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Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Two-Month-Old Baby Girl Rescued From Water: A Story of Depravity and Mercy

Don't know if you heard of this story out of Brazil where a couple found a two-month-old baby girl in the water tide up in a plastic bag. The bag was apparently prevented from sinking because of a small log it was found resting on. Miraculously, the baby was just fine.

I continue to be amazed and saddened at the depth of our depravity as human beings. There seems to be absolutely nothing we won't do. The mother denied throwing the child in, but said she gave the baby away to homeless people because she couldn't take care of it. Try and follow the logic here: woman can't take care of child, so decides, hey, I'll give her to some HOMELESS people who are in a much better position to care for my little girl than I am. There seems to have been an error of judgement on several levels there.

Beyond that, though, is the state of the soul of the one who could tie up a baby in a plastic bag like so much garbage and toss it in a lake. Of course, I don't understand how anyone could cut a baby from a mother's womb, but that's another issue...or is it? I suppose it all speaks to our value (or devaluement) of human life. Frankly, it's all pretty pathetic and depraved.

Lord, please help us.

The rescue was caught on tape and can be viewed here.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/31/2006 07:45:00 AM 2 comments links to this post |  

Monday, January 30, 2006

The Weight of Words

Words carry a lot of weight, don't they? They have the power to build up or to tear down. If one thoughtless word can bring you down, what can a string of them do? I confess that I have often said things without thinking and, as a result, caused great and undue pain to people around me. But I really try to be careful.

At work, I especially make an attempt to be selective with the words I choose. I try and express kindness and reflect the love of God in my actions and words. I often find myself biting my tongue so as not to come across rudely or unkind. I may not always succeed, but I always try.

I was reminded today that that is not always the case with some people. Soon after arriving at work this morning, I was approached by a co-worker who was told about my blog and had paid it a visit. Her response was to make fun of me...for blogging, I guess. Seriously, like in junior high. The few times that I saw her throughout the day she was always chuckling at me. I was literally taken aback by her words; laughing at me and implying I was not only wasting my time, but that surely my wife must have something to say about this and the amount of time I was wasting on this ridiculous thing (For the record, my wife is pretty proud of this little blog. She understands ministry often has different faces and the joy I get through doing it...I'd say I'm blessed to have someone like her).

I kept thinking that if this person was like this now, well into her thirties, what must she have been like at thirteen! Now she is such a busy person that she just couldn't see how anyone could have time for something like this. Keep in mind, I never onced asked for this person's opinion or, as far as I know, ever did anything to ask for this kind of treatment from her. She just felt it her calling, I suppose, to let me know it...and I felt so blessed.

Now, I understand that some people have a healthier dose of self-importance than they should have and in this situation there is something of a well-known reputation for being rude, so I tried to keep it in perspective, but I was especially floored that this was someone who professes to be a Christian. I can handle it when unbelievers attack or make fun of me, but I was unprepared for it in this situation when it is completely antithetical to the nature of Christ.

Anyway, the point of this post is not to harp on this particular situation as much as it is to serve as a reminder to all of us of the weight of our words. With just a few careless words and chuckles, I was brought very low for most of the day...there is power in words. I know I have often been guilty of aggressive posting when something happens in the public arena that I disagree with or think is ridiculous. To a degree, I still think that is legitimate. There are often very ridiculous things that happen in society that should be called out for what they are in hopes that we don't come to embrace them as the norm. However, we must draw the line at demonization and tearing down individuals. I say this as a reminder to myself as much as to anybody, but it applies universally.

In Colossians 4:6, Paul says, "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person." I think that should be a goal for which we all strive...don't you?

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/30/2006 02:40:00 PM 0 comments links to this post |  

Revisiting Kanye

Last week I posted this picture on an Espresso Shots post with the following Heading: "There Really Are No Words." Well, I think I was wrong. I believe I found some that sum up what I believe is the more appropriate attitude toward such expressions.

"These paintings, these poems, and these demonstrations which we have been talking about are the expression of men who are struggling with their appalling lostness. Dare we laugh at such things? Dare we feel superior when we view their tortured expressions in their art? Christians should stop laughing and take such men seriously. Then we shall have the right to speak again to our generation. These men are dying while they live; yet where is our compassion for them? There is nothing more ugly than a Christian orthodoxy without understanding or without compassion." [Francis Schaeffer, from The God Who is There]

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/30/2006 07:00:00 AM 0 comments links to this post |  

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Remembering Challenger: Twenty Years Ago Today

JANUARY 28, 1986
11:38 A.M. (EST)

IN MEMORY OF THE CREW

OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE

CHALLENGER

Michael J. Smith (Pilot)
Francis R. Scobee (Commander)
Judith A. Resnik (Mission Specialist 1)
Ellison S. Onizuka (Mission Specialist 2)
Ronald E. McNair (Mission Specialist 3)
Gregory B. Jarvis (Payload Specialist 1)
Sharon Christa McAuliffe (Payload Specialist 2)


The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God." ~President Ronald Reagan

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/28/2006 10:00:00 AM 2 comments links to this post |  

Friday, January 27, 2006

Mohler On The Joy of Reading

For anyone who loves to read (including those who would love to love to read), Dr. Al Mohler, President of SBTS, offers some tips on the discipline and joys of reading in a recent blog post. For anyone who has been to his house, it is clear he knows what he's talking about. I have never seen a more impressive (and beautiful) personal library of what I understand to be over 30,000 volumes.

