the health care bill. Strike a blow against the government's intrusion and help slow down the governments servers even more ;-)
But he can't answer the question directly. All he can do is hem and haw and toss in red herrings. This is NOT what I want in my elected officials! When you are asked a simple, direct question, you need to give a simple direct answer and NOT babble on about the party line!
Congressman Perriello: If the Health Care Bill is passed, will you pledge to enroll yourself and your family in it? Yes or no?
Because if YOU are not willing to submit yourself to the same restraints and conditions you're willing to impose on your constituents, then you cannot, in good conscience, vote in favor of this bill!!!!
Man up, Perriello. Do the right thing and vote against the bill.
"I'm not going to say all the jobs in Martinsville are going to come back if I'm elected president," Obama told about 300 invited guests - most of them blue-collar workers - who gathered at Patrick Henry Community College.
"I'm not saying the schools will be fixed," he added. "What I'm saying is that I'm going to wake up every morning thinking about you."
I seem to recall that I noticed that article, and was absolutely breathless with awe at Obama's concern for Virginia's most economically depressed areas:
Oh, how sweet! [pauses while everyone coos "Awwww!"] While he's raising our taxes, while he's pandering to terrorists, while he's supporting infanticide, he'll still be thinking about Martinsville every morning. My, that's so... comforting! So... inspiring!
Yeah. Right. You want to know what he's gonna be thinking? He's gonna sit up
in bed at the White House every morning, have a good stretch, and think
I can't believe those schmucks actually bought it!
A year ago, shortly before you became the
Democratic Party’s nominee for president, you made a campaign stop in
Henry County, Va. You vowed to work every day to make life better in
Henry County and Martinsville if you were elected president.
“If you give me that opportunity, if you give me that chance, I will
fight for you every single day,” you pledged. “I’ll wake up every day
in that White House thinking about those people in Martinsville.”
In an interview afterward, you told me that if you had been in the
White House when the area’s dramatic job losses occurred, you would
have dispatched a team from many parts of government — Commerce, Labor,
Small Business Administration and others — to try to devise a strategy
for rebuilding the community. Better yet, you said, you would have some
of those same agencies working with governors to anticipate changes in
the economy.
A year later, the situation here has deteriorated, and on behalf of the community, I am writing to ask for your help.[...]
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner and Gov. Tim Kaine are well aware of the past
and potential of Henry County and Martinsville. We hope you will talk
with them and then return with a strategy for our future. I believe you
will find a community that is receptive to any help and will work hard
to make that vision a success.
Thing is, Ginny-dear - Obama didn't promise to actually help, he only promised he'd be thinking of you. And I'm sure he's been thinking of you as he and a DemonRAT/RINO congress has quadrupled our deficit; are working on passing Cap and Trade, which would raise energy costs while wiping out the coal industry (among others); and is scheming to jam a health care package down the throats of citizens who are mostly against it. Just to name a couple of things off the top of my head.
Just like I said before: Obama is an empty suit making empty promises. And you blind liberal nutcases can stick that in your hat and smoke it!
(kittipurrs to Jerry for seeing the Martinsville Bulletin article - and you should read HIS comments, too!)
This post follows up on a previous post in which I questioned the credentials of a woman at a Texas town hall meeting who claimed to be a doctor, but turned out to be anything but. She is a graduate student in social work -- oh, and an Obama delegate. Read on for more.
You should read the whole post, and also read the article Patterico links in the Lone Star Times.
For all the blustering the DemonRATS do about packing town hall meetings, and that those who oppose Obamacare are paid by mysterious far-right extremist sugar daddies or are "mobs" or sport Nazi swastikas... How interesting is it that, when examined closely, it's the left that actually does all these despicable things?
While I am not at all happy with the RINOs running rampant in the GOP, the DemonRATS always seem to go far further down that path of hypocrisy and dishonesty.
UPDATE: Instapundit has a post from yesterday which really highlights the deceit and deception of the left's outrage at the protests. Several good links are included.
It involves a young lady who posted on her status that she hated her job and thought her boss was a pervy wanker. Unfortunately she forgot that she had previously friended him, so the whole thing showed up in his News Feed.
Right on schedule, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Creigh Deeds -- suddenly trailing badly in poll after poll -- has shaken up his staff. Thirty-something wunderkind Joe Abbey, Deeds' manager for his upset June primary victory, has been shunted aside. (That victory was engineered by the Washington Post's editorials, not Abbey or even Deeds.) Party activists have blamed Abbey, fairly or not, for Deeds' listless campaign. Abbey will apparently retain a title and a role in the campaign, but the decisions will be made by Monica Dixon (a close associate of Sen. Mark Warner), longtime Democratic party staffer Kevin Mack, and Mo Elleithee.
