CatHouse Chat

Happy Fourth of July wishes

... from ReasonTV via the Puppy Blender...

Wow! Can we do that every year until the morons in D.C. actually learn fiscal responsibility?!

Mike Ramirez: SLAM DUNK!

Click to embiggen, or go over to Mike Ramirez' page and view the political cartoon from 23Jun09:

A devastating - and accurate - critique.

(kittipurrs to Jerry)

Sarah Palin's class and grace emphasize the petty depravity of Letterman

I am so glad that I never watched Letterman! If I had years of this bitter, unfunny drivel cluttering up my brain, I'm sure that I would be a brain-dead liberal, too.

Here is Gov. Palin's gracious and self-effacing response to Letterman's arrogant slander:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Classy, classy lady! It would be an honor to shake her hand. Letterman, of course, would get the disdainful cold shoulder, which is more than a cad like him deserves.

David Letterman: hypocrite, sexist, mysogynist and pervert.

I won't go into detail. Many other people have provided plenty of coverage about the twisted, vicious "humor" of this despicable cretin.

I think that Gov. Sarah Palin says it best:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin took a second swipe at David Letterman on Wednesday, calling the CBS “Late Show” host’s jokes about one of her daughters “disgusting” and “sexually perverted.”

In an e-mailed statement, the Republican governor said: “Laughter incited by sexually perverted comments made by a 62-year-old male celebrity aimed at a 14-year-old girl is not only disgusting, but it reminds us some Hollywood/N.Y. entertainers have a long way to go in understanding what the rest of America understands— that acceptance of inappropriate sexual comments about an underage girl, who could be anyone's daughter, contributes to the atrociously high rate of sexual exploitation of minors by older men who use and abuse others.”

Will Letterman be censured? Nope. Certainly not by the feel-good protest warriors of leftist "feminists" or "child advocates."

He'll get a pass because he's one of their own, and one day in the future if a conservative makes a mild crack about the teenage hijinx Obama's teenage daughters might have gotten into, the whole sanctimonious and hypocritical left will have a mass case of the vapors.

Dear LORD, sometimes I hate - completely despise - what occasionally passes for humor and political discourse in this country...

Clarence Thomas: an example of quiet dignity and gracious character

See, this is how true conservatives act. They don't need an entourage, they don't need to parade themselves, and they are not so puffed up with themselves that they walk around with a "Do you know who I am?" attitude.

From FoxNation, an article at NBC Washington:

High school seniors Terrence Stephens and Jason Ankrah, star football players at Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Md., were sitting on a plane returning from a recruitment session at the University of Nebraska when they struck up a conversation with the man sitting next to them.

Their seat-mate just happened to be a major Cornhuskers fan.

When they started chatting, Stephens and Ankrah didn't have a clue they were holding court with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

"I was amazed this guy knew so much about us as football players and as people," said Stephens. "That was shocking. I felt honored to be known by someone of his caliber. He was just a regular old guy, sitting in coach, which really shocked me."

And they were so impressed by Justice Thomas that they asked him to be the keynote speaker at their graduation - and he accepted.

"Just a regular old guy, sitting in coach."

Compare that to the whiny drama of Pelosi. Or the arrogant narcissism of President Obama.

A man of great power and influence chatting amiably with two unknown young men. A man of immense intellect and wide experience in humble conversation, focusing on others rather than himself.

Clarence Thomas. A man of dignity, grace, and character. A man!

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

-- Kipling, "If"

Good stuff for a Thursday read

I've been neglecting CHC for a couple of days (although I have gotten a lot done around the house!), so I thought I'd put up a few links that have caught my interest...

Mike Reagan sums up my position on the murder of Tiller

Like others in the pro-life community, I found Tiller’s profession abhorrent and believed it appropriate to protest and criticize his actions. I am deeply ashamed that we live in a society that has legalized the destruction of innocent human life.

Yet no matter how fervent my objections to Tiller’s actions, my very pro-life beliefs spur me to denounce his killer, as well.

Indeed, I mourn for Tiller and his grieving family. As Dr.Martin Luther King reminded us, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

Teh One appears to have feet of clay - at least for some gay activists

Gay rights campaigners, most of them Democrats who supported Obama in November, have begun to voice their public frustration with Obama’s inaction, small jokes at their community’s expense and deafening silence on what they see as the signal civil rights issue of this era.

His most important campaign promises repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and the military ban on openly gay and lesbian service-members have not been fulfilled.

And the news, which emerged quietly earlier this year, that he’d supported same-sex marriage back in 1996, then changed his mind, especially rankles. As mainstream Democratic politicians such as Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) move to support same-sex marriage, gay rights advocates say that the barrier-breaking president looks increasingly odd for opposing what they see as full equality.

Tiananmen Square, twenty years later... I hope and pray that "Tank" Man is alive and well, and maybe that this generation of Chinese can continue the fight for freedom...

Tank Man — his identity has never been determined — shot to worldwide fame that day for stopping those tanks, hours after they had brutally crushed student-led protests on Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Hundreds — possibly thousands — died in the early-hours protest on June 4, 1989, an event that still remains a forbidden topic in Communist-governed China.

Pictures of Tank Man's courageous efforts and other information about the crackdown are still officially censored in China. But now, 20 years on, modern technology and the wide reach of social networking sites like Facebook are providing curious students with the information they were previously denied.

Is it really OK for Iran to have nuclear missiles, while at the same time the US CAN'T have nuclear power? Gotta love the hypocrisy....

Iran says it's developing nuclear power to generate electricity while it waits for the 12th Imam and the apocalypse to arrive. To hasten the process, however, it is using its nuclear knowledge to amass fissile material necessary to build a bomb. It's developing missiles to deliver that bomb, presumably somewhere in the heart of downtown Tel Aviv.

Our new administration is trying to talk them out of it, and the Iranians are quite willing to drag out the conversation as long as it takes to develop their nuclear weapon and the means to deliver it.