Clearly, Dr. Mohler is one who absorbs multitudes of books and it is readily apparent every time he opens his mouth to speak. The practice of reading is something everyone should develop, even those who currently don't enjoy it. Don't feel bad if you are one of those in the latter camp...I was one of those. I barely made it through English Lit in college because I only read parts of any given work (yeah, I know, I was a lazy bum). However, things have changed and through a great deal of personal discipline (which I must admit I'm not always known for, much to my chagrin), I have learned to love to read and I encourage you to as well. Here is an excerpt from Mohler's post to get you started:
"In the course of any given week, I will read several books. I know how much I thrive on this learning and the intellectual stimulation I get from reading. As my wife and family would be first to tell you, I can read almost anytime, anywhere, under almost any kind of conditions. I have a book with me virtually all the time, and have been known to snatch a few moments for reading at stop lights. No, I do not read while driving (though I must admit that it has been a temptation at times). C.J., I took books to high school athletic events when I played in the band. [Heap coals of scorn and nerdliness here.] I remember the books -- do you remember the games?"
Yes, heaps of nerdiness are in order for that, but a pretty good point, nonetheless. Check out Mohler's post and get to reading!

By the way, my Book Room (link on the right side bar) contains some excellent suggestions in several different disciplines...let me know if you have some must-reads I should add.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/27/2006 02:30:00 AM 0 comments links to this post |  

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Espresso Shots: It's A Whacky, Whacky World

Sheehan Can't Stand People Who Meddle
"Anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan, mother of a US soldier killed in Iraq, joined more than 10,000 anti-globalization activists in Caracas, where she hailed Venezuela's leftist President Hugo Chavez.

'I admire him for his resolve against my government and its meddling,' said Sheehan, who gained notoriety when she camped outside US President George W. Bush's ranch last year to protest the Iraq war. She said she hoped to meet Chavez later in the week.

Sheehan was among more than 10,000 people from across the Americas who took to the streets of the Venezuelan capital Tuesday in an anti-war protest that launched the six-day Caracas World Social Forum (WSF).

My government should not meddle anywhere"
Story here.

I Feel Your Pain

If we must kill fish, we should do it with kindness, PETA believes.

To alleviate the finny critters' pain and suffering, Illinois should require fishermen to follow a "Code of Angling Ethics" before they're issued a license, the animal rights group said Tuesday.

"Just like dogs and cats, fish feel pain, so if you wouldn't hook dogs through the mouth and drag them behind your car, you shouldn't hook fish through the mouth and drag them behind your boat," said Karin Robertson of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

You've just got to get a load of this one.

And Finally...There Really Are No Words
click image for story.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/25/2006 09:00:00 PM 0 comments links to this post |  

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

"The Pamphlet of Daniel": Didn't Really Last Long Enough To Be A Book


NBC cancels "The Book of Daniel"

HT: World

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/24/2006 05:10:00 PM 0 comments links to this post |  

Monday, January 23, 2006

On the History of Planned Parenthood

La Shawn Barber has written a very interesting article for Townhall.com, providing a good deal of historical information about the background and goals of Planned Parenthood's founder, Margaret Sanger. Here is an excerpt:
"The Planned Parenthood Federation of America makes a futile effort to deny that its founder Margaret Sanger was a eugenicist. Eugenics is a pseudo-science that claims some races are genetically superior and more fit to survive than others. As a eugenicist, Sanger’s goals were to discourage the “unfit” and “inferior” from reproducing. In her 1922 book Pivot of Civilization, she called for segregation of “morons, misfits, and the maladjusted” and sterilization of “genetically inferior races.”

Can you guess which race in particular she considered genetically inferior?

Sanger even suggested that the federal government pay “obviously unfit parents” not to have children and advocated limiting and discouraging “overfertility of the mentally and physically defective.”

In 1916, Sanger founded the Birth Control League, the forerunner of Planned Parenthood. She appointed a man named Lothrop Stoddard, a Nazi sympathizer, fellow eugenicist and author of The Rising Tide of Color Against White World Supremacy to the Board of Directors. At some point, after Adolph Hitler’s atrocities against the Jews became known, Sanger changed the league’s name to Planned Parenthood, because “birth control” was too closely associated with eugenics."
I encourage you to read this insightful article here.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/23/2006 01:50:00 PM 0 comments links to this post |  

Judge Sentences Man to Six Weeks In...Church?

No, you don't hear of that happening very often, but it's the case for a white man given the option of six weeks at a black church or 30 days in jail for disorderly conduct:
"A judge sentenced a suburban Cincinnati man to attend services for six weeks at a predominantly black church for threatening to punch a black cab driver and using racial slurs.

Brett Haines, 36, of Anderson Township, picked church over spending 30 days in the Hamilton County jail. Judge William Mallory Jr. offered Haines the choice Friday after Haines was convicted of disorderly conduct.

Haines was arrested in November for threatening cab driver David Wilson and Wilson's wife and telling them he hated black people. Prosecutors said Haines was drunk.

'It seems readily apparent to me that you don't like black people,' Mallory told Haines. 'That's OK with me. But you have to understand that you are at the whim and authority of a black judge.'"
Complete story here.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/23/2006 01:35:00 PM 3 comments links to this post |  

Thursday, January 19, 2006

So, What Exactly Is Artificial Life Support Anyway?