Citing a marked decline in his appearance and personal hygiene, as well as growing piles of personal items under and around his desk, members of Congress have begun to voice concerns that Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) may be homeless.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! And, as they say, read the whole thing... But make sure you're not drinking anything that could either choke you or ruin your computer screen *evil grinz*
* Religious attitudes are a major source of sexual prejudice. For LGBT people of color, many of whom are regular churchgoers, the conflict is acute. More than half of LGBT people of color interviewed feel treated like sinners by their ethnic and racial communities, and faith communities are among the places LGBT people of color feel least accepted;
It's a very interesting article, but this particular paragraph jumps out at me. To be perfectly frank, if unrepentant sinners are "treated like sinners by their... faith communities" (specifically, Christian faith communities), I'm surprised that they're so surprised!
Look, I understand that Christians still sin (hello! I look in the mirror every day!), and that some churches and denominations often pick the sin of homosexuality as a convenient target and seem to use it as the "unforgivable sin." I understand that, and I condemn it - because we are all still sinners, and even Christians stumble and fail in their walk with God every day.
But the point is that a Christian is to live a life of repentance. When we are confronted by God's Word with sin in our lives, we are to renounce that sin and turn away from it - but too often we're far more inclined to try and twist Scripture to make it say something it doesn't so that we can remain in our sin.
Frankly, that's hardly a godly and holy thing to do, folks! When you read the Bible at face value, it says that homosexuality (and stealing, and lust, and coveting, and bitterness, and laziness, and...) is a SIN. Period. And the Bible is quite clear on what we are supposed to do with people who claim to be Christians but who refuse to put away (or even TRY to put away) their sin:
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
It's a serious and solemn thing to have to do. And the goal of this excommunication is NOT for the "good" Christians to get all hoity-toity and I'm-so-much-better-than-you about it. No. The Christians who remain in the church are to pray diligently that the lost sheep will repent and return. Those who remain are to consider their own lives and strive to diligently follow their Savior. Those who haven't had to be cast out are to walk carefully and humbly, lest they, too, should fail in their witness for Christ.
So, if you're an LGBT person who is feeling condemned by your (hopefully) Bible-believing church, how about you take a look at God's Word with the rest of us sinners, and work with Him to change your life to reflect His holiness and righteousness? Because, frankly, the rest of us liars, cheaters, shirkers, fornicators, and coveters would like to help you conquer sin while you help us do the same.
Benny-wenny, who blogs over at Not Larry Sabato (no, I'm not going to link him), seems to think that he can use blatant lies and poor reporting to promote his candidate, Creigh Deeds, over Bob McDonnell to govern Virginia. While Deeds is gallivanting off on an excellent adventure (well, he did use the word "daring") and trying to use the abortion issue to disguise the fact that he's following McDonnell on every issue...
While Deeds is busy playing catch-up and being irrelevant, Benny-wenny tries to trip up McDonnell for supposedly displaying the Confederate flag at a gun show (see comments from Bearing Drift [UPDATE: See Jim's commentary this morning, 12Aug09... OUCH!], Shaun Kenney, SWAC Girl, and the Write Side of My Brain). Unfortunately for Benny-wenny, he's in such a rush to be "relevant" that he can't be bothered to check his facts (note the Bearing Drift post in particular).
Benny-wenny has participated in shoddy attempts at journalism before, and has promoted smear campaigns and included me and several conservative Virginia bloggers in one in particular ( - yeah, Joey Stanley was his hatchet man, but Benny was behind him all the way).
It's not surprising that - even today - political bloggers are regarded with some suspicion and disdain by the general public when this sort of muckracking and ad hominem idiocy seems to run rampant. And, while I know there are more than a few right-leaning bloggers who really like to pile on, it seems to me that it's the lefty blogs that love to wallow in hypocrisy, double-dealing, and character assassination.
But then, with hacks like Benny-wenny on "their side," I suppose one would expect a cesspool of lies, obfuscation and the twisting of facts. I was taken in by Benny once, a looooong time ago. But, as the saying goes, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me!"
I would suggest that my readers approach anything he has to say with the same skepticism.
The other day, the Deeds campaign decided to stop talking about the economic downturn affecting Virginia, taxes, education, and other issues a majority of voters pay attention to in order to fixate on baby killing. That’s right. Deeds decided his winning issue in Virginia would be that if Bob McDonnell were Governor of Virginia less babies would be aborted than if Creigh Deeds were Governor.
