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At our National Cemetery, we're reminded why America has always been a reluctant warrior. This year we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, a victory for which more than 400,000 Americans gave their lives. Their courage crossed two oceans, and it conquered tyrants. Some of you here today fought in that war as young men, and we make this pledge to you: America will always honor the character and the achievements of your brave generation.

Labels: David C. Price

OK, I will admit up front that I don't understand all of the ins and out of the European Union, so especially to my friends in Europe, please forgive me. Nevertheless, the overwhelming vote in France against the proposed EU Constitution is big news, not only for other European nations, but for the U.S. as well.

Many of the problems that have developed between some European nations and the U.S. over the past several years have come from leaders of "Old Europe" nations like France, Germany, Belgium, etc., while a great deal of support and true alliances have been demonstrated by countries such as those in the Baltic States. The vote yesterday is a huge blow to many of the leaders in Old Europe, especially French President, Jacques Chirac, who more or less staked his presidency on this issue. Clearly, he understood his unpopularity as the president of a country with unemployment at a five year high of over 10 percent when he urged the people not to make the vote a referendum on his government. What a leader! "Yes, I know that I'm a lousy president. I know that you all hate me and that I have run this country into the ground, but that's not what this is about...so just do what I tell you to do. Trust me on this." Uh, sure.

It appears the French didn't buy it, shocking as that may be based on some of the other stuff they've bought into, and that is exactly what happened. To make matters even better, following this defeat, calls for Chirac's resignation were issued. Of course, no strong Frenchman like Chirac would ever retreat or face defeat; never cower in the face of danger, political or otherwise (OK, well, forget about World War II...and the Iraqi war...and...alright, never mind, I can't even say that with a straight face). Suffice it to say, there is too much arrogance on the part of Chirac to ever resign in the face of such humiliation. Instead, he'll probably stand like his "great" predecessor, Charles De Gaul, who had the nerve to stand before his people and give credit to the French troops for their great victory and the defense of France against Germany in World War II without so much as a "thank you" to those who prevented them from having to learn German, and declare some sort of delusional victory. As Reuters points out, "In a turnout of 69.7 percent, many voters used the vote to punish Chirac and his government over France's economy and high unemployment. The 72-year-old leader promised to make changes but ignored calls from some in the "No" camp to step down." Surprise, surprise.

For some, the defeat of the constitution in France is great news for Democracy in general and European democracy, in particular. In the Weekly Standard, Bill Kristol claims that this defeat offers opportunity for the proponents of democratic progress in Europe to stand up and make a difference, similar to the conservative overhaul in the recent American elections:

Europe deserves better than the political class and the political discourse (to use a European formulation) that it has been stuck with. In this respect, the leftists rallying in Paris against the constitution last Wednesday were right to insist that their "No" was "A hopeful No." This is a moment of hope--for the prospects for a strong, pro-American, pro-liberty, more or less free-market and free-trade, socially and morally reinvigorated Europe. In any case, as Le Figaro's Ivan Rioufol suggests, the referendum, whatever its outcome, has already had a "liberating effect." Rioufol explains, "It introduced freedom of speech into the French political debate. Until now, the political oligarchy and the media's politically correct group-think had silenced any critical mind. . . . The people's revolt and their demand for 'true talk' are sweeping away the old political scene and its political correctness."

It remains to be seen just how far-reaching these effects will go and if they will actually be long-lasting, but certainly, it highlights the unrest that the French people feel under a failing governmental structure. Robert Spencer, of Dhimmi Watch, articulates many of the problems associated with the French Socialist government and why the people are becoming increasingly anti-establishment in their opinions of the ruling majority:

