William F. Buckley, intellectual pioneer of the modern conservative movement, was found dead in his home today. He was 82.

So there I was . . . just relaxing in front of the TV when the kids yelled, "Hey Dad! Come see the kittens!"


(sent by a friend)

(I thought you needed a break from all this Democrat campaign talk, and skunks just seemed somehow, well, appropriate.)

Texas has 228 total delegate votes - 126 district / 42 at large; 25 Pledged PLEOs; 32 Unpledged PLEOs; 3 Unpledged add-ons.

At the first level, only 126 of the 228 delegates to the Democratic National Convention are allocated based on the results of the voting in the Texas Presidential Primary. Even then, it is not based on state wide popular vote, but by Senatorial district. There are 31 state senatorial districts. Even then, it is not apportioned equally, but different districts get more or less delegates depending on how strongly they supported the democratic candidate for president in the last election. If you are a Democrat in a Republican dominated district, you will not get as many delegates. Sorry. There are prices to be paid. You can have as few a 2 and as many as 8 delegates in your district. Senate District 31 has 2 delegates. Senate District 14 has 8 delegates.

At the second level, on March 29, the County and Senate District Conventions select delegates to State Convention.

At the third level, on June 6-7, The State Convention will choose the remaining 67 pledged delegates. These 67 delegates are allocated to candidates based on the preference of the delegates at the State Convention as a whole.

There are 42 at-large National Convention delegates and 25 Pledged PLEOs. The remaining 35 National Convention delegates consist of:

32 Unpledged PLEO delegates:
17 Democratic National Committee members.
13 Members of Congress (0 Senators and 13 Representatives).
0 Governors.
2 Distinguished Party Leaders (former House Speaker James C. Wright, Jr., former DNC chairman Robert Schwarz "Bob" Strauss).
3 Unpledged "add-on"s (elected at the state convention). These 35 delegates and will go to the Democratic National Convention officially "Unpledged".

Whew, there you have it. This is how you get your delegates in the Texas Democratic Party. It helps keep the unwashed masses from picking someone the leaders don't want.

CLINTON V. OBAMA

Before the campaigns took off, it seemed to be assumed that Hillary Clinton would sweep through the primaries and receive the Democratic Party nomination for president, then be ushered gracefully into the White House, finally receiving her due and opening the way for the golden millennium of social democracy. It would not be a campaign, but a coronation.

Instead, Clinton is fighting for her life. Texas and Ohio will decide her fate. If she wins, she stays in. If she loses, she sings “It’s Cryin’ Time Again”. She practiced some on the campaign trail, so the tear ducts will be ready.

(There are 2 other states involved, but I can’t remember them. When Texas is involved, I tend to lose sight of other things. It is sort of a Church of Christ view: us and other.)

Obama has won 11 straight primary contests, polling well all across the country. Now, that’s what I call a surge. Obama leads in the delegate tally 1,362 to 1,266, as near as I can figure. It is not an exact science, as each state has different rules on how delegates are picked.

The candidates are debating again in Ohio, but it is their 20th debate. What can be said that will be new or winsome if it has not been before? Obama will say he’ll bring change. He won’t say what that means, but he’ll smile and look sincere. Hillary will say she has 35 years of experience, and people will say “at what”? Look for Hillary to put on the boxing gloves and go for a knock down, if not a knock out.

The polls for Texas and, oh yes, Ohio, have been following the trends in all of the other states. Early on, Clinton had a sizeable lead. But, as the time to vote approaches and the candidates come to the state to campaign, her lead continually fades. Obama is gaining in both the Ohio and Texas polls.

In Ohio, Obama was behind by 21 points on February 14th. By February 23, it was 9 points.

In Texas, Clinton leads by only one percentage point. With 9 percent remaining undecided, and a 4 percent margin of error, she could lose by more than 10 percent if Obama charms the Democratic crowds. Given the difference in crowd size at their appearances, the lead would seem to be greater for Obama. Then, factor in the Obamacans. These are Republicans who wanted to vote for Huckabee, but have given up the fight. They want anybody but Hillary at this point, so they will cross over and vote for Obama.

Texas has 228 total delegate votes. However, it is not winner take all based on the popular vote. The method is actually somewhat complicated. I’ll detail it in another post. There are 3 tiers of delegates. Only 193 are apportioned by popular vote.

Ohio has 162 delegates. It is expecting a large voter turnout.

Oh, yes. I remember the tiny little Northeastern states that are also on March 4 with TEXAS and Ohio. Vermont has 15 delegates and Rhode Island has 21. (I know that is not many, but, really, per square foot of land, they have more delegate concentration.)

