An Interesting Poem

A poem, not surprisingly left out of the anthologies of her poetry)

You may rejoice to think yourselves secure;
You may be grateful for the gift divine -
That grace unsought, which made your black hearts pure,
And fits your earth-born souls in Heaven to shine.
But, is it sweet to look around, and view
Thousands excluded from that happiness
Which they deserve at least as much as you -
Their faults not greater, nor their virtues less?
And, wherefore should you love your God the more,
Because to you alone His smiles are given;
Because He chose to pass the many o'er,
And only bring the favoured few to Heaven?
And, wherefore should your hearts more grateful prove,
Because for ALL the Saviour did not die?
Is yours the God of justice and of love?
And are your bosoms warm with charity?
Say, does your heart expand to all mankind?
And, would you ever to your neighbour do -
The weak, the strong, the enlightened, and the blind -
As you would have your neighbour do to you?
And, when you, looking on your fellow-men,
Behold them doomed to endless misery,
How can you talk of joy and rapture then?-
May God withhold such cruel joy from me!
That none deserve eternal bliss I know;
Unmerited the grace in mercy given;
But none shall sink to everlasting woe,
That have not well deserved the wrath of Heaven.
- - -
And oh! there lives within my heart
A hope, long nursed by me;
(And should its cheering ray depart,
How dark my soul would be!)
That as in Adam all have died,
In Christ shall all men live;
And ever round His throne abide,
Eternal praise to give.
That even the wicked shall at last
Be fitted for the skies;
And when their dreadful doom is past,
To life and light arise.
I ask not how remote the day,
Nor what the sinners' woe,
Before their dross is purged away;
Enough for me, to know
That when the cup of wrath is drained,
The metal purified,
They'll cling to what they once disdained,
And live by Him that died.

/Hat Tip to Chezandlilly for finding this.

On Jews, Israel and Anti-Semites

If one is a believing Jew, it is impossible to BE such a Jew without believing in God's promise of Israel. Among the greatest acts a believing Jew can perform is known as Aliyah -- or "being called" which in the sense of Israel means to be called home.

That's Judaism, as it was believed and practiced since the Romans more or less kicked them out about 2,000 years ago. All the time Jews settled in Europe, Africa, Asia and later, the Americas -- every Jew knew that tomorrow we shall be in Israel -- that someday God would return them.

Now, some Jews only believed that this could happen under the messiah, but scholars agreed overall that God would work the Return in His own way and time.

Enter Zionism -- a largely SECULAR movement, more or less a socialist movement, to create a nation for the Jews, but Jews as an ethnic group, not necessarily religion. Either way, they went to rabbinical, Jewish religious tradition -- to decide what made a"Jew a Jew," and decided it was -- if one's birth mother was a Jew, or you were a lawful convert -- you were a Jew.

Even if your religion is Buddhist, or a Jew-Bu, as they(we) like to call ourselves, you can be admitted to Israel as a citizen -- as long as momma was Jewish. All except what I am -- a messianic Jew. Ironic, to be sure, but they don't like us Jews for Jesus much.

Now, many of us, myself included, a Jew who is not believer in Judaism, might find this whole viewpoint crazy, but different religions have different declarative statements.

To Christians (the vast majority) Christ died and rose. Crazy idea but it's what we believe.

Jews, depending upon the tradition, may or may not have certain dietary laws, keeping Kosher.

There is also have that ethnic component, a child of Jewish woman is a Jew.

Also, there is a land deal with God. This is obviously controversial to people who don't believe in this God, or people who don't believe the deal is valid for whatever reason.

Now, it certainly is possible to be anti-Zionist and NOT anti-Semitic, but it's VERY difficult. You technically are not anti Jew, but you ARE anti-Judaism. Tough stuff. A very narrow line indeed.

These are difficult issues and don't lend themselves well to snaps and one liners. That being said, just as a great deal of the people who are big in the anti-illegal immigration movement are in fact bigots, a great number of anti-Zionists are anti-Semites.

