Monday, July 31, 2006 

Iraqi Insurgents Not to Be Forgotten

(Financial Times) A Pentagon spokesman on Friday confirmed that US troop levels in Iraq rose to 132,000 during the past week – the highest since late May – from 127,000 at the start of the week.

On Thursday, the Pentagon said it would extend for up to 120 days the 3,700-strong deployment of the 172nd Stryker brigade in Iraq, among other rotations. There were 3,169 Iraqis killed in June, compared with 1,778 in January.

Essentially, to make sure that they are kept in the headlines, and to capitalize on the most recent US sentiment, insurgents are making more aggressive attacks in an effort to stir up secular unrest.

However, the insurgent groups are not the only ones:

George W.Bush […] also faces growing difficulties with Iraq’s new government, which is making anti-US noises to shore up its credibility with Iraqis. Mr Maliki is under domestic pressure to demand that trials of US soldiers take place in Iraq. The US says this is not possible.


Makes one wonder how exactly we’ll actually be able to pull out without leaving an all out civil war in our wake. With Israel and Lebanon continuing to escalate, Taiwan potentially working to provoke China, Venezuela and Iran making friends, and of course North Korea, the UN seems even more impotent than ever. Where do you think the answers really are?

Read this POST by fellow blogger TIME for an in depth essay that examines the simularities between today's Iraq, and Churchill's Iraq of 1920. The dates change, but the problems remain the same, and you'll see Churchill asked the same question many Americans ask today.


Thursday, July 27, 2006 

Al-Qaida Confirms the Reality of the Middle East and Israel

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader issued a worldwide call in a new videotape released Thursday for Muslims to rise up in a holy war against Israel and join the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza until Islam reigns from "Spain to Iraq."

In the message broadcast by Al-Jazeera television, Ayman al-Zawahri, second in command to Osama bin Laden, said that al-Qaida now views "all the world as a battlefield open in front of us."

The Egyptian-born physician said that the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and Palestinian militants would not be ended with "cease-fires or agreements."

Now I’ve got to ask everyone out there that is condemning Israel, if Al-Qaida, Hezbollah ("There is no solution to the conflict in this region except with the disappearance of Israel,"), and Hamas ("Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.") all say that there will be no talks and/or ceasefires, that there will be no peace negotiations with Israel… why are you all demonizing Israel for not trying for talks.

Don’t you people get it? The guys they are fighting DON’T WANT TO TALK. They want Israel to stop existing. How do you negotiate with that? How can you ask the people and government of Israel to lay down arms or draw back in the face of that kind of hatred and violent temperament?

I’ve got news for you: If Israel were to stop now, and draw all the way back to the 1967 boarder, it wouldn't be a year before these same groups were again lauching rockets and mortars at them.

They don’t want Israel to stop attacking them. The don’t want Israel to stop occupying their lands. THEY WANT ISRAEL TO STOP EXISTING.

This isn’t just Israeli propaganda. These groups are putting it out there themselves in an open format for all to see. Quit turning a blind eye to the reality of this situation.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006 

On a Lighter Note: Girls Around the World Weep In Sorrow

(AP) NEW YORK - Lance Bass, band member of 'N Sync, says he's gay and in a "very stable" relationship with a reality show star. Bass, who formed 'N Sync with Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick, tells People magazine that he didn't earlier disclose his sexuality because he didn't want to affect the group's popularity.
That’s right ladies, rip those posters off your wall and light a candle, cause this one is batting for the other team. All those teenage fantasies you had can just go “Bye Bye Bye”….

Sorry, couldn’t help myself.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006 

Do Christians Really Have to Support Them?

Often times, Christians are grouped en masse into a category derogatorily called the “Religious Right”. This term comes from the combination of their theological belief structure, and their political ideology. While a belief in God and a GOP card are not mutually exclusive, neither are they mutually inclusive.

There are a great many things that Republican Politicians do that are against the tenets of Christianity. While both political parties share an affinity for pandering to their respective base, the Republican Party has been extremely efficient in gathering Christians under their banner. While Democrats are supporting the removal or at least the limitation of Christian influence in public and governmental arenas, Republicans are supporting those agendas that would include it more broadly in the public/government sector.