Behind the sturdy images of a forthright Europe on the road to a bright future lurks the shadow of a shameful antisemitism that has soaked into the very skin of European society. Economic stagnation and plus 10% unemployment eats away at France'’s elegant foundations. Life has become harsh, violence of all sorts is on the rise. The strong euro is no help to French wage earners. Social services are breaking down. Anti-war pro-Palestinian anti-American activism has not even brought hollow victories. Man can not live by bluster alone. Democracy is leaking out of this tattered Europe. As national sovereignty is handed up to the higher echelons of the European Union, citizens lose their grip on the affairs of state. For all its brand name institutions --—parliament, executive, commission, president and now secretary of state--—the EU does not have a democratic infrastructure. It is recreating something like an old fashioned European empire where the ruling classes hobnob together in feasts and palaces, and dictate their will to the people. In the absence of grass roots power, commoners, with no constructive means of expression, resort to the sullen refusal to work, freedom to throw a monkey wrench into the system, go on strike on a holiday weekend, burn down an occasional factory. Some serious analysts of the Constitutional Treaty describe it as a blueprint for gridlock. Neither streamlined nor democratic, a far cry from a system of checks and balances, it institutionalizes ingrained European mistrust; every initiative will be vulnerable to blockage regardless of its scope or thrust. Good old fashioned power politics will be played on the ruins of this fictitious harmony. And France still seems to cherish dreams of grandeur.

However, these dreams of grandeur will never come through socialist forms of government. They simply do not work. France is a perfect example. Other socialist governments are following suit. I have a friend in Denmark who has severe back problems. Of course, this socialist government provides free, universal healthcare to all of its citizens at absolutely no cost to them. Wow, what a wonderful arrangement, huh? Except that in order to undergo his "free" surgery, he had to wait until the government said he could have it. In his case, that was over a year of dealing with excrutiating back pain. That was seven years ago and his back problems remained even after that wonderful medical attention he received. That is the state of socialist medicine.

Ironically, it is this socialism that many in France seem to be fighting to hold onto by issuing a no vote. Will a rejection of the EU constitution provide an opportunity for true democracy, free markets, new opportunities in European/American relations like Kristol optimistically hopes for? One can certainly hope so, yet it seems that the very reason many French citizens voted against the constitution was that it seemed to threaten their socialist ways as well as their sovereignty as a nation. It appears that these citizens want to see an increase in the socialism that already defines the country. Why would they possibly want to hold onto such weak structure? Perhaps one answer is that it is simply all they have ever known. As C.S. Lewis' said, "We are half-hearted creatures...like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mudpies in the slums because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea."

As a young boy, my mother often had to threaten to separate my friend and I when we would misbehave at inappropriate times. It was the first step in her regaining control and peace. One can hope that this type of move towards an effective Europe is what is happening. Perhaps we are witnessing a separation of old, obstructionist allies: "'This is the first time in 50 years that the French and Germans have diverged in Europe on a fundamental issue. Without this constitution, Europe is broken down politically,' said foreign minister Michel Barnier." [source: EUpolitix.com]

It is my hope and prayer that this "non" vote may provide opportunity for improvements to the European Union. I pray that more reasonable and noble voices will emerge to offer a more hopeful alternative for the people of Europe.

Update: For excellent and insightful commentary on the subject, check out today´s post by my friend, Peter Glover.

Labels: David C. Price

Two stories came to my attention today that tie for first place as "most ridiculous items." First, FoxNews reports that a convicted rapist in Watertown, New York was allowed to serve as a foster parent to as many as fifty children.

This story would be bad enough had Nicholas Chaney lied about his conviction and found a loophole through which he was accepted into the foster program. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case. According to Chaney himself, he stated on his application that he had been convicted of felony rape charges! This means that those charged with placing vulnerable children into homes in which they will be protected, loved and cared for looked at the application (assumedly), saw that he was a rapist, and approved this man as a qualified foster parent. This is beyond ridiculous. It is unconscionable.

According to authorities in Oregon and Washington state, Chaney was convicted in 1989 of two counts of third-degree rape. Chaney told the television station he had been convicted of having sex with a 16-year-old girl.

Brian Marchetti, a spokesman for the state's Office of Children and Family Services, said the agency began an investigation Wednesday into why the Jefferson County Social Services Department approved Chaney's foster parent application.

"We are treating this matter very seriously," he said. "Children's safety and well-being are always our top priority. Every child deserves to be protected from sexual predators."

According to New York state law, "A person is guilty of rape in the third degree when: 1. He or she engages in sexual intercourse with another person who is incapable of consent by reason of some factor other than being less than seventeen years old; 2. Being twenty-one years old or more, he or she engages in sexual intercourse with another person less than seventeen years old; or 3. He or she engages in sexual intercourse with another person without such person`s consent where such lack of consent is by reason of some factor other than incapacity to consent. Rape in the third degree is a class E felony."