As someone who for most of his life has been Jewish, not religious, AND against the State of Israel (I am against all religious states and all religious tests for citizenship), I have pondered these issues. I DO however support the State of Israel as an ally of the United States, just as I support England, while disagreeing with the status of its Church (same with Lutheran/Germany and so on).

That being said I come to my position knowing that one can not separate the Children of Israel from Israel. It is what it is.

Cap and Crap

More evidence that Obama and his congress are perhaps the worst government we have ever had the misfortune to have serve us.

At least the ineffectual republicans made a halfway decent video. No matter what, this terrible piece of legislation will make things worse for some time to come. Idiots.

I Support the people of Iran

I am with you and praying for you in your efforts, in your quest to be free.

Happy Father's Day

Had to find a Star Wars one, of course. On a more serious, and joyful note, I would like to take the time to thank my F(f)athers in Heaven.

My dear dad, I can not express how much I miss you. You are one of the biggest parts of what make me me, and even though we didn't always see eye-to-eye on everything, I miss every debate, every groan, every smirk we made in each other's direction. I eagerly await our reunion. Until then, thank you and Happy Father's Day.

Dear Father in Heaven, El Shaddai, thank you for giving me my other dad, our blessed lives and all the bounty and great things we shared. I'll see you when you lift me up into your arms. Until then, thank you and Happy Father's Day.

To those of you who are fathers out there, may our Father in Heaven bless you and keep you. Thank you for being there for your kids when you can. Thank you for taking the loving responsibility for new life, and new civilization. The future depends on you. Have a great day. Chill and grill.

Knowing God & Common Sense

Been very busy in the real world so I haven't had much time to post here. Pastor Dennis is back as well over at Message in Motion:

A Cartoon

Fan Made Green Lantern Trailer

When they are good, I love these things. This one's cool:

New Moon Trailer

Looks like it'll be a good teenie bopper flick. It'll be crap, but harmless, fun crap with a nice message about love, loyalty and taking a stand for what you know in your heart to be true.

Nothing wrong with that at all.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Cinematic Trailer

All I can say is: impressive.

Video Games - E3 2009 - E3 '09 Live

Cute Actress Plays Wow

That's news in my book :)

Memorial Day

My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who have paid the ultimate price in defense of our freedom.

V - Upfront Trailer

I loved this show in its original incarnation. I hope the new show does it justice.


/hat tip to Average Gay Joe

Universalism vs. Eternal Damnation Debate Part 1

...and another one worth watching...

Is Hell Really in the Bible?

Another good one from tentmaker777 and message in motion.

My Favorite Movie

Watch My Favorite Movie (Star Trek vs. Star Wars) on CollegeHumor

The Lightning Of God

Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film as "Fun, Watchable"

Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'

Make Mine Freedom

Happy Star Wars Day!

May the 4th be with you!




Any excuse is a good excuse to check out some of Adam Hughes fabulous work.

Good News!

Another good little viddie I found at Message in Motion:

Slap Chop Remix

I love this video from Steve Porter:

Your Political Compass

The test is slanted left, but it's fun to take anyway. Predictably, here's how I did:

Barney Frank 2005 -- What Housing Bubble?

More evidence that this mess was ignored by the Democrats who cashed in on it in the fall. Where was the Mainstream Media on this? Where was the supposedly "right wing" Fox News on this?

Bridging the Gap

A very good piece about gays and the church. It is time for the church to have a reformation in this area:

We need to stop worrying about "what is sin?", and start worrying about "where is the love?"

After Almost 100 Days....

This is what I am seeing -- a picture is worth a hundred words.
Certainly no better, possibly a lot worse.

Something I've Always Thought About Pollution and the Environment

I feel the ultimate solution eventually will be resolved by moving most of our industry and manufacturing off planet. This won't happen until most if not all of the socialism on this planet is ended. Socialism is a wealth sucker and a progress destroyer.

People must be free to generate the society of abundance that would have been here long ago had Europe and the US not embraced the failed policies of Plato (Rule by the Philosopher Kings, also known as the People Who Know Better Than You or I). We have to intellectually evolve beyond the notion that, if we get smart people to do it, someone can force us to do the right thing. Not gonna happen. Fails every time.