Nationally, the news is even worse for Clinton. The CBS/New York Times poll, just released, showed Obama with a whopping 16-point lead over Clinton nationally. Clinton was down to 38 percent of Democratic primary voters. Or, put another way, 62% of Democratic voters do not want Clinton to be the nominee.

This all seems to mean that people do not like Clinton in person. When she shows up to campaign, her numbers drop. In contrast, people love Obama in person. He charms. His numbers go up. This is no sign that he would be a good president, but Americans are long on style and short on substance much of the time. Didn’t P. T. Barnum say you could never go broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people? And what resembles a circus more than campaign season?

Even Clinton’s attempts to smear Obama have backfired. Clinton is a professional smearer. Just ask the women who claimed to have been abused or harassed by her husband. It is not, however, working on Obama. Obama is the new Teflon. Just look at the latest attempt, releasing a picture of Obama in African dress. Why would the Clinton campaign do that? It can only be to imply that he is foreign. Now Clinton looks like a racist. No one sent pictures of Kerry in Pilgrim attire. Ok, there were some pictures of Kuckoonich in a space suit, but no one minded, including him. Of course, Democrats have always liked Blacks better when they just pulled the lever and did not make noise.

While Clinton looked desperate and shady in this last attack, Obama picked up another endorsement. Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut endorsed him, bringing some additional support from the Democratic establishment. It is true that only three people wanted to vote for Dodd for president, but he is a senator from a small northeastern state close to New York, where Clinton bought a house so she could run for the Senate. "He's ready to be president and I am ready to support him in this campaign" Dodd said. Add that to the senator from another tiny northeastern state who married well and served in Vietnam, and New England is no longer Clinton’s playground.

Another help for Obama is a recent poll showing him the favorite over John McCain, the presumptive Repbulican nominee.

It could be close, but Obama looks to be the favorite to win the Democratic nomination at this point.

LARRY NORMAN'S HOLIDAY HAS BEGUN

Back in college, someone introduced me to Christian popular music. I did not know it existed at the time. I listended to Led Zepplin and Chicago and Grand Funk Railroad, Traffic, Pogo, CS&N, etc.

One of the first Christian songs I learned to play on the guitar and sing was "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" by Larry Norman. He is one of the guys that started the whole contemporary Christian music idiom.

He died Sunday.

Norman played regular music first. He was the lead singer of People!, a folk-rock band. They covered The Zombies' "I Love You", which reached No. 7 on the pop charts in 1968. He left the band after that and went solo. His album in 1969, "Upon This Rock" was the first Christian rock album.

Tim Challies has a good book review of "Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana" by Anne Rice. A lot of the book is a fictional account of the childhood and youth of Jesus. Challies is charitable and says it is a "noble effort".

I think the less fiction the better when it comes to the life of Christ. The artistic license simply leads to confusion on doctrine and contradiction with the Bible story.

God thought the Gospel accounts were sufficient. So, they are. We do not need to add to them.

Let's teach what God said through the words of Jesus and the apostles. That should keep us busy until the silver cord is broken.

"The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning." C. S. Lewis (describing death), The Last Battle.

The Baby was on Network television today. Having traveled to New York City to play Carnegie Hall with the Texas A&M University Wind Symphony (whoop), she and 5 other percussionists went to the Today Show and stood outside. She was shown 3 times.

Disclaimer: I do not watch the Today Show unless a family member calls and says to look for them on television. Yes, I believe it is full of useless drivel and is a mouthpiece for the liberals. I had to listen to a lot of garbage about universal healthcare and Brittney Spears and had a hard time deciding which was worse.

But, the Baby was cute and smiling and I liked seeing her.

D. Martyn Loyd-Jones

Much of the trouble in the church today is due to the fact that we are so subjective, so interested in ourselves, so egocentric. Having forgotten God, and having become so intreested in ourselves, we become miserable and wretched, and spend our time in shallows and in miseries. The message of the Bible from beginning to end is designed to bring us back to God,to humble us before God, and to enable us to see our tue relationship to him.

CLINTON CLOSES RALLY

People in downtown Fort Worth are saying Clinton has cancelled the rally because she is too shaken to speak after the policeman died. There are thousands of people in downtown and traffic is totally jammed, so there will be lots of disappointed and unhappy people.

Clinton has evidently gone to Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas to visit the policeman's family. He evidently left a wife and four children.

BAD START TO THE CLINTON RALLY IN DALLAS - A FATALITY

A Dallas motorcycle officer escorting Clinton's motorcade died in a traffic accident on the Houston Street Viaduct. The officer hit a wall on the viaduct at high speed.

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART?