The end of life is almost always an unwelcome event for loved ones left behind. I suppose there are those times when a person has suffered so much that death can be considered something of a relief that the loved one is no longer in agony from their disease or affliction. I know that has been my experience at different times in the past.

Tragically, removing ventilators happen every day as families are forced to deal with the overwhelming realization that their loved one's vital organs can no longer function without something driving them and must determine that the natural process of a body shutting down must be allowed to take. There simply is no other choice. I have witnessed this twice as I've stood by parents forced to make that very unnatural decision for their children. It is a position no one want to be in, especially they know it will almost certainly mean the end for their child on this earth.

Most of the time, life support means a ventilator that serves to keep the vital organs functioning, either giving the patient's body time to recover on its own, time for the doctors to administer some life-saving procedure, or to preserve the organs of a terminally ill patient who has opted to be a donor.

If that was all that "Life Support" meant these days, there would be no issue. Unfortunately, that's no longer the case. Now, it seems as though food and water is quickly becoming synonymous with artificial life support. This, of course, is an absurd notion as feeding a human being is not something that is, at some point, introduced in order to sustain a life...it is simply a natural and normal function of life. If someone cannot feed themselves, you do the feeding for them. It's the way we treat children, sick relatives, and our elderly family members. It's normal! What isn't normal is to decide that since an individual may not live on their own due to an injury, we're not only going to turn off a ventilator, but we're also going to refuse them food to make sure they can't survive without it.

There is a case in Springfield, Massachusetts that highlights this tragic flaw. An 11 year-old girl, severely beaten by her stepfather, was left in a coma. The Massachusetts high court determined "life sustaining measures" could be removed. However, before they could carry out this order, the little girl began showing signs of improvement:
"Doctors say new tests are needed on a severely beaten 11-year-old girl, who officials said was responding to medical stimuli and breathing on her own a day after Massachusetts' highest court ruled the state had the authority to remove her from life support."
The girls stepfather seems to be the only one fighting to keep her alive. Don't get too emotional over his "regret" for having beaten her...if she dies, he gets charged for murder.
Haleigh has been in DSS custody since she was hospitalized in September with a badly damaged brain stem that authorities say resulted from abuse. Thinking that she was in a permanent vegetative condition, the state went to court to seek permission to remove her from life support - a move her stepfather, one of two family members accused of beating her, fought.
They thought she was in a permanent vegetative condition. Don't tell me they could be wrong! Now, officials are faced with a dilemma: Do they forego the removal in order to see if the girl will continue to respond or do they stick to their guns in order to justify the bad call they made and allow the girl to die a very unnatural death. It will be most interesting to see how this plays out.

Now, some may argue against the use of ventilators for the same reason I've argued against withholding food and water. Ventilators should not be used because the natural process should be allowed to run its course. So be it. Make the argument, but the idea that food and water is artificial life support is the weakest form of situational ethics, demonstrating the devalued opinion of humanity by those who see no qualitative difference in the life of a human being and any other animal who should be put out of its misery when some supreme court (talk about a god complex) determines there is no hope and thus shall be allowed (or dare I say condemned?) to die. There is no living being capable of rightly making that kind of decision and yet we have people who continue to make that case and courts that continue to listen.

Perhaps this little girl isn't going to make it. Perhaps removing her from a ventilator is the best thing, allowing for her body to do what it's going to do. The fact is, no one knows what the result of that will be. Remove her food, however, and remove all doubt. A murder will have certainly occurred...and her step-father will not be alone in culpability for the crime.

HT: World

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/19/2006 01:14:00 PM 1 comments links to this post |  

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

SCOTUS Upholds Oregon Assisted Suicide Law

The United States Supreme Court has ruled to uphold an Oregon assisted-suicide law, slapping down an attempt by former Attorney General John Ashcroft to end the practice. Ashcroft claimed the practice did not constitute a “legitimate medical purpose.”

Unfortunately, the SCOTUS didn't see it that way, at least the majority did not. They claimed that the Attorney General was outside of his area of expertise, thus leaving him unqualified to not only make such a claim in the first place, but to effectively shift the balance of power away from the rights of states to the federal government.

Newly appointed Chief Justice John Roberts stood with justices Scalia and Thomas in opposition to the ruling.
Scalia, writing the dissent, said that federal officials have the power to regulate the doling out of medicine.

“If the term ‘legitimate medical purpose’ has any meaning, it surely excludes the prescription of drugs to produce death,” he wrote.

Scalia went on to clarify the probable cause for the other justices ruling in the manner they did:

Scalia said the court’s ruling “is perhaps driven by a feeling that the subject of assisted suicide is none of the federal government’s business. It is easy to sympathize with that position.”
I go one step further and ask exactly whose business is it? Who is qualified to make such a judgement on life? I, like Justice Thomas, found the ruling "puzzling."

Regardless of the rationale, the ruling is troubling at best. It leaves the door open for more states to pass their own assisted suicide legislation, making it almost certain the practice will become more widely acceptable.

The bigger issue here is how it brings the United States closer to the acceptable practice of outright euthanasia. Assisting in suicide is just one step away from making the "professional" determination for patients of when the time is right for their life to end. Some would argue that this country would never take that next step. I would counter by saying that there was a time not long ago when most would say the same thing about doctor-assisted suicide. Remember Kavorkian?