It didn’t work.
So the campaign rapidly moved from abortion to the Confederacy.The other day, the Deeds campaign decided to stop talking about the economic downturn affecting Virginia, taxes, education, and other issues a majority of voters pay attention to in order to fixate on baby killing. That’s right. Deeds decided his winning issue in Virginia would be that if Bob McDonnell were Governor of Virginia less babies would be aborted than if Creigh Deeds were Governor.
It didn’t work.
So the campaign rapidly moved from abortion to the Confederacy.
Tribbet, Abbey and Deeds can save the phony outrage. Were any of them complaining about Democrats who employed the Confederate flag or spoke of it with reverence such as Sen. Jim Webb or Ben “Cooter” Jones
who ran for Congress? Didn’t think so. (In fact, Tribbet brags about
how he ran Jones’ losing race where Jones went around in the “General
Lee” car from “The Dukes of Hazzard” with a big Confederate flag
painted on the roof.)
But noooooo, Ben decides to dig himself even deeper with a hilarious reach for – you’ll love this – geometry [...]
AAAACK! THE DREADED MEDIAN POINT! WE’RE DOOMED!!!
Now, I have no idea what mathematical genius allowed Tribbett to determine the “exact median point” from the picture, but allow me to use this to establish Blogospheric Rule # Um, we’re supposed to be counting? – When you are forced to resort to a syntactical precision best suited for a college-level dissertation, you lose the argument.
Oh, and LOOK! The Deeds campaign and Benny-wenny even get slammed by the Washington Post (hardly the bastion of conservative thought...) when they actually do the research and get the story RIGHT:
"The flag was not in our booth,'' McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin said. "However, there still is an actual story here. The fact that Creigh Deeds' campaign is actively pushing this falsehood demonstrates their desperation is greater than anyone expected. And it also will cost them a lot of credibility right as the campaign enters the home stretch. Not a good day for them."
"To mispresent a photo for political gain is the worst kind of politics,'' Martin said.
Of course, Benny-wenny whines and refuses to man up about the whole thing:
Not Larry Sabato posted the photo on its blog last night. Ben Tribbett Benny-wenny, who runs the blog, said he received the photo by email but would not reveal from whom. He said he was not himself present at the event and though he believes the photograph shows that the pole of the flag is indeed in the McDonnell booth, that it is troublesome even if
the flag was at the next table.
"If a confederate flag was placed at the exact median point between the McDonnell booth and a confederate booth and the McDonnell campaign was not smart enough to demand that it be taken down or that their booth be moved, that's almost as bad as if the flag were at their booth," he said. "Either way, it shows a real insensitivity to what the
flag means."
Aw, cry me a river. It's an issue of personal responsibility, Benny. PERSONAL responsibility. I am not responsible for your actions, just as you are not responsible for MINE. To try and smear McDonnell (or anyone) through the actions of someone else with whom they had no connection is low-down dirty dealing and reprehensible behavior.
But then, that's what I pretty much expect from you...
('Nother UPDATE) And, yeah, the Deeds campaign tried to promote this-
- until it got smacked down pretty hard by several people... Including the WaPo article cited above:
"It was Joe's [Joe Abbey, Deeds' campaign manager - ed.] personal retweet, not the campaign's,'' said Mo
Elleithee, Deeds spokesman. "Today we're focused on drawing a contrast
between Creigh's vision of moving Virginia forward and Bob McDonnell's
record of hurting southside Virginia and his support of the Bush
economic agenda. If the McDonnell campaign would like to answer for
that, we're all ears."
"Creigh's vision of moving Virginia forward"??? May I direct my readers' attention to the video at the top of this post? Who's actually "moving Virginia forward"? It sure ain't Deeds...
I'd emailed this to several people and groups I thought would enjoy it - and they did! As a matter of fact, several of them liked it so much that they posted it with a tiara tip to me (thank you Fausta, Deb, Greta, and AOW!), so I thought, "Gee, maybe I ought to post it here? D'uh!"
All right. I admit it... It does look good - but I am very glad I steered the Munchkin away from both the pine green (far too dark - there's only one cave in this house, and it's downstairs!) and the really really REALLY fluorescent green that also tempted her. Believe it or not, this is the compromise! (*Psst!* Don't tell her this is H&R Block Green, either! LOL)
And I still have another coat to put on!
The wood from that dresser is going to look very nice against the green, though...