Democrat politicians gather flocks of “atheists” and members of other more abstract faiths under their premise of inclusively, and almost exclusivity of Christians. Sure there are some Democratic politicians that affiliate themselves with Christianity, but usually not too closely, and hardly to the point where it would influence their decision making.

Christianity is not just a term used for those that go to church, or believe that Jesus existed. The term “Christian” was first used in the Bible in the book of Acts 11:26: “The disciples were called Christians first at Antiochand means “Belonging to Christ”. The Apostle’s Creed, used in almost every denomination of Christianity as a blue print for what Christianity is. The main ideas behind that are: A belief in God, a belief in Jesus as His Son, a belief in the Holy Spirit, a belief in Jesus' death on the cross as forgiveness of our sin, and a belief that Jesus is risen and now sits by God in wait for our final Judgment.

Now, there are a slew of other beliefs, and it can be much more complicated than that, but this paraphrased version sums up the general idea. Nowhere in that is a political ideology or loyalty expressed. Nowhere in that is a lifestyle or personal preference dictated. Jesus taught a great many things through the Gospels, but never once did Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Elisha, or any other leaders and teachers in the Scripture point to specific political ideology and say “Thou Shalst Vote This Way.” In fact, Jesus even told us to be wary of putting the two on a parallel tract: Matthew 22:21 “…Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s."

That piece of Scripture is probably one of the most overused, and misused things from the Bible. It is not meant to say “pay your taxes”. It is not meant to infer some inherent power of your government. It is meant to separate your spiritual well being and your heart from the legalities and bureaucracies of your government. The GOP does not hold some divine possession over Christianity. They have no special privilege to preside over it, and hold no position of authority in it. In fact NO governmental authority holds precedence inside of the Christian Faith.

I realize at this point that I’m rambling, but bear with me. If Jesus told us that Government and Faith hold no binds to each other (I know the Bible says government was placed by God, so follow its authority, but that is a different tract), and our Founding Fathers placed into American bedrock the separation of Church and State, why suddenly are we so enthralled with the idea of combining the two? Why have we started a modern day crusade to instill modern Christian morals and common values into our legal system to make them binding under penalty of law?

This in its own right is not the biggest problem, but when combined with the seemingly hypocritical activities motivated by the most un-Christian of values, makes this Christian wonder why are you pushing for it, and why should I support it?

The current “Religious Right” is pushing for:

-School Taught Creationism

-Illegal Abortion

-Illegal Gay Marriage

-Illegal Flag Burning

-Illegal Internet Porn

-Illegal TV Porn

-Illegal Gambling

But left out of the agendas are:

-US Poverty

-World Wide Poverty

-World Hunger

-Health Care

-World Health Care

The Book of Mathew says:

“then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.”

It is not talking about the actual Jesus, but all of mankind in Him, because as Jesus said, what we do to the least of man, we do to him (visit “I’m a Christian Too” for in depth discussions on this topic).

While I may agree with some of the ideas behind the traditional “Religious Right” agenda, I do not support the blatant political connections made between Faith based ideals and aspirations, especially when so many others are ignored.

While there are many Christian based organizations that are doing God’s work and fulfilling the mission of those agendas left out of the political right’s agenda; they do not exonerate those political organizations that preach upon a Christian based foundation for political advantage. Pat Roberson, Jerry Falwell, etc preach a sermon of exclusivity and elite membership aimed at gaining, maintaining, and increasing political power, yet has nothing to do with God’s mission.

Christianity has nothing to do with Conservatism, Liberalism, Republican, Democrat, or anything in between. We as Christians must acknowledge that our political philosophy has been prey for this false political principles and manipulative ministries for too long. We as Christians need to reclaim our spiritual movement in this nation and quit allowing it to be used for narrow political agendas that have little to do with Christianity, and more to do with who is king of Capitol Hill.

We as Christians need to quit being fired up about Gay Marriage and start being more fired up about saving lost souls. We need to be less fired about making laws against abortion and start being more fired up about getting a message out of acceptance and understanding to young women and teens that may find themselves in tough circumstances. We as Christians need to quit being so self-assured in our own world of security and acceptance where we readily judge those who do not fit into our framework. If we spent half the money, time, energy, and political capital we put into the “Religious Right’s” agenda on missions and ministries to help the sick, the lame, the poor, the weak, the oppressed, the starving, the hurt, the homeless, the scared, the “undesirables”… this country, and the rest of the world would be much better off.