That doesn't mean we don't need a government and institutions to keep us free. Quite the opposite. We need a government that serves us and protects our rights and property, however, not one that rules us. Only liberal capitalist democracy comes close to fitting that bill. By liberal of course I mean "classical liberal" not modern liberal.

I say we go the way of Corellia, for lack of a better example.

Change I Can Believe In

As you all know, I have some very strong differences with President Obama, mostly in economics. That being said, IF he was the driving force behind the decriminalization of marijuana I would not only vote for him, I would campaign for his second term.


Today NORML launches a campaign to convince people that NOW is the time for CHANGE. Let us HOPE so.

Baptist Pastor Beaten and Tazed By Border Patrol

A charming story:

The Great Global Warming Swindle

An interesting show from Britain:

The First Christians Were Universalists

Another one from Tentmaker777:

We Didn't Start the Flame War

This is the funniest video I have seen in ages (warning: very humorous use of profanity ahead):

Watch We Didnt Start the Flame War on CollegeHumor

CNN Reporter Attacks Protesters

Watch this. This is a REPORTER??? Attacking protesters instead of reporting on an event? Attacking Fox News instead of covering an issue?

Amazing.

Happy Tax Day!

/TEA BAG your congressperson today!

City of Heroes Issue 14: Architect

Issue 14 is undoubtedly one of the most ambitious issues ever released in City of Heroes. It is certainly on par with the release of "Inventions," in Issue 9: Breakthrough and proves that you CAN make sweeping major changes to existing games. "Changing the whole game" need not be a fiasco such as SWG's NGE release; no, it can be something positive that adds to the game experience, brings old customers back, and attracts new ones.

The key is that you add by adding, not taking away. You must add something to the game that doesn't take away from it. Oh, I know, whenever you add something, there are always those that do not enjoy the addition, and there are those who feel they "lost" something because THEY did not get something, but that's not the same thing as pissing off your customer base with unwanted change.

This is pure adding. What will be lost are the lagless nights of an empty server -- people are back and playing in droves. Last night, Freedom server was no longer taking any visitors.

So what is this patch about? It's about telling your own stories, making your own missions, and sharing them with your fellow players. The folks at NCSoft have given players the keys to the kingdom.

Similar but superior to the Star Wars Galaxies' "Storyteller System," players get to choose between long, intricate plots with many rooms, tasks, and bad guys, or quick and dirty get in beat the guy up and get out deals. Missions created by player architects DO provide experience and loot, so there is a reason to try them.

I checked it out last night, took the tutorial, and played through someone else's scenario. It was FUN. Pure fun. I can see how these are very appealing to veterans who have already ran two or three (or more!) characters and have done all the content.

This adds a potentially unlimited amount of new content to a game that sorely needed it. It gives players the power to make the game bigger, better, and more fun.

Wow, what a great patch.

Happy Easter

Brian McLaren: The Secret Message of Jesus

Brian McLaren's Generous Orthodoxy is a wonderful book, and should be read by Christians and non-Christians alike (especially ex-Christians). Here he discusses his new book and shares some very interesting insights:



Once again, /hat tip over to message in motion.

Open-mindedness

A neat little video about critical thinking.

Mr. Jefferson - Mike Church Show Band

Found this over at the Libertarian Republican

MSNBC’s Maddow Compares Obama to George W. Bush

Interesting to note the similarities:

Lazarus and the Rich Man

Part 1 of 4

Part 2 of 4

Part 3 of 4

Part 4 of 4

Where The Wild Things Are Trailer

This may have been my favorite book when I was a little kid. No idea how the movie's gonna be, but the trailer's pretty cool:

Daniel Hannan MEP: The devalued Prime Minister of a devalued Government

Lest we get mired in stale, bitter parochialism, let us not forget that this recession is world wide, and we are not alone in the art of attack politics. Pity our guys don't do is as beautifully as this fellow.

Arcattack: Faraday Fun - Imperial March

This dude tests his new Faraday Suit to the tune of the Imperial March. Pretty cool stuff:

"The power you give me I will lay down when this crisis has abated."