No. But, there is a total eclipse of the moon tonight and it will be the last one for 2 years. Also, when it goes dark, you'll be able to see Saturn on one side and a star on the other. It is cloudy here in Fort Worth at the moment, but I'm hoping for clearing, because I want to see it.

Work v. Prison: Which is worse?

In prison work, you spend the majority of your time in a 10X10 cell.
At work, you spend the majority of your time in a 6X6 cubicle /office.

In prison, you get three meals a day free.
At work, you get a break for one meal and you pay for it.

In prison, you get time off for good behavior.
In prison, good behavior gets you more work.

In prison, the guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you.
At work, you carry a security card and open all the doors yourself.

In prison, you can watch TV and play games.
At work, you get fired for watching TV and playing games.

In prison, you get your own toilet.
At work, you share the toilet with people who pee on the seat.

In prison, they allow your family and friends to visit.
At work, you aren't supposed to speak to your family.

In prison, all expenses are paid by the taxpayers with no work required.
At work, you get to pay all your expenses, you work, and they deduct taxes from
your salary to pay for prisoners

In prison, you spend your life inside bars wanting to get out.
At work, you spend your time wanting go inside bars.

In prison, you must deal with sadistic wardens.
O.K., here there is no difference.

Now get back to work. You're not getting paid to read blogs.

Tribute to Wayne Grudem Beach Boys style. HT: Said at Southern.

Mohler on evolution. As always, he is right on point.

THE ANGRY WHITE MAN VOTE

From Aspen of all places, a good point to remember about the election. Read it here.

Pardon me, but I'm going to go resonate now.

For My Daughters

THE CHILDREN'S HOUR
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


Between the dark and the daylight,
When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day's occupations
That is known as the Children's Hour.

I hear in the chamber above me
The patter of little feet,
The sound of a door that is opened,
And voices soft and sweet.

From my study I see in the lamplight,
Descending the broad hall-stair,
Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,
And Edith with golden hair.

A whisper, and then a silence:
Yet I know by their merry eyes
They are plotting and planning together
To take me by surprise.

A sudden rush from the stairway,
A sudden raid from the hall!
By three doors left unguarded
They enter my castle wall!

They climb up into my turret
O'er the arms and back of my chair;
If I try to escape, they surround me;
They seem to be everywhere.

They almost devour me with kisses,
Their arms about me entwine,
Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen
In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine!

Do you think, O blue-eyed banditti,
Because you have scaled the wall,
Such an old moustache as I am
Is not a match for you all?

I have you fast in my fortress,
And will not let you depart,
But put you down into the dungeons
In the round-tower of my heart.

And there will I keep you forever,
Yes, forever and a day,
Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,
And moulder in dust away!

See the trailer for the new Indiana Jones movie here.

Can't wait.

2 ladies talking in heaven:

1st woman: Hi! My name is Wanda.

2nd woman : Hi! I'm Kelly. How'd you die?

1st woman : I Froze to Death.

2nd woman : How Horrible!

1st woman : It wasn't so bad. After I quit shaking from the cold, I began to get warm & sleepy, and finally died a peaceful death. What
about you?

2nd woman : I died of a massive heart attack. I suspected that my
husband was cheating, so I came home early to catch him in the act. But
instead, I found him all by himself in the den watching TV.

1st woman: So, what happened?

2nd woman : I was so sure there was another woman there somewhere
that I started running all over the house looking. I ran up into the
attic and searched, and down into the basement. Then I went through
every closet and checked under all the beds. I kept this up until I had
looked everywhere, and finally I became so exhausted that I just keeled
over with a heart attack and died.

1st woman : Too bad you didn't look in the freezer---we'd both still be alive.

D. A. Carson on Rob Bell.

James Swan has a good post on the lack of evidence for Peter founding the Roman church.

MOHLER WITHDRAWS

Al Mohler has withdrawn from the SBC Presidential race for health reasons. Rats.

1 Samuel 29

29:1-11 The Philistines Rethink the Plan

29:1 Now the Philistines had gathered all their forces at Aphek. And the Israelites were encamped by the spring that is in Jezreel. 2 As the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear with Achish, 3 the commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me now for days and years, and since he deserted to me I have found no fault in him to this day.” 4 But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here? 5 Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances,

‘Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?”

6 Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the Lord lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that you should march out and in with me in the campaign. For I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords do not approve of you. 7 So go back now; and go peaceably, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.” 8 And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” 9 And Achish answered David and said, “I know that you are as blameless in my sight as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ 10 Now then rise early in the morning with the servants of your lord who came with you, and start early in the morning, and depart as soon as you have light.” 11 So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel.