It seems any time the term "slippery slope" is used these days, it is met with a rolling of the eyes as though it is nothing more than a tired and baseless argument which carries no merit. However, just because a society grows tired of hearing it does not make it any less a reality. It is a principle of human existence that the more a practice is allowed to occur, the more desensitized that society becomes, making the next step down the path appear less extreme. This results in a loosening of moral and ethical standards and an eventual breakdown and all-out adoption of the practice in question. Ever heard of the old frog in the kettle analogy? Put a frog in hot water, he jumps out. Put him in cool water and gradually turn up the heat and he boils to death. Just one degree at a time. We're seeing what is happening in other countries. How many degrees will it take for us?

When a society enters the business of ending the lives of innocent people, that society moves one step closer to the place so many others are already going: killing out of convenience. It is a short walk from assisting the terminally ill to die, to "assisting" in the deaths of the elderly and the physically defective. It is only a short step from there in defining "defective" more loosely, including more subjective definitions of the term. The worth of human beings is quickly becoming defined by either their usefullness to society or whether or not they meet the standards of those in a position to make life or death decisions.

"One man's trash is another man's treasure."

In a world where euthanasia is becoming more widespread and acceptable, who would have ever thought that old cliché would someday come to be applied to human beings?

Related E.R. post here.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/17/2006 11:00:00 PM 0 comments links to this post |  

Steeler Fan Has Heart Attack After Bettis Fumbles

This guy should really lay off football for a while:
"PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Talk about a heart-stopping game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts.

Terry O'Neill, 50, of Pittsburgh, was watching the game at a bar and had a heart attack seconds after Jerome Bettis fumbled trying to score from the 2-yard line late in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger prevented the Colts' Nick Harper from returning the recovered ball for a touchdown and the Steelers hung on for a 21-18 win.

O'Neill said Bettis is his hero.

'I wasn't upset that the Steelers might lose,' he told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 'I was upset because I didn't want to see him end his career like that. A guy like that deserves better. I guess it was a little too much for me to handle.'"

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/17/2006 08:38:00 PM 3 comments links to this post |  

Nagin Proclaims the Word of.......Nagin.

Tim Ellsworth points out New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin's recent transition to "theologian". I suppose it is not only theology, but outright prophecy as he declares what (according to him, at least) God wants for New Orleans. Be sure and read the actual post at Tim's blog...the comments are pretty funny. And now, the Very Right Reverend Ray Nagin:
'Surely he [God] doesn’t approve of us being in Iraq under false pretenses. But surely he is upset at black America also. We’re not taking care of ourselves.'

Nagin also promised that New Orleans will be a “chocolate” city again. Many of the city’s black neighborhoods were heavily damaged by Katrina.

'It’s time for us to come together. It’s time for us to rebuild New Orleans _ the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans,' the mayor said. 'This city will be a majority African American city. It’s the way God wants it to be. You can’t have New Orleans no other way. It wouldn’t be New Orleans.'
In the words of that great philosopher, Fred Sanford: "You Big Dummy."


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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/17/2006 08:30:00 PM 0 comments links to this post |  

Hillary Calls U.S. House A 'Plantation'

During a Martin Luther King service at a Harlem Baptist church yesterday, Senator Hillary Clinton addressed the audience in what was apparently more of a political rally than either a commemorative event or a worship service.

Clinton chose to appeal to the emotions of her mostly black audience by calling the United States House of Representatives a "plantation where dissenting voices are squelched."
The House “has been run like a plantation, and you know what I’m talking about,” said Clinton, D-N.Y. “It has been run in a way so that nobody with a contrary view has had a chance to present legislation, to make an argument, to be heard.”

“We have a culture of corruption, we have cronyism, we have incompetence,” she said. “I predict to you that this administration will go down in history as one of the worst that has ever governed our country.”

RNC spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt responded to the speech by saying, “On a day when Americans are focused on the legacy of Martin Luther King, Hillary Clinton is focused on the legacy of Hillary Clinton.” Story here.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/17/2006 10:30:00 AM 0 comments links to this post |  

Hwang Woo-sook Could Go To Work For Wee Ar-Kooks

Recently discredited scientist Hwang Woo-sook, who claimed to have cloned the first human, has recently been offered a position with the science fiction cult known as the Raelian Movement:
"The U.S. biotech firm Clonaid has sprung to the rescue of the embattled cloning scientist Hwang Woo-sook with an offer to join a research partnership at its secret research facility. Clonaid was founded by the Raelian Movement, a cult-like religious group that maintains humans were created by aliens and claims to have cloned a human being. The company is represented by French scientist Dr. Brigitte Boisselier.

A press release from the company on Monday said Boisselier has written to Hwang to outline the proposal. Boisselier said she believed Hwang’s discoveries to be original and that groups opposing stem cell research such as the Catholic Church conspired to undermine Hwang by making it appear as though the scientist concocted his data. She said he had become a victim of a conservative anti-scientific faction, according to the press release."
Just to give a little insight into this scientific wonder-world, here is a brief explanation into their sci-fi belief-system:
Clonaid founder Rael, formerly known as Claude Vorilhon, teaches that a race of aliens called the Elohim created human beings, and Jesus, Buddha and Mohammed were recipients of messages from the aliens.
Raelians claim approximately 35,000 followers in 85 countries. Though that is a relatively small number of people when considered against the worldwide populations, it demonstrates the kinds of ideas that people will buy into in order to fill their "God-shaped void".