Let's just say I never like the see further power accrue to the government, let alone what we are seeing here. Things are happening at an unprecedented rate. This is not good.

U.S. Seeks Expanded Power to Seize Firms
Goal Is to Limit Risk to Broader Economy

By Binyamin Appelbaum and David Cho
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, March 24, 2009; A01

The Obama administration is considering asking Congress to give the Treasury secretary unprecedented powers to initiate the seizure of non-bank financial companies, such as large insurers, investment firms and hedge funds, whose collapse would damage the broader economy, according to an administration document.

The government at present has the authority to seize only banks.

Giving the Treasury secretary authority over a broader range of companies would mark a significant shift from the existing model of financial regulation, which relies on independent agencies that are shielded from the political process. The Treasury secretary, a member of the president's Cabinet, would exercise the new powers in consultation with the White House, the Federal Reserve and other regulators, according to the document.

The administration plans to send legislation to Capitol Hill this week. Sources cautioned that the details, including the Treasury's role, are still in flux.

Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner is set to argue for the new powers at a hearing today on Capitol Hill about the furor over bonuses paid to executives at American International Group, which the government has propped up with about $180 billion in federal aid. Administration officials have said that the proposed authority would have allowed them to seize AIG last fall and wind down its operations at less cost to taxpayers.

The administration's proposal contains two pieces. First, it would empower a government agency to take on the new role of systemic risk regulator with broad oversight of any and all financial firms whose failure could disrupt the broader economy. The Federal Reserve is widely considered to be the leading candidate for this assignment. But some critics warn that this could conflict with the Fed's other responsibilities, particularly its control over monetary policy.

The government also would assume the authority to seize such firms if they totter toward failure.

Besides seizing a company outright, the document states, the Treasury Secretary could use a range of tools to prevent its collapse, such as guaranteeing losses, buying assets or taking a partial ownership stake. Such authority also would allow the government to break contracts, such as the agreements to pay $165 million in bonuses to employees of AIG's most troubled unit.

The Treasury secretary could act only after consulting with the president and getting a recommendation from two-thirds of the Federal Reserve Board, according to the plan.

Geithner plans to lay out the administration's broader strategy for overhauling financial regulation at another hearing on Thursday.

The authority to seize non-bank financial firms has emerged as a priority for the administration after the failure of investment house Lehman Brothers, which was not a traditional bank, and the troubled rescue of AIG.

"We're very late in doing this, but we've got to move quickly to try and do this because, again, it's a necessary thing for any government to have a broader range of tools for dealing with these kinds of things, so you can protect the economy from the kind of risks posed by institutions that get to the point where they're systemic," Geithner said last night at a forum held by the Wall Street Journal.

The powers would parallel the government's existing authority over banks, which are exercised by banking regulatory agencies in conjunction with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Geithner has cited that structure as the model for the government's plans.

This is the kinda stuff that really bothers me. It should bother all of us.

Why South Carolina Doesn't Want "Stimulus"

An interesting article by the Republican Governor of South Carolina:

Why South Carolina Doesn't Want 'Stimulus'

By MARK SANFORD

Columbia, S.C.

America's states are laboratories of democracy. They are both affected by, and relevant to, the larger national debate. What we've found in our own corner of the country is that carrying a substantial debt load limits our options when it comes to running government.

A recent report by the American Legislative Exchange Council ranked us 47th worst in the nation for annual debt service as a percentage of tax revenue. Our state dedicates nearly 11% of its annual tax revenue to paying debt. On top of that, South Carolina has another $20 billion in unfunded, long-term political promises for pensions and other liabilities. The state budget has already been cut four times in recent months as the national economic downturn has impacted South Carolina and driven down tax revenue.

President Barack Obama recently signed a "stimulus" bill that will spend about $2 billion through "programmatic means" in South Carolina. In other words, the federal government will put this money directly into existing funding formulas and programs such as Medicaid. But there is an additional $700 million that I as governor have influence over, and it is the disposition of this money that has drawn the national spotlight to South Carolina.