This coming election cycle, I’ll vote with my heart, as God leads it; not with what some coalition that has self-appointed itself as a Christian authority tells me to. I will no longer listen to politicians that readily accept bribes, incentives, or gifts for political favor to tell me that they are a Christian, and thus I should vote for them. I will no longer support a political party that tries to capitalize off of my Faith to secure their power while never submitting to the tenets of my Faith.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006 

Anti-Religion: 21st Century Racism

My wife was listening to the radio the other day. The afternoon host was doing an open forum call-in for the question of “what is your biggest pet peeve.” There were the expected calls about slow drivers in the fast lane, folks that don’t use their blinkers, people that drink the coffee pot empty but don’t make another pot, etc. However, then one of the callers said that her pet peeve was: “All those church goers! They think they are so high and mighty and can’t do any wrong”

She was stunned, as was I when she told me. Not so much that this woman would say this, but that it would get on the air down here in the heart of Dixie.

But it did prompt some interesting questions for me:

-What exactly are “church goers”? Do they include any/all people that go to church?

-If you go to church, do you get a badge that says you’re now “high and mighty”?

-Does Church give you special powers so you don’t make any mistakes?

But it also broached a more disturbing subject that I’ve increasingly encountered in my time blogging. There is a very determined, very persistent, very vocal group of people that have, in my view, become extremely hostile against religion and more specifically in America, against Christianity.

While all of these people are not “religion haters” or anything quite as vicious, that in itself makes the point even more clear. If supposed “moderate” voice can make comments this discriminatory, what do the even more radical elements of the this movement think?

“If anyone is entitled to a little revenge at this point in history, it would be the atheists taking revenge against all these irrational religious people who are intent on ending this planet.”

-Comment on “Unclaimed Territory

The difference between science and religion is that science looks at the evidence to find an answer. Religion looks at the (so-called) answer first, and then looks for evidence to back it up.”

-Comment on “Martian Anthropologist

Don’t you guys know that logic and religion don’t mix?”

“The inhabitants of the earth are of two sorts: Those with brains, but no religion, And those with religion, but no brains.”

-Comment on “Martian Anthropologist

“Now, I know that Nazi comparisons are too easy to draw when it comes to the R(eligious) R(ight), but this was like a punch to the gut.”

-Guest Post on “Martian Anthropologist

“Part of the answer to that is organized religion preys on the mentally ill, and/or weak, and sick…”

“You are REALLY f[xx]ed up - not to mention a damn liar and a hypocrite!!

F[xx] YOU, JESUS FREAK TERRORIST!!”

-Post on “The Future Is Yesterday

fundamentalists posing as nothing but what they are: hate filled creatures of destruction…”

Post on “The Future Is Yesterday

“I continue to give such an abnormal amount of publicity to just two of millions of Hatred Filled Jesus Freaks”

-Post on “The Future Is Yesterday

“I agree it is a form of child abuse; what is gained by filling their minds with fear and damnation…”

-Post Thread at “Raving Atheist Forums

“You'll notice all opponents of progress are ultra-religious.”

-Comment on “Life’s Journey

Religion is the ultimate incitement leading humans to be selfish. It holds its adherents in a delusional state where reality is contorted leaving them open to the acceptance of being a part of producing pain, suffering and death without remorse. It supplants a normal compassionate conscience with one that is in a state of unease if certain ‘givens’ are not adhered to, no matter what the consequences.”

-Opening Paragraph at “Religion Equals Selfishness

All quotes I’ve listed have been in open forum discussion via either blog, comments to a blog, or forum discussion. None were refuted or condemned by anyone else other than Christians. Justified or not, I take that as agreement and assent by all others who read them.

Now note the similarity of some other quotes:

"White folks was in caves while we was building empires... We taught philosophy and astrology and mathematics before Socrates and them Greek homos ever got around to it."

- Rev. Al Sharpton in a 1994 speech at Kean College, NJ, cited in "Democrats Do the Dumbest Things"

"...I have had such lamentable experiences with negroes that have been put through the form of a higher education (the result being simply to spoil men that would have been more useful in ordinary walks of life) that I am led to watch very critically the work of higher education among the Negroes."