Some people positively parade their ignorance - "Baptism = Waterboarding"

An ancient Christian religious ritual is apparently comparable to a controversial interrogation technique, according to Joy Behar of ABC’s “The View.” On June 3, the hosts of “The View” were discussing the new reality show, “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here,” where pampered “celebrities” are placed in a jungle in Costa Rica. “Hills” reality television star Spencer Pratt was baptized on the show and “The View” featured a clip from his baptism in a river.

Behar, of course, had to add in her usual quip. “Isn’t it like water boarding- when they dump your head under there like that?” Fellow host Elisabeth Hasselbeck quickly replied with, “no.”

Did President Obama get dissed? *snicker*

Oh, and this is SOOOOO cool: Dawn of the Personal Computer. The Commodore Pet and the C64 bring back so many fond memories!

Cause LOLcats are just teh best!

(see more Lolcats and funny pictures)

Upcoming stuff that looks really cool: Google Wave (in the works) and Google Squared (live beta). And, since we're linking TechCrunch, I must say that their new CrunchPad looks very "DO WANT"-worthy!

As for me, yesterday was busy. I took out the trash - and this is pretty much normal procedure when living in the country and the nearest trash collection is three miles away (no, we don't have a garbage service out this far!) (oh, and click to embiggen!)

And I got my first produce out of my garden! Well, I have been getting strawberries already, but these lovely - and spicy! - radishes were from seed:

 

And, I've got a couple pictures of my brilliant and adorable daughter that I dug up the other day. Here she is at about two years old (is she the cutest, or what??)

And here she is, Ms I-So-Cool Kid, at about 9 years old...

 

My beautiful baby - who's growing up... *sigh*

Oh! And I've got a picture of a turtle I took the other day. He was crossing our driveway, and it's a good thing I was going slowly (for me), or I would have run right over him!

Finally, our pool has been open for a good three weeks already. This summer looks like it will be wonderful; not too dry and not too hot. So, that's all I have for now, and I really need to get caught up in my Bible reading [swats self]!

A "pivot"... That's the new word for "broke a promise," right?

How about as an alternate for "has no moral foundation, much less any principles"?

Brian Kirwin at Bearing Drift alerted me to the newest bit of idiocy from President Obama (and you do not KNOW how much more difficult it is getting to NOT use some of the disrespectful and rude nicknames I have for Obama....)

President Obama, in a pivot from a campaign promise, told Democratic senators Tuesday that he is willing to consider taxing employer-sponsored health benefits to help pay for a broad expansion of coverage.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., said Obama expressed a willingness to consider changing the existing tax exclusion. The decision probably would anger liberal supporters such as labor unions, but such a tax change would raise enormous sums of money as Congress and the White House struggle to find the estimated $1.2 trillion needed to pay for an overhaul of health care over the next decade.

Yeah, that's the completely unbiased and totally non-partisan Seattle Slimes oops Times.

A "pivot."

You know, if the tone-deaf and too-comfortable-on-their-asses... persons... in Washington DC would actually STOP SPENDING MONEY WE DON'T HAVE... Ah, no... why bother? The sheeple want their free money, and so the government will write more and more bad checks while trying to extort more "revenue" out of the pockets of those of us who actually work and produce goods and services...

Socialism looms close on the horizon, and the destruction of this wonderful country cannot be far behind.

I will give the Seattle Times some props, though - here's the last sentence in their article:

Nevertheless, the issue represents treacherous politics for Obama, given his attacks on Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who advocated a similar approach during the campaign. [emph. mine]

"The End of Christian America"? Pastor Mark Driscoll responds to Newsweek

Newsweek magazine had an article out in it's May 4th edition, "The End of Christian America." Author Jon Meacham writes:

According to the American Religious Identification Survey that got Mohler's attention, the percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 percentage points since 1990, from 86 to 76 percent. The Jewish population is 1.2 percent; the Muslim, 0.6 percent. A separate Pew Forum poll echoed the ARIS finding, reporting that the percentage of people who say they are unaffiliated with any particular faith has doubled in recent years, to 16 percent; in terms of voting, this group grew from 5 percent in 1988 to 12 percent in 2008—roughly the same percentage of the electorate as African-Americans. (Seventy-five percent of unaffiliated voters chose Barack Obama, a Christian.) Meanwhile, the number of people willing to describe themselves as atheist or agnostic has increased about fourfold from 1990 to 2009, from 1 million to about 3.6 million. (That is about double the number of, say, Episcopalians in the United States.) [...]

Let's be clear: while the percentage of Christians may be shrinking, rumors of the death of Christianity are greatly exaggerated. Being less Christian does not necessarily mean that America is post-Christian. A third of Americans say they are born again; this figure, along with the decline of politically moderate-to liberal mainline Protestants, led the ARIS authors to note that "these trends … suggest a movement towards more conservative beliefs and particularly to a more 'evangelical' outlook among Christians." With rising numbers of Hispanic immigrants bolstering the Roman Catholic Church in America, and given the popularity of Pentecostalism, a rapidly growing Christian milieu in the United States and globally, there is no doubt that the nation remains vibrantly religious—far more so, for instance, than Europe.

(Very interesting article, I suggest you read the whole thing)

Pastor Mark Driscoll, founder and teaching pastor at Mars Hill Church, responds today at FoxNews:

As an evangelical pastor with one of America’s fastest-growing churches in one of its least churched cities, I do not find the report surprising or discouraging. Newsweek missed the subtle — but vital — difference between Christian America and Christendom America.

Christian America is comprised of those people who have had a truly transforming experience with Jesus Christ and are living new lives as practicing Christians. Experts such as sociologist Bradford Wilcox at the University of Virginia have well documented the fact that those who practice Christian faith by reading their Bibles regularly, attending church, praying, and so forth are far less likely to engage in acts such as adultery, divorce, substance abuse, and the like.