Though these people do refer to their creator as elohim (a Hebrew name for God), their "god" is anything but. Elohim is, to them, a race of human beings from another planet. Of course, the question remains of the origin of this e.t. race, since they are supposedly little more than a human population from outer space themselves.

Though it is unlikely Woo-sook will accept this opportunity for "career advancement," he would apparently be fully funded in order to continue his Mad Hatter work deep in the heart of Wonderland, itself.

Full story here.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/17/2006 09:40:00 AM 0 comments links to this post |  

Monday, January 16, 2006

Words to Live By: Francis Schaeffer

On the veracity of objective reality
“Lovers on the left bank of the Seine in Paris experience the 'mannishness' of man when they fall in love and yet cry because they do not believe love exists. If I met any of these, I would put my hand gently on their shoulders and say, 'You are separated from God if you do not accept Christ as your Savior, but at this moment you understand something real about the universe. Though your system may say love does not exist, your own experience shows that it does.' They have not touched the personal God who exists, but for a fleeting moment they have touched the existence of true personality in their love. This is indeed an objective reality, because God has made their personalities touch in this way. It is true that in these experiences man has touched something, not nothing; but what he has touched is not God, but the objective reality of the external world and the 'mannishness' of man that God has created.” From The God Who Is There

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/16/2006 05:25:00 PM 0 comments links to this post |  

Friday, January 13, 2006

Michael Reagan Puts It To Republicans

Michael Reagan, adopted son of former President Ronald Reagan, has written an excellent article on the Abramoff scandal. In it he argues that politicians (Republicans are his primary audience) must reform themselves and begin acting with integrity. I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, rather than acting with integrity, too many are acting as though they had integrity when, in fact, they do not.

Whether Republican, Democrat, Independent, Green, red, white, or blue I don't care--if a politician refuses to follow the rules and act with integrity, he should be booted out of office immediately, most certainly by mid-term elections. If that were to mean a shake up in the balance of power (though this is certainly a bi-partisan problem), so be it. Personally, I am more concerned with having lawmakers of integrity of any party in office rather than crooked ones of a particular one. Here is an excerpt of this excellent article:
"Republicans may like to brag that they are the party of Ronald Reagan and are dedicated to the policies and principles for which my dad stood, but they are acting more like members of the party of Lyndon Johnson.

Panicked by the potential of the growing Abramoff scandal which threatens to ensnare a multitude of members of Congress, Republicans are running around scattering contributions from the lobbyist and his clients in all directions in an effort to show how much they abhor even the appearance of having taken from them what now may be tainted funds.

They simply cannot understand that the problem is not with Abramoff and other lobbyists having bought access with their clients’ money, but with themselves because of their shameful lack of integrity.

They talk about reforming the system when, if they really want true reform, they will start by reforming themselves. If they want to be like Ronald Reagan, they need to start acting like Ronald Reagan. "
Read Mr. Reagan's article in full here.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/13/2006 05:45:00 PM 1 comments links to this post |  

Robertson: Time For Another Apology

I just read the letter of apology that Pat Robertson sent to Ariel Sharon's son regarding the "word of knowledge" he issued about the elder's massive stroke. You can read both pages of the letter here and here. One question: If all of his proclamations are from the Lord, why the need for all these apologies?

"P.S. This may be a bad time to bring it up, but since all is forgiven, can we go back to talking about that Holy Land amusement park deal now?"

OK, I'm done writing about Pat Robertson...really.

Hat Tip: Martin's Musings

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/13/2006 01:50:00 PM 2 comments links to this post |  

Politics That Are Really Going To Hell

In Minnesota, things seem to be going from bad (Jesse Ventura) to worse (spawn of Satan, himself). Fox News reports on this satanic candidate for governor of Minnesota:
"MINNEAPOLIS — One gubernatorial candidate in Minnesota is giving a whole new meaning to the 'dark side' of politics. A man who calls himself a satanic priest plans to run for governor on a 13-point platform that includes the public impaling of terrorists at the state Capitol building.

Jonathon Sharkey, also known as 'The Impaler', plans to launch his gubernatorial campaign on — when else? — Friday the 13th. He'll make the announcement in Princeton.

'I'm going to be totally open and honest,' said the 41-year-old leader of the 'Vampyres, Witches and Pagans Party.'

'Unlike other candidates, I'm not going to hide my evil side,' he said.

In Minnesota, anyone who pays the $300 filing fee can get on the gubernatorial ballot and it seems that every year a few eccentric candidates make the rounds.

Sharkey raises the bar. For one thing, he told the Star Tribune in an e-mail that he drinks blood.

Including the impaling of terrorists, rapists, drug dealers and other criminals, Sharkey's platform includes emphasis on education, tax breaks for farmers and better benefits for veterans.

Sharkey said he worships Lucifer and, while he says he has nothing against Christians, he calls the 'Christian God the Father' his 'mortal enemy.'"
Except that they did select Ventura, I doubt many in the state will take this candidate very seriously...one would hope.