-841. Ogden, Robert Curtis, 1836-1913. Typed Letter, Signed, Dated May 15, 1901. To Rev. William Hayes Ward, D. D., editor of The Independent

I recognized the Jew as the cold-hearted, shameless and calculating director of this revolting vice traffic in the scum of the big city, a cold shudder ran down my back...”

Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf

They have invented a myth that Jews were massacred and place this above God, religions and the prophets.”

-President Ahmadinejad of Iran

While this is not an all encompassing list, admittedly not even that well researched, I put up some that I hope would relate the same idea of innate supremacy over another group, stereotypical ignorance and dismissal of individuals within a larger group, and bias towards specific ideas proven or unproven.

Dictionary.com:

Discrimination:

n 1: unfair treatment of a person or group on the basis of prejudice

Prejudice:

n 1: An adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge or examination of the facts

2: A preconceived preference or idea

3: The act or state of holding unreasonable preconceived judgments or convictions

4: Irrational suspicion or hatred of a particular group, race, or religion.

Has the new fad of anti-religion, and more specifically in America anti-Christian, taken over as the racism of this generation? Our kids are more exposed to racial and cultural tolerance than ever before. The old lines that used to define our society are melting. But a new monster is raising it’s head in the vacuum being created.

At one time statements like those made above by bloggers and commenters would have been condemned by the same types of people that are making them. At one time those people stood against discrimination and unjustified hatred (actually, all hatred in general). Now they voice it and proclaim it to the new enlightenment of society.

All religion has a similar dark past of discrimination, but that doesn’t excuse this vitriol that has manifested itself in our current day society.

Many of these people attempt to stand on the basis that the “Religious Right” has screwed up this country. That they are some how responsible for all things wrong in our current society. This attitude ignores that there are many other influential factors in the development of our society, and harks back to the days of Hitler using the Jews as a scapegoat for all ills of society.

Exactly who is acting the Nazi in this scenario?

Tuesday, July 18, 2006 

And Another Thing Europe

If you want us to start taking you seriously, you've got to quit idolizing this guy. He was cool as Michael Knight... but seriously, is this what you think Americans are?



If the embed doesn't work go HERE.

Kit, come and get this guy before he does something even more retarded.

Oh, and in case you thought this was just some joke he did, check out some of David's Original Material. Good Grief.

Monday, July 17, 2006 

Israel Sets Conditions For End Of Hostilities

(AP) JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday the fighting in Lebanon would end when the two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah guerrillas were freed, rocket attacks on Israel were stopped, and the Lebanese army was deployed along the border.
While most people would agree that these are completely reasonable requirements to be met before Israel ceases its current offensive, the world will balk at this and call Israel the unwarranted aggressor. If the US is wrong for supporting Israel until these conditions are met, then I’m glad we’re wrong. I would support any nation under these circumstances. None of us can imagine the feeling of constant threat of death under the impunity of a rogue organization that has no diplomatic goals, much less infrastructure with which to contend.

 

Israel Invades Lebanon With Ground Forces

(AP) Israeli ground troops have entered southern Lebanon to attack Hezbollah bases on the border, a government spokesman said Monday. Israel's six-day-old offensive against Hezbollah following the capture of two Israeli soldiers earlier had been an aerial campaign.

This may seem minor in relations to the week-long bombing campaign they’ve conducted, but make no mistake, this is a serious development.

The Arab world, the Lebanese people, and now the Syrians are going to have very harsh reactions to Jewish troops invading a sovereign countries soil. I think that this is a line that, once crossed, you can never go back from. Things will not be the same in this region when the dust settles. Whether it be all out war in the region, or if it remains Hezbollah versus Israel, when it’s over, one of the two will no longer exist in its present form. Israel has said as much, and so has Hezbollah.

Friday, July 14, 2006 

Two Weeks, Two Fronts, Winds of War in Mid-East

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Israeli warplanes punished the Lebanese capital on Friday, blasting the airport for a second day, shattering bridges, igniting fuel storage tanks and cutting the main highway to Syria. Hezbollah guerrillas fought back with a fresh barrage of rockets.