Christendom America is comprised of those people who have not had a truly transforming experience with Jesus Christ and are living lives virtually indistinguishable from those who are non-Christians. The confusion is that it was common in Christendom for people who did not practice Christianity to profess Christianity. This was often done for social reasons, such as living in a culture that expected church affiliation, being born into a religious tradition and assuming it was simply part of one’s identity (like a cultural or racial connection), or personally, socially, and vocationally benefiting from being connected, even loosely, to a church or denomination. Researchers such as George Barna have documented the fact that, as Jesus himself said, not everyone who says he or she is a Christian is in fact one.

Subsequently, the Newsweek report simply confirms the fact that, just as Christendom has died in Europe and the major American cities, it is now dying in the suburban and rural areas of America as well. With the social benefits of professing to be a Christian no longer in place and the social stigma of not professing to be a Christian now lifted, those who were part of Christendom America are simply no longer pretending to be part of Christian America.

Since those who professed faith but did not practice faith were confusing to account for, this is actually a good thing. Now, it is more likely that if someone is a Christian or non-Christian, he or she will state so plainly.

Exactly. Just because you live in a garage doesn't make you a car. The lines are becoming more and more clear, and the "nominal" Christians who are not true disciples of Christ are falling away. This is not at all surprising - the Bible speaks of "tares among the wheat" (weeds among the good crop), and that they will be led astray

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

Christianity has flourished when the distinction between those who love God and those who reject Him is clear. Mere numbers don't matter: lives filled with holiness and godly love do.

Glow-bull vormening in action

The Weather Channel website is sending an alert out for record low temperatures for the Roanoke/Danville area tonight.

Global Warming... I see how it works, now...

Why are you arresting a priest for protecting innocent life?!!!

May God have mercy...

Lord God Almighty, I pray Your protection on this priest and all the men and women in peaceful protest against the presence of pro-abortion - pro-infanticide! - President Obama. I pray that Your hand guides them and helps them act in accordance with Your will, and that their witness for Christ brings shame to Your enemies and the forces of death. Father, You brought this country into being and have blessed it beyond measure with protection, resources, strength, prosperity, and freedom - and we have thrown them all in Your face and made gods of ourselves.

Father, have mercy! Lay Your hand upon us, send Your Spirit to bring us life, bless us with a revival and turn our hearts toward You, lest we are brought to nothing for our grave sins and vanish from the earth. Renew this land, O Lord, give us all hearts of flesh and engrave Your commandments upon them. Convict us of our sin and bring us to our knees, so You may forgive our sin and so we may lift up Your name and be a holy nation to Your glory.

Lord... Have mercy!

I predict the newest fashion: Fetish gear

... 'cause Vice President Biden is going to have to walk around with a gag in his mouth...

Carrie Prejean: Strength, class, and grace

The money quote:

“I am excited to continue my duty as Miss California, USA. All I want to be able to do is to tell my story, which no one can take away from me. Not everyone may like me or agree with me…but I hope at the end of the day, everyone can respect my rights, as I respect theirs; and together we can bring back civility in our social and cultural discussions. I am convinced, now more than ever, of the importance for standing up for your beliefs and convictions. For everyone out there listening - do not be silenced. Take this story of mine and apply it to your own life. I hope I’ve inspired others to maintain compassion, civility, respect, and tolerance - while staying true to your convictions…and to never, ever, compromise your beliefs in the pursuit [of your] goals, regardless of the consequences. [emph. mine]

Are you ready to rumble? ABC News "Nightline" - Does Satan Exist?

On Thursday, March 26th, ABC Nightline will air portions of a debate held on Friday, March 20th, at Mars Hill Church. Arguing against the existence of Satan are Deepak Chopra and Bishop Carlton Pearson, and arguing for his existence are Annie Lobert (founder of Hookers for Jesus), and Pastor Mark Driscoll, founder and pastor of Mars Hill Church.

I know of Chopra only in passing, and have never heard of Pearson before. I looked up Annie Lobert when I found out about this debate, and - whoa! - brother, this lady knows whereof she speaks! Pastor Mark, of course, is pretty well known to me through his sermons.

I'm looking forward to this, and will set my DVR to record the program! Of course, I am totally rooting for Miss Annie and Pastor Mark!

For a preview of the program, check this out... and for a video preview, go here.

When the Obamabots come calling...

... you'll know what to do.

Go read. NOW!

The GIVE Act - opens door to slavery AND violates First Amendment! (UPDATED)

The other day, I posted about HR1388, also known as the GIVE Act, and pointed out that it opens the door to "voluntary" MANDATORY service - an oxymoron (emphasis on MORON) if I ever read one.  UPDATE: I've corrected that post; I got my links mixed up, and section 6104, while in the original referred to the House, does NOT appear in the final version sent to the Senate.

Well, now look at Section 125: {UPDATE: The link on http://thomas.loc.gov is not permanent, so you'll have to go here and then click into one of the text-of-bill links to find section 125}

(a) Prohibited Activities- A participant in an approved national service position under this subtitle may not engage in the following activities:

     (1) Attempting to influence legislation.

     (2) Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes.

     (3) Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing.

     (4) Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements.

     (5) Engaging in partisan political activities, or other activities designed to influence the outcome of an election to any public office.

     (6) Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include advocacy for or against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, proposed legislation, or elected officials.

     (7) Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization.

For a refresher, here is the full text of the First Amendment (link has the full Bill of Rights):

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

So, let's break it down a little, shall we:

• Prohibiting the free expression of religion? Check.
• Prohibiting the freedom of speech? Check.
• Prohibiting the right of peaceful assembly? Check and check (both for political AND religious reasons - nice double play there, you anti-constitutional buffoons!)
• Prohibiting the right to petition the government for redress of grievances? Check.

As you can see, the seventh point really burns my gut. And I know, I know, some of you anti-American, anti-freedom, anti-Constitution liberal lunatics out there will say, "Oh, that's just for MANDATORY religious services!" Nope. Sorry. That word applies only to the phrase "providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship," not the rest of that paragraph.

So, programs run by Prison Fellowship and Alcoholics Anonymous, for instance, would be on the list of activities which are likely to be prohibited.

Congress is pushing this law through - not private citizens or private businesses or private organizations. CONGRESS.

So, where are the liberal moonbats and their screams of censorship and suppression?