I couldn't agree more with Marchetti that every child deserves to be protected and it is frightening to think of how many children right this moment are in the same situation that these children were in. If it has happened once, there is a good chance that it has happened more. It will be interesting to see if this was the result of simply not paying enough attention to the applications or whether there was a total disregard for the well-being of these children. I'm not one who likes to see people lose their jobs, but this is the type of situation where the incompetence must be purged from the system.

In a similar story, the Kansas City Star reports that Missouri state officials have confirmed that "Missouri'’s Medicaid program paid for sexual performance drugs to treat impotence in 26 convicted sex offenders during the last year." Ok, let's take just a minute to think this through: men who, like Mr. Chaney in story #1, have been convicted of sex crimes are having problems with their sex lives (understatement #1). So, in order to help these men overcome their sexual shortcomings, the state helps them get back in the saddle by providing Viagra which is being paid for by the taxpayers of the state, not only putting them in a better position to carry out future sexual crimes, but actually increasing their sexual appetite through the use of these drugs...clearly, an absurd practice (understatement #2).

Medicaid officials said the prescriptions would not be refilled and future orders for Viagra, Cialis and other drugs that treat erectile dysfunction will be screened to make sure the recipient is not on the sex offender registry.

The prescriptions cost the Medicaid program $1,977 in state money and $5,083 in federal and other matching funds.

Officials have guaranteed that the oversight will not occur again. Exactly how reliable this promise is can be brought into question since something so basic should never have happened in the first place.

If you think this is a problem unique to Missouri, guess again. According to the Star, "Officials checked whether Missouri sex offenders were receiving impotence drugs after an audit found that New York'’s Medicaid program paid for nearly 200 sex offenders to receive such drugs over the last five years." Clearly, this is not an isolated event. The question is how many other states have conducted similar audits and how many more are receiving free sex drugs?

In a time when sex crimes against minors and kidnappings leading to murder are on the increase, these are not incidents that can be taken lightly. These two stories rise to the level of calling for an all-out investigation by every state in the Union to find out if similar practices are common elsewhere. If this disturbs you as much as it has me, I encourage you to contact your state representative and ask them to make sure that your state (and every state) is clear of this type of negligent oversight demonstrated in these two stories. The well-being of countless children may depend on it.

Labels: David C. Price

It has been a while since I have posted anything of real substance on this blog. With my recent graduation and vacation, time (and desire, frankly) for deep thought on cultural issues has been lacking. Down time has certainly been needed for me. I fear, though I hope not, that many who made regular stops in here at espresso roast may have given up.

For those that have hung in there with me, I hope posts in the near future will be found worthy of your time. My greatest desire it to continue to write about cultural issues, looking for elements of universal truth (whether good or bad) from which we can grow as individuals and as a culture. I have never claimed to be the final word or authority on such matters (which many can attest to!), but hopefully I can at least be a reasonable and intelligent commentator with at least a little bit of value to offer.

I have unapologetically approached this blog from a Christian worldview and I am thankful that I have had many come through here who do not share my worldview but have, nevertheless, found themselves and their commentary welcome. I hope that continues. My goal is to show respect to each person who visits this blog, regardless of how different our perspectives might be on any given issue. Please don't hesitate to chime in whether or not you agree or disagree...it makes the conversation, as well as our opportunity to discover the truth of a matter, richer.

Finally, I am working on building a page of suggested reading along with links through which they can be purchased as I have done on the sidebar to the right. I certainly don't know everything, but I've had the great fortune of reading some great books related to apologetics and worldview studies that I highly recommend. I also plan on including many books that are related to other areas of interest that I think you might find interesting as well. Stay tuned...I hope to have the first installment up some time in the next week.

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Vacation is over and it's back to the real world, although it is a very different world for me. I didn't know what to do with myself yesterday as it was my first regular day at home without having something to do for seminary. I have to say, it felt pretty darn good.