Here's the background: Before the stimulus bill passed, I asked for states not to be bailed out. After it was signed into law, I said that a state bailout would create more problems than it solved, and that we shouldn't spend money we don't have. That debate was lost, so I looked for a reasonable middle ground. I asked the president for his support in using the $700 million to pay down state debt.

If we're going to spend money we don't have at the federal level, it becomes all the more important that our state balance sheet is in good order -- particularly if this is a protracted downturn. But many people do not realize that the stimulus money runs out in 24 months -- at which point South Carolina will be forced to find a new source of funding to sustain the new level of spending, or to make sharp cuts. Sure, I could kick the can down the road; in two years, I'll be safely out of office. But it would be irresponsible.

If South Carolina could use stimulus money to pay down debt, in two years we will be able to spend, cut taxes or invest even if the federal government can no longer provide more money -- not a remote possibility. In fact, paying debt related to education would free up over $162 million in debt service in the first two years and save roughly $125 million in interest payments over the next 13 years -- just as paying off a family's mortgage early frees up money for other uses.

When you're in a hole, the first order of business is stop digging. South Carolina is in a hole, and it's not a shallow one. Spending stimulus money on ongoing programs would mean 10% of our entire state budget would be paid for with one-time federal funds -- the largest recorded level in state history.

Also, spending stimulus money will delay needed state restructuring. General Motors recently found itself in a similar spot. It needs to be restructured if it is to prosper, but a federal bailout enabled it to put off hard decisions. Likewise, taking federal stimulus money will only postpone changes essential to South Carolina's prosperity. Though well-intended, it forestalls hard choices we must make.

One of Mr. Obama's central campaign themes was his pledge to do away with politics of the past. In his inaugural address, he proclaimed "an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics."

This idea connected with millions of voters, myself included. I've always believed ideas should rise and fall on their merits. In fact, I saw such historical significance in his candidacy and the change he spoke of that I published an op-ed on it before South Carolina's presidential primary last year. It was not an endorsement, but it did note the historic nature of his candidacy and the potential positive change in tone it represented. That potential may now be disappearing.

Last week I reached out to the president, asking for a federal waiver from restrictions on stimulus money. I got a most unusual response. Before I even received an acknowledgment of the request from the White House, I got word that the Democratic National Committee was launching campaign-style TV attack-ads against me for making it.

Is this the new brand of politics we were promised? Instead of engaging with me and other governors on the merits of our dissent, I am to be attacked in television ads? In the end, I just don't believe a problem created by too much debt will be solved by piling on more debt. This doesn't strike me as an unreasonable or extremist position.

Nevertheless, the White House declined my request for a waiver yesterday afternoon. That's unfortunate. But in coming months we'll continue advancing the debate at the state level about the merits of debt repayment. The fact remains that while we'd all like to spend unlimited dollars on the very real needs that exist in our state, we must spend in the context of what is sustainable.

It is a good thing, more and more people, and states, are realizing that the current growth in government through this stimulus bill is a threat to our federalist system of government.

Why Preach the Gospel?

Bright Blessings this Sunday!

We The People Stimulus Package

Obviously I don't agree with all of this, but I thought it was well done and the guy makes quite a few great points.

Powerful Ad

Evidently banned in Australia.

Props to Obama

For ending Justice Department raids on medical marijuana distributors:

Obama Administration to Stop Raids on Medical Marijuana Dispensers

By DAVID JOHNSTON and NEIL A. LEWIS
Published: March 18, 2009

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Wednesday outlined a shift in the enforcement of federal drug laws, saying the administration would effectively end the Bush administration’s frequent raids on distributors of medical marijuana.

Well it's about time someone did this. I have many disagreements with our president, but in this I can only cheer. Props to you, Mr. President.

Now, it isn't perfect:

Speaking with reporters, Mr. Holder provided few specifics but said the Justice Department’s enforcement policy would now be restricted to traffickers who falsely masqueraded as medical dispensaries and “use medical marijuana laws as a shield.”

Now that's a door wide enough so they can call anything anything, but it's a start, and when someone starts doing a good thing, I will cheer it.