Widening their campaign, Israeli warplanes struck overpasses, intersections and residential buildings around Hezbollah's security headquarters in south Beirut on Friday. Wall and balconies crashed onto parked cars, but they missed the headquarters, their apparent target.

Israeli warships, meanwhile, shelled the highway north of the coastal city of Sidon, witnesses said. Israeli planes also hit TV transmission towers in the eastern Bekaa Valley, a Hezbollah stronghold.

Friday morning's violence came hours after Israel dropped leaflets in the area warning residents to avoid areas where Hezbollah operates.

-They seem to be trying to cut off any escape and/or support routes for Hezbollah and Hamas

(HAARETZ.com) On Thursday, Ahmadinejad said an Israeli strike on Syria would be considered an attack on the whole Islamic world that would bring a "fierce response", state television reported.

-Brinksmanship raises its ugly head again

(Ynet News.com) A war Israel must win: If Hamas, Hizbullah win the war they have declared; Zionist project is nearing the end of its days.

This is no competition of false machismo. This is a fateful decision: Even if these two radical Islamic movements gain symbolic propaganda victories – it could free other enemies around the Middle East. The need to win this war is absolute. There can be no debate about it.

-Does the world realize that Israel already sees this as a war?

(AFP) The United States vetoed a UN draft resolution that would have called for an end to Israeli attacks and "disproportionate use of force" in the Gaza Strip as well as for the release of a kidnapped Israeli soldier.

-Is now the time to worry about wording in a Resolution that would only “urge” them to scale down their attacks? I think rather than squabbling over the wording, maybe we should figure out some type of action to take?

JERUSALEM (AP) - Hezbollah guerrillas fired Katyusha rockets at two communities in northern Israel Friday, causing no injuries but raising to 150 the number that had hit the region in the last 48 hours, the Israeli army said.

-The are playing right into the hands of Israel… or is it that they too want a war?

(AP) Egypt launched a diplomatic bid to resolve the crisis, amid apparent frustration among moderate Arab nations that Hezbollah - and by implication its top ally Syria - had started the fight with Israel.

Saudi Arabia, the Arab world's political heavyweight and economic powerhouse, accused Hezbollah guerrillas - without naming them - of "uncalculated adventures" that precipitated the latest Middle East crisis.

-Everyone except Hamas, Hezbollah, and Israel seem to be trying to calm this down. A very telling sign is the fact that some powerful Islamic nations are calling out Hezbollah for igniting this recent round of violence.

This seems to be quickly spinning out of control. Hark the eve of WWI?

Thursday, July 13, 2006 

I Reject Europe

For awhile now (approximately 6 years) we’ve been the butt of most geopolitical jokes in Europe. We’ve dealt with their mockery of our President. We’ve dealt with their condescending attitude towards our foreign policy. We’ve dealt with their self-righteous condemnation of our actions in various regions of the world.

This attitude, for reasons that elude me, has rubbed off on the aristocrats of our society, as well as the proletariat (the industrial working class). I say the wealthy because aside from what is often demonized as the “rich”, there is another class of people that have more than enough money, and too much time. Hollywood and the New England area are full of this new American royalty.

Side Note: The bourgeoisie (which in modern use refers to the wealthy classes in a capitalist society) are somehow classified into a different demographic than their rich counterparts in the aristocracy. This is why the American-royal so often attacks the bourgeoisie, because it shifts the ever present wealth envy from them to “rich”.

We often hear about the current atrocities that United States armed forces are committing. We hear of inhumane treatment at POW camps. We hear about lies told to gain acceptance for devious plots. We hear about the damage we are doing to the world that far outweighs the good. In general, we hear about how bad we are, and how bad what we do is.

Most of this comes from Europe, which in turn is digested by our society, and like the melting pot that we are, eventually becomes part of our own society. The chief perception that forced upon us is the idea that the United States is “Young” nation. That we, like a “young child” are going about our business without the responsibility and/or wisdom of an “adult”.

With this suggestion is the inherent insinuation that the “older” nations of Europe know better, and we’d be wise to listen to them. I REJECT THAT!