Read the full story here.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/13/2006 06:30:00 AM 1 comments links to this post |  

Thursday, January 12, 2006

The Internet: Under New Management?

Today, Peter Glover brought this to my attention:
"A new website entitled The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was [sic] just been launched. The site is clearly under construction but what its appearance reveals plainly is that the push to wrest Internet governance away from its US authorities may today have moved a step closer.

The site notes that the new IGF has convened a preliminary meeting on 16-17 February at the UN HQ in Geneva. Invitations to that meeting were sent out on 11 January. The man behind a 'highly commended report' on Internet governance, Nitin Desai, has been asked to head IGF discussions. The function of this meeting, according to its agenda, is the formulation of its own aims and objectives. The first formal meeting of the IGF proper, under the terms agreed in Tunis in 2005, is due to take place in the Autumn of 2006. "
Peter points out that a new "UN-style" of governance over the internet could prove disastrous. I quite agree.

Read Peter's post here.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/12/2006 08:45:00 PM 0 comments links to this post |  

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Uh-Oh, No Disney Hat For Pat

John Martin sent me a link to his post on the result of Pat Robertson's latest verbal blunder. Turns out his recent proclamation that Ariel Sharon's stroke was God's punishment for his handling of Israel may have cost him his Jesus-land project:
"JERUSALEM - Israel won't do business with Pat Robertson after the evangelical leader suggested Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's massive stroke was divine punishment, a tourism official said Wednesday, putting into doubt plans to develop a large Christian tourism center in northern Israel."
Since I have commented on Pat Robertson several times, I had a friend ask what I had against him. Simple: Pat Robertson is viewed by many to be a leading voice of evangelicals (Why, exactly? I do not know). The fact is, though, he is not. I think it important to not only expose the absurdities of this "spokesman" but to also clearly communicate the distance that stands between people like Robertson and the majority of evangelicals in this country. It's nothing personal...he just really needs to learn to filter himself. That, of course, would mean he would never say anything...which would be perfect.

You can read John's full post on the subject here.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/11/2006 03:10:00 PM 1 comments links to this post |  

Governor Ernie Fletcher Speaks on Source of Freedom

In his annual State of the Commonwealth address, Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher began wrapping up his speech by thanking veterans for their service to this Country and rhetorically asked of the origins of these freedoms these brave men and women have fought for. His answer was pleasantly surprising:
"...where does this freedom come from that many have died to protect?

Our founding fathers recognized that we were endowed with this right by our creator.

So I ask, what is wrong with teaching 'intelligent design' in our schools. Under KERA, our school districts have that freedom and I encourage them to do so. This is not a question about faith or religion. It's about self-evident truth."
In other words, "It's common sense, fellas." I hope Kentucky school districts will take advantage of this freedom.

(Hat Tip to Uncommon Descent)

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/11/2006 04:20:00 AM 1 comments links to this post |  

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Words to Live By: Harry Blamires

On Truth
You do not make the truth. You reside in the truth. A suitable image for truth would be that of a lighthouse lashed by the elemental fury of undisciplined error. Those who have come to reside in the truth must stay there. It is not their business to go back into error for the purpose of joining their drowning fellows with the pretence that, inside or outside, the conditions are pretty much the same. It is their duty to draw others within the shelter of the truth. For truth is most certainly a shelter. And it is inviolable. If we start to dismantle it and give it away in bits to those outside, there will be nothing left to protect our own heads--and no refuge in which to receive the others, should they at length grow weary of error.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/10/2006 09:30:00 AM 10 comments links to this post |  

Monday, January 09, 2006

Harry Belafonte: Coming Unscrewed

Sharon Hughes posts on Harry Belafonte and friends' latest trip to hang with Hugo Chavez, noting Mr. Belafonte's comments about the Bush administration and African-Americans who support it:
"Celebrity activist Harry Belafonte referred to prominent African-American officials in the Bush administration as 'black tyrants' at a weekend march, and he also compared the administration to Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany."

Ignorant comments from someone who obviously has no concept of what the Holocaust was actually like.

To get a fuller picture of the event, read Sharon's complete post here and Michelle Malkin's take on it here.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/09/2006 02:25:00 PM 3 comments links to this post |  

Nancy Pearcey Offers Five Reasons Intelligent Design Will Win

Nancy Pearcey, best-selling author of the book Total Truth, and a leading scholar in Worldview Studies, offers five compelling reasons Intelligent Design will eventually trump Darwinism as the leading theory in the origins of life. Here is an excerpt:
"To hear some conservatives talk, there is no room for proponents of intelligent design (ID) in the 'big tent.' In recent months commentators such as John Derbyshire in National Review and George Will and Charles Krauthammer in the Washington Post have inveighed against ID. Warning that 'the conservative coalition' is coming unglued, Will all but called on 'the storm-tossed and rudderless Republican Party' to repudiate the ID movement.

Conservatives who hope to be on the winning side, however, may want to put their money on ID, even if they harbor a few reservations at present. Here's why. For starters, the affirmation of design is good for science. Like all knowledge, science is a pattern-seeking project. The human mind inherently seeks intelligible order. Thus the conviction that such an order exists to be found is a crucial assumption. No scientists are going to find their work diminished because they ground it in the search for an inbuilt design in nature."
Despite the fact that Nancy begins the article from the basis of politically conservative commentators, it should be noted that this is not primarily a political article in nature (though clearly one of her goals is to convince the conservative politicos of the veracity of the Intelligent Design Theory). The arguments are for all people.

