CALVINIST QUOTE OF THE DAY. All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, He is pleased, in His appointed time, effectually to call, 1 by His Word and Spirit, 2 out of that state of sin and death, in which they are by nature to grace and salvation, by Jesus Christ; 3 enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God, 4 taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them an heart of flesh; 5 renewing their wills, and, by His almighty power, determining them to that which is good, 6 and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ: 7 yet so, as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace. The Westminister Confession.
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Monday, May 03, 2004
IT'S GREAT TO BE TED KOPPEL. I do not watch Ted Koppel. He looks too much like Howdy Doody. He looks more like HD than John Kerry looks like Herman Munster. And I'm short on duct tape right now.
But, if I did watch Ted talking archly to the tv audience with his I'm smarter than you smirk, his show would have the opposite effect on me than he intended. I think we all know that old Ted read the names of all the soldiers killed in Iraq to make Americans turn against the war. I've been reading those names, Ted, and it gives me the opposite reaction. I want to fight Iraq harder, strike back harder when they attack, drop big bombs.
I suggest a counter show. Let's have one of those all day shows. Every 15 minutes a different person will come in. We will read the names of every person killed in the towers on September 11, and follow it with the words "killed by an Muslim terrorist". We'll have widows read, orphans read, friends left behind read, firemen read, policemen, whites, blacks, jews (no mohammed, they did not all get the memo to get out because israel really did the attack), Pakistanis, every group represented in the victims.
Ted, you can read one if you want. Just follow the script.
Let's put it on all the channels, even that camel at the public trough PBS, and get everyone to sit there all day and watch each name read. Maybe we could put a picture of them up on the screen while we read.
Every hour we could take a break and watch the plane crash into the building, then people jumping out of the windows, then the buildings falling.
Then, let's go to Iraq. And let's take Ted.
But, if I did watch Ted talking archly to the tv audience with his I'm smarter than you smirk, his show would have the opposite effect on me than he intended. I think we all know that old Ted read the names of all the soldiers killed in Iraq to make Americans turn against the war. I've been reading those names, Ted, and it gives me the opposite reaction. I want to fight Iraq harder, strike back harder when they attack, drop big bombs.
I suggest a counter show. Let's have one of those all day shows. Every 15 minutes a different person will come in. We will read the names of every person killed in the towers on September 11, and follow it with the words "killed by an Muslim terrorist". We'll have widows read, orphans read, friends left behind read, firemen read, policemen, whites, blacks, jews (no mohammed, they did not all get the memo to get out because israel really did the attack), Pakistanis, every group represented in the victims.
Ted, you can read one if you want. Just follow the script.
Let's put it on all the channels, even that camel at the public trough PBS, and get everyone to sit there all day and watch each name read. Maybe we could put a picture of them up on the screen while we read.
Every hour we could take a break and watch the plane crash into the building, then people jumping out of the windows, then the buildings falling.
Then, let's go to Iraq. And let's take Ted.
KERRY DOES NOT RESPECT FREE SPEECH. Rebecca Porter recently attended a Kerry campaign event. She had a sign. The sign read "My abortion hurt me." Kerry went by Porter but did not speak. Later, a Kerry staff person took the sign and tore it up. I'll bet if you asked Kerry about the incident, he would say "I personally am not in favor of tearing up signs to inhibit free speech, but I do not believe I can tell others not to."
If you asked Kerry's staff member about it, he would probably say he was just following orders.
It may just be that Kerry is so rich he is out of touch and thinks free speech is something given after dinner by someone who is not popular enough to charge for it.
If you asked Kerry's staff member about it, he would probably say he was just following orders.
It may just be that Kerry is so rich he is out of touch and thinks free speech is something given after dinner by someone who is not popular enough to charge for it.