The trip was good. We spent a week camping with my parents in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The most interesting part of the trip was Thursday night when, at 2 a.m., the wind starting blowing and steadily growing. We hopped out of bed as the tent started shaking and I opened the door. I grabbed onto the side of the tent to steady it but the wind gust continued to swell. About that time, my mom poked her head out of the RV and yelled something which I couldn't hear over the wind and my dad quickly followed her out to try and fold up the canopy on the side of the motor home.

It wasn't over yet as the wind continued to strengthen and I yelled for Karen to open all the windows and the door at the other end of the tent. I quickly opened everything at my end to let the wind go through and then grabbed the tent again to keep it from blowing away. Since we had largely sworn off media of all types for the week, we were caught off guard with this storm. Neighbors began coming out of their RVs to help my dad and mom work on their canopy which was whipping violently in the wind. I expected to see it rip down the middle at any moment. By this time I yelled for Karen to get Jacob into the RV and I held onto the tent for dear life. As the lightening flashed, I watched the skies to see if there was a funnel cloud coming our way. I just knew we were about to be swallowed up by something big and bad...the wind was fierce.

When a couple of people were free from helping mom and dad, I was able to let go of the tent long enough to grab the backup support lines and get them into the ground just as the terential rain began falling and the 50 plus mile an hour wind began to die down. I quickly zipped everything up (well, almost everything! I forgot one window) and got into the RV where we rode out the rest of the storm. Praise God everything went ok. Here is a picture of our camp before the storm...


and here is camp after...


Fortunately, not too much difference which is amazing given the ferocity of the wind. The only casualty was the blue screen porch. The poles were mangled and the screen was shreaded. People around the camp were amazed to see our tent still standing...only stretched a little. It passed the wind test, but it failed the rain test. The rainfall was so heavy and sustained that it saturated the tent causing it to leak in places. The inside was pretty wet. However, that was the only rain we had for the entire week, so everything dried out pretty quickly.

I took plenty of pictures, so if I get a chance I may post some of them on a photo blog for anyone interested. It´s always sad to see the end of vacation come, but in some ways, it is good to be home.

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Tomorrow morning we leave for a week of camping in the mountains! We've been counting the days for this. It is doubtful that I will have opportunity (or perhaps the will) to blog while I'm away. I'm going to do my best not to even look at a computer screen for a whole week!

With the possibility that I may find that an impossibility coupled with the possibility that I may find an internet connection, I may post something while away...maybe.

It is my goal and my desire that upon returning I´ll be geared up for a storm of blogging. I feel as though I´ve been out of touch with the world for a while with all of the tasks that had to be completed for graduation, so what´s one more week.

While away, I hope you all have a wonderful and restful week...I´m certainly going to try to.

Blessings!

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Sorry, the postings are few and far between right now. This is graduation week so there's a lot going on, plus tomorrow is my birthday and I'm gearing up for a week of vacation next week.

It's been a long, wearisome semester finishing up and I'm taking a bit of a mental break right now. I will try and post as much as possible, but my brain has gone into temporary mush-mode.

Mush-mode feels kind of good...I hope I don't get used to it.

Labels: David C. Price

Newsday reports that Harry Reid owed President Bush an apology after making inappropriate remarks to high schoolers:

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid called President Bush 'a loser' during a civics discussion with a group of teenagers at a high school on Friday.

'The man's father is a wonderful human being,' Reid, D-Nev., told students at Del Sol High School when asked about the president's policies. 'I think this guy is a loser.'

I frankly don't care what Harry Reid thinks about Bush or anybody else, but for the leader of the minority party to talk that way to teenagers about the President of the United States is foolish. It is not productive for anyone and can only succeed in producing the next generation of cynics who have no respect for the President or anyone else.

I'm not attempting to claim that the Presidency is an untouchable office to which nothing disagreeable can be said. To the contrary, this country is built upon the principles of free speech and open criticisms. However, there should be a certain level of decorum maintained, especially when addressing high school students, regardless of any political affiliation. In this case, it happened to be Reid.

Whether it was his idea or an aide who recognized the mindlessness of the comment, I am glad Reid came to the realization that an apology was in order. A second one is due the students to whom he was speaking.

Labels: David C. Price

I recently received this email from ebay...or so I thought. I initially clicked on the link to check it out and was taken to a form where they wanted my personal information--ALL of my personal information, including credit card number, pins and passwords.