Read the article in full at Human Events Online.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/09/2006 06:55:00 AM 0 comments links to this post |  

Friday, January 06, 2006

Windows Security Patch Released Early

For those using Microsoft Windows (yes, I know, I know...Linux and Mac is superior. I got it.), the patch for the big security problem has been released and can be downloaded here.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/06/2006 03:00:00 PM 0 comments links to this post |  

Miner's final note: What a Gift

"TALLMANSVILLE, West Virginia (CNN) -- 'It wasn't bad just went to sleep.'

Those were the words that 51-year-old Martin Toler Jr. scrawled on a piece of paper in a note to his family, as he was dying in the darkened Sago coal mine where he and 11 other miners perished after an explosion early Monday.

'Tell all I see them on the other side JR I love you,' wrote Toler, a section foreman who had spent 32 years working in coal mines.

Toler's nephew, Randy Toler, said his uncle meant to say 'I will see them.'

'But he, of course, in his distress left the 'will' out,' the nephew said.

The piece of paper also has light pen marks on it where it appears Toler scribbled on the paper in an effort to get the pen to work.

The note was released Thursday by Toler's family, who had received it from the coroner.

Randy Toler said the note, written on the back of an insurance form, 'was the most precious thing that I believe I've ever seen.'"

He also said that his uncle was a religious man.

"His last scripture in church Sunday night was 'save your affections on things above, not on Earth,' " Randy Toler said.

Full story here.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/06/2006 10:05:00 AM 2 comments links to this post |  

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Ridiculous Item of the Day: Holy Land Theme Park Planned For Galilee Shore

"The Israeli government is planning to give up a large slice of land to American Christian evangelicals to build a biblical theme park by the Sea of Galilee where Jesus is said to have walked on water and fed 5,000 with five loaves and two fish.

A consortium of Christian groups, led by the television evangelist Pat Robertson, is in negotiation with the Israeli ministry of tourism and a deal is expected in the coming months. The project is expected to bring up to 1 million extra tourists a year but an undeclared benefit will be the cementing of a political alliance between the Israeli rightwing and the American Christian right." [More of the story here...if you must]
I suppose Robertson and his clan are planning to have people dressed in over-sized, big-footed, animated costumes of Jesus and the twelve disciples walking around the park greeting kids, making balloon shapes of crosses and doves and maybe a 700Club symbol or two. Maybe the over-sized Judas character can carry around a big box handing out chocolate gold coins to reluctantly give to the children (but careful, kids. Taking candy from this stranger could be a little risky).

For snacks, perhaps unleavened funnel cakes and grape flavored snow cones will be sold at concessions. Oh, and I have an idea: their main attraction can be a roller coaster with each of the cars shaped as donkeys which pass through a gauntlet of palm fronds. Wow! Where do I buy tickets?

The most ridiculous part of this idea (as if it could get much worse), is that Robertson has expressed excitement that "there will be a place in the Galilee where evangelical Christians from all over the world can come to celebrate the actual place where Jesus Christ lived and taught".

Sure, why not? Muslims have Mecca. Jews have the wailing wall? Christians? We apparently will have some Mickey Mouse knock-off JesusWorld theme park. Great...thanks, Pat. You're swell.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/05/2006 07:00:00 AM 3 comments links to this post |  

Congrats to 2005 National Champion Texas Longhorns (13-0)

"PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - Vince Young bounced on his toes, trying to buy himself some time and searching frantically for a way to win a championship.

With the national title down to a final play, fourth down and 5 yards to go, Young scrambled untouched for an 8-yard touchdown with 19 seconds left and the No. 2 Longhorns stunned No. 1 Southern California 41-38 in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday night."
Read about it here.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/05/2006 06:25:00 AM 2 comments links to this post |  

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Darwinian Evolution: The Undeniable Death of God

Many who embrace the idea of Darwinism do so with the intent of winning over others on the grounds that evolution and theism are not mutually exclusive. As a matter of fact, that was a key part of the ruling in the recent Dover trial.

However, as Dr. Al Mohler points out in his post from yesterday, it is disingenuous on the part of these advocates to make the claim that one can believe both in a creator and in Darwinian evolution. He basis this on the arguments of leading evolutionary scientist, Daniel C. Dennet, who admits that when it comes to evolution and theism, there is no middle ground. Here's an excerpt:

Committed to a radical form of naturalistic materialism, [Daniel] Dennett understands belief in God to be nothing more than an artifact of the evolutionary process. The death of God, Dennett explains, "is a very clear consequence" of Darwinism.

On this point, we should at least be thankful that Dennett is more intellectually honest than many of his evolutionary colleagues. He allows that belief in God may be culturally acceptable, but only insofar as this God has nothing to do with our origins or our lives--past, present, or future.

"One has to understand that God's role has been diminished over the eons," Dennett instructs. "First, we had God . . . making Adam and making every creature with his hands, plucking the rib from Adam and making Eve from that rib. Then we trade that God in for the God who sets evolution in motion. And then you say you don't even need that God--the lawgiver--because if we take these ideas from cosmology seriously then there are other places and other laws and life evolves where it can. So now we no longer have God the lawfinder or God the lawgiver, but just God the master of ceremonies. When God is the master of ceremonies and doesn't actually play any role anymore in the universe, he's sort of diminished and no longer intervenes in any way." Put simply, "the job description for God shrinks."

