Stones Cry Out

“I would not have you exchange the gold of individual Christianity for the base metal of Christian Socialism.” – Charles Spurgeon. He had quite a bit to say on economic and political issues of the day, applicable to that day and this.

For those still blaming Bush for our economic situation, Paul Mirengoff reminds us that the housing  market collapse was the main cause of it, and the Bush administration tried to keep it from happening. Democrats would have none of that.

"The New York Police Department, the mayor and the city’s top prosecutors on Monday endorsed a proposal to decriminalize the open possession of small amounts of marijuana…." But the real scourge, Big Gulps, will not be tolerated.

A cautionary tale about hyper-partisanship.

Remember those advertisers that left the Limbaugh show after his remarks about Sandra Fluke? One big one tried to come crawling back, and Limbaugh just said No.

The Obama administration is against voter ID laws, but Michelle Obama herself required IDs to get a book signed. Irony. Meter. Pegging.

Austerity works, when it’s actually implemented. Just ask the European country who’s economy outpaced the average growth in the euro-zone by 500%, and has the only budget surplus there.

Obama actually was a member of a socialist political party while in Chicago. Stanley Kurtz of National Review has the documentation. Where was the mainstream media on this 4 years ago?

In case you heard otherwise, no, the Boy Scouts are not changing their policy on gay scouts and scout leaders.

Good morning.

1. Economics of burger and nation.
2. More econ here.
3. “See me for dust” a phrase I’d never heard.
4. Sprawl.
5. The pro-choice “all life is sacred” conundrum noted.
6. The other marriage debate.
7. Our effing regulatory state, which is getting worse all the time. One side of the aisle thinks that’s a good thing.
8. Moving on up?
9. A birthday party notion. And the entertainment guest dresses like this (if they’re doing it right).
10. How to get Americans in the gym.
11. Some conservatives want to see Obama lose. I think the reason is hidden in the paragraph toward the bottom, i.e., Obama has been awesome at inspiring and recruiting conservatives.
12. Bad expense management has costs.
13. Mr Walker and the Wisconsin coerced unions.
14. Women against raising kids well.
15. That “popular” mandate, crickets say its not popular.

Good morning y’all!

1. Make sure your mouth is empty so to avoid spewing anything on your keyboard and monitor before viewing.
2. Seems to me if taxes aren’t the same GDP % as spending (and are higher) you’re cruising for a bruising … and 40+ % !!!! That should, by all rights, be shrinking all the time and not growing in an information/industrial age.
3. If the numbers were swapped (a) would there be calls for a recount and (b) does that mean a recount is warranted?
4. So which of these 5 scenarios are possible? Probable? I’d bet on wag the dog.
5. More numbers to distrust (not the graph, … the numbers to distrust would be grades).
6. Mali.
7. A good analogy, except for the unfortunate part that the Roman empire lasted for an additional 1000 more years.
8. An invitation to write.

Is Fear a bad thing for a Christian?
Well, depending on the context, it certainly could be. Irrational fear, worrying about the future, fear of death, etc., could all be indicators that the Christian is not fully embracing the hope inherent in Christianity. From Stan Jantz,

When we succumb to fear (and I’m counting myself in that habit), we are basically telling God, “I don’t trust you.” We’re saying, “Faith isn’t good enough; I need facts.”

However, are there times when a healthy appreciation of fear is the most prudent and, dare I say it, the wisest thing to do? Fear can be that quality in our psyche that alerts us to things untoward – situations out of the ordinary – or people to be wary of. Listening to that part of our brain which tells us something is amiss is not paranoia but a survival instinct. And survival is not a wrong thing, in and of itself – indeed – the lives we have been given, by God, are by no means trivial enough for us not to be concerned with managing them well.

In The Gift of Fear, Gavin DeBecker does a very good job outlining the way we can utilize the signals our brain already sends us regarding everyday events, situations, encounters, etc., to better prepare us for untimely events in life.

Remember:  Be prepared, not scared.

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Avoid these words online if you don’t want the government breathing down your neck
But remember… it’s for our safety.

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Coexist?
Not really.

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Are you on LinkedIn? Better change your password
Millions of passwords from LinkedIn leaked online.

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Mobilizing on Capitol Hill for children taken by food allergies

Less than six months after the death of her daughter Amarria, who suffered a fatal anaphylactic reaction at school, Laura Pendleton walked the halls of Congress today, joining the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN™) as it continues to work toward passage of the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act.