Anyway, I've got some orange microsuede to use for her drape, and currently (I don't know if my motivation will hold) we're planning on adding some circles of orange outlined with Kelly green on these walls...
And once this is done, I've got my eye on the Master bedroom... [collapses in exhaustion]
The problem is, when someone I love and respect offers it (troll-types are normally blasted and dismissed, BTW), I automatically go to "It's my fault, I'm an awful person, I can't do anything right." I never consider that, possibly, *I* might be right in my words or deeds. I never consider that I can push back and argue in my defense. It always goes to "I must be an awful person."
What the heck is in me that I have to beat myself up like that?!
It's a terrible and ungodly response, and I am very, VERY sick of it... But I don't know how to fix it! I honestly don't... And I honestly don't think my self-image is so poor that that's what I think of myself all - or even most - of the time.
I am very used to offering others suggestions, guidance, and alternative ways of doing things (See? I can't even say I'm trying to give constructive criticism) in such careful, don't-want-to-hurt-you-please-hear-what-I-mean diplo-speak, that maybe that kind of delivery is all *I* can hear. Maybe. But it does seem that, no matter how gently offered, criticism from people who matter to me causes me to second-, third-, fourth-, and fifth-guess myself beyond what is reasonable and helpful.
[headdesk]
That's pretty damn pathetic.
Any suggestions? 'Cause I am really, really, REALLY sick of (sorry, Mom) this BULLSHIT in my life. Where the heck does it come from? I come from a loving home - not perfect, but very good, I've had good education, I have wonderful friends, a beautiful family, and a husband who loves me to the utmost... But it's pretty damn sad that even HE has to tiptoe around me so I don't go into a self-flagellating funk.
So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks
be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the
law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (Romans 7:21-25, ESV)
She got all her stuff out yesterday, and I'm prepping to do the trim. I had this "protect the carpet" saran wrap, and I thought it would be good right next to the baseboards. Looks like it will work well in combination with the tarps.
These walls will be a rich serbet green, the wall behind me will be a matching (ha!) orange, and the trim, white.
The Munchkin is mowing at the moment, so, yes - she's pulling her weight! LOL!
(UPDATE: Thanks for catching that other typo, Dave - if you notice the permalink, the title was originally "Gee mt thology library is smaller than I thought..." but I did manage to correct the "mt" LOL)
The angle on this photo is terrible, but the phone's camera catches the color better this way.
The blue MUCH is too "oh, you have a baby boy! {cutesy hearts and flowers and puppies}" than what I really wanted. But, since I had been planning to use the same color in the master bed room, it's a good thing I found out now! I'll take this paint chip in when I get the paint for the MBR to make sure I don't make the same mistake.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have ten shelves of books to re-fill!
Yep, the painting in the library is done, and the shelves have been reinstalled. So, it's time to undo the "destruction" I did last week! Aaarrggh [headdesk]
I just heard this again on KLOVE, and was reminded of how much I love this song. PC&D sings it beautifully, and it really does lift up my heart and spirit and remind me of the glory of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. You can download the song from Amazon, as well as the full album, titled Fearless. [Well, at the moment, the album is available for pre-order; the release date is Tuesday, August 4, 2009.]
The words are taken from this beautiful scene of the God's majesty in Revelation 4 (there are other scenes in Revelation which are incorporated, of course):
And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,
"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
"Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created."
Here's a video showing PC&D talking about the song:
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain Holy, Holy, is He Sing a new song, to Him who sits on Heaven's Mercy Seat [Repeat 2x]
(Chorus) Holy, Holy, Holy Is the Lord God Almighty Who was, and is, and is to come With all creation I sing: Praise to the King of Kings! You are my everything, And I will adore You…!
Clothed in rainbows, of living color Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder Blessing and honor, strength and Glory and power be To You the Only Wise King
(Chorus)
Filled with wonder, Awestruck wonder At the mention of Your Name Jesus, Your Name is Power Breath, and Living Water Such a marvelous mystery
(Chorus x2) (Repeat a cappella)
Come up lift up His Name To the King of Kings… We will adore YOU Lord… King of heaven and earth King Jesus, King Jesus Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! Majesty, awestruck Honor And Power and Strength and Dominion To You Lord, To the King, to King To the King of Glory
Mmmmmm. Sitting in the living room, looking out at our little slice of the world, giving kittiskritchies to one of my purrs, sipping my morning mocha, and devouring a cantelope from our garden...
That's awesome!
Thank You, Father, for all Your kind and abundant blessings!
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