Doubting that ebay would need that much information, I went back to the original email and noticed that the message was sent to an address other than the one I use to access ebay. I immediately sent a copy of the email to ebay and they verified that this is a scam used to pilfer credit card information off of ebay users by scaring them into thinking their account has been accessed by an unauthorized third party (ironic, isn't it?). As you can see, it's a pretty good looking "ebay" letter.

Be warned, my friends. They're out to get us.

Labels: David C. Price

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Finish line in sight
I attended my last class last night so all that is left is a final paper to complete. Graduation is next friday followed by a week of vacation in the mountains. I cannot wait. As a result, I don't know how much blogging I will be able to do during that time. I'm sorry for those who have been checking in daily and finding very little by way of new posts. As I said last week, during my final days before graduation, the blogging is sparse.

Noteworthy blog
British author Peter Glover has a blog worth your time. He has some good insights into cultural events and also reports on British and world news items from a conservative perspective. Peter also shares my interest in worldview studies. I encourage you to take the time to read some of his many articles and posts.

Kingdom of Heaven
Apparently, the much anticipated Ridley Scott film, Kingdom of Heaven, has attempted to "right history" by painting Muslims in a more positive light during the Crusades than is warranted. According to a report by Little Green Footballs, though the film is generally pro-Muslim, it is also largely anti-religion. Admittedly, I have had little time to do extensive research into the extent of the redaction in the film, but there are some interesting reports here and here that present a pretty large body of evidence for the claim. Though there has been some talk of groups boycotting the film, I wouldn't go so far as to encourage that, but like all "historical films" out of Hollywood, it is important to view them with a measure of caution regarding the truth of the content. Thanks to Peter Glover for the heads up on this story. Read his post on the subject here.

Awakenings
I read an amazing story the other day about a firefighter injured nine and a half years ago fighting a fire:

Nearly 9 ½ years after a firefighter was left brain-damaged and mostly mute in a roof collapse, he did something that shocked his family and doctors: He asked for his wife.

Staff members of the nursing home where Donald Herbert has lived for more than seven years raced to phone Linda Herbert.

The conversation was the first of many the patient had with his relatives and friends Saturday in a 14-hour stretch, said Herbert's uncle, Simon Manka.

"How long have I been away?" Herbert asked.

"We told him almost 10 years," the uncle said. "He thought it was only three months." [more]

Though there had been little hope that the man would ever recover, his family never gave up and never stopped caring for him. That's what the love of a family is all about. As we witnessed with the parents of Terry Schiavo, when there is true love, you just never give up.

Labels: David C. Price

Living in Louisville, Kentucky assures you of one thing if nothing else: You're going to get a good dose of horse racing whether you like it or not. I happen to enjoy watching the races occassionally, but I'm not obsessed like some fans. I mean obsessed. The most ridiculous item of the week comes from the stalls of last years Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones...literally. Being a week out from the 131st running of the Kentucky Derby, horses tend to dominate the headlines in the Louisville Courier-Journal. Today the Journal reports the extent to which some fans of Smarty will go to get a taste of history (hopefully not literally):

Know this: America wants a piece of its hero. Any piece. It's not simply the broodmare owners willing to pay the $100,000 stud fee to breed to him this year.

This is more than a horse with unknown owners and an equally anonymous Average John trainer who finished one length short of history and the cover of Time magazine. This horse continues to fascinate people who love racing as well as people who follow the sport two minutes a year.

'People ask for anything,' said Erika Justus, a farm receptionist and tour guide who hosted a group of nearly 100 teachers from across America at Three Chimneys Tuesday. 'Hats. T-shirts. Pictures. Hair. Manure.'

Manure?

'Manure,' she shrugged.

The surest sign that Smarty's manure does not stink came last fall. Sandy Hatfield, stallion manager at Three Chimneys, said she found this intriguing item for bid on eBay:

Three pieces of straw from Smarty Jones' stall at Three Chimneys Farm. Final bid: $9, plus postage.

I'm still wondering how much that poop sells for. As ridiculous as the story is, there is probably some rich guy who won a load off of Smarty's wins (no pun intended) who has a big pile of it prominently displayed in a glass case over his mantle. Wanna bet?

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