The first thing I reject is the notion that our nation (any nation for that matter) can be attributed to a child, an adult, or a person for that matter. Primarily because there is no one person running any one country that has been alive long enough to actually make that comparison. If France’s President was a 350 year old man, then perhaps there’d be something to this, but for the most part, nations are not kids on the playground, they are conglomerations of various diverse people, and usually reflect the general will of those people (in freely elected governments).

Next, I reject the notion that the relatively short history of the United States in any way reflects on their ability to pull experience from history. Our nation was not suddenly born. I was built from the expansion of Europe’s oldest and most powerful empires. It contains probably more diversity and “experience” than any other nation in the world. If looking at the realities of lessons learned, the United States has more combined experience than any other state on the planet.

Lastly, I reject that Europe somehow holds the answers we need. I reject that Europe has any sage advice that the United States needs to listen to. In the time the United States has been around, Europe has caused two global depressions that caused millions to go homeless and hungry for years to come. It has caused and been the stage for two global wars that caused devastation on a scale unprecedented. It was the birth place for Nazi fascists and their death camps for millions of Jews. It was the birth place for Marxist communism that then turned into brutal Stalinism which opened the door for famine, poverty, the gulags, and eventually the global threat of nuclear war with the cold war.

Europe has had more bloody and violent revolutions in it’s past than any other region on earth. It was the center for brutal colonization and oppression in the sake of the “crown’s” empirical ambitions. It was the birth of Christian radicalism and oppression via the Catholic Church, the Church of England, etc. It has had more religious wars and related destruction than any other region on earth. It launched the crusades against Islam which is still the base cause of today’s terrorism threat.

I REJECT EUROPE and all of their self-assumed importance, wisdom, intuition, and ideology. The United States is not perfect. No nation is. We’ve made mistakes, and we will make more. We will have good leaders and bad ones. We will launch one man’s liberation while committing another man’s oppression. We will give aid when needed, and withhold support when we shouldn’t. We will act diligently in our own interests, and dally when we otherwise should act. We will collude with undesirable leaders around the globe, and condemn others.

This is the way of nations. Europe is not different, no better, and no worse. But I will no longer sit by and listen to my fellow American’s regurgitate the false impression that we are any worse than other nations out there. I love my country, and I’m proud of her. I am thankful that we are blessed with the ability and opportunity to have such an impact in the world. I pray that our elected leaders make wise choices, but understand they will make mistakes, and I forgive them for that knowing that the weight they carry must be an awesome burden.

God Bless America.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006 

Sorry For Lack of Posts and Lame Ones At That

I’ve actually been rather busy at work, and I’ve been using my energies commenting on other blogs.

I’ve been wrapped up in theological debates at Life’s Journey where the debate about God’s existence, and then His place in the world has become hot topic.

I think I’ve spared ok, took some punches, gave out some punches, but the fights almost over, and to no one’s surprise, things look like a draw (no one’s changing their minds).

However, I also spent some time at The Future Was Yesterday defending the comments I made over at Life’s Journey. The author at Future was apparently so disgruntled with my debate at Journey, that he felt it necessary to write an entire piece dissecting my comment on the other blog. So, once again, old slugger was called into bat. I’ve not been back since my original reply, so I’m not sure of the score card. I’d be willing to bet that my referees have it as a win in my column, and his home town umps are scoring it a win for him.

Either way, just wanted to let you know where I’ve been. But I also wanted to let you know I will get back to work here, bringing you some more banter about American politics and other things interesting (deemed so by me) for good mind chewing.

Monday, July 10, 2006 

Danger of Falling Ice Balls on Your Head!

(The Star)
The giant ice ball that fell from the Douglasdale sky has put the suburb on the meteorological map.

Research conducted by a Nasa- affiliated scientist suggests that the frozen object that plummeted from the clear sky last Friday morning was one of the first "megacryometeors" to be recorded in Africa.

And Professor Jesus Martinez-Frias, head of the Planetary Geology Laboratory at the Centro de Astrobiología in Madrid, has warned that the microwave oven-sized ice object could be a portent of "serious environmental problems".

Frias is an authority in the megacryometeor phenomenon, having written a number of research papers on possible reasons for its development. According to his research, falling ice balls have been recorded since the 19th century.