[crickets chirping]

Yeah, I thought so.

Time to make sure we're stocked up, and to triple polish the guns, folks. We just might be getting into the Second Revolution any day now...

Blessings and cursings...

Through many years and countless trials America has stood fast as a friend of Israel, one of her allies and defenders against a world determined to destroy God's chosen nation.

Yes, I did say God's CHOSEN nation. Believe it or not, America, no matter how richly God has blessed and nurtured her, is not His chosen nation. Never has been. All the way back in the book of Genesis, God promised Abraham:

I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Gen 12:3, ESV)

All the Arab world in particular wants to destroy Israel and they surround that holy land in hostility, envy, and hatred. Unceasing attacks, suicide bombers, slander and libel, and satanic lies. They curse and dishonor Israel every moment of every day, and I have no doubt that they are storing up wrath for the Day of Wrath to come. I am completely assured that God will vindicate His people in His time.

No, my concern is for America if she fails in her friendship to Israel:

An unnamed former highly-placed U.S.intelligence official has broken silence and says that America may soon be abandoning Israel in favor of the Arabs. “This is just the beginning”, he said, "Israel could be about to lose the support of the United States." [...]

In his report, the unnamed intelligence source told Hagmann, “I have every reason to believe, based on what I’ve seen at my level of [security] clearance especially over the last several years, that Israel will soon be completely on their own… or worse.” He explained this would happen “when our administration provides more support to Arab countries [with] financial and military aid, undercutting Israel’s defense efforts all while pushing Israel to succumb to the pressure of unreasonable demands designed to end with their political annihilation as a nation.”

Am I saying that Israel is perfect and can do no wrong? No, of course not! But as one of her closest friends and allies, America has the duty and honor to hold fast to the relationship.We can rebuke Israel in grace and humility when we think she is in the wrong, but we should be utterly loyal to her as she endures and retaliates against the atrocities leveled against her by the Arab world.

There is another aspect to this issue: more and more, America is turning away from and rejecting her Judeo-Christian foundation. More and more, America puts herself in peril by her increasing hostility to Christianity as well:

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (Gal. 3:7-9, ESV)

God's chosen nation is Israel. His chosen people are the true children of Abraham: all who have faith in Him through His Son. By honoring and respecting God's chosen nation and His chosen people, a nation will be richly blessed by the God of the universe, who is all-powerful.

But if you curse and dishonor His nation and His people, will you not reap what you have sown?

Be warned, America. You are treading very close to a line you should not cross.

Are the DemonRATS (and RINOs) going to bring back slavery? (UPDATED)(And UPDATED again)

UPDATE 2.0 - VERY IMPORTANT: OK, I see that I got my links mixed up, for which I apologize. Section 6104 of this bill appears in the version originally introduced to the House, but is NOT included in the final version sent to the Senate. This is a good thing!

Because the G.I.V.E. Act ("Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act") has just passed the House...

Kender alerted me to this post at InfoWars:

Fears about Obama’s plans to create involuntary servitude were first stoked in July 2008, when Obama told a rally in Colorado Springs, “We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that is just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded.”

Despite denials that Obama plans to institute a mandatory program of national service, his original change.gov website stated that Americans would be “required” to complete “50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year”. The text was only later changed to state that Americans would be “encouraged” to undertake such programs.

Section 6104(b)(6) has some very troubling language {UPDATE: The link to the thomas.loc.gov search is not a permalink - you must go here, and then review the full text of the bill. I used the most recent version which was sent to the Senate},/strike>

Whether a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people could be developed, and how such a requirement could be implemented in a manner that would strengthen the social fabric of the Nation and overcome civic challenges by bringing together people from diverse economic, ethnic, and educational backgrounds.

Funny, last I heard, the definitions of the words "volunteer" and "voluntary" did NOT include the word "MANDATORY." In fact, from the definitions, these words are not synonyms, but ANTONYMS.

So all those DemonRATS and RINOs are, effectively, re-opening the door to slavery.

Way to go, you idiots!

UPDATE 2.0 - I see that my Cotillion blog-sis, Nice Deb, is already on it!

Calvinism is back - and that's a very GOOD THING!

Take a look at this Time snippet, which mentions Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle - who is one of my FAVORITE pastors!

And, no, I'm not talking about hyper-Calvinism (that link gives an OK overview, so you at least know where some of the pitfalls are... sorta) where if you're "The Elect" you must be something really special and if you're not, well, "to Hell with you...!"

No... I'm talking about Calvinism that is based upon the Bible's doctrine of election - that we are ALL sinners, that we are ALL worthy of God's judgment, that NONE of us deserve God's mercy and kindness... But that God, in His great love, has acted like the True Father and exercised His sovereign grace and rescued His rebellious children from their headlong rush to death. All through the Bible, God chooses people from the world and calls them to Himself - from Genesis to Revelation, His sovereign choice and the grace He shows is laid out for our study and edification.

Now, it is true that God has not elected all of humanity for salvation, but the "new" Calvinism knows that we, as finite beings, have no way to know who God has chosen to rescue and who He hasn't - and therefore we need to preach the Gospel to all men, and serve all men as Christ came to be a servant to all.

I hope and pray that God will use this resurgence of biblical doctrine to revive His Church and call a multitude of His own to new life and dedicated discipleship!

Will Virginia reassert its Tenth Amendment rights?

Last month, I referred to a post over at And Rightly So which discussed several states which had taken measures to take back their 10th Amendment rights from the Federal Government.  I wondered why Virginia, which is the Mother of Presidents, hadn't gotten on the bandwagon, and several of my Virginia blog-brothers reminded me of the Virginia Resolution of 1798 (actual text here).

So, Virginia has had this on the books, as it were, for a long time.

I didn't blog it then, but last week, the Old Virginia Blog pointed to some information that Del. Christopher Peace is the chief sponsor of HR 61, State Sovereignty. Virginia *IS* pushing back against the Federal Government's infringement of states' rights!