The scene here switches back to David from Saul. Just when you thought Saul had reached the bottom and would shortly die, the writer switches scenes on you. The Philistines were mustering for war. All 5 of the kings of the Philistine city states brought troops and passed in review (Ashdod, Ekron, Gath, Ashkelon andGaza). The commanders of the Philistines saw David and his men and did not like it. He said “why are these Hebrews doing here?” These 2 peoples had been enemies ever since Joshua led the Israelites into Canaan.

Achish was very happy with David and felt he had been loyal. In verse 6, he said “I have found no fault in you…” He had not been, but Achish did not know that. But the commanders did not want David there, afraid he would reconcile with Saul and attack them from within. The Philistines were organized in city states. They did not have a central government, and Achish was not king over all them, just over Gath. So, he had to bow to the will of the others and send David back.

Notice that David protested. In verse 8, he claims loyalty and expresses his desire to fight the Israelites. He cannot really mean this. You almost think this has to be humor, with David deceiving Achish and pleading both his innocence and desire to fight for him, neither of which are true.

Regardless, David and his men left. God saved David from fighting his own people. God saved David through the commanders of the Philistines, the enemies of David, of Israel and of God. God uses whom he will to accomplish his will. Proverbs 21:1 says “The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.”

Again we see David has great qualities. At times, he displays great trust in the Lord. He can exercise great fidelity to God’s word, refusing to kill Saul despite many opportunities. He was described as a man after God’s heart.

He is not a perfect man, however, and will fail many times. Yet, he was a man chosen by God and anointed to be the king that would unite the kingdom and serve as the forerunner and type of the last king and lord, Jesus Christ.

Mostly, he was a man through whom God worked. God chose him, raised him up, saved him from disaster repeatedly, and empowered him to accomplish great things. He was a man God used to accomplish God’s will and plan. God was doing that in the time of David, and he is doing it today.

We also see God’s mercy here. David made a bad decision to go to Philistia. I think it was even an unfaithful decision, for he left the covenant land rather than trust God to defend him. It was also a denial of what God had told him, that he would be king of Israel. Yet, God did not abandon him, but saved him from himself and from the Philistines. David would later say, in Psalm 23:6, “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”.

An old country preacher had a teenage son, and it was getting time the boy should give some thought to choosing a profession.

Like many young men, the boy didn't really know what he wanted to do, and he didn't seem too concerned about it.

One day, while the boy was away to school, his father decided to try an experiment. He went into the boy's room and placed on his study table four objects.

A bible
A silver dollar
A bottle of whisky
And a Playboy magazine

"I'll just hide behind the door", the old preacher said to himself. "When he comes home from school this afternoon, "I'll see which object he picks up.

If it's the bible, he's going to be a preacher like me and what a blessing that would be!

If he picks up the dollar, he's going to be a businessman, and that would be okay, too.

But if he picks up the bottle. he's going to be a no-good drunkard, and Lord, what a shame that would be.

And worst of all, if he picks up that magazine he's going to be a skirt-chasing bum.

The old man waited anxiously, and soon heard his son's footsteps as he entered the house whistling and headed for his room. The boy tossed his books on the bed, and as he turned to leave the room he spotted the objects on the table. With curiosity in his eye, he walked over to inspect them.

Finally, he picked up the Bible and placed it under his arm.

He picked up the silver dollar and dropped into his pocket.

He uncorked the bottle and took a big drink while he admired this month's centerfold.

"Lord have mercy." the old preacher disgustedly whispered, "He's gonna run for Congress."

A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART

No, it's not a politician. It's a great quote by a blogger, Daniel Phillips, who called the Jesus Seminar "cutting-edge eighteenth-century radical liberal scholarship".

Heh heh.

AND THEY’RE OFF!

Mike Huckabee gets the first win on Super Tuesday. He got all 18 national delegates awarded at West Virginia's Republican convention. Romney was picked to win, but McCain’s delegates moved over to Huckabee. Hey, who needs a state when you're gettin' a whole planet later!

SUPER TUESDAY

Today is not only Fat Tuesday, it is SUPER TUESDAY! No, it is not Superman’s birthday. It means the big day when 24 different states have primaries or caucuses to elect delegates to the national conventions of the political parties. Those delegates then vote for the person who will become the nominee. For the Democrats, 52 percent of all pledged Democratic Party delegates are at stake. For the Republicans, 41 percent of the total are at stake.

GLOBAL COOLING

Gateway Pundit records record cold winters all over the globe, starting in China.

THIS COULD PUT A DAMPER ON GLOBAL WARMING

"The Canadian Space Agency’s radio telescope has been reporting Flux Density Values so low they will mean a mini ice age if they continue."