And, six years ago, a plague of falling ice balls caused extensive damage to cars and an industrial storage facility in the Iberian Peninsula.

Fortunately, Africa's first recorded ice ball was far less destructive, melting almost immediately after it shattered on its pavement landing area.

Uh, guys, it's not Global Warming or anything else quite that "dangerous"... it's just a frozen chunk of poo!

Just ask Joe Dirt:

Friday, July 07, 2006 

Global Warming Myths (Again)

A fellow blogger that I often visit posted a recent essay (long post of commentary) on Global Warming. He is of the same opinion that I am on the subject: It is a bunch of junk science used to raise funds from scare tactics.

I have don’t nothing more than copy and paste his post here as I think it is a very well reasoned and well thought-out argument against the impression that some activist try to push out. With no further ado, from Mustang at Social Sense:

Does global warming represent a threat to mankind?

Many argue that the increase in the earth’s temperature due to the production of carbon dioxide gas will severely affect man’s survival on the planet through massive crop failures, desertification, new diseases, melting icecaps, and an increase in the production of deadly weather phenomena.

Does science support such contentions?

Since vegetation thrives on carbon dioxide, wouldn’t an increase in those levels amplify crop production? Isn’t it also true that the world’s largest desert has decreased in size by up to six-thousand kilometers? It is also a fact that there have been no significant changes in weather patterns — none — in the past 100 years.

What evidence can anyone produce in support of the claim that our planet is losing as many as a million species due to extinction? The problem is, since no one knows how many species of life there are on the planet, it is impossible for anyone to predict some number being in danger of destruction.

Are the icecaps melting? Are our glaciers disappearing? There are more than 160,000 glaciers in the world today. We do not know for a fact that “glaciers” are disappearing. Some may be receding, but others may be expanding. If the icecaps are melting, why aren’t the ocean’s islands under water? The fact is that the oceans are rising – about 5/16th of an inch in the past one-hundred years. For my part, this kind of data doesn’t make me want to throw myself off a cliff.

The problem we have on the subject of global warming or any other ecological gloom and doom prediction by activists is that their claims cannot be substantiated by scientific data. It is true that some scientists do make dire predictions; it is also true that many of these people are producing non-verifiable data, and research funding comes from sources that demand a foregone conclusion. It isn’t science, and it isn’t honest.

In addition, history tells us that activists are doing more harm than good. One of the greatest miracles in modern science was the production of dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, or DDT. It was the first modern pesticide. It was deadly to insects, but harmless to humans. In fact, it saved human life by protecting people from malaria, typhus, and other insect borne diseases. But in the early 1950s, American biologist Rachel Carson published a book that linked DDT to cancer in humans. Based on junk-science, activists took up the cause against DDT. Congress held hearings, but without bothering to listen to opposing views, the use of DDT was banned throughout the United States. More than this, the United States used its economic muscle to ban DDT in other counties too. Thanks to Rachel Carson, well meaning but incompetent activists, and a largely ignorant Congress, two million people — mostly children, have died each year from malaria. Fifty-five years times two million deaths per year seems to be a very heavy price to pay for bogus science. And what was DDT replaced with? Cancer causing chemicals.

What do we really know about our planet? We know that it is in a constant state of change. The earth today hardly resembles the earth of two hundred million years ago. Every earthquake, every volcanic eruption, every tornado, every hurricane, has the effect of changing the earth. Over thousands of years, people have had to adapt to their environment – and the environment has been changed by human activity. In 1775, there may have been 3,000 people living in New York City – very different from the ten million living there today. We used to use wood to build our urban structures, but today we use concrete, which radiates solar heat. Is the world really getting warmer, or is it just some places (like our mushrooming cities) that are getting warmer?

There are those who claim that automobile emissions are suffocating the earth’s inhabitants. Now I will agree that “smog” is a problem, but let me take you back to New York City in the year 1900. There were at that time some thirteen million horses inside the city limits. Exposure to the excrement and urine deposits made by that many animals could not have been very healthy. New York City today is 100 times cleaner and healthier than it was 105 years ago; one only needs to compare the infant mortality rates of then and now to figure that out.