Full text of the bill is here, and I give my whole hearted support to it - and I pray that, once it passes (God willing), the government of this Commonwealth follows through and tells the Feds where to stick it when Uncle Sam (NannyState version) tries to meddle!

Proverbs: truisms, not necessarily precepts

A friend of mine just let me know of this news story about Bristol Palin and her now ex-fiancé:

The teenage daughter of former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her fiancé have broken up just over two months after the birth of the couple's child.

People.com reported Wednesday that sources said the split between Bristol Palin, 18, and Levi Johnston, 19 occurred a few weeks ago, and Johnston confirmed to the Associated Press that he and Bristol mutually decided to end their relationship "a while ago." He did not elaborate.

It reminded me of the Proverb

Train up a child in the way he should go;
   even when he is old he will not depart from it.

... which reminded me of the introduction to Proverbs by Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. I'd highly recommend that you give it a listen:

Very often - and I've been guilty of it myself - a Christian parent will take one of the Proverbs as a promise, and that ain't necessarily so. Proverbs give you general truisms: IF you are a good parent and train your child in honesty and responsibility and good character, then most likely that child will grow up to be a good and responsible citizen. However, we are all human, and we all have a sinful nature, so a child may also decide to reject his training and go his own way.

There are very few guarantees, but there are a lot of probabilities.

Do I think the Palins did a poor job of parenting Bristol? No, not at all. I think they did the best they could as godly parents. But Bristol Palin is still her own person, and she chose to disregard her parents' and her God's commands about sexual abstinence.

Unfortunately, now Bristol and her child are going to have to bear the consequences of that choice. And Levi Johnston will have to bear the burden of his choice, as well.

I'm sad that this is how it's turned out, but perhaps there will be a few young men and women who will see this sad situation and realise that waiting for true committment and marriage to have sex isn't really such a terrible thing.

And, perhaps, God in His grace and mercy will come in and restore this young couple's relationship and bring healing and reconciliation for the praise and glory of his name.

If it be Thy will, Father, I pray You grant that plea!

Evan Sayet at Heritage on 03Mar09: "Hating What's Right: How the Modern Liberal Winds Up on the Wrong Side of Every Issue"

Totally LOVE Evan... He's awesome! His last speech at Heritage was two years ago, and was superb. Now he's back with a speech from last week, again at Heritage:

State of the Union "Foreclosures-burg Address"

Yeah, I'd say that about sums it up.

Ocsar who?

No dog in the fight - haven't been interested in the Oscars for years. After all, Hollyweird loves to hate America, slander our military, and spread lies about conservatives. The majority of Hollyweird also likes to imagine they're quite courageous for "speaking truth to power," when it's the very institutions and people they malign which protects their right to throw their little temper tantrums. Hollyweird also likes to present itself as "tolerant" and "inclusive," but that only holds true if you're a flaming liberal, and not a conservative who is pointing out the inconsistancies and hypocrisy running rampant through Tinseltown.

Most of the movies on the Oscar list slavishly conforms to that ideology, so why should I watch and see these spoiled, vapid pretty-people spit all over my ideals and principles while insisting that *I'M* the intolerant one?

Frankly, I hope their ratings slide into obscurity continues with a vengeance until they have more than two neurons rubbing together and holding their ears apart.

**FEH!**

Virginia - take back your Tenth Amendment rights!

I've really been disgusted by the continual creep of the Federal Government into areas where it has no Constitutional right. It offends me as a citizen and as a conservative who loves our Founding Documents and the founding principles of this country.

This morning, I see that Duncan over at And Rightly So has posted that Texas is finally fed up with this too, and has taken steps to address the issue. Here's the summary of the bill (ARS has the full text):

Affirming that the State of Texas claims sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the U.S. Constitution, serving notice to the federal government to cease and desist certain mandates, and providing that certain federal legislation be prohibited or repealed.

Virginia, you are the "Mother of Presidents"! Many of our distinguished Founders and Presidents have come from the Commonwealth, and served with honor and integrity. Why are we not on the forefront of this movement??

Time for a Chicago Tea Party!

First, go watch this video (wish I could embed it)

CNBC's Rick Santelli and the traders on the floor of the CBOE express outrage over the notion they may have to pay their neighbor's mortgage, particularly if they bought far more house than they could actually afford

And then go vote in the poll.

I am totally onboard with this; my sentiments are accurately expressed by the first commenter I read at the poll's page:

The plan is a discrace! I pay my mortgage and bills on time. I live on a fixed income. I find it tough each month to make ends meet, but do. I did not go out and buy a home I could not afford. No one is helping ME! The Bleeding heart Democrats might as well give the country away. God Bless Rick Santelli!!

Robin Hood taxation: rob the hard working, productive people, and redistribute the wealth (AFTER the government takes its cut, of course) to those who lived beyond their means and were fiscally irresponsible... Whoa, just like the government!

Fer the luvaGod....

Well, here's a qualified "Atta boy!" for President Obama

He opposes the so-called "Fairness Doctrine."

And I'll qualify that with an "I'll believe it when I see him smacking down the DemoRATS who are promoting it."

Obviously, he thinks money grows on trees or something...

President Obama, not satisfied with signing off on the massive and irresponsible porkulus "recovery" bill passed by Congress last Friday, is now pushing for an ADDITIONAL $75 billion to prevent foreclosures:

President Obama, calling the housing meltdown a "crisis unlike we've ever known," rolled out a $75 billion plan Wednesday that his administration hopes will keep as many as 9 million families in their homes.

The announcement in Phoenix comes a day after he signed a $787 billion economic rescue package that combines spending and tax cuts aimed at saving and creating millions of jobs. 

The foreclosure prevention plan is more ambitious than initially expected -- and more expensive. It aims to aid borrowers who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are currently worth, and borrowers who are on the verge of foreclosure. 

Obama said the plan is a critical component in his administration's efforts to pull the nation out of recession.

No, this is a critical component in the DemonRATS' and RINOs' plan to weaken America and turn us all into mewling babies, intent on sucking on the Nanny State's teat all our lives. I never though I'd really see the day that American citizens would put up with this sort of idiocy, but I guess all those years of public school education and media propaganda is finally doing its work.