The urgency behind the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act (S. 1884/H.R. 3627) is heartbreakingly illustrated by Pendleton’s loss. Her 7-year-old daughter Amarria died earlier this year after eating a peanut at the Chesterfield, Va. school where she was enrolled in first grade. She did not have an epinephrine auto-injector at school.

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And people were scared about having Vice President Sarah Palin?
From the article,

Vice President Joe Biden told the graduating seniors of Cypress Bay High School in Florida today that they should imagine a world where hunger no longer exists because crops grow without the need of soil, water or fertilizer.

A restaurant owner can’t refuse to serve people based on their race or gender. It is considered a public business. But how about a photographer? Not just one with a studio open to the public, but one who you would hire to come out and photograph your wedding?

A New Mexico judge now says that they can no longer pick and choose which weddings they will work at.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A professional photographer who refused to take pictures of a gay couple’s commitment ceremony violated state anti-discrimination laws, the New Mexico Court of Appeals has ruled.

The court on Thursday agreed with a previous ruling, in which a district court judge said the photo studio is considered public, similar to a restaurant or store, and cannot refuse service based on sexual orientation, the Albuquerque Journal reported (http://bit.ly/JSAdE5 ). The photography studio had argued that its refusal was not an act of discrimination but a reflection of the owners’ religious and moral beliefs.

The state (New Mexico here, but all over the country) is trying to freeze out businesses that don’t toe the liberal line. Catholic adoption agencies who have the same religious objection, in many places, now have to either violate their principles or shut down to avoid lawsuits. Now we have photographers who have to do much the same thing. Sensing a trend here?

The Alliance Defense Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based legal alliance of Christian attorneys and others that represented the studio, plans to appeal. Elane Photography argued that it provided discretionary, unique and expressive services that aren’t a public accommodation under the Human Rights Act.

The studio asked hypothetically whether an African-American photographer would be required to photograph a Ku Klux Klan rally.

The court responded: “The Ku Klux Klan is not a protected class. Sexual orientation, however, is protected.”

So, you have human rights only if you’re one of the classes with special rights. Don’t we always hear how homosexuals just want equal rights, not special rights? Watch what they do, however. If you’re a Christian photographer, you can now be targeted, even if there is a photographer right next door who is more accommodating and doesn’t have the same moral qualms. This is fair?

Good morning.

1. Bubbles in liquid going down.
2. “On this date”,  remembered (more here).
3. Wisconsin noted, here and here.
4. Google and its decisions.
5. So, is that the central difference between right and left?
6. In a sane world, “connections to Penn State” would be a bad thing for Mr Sandusky, not a good one.
7. The media tries a strained analogy.
8. So was this move Consitutional? And was it a good/bad idea? Are those two related in any way?
9. How not to make an argument, that has to be the worlds worst argument against single sex schools ever. Point one is irrelevant, point two is a good argument for not against, and point three is quickly rebutted by the poster. Whoops.
10. A good monopoly, … mostly good? Good or not?
11. Misunderestimating the tendency of writers to invent words?
12. Secret is secret … unless some small political fallout might be in their favor.
13. Biden … taking stupid to new heights every day. Seriously, do you want a pony too?

Good morning.

1. Green for Spring (and/or Pentecost).
2. Or what is a flash mob.
3. We will likely all remain confused about the creationist atheists. Or perhaps go back to calling all polls cricket races, and lots of noise signifying nothing.
4. Of Conservatism and Orthodoxy.
5. The sky is falling, oh wait, never mind.
6. Interesting. I don’t however get the “two databases” reference at the end.
7. American, debt worse than you imagined. (Keep in mind, the only successful strategy to attack a deficit in recent history is to cut spending)
8. Jewish = White … or highlighting just some the problems that confront racial reward/racial categorization requirements held sacred by the progressive left.
9. Banned. Right or wrong?
10. You can keep your insurance … remember that promise made by the Obamacare supporters. Alas, it continues to be untrue. I guess it wouldn’t be a lie if they didn’t realize things like this would happen. But if they didn’t realize it, they also cannot lay claim be “smart” as they so often prefer. So, stupid or dishonest? Pick.
11. I begin to suspect that photoshop was involved.

Good morning.

1. “Most gracious Sovereign Lady” … at first reading I thought that meant the Theotokos … but it’s not. The caps I think are what threw me.
2. It was this lady in question, who at times is certainly one to be reckoned with.
3. Sounds of battle in the information age.
4. Giving the state more power, rarely a good idea.
5. Talking economics, the gist of which is, I think, that economists are at long last recalling that these really low interest rates is not a good thing.
6. Yikes. Oh, and from the same source … this is a really really [repeat for a  while] good idea.
7. Queue the evil laughter.
8. The same argument holds it seems.
9. (Rich — or expense account equipped) Boys with toys.
10. More toys here.
11. Synthetics and the drug war.
12. Speaking of which, the “medical marijuana” industry/movement just died. It just doesn’t know it yet.
13. The first part of social charity, shut up and sit still.
14. You can just feel the excitement … or not.