Saturday, May 01, 2004
"UH, THE COLLEGE DAUGHTER WILL LOVE THIS". Harper's Index reports the average number of "uhs" used by college science professors while lecturing is 1.39 per minute. The average number used by college humanities professors is, uh, 4.85 per minute. I have made the College Daughter paranoid about this, as it is a pet peeve of mine. I think I indicates you can speak faster than you can think. That is especially bad if you come from West Texas, where speaking is painfully slow. (Our poor computer suffers this same fate. I can type faster than it can process, so it periodically locks up so I cannot type any more. I had to take a break, for example, between speak and faster and go get a drink.)
You would like to think a college professor could think as fast as he could speak, since they are educating our young people. It could be that they really just do not have that much to say and are killing time.
Preachers do this at times also. Have you ever sat through a sermon when the preacher clearly preached his sermon in 15 minutes, but did not want to quit? So, he just preaches it over again.
So you see, it is a good principle all around: only speak when you have something to say. Otherwise, let the silence speak for itself. You will find it does not hurt anyone, and you will appear much more intelligent waiting out the silence that filling the air with "uh".
And breathe through your nose.
You would like to think a college professor could think as fast as he could speak, since they are educating our young people. It could be that they really just do not have that much to say and are killing time.
Preachers do this at times also. Have you ever sat through a sermon when the preacher clearly preached his sermon in 15 minutes, but did not want to quit? So, he just preaches it over again.
So you see, it is a good principle all around: only speak when you have something to say. Otherwise, let the silence speak for itself. You will find it does not hurt anyone, and you will appear much more intelligent waiting out the silence that filling the air with "uh".
And breathe through your nose.
MAYDAY. The European Union added 10 members to bring the total to 23. The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta all joined. The EU has accomplished by economics what the Russians accomplished by force: a unified Europe. Members may travel freely between countries, spend the same money, feel "European" rather than, say, Czech, and observe rules made and ignored by Germany and France. The combined population and economic strength is roughly that of the United States, and they don't spend much money on the military, so there should be plenty of goose liver for everyone.
I will be interested to see if the EU ever squares off with the Muslims. Arabs have not been able to unite in a great Pan Arab state despite the dreamers such as Nassar and the schemers such as Hussein. But, Arabs have left the promise land in large numbers for the EU nations. They move for money and the move for evangelization. They do not move to become European. Much of Europe, and likewise much of the world, has been taken over by Arabs with very little large scale violence. They riot when denied. They beat up Jewish people and deface their houses of worship and grave yards. Mostly, though, they just hang together and demand change, and the Europeans give it to them.
France has awakened to the battle. The government has engaged the Muslims on some fronts, such as the head gear issue. But largely, it is unknown if the EU governments, or the EU will stand up to the Muslims and demand the continuation of Europe for the Europeans, a largely secular, somewhat Catholic, liberal society. Or will they be eaten alive by conservative, agressive, xenophic Arabs.
Canada, in contrast, will be eaten alive without a fight, I think. Ontario now allows Muslims to settle disputes between them under Sharia law. Canada has no strong Christian base to defend. I think they will fold like a cheap card table. But no one ever accused me of being optimistic.
I will be interested to see if the EU ever squares off with the Muslims. Arabs have not been able to unite in a great Pan Arab state despite the dreamers such as Nassar and the schemers such as Hussein. But, Arabs have left the promise land in large numbers for the EU nations. They move for money and the move for evangelization. They do not move to become European. Much of Europe, and likewise much of the world, has been taken over by Arabs with very little large scale violence. They riot when denied. They beat up Jewish people and deface their houses of worship and grave yards. Mostly, though, they just hang together and demand change, and the Europeans give it to them.
France has awakened to the battle. The government has engaged the Muslims on some fronts, such as the head gear issue. But largely, it is unknown if the EU governments, or the EU will stand up to the Muslims and demand the continuation of Europe for the Europeans, a largely secular, somewhat Catholic, liberal society. Or will they be eaten alive by conservative, agressive, xenophic Arabs.
Canada, in contrast, will be eaten alive without a fight, I think. Ontario now allows Muslims to settle disputes between them under Sharia law. Canada has no strong Christian base to defend. I think they will fold like a cheap card table. But no one ever accused me of being optimistic.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)