Welcome to Socialism, America. Lenin, Stalin, and Mao are all rolling in their graves, laughing at how far America has fallen.

UPDATE: This post from Gateway Pundit is particularly ironic:

You know things are out of control when Communist China is lecturing democrats on protectionism and now the former head of the KGB is lecturing US democrats against socialism.

"Out of control"? Well, I think that's putting it... mildly!

Virginia senators Warner and Webb: Anti-religious bigots?

I dunno, what do you think? They both voted against an amendment to the soi-disant "stimulus" bill proposed by Sen. DeMint (R - SC). According to Sen. DeMint's website:

Pages 164-165 of the stimulus contain the following prohibitions on the use of $3.5 billion available for renovation of public or private college and university facilities.

(2) PROHIBITED USES OF FUNDS.—No funds awarded under this section may be used for—
(C) modernization, renovation, or repair of facilities—
(i) used for sectarian instruction, religious worship, or a school or department of divinity; or
(ii) in which a substantial portion of the functions of the facilities are subsumed in a religious mission; or construction of new facilities.

Sen. DeMint proposed striking this language because it was a Congressional infringement of our First Amendment rights and that

“This is a direct attack on students of faith, and I’m outraged Democrats are using an economic stimulus bill to promote discrimination,” said Senator DeMint. “Democrats should be ashamed of themselves for siding with the ACLU over millions of students of faith. These students simply want equal access to public facilities, which is their constitutional right. This hostility toward religion must end. Those who voted to for this discrimination are standing in the schoolhouse door to deny people of faith from entering any campus building renovated by this bill."

Of course Virginia's senators voted against it - they're not interested in the Constitution; they're just like the rest of their DemocRAT(ick) cohorts: freedom of speech and religion are too good for the masses.

Sounds to me like Virginia's bitter, religious gun owners ought to band together and vote these reprobates out of office at the next opportunity. Then again, anything these idiots do to piss of their constituents just makes their tenure in Congress that much shorter... many more stupid moves like these, and Virginians wouldn't spit on Webb and Warner even if they were on fire.

(kittipurrs to Gateway Pundit)

Virginia's new smoking ban...

Well. *sigh* This is a difficult one.

Bearing Drift reports that legislation banning smoking in Virginia restaurants has, effectively, passed.  Speaking personally (and as a former smoker), I'm glad because I really really REALLY hate cigarette smoke, especially in restaurants.

However.

Speaking as a freedom-loving citizen of this Republic, I deplore this additional intrusion of the Nanny State into private business. I think that if such a ban is indeed so important and worthy, it ought to have been brought to vote by the residents of this Commonwealth.

Frankly, even though I'm in the heart of tobacco country, I'm seeing less and less smoking inside of restaurants, anyway; it's my opinion that these business owners were already reacting to the natural pressure from their clientele, and that the ban would have been unnecessary in a few years.

But then the government - pernicious and meddling as ever - just has to stick its nosy, interfering self into the mix...

Introducing the Rangel Rule

IRS Penalties and Interest Eliminated for All U.S. Taxpayers under new “Rangel Rule” Legislation

Works for me - sauce for the goose, and all that...

(Kittipurrs to Gateway Pundit)

President Obama:

It's NOT above your pay grade...

It's not beyond anyone's pay grade!

CHOOSE LIFE!

(kittipurrs to Gribbit)

Abortion = murder

Pure and simple. It really is.

I don't know why, but this topic has come up several times in the past couple days for me - and this morning I see a beautiful post by Gary Graham over at Big Hollywood (love Breitbart!) which sums up the argument beautifully.

It astonishes me that liberals, who are supposedly so interested in and supportive of human rights (well, when it suits their agenda, anyway), refuse to stand up and be counted when the rights of the most vulnerable and innocent of humans are violated.

It baffles me that people will go nuts over the "injustice" of the death penalty and won't firmly oppose abortion. The convicted murderer, at least, has gone through a trial by jury. An aborted child isn't given that courtesy, and that strikes me as a serious travesty of "justice."

Anyway, go read that post by Mr. Graham.

"Close Gitmo! Close Gitmo!"

But don't send the detainees to *MY* back yard!

What's the matter, Nancy? Couldn't the enlightened city of San Francisco treat these people in a "humane" manner? Or are you really counting on all those tourist dollars that no one will be spending because all our citizens are too busy working to pay off the obscene debt you and your cohorts (and, yeah, I included the RINOs) have voted in?

Heart's ease (UPDATED)

[Grrrrr. For some reason, the text of the moblog didn't come thru... Ah, well, this is a better comment anyway]

"Thou awakest us to delight in Thy praise; for Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it rest in Thee." --- St. Augustine, Confessions, Book 1

I've been very busy at work with my new job, so I haven't taken the time to post much (gotta correct that). I've also been rather melancholy over the political situation - as you know, President Obama was far from my first choice to lead America in these perilous times.

However, I read Rick Warren's prayer for the inauguration on Mark Driscoll's blog, and it really reminded me that things haven't actually changed: God is still on His throne, He is still in control, and the Blood of Christ still cleanses us from sin.

I think, perhaps, that this is a good thing for me. I don't want to have a "functional savior" in politics or political leaders. I don't want to cling to anyone or anything other than Jesus, the true Savior and God, for my joy and fulfillment. So, I'm hoping that I'll take this opportunity to learn to grow closer to Him, to follow Him more faithfully, and to learn to seek His approval.

God alone should have my deepest loyalty and devotion. Although men can hurt and maim and enslave and hamper and cripple and kill me, only God has sovereignty over my soul. Only God is worthy of my worship. Only God can bring peace to my restless heart and my anxious mind.

God has made me for Himself, to bring glory to His name and to let His grace and love work through me. It's time to learn to trust Him fully, and to rest in Him.