Yeah, haven’t posted in a while. I’ve been working on another side project that may or may not pan out. We’ll see. In the meantime, it’s time to play some catch-up on the wrap-up.

No, I don’t believe Obama was born in Kenya, but he certainly let that image get out years ago, and only recently stopped that. As late as 2004, even the Associated Press was referring to "Kenyan-born" Barack Obama. Laugh all you want at the birthers, but they at least had this sort of thing to back them up (for a while).

The Family Research Council has a count of the number of states that have legislated against same-sex marriage. Depending on how you choose what kind of legislation (law, constitutional amendment, etc.), the number changes, but here’s the biggie. "Number of states which currently (May 2012) grant marriage licenses only for unions of one man and one woman:   44" Remember that when you see polls about what people supposedly think about it.

And don’t try to press Martin Luther King into service to that particular cause. He followed his religion in this regard.

“The Iranian nation is standing for its cause that is the full annihilation of Israel.” Their words.

Civility Watch: "Union Leader Takes Bat to Pinata Depicting Gov. Nikki Haley (R-S.C.)"

Michael J. Fox realizes that stem cells, as good as they are, were never some magic cure-all.

Advances in the war:

A record-low 41 percent now identify themselves as “pro-choice,” down from 47 percent last July and 1 percentage point down from the previous record low of 42 percent, set in May 2009. As recently as 2006, 51 percent of Americans described themselves as “pro-choice.”

And speaking of the war, the actual, physical war on women by Planned Parenthood gets exposed by hidden camera videos. Predictably, the media yawns.

Further, "Congressional Black Caucus Upset By Pro-Life Black Americans". Those tolerant folks.

The Washington Post took 20 years to realize that Dan Quayle’s argument against the TV show Murphy Brown was right. It took Candace Bergen 10 years herself. And of course some of us knew that from the beginning.

And finally, oh, that liberal media.

Good morning. Woo hoo … links!

1. Letter of the law.
2. Ethnic spoils and reparations.
3. Memorial day photo choice by the White House, or ego stroking for the head honcho.
4. Two statements by the White House on energy, one of them is a lie. Logic offers no alternative.
5. Our President is fluent in Hebrew. Wow. Who knew?
6. As nationalization of health care proceeds … freedom suffers.
7. So, have the Philippines turned the corner?
8. A book touted.
9. So what are the child safety so-called experts going to say about this? Hmm?

News crew looking for violations at a California Gun Show… ended up breaking the law themselves
From John Lott,

…Things got a bit ironic, however, when CBS took a camera into a gun show. They didn’t find any guns with illegal detachable cartridges, but the news crew was breaking rules left and right. As it turns out, there are “No Camera” signs all throughout the gun show, and gun show representatives announced “No picture taking during the show” frequently throughout the day.

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Obama’s Planned Assault on the Second Amendment
But don’t worry. After he’s reelected he’ll be able to come out from “under the radar” because he’ll have more “flexibility”.

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What if he had not been carrying a gun?
From Salt Lake City,

A citizen with a gun stopped a knife wielding man as he began stabbing people Thursday evening at the downtown Salt Lake City Smith’s store.

Police say the suspect purchased a knife inside the store and then turned it into a weapon. Smith’s employee Dorothy Espinoza says, “He pulled it out and stood outside the Smiths in the foyer. And just started stabbing people and yelling you killed my people. You killed my people.”

…

Then, before the suspect could find another victim – a citizen with a gun stopped the madness. “A guy pulled gun on him and told him to drop his weapon or he would shoot him. So, he dropped his weapon and the people from Smith’s grabbed him.”

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15 year-old girl with a gun,
wards off burglars. But, don’t go run outside while holding a handgun, like she did.

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17 year-old girl with a gun, shoots at intruder reaching through doggie door

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Husband and wife shot at gun safety class
You know the drill by now – there are no accidental shootings – they are negligent discharges. Again, we have an instance when it is reported that the gun… “went off”. From the article,

According to deputies with the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, Michael and Michelle Deel were accidentally shot when the .45 caliber handgun Michael was holding went off. He was shot in the hand and his wife was shot in the leg.

Good morning.