The fact is that we know next to nothing about our environment. Without a scientific understanding of our environment, how can we hope to preserve it? With a constant barrage of gloom and doom messages from so-called environmental groups and the press, most people have become numb to the fact that we really should be taking better care of our planet. Worse, of course, is the damage that environmentalists are responsible for – such as in the case of DDT. Like the admonition to physicians, those who claim to care about the state of planet Earth should first, do no harm.

 

Joe Biden the RACIST!

Seriously, that is what you'll hear the claims today of national talk show hosts that support the GOP. Unfortunately, Mr. Biden has played right into their hands. However, if you actually watch the TAPE HERE, you'll note that Joe is talking to an Indian man, who smiles and agrees with him. You'll note that the Indian man himself doesn't take offense to the statement, and in fact, confirms it.

Now, before anyone that was just laying in wait for the DNC to have another episode: remember how much you hate it when they fain outrage FOR another group (usually because that group could care less) and then take people to court. In other words, if you are sick of the ACLU trying to sue everyone for the injustice of discrimination that the supposed people being discriminated against are not worried about... then don't jump on this wagon and suddenly become outraged FOR the Indian population at the Senator from Delaware.

On a side note:
In a related story about a Delaware school district apparently practicing blatant Antisemitic policies, perhaps there is cause for concern with the values of Mr. Biden? Maybe there is more biggotry in Deleware than we've been privy too? (HT to Betmo at Life's Journey)

Just kidding, just kidding... maybe?

Thursday, July 06, 2006 

Like Keeping a Handful of Water

Before the United States embarked on its War on Terra, the world was a relatively peaceful place. There were minor conflicts around the globe, but the potential for multiple large scale confects was relatively low.

But the times are changing:

(AP) SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea has three or four more missiles on launch pads, South Korean media reported Thursday, while Japan said there was no sign the communist state was planning another immediate launch of a long-range rocket.

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan plans to test-fire a missile capable of hitting China, alarming the island's main ally, the United States, a cable news network said on Thursday.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Iran defied international calls for an early reply to an offer of incentives aimed at ending a nuclear stand-off, insisting on Thursday it would use a key July 11 meeting merely to raise questions on the package.

GAZA (Reuters) - Israel's prime minister cleared the way on Wednesday to expand an offensive against the Palestinians' governing Hamas movement aimed at freeing an abducted soldier and ending rocket attacks from Gaza.

Anyone else get the feeling that we’re headed for a train wreck? The world is a crazy place these days.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006 

Celebrating July 4th the Old Fashion Way: Flag Burning!

Happy Wednesday everyone. I hope you're 4th was a good time! I know mine was, but now we go back to reality. I celebrated mine with a couple of cook-outs and some fireworks. I answered my kid's questions about why we shoot off bottle rockets and such, and in general, remembered that I live in the best nation in the world.

But...

Not everyone saw that as the proper way to commemorate the nation's Independence.

(Santa Cruz Sentinel) About 25 revelers celebrated their freedom of speech and welcomed the Fourth of July on Monday night with the "2nd Annual Old Time American Flag Burn."

While I agree that you should be able to burn the flag, due to the first Amendment, it doesnt mean I'm going to support you actually doing it. Now you have to ask yourself, why would they choose this action as a "celebration" of this nation?

"It seemed like a good idea to burn some flags just because we can," added fellow organizer Sha Lar, 32, of Santa Cruz.

You know, you could jump off a bridge too? Are you going to do that "just because you can"?. Give me a break. Old hippie-wannabes that missed Woodstock and are trying to recapture the "brave dissenter" mythos from a generation long gone don't inspire anyone. In fact, you're only enforcing that you're nothing more than a spectacle to the younger generation:

"I think they should keep it to themselves," said Bill Crawford, 16, of Aptos, who was on the beach with buddies Elijah Manchester and Jacob Kendall, both 16 and from Santa Cruz.

Way to go there guys! I think my favorite part about this whole story is this line right here:

Around a burn barrel at Seabright State Beach, organizer Brent Adams, 41, of Santa Cruz, declared flag burning not a protest, but a celebration of the Constitution's First Amendment.
I'll use a saying that someone very important to me once said:
"Dont pee on me and then tell me it's raining".

This is just a bunch of morons screaming for attention. Maybe they should get some therapy to find the cause of that instead of "celebrating" in such an outspoken way.