Dave Barry's Year in Review... and cute kittens

Yep. This is a good way to spend New Year's Day - reading Dave Barry. Some highlights:

• Abroad, Fidel Castro steps down after 49 years as president of Cuba, explaining that he wants to spend more time decomposing. In selecting his successor, the Cuban national assembly, after conducting an exhaustive nationwide search, selects Fidel's brother, Raul, who narrowly edges out Dennis Kucinich.
• In sports, the undefeated New England Patriots lose the Super Bowl to the New York Giants in a stunning upset that confounds the experts, not to mention Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which had $38 billion on the Pats to win.
• In environmental news, Earth Hour is observed on March 29, when cities around the world display their commitment to conserving energy by turning out their lights for one hour. When the lights come back on, Detroit is missing.
• the International Atomic Energy Agency releases a report stating that Iran is actively developing nuclear warheads. In response, Iran issues a statement asserting that (1) it absolutely is not developing nuclear warheads, and (2) these are peaceful warheads. The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia and China convene an emergency meeting, during which they manage, in heated negotiations, to talk France out of surrendering.
• Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac invest $17 billion in an Herbalife franchise.
• Speaking of vegetables, the big scare in June comes from the Food and Drug Administration, which announces that tomatoes are killing people. A wave of fear grips the nation as supermarket shoppers stampede from the produce section, causing several fatal shopping-cart mishaps. At the height of the panic, with the tomato industry reeling, the FDA declares that, oops, the killer might not be tomatoes, but some other vegetable, possibly jalapeño peppers, but nobody knows for sure. Eventually everyone calms down, but not before a bank in Cleveland is held up by a man wielding only a stalk of asparagus.
• Speaking of trouble, the economic news continues to worsen with the discovery that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have sent $87 billion to a Nigerian businessman with a compelling e-mail story.
• Also troubling is the news from Iran, which test-fires some long-range missiles, although Iranian President Whackjob Lunatic insists that Iran intends to use these missiles "for stump removal."

... Oh forget it - just go read the whole thing; it's hilarious!

And now for more hilarity, I present to you... KITTENS AND COKE!!!!!

(Kittipurrs to Bayou Renaissance Man)

Ah, a day is not wasted when you can combine politics, cats, cuteness and laughter...

Chicago: Buy furniture from this store!!!!

(kittipurrs and image credit to Gateway Pundit)

I love it... I TOTALLY LOVE!!!!! IT!

Gentlemen, set your phasers on "mock-to-DEATH"! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Republicans have finally turned into Democrats

... Which is one of the BIGGEST reasons we lost this election, you friggin' morons! Via Ace, Michelle, and Redstate among many others, I hear of "anonymous" staffers from the McCain campaign trashing Gov/ Sarah Palin.

Ace says:

Here's a story these staffers tell: Sent to collect Palin from a hotel, she greeted them, straight from the shower (running late, I guess ) dressed (scandal!) only in a bathrobe (presumably a very thick hotel bathrobe).

These staffers called that "uncommon" -- Cameron delighted in the word to give it the sound of "whorish, unprofessional."

Heh, assholes? She had to open the door and had just gotten out of the shower. Did you want her to use her magical powers of telekinesis to open the door for you?

Michelle:

The anonymous trashing of Sarah Palin by blabbermouth McCain aides who are leaking to Fox News is disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.

Allah’s got the vid clip of a report citing unnamed McCain staffers accusing Palin of lacking, in Carl Cameron’s words, “knowledgeability.”  More slime here. And here.

At least all the Hollywood and Manhattan Palin-haters were willing to sign their names and put their faces on their attacks.

Redstate is launching Operation Leper:

We intend to constantly remind the base about these people, monitor who they are working for, and, when 2012 rolls around, see which candidates hire them. Naturally then, you'll see us go to war against those candidates.

Works for me.

Listen, you deaf, smug, elitist snobs who claim to be Republicans and yet refuse to adhere to the core values of the party, I didn't for FOR John McCain. I voted FOR Sarah Palin and AGAINST Obama. If John McCain hadn't brought Sarah Palin on board as his running mate, I would have voted third party and said "To hell with the Republicans!"

If not for Sarah Palin, the popular vote would have been much MORE in Obama's favor; she is a true maverick, is cheerfully courageous, actually lives the values that make up the Republican Party, and isn't afraid to speak the truth and call her opponent on his gaffes, lies, subterfuges, associations, and experience. She is articulate without the overly-polished (i.e. "how well can I say something without actually saying anything?") rhetorical style of Washington insiders - she is a REAL PERSON who understands what it's like to be an "average citizen."

That's who I voted for, and your slimy, craven, and dishonorable behavior towards her ranks you right with the LameStream Lying Media and the DemonRATS.

We lost this election because you RINOs went to Washington, lived the good life, and forgot your base. Your spines turned to mush, your brains decayed, your hearing faded, and your eyes went blind. And the proof is that now, in defeat, instead of standing firm as the loyal opposition and graciously conceding this victory while remaining true to your (long-abandoned) values, you are rolling over, showing your belly, and peeing all over yourselves in eagerness to show your willingness to bend over and be screwed.

Curs! Cowardly, dishonorable, craven, spineless, frail, dithering, foolhardy IDIOTS!

Congratulate Sen. Obama for his historic accomplishment - and remind America that the race card is now off the table forever. Acknowledge his well-run campaign; 'cause you obviously can learn a lot from it. Acknowledge the Democrats' lawful leadership - but never forget that almost half of the people who voted voted AGAINST socialism, AGAINST big government, AGAINST weakness, and AGAINST corruption.

Your "leadership," RINOs, got us into this. You ignored your base, and now the country will pay the price. You will eventually go down; either to more and more liberal, spineless, weak socialists, or to true conservatives who will lead according to the foundational philosophy of conservatism: small government, fiscal restraint, national strength, personal integrity, individual responsibility, and dedicated perseverance. 

Something tells me I'll be voting third party for real, next time - unless a miracle happens and you incompetents can get your act together and promote real conservative Republicans.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice... Ain't gonna happen, dudes.