1. Ms Warren continues to dig. She should, perhaps, stick to unverifiable claims.
2. So … is obesogenic a real word?
3. The good rabbi says the Bible is entirely fiction (and he’s right).
4. In which principles based means paradox based. Wrong “P” word, eh?
5. Highlighting some problems with climate science.
6. Non-statist left … a null set.
7. There’s a theme there, but I think you have to watch it a few times to catch it.
8. Bread.
9. Fast. So, voluntary dangerous games? Good, bad, indifferent?
10. I’m missing something here, how does creating a pro-Romney political ad “damage” the reputation of FOX in a way that the same thing done by the NYTimes creating pro-Obama ads does not damage theirs?
11. An opportunity for magnanimity and grace on the part of the President … we’re watching.
12. OK then. Or just put that in this barrel.

The Ole Plate, from The Train Depot, in Fresno, CA.

At 4 1/2 stars on Yelp, I figured we just had to try out The Train Depot for breakfast on a recent trip to California’s San Joaquin Valley. Yelp did not lead us astray. As soon as you walk in the door of this unassuming little cafe you know you’re in for a treat. I had the Ole Plate, which pits 3 scrambled eggs with chili sauce, cheese, tomatoes, and bell peppers thrown in to boot. It normally comes with potatoes, hashbrowns or “home style”, and the waitress informed me that I could split the potatoes into beans and potatoes. It’s got a bit of a kick, but nothing you can’t handle. Along with a side of toast, their homemade salsa, and some joe, and you’re set.

Enjoy!

– image © 2012 A R Lopez

Good morning.

1. I think the recent “downtick” on his graph is the predicted recovery/rise? ’cause it looks like to me his prediction is just all washed up, If the up/down swings are noise, then there has been no appreciable change since summer of ’11. If it is noise the “rise” predicted is the dive downward.
2. Death camps in Poland does not equal Polish Death camps. So, is our President grammar challenged or just trying to offer the worst insults he can imagine to the Polish people?
3. “Limiting principles”, which on examination aren’t limiting, alas.
4. God thinks batman is gay.
5. More calls for Mr Romney to disavow the birthers. What’s missing of course are calls to disavow any number of wacko notions on the left by Mr Obama. Newsflash people, politicians are loath to turn away any votes.
6. For example, Mr Frank thinks having a hoodie was the reason Mr Martin was shot, not because Mr Martin chose to attack a guy sit on him, break his nose, and slam his head repeatedly into the ground … and this a guy who was armed. But … it was the hoodie thing that was the problem. When will Mr Obama disavow that sort of talk?
7. I didn’t make it past point 1, which is so categorically backwards and upside down that … well, why bother going further. If you’ve got the basics backwards you’re not going to get much else right either.
8. On Bain, somebody doesn’t get the point of the Obama/Bain line of attack. To be honest, I don’t either.
9. Discrimination.

Imagine if it was Dubya’s Doobies?
Best part of the story? The commenter who points out that while Romney went to High School, Obama went to school high.

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GOP finally taking some action over Fast & Furious?
It’s about time. Perhaps they’re trying to play this into an election issue. I’ve got mixed thoughts about that – after all, Brian Terry, the Border Agent who was killed, should not be a political pawn. Yet if the Right is going to take down the current Left administration in November, they will have to fight for it.

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Didn’t anyone teach these kids (and their parents) how to add?
From the NY Times,

ADA, Ohio — Kelsey Griffith graduates on Sunday from Ohio Northern University. To start paying off her $120,000 in student debt, she is already working two restaurant jobs and will soon give up her apartment here to live with her parents. Her mother, who co-signed on the loans, is taking out a life insurance policy on her daughter.

“If anything ever happened, God forbid, that is my debt also,” said Ms. Griffith’s mother, Marlene Griffith.

Ms. Griffith, 23, wouldn’t seem a perfect financial fit for a college that costs nearly $50,000 a year. Her father, a paramedic, and mother, a preschool teacher, have modest incomes, and she has four sisters. But when she visited Ohio Northern, she was won over by faculty and admissions staff members who urge students to pursue their dreams rather than obsess on the sticker price.

“As an 18-year-old, it sounded like a good fit to me, and the school really sold it,” said Ms. Griffith, a marketing major. “I knew a private school would cost a lot of money. But when I graduate, I’m going to owe like $900 a month. No one told me that.”

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Abraham Lincoln – Fashionista
I didn’t realize that, with his mussed-up hair, Honest Abe was so far ahead in his stylin’.

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Darn those annoying Home Schooled kids!

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For the germaphobe – homemade hand sanitizer