Read Mohler's full post here.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/04/2006 12:05:00 PM 0 comments links to this post |  

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

There is a girl...you need to meet her.

There is a little girl you need to meet. Her name is Bella. Isabella Shoemaker, to be precise. We went to meet her last night in person. In many ways, we felt like we knew her already. We've heard so much about her...thought about her so much...so often...and prayed for her. A lot. Bella is the six-month old daughter of a friend of mine from work. Bella is a beautiful little girl with the sweetest smile and the loveliest disposition.

Bella has cancer; a very serious form of cancer called by a name I can't even pronounce, much less spell. It is a form of cancer in which a tumor on her brain, which is inoperable, is causing her head to swell and limiting (if not eliminating) her vision. The prognosis is not really all that good. Children with this form of cancer generally live between one and ten years. I told you it wasn't good.

The reason I'm telling you about this little girl is not to tug at your heart-strings (though if it doesn't, you either have none or it is time to have them changed), or to garner sympathy (though that's not a bad thing either). I'm telling you this because I believe this is not the end for Bella. I don't know this for a fact as I am not God (a thing my wife reminds me of regularly...just kidding.), but I do know a God who is in the healing business. I do know a God who is merciful and who hears the prayers of His people. He is also a sovereign God whose ways are higher than my own and often unknown to me, so His answer might be different than the one asked for. But we ask anyway.

That is the reason I would like for you to get to know Bella. I would like to ask you and those whom you know to pray for her. Often. Regularly. Fervently. Please pray for her mom and dad, too...Jennifer and Jerry. They are going through an experience all parents fear and no parent wants. Pray for strength and preseverance; faith and hope. They already have the love. You'll know this if you get to know Bella better.

So, without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to the lovely Bella Shoemaker. Be prepared...she just may steal your heart.


Note: If you can and would like to help financially, let me know and I can provide opportunities for you.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/03/2006 12:15:00 PM 3 comments links to this post |  

Monday, January 02, 2006

Espresso Shots [01-02-06]: Environmentalism, Euthanasia, and Military Might

"Creation Care": Some Evangelicals Joining the Environmental Chorus
Winston-Salem Journal: "What does the Bible say about global warming?

Some evangelical Christian leaders hope to answer that question next year with a statement on climate change that could lend moral authority and political power to a smaller number of environmentalists pushing the issue.

It's a sign that U.S. evangelicals are flexing political muscles strengthened in battles over domestic issues such as abortion, gay rights and school prayer on a broader array of topics, from human rights and religious freedom to global poverty and AIDS - issues on which they have already scored legislative victories in Washington.

The climate-change statement, being crafted by several evangelical leaders nationwide, could call for curbs on emissions of greenhouse gases. It also could put evangelicals - who make up one in four voters and are a key support base for President Bush, with 78 percent of white evangelicals voting for him last year - at odds with the White House and business interests that form another key Republican constituency." Read full story here.

There has, for some time, been outright rejection of the environmentalist claims regarding greenhouse gases and global warming by many in the Christian community. Some say this is all based on sketchy, agenda-driven science, while others say that God gave us natural resources to use...so use them without worry of consequence. Others take a different approach, regarding the command by God to manage the world as indicated in Genesis 1.

What do you think about this new development among some evangelicals? Is this an instance of evangelicals becoming serious about "creation care," as this new movement has been called, or is this just a selling out to the so-called "left-wing tree huggers"? What is the role and responsibility of Christans in regards to environmentalism? Again, this blog is primarily about worldview analysis. So what do you think is the biblical worldview perspective regarding this issue? If you hold a different worldview, what does yours say on the issue?

I have withheld my own opinion at this point because I would like to hear from you. Read the rest of the article and chime in. This could make for a very important and interesting discussion.

Jews and Euthanasia

Recently, I posted this article on a new law by the Israeli Parliament to allow terminally ill patients to choose when they die through the use of a timer being placed on some of the essential medical equipment. It is what has been termed, "euthanasia by machine." Blogger Chana Meira took exception to the post and the news article, in general, and did further research into the report. Those findings can be read here.

The Military and Hurricane Katrina Relief

Spc. Phil Van Treuren wrote to me this weekend informing me of a new blogging project. It's called Camp Katrina. Spc. Van Treuren writes, "I'm a soldier who was lucky enough to get mobilized with the Army National Guard to help in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and some friends and I have started a blog, Camp Katrina, that highlights stories about the humanitarian efforts of the U.S. Military."

It is often difficult to get first-hand news of the good things that are going on. Spc. Van Treuen and his friends give us that opportunity. Please check out Camp Katrina here.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/02/2006 08:45:00 AM 5 comments links to this post |  

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Windows Security Alert: 'Extremely Critical Flaw' in Windows Discovered, Already Exploited

FOXNews.com - "Microsoft Corp. has issued a security advisory for what Secunia is deeming an 'extremely critical flaw' in Windows Metafile Format (.wmf) that is now being exploited on fully patched systems by malicious attackers."
Full story here.

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posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/01/2006 06:23:00 AM 4 comments links to this post |  

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