UPDATE: Oh, and Misha has a few choice words to offer McCain (but read it all; it *IS* the Emperor, LOL) -

But where is the “Maverick” in all of this? Nowhere to be found. His staffers are spreading lies about his VP pick like crazy, but the “brave” Maverick can’t find it in himself to tell his own employees to shut up already and quit character assassinating his own pick. As a matter of fact, the only person in the McCain camp who stood up for her, one Randy Scheunemann, was first reported to have been fired for “disloyalty” and then, later on, claimed that he hadn’t been. Who knows?

All we know is that our Imperial Mother told us to stand up for ladies when they are attacked, but obviously that’s not something that appears in the McCain family curriculum.

Call us when you find your balls, you clown.

Yeah. I'm disgusted with this - for all the rhetoric McCain spoke about his warrior past, and his honorable, manly service, he can't stand up for the woman who pulled his campaign's nuts out of the fire and saved him from losing like Carter lost to Reagan.

[headdesk] No more, RINOs. Not EVER again!

Whither now?

Oh, man. Oh... [headdesk] What terrible news to wake up to. I figured Obama was probably going to win, God help us, but I did NOT think the country was going to flip so terribly blue. My district's Congressman may have lost in a close race to a puling infant "foreigner"! VA now has two Dem. Senators - the whole damn state flipped BLUE.

It's going to take a few days to settle my stomach.

*sigh*

Some of my friends are talking about the Carter years, which were terrible, but we survived. I pray we can revive conservatism so it makes a huge comeback in the next 2, 4, 6 years, but I am truly fearful that America has willingly stepped over the cliff, and that our slide out of the pages of history is now irrevocable.

God answered my prayers, and He said, "No." He is still good, He is still in control, life will go on - but I fear that He has truly lifted His hand of grace and blessing off of America. Nevertheless, I will praise Him in this storm, and proclaim that His blessings and judgments are still righteous and good.

And that's all I can say for now.

A prayer for today

I know I said that last night's post was my last political post until tomorrow, but I think this one is needed anyway. Besides, it's not really political... exactly.

Father in heaven, You are Lord over the Universe, over our world, over our lives and over our nation. You are sovereign, and You will bring all Your will to pass.

As America goes to the polls to elect new leaders, I ask that You lay Your hand upon us that we may vote with wisdom and discernment. Guide us, I pray, O Lord, that we may select the men and women who most reflect Your character and ways, so that America will walk the path You have ordained. Let us choose whom You would choose so that we may truly be a shining city on a hill, proclaiming Your goodness and strength throughout the world

Father, please protect the election officials at every level. Keep their eyes sharp and their hearts steadfast. Give them strength to be impartial and to uphold the law on every level. Guard the polling places against any type of fraud or disenfranchisement, and make a way for each and every legal voter to get to the polls and vote.

In the end, Father, the results will be as You desire; indeed, You already know who You have chosen. But let us go and vote, and return home in peace, knowing that You are always in control. Whether the results disappoint or elate us, You are still on Your Throne, and Your people are to look to You for our ultimate leadership.

You alone are holy and good and perfect, Father. Your will shall be done, and we shall praise You no matter the outcome. Bring glory and honor to Your name today, Father, and let us rejoice in Your salvation and sovereignty.

Amen.

Condolances to Sen. Obama

... on the death of his grandmother.

My beloved Mémère died 13 years ago, and I miss her still. I am glad the Senator had the opportunity to see her one last time before she passed.

Palin Rally Pictures are UP!

Go on over to my Flickr set. There are 168 photos, total, and I'm working on getting unique captions on each one - I think I'm at about number 40, LOL!

Here are some of my favorites:

I have more, of course, but that's about as far as I've gotten with captioning, so like I said, GO OVER AND LOOK!

Saracuda is IN THE HOUSE!!

Woo-HOO!

Gilmore now up

Crowd is REVVED!

Virgil Goode speaking

Let's work hard to send MCcain-Palin to Washington, and send Sen. Obama back to Illinois!" Crowd ROARs: "Send him home! Send him home!"

Chris Saxman on stage

"I have something to say to Joe the Plumber: I don't want your money!" HUGE response!

People are still coming in by the score!

Things are really filling up! A local band, Cimarron (?), just started their set with "Take It Easy."

Lynchburg Christian Academy Marching Band opens up

Palin scheduled for 6:45p not 5:30p - but WORTH IT!!

Here's where I'm sitting - upin the top left. If you see the TV shots, my little group is above the "U" in USA. Gov Palin will be facing away from us, but perhaps that means I'll be able to get a rear view of Todd Palin (if he's here tonight) for all my Cotillion Ladies ;-) In the meantime, we're all having fun, chatting and giggling away. I've even met several fellow quilters!!

Virginia loves Sarah Palin!!

Getting ready for Gov. Palin's speech here in Salem, VA... About two hours 'til "kickoff."

I dunno... (BUMPED) It's a hoax

UPDATE: Via the lovely, talented - and alert! - Leslie Carbone, Ms Todd has confessed to it being a hoax.

It's a weird thing to say I hope I'm wrong on this issue - if the attack was real as alleged, then there's an Obama supporter out there who's just nuts (gee, surprise). But if Ms Todd is lying, she needs some serious help, and it's going to be a nasty backlash against McCain.

Basically it's a no-win situation.

A lot of people have been weighing in on this (just take a look at Michelle Malkin's post), and many seem very skeptical.

Personally, I have no issues with the backwards "B," but I do wonder about its superficiality and neatness. Believe me, I've cut myself often enough in the kitchen to know that knife wounds aren't so nice unless very carefully done. If this woman was struggling - or if she was immobile in fear and the attacker was in a hurry - there is NO WAY that B would have been so well-formed, and the cuts would have been far more ragged.

I just don't know.

As for her refusal of medical treatment, well, I've been in a couple of situations myself - as well has hearing a story or two from my Beloved - where stress and the high-emotions of the moment haven't led me to make the most rational of decisions. Therefore, I easily see Ms Todd refusing treatment. Heck, who knows?!, she may have a religious reason for refusing medical aid.

Again, I just don't know.

But I am feeling cautious and a more than a bit skeptical.